The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

671 SHOULD HE JUST...?

WULFRIC pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ease the tension building in his head. He had been working non-stop for two days, catching up on everything he missed during his sudden trip to Delryria. There was no time to go home; his office had essentially become his living quarters, with virtual screens hovering around him, displaying an endless stream of files and notifications. The strain of reviewing and approving them was starting to make him dizzy. He would much rather be out training his soldiers, anything to escape this monotony. But he knew if he even tried, Leland would show up before he could take a single step out the door.

He had been meaning to discuss something with Samuel about the upcoming fan club activities. Asterʼs first movie as a main lead was set to release next month. Wulfric didnʼt know the exact date yet, but he wanted to plan something special to celebrate the milestone. It was a big moment, after all. Now that Samuel was the fan club president, Wulfric needed to coordinate with him so he could organize everything with the other members of the club.

But Wulfric couldnʼt even get to that because of the overwhelming workload. He could only grit his teeth and force himself to finish it all as quickly as he could. His only consolation was that he could still send messages to Aster.

Aster usually replied to his messages within a few minutes, but today, he hadnʼt responded to a single one. And Wulfric had sent plenty. None of them had even been read. Just as he was starting to feel worried, he remembered that Aster had mentioned observing a public audition for his next movie this weekend.

Although he felt relieved, he still sent a few more messages reminding Aster not to forget to eat. And then finally, an hour before midnight, he received a reply from Aster.

He eagerly opened it and read it. [Donʼt worry, I ate on time. And Iʼm not overworked, just busy with the auditions earlier. Iʼm already back at my apartment and about to get some rest. Stop stressing so much. Iʼm fine. (..◜ᴗ◝..)]

[I miss you too.]

Wulfric blinked, staring at the last message. ʼI miss you too.ʼ The words seemed to grow larger, dominating his vision. They overwhelmed his mind, momentarily shutting down any ability to think.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again, double-checking to make sure his mind wasnʼt playing tricks on him. But the words didnʼt vanish—they were still there, clear and unmistakable on his Terminal.

Aster really had sent him a message saying he missed him too. Wulfricʼs eyes lit up, and a wide grin spread across his face. His heart raced with excitement, and he felt an almost childlike energy surge through him. He couldnʼt sit still, his hands fidgeting as he reread the message over and over, unable to stop the growing sense of happiness bubbling inside him.

He reached for the video call button, but he stopped himself at the last moment. Aster had a long day and was likely exhausted. Wulfric frowned, realizing he might disturb him if he called now. What if Aster was resting? He didnʼt want to bother him when he deserved a break after such a busy day.

So, all he could do was type out a reply instead.

[Get some rest. Donʼt overwork yourself. Iʼll talk to you later. And... I miss you more than you can imagine.]

After sending the message, his mood instantly lifted. It felt as if all the exhaustion from the day had vanished. Aster just had that kind of effect on him.

As he thought about Asterʼs message, Wulfric couldnʼt help but recall what Aster had told him on the spaceship before they landed back in the capital. Aster had said he would give his answer to Wulfricʼs confession once he won best actor in one of the major awards shows. But with this ʼI miss you tooʼ message, didnʼt it mean that the answer heʼd eventually get would be a positive one?

The thought of that possibility filled him with excitement again. For a moment, he even considered ensuring that Aster won every major award. But as soon as the idea crossed his mind, he immediately dismissed it. No, Aster would definitely hate it if he did something like that.

He sighed. See how considerate he was? Anyway, when exactly were those awards shows supposed to happen again?

Wulfric searched on his Terminal, and his eyes widened at the result. The awards for television series were usually scheduled late in the year, while those for movies were usually set in the first quarter of the year. That meant the earliest he could expect an answer was late in the year, and at the latest, early in the following year.

Should he just create his own awards show? Something that could be held in the next two or three months, perhaps?

----------

The next day, Astrid and Ellis made their way to the Bellmont Theatre for the second day of the public auditions. Just like the first day, nearly 500 people had signed up to audition, making it another long and exhausting day. With so many participants, the process dragged on for hours. By the time they were finished, it was already late in the evening.

”We should set aside a full day to evaluate all the auditions,” Director McCann suggested, before turning to Astrid. ”What do you think?”

”Honestly, I donʼt think you really need me for this. I trust your judgment,” Astrid said. ”But if you really want my input, I can just send you the top three candidates I think were the best for each role. Then you and Miss Hughes can make the final decision.”

Director McCann initially rejected the idea, arguing that, as the filmʼs major investor, he had the right to make the final decision. However, Astrid pushed back, reminding him that before being an investor, he was an actor. He emphasized that he didnʼt want to interfere with the directorʼs creative decisions and believed the final call should rest with the other.

The director couldnʼt argue any further after that.