Chapter 274: Never stopped smiling [3]
The noise level quieted as the theater lights dimmed. Instantly, all attention focused on the red curtains at the front. At the front, several people looked at the leaflets before them as they whispered to one another.
"Never stopped smiling?"
".....A romance script. Hmm. Good thing it's short."
"Yes, I can't wait for the main play to start."
"This shouldn't be too bad. The standard of the society is quite high. They won't let a bad play pass."
"That's true."
Expectations for the upcoming performance were rather moderate.
Most attention was focused on the last performance and the play that everyone was eagerly awaiting. The upcoming plays were more like appetizers for the main dish.
They expected a certain quality, but nothing that would blow their mind away.
And rightfully so.
The fact that the first play was a romance-based one added to the slight disinterest as some checked their pocket watch.
"I hope it doesn't run for too long."
"It shouldn't. See the leaflet. It only runs for twenty minutes."
"Oh, it's quite short. That's a relief..."
"....."
Delilah quietly observed the surroundings without so much as a change in her expression. She appeared unusually serious as her gaze settled over the stage.
Her conversation with Julien repeated in her mind.
'Reading it and experiencing it are two different things. It looks monotonous now because it's a script. It'll be a different experience when you see it.'
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He had said such words so confidently to her back then.
Delilah still carried heavy doubts but chose to attend and see for herself.
....Exactly how was it so different from the boring script that he had shown her? She still had every line memorized in her mind, and regardless of how hard she tried to visualize the lines in a play, she could only find it boring.
'Is it really different?'
Delilah questioned herself as she fixed her gaze on the stage beneath.
She could feel subtle movements coming from behind the curtain.
Scribble~ Scribble~
Suddenly, a scribbling sound echoed throughout the entire hall. It spread throughout every inch of it, reaching the ears of all those present.
"What's going on?"
"....Is this part of the play?"
At first, people were confused. Rightfully so as the curtains were still closed, but their confusion didn't last long.
A soft voice soon filled the entire theater.
<I didn't really understand her.>
The tone was pleasant, and it carried a certain warmth that made the audience feel at ease. Almost as if it was coming from next to them.
The mood in the theater eased.
<Nobody understood her.>
At least, until the voice turned slightly heavy. The moment it did, the audience felt as though something heavy was pressing down on their chest.
<From teachers to classmates. Everyone kept their distance away from her. She just looked
so...>
Swoosh~
The curtains slowly opened to reveal a large group of people standing side by side. They were dressed in matching uniforms, with the taller individuals at the back and the shorter ones in the front.
<...lonely.>
Gradually, the voice faded.
What replaced it was repetitive clicking sounds.
Click. Click. Click.
[Everyone please smile for me!]
On the opposite end, an elderly woman stood with a camera in her hand.
[This will go in your yearbook so make sure you look good for it! I don't have much film so you better make it worth it. Don't close your eyes!]
Click!
The shutter clicked as a light flashed.
[Alright, great!]
Satisfied, the elderly woman grabbed the image that came out of the camera. Waving it in the
air, an image soon appeared.
Looking at it, she smiled in satisfaction.
[Hahaha, you all look great. This will definitely be a good memory.]
A projection appeared on the side of the theater. It allowed the audience to see the image
from up close.
It was just a common image.
One with several dozen students as they lined up together to take the year-end photo. There was nothing about it that stood out to them.
All with the exception of one single girl...
With long flowing black hair and hazel eyes she stood by the corner. There was nothing wrong with her, but if one looked closely, they'd notice the absence of a smile on her face.
As her bangs covered her face, she stood still with a blank expression.
Her lack of expression made her stand out from the rest.
The character was none other than the one played by Aoife. With all the makeup and changes
in hair color, she almost seemed unrecognizable, but it still wasn't able to mask the beautiful features hidden behind all the makeup and bangs.
Clank-!
The scene paused and the lights dimmed before converging over a certain figure.
Not far from her, he stood still on the spot with an image in his hand. With unkempt hair and a uniform, he looked like a typical teen in his phase. Especially his soft features.
The moment he appeared, the faces of some of the audience changed.
'Isn't that...?'
'Right, it's him.'
People recognized him. As the winner of the Jovinc Award, he had quite a reputation. With all the attention on Olga's play, not much attention was focused on the other plays.
It was for that reason that hardly anybody was aware of Julien's participation in the play.
...And it was also then that the audience understood something as some of the audience members whispered to one another.
'Do you think he's doing this for revenge?'
'No way.'
