Superstar 841

Meow—

“Shh. Stay still, Bella.”

Meooow—

Bella meowed discontentedly at her guardian’s words.

Well, considering she’d been roaming freely outdoors and was now suddenly told to get inside a cage, it made sense that she felt stifled.

“But this is outside, so you can’t come out. You’ll disturb the shoot and might get lost.”

If someone told her to go find a cat that had escaped on a large, dangerous Hollywood set, she might just faint.

At her guardian’s firm words, Bella, who had been whining inside the cage, gave up and settled down, curling herself into a loaf. She even let out a yawn—Hyam.

Heh. My cat is the cutest.

Crouching down to check on the cage placed on the chair, the guardian smiled like a doting parent and then stood up to sit on the chair next to the cage.

The outdoor set was bustling with preparations for filming.

“Is this light enough, Director?”

“Let’s try a bit softer. We don’t want the voices to get drowned out by the rain.”

It looked like they were about to shoot a rainy scene. A huge water truck was nearby, and director Wilma Evans was discussing with the staff about adjusting the amount of rain.

Besides her, other staff members were busily moving about.

All of it made Bella’s guardian feel giddy with excitement.

She thought she had gotten used to the set atmosphere during the morning shoot, but outdoor filming had a completely different vibe.

As Bella’s guardian was curiously observing the surroundings, Hailey Rosie appeared, having changed outfits.

Hailey Rosie.

She was a popular actress these days. Although not a former child actor, she’d reportedly been interested in acting since middle school. She officially began acting after graduating high school and had taken on small roles.

Then two years ago, the drama she starred in became a huge hit, and Hailey Rosie, who played a supporting role, instantly became a star.

“That one was good.”

Even now, just like the guardian, many people were rewatching that drama.

Thanks to that drama, Hailey Rosie became a star. Last year, she acted in a film, which also became a box office success.

Though there was some talk about her playing a similar character to her previous drama role, the guardian thought it was a smart move for someone like Hailey Rosie, who was just starting to gain recognition.

“Well, I’m no expert.”

When the article came out about her working with Seojun Lee, there had been a lot of discussion about Hailey Rosie’s acting skills. But from what the guardian had seen, those concerns were clearly unnecessary.

“She really felt like Claire.”

Though she didn’t know much about acting, after watching the morning shoot, she could tell that Hailey Rosie fit the role of “Claire” perfectly.

“What about Jun?”

The guardian’s gaze shifted to Seojun, who appeared in costume.

Because of the scene’s setup, he stood in front of the water truck, getting drenched. Even though the wet clothes must’ve been cold, he smiled brightly—like a dog that loved water.

“If rising star Hailey is this good…”

Seojun Lee, a globally recognized star known for his acting since childhood—how good would he be?

She was excited, yet a little regretful.

Because she didn’t know enough about acting to truly judge what made a performance amazing.

“Usually only those who know can see it.”

Maybe acting was like that too.

She had just thought that when she realized—it wasn’t.

Ssshhhhhh—

Looking up at the rainy set, the guardian’s mouth fell open.

If Hailey Rosie felt like Claire, then Seojun Lee was simply the male lead himself.

Seojun Lee had vanished. Only the male lead remained standing there.

And swept up in that aura, Hailey Rosie, who had felt like “Claire,” became “Claire.”

She didn’t know what changed, but she couldn’t see her as anything else.

Wow… That’s insane.

The guardian found herself whispering in awe as she watched the scene unfold.

---

Ssshhhhhh—

Rain fell.

“Ah… there it is.”

Claire looked at the man who smiled faintly at her.

He had likely been standing in the rain for a while. From head to toe, he was completely soaked. His face was pale, with not a hint of color. Even his voice was slow and weary.

Recalling Molly’s words—that he was just barely an adult—she studied him more carefully. He certainly looked young.

A kid was standing in the rain. His face was so pale he looked like he might collapse at any moment.

“…No.”

He was an adult. A stranger. No—a werewolf. He had even followed her secretly just a moment ago.

“Ah, what do I do?”

Kindhearted Claire, who couldn’t help but open up to children, found herself conflicted.

If Molly knew, she would’ve yelled, “What’s there to think about? That mutt’s your age!”

But Molly, who didn’t yet know Claire well, was focused elsewhere.

“Claire, the sugar!”

“Ah!”

Snapping out of it at Molly’s call, Claire decided to carry the packages inside first.

Thankfully, the packages left near the front door were only slightly wet on the wrappers, thanks to the roof above. The contents inside were safe.

Claire hurriedly carried them into the house.

The man across the gate silently watched her the entire time.

Once she had brought everything inside, Claire stood up. Her eyes met his again.

She thought he might bang on the barrier again, asking to be heard, but instead, he just looked at her quietly. No—he seemed to lower his eyes, avoiding hers.

She could see the round raindrops clinging to his eyelashes.

Drenched by the rain, he looked innocent, fragile, young, and pitiful.

