CHAPTER 90: YOU PLAY THE PERV

Carrying his suitcase, Wayne looked for his suite on board Polaris. The White Glove Society had generously booked him a room on the luxury cruise—or perhaps it was his rich client paying the bill. The vessel was designed in a classical style that was reminiscent of the incredibly luxurious train he had taken.

The two-hundred-person capacity was at the level of a small ferry, but Polaris’s size was closer to a medium-sized vessel. The high price limited the number of passengers so that the space could provide a smaller number of passengers a better experience.

There was a restaurant, a bar, and a theater on the ship, and there were even private practitioners providing medical services. Moreover, the captain and the crew were all seasoned veterans.

When boarding the ship, Wayne exchanged a few words with the attendant in charge of checking the tickets and learned that the ship wasn’t at its maximum capacity. Outside of the few tourists heading to Dragon Heart Island, the cruise ship was fully booked by a movie production team.

Speaking of the production, the attendant excitedly told Wayne that there was a surprise for this trip: a celebrity was on Polaris. If he got lucky, perhaps he would be invited to play an extra.

Why would I want to play an extra? Real men should be the director.

Wayne shrugged. He would unlikely be an acting director in this life; being a detecting detective was more likely.

He checked the room numbers as he walked along the corridor with a red carpet. Outside of the attendants manning the floor, there were indeed few passengers—most of them were members of the production running about, moving large suitcases into the suites, not even having the time to take a breath.

“Must be the actresses’ costumes for the director’s benefit,” Wayne muttered.

Seeing a group of men-in-black who looked like bodyguards coming his way, he lowered his hat and stepped to the side to give way, but a collision still happened. When he moved, a mustachioed man among the bodyguards knocked into him on purpose before sauntering away, haughty like he owned the place.

“How uncivilized!” Wayne rolled his eyes. The moment he made the comment, he got hit with a strong sense of déjà vu. He remembered a mustachioed man from the train robbery he encountered a few months ago.

“Oh, have you learned from your failure and decided to rob a cruise rather than a train this time?”

He found it both absurd and tragic. On one hand, he lamented the plight of the Londan denizens; how did no one notice that the robber had escaped the prison and was repeating his crime? On the other hand, he felt absurd that the man should run into him once more after going through the trouble of breaking out of prison.

He didn’t make a move personally. Before the cruise ship departed, he sought out an attendant and told them about the suspicious mustachioed man and his entourage; they were robbers who had committed serial felonies!

The passengers on this ship were either rich, powerful, or both, and rich people wouldn’t tell blatant lies; even if they did, their lies should be taken seriously. The attendant immediately reported to the management. Right before departure, Wayne saw a few men in black getting dragged off the ship by the police.

He took off his hat to send those men off. This was a perfect day to be an anonymous good Samaritan!

***

Wayne found his suite. The large space was well-furnished with a couch and a closet in the living room and its own bathroom. There was also a massive bed that could fit four people. A rose lay on the bed, signifying this to be a couple's suite.

“What a shame. I should’ve agreed to let Vera come.”

Wayne picked up the rose and put it in the vase. Veronica had been arranged to take a jockey class by her father, and Kristen had research classes to go to at the academy. Neither could make the trip. Vera, on the other hand, was now a typical slacker with nothing to do outside of being a pretty face at the gym. When she learned that Wayne was going on a vacation on Dragon Heart Island, she eagerly volunteered herself, but got physically silenced by Veronica.

When she woke up, she seemed to have lost her memory of the island.

Wayne didn’t bring it up again. He enjoyed spending time with Vera. She was so trusting that she spoke without a filter and initiated physical contact with him easily in the same way as when she was William. Wayne, as a passive recipient, had gotten many benefits from his buddy.

Unfortunately, his buddy had multiple overzealous parents, and each more burly than the last. After careful consideration, he decided being passive was the best policy.

He lowered his suitcase and lay down on the sofa to meditate. Once it departed, the cruise ship would follow an established northbound route around Windsor before making a turn to the northeast in two days, heading straight to Dragon Heart Island.

There were various recreational facilities on the ship, and the movie production also provided a spectacle, but Wayne didn’t plan to join the curious crowd. He closed his eyes and meditated, trying to communicate with nature.

The cruise ship was sailing the sea, and as soon as he closed his eyes, he sensed a large volume of water elements gathering around him, as well as a large amount of wind elements. In comparison, there were fewer earth and fire particles. In case there were other mages onboard, he didn’t grab his homeless friends with tentacles but instead tried to start a conversation with Brother Nature, which was a goal he hadn’t given up.