'Why not? He got replaced and chose to perform in another play. Isn't he trying to prove his skills?'
'Ah.'
All of a sudden, some interest grew in the play. Especially since many were aware of the fact
that Julien had been replaced by another actor a few weeks prior.
There were also others who were surprised for a different reason.
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One such person was Delilah who stared at Julien with a blank look.
He looked... so different than he usually did.
Usually, he would always wear a blank and indifferent look. His usual gaze was sharp, and he
had a certain tense aura surrounding him that brought the eyes of all those present in his
direction.
And yet, the current him seemed like a completely different person.
His features were warm, and his face carried a certain naivety to it that made it hard for her to
associate him with the Julien she knew.
'So strange...'
It was strange, but she suddenly felt like she was no longer staring at Julien, but a different
entity.
A character called David.
The play...
It was slowly coming to life.
<I remember noticing her during the time we took pictures for the yearbook photo. I usually
never bothered, but it was then that I finally took notice of her.>
Yet again, his soft voice quietly echoed throughout.
<That was when I finally noticed something.>
The stage dimmed and the scenes changed continuously.
A lone girl sat eating her lunch.
A lone girl stood by herself during physical education class.
A lone girl standing while others grouped up together.
<She was always alone. She never talked to anyone nor did she ever smile. Before I knew it,
she never left my mind. I started to think about her all the time.>
<Amelia... That was her name.>
The voice speaking in the background grew softer.
It was almost as if he was trying to hold his laugh.
<....And... Kh! I think it was then that she noticed me.>
No, he probably was. Indeed, right as those words faded, Aoife's head flicked in his direction as he sat behind her.
Her usually blank expression changed into a subtle and annoyed glare.
"Pftt."
"Hehehe."
"Did you see her face?"
Subtle cues of laughter followed the glare. It was an unexpected action, and it seemed to
tickle the audience's funny bone.
They weren't the only ones who laughed.
Julien did so as well, turning his head away and covering his mouth.
[Pftt.]
Despite his best attempts, he was still unable to hide the sound of his laugh and Aoife's glare
intensified.
*Kuuu*
It bore holes into the back of his head.
.....This sort of behavior continued for quite a while.
Scenes would switch, and as they switched, David became more and more brazen with his
stares.
It got to the point where he was eventually confronted by her
In a small room, she pressed her hand against the wall as she glared at Julien.
[What do you want?]
Her voice was cold and distant.
But David seemed unfazed as he shrugged.
[....What do you mean?]
[Why do you keep looking at me? It's creepy, and it's grossing me out. Stop it.]
[Why?]
[What? Haa...]
A long sigh escaped her.
Resigning herself to the situation, she eventually backed off.
[What will it take for you to stop following me?]
[Hm?]
[What? Don't tell me you're following me for no reason at all.]
[Oh, that...]
David went on to scratch his head as he struggled to answer.
He is...?
The audience looked at Julien's flustered expression and found the sudden urge to smack their
own heads.
He really was just following her for no reason at all...
[Seriously?]
Amelia looked at David with a baffled expression.
[.... You actually don't know?]
[No, it's not that.]
[Then...?]
[Hold on.]
Fumbling through his pocket, Julien eventually took a photo and handed it to her.
[This is?]
[Class photo.]
[I can see. What do-]
[Why do you never smile?]
[....]
A strange tension suddenly gripped the stage as the surroundings turned quiet. As if everyone
was absorbed in the play, nobody said a word as they stared at the two figures standing
opposite each other.
Why did she stop speaking?
...What's going to happen?
They all suddenly grew curious. They wanted to know the answer to the question.
But they were all soon going to be left disappointed.
[Because I don't want to?]
It was a simple answer.
An answer that didn't feel satisfying at all.
'Is this really it?'
"That's kind of...'
Some of the audience members leaned back, their interest in the play waning.
[You don't want to? Is that it?]
[What else? I don't smile because I don't see the need to. It's not that hard to understand.]
But that interest was immediately brought back by Aoife. With a subtle increase in her pitch,
she managed to just briefly elicit feelings of anger.
It was such a subtle action that was barely noticeable, but the effects were instant.
[....If that's all that you wanted to know then I hope you're happy.]
Turning her head away from Julien, Aoife walked away and left the room.
Clank-!
[....]
In the silence that suddenly took over the place, Julien stood with his head lowered. In his
hand was the school picture.
Gradually the lights dimmed, and his voice quietly echoed throughout.
<That was the first time she lied to me.>
Clak!
The lights turned off.
End of Act 1.
