Min-Ha placed her laptop on the coffee table and changed her VPN.
Averie was familiar with VPN providers.
’Every SilkTuber and their dog advertises these companies. For what?’
Min-Ha changed her location and logged into the QTM channel’s site. They had their own online streaming service, which was free.
"Is it today?" Averie asked.
He sat up in bed.
As Min-Ha clicked on live TV, The Color Spectrum began.
It was the last episode where Averie was involved.
It began with a recap of the previous episode. The etings between Neena and the Rain Man were shown.
"The teor shower is tonight," the usually quiet man said.
It was raining again, and Neena had co to et him.
She had wondered how she felt about him, but couldn’t co up with anything. Was he her friend? Or did she just co here to find peace? Was that sothing selfish?
"Ask for sothing today," he continued, "and I will grant it."
"Why so generous today?" she asked, her eyes large.
She thought about it for a mont and turned to him.
"Anything?"
"Yes."
"Give your na."
He looked into her eyes. He was just as mysterious as the day she first t him.
"I don’t have one," he said.
"You said you would give anything." She tapped her feet, slightly annoyed. "Why lie now?"
"It’s not a lie."
It didn’t look like he was lying, but she did not believe him.
After a long sigh, she opened her mouth again.
"Tell sothing you have kept hidden. Give one of your secrets."
The answer ca as quickly as the lightning that lit the skies in front of them.
"I don’t exist."
She couldn’t look away from him. She was speechless, her ajar mouth a den of hot air.
Suddenly, a teor fell. Then another. Then one more.
In an instant, the sky was taken over by a shower of teors.
It was a beautiful sight, and she was lost in it.
The rain stopped, and when she turned her head, he was gone.
She searched around, but there was no trace of him left.
The next day and the day after that, she tried to look for him.
She went back to the place, but he wasn’t there. She asked around her office, but no one knew him.
"Have you seen the rain—I an, the IT guy?" she asked one of her colleagues.
She looked up from her mountain of paperwork.
"Isn’t that him?"
Neena followed her gaze, but she was left disappointed.
"No, not him."
"Well, I don’t know then. The others in the IT departnt are all ladies. So if it’s a guy you are searching for, then it has to be him."
"That’s—" She was shocked. "But he was—"
No matter how much she looked for him, he wasn’t there. There was no indication that he ever even existed.
He had disappeared just as he had appeared.
"Was he an illusion?" she whispered to herself, feeling a sense of defeat. "Or a spirit?"
Sitting at the gazebo alone, she waited for rain.
But rain never ca.
The episode ended.
Averie yawned in his cupped hand.
"Did you just yawn?" Min-Ha asked, wiping what little tears she had shed. "While watching your own show?"
"Hey, don’t call it my show. I only did a guest appearance. That does not make it my show."
"Did you not like it?" Hyerin asked, chewing on her handkerchief.
"It’s good enough for a sub-plot. I just don’t like playing such a passive role."
Ignoring him, Min-Ha continued her lodramatic moaning.
"Will they explain who or what the Rain Man was?"
"No. It will be left to people’s imagination. It’s not about him after all. It’s about the lady who felt sothing brief yet special after a long ti. It’s a burst of liveliness that surprises you when you have lost your youthfulness."
"I don’t get it," Min-Ha said.
"That’s fine," Aveire stroked her shoulder with a gentle smile. "You are dumb, so it’s fine. I never had any expectations to begin with."
"It’s about her emotional growth," Hyerin explained.
"That’s correct, you dumb-dum." Averie stroked her shoulder too. "I was basically just a tool for all that progress the lead will make."
Averie was being cynical, but he didn’t find his ti on the set that bad.
’We had fun, acting and uttering whatever lines we wanted, at least.’
He was praising himself for being so mature when Hyerin’s phone rang.
"It’s Sara," she muttered. "Why is she calling?"
"From AweScreen?"
While nodding, Hyerin picked up the call.
"Hello?"
"How are you, Hyerin?"
"I am fine. Did sothing happen? If it’s about the Shibuya—"
"No. I called to tell you about an article we just published."
"Article?" Her eyes narrowed. "Is it about Averie?"
"I suppose. It’s mostly about Loret, though."
"What?" she nearly scread.
"Yes, would you mind putting Mr. Auclair on?"
She did that before turning to him.
"Where’s your phone?" she asked the actor. "I need to look up an article."
He wagged his finger in her face. "Oh no, I am not giving you my phone."
"What? Why?"
"I don’t delete my search history."
Very many images passed through Hyerin’s mind, most of them containing voluptuous won.
"I—I see," she stuttered.
She had to ask Min-Ha for her phone. But it was her search history that truly scared her. She glanced at Averie and back at the phone, fear in her eyes.
"Why is she acting like that?" Averie muttered. "Did Min-Ha also look up ’ways to kill?’ Or did she look up ’how to start a cult?’"
"Hello—hello? Is anyone there?"
"Yes," — he put the phone to his ear — "what’s the matter?"
"Hello, Mr. Auclair. I am—"
"Yes, yes, I heard."
He pulled his face away from the phone and yelled, "Please, Madam! You are being too bold! I can only give you an autograph at best! What if your husband finds out? Well, you may not care, but I do!"
He returned to the call.
"Can you be a little brief? I am rather busy. My fans are too sweet."
"I—I understand." She cleared her throat. "What I am about to say is pure speculation, okay?"
"Yes."
"I believe soone I may have t once left a gift for ."
"What a generous man."
"Of course. And because of that gift, I was able to write an article."
"Did police show up for that gift?"
"Yes. Thanks to the note left behind, I did not dally around. I collected what I needed before the police showed up."
"How quickly did they show up?"
"Within an hour."
"That’s incredibly fast."
"Yes. Do you suspect sothing?"
"Of course."
"I see. Well, I only wanted to thank you."
"I did nothing. Why would you thank ?"
"I just felt like it. Please read the article."
The call ended.
"Co here!" Hyerin called for Averie. "Quickly!"
"What is it?"
She showed him her phone. An article was open on it.
’[AweScreen] A history of ruining talents: the shady dealings of Loret Entertainnt.’
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