Grinding was as easy to say as it was to do. Just endure the loneliness and focus!

He wasn’t good at that, but he had a goal and an objective evaluation of himself, making him willing to endure being alone.

To succeed, one had to look beyond the immediate future; succumbing to loneliness, and one would never be anything but alone.

The dull communication continued for a long time. Wayne opened his eyes tiredly to a dark sky adorned with a round moon and a sprinkle of stars, the silver light shimmering on the rippling sea. He went to the bathroom for a shower before putting on a white shirt and suit pants, combing his slightly damp hair back. It was a hairdo that Veryl had designed for him, perfect outside of its similarity to Mr. Lando’s style.

Wayne patted his face and checked his reflection. “Presentable. I look quite good.”

He draped his suit jacket over his shoulder and followed the map in the corridor to the bar. He asked for a glass of juice, four sandwiches, and a few snacks.

What a weird customer. Getting no alcoholic drinks at a bar! The bartender put on a smile. As they said, customers were the Heavenly Father. He satisfied Wayne’s needs and reminded him of the opening hours of the restaurant. No extra charges since the meals came with the boarding ticket. If he so needed, the restaurant’s staff would also deliver his order to his suite.

The bar was playing soft music, and the light wasn’t dim. Outside of Wayne, there were only a few pairs of customers—all couples.

As the only single man present, he quickly finished his sandwiches and went on to enjoy the snacks. He turned down the cocktail the bartender offered. Drinking led to irrational decisions. The juice would do.

Just then, the production team arrived. The director, a man with a bushy beard wearing a hat, ordered his crew around, building a temporary set in five minutes.

It was Wayne’s first time seeing a movie production. He stayed out of curiosity.

Soon after, the female lead showed up in a white dress. With large blonde curls and red lips, she looked incredibly captivating. Although her costume was far from revealing—it was quite conservative, in fact—her malleable temperament allowed her to be seductive or innocent. When she put on bold, alluring makeup, she became a radiant beauty with an innate charm.

Wayne stared. She looked familiar!

When he first transmigrated to this world, this female star’s posters were all over his room. There was also a book detailing the fantasies of a virgin wizard that stunned him when he read it; the original Wayne shouldn’t be a detective, but a novelist. His works would surely become part of the canon after a hundred years.

Thus, Wayne remembered the woman very well. Her name was Lily Haworth, usually working as a singer, but she took on films every once in a while.

“A surprise indeed...” He picked up his glass of juice with trembling hands. He couldn’t stop them from twitching, perhaps due to the original Wayne’s muscle memories and his unrequited love for his idol, whom he would be meeting for the first time.

On set, the director was explaining the scene to Lily, but they encountered a problem soon: the actor playing the third male lead wasn’t on the ship. After a whole day of hard work, the crew finally realized that they were missing a cast member.

“Lost contact?”

“What do you mean you lost contact with him?”

“If you could lose our third male lead, why didn’t you lose your brains in Londan as well? These couple of scenes are crucial. The third male lead has to be the foil to emphasize the female lead’s iron will. Now, where would I get a replacement?!” The director lay into his servants... crew members, roaring at them.

Oho, they’ve got trouble! Wayne watched in amusement. Another surprise followed the first surprise. The trip had been thoroughly entertaining.

Across the bar, Lily lowered her script and placated the director. They were shooting a monster movie. Even the second male lead wasn’t integral to the plot, let alone the third male lead with little screentime. They could have one of the crew members play the role.

The director agreed. He pointed at himself and asked, “What do you think about me, Lily?”

Lily rolled her eyes and bluntly said, “Wallace, the third male lead is supposed to be a handsome young man. He should at least look like a good match for the female lead. You aren’t it.”

Wallace was disappointed. The third male lead had a sex scene with the female lead, and he would’ve gladly taken on the role. Alright, he guessed he would just have a late-night chat about the script with the second female lead tonight.

He picked a few young men with decent looks from his crew, but Lily vetoed each of them for being too tall, too fat, or too bald. None met her standards.

Wallace spread his hands. “Then what? We’ve got a tight schedule. We must finish the shooting on the cruise ship during this trip.”

Lily looked around and ignored the men puffing their chests out despite being here with their female companions. She pointed at Wayne, the one single man at the bar.

“Him.”

“Him?!”

