CHAPTER 168: MISSING KIDNEY

"I am thinking of selling one of my kidneys."

Prof. Ling looked appalled. "Oh god."

"But the doctor said someone already stole the left one. I should’ve known something was wrong when I woke up in a bathtub full of ice."

He meshed his fingers and rested his chin on the newly created spindly bridge.

"Anyway, let’s get to it."

The scene cut to Quinn in the office of a posh lawyer.

"It isn’t that it’s impossible."

The lawyer caressed his bushy moustache and studied the papers before him.

"But we’ll have to follow certain measures. We can’t call it a human zoo or anything remotely similar. We’ll portray it as location shooting."

A close-up of Quinn showed him nodding his head mindlessly as the voice of the lawyer became distant.

The song My Cocaine in Your Urine began playing as the scene cut to Quinn in a glass cage, lying on a queen-sized bed.

Attached to one of the walls was a TV.

The glass cage was placed right in the center of the zoo’s most popular spot. And the spectators—who had paid good money to observe the animals—gathered around it.

They looked at the man—just lying there, watching TV and blinking once in a while to remind them that he was indeed alive.

Some took pictures with him without even inquiring about what was going on, and some simply marveled at the insanity after being made aware by Madelyn.

The elderly men found it amusing; the elderly women found it crass; the parents pulled their children away as if it were the devil himself enshrined.

Hyerin’s phone vibrated. She had received a text from Ari.

- Is this real? Did he actually do this? Was it live? In front of people? Was he high?

She showed it to Averie, who replied on her behalf immediately.

- Yes.

Watching himself on the screen, he shook his head.

"That was absolute torture."

Hyerin patted his shoulder. "You were the one who insisted on it."

Min-Ha patted his other shoulder. "Why did you ask them to shoot you like this for a whole day?"

"I thought it would be funny."

"What dedication to comedy."

"Don’t be sarcastic. Do you have any idea how badly I wanted to pee?"

"I would gladly not know it."

The scene cut to Quinn in a room with Prof. Ling.

"Then, how was it?" she asked, studying the man’s pale face.

"Wonderful." His hands were shaking. "It was wonderful."

Prof. Ling wanted to refuse, but she took pity on the broken man.

As the episode came to an end, Quinn turned to the camera.

"See, kids? It’s not so bad to be a captive animal." He raised a finger. "But I would not suggest experiencing such euphoria. It may not be for the faint-hearted."

He wrapped his arms around his torso.

"But if you have suddenly found yourself in a lot of debt, it is a very good way of making money."

Min-Ha turned to Averie.

"I thought it would end up being too nerdy and boring, but that was good."

"Yeah."

He got up, stretched his arms, and threw on his coat.

"Are you going somewhere?" asked Hyerin.

"Just for a walk."

The girl tried to get up, but he pushed her back down.

"You can relax. No one knows who I am here. I will be quick."

Saying so, he left the room.

After walking aimlessly, he found himself at the stern of the ship, leaning against the guard rail.

He took a moment to enjoy the scenery.

The breeze was nice, salty but refreshing.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

Convinced that it couldn’t be anyone else but his cousin, he picked it up without even looking at the caller’s name.

But the voice that greeted him was far more pleasant.

"Are you busy?"

It was the little girl from The Color Spectrum.

"Did you stay up to watch the show?"

The reply was enthusiastic. "Yes."

"What did you think? Was it funny, or was it fun?"

"Both," replied the girl. "But Mommy covered my eyes once. Did you do something bad there?"

’Coke, sweetie. I did coke.’

"There are some things in the world you are not allowed to learn until you’re an adult."

"Will the other episodes be the same?"

"Yes. You will have to close your eyes often."

They talked for a quarter of an hour and would have continued for another fifteen minutes if not for her mother, who nudged Olivia to wrap it up.

To Averie’s amusement, the girl said something he did not expect.

"I want to act with you sometime."

It made him laugh.

