WULFRIC was in the middle of taking a shower when he heard the special alert tone from his Terminal. It was the dedicated ring tone for Aster. His Terminal ringing now meant that the other was requesting a video call to him. Before he could think, his body had already moved.
He walked out of the shower stall and picked up his Terminal that was on the countertop. Seeing Aster's name on the virtual screen, he quickly answered the call.
Astrid, in another galaxy, was about to greet Wulfric when the other answered his call, but stopped as soon as an unexpected image appeared on the virtual screen. What he saw was not Wulfric's handsome face, but another thing altogether.
It was a pair of pectoral muscles amidst a wide expanse of healthy, tanned skin. Droplets of water glistened on the contours of those well-defined pectoral muscles. The cascading water highlighted the sculpted curves, tracing a path down his chest. A single, glistening drop navigated its way through the delineated grooves, descending with precision over the rippling landscape of his eight-pack abs.
The moisture on his chest highlighted the defined muscles, showcasing strength in each chiseled contour.
Astrid blinked. Then he felt heat slowly rising up to his face. He quickly averted his gaze. Obviously, the other was probably in the middle of taking a shower before answering his call. Now he suddenly felt like a pervert, peeking at something he shouldn't.
"Aster?"
Wulfric's call brought Astrid back to his senses. He cleared his throat, still trying his best not to look at the other.
"Can you at least put on a bathrobe first?"
When Wulfric heard that, he finally realized that he was, well, naked. His whole face immediately heated up. Did he just answer the call while naked? Was he crazy? No wonder Aster looked away as soon as he saw him.
In any case, that wasn't the reason he called the other. Hence, he decided to promptly change the topic.
"If you're in the middle of showering, you can finish first. I'll just call you later."
"No, it's fine. I'm already almost done anyway," Wulfric said with a wave of his hand. "By the way, I just heard that you might be nominated for an award. Congratulations!"
"Have you heard that from Hildred?" Astrid asked in a teasing tone. Because that's the excuse the other always used, when in fact he most likely read it on [Cyberspace] while using his fan account.
Wulfric only gave an awkward laugh while scratching his cheek. "Haha... yeah, sort of."
"Thank you, but it's not yet official. I was only shortlisted. Maybe I won't even be officially nominated."
"How can that be when you're the best out of all the rookies out there?" Wulfric said, as if appalled by that possibility.
Astrid chuckled. "Are you sure you're not being biased because of your feelings for me?"
"Well, maybe there's a bit of that. But even if that wasn't the case, I will still have the same opinion," Wulfric said indignantly. "You're just that talented."
"If you don't have feelings for me, I don't think you would even be interested in the entertainment industry," Astrid said in a joking tone.
Wulfric was about to respond, but then saw a notification on the side of the virtual screen. It was from [Cyberspace], a post that was related to Aster. The moment he read it, his eyes widened slightly.