[CH.27] The melancholy of a certain ordinary participant
**TL Notes: So as not to confuse you all, I made a list of the characters that get mentioned in this chapter that you may have forgotten before. Sumire Matsuda: MC Yuta Aisaka: A boy who acted alongside Sumire in an educational drama. He is also an idol trainee in the group "Dannies." |
*Narumi Sasaki's POV*
"Finally, the day has come..."
I sighed once again as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Since receiving the script until today, how many times have I sighed? I haven't been counting, so I don't know for sure, but it must be around a hundred times.
The whole thing started when my mom found an audition article in the newspaper. She went all out with her parental pride and said things like, "Narumi, you're cute! so you'll definitely pass," and without my permission, she applied for the audition on my behalf.
There's a saying about parents having a biased view of their children, but I'm truly just an ordinary elementary school student. I'm not the type who enjoys being in the spotlight, and I'm the quiet girl who always has her nose buried in a book in class. So, it's impossible for me to believe that I could be in a TV drama, even if it's on educational television.
Despite my resistance, my opinions were completely disregarded. Dragged along by my mother, who was in high spirits, I found myself at the audition venue.
The moment I stepped into the TV station for the first time, I was overwhelmed with nervousness. The building itself wasn't overly flashy, but the people inside were all fashionable. I was dressed in the fanciest dress I owned, suitable for a special occasion, but I still felt completely out of place. And that feeling intensified exponentially the moment I entered the waiting room.
After all, more than half of the girls in the room were incredibly cute. There were even a boy who were more attractive than Kishida-kun, the coolest boy in my class. I later found out he was trainees for a famous idol group, Dannies. Well, since they're idols, it's only natural for them to be handsome, right? I couldn't help but feel quite convinced by that thought.
First, the child actors affiliated with the agency had their interviews, while the rest of us, the general participants, were interviewed later. The producer had that typical industry vibe, the kind of person you'd expect people to gossip about if they lived in your neighborhood. The director and the PR person were quite normal. After reciting the prepared lines, we were asked some standard questions, and the interview was over.
My mom asked me, "How was it?" but I honestly told her that I probably didn't make it. I mean, with all those incredibly cute kids, there's no way someone like me would get chosen. That's what I thought, but in late December, a letter arrived with the word "Accepted." My dad and mom were overjoyed, talking about me becoming a celebrity. As if that could ever happen.
But since I had passed, I couldn't just decline, so I spent the New Year's holiday wondering what would happen and when school started, the topic of fourth-grade club activities began to surface. That's when the drama filming started.
Everyone looked so cool or cute, and I was the only one who thought, "What if I'm ugly?" But it turned out that one-third of the cast was just like me, general participants. I talked to those kids about why we were chosen, but we concluded that it's unlikely our whole class is filled with good-looking students.
I'm playing the role of Mika Furuta, a shy and unassuming girl. It's a character that suits me so perfectly that I almost wonder if they created the character after seeing me. I don't really need to act much since I barely have any lines in the first place. In the actual filming, I mostly have one line or none at all, playing a supporting role. So far, I've managed to get by without any issues.
While the other general participants seem to be heading straight towards supporting roles, my character, Mika, has a very close friend. That friend is Misaki Moroboshi, played by Sumire Matsuda. She's the most popular girl in the class, sociable, and friends with everyone. Despite Mika being plain and unnoticeable, Misaki is kind to her. Perhaps it's because they've been friends since nursery school, and their houses are close by. Misaki openly declares that Mika is her best friend.
Back in lower grades, it might not have been a big deal, but as you enter middle school, you become sensitive to things like the balance between each other's looks and what others think. With her introverted personality and awareness that she isn't particularly cute, Mika feels that Misaki is someone she loves but doesn't want to get close to. Despite knowing each other better than anyone else, they're the most distant from each other, which is quite a paradox.
Yeah, I get it. If I were friends with Sumire too and in the same class since childhood, I'd probably feel the same way as Mika. Because Sumire is really cute. She's small and slender, yet her presence is so strong that you can tell where she is on the set no matter what. Her smile seems to shine brightly, and her sociable nature allows her to get along with anyone, just like Misaki.
