[Welcome Host]

A 3D hologram was the last thing Irene saw before she feasted her eyes on the new world before her. 

The body she occupied has the same name as hers, and was also a well-renowned actress. However, unlike her, this Irene Blake was an orphan. But it didn’t stop the original from achieving her dreams. 

From sunrise to sunset, she poured all her blood and sweat to get the recognition she had. Irene was glad to know that they embody the same dream: To become the greatest actress of all time.

Sadly, the original wouldn’t be able to achieve that.

Irene reviewed the original’s memory and conveniently found that they have the same personality. She didn’t need to care much about people suspecting her for acting differently.

She had no idea what happened to the former owner of this body, but it wouldn’t prevent her from transforming this character to become a villainess, to trek the path created for her.

For her sister’s life, she could do anything. Besides, they were just cannon fodders of the story.

Their existence was devoted to the protagonist. They would always be the supporting character, never the lead.

Irene’s sight was glued to the mirror. Much to her surprise, they looked the same. 

The same name, body, and personality. Were they mocking her? The uncanny resemblance was too much. Not to be narcissistic, but she would’ve thought this was a fanfiction written by one of her fans if not for her being the villain.

A knock interrupted her thoughts. Her body went rigid in full caution.

“Open.”

The door welcomed a man dressed in casual formal attire. He had a charming smile and sparkling eyes that could hit anyone in the heart. 

Behind that cheery look, Irene could discern the irritation brewing within. She raised an eyebrow. Though she was curious how long he could hold it in, her body was still alert. 

Irene exhibited a relaxed look, concealing her stiffness masterfully. Her years of acting paid off.

Alex was caught off guard. Is there something on my face? This was just a moment of thought and wasn’t reflected in his actions. He strolled like nothing transpired and said genially, “I’m done straightening things up. All that’s left is for you to share the promotional video they’ll post. You good?”

Irene replied, “I’m good.” 

Despite his jolly countenance, his swift and neat packing of their belongings proved that he was more than ready to leave this place. He looked like an inmate about to depart prison. He couldn’t be happier.

Still, it was bad to display such zealousness lest some gossipmonger ruin their image. He controlled his tone and said, “Then we should return to the company.” 

His actions were brisk as he took off. 

Irene remained standing. It wasn’t until Alex’s back was facing her that she could move her body, albeit with difficulty. She followed Alex and studied his broad shoulders from behind. 

Alex Davidson was this body’s manager. Apart from his youthful aura and strict adherence to guidelines, no one came close to this person’s skills. 

At least Irene wouldn’t feel so alone in this world; his charisma was like a fire attracting flies.

They left the studio together through the back exit. A tinted black van was waiting for them downstairs.

Irene got in, followed by Alex.

“This shoot was tiring. That director was too full of himself. Just because he shot a viral video once doesn’t mean he’s that great. I don’t know what the Macey’s management was thinking when choosing a conceited person to shoot their product. Ugh.” 

There it was. He finally erupted. She thought he could bottle it up till they arrived at the company, but apparently not. Irene’s tired eyes held amusement. Bummer.

When a heated argument broke out between Irene and the director, he mediated it. Yet when Irene left, it was his turn to get riled up. 

Alex ranted his heart out, expressing the annoyance he suppressed. Beside him, Irene laid back and closed her eyelashes. The fun was over and she tuned him out.

Before Irene’s eyelids covered her emotions, Alex caught a glimpse of those chuckling pupils. He didn’t find that weird. In fact, he expected that. He understood Irene well enough to correctly guess how she would react to some things. But what was that slight disappointment? As if she was expecting something else.

All of a sudden, a warm touch landed on Irene’s forehead. She instantly sat straight and stared at Alex. The warmth came as a surprise to her. Her lips were ajar, wanting to speak but couldn’t. She was at a loss.

Alex said, “Are you sick?”

“No. Why would you think that?” Irene replied. 

He shouldn’t have noticed a thing, right?

The moment he took back his hand, the warmth gradually dissipated. Irene was at a loss at what happened. 

She checked and found that the original was easily exhausted after every shoot, no matter the degree of physical exertion. So regardless of the oddity, once she reasoned she was burnt out, she was sure he would be convinced. No need to worry. I think.

“Nothing. You just seem more tired than usual.” It was as she expected. 

