Dr. Raven, your temperature is really high.
"Helena" and Raven embrace, Helena's eyes filled with blissful joy.
Cut.
Alright, that's a wrap on this scene. Nelly, your performance was excellent.
Ellen slides out of the director's chair, drained of energy, and drags herself toward the set.
However, Helentine has not let go of you.
Helentine's arms tighten slightly. Your chin rests perfectly in the hollow of her shoulder, so close that you can feel the faint tremors of her frame with each breath.
Just a little longer.
Unable to match Helentine's strength, you stay put, holding her until she's content.
In the distance, mechanoid crew members pack away the lights. The sporadic clang of metal drifts over.
(I can't find the "feeling.")
Auntie Swan, look! Don't I look just like the people in the movies when I do this?
Having been pulling faces at Director Swan for a while, the young Helentine surprisingly manages to look like a proper actress. In terms of form alone, she's practically a performer.
You're quite talented, Little Helentine. If you ever want to join the film industry, I'll put in a good word for you.
You're starting to look the part of a professional actor, but you're missing the soul. The form and the soul are two different things.
What do you mean by the "soul"? I've already gotten every single detail from the movie right.
The "form" means nailing the details, like a piano player performing a piece without a single mistake. It's a good performance, but something just feels... lacking.
The "soul" is that missing element, and it's not something you perform. When you truly embody the character's emotions in the moment, it flows out naturally on its own.
Only then can your character truly connect with the audience. That's what we call being immersed in the role.
Your gentle voice snaps Helentine out of her daze. Some time has passed, and you two have already made it back to the rest area.
That's because I was referencing the hug from "The Notepad." I remember what expression the lead had, so I knew how to copy it.
Okay.
You hand her an opened bottle of water. Under the pale blue evening sky and warm glow of the streetlights, your eyes look softer than usual.
(Are these... eyes that show the soul?)
I wouldn't be talking this much if it weren't for you, Commandant.
Commandant... you've done so much with me today.
Helentine finishes the water in one go, much like how she drank her coffee earlier. Except this time, she isn't performing.
After wrapping the rainy night scene where you locked eyes, Helentine mentioned she's slowly regaining some of her acting skills from the "past."
Her encyclopedic knowledge of film and television allows her to instantly recall similar scenes from other movies the moment she reads a script, then replicate the character's micro-expressions with precision.
Ellen has since followed up with several demanding scenes that truly put her acting skills to the test.
From portraying Helena's gradually kindling emotion with only her gaze, to nailing expressions that demand equal parts detachment and sorrow with a touch of apathy, Helentine has executed every scene flawlessly.
And Helentine would snap out of character almost immediately after each scene has wrapped.
Because it's just acting.
That's all Helentine has to say about her remarkable acting skills.
Your collaboration grows more effortless with the success of the earlier scenes, as if you were veteran co-stars who've worked together for years.
Take the scene you just wrapped, for instance. Helena was suffering a breakdown from her condition, and Dr. Raven helped her through it with a confession and an embrace.
I-I don't know how to face any of this...
"Helena" averts her eyes from your intense gaze, beads of sweat trailing down past her ear.
I-I...
"Helena's" lower lip trembles. She steels herself, trying to speak her mind, but all that emerges is a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.
Thank you...
Something heavy sits trapped in "Helena's" chest, desperate for release. She searches for courage the only way she knows how: forcing herself to meet your eyes.
I...
I want you to hold me.
Helentine flawlessly captures Helena's entire emotional arc: from obsession to derangement to helplessness, and eventually, to the tenderness in her embrace with you.
But when the embrace happens, Helentine seems to freeze up for a moment, clinging to you without letting go.
By the time you come to, you're already sitting in the rest area.
I can't wait.
Just then, Ellen walks over with an armful of snacks and sets them down on the small table beside Helentine.
These are all snacks Nelly used to love as a kid. Perfect for munching on during breaks.
The ones I used to love?
Helentine picks up a bag and tears it open with practiced ease, reaching in to fish out a piece before popping it into her mouth.
After chewing it thoroughly, she grabs a handful more and tosses them into her mouth without hesitation.
Have some, Commandant.
Helentine holds the bag out toward you.
As you share snacks, Ellen tugs at your sleeve.
Commandant, could you come with me for a moment?
It's fine. Nelly should rest up for now. There's something I want to discuss with you privately.
Something very important.
Seeing the usually carefree Ellen suddenly turn so serious, you have no choice but to follow her to the rehearsal room, leaving Helentine behind to absentmindedly munch on snacks.
We can't keep going like this. We need to change our approach.
Ellen takes a seat on the bench, leaving an empty space for you.
I'm sorry for lying to you before. The truth is, it's not that Nelly didn't want to wake up on her own... I was the one who tricked her into staying.
You've seen it yourself. Because of that accident, Nelly perceives emotions differently from others. It's similar to the alexithymia mentioned in the movie.