We're also good friends with Yuta, a member of Dannies, who the rest of us swoon over. He and Sumire make a striking pair. Yuta seems friendlier with Sumire than with the other kids, and I began to understand why moms are so delighted when they see celebrity scandals.
Maybe it's part of her character-building, but Sumire seems to pay extra attention to me and talks to me more. Normally, popular kids tend to push their own agenda without caring about others' feelings, or they give off an aura of being the one who should be prioritized. But Sumire is different. She's not pushy, and she's always trying to understand others' feelings, which we can all sense. She's good-looking and has a great personality—it's almost as if she's superhuman. We, the other general participants, can't help but admire her.
Maybe because of my childhood friend and best friend, Misaki, there are episodes where the spotlight is on Mika, who should be part of the supporting cast. What's more, even though it's a 15-minute drama with standalone omnibus episodes, Mika and Misaki's story is divided into two parts, taking up a full 30 minutes. It's almost as if I've been pulled into special treatment for Sumire.
I understand that Sumire appears in commercials and even works as a fashion magazine model, so it's natural for her to receive special treatment. However, I wish the director didn't involve me, a regular person, in this special treatment.
But the rest of us, the supporting cast, couldn't voice such concerns, and eventually, the filming for the episode where we become the main focus began. It started with classmates commenting on how it's odd that Mika and Misaki are friends. At first, Mika would defend herself, saying it's not like that, but gradually, more students in the class began to agree with those opinions. Mika was pushed around by popular girls, told to stop being friends with Misaki, and teased by boys. Tired of this school life, Mika finally brought it up with Misaki during their walk home together.
"Let's stop being friends."
My acting skills were probably subpar, closer to wooden delivery, but Sumire responded with an incredibly natural and professional performance.
"Huh... Why? Do you hate me now?"
A mix of shock, sadness, a hint of anger, and a forced smile. Sumire's expression and tone of voice, filled with various emotions, along with the guilt for speaking the lines even though it's acting, overwhelmed me. I wanted to apologize and say, "I'm sorry, it's a lie," but the next lines weren't an apology, they were Mika's desperate plea, pushing Sumire further.
"It's painful to feel miserable when I'm with you, and girls are telling me I'm bothering them when I'm with you. Boys find it funny to tease me. Why do I have to go through all this because of you, Misaki? I really hate you, Misaki-chan"
Relieved that I managed to deliver the long lines without a mistake, I was immediately flooded with intense regret and guilt.
However, I witnessed tears welling up in Sumire's eyes, then trickling down her cheeks. Of course, she must have been shocked by Mika's words, but I could sense a lot more in those tears—her frustration with herself for not realizing that she had made her friend feel this way, and many other emotions.
Still crying, Sumire hugged Mika tightly and said, "But, I like you, Mika-chan."
"It doesn't matter what others think. I want to be with Mika because I like her. Of course, I want to be together from now on too, I want to be friends."
Perhaps influenced by Sumire's acting, I unconsciously blurted out the next line, "I want to be with you forever too, Misaki-chan," and then Mika apologized for her hurtful words, and Sumire apologized for not being able to protect Mika from the malice of their other classmates. Then, the director called cut. Thanks to Sumire's incredible performance, it was a one-take wonder. There was no need for another take.
"Hehe, I cried... Is your dress okay? Not wet?"
As Sumire, who had been hugging me, stuck her tongue out and said this, I felt an inexplicable flutter in my chest. Even though Sumire was a girl, it felt strange, didn't it?
After that, in the scene of a class meeting, Mika and Sumire stood in front of the teacher's podium, holding hands, while Sumire declared, "I choose my friends, and Mika is my most important friend." The teacher also said, "Friends are not chosen based on appearance, and others should not interfere in their friendships." As a result, the bullying of Mika stopped.
Immediately after finishing that scene, Sumire turned toward me with a beaming smile, and her smile was so charming that, despite being girls, I couldn't help but blush.
After that, we heard from the producer that the ratings for this episode were the best by far in the series. From then on, Sumire and I were cast together in each episode, and every time we held hands and displayed our close friendship, I couldn't help but feel my heart race because of the softness and warmth of her hand.
Notes: Misaki is the role played by Sumire. The original author wrote "Sumire" instead of "Misaki" in Mika/Narumi Sasaki's inner thoughts so as not to confuse readers.
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I really hope these two keep in touch. This was really cute.
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