THE last of the credits rolled off the screen. Slowly, the theater lights brightened from front to back. For a moment, the audience remained still, absorbing the final scene. Then, someone in the front row began to clap. Soon, a smattering of applause grew into a standing ovation, the clapping and cheering echoing throughout the theater.

Rhett Archer sat in his seat and watched the crowd with wide eyes. He had not expected this. Not the clapping, not the cheers, not the way people were standing up and shouting. He knew most of it was not for him. That was fine. But a part of this loud reaction was for him too. For the work he had put into his role. For the scenes he had stayed up late to get right. A strange feeling built up in his chest, something between surprise and relief and a kind of happiness he had not felt before. His throat felt tight. He swallowed and looked down at his hands for a second, then back at the crowd.

He turned to look at Director McCann sitting next to him. The man had tears in his eyes, though he was trying to blink them away. His mouth was pressed tight, like he was trying not to cry. And Rhett understood because he felt the same way. All the hard work, the long days on set, the worry that no one would care about a small film like this. Now the whole theater was clapping for them. McCann caught him looking and gave a small nod in understanding.

“Director, go and stand up,” Astrid’s voice floated to them, cutting through the emotional moment. “They’re clapping for you. Go on.”

Director McCann looked down at his lap, a bit embarrassed by the suggestion. His face turned slightly pink. He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a small, nervous laugh. “Ah, come on,” he said, shaking his head. “It’s not just me. We should all stand up together. All of us. The entire team. We should thank them properly.”

Astrid smiled at that and nodded. He exchanged a quick look with Rhett, then turned to the actors sitting nearby and quietly told them to stand up. Rhett did the same on his side. One by one, the cast rose from their seats and walked to the front of the theater. Some looked nervous, others had wide smiles on their faces. They lined up together in a loose row, facing the audience. Then, with no one saying a word, they reached for each other’s hands and bowed. The applause grew even louder, filling the whole theater.

From somewhere in the middle of the crowd, a voice called out, “That was amazing!”

Near the front, someone yelled, “Rhett, you were incredible!”

Another voice joined in, “Director McCann, you’re a genius!”

Someone else shouted, “I’m watching this again tomorrow!”

And from the far side of the theater, a single voice rose above the rest, “Astrid, you’re the best!”

Hearing the crowd shout like that made Astrid feel proud. He had always believed that many people would enjoy the movie. Even though it was a thriller mystery, a type of film that could easily lose momentum in the middle, he was confident it would still keep the audience interested. Especially with what they had put in the scene after the credits. If anyone felt let down by the main ending, that final scene would make up for it.

He stood up a little straighter and smiled to himself. He really hoped that most of the people who watched the movie today would feel the same way as the crowd in this theater.

***

Wulfric walked out of the theater with the rest of the crowd after the movie ended. Because of his high physique level, he could not help but overhear the things people were saying as they left the cinema.

“That was actually great. I was not expecting much, but the movie really surprised me.”

“The whole time I thought the killer was acting alone, but no. The doctor was the one who pushed him to do all of that. I did not see that coming.”

“That ending credit scene though. It changed the entire structure of the movie for me.”

“I’m glad I accompanied you today.”

“Astrid was great, but the main lead surprised me. He actually held his own. What’s his name again?”

“Do you think they will make a sequel? That credit scene made it seem like there is more to expect.”

Wulfric listened and agreed with most of what they said. He was glad that no one said anything bad about Aster. If someone had, he might have thrown popcorn at them without thinking. With his strength, that would feel like getting hit by a bullet. People passing out in the middle of the theater would not be good.

Despite Aster’s limited screen time compared to the detective, Wulfric enjoyed the movie. He realized it might be a genre he actually liked. Wulfric wasn’t much of a moviegoer, and he’d only started going to theaters because of Aster. While he enjoyed Aster’s movies, his appreciation stemmed more from Aster’s presence than the films themselves. But this one was different. He really liked it on its own.

The story was exactly the kind he liked. It also helped that there was no romantic angle between Aster and the detective. With that, surely no one would try to pair them up.

Just as he thought that, he heard the two girls walking in front of him suddenly speak up.

“Don’t you think it’s such a waste that Detective Lewis and Dr. Stevens did not even get a proper goodbye scene?”

“I agree. The two of them had so much chemistry together. I kind of ship them.”

Wulfric frowned and then heard himself say, “They have no chemistry at all!”

The two girls looked at him with confused expressions. He let out a small huff and walked right past them. What a couple of blind kids.

Behind him, the two girls stared at his back as if he were a lunatic.

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