14. A Stubborn Cold (1)
14. A Stubborn Cold (1)
Up until now, I'd never had a cold that hit me this hard in my life.
Part of it was that my original body was sturdy, but isn't an actor's body their greatest asset?
I'd always been meticulous about taking care of myself, so I'd never even caught a common seasonal flu. Of course I wore a mask everywhere, and I got my shots without fail.
The worst I'd ever dealt with was a mild body ache from failing to manage my condition properly. Even yesterday, when I started feeling chills, I figured it was just that...
Beep—
The thermometer tucked under my arm let out a beep. I lifted my arm, which felt like it weighed a ton, and checked the temperature. The moment I saw it, I squeezed my eyes shut without thinking.
[39.3]
The reading had climbed 0.2 degrees higher than the first time I checked, drawing a hollow laugh out of me. I'd never had a fever over 38 degrees in my life, so I had no sense for this at all.
'Should I cancel all my scheduled stuff for today? If filming stops because of me, everyone will think I'm a total pain...'
The reason I'd been so rigorous about my health that I'd never even gotten a seasonal flu wasn't just because an actor's body is their own asset...
Now I knew my body wasn't just mine alone anymore, so I'd lived carefully, making sure I never got sick even once.
My Manager sister who helped take care of me, the people attached to the project I was filming, the staff who came in just for that day's shoot, and so on...
If I took a break just because I was sick, they'd all grind to a halt too. So you could say that for an actor, not getting sick is part of the job.
That's why, even if my body was hurting, I had to show up unless it was absolutely unavoidable...
"Cough, cough."
Every cough felt like it was ripping my lungs apart, and my head throbbed like someone was running laps inside my skull.
No matter how I sliced it, this wasn't something that would clear up overnight. In this condition, I'd probably be bedridden for at least two days...
'First things first, I need to contact Manager sister...'
I turned on the phone next to me, about to message my Manager sister, when—
Knock knock—
"Miyagi? Are you up?"
Kaho, probably wondering why I hadn't gotten up yet, knocked on the door.
"Cough, ah— come, cough! Cough!"
"...Miyagi? Can I come in?"
I needed to tell her not to come in because the cold was contagious...
But my throat was so hoarse my voice wouldn't come out right. Plus, every time I tried to speak, a cough interrupted me.
Just as the doorknob turned and the door started to open, I mustered every ounce of strength I had left, jumped out of bed, and slammed the door shut again.
Bang!
The door, which had been opening, suddenly slammed closed, and Kaho sounded startled as she pushed on the knob again. But since I was blocking it with my body, it wouldn't budge.
Having used up all my energy jumping down from the bed, I collapsed to the floor, cleared my throat, and warned Kaho on the other side of the door.
"Cough! Cough! Haah, don't come in. It's contagious."
"...A cold? Did you catch a cold?"
Just those few steps had my vision spinning. I pressed my forehead against the door to cool it off a bit, and only then did I feel like I might survive.
"Yeah... seems like a pretty bad one... You can't catch it from me..."
So don't come in.
I leaned my forehead against the door, barely continuing with my weakening breaths. Kaho was busy with her own filming right now anyway—I didn't want to burden her.
I felt her hand release the doorknob through the door pressed to my forehead, and only then did I relax. Just as I thought about crawling back to bed to call Manager sister—
"...Are you really okay? Shouldn't you go to the hospital? Want me to drive you on my way...?"
From beyond the firmly shut door, Kaho's voice came, full of worry for me.
It wasn't the emotionless tone she usually used to check on me—it was genuine concern, like she didn't know what to do. That gentle voice was so soothing...
I nearly lost it and whined to her. That I was hurting so bad from the cold, it was too tough, couldn't she take care of me a little?
The urge to throw a childish tantrum welled up to the brim, about to burst, so I let out a long, long sigh to suppress my emotions.
"I'm really fine. I'll call Manager sister and have her take me to the hospital. So... don't worry about it..."
I dragged myself painfully back up, lay down in bed again, and stared at my phone. Luckily, I'd just gotten a message from Manager sister saying it was about time to get ready and head out.
But now that I had to reply, I had no idea what to say. After all, I'd never once had to cancel a schedule because I was sick.
'Somehow... it feels like I'm committing a crime even though I'm sick...'
**
"Is Kaho-ssi okay?"
"...Huh? What do you mean?"
About six hours after leaving Miyagi at home and heading out to work, my Manager suddenly scrutinized my face and asked if I was alright.
"I heard Miyagi-ssi is sick? Bad enough she can't come to filming."
"...The rumors spread that fast already?"
I definitely hadn't breathed a word about Miyagi all day, so where did this kid hear it from?
I made a baffled face, and Manager shrugged his shoulders as he answered.