Wallace turned to check. The young man looked alright, just a little more handsome than he was, but regular people didn’t know how to act. They would be wasting precious time if they didn’t get the shot they wanted.

“If we get a bad take, just do more takes,” Lily said readily.

“I’m fine with it. As long as you don’t mind being pinned down by someone for so long...” Wallace grumbled jealously, striding up to Wayne’s table and sitting by his side. “The name’s Wallace. I’m the director of King Kong. What’s your name?”

“Wayne.”

Wayne looked at the bearded director in surprise. What Kong? The gorilla bringing down planes from the Empire State Building? Holy, it’s a real classic!

What an exciting time this trip was shaping up to be! Since the nation of bald eagles wasn’t around in this world, there would be no Empire State Building. He wondered where the gorilla would be fighting planes from. Were it the Eiffel Tower, he would suggest the director finish the shoot as soon as possible. In two years, someone other than the Francs would be in charge of the landmark.

“Here’s the thing, Mr. Wayne. Due to unexpected circumstances, we’re in urgent need of a good-looking man to be our third male lead. Are you interested?”

“You’ve got a good eye for people, Mr. Director!”

“Haha...” Wallace gave him another look of envy. “Don’t say yes just yet. The third male lead will have a sex scene with our female lead. Lily Haworth, right over there.”

Then I have even more reason to say yes!

Sensing the other men’s resentful and envious gazes, Wayne took a sip of his juice to calm himself before asking, “I can’t act, Director Wallace. I’m not even an actor. Are you sure I can play a role as important as the third male lead?”

“Of course. The third male lead is one of the female lead’s suitors. He’s handsome but despicable, and after being rejected by the female lead, he decided to force himself on her. You look perfect for the role.”

Wallace continued bluntly, “Trust me. I’m good at directing young actors. When the shooting begins, you just have to be yourself, but reel it in a little.”

(눈_눈)

Your big beard makes you look like a director, but what nonsense are you saying? Look at my face and my aura! I’m a good character through and through. Why would I be playing myself?

I’ll give you another chance to rephrase, or you’ll fall into the sea accidentally tonight.

Wayne issued a silent warning while Wallace got more and more into his explanation. “You don’t have to overthink it. Doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to act. It’s Lily Haworth, the great beauty. Most of your scenes with her are on the bed, as well as in the living room and the corridor. Facing her, any man will be able to play the part of a perv unless they’re impotent.”

You’re so right, I don’t know how to argue with you!

“If you really need someone, I’ll help...”

Wayne hesitated for 0.1 seconds. If he didn’t do it, one of the other men present would do it. The director, especially, had been stroking his beard, obviously considering shaving and taking on the role himself.

Bah, how despicable! These lecherous men just wanted to take advantage of the beautiful lady! Unlike them, he remembered Veryl’s lessons in chivalry. To complete a gentleman’s duty to protect a lady from perverts and to fulfill the original Wayne’s dream to share a bed with his crush, he reluctantly offered his body.

“Ahem, is there a kiss scene?” Wayne asked with anticipation after receiving the script.

“Of course not. Lily made it clear that the kissing should be faked.”

...Hmph, she lacks the commitment to the art of acting. How unprofessional to not give the scene her all!

He flipped through the script. The male lead was the gorilla. The second male lead was the wimpy pushover. The third male lead was a pervert. And everyone else was an extra.

The third male lead didn’t have a lot of screen time. Outside of his debut scene, where he dressed and acted like a gentleman, his role was to tear off the female lead’s dress in various ways from the corridor all the way to the bedroom, manhandling her until the second male lead came to her rescue.

His last scene was about him, to redeem himself, bravely saving the female lead and getting stomped to death by the gorilla.

Yes, King Kong was a villain in this movie. There was no tragic love between the two species, only a big monster that loved collecting figurines with blonde hair.

Wayne regretted taking the role a little. If his first ever movie labeled him as a pervert and got him typecast, how would he break out of that mold?

Oh, he could just stop doing any more movies.

Suddenly, the foghorn sounded. The air was permeated with a heavy energy. The crew members’ alarmed cries came from outside the bar. The cruise ship stopped for an unknown reason.

Wayne frowned. He sensed a thick energy of Darkness in the air. He followed the others to the deck and saw a slowly approaching black sailboat in the dense darkness.

Creak—

The decayed, rundown ship was covered in holes. The black sail fluttered in the wind, pulling the mast along and making creaking sounds...