Silas's POV
I took a single step forward while looking at him. He slowly took off his mask and slipped it into his hoodie pocket.
Now that I could see his face, I had to admit—he was really beautiful. He didn't remove his round, oversized glasses, which made him look a little nerdy even now.
He stepped closer and stretched out his hand, as if wanting to shake hands with me.
"Hello, my name is Nekol. I'll be your manager starting today. Sorry for being late, I had something urgent to take care of. Hope you don't mind."
I quickly shook hands with him. His personality seemed really nice—he was giving off positive vibes.
"Hello, my name is Silas."
I introduced myself the same way he did.
"I already know that. So, where's your luggage?"
He glanced around, searching for my belongings, but of course, there was nothing. I hadn't made any arrangements before leaving the pack.
I had no clothes, no personal items—nothing. Maybe I should have been ashamed of myself, but I wasn't. What was there to be ashamed of?
"Nekol, I don't have any luggage. And… I lost my phone too. I don't even know how."
I told him, and his eyes widened in surprise. His face was full of questions—what did I even have right now?
He glanced at Damon, then at me, but I didn't turn my head toward him.
Damon gave him a nod, and Nekol sighed.
"Whatever. Come with me. Don't worry about the phone, the company provides a mobile for every artist. You just need to buy a case."
Wait, what? The company gives phones to their artists? This was the first time I was hearing about this. How come I didn't know before?
"Are you serious? But… why does the company provide phones to their artists?"
I asked, because I needed to know everything that made me curious.
"It's for the artist's security. If something happens to you, they'll be able to track you. The phone has a built-in GPS tracker. And if someone tries to hack it, the company will know. Every artist in this company uses the company's phone."
After hearing him, my mind filled with questions. What did he mean by 'if something happens to you'? Don't tell me there's a risk in working in this drama.
But I had already signed the contract—I couldn't back out now. So, I just looked at Nekol and nodded.
But suddenly, he flicked my forehead.
"What are you nodding for, you idiot? Let's go, your schedule is full for the whole day."
Nekol grabbed my hand, pulling me along. Before leaving, I glanced at Damon. He was looking at me with a gentle smile, so I smiled back before leaving.
As we stepped out of the office, we took the elevator again, heading to the first floor. I thought we were finally leaving, but instead of exiting the building, we walked toward the next one, which was connected to the company.
The entrance had black glass doors, making it impossible to see inside. But once we stepped in, I saw many people.
Some were walking out with their suitcases, their faces filled with disappointment. Others were entering, carrying luggage, their expressions filled with excitement.
But my face had neither excitement nor disappointment. I felt nothing at that moment—just empty.
"Can you see the ones walking out? Their journey ends here. They didn't get selected, so they have no place here anymore. And the ones coming in? They're newbies like you—full of hope, excitement, and the courage to chase their dreams."
Listening to him, I realized—this place told two completely different stories at the same time.
As we entered, there was a desk where we had to register our names for the dorms. Since Nekol was my manager, he registered for me.
Then, he took me to the fifth floor. As we stepped into the corridor after leaving the elevator, there was complete silence.
Both sides of the hallway were lined with rooms, but it looked like no one lived there.
Just then, Nekol stopped in front of a white door. Every room had a name tag on it. Mine was empty. Nekol took out a name tag from his pocket and stuck it onto the door.
"Okay, so this is your room from now on."
I looked at him.
"I will bring your suitcase within half an hour. Until then, get some rest because after that, you have acting lessons with other actors who came to get this role."
I was shocked after hearing that. Did he mean others had also come here to get the role Damon had already signed me for?
"What do you mean? Are you saying you'll give my role to someone else? Then why did you bring me here?"
He placed both hands on my shoulders, trying to calm me down. His eyes were like the ocean—calm and steady.
"They're popular celebrities who also want this role. So, of course, they'll have to take lessons first to understand the character better. Mr. Damon has put all his trust in you, so don't disappoint him."
He withdrew his hands and left. I watched him go, then glanced around before stepping into my room and locking the door.
The room was really nice—cozy, with a soft, fluffy blanket and bedsheets.
I jumped onto the bed. It felt like centuries since I last lay down without worrying about anything.
"Haah… this is paradise."
That feeling was amazing. The soft bed was so comfortable that I felt like I could lie there all day.
I closed my eyes, ready to sleep because Nekol told me to take some rest, so I was going to. In five minutes, I was about to land in dreamland when someone knocked on the door, breaking my sleep.
"Is Nekol already here? Didn't he tell me he would come after half an hour?"
I was frustrated because my sleep was interrupted. I stepped down from the bed and opened the door. When I opened it, I saw…