He wondered if he would be in good health by the time she could make a name for herself. Looking at his reckless behaviour, the future seemed grim.

Nevertheless, he agreed.

"When you become a full-fledged actor, we will."

After saying goodbye to him, Olivia handed the phone to her mother.

"Thank you for always being nice to her, Quinn."

"That’s Mr. Auclair for you."

"Yeah, sure."

The woman laughed it off before approaching her solemn topic.

"I have had this talk with her many times, but Olivia looks serious about acting. She has taken it for granted that she would pursue a career as an actress."

"I get that feeling too."

"It is lovely to see her find something she truly enjoys. But my husband and I don’t come from the industry. We have no idea how to support her career. That’s why I was wondering if you could provide some guidance on the matter."

’What could I possibly give?’

He had grown up in the era of the Second World War and had learned how to act while observing the harsh world around him.

He didn’t believe there was a single child in the current era who could possibly survive those conditions and emerge as a great actor.

’But perhaps, that’s my ego talking.’

His gaze grew distant. "How long has she been acting in The Color Spectrum?"

"It will be two years soon."

"I see." He turned his back to the sea and leaned against the guardrail. "I’ve heard that the show’s final season will either be the next one or the one after that."

"That seems to be the case, yes."

Averie breathed out a cloud of hot air and watched as it dispersed in the salty air. "Once her role ends, I would suggest not taking up any roles."

"I’m sorry?"

"Forgive me for putting it this bluntly, but child acting differs quite a bit from actual

acting."

He swayed in the wind, imitating the waves several meters beneath his feet.

"A child can’t act anywhere near as well as an adult, and a child won’t have the opportunities to act as well as an adult."

There was hesitation on the part of the woman. "It’s not completely impossible."

"Can you recall the last time you thought a child actor—other than your daughter—left you amazed because of their sheer acting prowess?"

She didn’t have an answer for that.

"I am not blaming children."

’What’s impossible at their age is impossible no matter how much effort they put in.’

He had seen too many actors destroying themselves trying to reach heights never meant for them.

In that sense, they weren’t much different from child actors.

’That era was most definitely crueller than this one.’

"Mrs. Rodrigo, if I am being frank, there is no future for child actors. Very few of them ever manage to develop as actors. And even then, they find it difficult to shed their image. Why would anyone give chances to people like these? The industry is fickle, and there is plenty of fresh blood to experiment with."

"Then, are you suggesting—"

"Let her enjoy her childhood. Let her develop her taste in films. Place her under a well-established acting teacher. Maintain a good relationship with your contacts. Only rarely let her act until she develops as a person and as an actor, and even then, vie only for films."

’BSPH was an anomaly. The difference in quality between a movie and a drama is ever palpable.’

"The structure of a film and a drama is significantly different. Not every single bit of acting needs to be refined in the latter. But films, they are different."

He squeezed the guardrail.

"Films are sacred to actors."

His eyes were lost in memories of his previous life. Film sets, tickets, droves of audiences, posters on every corner—oh, the nostalgia.

’Films. I need to do films.’

A sudden fire was lit under him.

***

Hyerin was on her phone, observing the immediate response to the first episode, which was entitled Animalistic Tendencies.

Unlike BSPH, Long Live the Quinn was in an unfortunate situation.

For one, it wasn’t a drama, which meant it couldn’t hope to reach the extreme height of popularity that was often associated with mainstream shows.

’There won’t be a craze like BSPH.’

There was no reason to even dream of that. Aside from the fact that the structure and contents of the two differed significantly, there wasn’t even any excitement to begin with.

Nobody had any idea what to expect, especially since it was Averie’s first role not sharing the limelight.

BSPH, at least, had big-name actors.

Hyerin did not find the situation fun. Her expectations had been screwed because of BSPH’s exceptional reception.

But still, she had hope.

’[Film&TV] Episode 1 of Long Live the Quinn aired in a total of 67 Commonwealth countries.’