The Last Scene's Secret

Chapter 5: The Puzzle

Orm found herself standing outside Ling's condo, the weight of an unusual request from their director, Ying, lingering in her mind. Ying had insisted that Orm pick up Ling for their next shoot as a form of "fan service"—a gesture to fuel the buzz surrounding their on-screen chemistry. The idea of it made Orm uneasy, but she couldn't refuse. The fans would love it, and Ying had been insistent.

She hesitated briefly before ringing the doorbell. A moment later, the door swung open, revealing Ling. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Orm standing on her doorstep. "What are you doing here?" Ling asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

Without waiting for an invitation, Orm stepped inside, the familiar scent of Ling's home wrapping around her. "I'm here to pick up my enemy," Orm replied with a hint of irony. "Ying thought it would be a great idea for fan service."

Ling blinked, processing the information before nodding slowly. "Ahhh, okay. I'll get ready now."

"Okay," Orm responded, her voice softer than she intended.

As Ling disappeared into another room to get ready, Orm's eyes wandered around the living space. Her gaze fell on a partially completed puzzle spread across the table. She took a step closer, and her heart skipped a beat as recognition washed over her. The puzzle—it was eerily familiar. My dream... But why does Ling have this?

Before she could piece together the swirling thoughts in her mind, Ling returned, dressed and ready to go. "Okay, I'm done," she announced, her voice breaking Orm's trance. Orm quickly masked her confusion and hurried out of the condo before she could ask any questions, her mind still reeling from the unsettling discovery.

Later that day, they were on set filming episode two of their series. The scene called for them to portray a deepening connection between their characters—sweet, intimate moments that hinted at a past neither fully understood. The cameras captured every touch, every glance, but for Orm, the lines between fiction and reality were starting to blur. The puzzle from Ling's condo kept creeping back into her thoughts.

Orm's character was supposed to be tender, but her mind was anything but calm. As soon as the director called cut, she found herself making an impulsive decision. "I need to take Ling home," she told Ying, masking her real intention with the pretext of being considerate. The truth was, Orm needed answers.

They drove in silence, the tension between them almost palpable. When they reached Ling's place, Orm hesitated before speaking. "I think I left something at your table," she lied, her voice betraying her unease.

Ling looked at her, puzzled but shrugged. "Alright, let's go in."

Back inside the condo, Orm's heart pounded as they approached the table where the puzzle lay. Ling turned to her. "Did you find it?"

Orm bit her lip, knowing she couldn't dodge the truth any longer. "Actually... I didn't come back for that. I... I want to stay for the night. And I want to know more about this puzzle."

Ling's expression shifted from curiosity to wariness. "Why does it bother you so much?" she asked, her tone defensive as she scoffed slightly.

Orm exhaled sharply, the weight of her own memories pressing down on her. "Because I saw this in my dream, okay? And I need to know why you have it."

The confession hung in the air, and Ling froze, her spine tingling with a mix of fear and disbelief. "Wh-what? You have that dream too? I... I thought I was the only one. But... I don't remember you being there."

Orm nodded slowly, her eyes fixated on the puzzle. "That's the thing. It was all blurred. But now... it's starting to make sense." Ling reached for the puzzle box, turning it over to show Orm the faded markings on the side. "See here? It looks like 'O4^', but it's actually 'ORM.' "

The realization hit Orm like a ton of bricks. "But I don't remember you... Not clearly, anyway. All I remember is giving someone my jacket, a pen, and... this puzzle."

Ling stared at her, the pieces of their past slowly clicking into place. "We were friends long before we started being rivals," she murmured, the words heavy with nostalgia and regret.

Orm felt a lump form in her throat. "Khun," she said softly, her voice trembling. "I never wanted to be your rival. I was just... following orders. It's what I was told to do. I'm sorry."

As the night wore on, the two girls, Orm and Ling, were determined to find answers. They sat at the table, focusing on the puzzle that seemed to hold the key to their forgotten past. With each piece they placed, memories and emotions stirred within them, but the puzzle was more challenging than they anticipated. Hours passed, and fatigue began to set in.

Orm, who had been concentrating intensely, finally succumbed to sleep, her head resting on the table. Ling noticed her dozing off and felt a pang of something unidentifiable—perhaps tenderness, perhaps something more. She quietly got up, retrieved a blanket from the nearby couch, and gently draped it over Orm's body. The sight of Orm sleeping so peacefully stirred something deep within Ling, a mix of nostalgia and regret.

With Orm now resting, Ling turned back to the puzzle. Only 27 pieces left. The finish line was in sight, but her eyelids were growing heavy. She fought to stay awake, determined to see the puzzle completed, but eventually, sleep overcame her, and she drifted off next to the unfinished puzzle.

Morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. Orm was the first to wake. She blinked away the remnants of sleep, her eyes landing on the nearly completed puzzle in front of her. A sense of pride swelled within her—Ling had stayed up, almost finishing it. But then, something else caught her attention: Ling, fast asleep, her face serene and unguarded. Orm found herself unable to look away.

Without thinking, Orm leaned in closer, mere inches from Ling's face. She could hear Ling's gentle breathing, see the flutter of her eyelashes, and suddenly, her heart raced. What was she doing? She was too close. Just as she was about to pull back, Ling's eyes fluttered open, and their gazes locked.

For a split second, neither moved. The air between them was charged with something unspoken, something that made Orm's breath catch in her throat. But before Ling could say anything, Orm quickly spoke, her voice a bit too loud in the quiet room. "I was, uh, checking if you were dreaming or not."

Orm mentally kicked herself for the lame excuse, but Ling just raised an eyebrow, half-amused, half-suspicious. "Hmm," was all Ling said, clearly not buying it but deciding to let it slide.

They turned their attention back to the puzzle, which was so close to completion. With Orm now fully awake and Ling more alert, they worked together, fitting the final pieces into place. As the last piece snapped in, they both leaned back to admire their work.

What they saw made them both go silent. The puzzle depicted a picture of them—Orm and Ling—hugging each other. The image was a snapshot from a time long forgotten, a moment from their shared past that had been buried under years of misunderstanding and rivalry.

"We were right," Ling whispered, her voice filled with awe and a touch of sadness. "We were friends before... and we just forgot."

Orm nodded, unable to tear her eyes away from the puzzle. The realization that they had once meant something to each other, something more than rivals, hit her hard. All this time, she had seen Ling as a competitor, someone to be wary of, when in reality, they had shared something special long before fame and ambition had gotten in the way.

They both sat there, the weight of their discovery settling in, their emotions a tangled mix of regret for the lost years and longing for the bond they had once shared. The puzzle was complete, but the picture it revealed left them with even more questions, and an overwhelming desire to reconnect with the friendship they had lost.

The two stood there, the air thick with unresolved feelings and unspoken truths. The rivalry that had once defined their relationship now seemed insignificant in the face of their shared past. Orm and Ling had both been victims of circumstances, caught in a web of misunderstandings and manipulated emotions. And now, with the truth finally beginning to emerge, they had a chance to redefine what they meant to each other—not as rivals, but as something much more complicated.