But what he really wanted to say was “you’ve changed”. That eyebrow lift and amused eyes weren’t there in the past. These two actions made him realize that Irene was aware of his frustration the second he stepped inside the room earlier. In the past, she wouldn’t have spotted the minute details in his facial expressions. But now she did. 

Irene didn’t bother to reply. She was already immersed in her thoughts. 

This world was familiar to her, and at the same time, it was not . For Irene, who was suddenly brought here, it felt surreal. She knew this was different, but at the back of her mind, she longed for everything to be a nightmare.

That when she opened her eyes again, she would be at home, with her sister’s sweet voice reaching her ears.  

But even before she opened her eyes, Alex’s face emerged in her thoughts, bursting her bubble. 

Ha, all she could do at the present was daydream.

A lump formed in Irene’s throat. She thought about Alex’s last sentence and softly whispered, “I am tired.”

Irene shifted to the side and watched the skyscrapers swish past her. Her words were buried beneath the honk of a car, forever in the abyss. 

Seeing her turning her back to him, Alex made a mental note to leave her schedule blank for a couple of days so that she could unwind.

 

***

 

Irene alighted off the van and was greeted by a fifty story building.

Housed by this architectural structure were multiple A-listers, and the original Irene Blake was one of them. Entering the edifice, the elegant lettering of “Bright Star Entertainment” oozed an intimidating aura. Anyone who wished to be at the top strived to enter its threshold. 

Together with Alex, she strutted toward the elevator.

A fervor of whispers befell.

“Isn’t that Irene?”

“Yup. That last movie she made raked almost a billion dollars, catapulting her higher.”

"Hattie has been on the edge lately because of this."

"Really? When will she know her place?"

"Stop it. Whether you like it or not she does have some talent."

"But she's way below Irene. All she's doing is just a futile attempt."

"Welp, I don't care. She can jump all she wants but she'll never catch up."

“Hey, do you think Irene will sign me an autograph if I ask her?”

“You better not. I heard that during filming an advertisement today, sparks ensued between her and the director. She’s in a bad mood. Besides, you have plenty of time later. Come on, let’s go home.”

The subject of their chatters surprised Alex. It looked like news traveled fast. It hasn’t even been a couple of hours since they left and passersby were already discussing today’s confrontation.

Behind the hubbub was a brunette dressed in neutral tones. She sat on the couch; her innocent temperament was shown light.

She was in her early twenties, full of youthful vigor. Her plump cheeks were so supple to look at, as if water would come out just by pinching them.

As more people took note of her presence, the topic of the discussions naturally shifted to her.

Starring in the hit TV series “Looking At You”, Lilian Chambers finally got her big break. After years of muddling in the bottom of this industry, Lilian, at last, got the recognition she deserved. She went from nothing to straight up to the B-list rank.

Irene strolled past her.

Lilian’s fangirl mode switched on! Her eyes shined and sparkled.

In these muddy waters, Irene became the one she looked up to. To see someone fight and be at the top without a background planted hope in her heart. 

Irene’s journey motivated her and made her dream that she, too, could reach the summit.

So, she badgered her manager for a myriad of gigs for her. 

Searching high and low, accepting any role that she could take so she could get enough exposure to be noticed by some bigwigs. She was up to her knees by that point. But she couldn’t care less.

She knew through playing different roles that acting was her passion.

After a long walk in the desert, she found her oasis. 

Her era of walking in the furrows has concluded.  

Driven by motivation and grit, she ended up being the female lead of the series “Looking At You”. Now, here she was, able to stretch her hand toward her idol.

Inside the elevator, Irene recognized an exigent presence. 

A brunette girl with a lovable expression entered her field of view. Lilian.

The protagonist of the novel, Lilian Chambers. True to her character, her disposition evoked a sense of helplessness, but was contradicted by her vigorous eyes. 

Suddenly, the cacophony of the lobby became distant prattles in Irene’s ears. Lilian’s magnetic eyes could draw people and make them feel at peace.

Just as she was getting drowned, Alex pressed the 40th floor. She got out of the trance. The closing door eclipsed her view. 

It would be a lie to say that she didn’t get nervous when she saw how captivating the protagonist was. But right now wasn’t the time to mull over this. 

