Chapter 5 There is Something Innocent and Alluring in Him

“Do not worry about it. The production is insured” Radosz announced. “I have already talked to the insurer and the director. Now we're going to shoot scenes without you. The plan won't collapse for three days.”

"Three days ..." groaned pale Rafał.

“The doctor said it was enough” confused Radosz looked at Anita, then at Brylski. “But if you need more...”

"No, no," assured the actor and, intimidated, bowed his head. “Three days will be... just right.”

At this point, Anita decided that her heart was about to break. She was really sure that during the several years she had known Rafał, she had become immune to his charm of a defenseless little bear, but she was wrong. At that moment, she felt like a mama bear who wants to tear Różycki to shreds for having hurt her baby.

***

Before Damian Radosz decided that he wanted to see Rafał Brylski in his series, he saw him in this small, popular science-fiction production he made with his friends. The series was ok, the actor himself too, but he didn't make a big impression on Damian. He was impressed by the audience's reaction and the fact that Brylski quickly became very popular all over the world.

Radosz read a lot of articles and comments about the young actor that fans distributed on social media and was surprised that the white man jumped into the circle of interest of the k-drama and c-drama subcultures, and even t-drama, which definitely did not pay attention to European productions focusing on a completely different style inherent in Southeast Asia. Damian, who dreamed of moving certain models to the west, saw a great opportunity in the fact that someone in Poland had already attracted the attention of these circles.

One in a million chance to earn huge money.

According to the fans, Rafał Brylski was exceptionally charming for a white one. There was a slight fluidity in his face that Asian women liked so much, and more and more often it won the hearts of girls in the West. Compared to Asians, however, Brylski was very exotic in the Far East due to his hair color reminiscent of multiflorous honey and meadow green eyes, which were considered mystical among some Asian cultures.

When Damian saw fan art comparing Brylski with the most popular actresses of Korea and China, he decided that this was the right time to start an innovative production and hire this "mystical" or "elven" actor for it.

After all, if the East enters the West with its productions, why should the West not try to enter the East?

The occasion came by itself.

Radosz has even started a small campaign and tried to advertise his production and actor a bit. He even set up a small fan account for Rafał's fans on Weibo and Douyin, the most popular Chinese social media, to get viewers accustomed to the strange surname that translated into Mandarin read: "Lā fǎ ěr • bù lǐ ěr sī jī" and consisted of a series of characters that together they had no meaning other than that European name.

The current trends demanded to see people like Rafał Brylski and although Radosz did not know what Brylski's secret was, he accepted the fact that the boy was selling like hot cakes at the moment. Now, however, when Brylski, lying in the hospital bed, spoke so clearly and with such simplicity about why his face was so important and so timidly, blushing, he lowered his eyes, something strange moved in Damian's heart.

Rafał Brylski had a pretty face, but he also had a certain simplicity about him that was impossible not to like.

“Listen” said Damian, feeling Rafał’s gentleness overwhelm him “this series that we are shooting is an experiment. New subject, new style, new people. Well, not all people are new, but the general idea is to try something new, something fresh. You are fresh. You are interesting to the viewer. Your burns aren't permanent, because fortunately you had quite thick makeup with UV filters. Some skincare creams and you'll be like new. Only for the future, everyone will have to be more careful.”

“I’m sorry. I really thought I could go on longer.”

"Probably the sun choked your brain before you knew something was wrong. Sorry, but that's the truth. This is how heatstroke works.”

Brylski smiled. He looked as if the joke had actually amused him a little. Damian found this smile very pleasant. It might not be dazzlingly beautiful, but it was so warm you wanted to look at it all the time.

Yes, Rafał Brylski certainly had many attractive features. Many beauty features, but also facial expressions and looks that made a person feel natural sympathy and attraction to him. It was probably not only the actor's appearance or behavior, but also the personality that showed through them.

Brylski certainly had the potential to sell him well and expensive. At that moment, however, a soft voice inside Radosz told him that certain things, and certainly certain people, should not be sold. Better to leave them to yourself.

Out of the corner of his eye, Damian noticed that Anita Janiszek was also smiling. But her gaze was still full of concern for her friend. Radosz understood her perfectly. After all, he remembered their conversation yesterday...

***

“I'm sorry that this accident happened on the set of my series” Damian Radosz sincerely expressed his regret. “I was on set about twenty minutes before the accident and it looks like there was an accidental delay...”

Anita Janiszek nodded her head. But she did so without conviction, as if she had a slightly different opinion on the matter. Or maybe it was something more that Radosz had no idea?

"Hmm, why do I get the feeling there's something that bothers you even more than this accident?" Damian asked, watching her carefully.

“No, you're wrong, it's about an accident. It shouldn't have happened” Anita replied with clear conviction in her voice.

"I agree, but... is there anything else?"

Radosz insisted because Janiszek seemed to be on the edge and if she did not say what he meant, she would explode in a moment. Perhaps she was driven solely by the emotions of Brylski's accident and she just needed to vent her anger and her frustration, but if there was anything else to it, Damian wanted to, no, he had to know.

“I understand the pressure of time” Anita Janiszek announced, almost shaking with rage. “I understand that time is money, but for God's sake, an actor is only a human and he deserves a rest too!”

Damian Radosz had to deal with a very exhausting schedule for the actors and he had to deal with crazy fans for whom three hours of shooting in a row were already exploitative. He met all of this in Asia, where he had the opportunity to look behind the scenes of several productions.

But here was Poland, a world where people worked completely differently and the fan culture was practically non-existent. What, then, could Janiszek mean by suggesting that Brylski did not have a proper rest? Did he have to start work as early as eight in the morning?

Even if Janiszek exaggerated a bit, for the peace of mind on the set and to avoid any controversy in the media, Damian decided to listen to her until the end. The problem had to be resolved before it grew stronger.