"This is the third one already," Aster muttered as he walked into the brightly lit studio, adjusting his mic pack behind his ear. "Are they trying to make us a franchise?" They haven't even stared into a project together?!
"Pretty much," Jace said from beside him, grinning like a proud stage mom. "The agencies are milking your chemistry dry. Expect merch next."
Aster rolled his eyes but couldn't entirely suppress his smile. The show today—Idol vs. Actor: Battle Royale—was a wild, hyper-edited variety game show where idol groups and actors went head-to-head in ridiculous challenges, physical games, and guessing segments designed to create hilarious chaos and plenty of fan service.
On the opposing team: Minji and three members of her girl group. Dressed in matching red-and-black varsity jackets and glittery sneakers, they looked camera-ready and dangerous.
On his side: Aster and three co-actors from his upcoming movie—a veteran character actor named William, a rising heartthrob named Mark, and a snarky but charming lead actress, Clarisse.
They called themselves Team Movie Magic.
The host—an energetic comedian known for chaotic intros—boomed into the mic. "Today, it's Battle of the Brands! The fierce and fabulous Sugarpop versus the dangerously hot cast of Ash oof Glory! Will youth and energy win, or will talent and charm prevail?!"
Cheers erupted. Fans screamed both Aster's name and Minji's, a few already chanting their couple tag: #MinSter.
Aster gave the camera a polite smile. Minji, across from him, winked.
The first game was a team relay—classic school-style. Hopping in sacks, blowing flour into bowls to find hidden candies, crawling under mesh tunnels. By the end of it, everyone was laughing, breathless, covered in flour or confetti or both.
Minji dramatically collapsed on the ground beside Aster after they crossed the finish line. "You guys play dirty!"
"You threw flour in my face!"
"That's strategy," she said, grinning.
The next challenge involved a hilariously oversized balance beam. Two players at a time stood across from each other and had to knock the other off using giant foam hammers. Aster was pitted against Minji in the second round.
"You sure you want to hit me with that?" Aster asked, wielding his hammer with a smirk.
"Don't tempt me," she said, raising her own.
They circled, exaggerated for the cameras. Minji swung first, Aster blocked. They both burst into laughter as she almost lost her balance, arms windmilling.
The audience loved it.
The game ended in a draw—neither of them actually falling off, but both eventually collapsing in fake surrender as the crowd chanted their names.
In the breakroom between filming segments, the makeup team rushed to touch up everyone's faces.
Minji slid onto the bench beside him, her voice lower now. "Hey... sorry."
"For almost breaking my nose?"
She nudged him. "No. I mean... for the whole 'ship' thing. My agency's really pushing it. I didn't think they'd keep putting us together like this."
Aster looked at her, surprised, then shrugged lightly. "It's fine. It's working for you, right?"
Minji sighed. "Yeah. But I didn't want it to be awkward. I mean, we're friends. I don't want it to get weird."
"It's not weird," Aster said, sipping his water. "Just variety show weird. I'll live."
She grinned. "You're taking this better than most."
"Dead inside," Aster deadpanned. "Nothing fazes me now."
She burst out laughing just as a staff member waved them over to the next game set.
The third round was a surprise challenge called "Yes, Chef!"—a relay cooking game where each team member had 3 minutes to work on a single dish, blindfolded, with only voice directions from the others.
Aster was second in his team, tasked with adding seasoning. William shouted vague things like, "Left! No, your other left!" while Clarrise screamed about salt.
By the time the buzzer rang, Aster had somehow poured soy sauce into a fruit salad.
Minji's team fared even worse. One of her teammates accidentally deep-fried a glove.
The host was crying with laughter by the time they presented the monstrosities to the celebrity chef judges. "This is a crime," one of them declared, poking the burnt glove with a chopstick.
In the end, Team Movie Magic won by a slim margin (apparently, soy sauce fruit salad had better "potential" the deep fried gloves), and the show wrapped with one final round of interviews.
"How do you feel about working with Minji again?" the host asked Aster. Clearly fishing.
He smiled. "She's dangerous."
The host gasped dramatically. "In what way?"
"She hides flour bombs and hammers behind that sweet smile."
Minji gasped in return. "And you hide sabotage behind polite smiles!"
The crowd roared with laughter.
As they exited the studio, fans waved and called their names, and the production staff congratulated them on a successful shoot.
Jace was waiting by the exit with his usual tablet and smug grin.
"Well done," he said. "Viral clips by dinner, trending tags by midnight."
Aster raised an eyebrow. "That's either impressive or terrifying."
"Both." Jace handed him a sleek invitation envelope. "By the way. You got invited to a special filming next week. A food-centered program. Pairing celebrities with... 'notable partners.' You're in demand."
Aster tore the envelope open and glanced at the details. There was no name for the partner listed—just a description of the concept.
A celebrity paired with a prestigious, non-entertainment figure.
"Huh," he said. "Sounds like fun."
Jace gave a closed-mouth smile. "Oh, it will be."
Aster tucked the invite into his bag. His thoughts, however, were already drifting homeward. To Finn, probably flopped on the couch watching cartoons. To the scent of dinner. To Adrian's teasing voice. And maybe, maybe, a little more than that.
He exhaled.
Whatever tomorrow's chaos might be, tonight, he was ready to go home.