The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

ASTRID opened the folder file that Ellis sent to his Terminal.  The moment he did, he was bombarded by hundreds of photos of him.  "Ahm, how many of these photos are going to be posted on my artist's profile?"

"The first six pinned photos," Ellis answered.

Astrid looked at the photos the other mentioned.  The six photos were divided into two highly different styles. 

In the first three, he was wearing a loose white shirt with the top button unbuttoned, showing his collar bone.  It was tucked inside black shorts that were just an inch above his knees.  Attached to the shorts was a black suspender.  They were paired with white boots. 

His hair was styled in a soft wave.  He only had light make up that was only used to make his features brighter.  With this styling, it brought the image of youth, innocence, and cuteness.

In the last three photos, he was in a completely different style.  He was wearing crisp black suit with a red polo shirt underneath, and a black neck tie.  His hair was swept back, showing his full forehead.  The make-up he had on made his eyes appear dark and smokey. 

In this set of photos, he looked mature and sexy.  Totally different from the first set. 

These two sets were divided into three different shots – a full-body shot, a half-body shot, and a beauty shot. 

Of course, Astrid posed accordingly to what the image the style was portraying.  At the first set, he acted all bubbly and happy.  While on the second set, he was much more serious.  Not in that cold and indifferent way.  But rather, in a charming and appealing way.

"Did Sister Ellis pick these photos?" he asked.

Ellis nodded.  "I want to showcase two different sides of you.  So, people who would check your profile could see your range.  That you can't only show an innocent concept, you could also do more mature ones."

Astrid understood what the other meant.  With these two sets of photos, people wouldn't immediately box him in a certain image.  Which could be harmful to an actor, in a way.  Because being seen in a certain way could cage them to certain roles.  And that's not something he wanted for his career.

Seeing how Ellis wanted to prevent that from happening as early as now just showed that she really knew what she was doing.  And that she was thinking in terms of the 'future' instead of the 'now'.

"That's a good idea," he said.

He continued browsing the photos to choose which he would use for his [Cyberspace] profile.  He filtered it to only show the beauty shots.  At the end he chose one that give off a friendly yet still elegant atmosphere.  He showed that to Ellis and the other also agreed with his choice.  So, he quickly uploaded it to his [Cyberspace] account.

"By the way, I have good news for you.  Well, it's two good news actually," Ellis said after a while.

Astrid closed his Terminal before raising his head and looking at his agent.  "Two good news?  I can't wait to hear it."

"First, I secured you a guess role for an episode of a pretty popular web series.  It's their 100th episode.  So, even if you only appeared for one episode, the impact would still be good," Ellis said.  "This episode will air earlier than the movie – [The Sleeping God].  Let's use this show as a way to introduce you to the public."

Web series of today was not similar to the ones in Astrid's past life.  Although web series were starting to get recognized in the circle during the time he was alive, it's still being looked down upon in comparison to the series being shown by various TV stations.  But in this era, that was not the case at all.

They were on the same level as the shows and series shown by satellite TV stations.  Even their production cost was not that far apart. 

"I don't need to audition?" he asked.  A web series that could go as long as 100 episodes meant that it had high ratings and a solid following of fans.

"No.  The director is a friend of mine.  When he saw your picture, he said that there's no need for you to audition and you can just play the part directly," Ellis explained.

She was actually having drinks with this friend last night.  The two of them hadn't seen each other for quite some time and since she was back at the capital, they decided to meet up.  While drinking, the other just started complaining to her about the actor who was supposed to play the role he talked to Astrid about.

He said this actor took a step back from the role because his schedule wouldn't 'allow' it.  Which was pure bullshit according to her friend.  He happened to find out that the other received a better role in a TV drama.  So, he simply let go of the guest role in the web series. 

What could Ellis say at that time?  Of course, she had to recommend her own artist!

And just like she thought, after her friend saw Astrid's picture, he immediately agreed with her suggestion.   

"But you have to audition for the next role I found for you," Ellis added.  "It's for the fourth male lead of a TV series that's based on a hugely popular IP.  Even if it's only the male fourth, his role is very significant.  Once this series aired, I guarantee you, you'll popularity will skyrocket."

Astrid didn't expect that his agent not only found him a guest role in a popular we series, but also a chance to audition to what seemed like a big TV production. 

"I don't doubt Sister Ellis' vision," he said in regards to him auditioning for the fourth male lead of the said series.  "Thank you, for working so hard to give me these opportunities."

"There's no need for thanks.  After all, this is my job."

Ellis then stayed for lunch and the two discussed further the two jobs that she just mentioned.  She stayed for almost the whole afternoon before leaving.

That night, Polaris official [Cyberspace] account posted the photos of their new artist. 

And it caused quite the sensation.