The journalists watched Hugo and Joseph leave the banquet hall, lining the aisles like in a military parade as they escorted the two out. The reporters hesitated, torn: should they pursue Anthony for an interview, or Hugo?
Nicholas, however, had no such hesitation. He practically followed Joseph step for step, then quickly caught up to Hugo ahead, calling out, "Hugo! Hugo!"
Hugo's pace didn't falter, and Joseph turned to see who was approaching. Upon recognizing Nicholas, he frowned and said seriously, "Nicholas, we've already said everything we needed to. We won't be giving any more interviews."
"Oh, Joseph, lighten up a bit," Nicholas said cheerfully, his good mood obvious. Witnessing the brilliant confrontation earlier, it was difficult for him to suppress a smile.
But Joseph was clearly not in the mood for levity. He gritted his teeth. "You're the one who should lighten up!" Though neither he nor Hugo had read any newspapers before heading out today—causing them to be initially caught off guard—when they had stopped at the restroom to compose themselves before entering the banquet hall, they overheard discussions at the Four Seasons Hotel and realized that the Los Angeles Times had once again published a negative story about Hugo. That was certainly not good news.
In moments like this, Hugo needed allies more than ever. They had originally thought the Los Angeles Times might be an ally, but it turned out not to be.
Nicholas understood what Joseph meant and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Relax, I have to make a living too." The remark, implying Joseph was forcing him to commit some terrible act, left Joseph speechless.
"Hey, hey, Joseph," another journalist came running up, slightly out of breath. He hurriedly handed over his business card. "I'm James Rath from US Weekly. I'd like to write a feature on Hugo, giving him a chance to share his perspective on this incident." Joseph didn't take the card immediately, making James anxious. "I've written for Hugo twice before; you can check my previous work. I'm sincere."
Joseph hesitated. "You're… the journalist who praised Hugo heavily after the Final Analysis premiere?" When Hugo attended Final Analysis, US Weekly published articles that instantly put him in the spotlight. Joseph remembered, though it had been nearly a year, so his memory was somewhat hazy.
"Yes! That's right!" James nodded enthusiastically, clearly thrilled.
Joseph thought for a moment. US Weekly was a general-interest magazine but primarily focused on celebrity gossip, making it a leading publication in that realm in the U.S. While celebrities needed to maintain a professional image, gossip remained an unavoidable part of the industry. So Joseph accepted James's card, planning to review his past work on Hugo first.
"Joseph, I called first!" Nicholas protested, unhappy that his chance to approach Hugo first had been preempted by a competitor.
Joseph raised an eyebrow. "You should have said so." Nicholas had followed closely but hadn't spoken a word, and Joseph's remark caught him off guard. Joseph had no intention of lingering and speaking further and turned to leave.
Nicholas and James stood watching Joseph catch up with Hugo, then leave the Four Seasons Hotel. A large number of people also began to exit the banquet hall. Though the conversation had lasted less than half a minute, the journalists were already late. Trying to interview Hugo now would be difficult, leaving them frustrated. They had no choice but to return to the banquet hall and continue pursuing Anthony, hoping to extract more information from the incident.
Hugo and Joseph reached the car. Joseph noticed Hugo gently rubbing his temples. "What's wrong?"
Hugo shook his head. "Nothing. It's just… dealing with these journalists is exhausting—more than acting or composing music." Hugo had underestimated the press. He thought that after ten years in the underground rock scene, having faced countless journalists' tricks, he would handle them easily. But he was wrong. Not only last night, but also Anthony's on-the-spot responses today continually surprised him, leaving him drained. Hugo even found himself nostalgic for the days when no one paid attention to him.
He gave a bitter smile. It was a paradox: when no one noticed him, he longed to make a name for himself; now, under the spotlight, the constant attention and chaos left him weary. The road in the entertainment industry was long and arduous, and Hugo was only just beginning.
"So… what do we do next?" Hugo asked, feeling uncertain.
Joseph thought for a moment. "We've said everything we could. Now it's up to the media to respond. Tomorrow, we'll see what the press makes of this. We can only hope that last night's events are clear to everyone, and that someone will speak on our behalf." He paused. "I'll contact a few media outlets to gauge their stance."
At times like this, Joseph's limited connections were apparent. A PR professional like Ron Meyer could likely get major outlets to publicly support Hugo. A heavyweight ally could significantly influence the outcome. Though Joseph's network wasn't that extensive, he still knew enough media contacts to take some action.
Hugo sighed. He was grateful the internet hadn't yet exploded in the way it would in the 21st century. If it were today, the events of last night would already be all over the web. He and Joseph wouldn't have had any time to strategize and would be under immense public pressure, sinking deeper into a difficult situation. With print media still dominant and cellphones not yet widespread, the slower information flow gave Hugo an opportunity to counterattack.
"Oh, Jesus Christ, I completely forgot!" Joseph groaned, slapping his forehead. "You have an audition at ten o'clock." He closed his eyes, knowing that self-recrimination wouldn't solve anything, yet he couldn't help thinking about all he still had to learn as an agent. Not only that, he realized he needed an assistant, and Hugo needed a manager—otherwise, things would only get worse. But there was no time for self-pity; he had to get to Universal Studios quickly.
"An audition? What are you talking about?" Hugo was utterly confused. "When did you even get this audition arranged?" He had never heard Joseph mention it before.
Joseph drove swiftly toward Universal Studios, explaining as he went. "Last night."
"I ran into Arnold Kopelson, the producer of Falling Down, backstage." Joseph kept it brief. "He's currently preparing a brand-new movie and thought you'd be perfect for the lead role. I spoke with him for quite some time, and I think the script and character are excellent—you should definitely give it a shot." Joseph suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. Before the incident with Anthony, I was talking to Arnold. That's why we had to stay in the corner earlier."
Hugo recalled that yesterday, when he and Uma went to find Joseph, Joseph had indeed been chatting in a corner with someone else. He nodded in understanding. Joseph continued, "He said he could make time this morning to see your audition. If it goes well, he could gather the director, the screenwriter, and us for lunch to discuss your potential involvement."
It was genuine intent. No wonder Joseph had agreed. "I didn't expect so many things to happen. I almost completely forgot," Joseph muttered, pounding the steering wheel in frustration.
"Come on, Joe, none of us knew this would happen, right?" Hugo tried to stay lighthearted. "This press conference was mandatory. Even if we had remembered the audition, we couldn't have changed it. Besides, auditions can be rescheduled. Missed ones can always be made up later. But this incident had to be handled immediately."
Joseph knew Hugo was right. If the Anthony issue wasn't handled well, Hugo might struggle to find work for a long time. Still, Joseph couldn't control his anger entirely. He was more upset with himself. Since the end of last year, one problem after another had piled up—family, work and he had handled none of it properly. It was exhausting.
Hugo understood Joseph's frustration. He knew that since Thanksgiving, Joseph had been in a constant state of stress, juggling family and work, always overwhelmed. Hugo patted Joseph on the shoulder. "Joe, you've done really well. At least you secured me a rare audition. That's something to be grateful for—the only bright spot in these past few chaotic days."
Joseph couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, finding some amusement in the misery. Hugo smiled lightly. "Alright, now can you actually talk to me about this audition? I haven't prepared at all. At the very least, you should tell me what kind of project it is."
"Oh, right!" Joseph nodded. "It's a high-intelligence thriller-action movie called The Fugitive. The story is about…"
As Joseph started giving a brief introduction, Hugo's eyes suddenly lit up. What? The Fugitive? This was the first Hollywood box-office film officially introduced domestically!
...
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