The greeting was the last thing she heard from the system. Except for the memory of the original and a few things about the male and female lead, she was trekking a labyrinth blindly. She needed to contact it to get a clear picture of what she was going to do. She has to go home. 

A ding sounded inside the elevator, then it opened its doors. 

“Alex!” shouted Carl, also a manager of the company. He waved at Alex, looking somewhat troubled.

The management had already set their foot down regarding the transfer of one of his artists. It surprised him when he found out that Alex was the one they chose. 

It was known that Alex was opposed to handling other artists, as proven by him vehemently disagreeing with similar arrangements done in the past.

Besides checking his friend’s stand on this, he was also looking for him to hand in the transfer documents. What more could he do? The top has already spoken. 

All he had to do now was complete the process, regardless of how he or anyone felt.

Noticing a tall lady by his side, his gaze moved and met Irene’s.

He was preoccupied with his thoughts earlier that he missed her completely. He turned and greeted her. 

Irene nodded in return. 

Alex and Carl have a good relationship, but this didn’t extend to the original Irene. Irene and Carl, at most, were acquaintances. So his casual approach to her was normal.

Meanwhile, Alex knew his intent on approaching him. He didn’t mind it. He thought that he could use this to finally get on with this troublesome transfer. As much as he hated it, the jury has been set. He enthusiastically waved back and said, “Sup.”

Carl currently has three artists in his hands. Unlike Alex, who was focusing on one—which was about to change—he liked to hustle more. 

Carl took note of the uninterested look of Irene and guessed that she didn’t know about the additional family member that they were about to have. He asked, “Do you have time? I need your help with something.” It was better if Alex said it himself.

“Of course. But wait for a bit. I’ll just give Irene some documents.”

“Sure, I got time.” Carl sat on a chair and watched as Alex led Irene into his office. 

None of the celebrities he knew could match the aura of these two.

Luckily for the others—the male gender specifically—one of them was already satisfied being in the background.

 

***

 

For someone like Alex, a minimalist office wouldn’t come to mind when thinking of him. But against all expectations, it was. Irene saw a sleek and modern interior design. 

Irene sat on the couch examining the details in the room. Alex took a stack of documents from his drawer. He put the papers on the coffee table and sat beside her.

Irene scrunched up her eyebrows when she looked at them. She felt a little unsure how to approach this situation with no background information.

Witnessing her facial expression change from stoic to exasperated, weirdly amused Alex.

His face turned soft, and he chuckled. “In the next three days, you can choose which script you prefer.”

Those words brightened Irene’s gloomy face. An opportunity!

This was the time that she needed. It wasn't necessary to run to the company or shoot anything. She schooled her emotions, but a curve on her lips still escaped. “Thanks.” 

Her surprised face pulled someone’s heart strings. How cute.

The corner of Alex’s lips went up. He said, “A smile finally graced our goddess’s face.”

Irene realized what he meant and lowered her head.

In this “vacation”, she must find ways to contact the system if it wouldn’t contact her first. She lamented, What a lousy employer. 

She replied guiltily to Alex, “I’m just exhausted.”

“And that’s why I gave you this. Take this time to unwind. When you’re back, be ready to make some money for me again,” Alex joked.

Irene chortled. The ceiling lights highlighted her curved eyes, creating a dazzling view. “Naturally.”

Their conversation lasted for fifteen minutes before reaching the end. 

Alex waited for Irene to organize her stuff and walked with her to see her out. 

Near the door, they stood face to face. Irene’s head barely reached the tip of Alex's nose. He affectionately ruffled her hair. “I won’t be able to send you back. But I already instructed Simon to wait for you. The van is still downstairs.”

She knew he was just caring for the original Irene, even so, his consideration implanted a sense of gratitude in her.

Walking out, she sincerely said, “Thank you.”

 

***

 

Irene stepped into her house.

She didn’t bother to turn the lights on and went straight to her room.

In fact, no matter how she covered it up, she was too overwhelmed with the experience she had. 

It put a heavy burden on her mind. Right now, all she craved was sleep.

She plopped herself onto the queen sized mattress—dead tired. Her tense shoulders could now take the break they deserved.

On her first night, the brilliance of the full moon and the chilly breeze of spring accompanied Irene.

In this concrete jungle, a lonely tear leaked out in the corner of a foreign soul’s eye.