Hell's Actor-Chapter 121: One To Ten

Suddenly, a four-legged, black creature with friendly eyes greeted Averie.

"What is it doing outside its cage?" He bent the knee to meet its eye level. "What exotic animal is this?"

"That is, um, a watchdog."

Madelyn awkwardly smiled at the nearby security guard holding the leash of the beast.

"Why is it allowed to walk free while others have to stay in?"

"Because it’s a good boy."

She pulled him away from the guard and towards a wall full of display cases holding reptiles.

She tapped on one of them. It held a turquoise-colored snake.

"This is a Blue Pit Viper. This is a rare color."

It was a beautiful snake that even Averie felt mesmerized by.

"Is it venomous?"

"Yes." She emphasized with round eyes. "Its venom is hemotoxic. It can paralyze and kill by causing internal bleeding."

"On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is ’they know he tried something funny’ and 10 is ’he killed his parents for inheritance,’ how venomous is it?"

Madelyn opened and closed her mouth a dozen times.

"You will literally bleed out from all of your orifices," she said with some effort. "Please, don’t try anything funny."

Averie bobbed his head in contemplation.

"Okay?"

He bobbed his head again, hellbent on not providing an answer.

They moved on, and Averie noticed a vending machine.

He turned towards the camera.

"As you can see, behind me is one of the greatest attractions of the zoo." He knocked on the large piece of metal and machinery. "The vending machine."

He lay flat on the ground and looked under the machine.

"Aha!" He retrieved a few coins lost to the darkness under the machine. "As you can see, there is no need to bring your own coins."

He put the appropriate amount in the coin slot. "People of all ages come to the zoo just for this machine. Its popularity is second only to the toilets."

He pressed a button, and a can of coffee neatly rolled down.

"As you can see, this coffee isn’t hot. It’s perfect to put oneself back into the arms of clinical depression that they have only just escaped. Because why live a fruitful life when you can convince yourself into never leaving your bed?"

He opened the can and took a sip.

"Just sad enough that I feel like climbing a tree and never coming down. I bet that koala drinks this stuff every day."

They moved on to the next area of interest.

"If you are not going to use the toilet in a zoo, you might as well stay home." He walked in front of the men’s room and pointed a thumb at the sign. "Men’s room—it may not smell as good as the ladies’ room, but there are etiquettes to be followed."

As he went in, he left one last message.

"Remember, kids: never occupy the urinal directly next to your peers."

Every man in the crew nodded in appreciation.

While Averie was in the toilet, the camera crew was single-mindedly filming the entrance, scaring away people who wanted to use the facility.

The sound guy was more into it than anyone else. After all, Averie’s mic was still on, and his stream of urine was making some curious sounds.

"It sounds like a drum. Oh, now it sounds like a triangle. Is that a piano?" The man’s eyes widened. "What a beat!"

He swiveled his head and shook his arms.

"Na, nana, nanana! Naaaaaaaa!" he sang. "Oooooh, nanana, ohhhh, nana, yeah!"

On the other side of the wall, Averie was beatboxing and slapping his thighs.

Once he was out, he gave a nod to the camera.

"Satisfying experience. But whoever left their bag of white powder on the counter, please be aware that your product is third-rate."

After that, the cautious Madelyn brought him to the break room used by the employees.

"Cut," announced the director.

"Good work, everyone," the AD said, clapping for attention. "Take a short break."

Averie breathed a sigh of relief. "It’s not easy stopping myself from cracking a smile."

"You did well," Director Harrison said. "Just keep that solemn expression up, and any joke will work."

"It’s still not easy."

Just then, a pair of men in their thirties handed Averie a few papers.

"We wrote down what we could come up with. Try experimenting with it."

They were the writers of the show.

"I appreciate it."

Averie sent them off and spent some time apologizing to Madelyn.

"All of them were jokes; I hope you don’t misunderstand," he said charmingly.

"At times, I doubted that," the girl replied. "I wondered if you were being serious."

"Was this your first time in front of a TV crew?"

"Well, there was a documentary filmed here once, so I have been around one. But my face was never on the screen."

"Excited to be on TV?"

She smiled nervously. "I’m a little scared."

"You only have to be yourself. Not everything we shoot will make it into the episode anyway." He beckoned his team of two towards him. "I am the one who has to make a fool of himself." fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

Seeing Hyerin and Min-Ha approaching, the girl left him to relax after getting a picture together.

Averie rested his feet on the coffee table. "What next?"

"Well," — Hyerin shoved her head into the itinerary— "we will continue shooting around he place. Then, after lunch, you have to interview a zoologist."

He rubbed his face. "Oh god, don’t tell me it’s an old man."

"It’s an old man."

"I can’t make crude jokes now, can I?"

"A normal person would think that way, but I don’t think you actually care as much."

"I am touched. How do you know me so well? Old man or not, I will make jokes that I want."

"Don’t get too lost in the comedic side. Remember that the episodes need to be informative too. You need to have some rational discussions."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Don’t take away the seriousness of the show."

"I won’t, and what does it matter? They will remove all the fun and the laughter while editing anyway. It will just be me making dry remarks while the man looks at me with confusion."

Hyerin wondered if she should continue cautioning him. It didn’t feel right, but she decided to give one last warning.

"Don’t go overboard."

"I won’t."

But he did.

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