(POV: Sophia)
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It all started because we were arguing over which movie to watch.
Exams were finally over, and instead of heading straight home, the four of us decided to hang out at a café near campus. The plan was simple—grab coffee, relax, and pick a movie for the weekend.
Simple.
Except that, somehow, we had already spent half an hour arguing.
"I'm telling you, this thriller is going to be amazing." Ava leaned forward, her eyes gleaming as she waved her phone screen at us. "The cinematography alone—ugh, perfection."
"I want something with explosions," Ethan grumbled, arms crossed. "Not two hours of dramatic monologues in dimly lit rooms."
"That's because you have the attention span of a goldfish," Ava shot back.
"And you have an unhealthy obsession with psychological trauma," Ethan countered.
I sighed, taking a sip of my iced coffee. "Okay, how about something in between? Suspense, but also action?"
Ava and Ethan both turned to Leo, who had been listening quietly, sipping his coffee in the corner like some shadowy figure in a noir film.
"Leo, help us out. What do you think?" Ava asked.
Leo, as usual, gave the world's least helpful answer. "I don't mind anything."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Of course, you don't."
Leo tilted his head slightly. "Though, if you care about pacing, the actors usually bring that up when discussing scripts."
There was a long pause.
I frowned. "…What?"
Ava blinked. "Come again?"
Leo casually took another sip of his coffee, completely unaware of the bombshell he just dropped. "Actors talk about it a lot when reviewing their scripts."
Ethan and I exchanged a slow look.
Ava leaned forward. "…Leo."
Leo glanced up. "Yeah?"
"WHY WOULD YOU KNOW THAT?"
Leo, in classic Leo fashion, shrugged like it was nothing.
"I sat with some actors once. They were talking about it."
Ethan almost spilled his drink. "YOU WHAT?!"
Leo blinked at us like we were overreacting. "It was at a café."
I swear, every time he revealed these things, it felt like a mild heart attack.
___
According to Leo, one day, he walked into a café, ordered food, and sat down at an empty table. A couple of minutes later, two other people casually joined him.
This is already where a normal person would question things.
"Did you not think it was weird?" I asked.
Leo looked confused. "It was a shared table."
Ava massaged her temples. "Of course, it was. And let me guess—you didn't recognize them."
Leo nodded. "Not at first."
Ethan threw his hands up. "THEY'RE LITERALLY A-LIST ACTORS."
"They weren't in costume."
"LEO, THEY DON'T WALK AROUND IN SUPERHERO SUITS."
Leo explained that these two actors, who just happened to be world-famous, were discussing an upcoming movie script while sitting at the same table as him.
Since Leo had zero awareness of the situation, he continued eating quietly while they passionately debated plot points, pacing, and emotional delivery.
Then, one of them turned to Leo.
"What do you think?"
Leo, mid-bite, paused.
Then, he slowly nodded.
___
From that point on, the actors just assumed he was part of the industry.
They kept talking—occasionally looking to Leo for some kind of approval—while Leo continued eating and occasionally nodding like some ancient sage passing judgment on their work.
At some point, one of them said, "It's hard to keep these emotions raw without dragging the pacing."
Leo, between bites of his sandwich, casually went: "Hmm."
AND THEY TOOK IT AS WISDOM.
Ava clutched her chest. "You—you just 'hmm'ed like some veteran film critic?!"
Leo shrugged. "They seemed to agree."
Ethan looked like he was about to scream. "LEO. YOU WERE JUST EATING."
Leo nodded. "Yeah."
___
After about thirty minutes of intense discussion, the two actors finally stood up to leave.
Before leaving, they both shook Leo's hand.
And then—AND THEN—one of them looked him straight in the eye and said:
"It was an honor speaking with you."
Leo, still holding his fork, just went, "…." with a nod.
Ava slammed her head against the table. "NO. NO. THEY ACTUALLY TOOK YOU SERIOUSLY. And that too with you not forming a single sentence throughout the whole discussion?!"
Ethan buried his face in his hands. "I swear, you could be in the film industry without even realizing it."
Leo just blinked.
I wrote down another entry in my notebook.
- Accidentally attended a VIP actor meeting.
- Nodded and 'hmm'ed his way through the conversation.
- Was treated like a legendary industry professional.
Ava sighed. "I can't believe this."
Leo looked thoughtful for a second. "…Maybe that's why they mentioned me in that interview?"
We all froze.
Ethan grabbed Leo's arm. "WAIT. WAIT. WHAT INTERVIEW?"
Leo shrugged. "They mentioned an 'insightful industry figure.'"
Silence.
Then, all three of us lost our minds.
"LEO, YOU WERE IN A CELEBRITY INTERVIEW?!"
Leo calmly sipped his coffee. "…I don't think they used my name."
Ava grabbed him by the collar. "LEO. WE ARE LOOKING THIS UP. RIGHT. NOW."
Leo, blinking, tilted his head.
"…Do you guys always get this excited over minor things?"
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End of Chapter 6.