The next scene was meant to be simple.
Just a physical test.
A small one.
A "please don't break anything" one.
Director Mason gathered the stunt coordinator, the assistant director, five camera operators, a medic, and—just in case—three spare fire extinguishers.
He clapped his hands once, loudly.
"Alright, Miss Lane, this is just a basic physicality check."
Aria looked at the mats on the floor.
"Okay."
"Not combat. Not acrobatics. Not reflex tests. Just… movement."
Aria nodded.
Julian stretched his shoulders beside her.
"We'll keep it gentle."
Mason pointed two fingers at them both like a man begging for divine mercy.
"GENTLE.
Understood?"
Aria: "Yes."
Julian: "Of course."
The entire crew, collectively traumatized by her reputation, flinched anyway.
Scene: A Simple Evasion
The stunt coordinator explained:
"Julian will swing at you—slowly—like a choreographed punch. You step aside. Minimal movement. No instinct. Just follow the pattern."
Aria nodded politely.
"I can do that."
Julian stepped in front of her, relaxed, smiling.
"It's easy. I'll go slow."
Aria tilted her head.
"…Alright."
Mason let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally. Something normal."
He was wrong.
Take One: Normality Dies
Julian threw the slowest, gentlest punch in human history.
A punch that was less "threat" and more "romantic gesture from a period drama."
Aria moved.
She moved so fast the cameras didn't catch the motion.
She wasn't there—
and then she was beside him, hand lightly pressed to his wrist as if guiding a child.
Julian froze.
The stunt coordinator's jaw dropped.
The assistant director whispered,
"What the—did she teleport?"
Director Mason hurled his clipboard at the ground.
"CUT! CUT! CUT! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"
Aria blinked.
"You said to evade."
"Not like a bullet!" Mason screamed.
Julian stared at her with wide eyes, breathing slightly faster.
"That wasn't human."
Aria frowned slightly.
"It was slow."
Julian's soul left his body.
Take Two: Controlled Chaos
"Again," Mason groaned. "But NORMAL. I want NORMAL."
Aria nodded politely.
Julian braced himself.
Action.
This time, Julian punched even slower.
A sloth would have overtaken the punch mid-air.
Aria lifted one finger—
one—
and gently tapped Julian's wrist.
His arm folded inward like a broken umbrella.
Julian stumbled, caught off guard, staring at his own traitorous limb.
Mason shouted,
"STOP DISMANTLING MY ACTOR!"
Aria looked genuinely confused.
"I thought you said gentle."
"NOT pressure-point disabling gentle!"
Julian stared at her in awe.
"What did you press?"
Aria shrugged.
"A place."
Julian's voice dipped low.
"You're terrifying."
Take Three: The Crew Ascends to Heaven
Mason was pacing now, muttering to himself.
"Okay. One last try. Just move your head. Only your head. No footwork. No technique. No martial arts you learned from whatever demon raised you."
Aria: "…I wasn't raised by a demon."
"THEN WHO?!"
Aria: "A teacher."
"Not helping."
Julian exhaled deeply.
"I'll go slow again."
Aria nodded.
"Action!"
Julian swung.
Aria did not move sideways.
She didn't dodge.
She simply leaned back a fraction—
precise, elegant, almost bored—
letting Julian's fist pass in front of her nose by a single millimeter.
Her hair didn't even sway.
The entire room gasped.
A cameraman whispered,
"…I think I just saw God."
Another intern fainted.
The stunt coordinator covered his mouth.
Julian was speechless.
Director Mason sank to his knees.
"Why… why does she move like a kung-fu protagonist kissed by fate…"
Aria looked around innocently.
"Was that okay?"
Everyone spoke at once:
"NO!"
"Yes!"
"What WAS that?!"
"Again!"
"NO AGAIN!"
"She's superhuman."
"She's gonna kill the box office."
"She's gonna kill ME."
Julian, Completely Gone
Julian approached Aria carefully, like approaching a wild but majestic animal.
He whispered,
"…How much have you trained?"
Aria thought for a moment.
"Enough."
He swallowed.
"What does that mean?"
"It means," she said quietly, "don't sneak up on me."
Julian shivered.
And smiled.
Director Mason Gives Up Fighting Fate
He stood abruptly.
Pointed at Aria.
Then declared with absolute despair:
"FINE! YOU'RE HIRED!"
The staff clapped.
Someone cried.
Someone else prayed.
Aria blinked.
"I didn't finish the audition."
"You finished life," Mason muttered.
"I am no longer in control."
He collapsed in a chair.
"God help me. She's perfect."
Aria smiled politely.
"Can I eat now?"
Mason whimpered.