When we were shooting the first scene, Nelly had a severe reaction to the feeling of
"comfort." That's also a symptom of alexithymia.
I... I'm a caretaker personality created by the modulation pod to help with Nelly's condition.
The truth is, I know better than anyone that many of Nelly's problems can't be cured. But there was one thing that gave me hope.
Ever since you appeared in Nelly's world, I could tell she was experiencing an emotion she'd never felt before.
The feeling of love.
This feeling would be perfectly ordinary for most people, but it was completely foreign for Nelly... She couldn't even understand what she was experiencing. I knew this was an opportunity I couldn't let slip away.
I wanted Nelly to understand her own heart. At the very least, I didn't want her to lose the ability to love.
To bring the two of you together.
Besides being her therapist and director, I have another role: Nelly's Chief Romance Advisor.
Don't dismiss all my hard work!
Ahem! Setting up two people who are clearly meant for each other is serious business, you know.
You should see this as proof of my exceptional skill set.
Thank you for recognizing and understanding my work.
Anyway, I'd say my Heleywood plan was a resounding success as far as the dates go. The execution just went a little off script, that's all.
I don't need her to learn how to act. I need her to discover what she's feeling inside while she's performing with you.
It's great you two are growing closer, but there's no guarantee we'll hit a breakthrough even after the film wraps.
So I was hoping we could discuss our next move.
Of course she can, but that won't solve the underlying issue. If she wakes up like this, not only will the alexithymia stick with her for life, but it'll also lead to even bigger problems down the road.
A partner dance. Building on what we have now, I want to add a layer of physical intimacy on top of the eye contact and dialogue.
Ellen pulls out her terminal and shows you a video of a partner dance. After watching it once, you drag the progress bar back and review it again. And again. The repeated viewings do little to ease your mounting concern.
The dance sequence in the original script wasn't nearly this complex. I specifically picked the most demanding version, since it requires absolute trust between two partners to pull off in one take.
Let me help.
Rustle, rustle. Helentine reaches into the snack bag, only to find it empty. The trash bin beside her overflows with a small mountain of wrappers.
It's all gone.
I should go find the commandant and Ellen.
She bounces her way to the small room where Ellen took you. The door stands slightly ajar, revealing two figures inside standing remarkably close to each other.
Ellen is adjusting your posture, occasionally holding both your hands or wrapping an arm around your waist, and murmuring reassurances like "I'll catch you, just trust me and lean back."
Commandant and Ellen look like they're still busy.
...
...
What should I do in the meantime?
Back on the street, the mechanoid crew has already moved on to prep the next scene.
It feels a little lonely without the commandant here.
So she leaves the studio and makes her way to Heleywood Boulevard.
That feeling just now... I've never felt anything like it before.
The girl searches her memories, trying to recall if she's ever felt this way before. The answer is no.
A tightness she's never felt before settles in Helentine's chest for the first time, all because of her commandant.
Unable to find the answers she seeks, she keeps walking until she finds herself standing before a familiar apartment building.
This looks like one of the filming locations for Helena's studio.
I should check it out.
Helentine pushes open the apartment door and steps inside. Everything sits exactly where she remembers, each piece a movie prop Swan personally arranged long ago.
A few translucent artificial flowers rest on the windowsill, their petals catching the bright sunlight and scattering delicate rainbows across the room.
At the center of the room, an open diary covered in cramped handwriting sits on top of a peachwood table, an empty ink bottle sitting beside it.
Helentine picks up the diary and begins turning through its pages.
Entry 1
Today I tried to remember what happened yesterday.
I ran to the train station, but the train had already left.
I wanted to run after it, but I just stood there.
I saw Raven through the window, but Raven didn't see me.
Why was I late?
I didn't know the answer,
so I sat back down and stayed until the staff came to clear the platform.
Maybe the answer is simple. I was just a minute too late.
I never knew a single minute could feel so long.
What could the answer be?
Helentine flips through the diary, searching for the answer.
Entry 42
The weather's been getting warmer lately.
I had a dream today. I arrived at the train station on time,
and the train hadn't left yet.
I stood on the platform, and Raven looked at me through the window.
This time, Raven saw me.
But I still just stood there. Even in the dream, I didn't know what to say.
After I woke up, I lay in bed thinking for a long time.
If I had arrived a minute earlier that day and stood before Raven...
what would I have said?
I thought about it all morning. The answer is actually simple.
"Don't go."
So Helena and Raven never ended up together.
Entry 393
A new year is coming. Where is Raven now?
Why... why didn't I respond back then?
The warm embrace...
The comforting arms...
The confession...
So why did I choose to run away?
I... I remember now, Auntie Swan... You felt this way too.
Helena... it was you all along.
Curing your alexithymia only made the pain worse...
Final Entry
I love you.
I miss you so much.
Helentine closes the diary and sets it back on the desk. Her hand lingers on the cover for a moment, then she pulls a transparent rose from the vase.
Then she breaks into a sprint toward her commandant as fast as she can.