Without realizing, Claire’s hand twitched.

No! Snap out of it!

Even if he looked that way, he was still a werewolf! A werewolf!

A witch’s enemy!

But even as she tried to convince herself, she had never actually seen a werewolf before. So he just looked like an ordinary person.

If she kept looking any longer, she might just open the gate.

Just then, the man spoke. His voice was slow and weak.

“I’m sorry about earlier, witch.”

Huh?

Startled by the sudden apology, Claire turned around. The man stood hunched over, staring at the ground.

“I’m really sorry for following you and yelling to let me in. I was desperate and only thought of myself. I didn’t consider how you’d feel.”

She hadn’t expected an apology.

Claire slightly parted her lips and looked at him.

“You were the only one I could turn to, witch. I was really, really desperate… I’m sorry.”

He really seemed sincere.

And suddenly, Molly’s words echoed in Claire’s mind.

Young, weak, and alone.

Now, seeing him standing there in the rain, her earlier pity doubled—no, tripled—and filled her heart completely.

Aaaah! Seriously!

Claire screamed inside.

If this were an orphanage, with the director and teachers around, she would’ve let him in without worry!

But in this house, it was just her and the cat. She was a bit concerned.

“If Molly is one bite-sized, I’m like three…?”

Looking at the man who still made no attempt to shield himself from the rain, Claire finally turned around with a resolute expression and closed the door behind her.

---

“Cut! Okay!”

The rain stopped falling from the sky, and a staff member quickly handed Seojun a towel. Though it was April, the weather was chilly when wet.

“Not cold, Jun?”

“I’m fine.”

Since the next scene also involved rain, Seojun dried off just a bit and walked over with Hailey Rosie to review the footage.

“How was it, Director?”

“Both of you were perfect!”

Director Wilma beamed, and Seojun and Hailey smiled as they looked at the monitor. Their acting in the light rain had been captured beautifully.

“Jun looked so delicate and pure in the rain. It turned out really well.”

Even Hailey, who knew just how tough Seojun was from training together, had been momentarily fooled by his appearance and acting.

Of course, the loose clothes that hid his solid body helped too.

At Hailey’s comment, Director Wilma nodded enthusiastically.

“Right? I plan to do a close-up shot later to highlight Jun’s charm even more. So the audience watching the movie can truly feel Claire’s emotions.”

“Yeah, I mean, who could leave someone like that standing in the rain—even if they were a stranger?”

At their exchange, Seojun laughed while drying off.

With his damp hair and glowing skin, his bright smile made his good looks even more striking.

Seeing him up close, Director Wilma and Hailey couldn’t help but admire him.

“Who needs seduction tactics?”

“Exactly.”

Seojun couldn’t help but laugh again.

---

The rain kept falling.

The man stood still, just staring at the witch’s tightly shut door.

His eyes and expression were filled with a slight coldness, a lot of resignation and despair, and a faint sense of persistence.

Those dark and complicated emotions seemed to have been with him since birth. They suited him well.

Then—

The door, which seemed like it would never open, opened. The very door he had decided to wait in front of, no matter how long it took.

Warm light flowed out into the dark surroundings.

It stung his eyes, just a little.

The witch who stepped out of that warm house opened her mouth.

“Um…”

The man grew a bit anxious. No—a lot.

But he didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he just looked down with an expression full of guilt.

Hiding, exaggerating, and fabricating emotions—this was something he was very good at.

The witch, Claire, spoke.

“You can stay at my place until the rain stops.”

The man’s head snapped up.

“I’ll also listen to what your request is about.”

Thump-thump.

His heart beat rapidly.

He had been ready to wait for months, even years. He never expected to be let in within a day.

“…Thank you.”

He meant it.

He was truly grateful.

Claire handed him something Molly had given her.

“But if you’re coming in, I want you to wear this bracelet first.”

“This is…”

It was a slightly thick bracelet made of green and lime-colored threads.

It looked ordinary at a glance, but the werewolf knew very well that nothing a witch handed out was ever ordinary.

“If you wear this, you won’t be able to harm me or Molly—that black cat from earlier. If you try to hurt or even think about hurting us, you’ll feel pain. You can’t even imagine it.”

Molly had said it was a powerful spell crafted by Margaret. She had also said, “That mutt might not even agree to it.”

Yeah, even Claire thought so. If she were entering the home of an enemy (witches were enemies to werewolves), and couldn’t even think about attacking, she wouldn’t like it either.

“It’s basically like walking into your own death.”

She figured he’d rather stay outside.

If he refused, she was going to shut the door right away.

To Claire, this bracelet was the most she could offer.

Looking at the man staring at the bracelet with a dazed expression, she thought he might show at least a little resistance—even if he didn’t outright refuse.

“Is that all?”

“Huh?”

But contrary to her expectations, the man smiled brightly. As if it were easier than eating cake, he nodded willingly.

“I’ll do it. I’ll wear the bracelet.”