Is That a Wrap?

The warmth lingers around my arms and under my fingertips as we walk back to the set together. We separate to get our makeup touched up, and Mia checks on me as soon as I'm finished.

"Are you okay? You're up soon. Do you feel up to it? Surely they can make do with the shots from earlier. Should I ask them to adjust the concept?” she asks.

I appreciate her concern; my dear friend is fully aware of my struggles and why I keep turning down the chance to be a celebrity myself. But in a way, Kubo was right. She’s also the reason I need to try my best. This is a major shoot for the agency, and I can’t cause more trouble for all the people who worked tirelessly to make it happen. I am fully capable of doing this, and it’s time I act like it.

"No, I'm all good, but thank you," I reply, offering her a smile. 

She smiles back, her cheeks growing rosy with the expression.

"I believe in you, you can do it!" she says and then heads toward the coordinator calling for her.

I follow my own coordinator and find my mark on set. For this first scene, I think about what Kubo said earlier. Strip the details—focus on the emotion: Deep love, admiration for someone close to me. Bittersweet longing, wanting something I ultimately can’t have.

"There!" the director shouts. "Don't miss that—capture that!"

The whole set begins to blur. Time no longer seems to pass normally. The coordinators’ voices fade into a mumble. I focus on the feelings I want to convey. I stand where I’m told. I move and hold myself in ways I never knew I could. It’s only when Kubo ends up on top of me that my body freezes.

“It’s okay,” he whispers near my ear, his curly hair brushing my nose. "Just imagine I'm her, remember?"

There's no way. You have it all wrong! 

But his intention itself isn’t entirely wrong. Deep breath. Use my imagination: What if we weren’t enemies? What if I liked him? What if he were as dear to me as Mia—no—dearer?

I force myself to look into his clear, bright eyes as he slides a hand to cradle the back of my head. His touch is so gentle, as if he’s afraid I’ll break. He’s considerate—I have to give him that. And he's beautiful. It’s no wonder he’s a model turned actor. He’s handsome from afar, but up close I can see how flawless his skin is. His pores are so small they’re practically invisible. I notice a small beauty mark on the left side of his chin. Some of his projects cover it with makeup or completely edit it out. A shame—it’s distinctive.

I barely notice when we’re asked to reposition, except that Kubo lifts my head and shoulders so I don’t struggle to get up from beneath him. Then Mia joins us, and we take the rest of the group shots: some standing, some on the couch, some sitting together on the floor. By the end of it, I’m dazed and wondering how anyone does this for a living.

“Congratulations, you did so well!” Arima’s former makeup artist tells me.

"Had us worried at first, but you really pulled through in the end!" a stylist adds while helping me change out of the wardrobe.

Mia and I spend wrap-up time in the dressing room, listening to the staff talk about the shoot—mostly about what big fans they are of Kubo.

I feel far more comfortable in my everyday clothes, even though they're comprised of a white button-up blouse, and a sometimes black, sometimes grey skirt suit set. I make a mental note to finally replace my shoes on my next day off, applying bandages to my heels before putting on pantyhose.

Mia and I bow and thank the staff on our way out, and I’m relieved we can continue the day as normal.

"Are you okay to drive?" Mia asks as we exit.

"Of course. You have a quick lunch at the office before you have to be back out for that interview. We can save prep for on the way over if you want to take a nap?" 

Mia starts to shake her head, but her eyes shift past me. A few feet away, Kubo stands in the parking lot with his manager and assistant.

“Good work today. I didn’t want to leave before seeing you off,” Kubo says. 

His assistant smiles and waves at me.

"Thank you, Senpai. And for all your help today. You were a real support to me—to the both of us. And you too, Kamegawa-san. I appreciate that you stepped in for my assistant today." Mia nods toward Kubo's assistant who tries to insist she didn't do much.

"Are you alright to drive? We're more than happy to take Watanabe-san back to the office. Kubo-kun's schedule is very light today," his manager offers.

I shake my head.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm good," I say, sneaking a glance at Kubo. 

His attention, as always, is on Mia. She is never getting into a vehicle with him. Over my dead body.

His manager offers again, but this time Mia assures him we’ll be fine. We then all head our separate ways.

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Back at the office, I make sure Mia has everything she needs for lunch, and I spend the entire time avoiding Yoshida, who has almost certainly heard about today’s shoot. I have no desire to repeat how I feel about rejoining as talent instead of staff. In fact, today only proves how unsuited I am for that kind of work. I've found my calling. I excel at organization, scheduling, and general coordination—I should be thinking about transitioning into a manager role.

I don’t have to hide for long, since we need to head right back out for a lineup of interviews. Completing those appearances take up the rest of the day, and we return to the office for a manager meeting to discuss tomorrow’s schedule and review the day’s events. Yoshida is already waiting in the meeting room. I can feel his calculated gaze on my every move, as if to say, “I’ve caught you now.” Seated across from him is a welcome sight: Mia’s manager, who's been on maternity leave for a little over a month now.

I’m not sure whether I want to hug her, cry, or both. But it’s too early to celebrate—she still has four weeks left and is likely only here to check in. Mia and I take our seats, and I ask Fujimoto how she’s been and how her newborn is.

"Exhausting! I'm looking forward to coming back. How are things holding up here?"

I laugh at her response. 

Fujimoto is a strange blend of workaholic and lifelong aspiring mother. Watching her dream of motherhood clash with her work drive is oddly endearing—and a little amusing.

"I hope you never leave again!" I say, and Mia nods in agreement.

Since Mia is still a rising name, I’ve been handling Fujimoto’s responsibilities on top of my own, without extra support. It’s been going well so far—even with my admittedly chaotic scheduling—but Mia’s workload and popularity are increasing.

"Fujimoto-kun and I had the opportunity to talk before arrived," Yoshida says. "She was hoping to return early, but the doctor advised her to take the full recovery time for a job like this.”

He hands over a stack of papers he’d been holding.

“I want you to look these over. It’s time you had help. It’ll be an internship, but as our talent pool grows, our staff needs to expand,” Yoshida continues.

I flip through the carefully curated stack of resumes, gratitude bubbling up in my chest.

“Thank you, sir! Fujimoto-san!”

“Choose the two that stand out to you, and they'll be yours,” Yoshida says.

We move on to review Mia’s schedule for tomorrow and update Fujimoto on how things have run in her absence. Yoshida brings up today’s shoot and suggests we may need to find a manager for me soon. For that, I try to deflect as much as I possibly can. Eventually, the meeting ends on a positive note, and we say our final goodbyes to Fujimoto for the next four weeks.

Honestly…today was almost worth it. Almost.