She got home around eleven that night and lay on her bed alone, scrolling through her memories as if piecing together a puzzle, trying to figure out who Baden's words had been referring to.
Someone liked her? That was unlikely.
Recently, besides interacting with Braden, she couldn't think of anyone else who had gotten close to her. If she had to name someone, it would probably only be Jakobg.
But no matter how she thought about it, it seemed impossible. Her relationship with Jakobg was purely professional, no sparks whatsoever. There was no way they'd end up together.
If anything, she thought Mylee and Braden were the ones likely to develop a romantic connection!
Elise jumped out of bed, intending to jot down the day's events in her journal. However, it had been so long since she last wrote in it that finding it would be quite a task.
She decided to record her thoughts in a notepad on her computer instead. After typing a few words, she closed it and planned to get a good night's sleep.
The next day, as soon as Elise arrived at the office, Mylee came looking for Zayne and Jakobg, though Braden, who was supposed to be with them, had taken the day off.
Elise sent a message to Braden: "Why didn't you come in today?"
At lunchtime, most people went out to grab food and stretch their legs, but she was alone, eating the bento her mother had packed, sitting in the office by herself. The whole morning passed without any response from Braden. Elise ate, glancing at her phone screen, yet the message remained unread.
Jakobg approached with a pink square box in hand, sitting down beside Elise.
"A new dessert shop opened nearby, and they're having a promotion today. I thought you might like these, so I picked up a few mini cakes," Jakobg said, placing the box in front of her and smiling.
Elise turned off the lit screen of her phone, took the square box, and eagerly opened it. "Oh, it's a strawberry-themed cake! But there are six small pieces here; this must not have been cheap. I heard this dessert shop isn't as affordable as you'd think…"
"It's alright. It was a buy-five-get-one-free deal. The main thing is whether you'll like it or not. The price is secondary." Jakob smiled warmly, looking even more eager than she was. "Aren't you going to try a bite?"
"Let me see…" Elise gazed at the cakes for a while, holding a fork but unsure where to start.
An array of strawberry-topped cakes—chocolate checkerboard cake, whipped cream crescent rolls, rum cake, brûlée cake, mille-feuille, and Boston cream pie—caught her eye, making her want to try every single one right away.
Finally, she started with the whipped cream crescent roll. The soft cake and slightly tangy, sweet strawberry cream brought a smile to her face.
"I remember Caian invited everyone to lunch together today. Did you come back early?" Elise asked curiously, wiping her lips.
If she hadn't brought her own lunch today, she would've loved to join them. Eating alone was just too lonely.
"I didn't go because this dessert shop requires queuing, and I wasn't feeling great anyway. I actually skipped lunch," Jakob confided, though his warm smile remained, not letting any sadness show.
Elise, slicing the cake, looked at him in surprise, concern in her eyes. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing, really. Just go ahead and enjoy the cake. It won't taste as good if it sits too long." Jakob brushed it off lightly, not intending to elaborate.
"I don't know what happened, but no matter what, you need to eat. Your health is important," Elise remarked, glancing at the cake, her heart full of emotions. "It's like when my wedding fell through not too long ago. At first, I felt really down and sad, but once I learned to face it, it didn't seem like such a big deal. I realized I still have many people around who care about me. I'm not as lonely as I thought."
"There are definitely people who like you around, like…" Jakob's gaze held a hidden secret, a weight in his heart, though his hesitation didn't last long, and he soon returned to his usual self.
"Like me and Caian. We're both good friends of yours. You're certainly not alone."
"I think so too," Elise nodded repeatedly, agreeing with him.
"By the way, is there any part of your recent collaboration with Mylee that's not going smoothly?" Jakob changed the topic. "She gave me a bit of feedback earlier and asked me to pass it on."
"Feedback? Why didn't she tell me directly? We usually discuss things in person or over messages…" Elise began to worry, opening her phone to find Mylee's chat. "Or did I miss a message?"
"Don't overthink it. Maybe she's got a lot of scripts to work on and just forgot to tell you," Jakob suggested after scanning through the script. "But she mentioned the third male lead might need some tweaking; he's a bit too gentle, which may not create much of a spark."
Elise paused, looking over the script again, and rested her chin in her hands, puzzled. "But I think gentle men are nice. Not every character can have the same personality; that would… be boring."
"You're not wrong, but a story needs highs and lows, some tension to keep it interesting," Jakob said, turning away and tapping his fingers on the table. "Did you base his personality on someone?"
"You." Elise frowned slightly and tilted her head in question. "Women would like a guy with your personality, wouldn't they? Easygoing, no temper, no airs at work, and friendly in private. Why can't a character like that be a main lead?"
Jakob found himself at a loss for words, not expecting her answer to be like this.
"Do you think it's bad? But I don't see anything wrong with it. Is it really inappropriate?" Elise continued to press him.
After collecting his thoughts, Jakob carefully replied, "It's not that I don't have a temper. I just don't express it well. So using me as the character's reference may not be very fitting."