"Miyagi-ssi's Manager is my junior, you know? So news about her just filters into my ears naturally."
"Oh, really? This is the first I'm hearing that you two are senior and junior."
"Ahaha! I feel like I've told you this story at least ten times!"
Manager laughed heartily and complained about how hurt he was, but I seriously didn't remember.
I'd never paid much attention to Miyagi until now, so whether Managers were senior-junior or whatever hadn't registered. I wasn't particularly interested in his connections anyway...
"Well, anyway, I just heard from my junior that he took Miyagi-ssi to the hospital, got her an IV, and brought her back home."
"I see. But why are you telling me this?"
"...? Weren't you looking all distraught all day because you were worried about Miyagi-ssi?"
"Me?"
I turned my head to check my reflection in the window. It looked no different from usual, so what was this kid talking about?
And on top of that, she was the one who'd told me she was fine and not to worry... I waved my hand dismissively and snapped at Manager in an irritated tone.
"...Cut the nonsense and prep the next schedule. Have you heard from the filming staff? We've been here forever—why isn't everything ready yet?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. I just got the call. They're going into standby right away."
"Alright, let's go."
Today's filming was just drama solo shots, so it wasn't a long schedule. The script was only about 20 minutes worth, so I figured it wouldn't take long...
But an hour had already passed, and we still hadn't wrapped this short scene. To avoid delaying the next schedule, I needed to get a cut within 30 minutes...
"Huuh..."
As I caught my breath under the lights for a moment, the young filming director scurried over, handed me some water, and spoke up.
"Kaho-ssi, this scene hinges on a soft, motherly smile, but your face looks stiff today. Could you try for a warmer, gentler image?"
"...Got it. Sorry for all the NG's."
"Oh, no! Your daughter's sick, so it's only natural! This scene's about a mom being proud of her daughter starting college, right?"
"Yeah, that's right..."
"So, we totally get it's tough to act right now with how you're feeling—don't feel too pressured!"
I couldn't help but chuckle at the young director clasping his hands in encouragement. That aside, how far had word about Miyagi spread that even this director knew?
Not just the director in front of me—all the staff on set seemed to know about Miyagi too.
They looked at me with eyes that said they understood why I kept NG'ing: I was worried about my sick Miyagi. Well, I was worried about her, sure, but...
'...Is it showing on my face?'
I turned to look at the filming crew, and they all gazed back with sympathetic understanding. It was so bewildering I couldn't close my mouth.
Come to think of it, Manager had said something similar earlier. That I looked distraught because I was worried about Miyagi. I'd thought he was just talking nonsense...
Thump- thump-
Realizing I'd been showing it all day made my heart pound and my face flush red. I'd thought my expression control was perfect...
No wonder everyone had been looking at me with those kind faces today—it was because my true feelings were leaking out. I'd tried so hard to hide it from myself...
"Huuh..."
An unbearable wave of embarrassment surged up from inside me. How anxious must I have looked to everyone else? How stupid?
Like they all thought, I was worried about Miyagi left alone at home. But she'd told me she was fine and not to worry...
Because she'd firmly shut the door while telling me that, I'd gone to work feeling stuck between a rock and a hard place. I got why she did it—to keep me from catching her cold—but...
This was the first time she'd ever said she was sick, so even if I didn't want to worry, I couldn't help it. I'd never heard her voice sound that pained before...
'It's just a simple cold, I know...'
Even though I knew it was just a cold, I couldn't figure out why I was so worried. Thinking of Miyagi suffering alone at home made it impossible to focus on acting.
Why was I suddenly like this when I'd ignored her just fine all this time? I should just do what I always did and not care if she was sick or not.
So, if I stopped caring and focused on work...
"......Huuh."
I let out a long sigh, then called over to Manager waiting outside the set. He scurried up, tilting his head quizzically at me.
"What's the next schedule? The drama script reading, right?"
"Oh, yes! That's right! Today's the drama script reading, and that wraps up your schedule—no more after that."
As I remembered, the next thing was the script reading for the drama I'd agreed to join last time. I should attend the official one, but...
"Can you... contact the director and see if I can skip it? Say I'll do the second round..."
"Huh? Oh, sure, I'll ask. Any reason...?"
"...Just say my daughter's sick. They already all know, so they'll get the gist."
I cleared my throat and mumbled it, and a sly grin spread across Manager's face. That infuriating, knowing smirk like he'd seen it coming.
What was with that 'I knew it' face? I'd never once skipped a schedule because the kid was sick. So...
Well, that director would understand...
"Oh, right, and..."
"Yes?"
Since I was skipping anyway, I figured I should go all in and asked Manager.
"If you're asking... could you look up what kids these days eat when they're sick...?"
If it was something like porridge, that might be a problem.
After all, I'd never properly cooked anything in my life...