"Why? Don't you like the way I wrote it?" Elise lowered her head, her gaze falling, as a sense of disappointment washed over her.
"It's not exactly that... It's just, in your heart, I seem to be in the third position, right?" Jakob's tone carried a hint of sadness, leaving Elise slightly taken aback.
"Jakob, I don't quite understand what you mean. Weren't we discussing the character setup for the script?" Elise took a sip of her coffee, steadying her emotions, fearing that another careless word could spark the almost-started dispute again.
"Right." Jakob glanced at his watch, reining in his emotions. "I overreacted. I should get to work soon. Don't take what I just said to heart."
Watching Jakob's hurried, almost relieved departure, Elise began feeling uncertain about her own character setup.
This gloomy mood lingered until the end of the workday. As soon as she left the office, she immediately called Braden. He had been missing for a day, and by now it was already eight in the evening; surely, he'd pick up the phone, right?
Sure enough, whenever she was in a low mood, Braden seemed to have an almost telepathic sense for it and quickly answered the call.
"Why did you disappear the whole day? Why'd you suddenly take a day off?" Elise gripped her phone, standing stiffly like a cardboard cutout in the parking lot.
"I suddenly felt unwell in the middle of the night and had a fever this morning, so I took the day off." Baden's voice sounded a bit congested.
"Oh, I see. Have you eaten then? And your mom?" Elise felt a sense of relief, having worried that something serious had happened to him.
"My mom left yesterday. She went on an overnight trip to a hot spring with her card-playing friends. But honestly, I can't eat much right now." Braden admitted, a bit embarrassed. "I'm out of sports drinks though. Could you have Ruth bring me some? I'm kind of drowsy now."
"Sports drinks?" Elise thought for a moment. "Wait a bit then, and remember not to fall too deeply asleep."
Braden chuckled. "Who else but you sleeps like you're hibernating, so hard to wake up."
"I don't hibernate!" Elise hung up and began searching for a nearby supermarket.
------
Carrying a large bag of essentials, Elise stood at Baden's door, ringing the bell and waiting for him to come and open it.
As soon as Braden opened the door and saw her, his drowsy eyes widened in surprise. "Where's Ruth?"
"Why can't it be me? You're always the one taking care of me; it's only fair that I return the favor once in a while." Elise lifted the plastic bag and walked in casually.
Closing the door behind her, Braden took the heavy-looking plastic bag without hesitation. "I don't need you to repay any favors."
"I want to, or I'll feel guilty." Elise, of course, was just making up an excuse.
"Why don't you go ahead and say it—what's bothering you this time?" Braden said bluntly, carrying the plastic bag all the way to the living room table.
"I didn't say anything, and you already know I'm upset?" Elise opened the plastic bag, taking out the contents. "Here's some sports drinks, fever patches, and a few packs of soda crackers."
"I know you," Braden said nonchalantly, heading to the kitchen to get a mug and filling it halfway with water.
"Jakobg and I had a bit of a disagreement today. He's changed so much; even though he hasn't done anything drastic, he feels like a different person," Elise said, opening a pack of crackers and nibbling on one.
"Is it about the script?" Braden returned to the living room and poured the sports drink into the half-filled mug.
"Kind of. He gave me good feedback but wants me to discard the original character setup. I don't get it—can't a gentle character make for an engaging story? Why does every character need to be the same? If we don't try something different, how can we know it won't make a good story?" Elise had only eaten half of the cracker, but suddenly she couldn't take another bite.
Feeling misunderstood, she hadn't just skipped dinner—now even the crackers felt hard to swallow.
From the company's standpoint, Jakobg couldn't be wrong. After all, he was the supervisor. But she wanted to bring something different. She didn't want to overturn his advice, but she also wasn't willing to abandon the character setup.
She really liked that gentle side of him, so why did he say his personality wasn't suited for the game?
"Creating something is always a tough balance. You can't just write whatever you want—supervisors and bosses have their own requirements. If it doesn't fit public taste, it'll struggle in the market. He probably didn't mean anything by it, just expressed it a bit too bluntly," Braden analyzed calmly, showing no bias even though he was closer to her.
"But he didn't say that at first. This character wasn't just introduced today, so why now? Or… is it just that I'm not as good as Mylee, that I'm not as good a writer as her?" Elise leaned on the table, unable to hide her disappointment.
"Why are you comparing yourself to her? You are you, she is she. I think you're great—you don't have any hidden agenda, and even if you get the short end, you don't hold grudges. Why try to be like her? I don't think you need to be like her at all," Braden said, turning on the TV and switching to the news channel.
"Don't you think she's great? She's quite pretty and capable too," Elise sighed, truly meaning it.
"That's just what you see on the surface. If I had to choose, I'd still rather pick you," Braden replied absentmindedly, his eyes still on the TV screen.
"'Rather' sounds a bit tragic," Elise said, her smile slightly stiff.
Braden turned off the TV and looked at her seriously. "Do you actually want me to like you?"
