Rewind With A Superstar System

Chapter 214: Loki’s Interview

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Hit The Wall by Gracie Abrams>

...

Inside the brightly lit dressing room of the IBC television network, a young man sat slumped in a makeup chair, looking absolutely miserable.

To the makeup artists, it was the 14x Platinum sensation, Von Varley. But internally, it was just Loki.

The cat had taken on Von’s exact physical form down to the violet eyes and the messy hair. However, Loki was currently fighting every feline instinct in his body to swat at the fluffy makeup brush hovering near his nose.

’Just sit there, nod, answer minimally, and don’t blow my cover,’ Von had begged him earlier that evening, pressing his hands together in a pleading gesture.’

’You’ve been with me since day one. You know everything about my life, my music, and the movie. Just wing it. I’ll buy you the most expensive premium salmon for a whole month.’

That promise of premium salmon was the only reason Loki was currently enduring this torture.

Loki let out a long, heavy sigh, completely boneless in the chair. She didn’t care about the fame, the movie, or the flashing cameras. She was just tired and hungry.

"All done, Mr. Varley!" the makeup artist chirped, stepping back. "You’re on in two minutes."

Loki offered a slow, lazy blink and slowly dragged herself up from the chair. She shuffled out of the dressing room and walked onto the set of The Evening Scoop.

The studio audience erupted into massive cheers the moment Von stepped into the lights.

Loki winced slightly at the loud noise, her sharp ears ringing, but she simply waved a lazy hand and plopped down onto the plush guest sofa.

She immediately sank deep into the cushions, pulling her legs up slightly and resting her chin on her hand in a completely unbothered posture.

Sitting across from her was Arthur Pendelton, a distinguished, grey-haired television host known for his serious, deep-dive interviews with Hollywood veterans.

Arthur smiled warmly, adjusting his suit tie.

"Welcome to the show, Von," Arthur greeted warmly. "It is an absolute pleasure to have you here tonight. The entire world is talking about your shocking reveal at the film festival."

"Thanks," Loki replied with Von’s voice.

Arthur chuckled slightly, trying to guide the conversation.

"So, transitioning from dominating the music charts to leading a major drama film... how are you handling the immense pressure? The expectations must be crushing."

Loki remembered Von’s instructions. Answer minimally.

"I don’t," Loki said flatly.

Arthur blinked, waiting for him to elaborate. A few seconds of awkward silence passed. The studio audience let out a few scattered, nervous laughs.

"You... don’t?" Arthur prompted gently.

"No. I just sleep," Loki answered truthfully.

Arthur forced a polite laugh, clearly thrown off by the extreme brevity. He was used to celebrities giving long speeches about their craft and dedication.

This young man was just sitting there like a puddle, giving him one-word responses.

"Well, that’s certainly a unique approach," Arthur recovered smoothly, checking his cue cards.

"Let’s talk about the book fans. There has been a lot of backlash regarding your casting. Some say you don’t have the experience. What goes through your mind when you read those comments?"

"Nothing," Loki deadpanned. "I don’t read."

The audience burst into genuine laughter this time, assuming Von was just being really dry and witty.

Arthur smiled, finding the sheer nonchalance somewhat charming, even if the interview was moving at a painfully slow pace.

"You are a man of very few words, Von," Arthur noted. "But let’s look at the—"

SNAP.

Loki’s feline ears twitched. Long before anyone else in the room could register the sound, Loki’s hyper-awaresenses picked up the terrifying groan of metal tearing apart right above them.

High up in the studio rafters, a thick steel cable holding a massive, two-hundred-pound overhead spotlight had just snapped.

Arthur was still looking at his cue cards, completely oblivious to the shadow rapidly descending over him.

Loki didn’t even think. Her cat instincts took over in a millisecond.

In a blur of motion so fast that the cameras barely caught it, Loki launched herself off the sofa. She cleared the coffee table in a single, graceful bound and slammed directly into Arthur.

"Whoa—!" Arthur yelled as Loki tackled him entirely out of his armchair, sending them both rolling hard across the studio floor.

A fraction of a second later, the massive steel spotlight crashed directly into Arthur’s empty armchair with a deafening BOOM.

Shattered glass, splintered wood, and sparks flew everywhere. The chair was completely flattened.

The entire studio went dead silent. Then, a wave of panicked screams erupted from the audience and the production crew.

Loki casually stood up from the floor, dusting off his blazer as if she had just tripped over a rug. She looked down at the trembling, pale-faced host.

Arthur stared at the crushed remains of his armchair, realizing that if he had been sitting there a second longer, he would have been killed instantly.

He looked up at the twenty-year-old musician, his eyes wide with absolute shock and awe.

"Oh my god," Arthur breathed out, his hands shaking as the stage crew rushed over to help him up.

"You... you saved my life. How did you even see that coming? Your reflexes... they were inhuman!"

"You’re welcome. I have good ears."

Arthur grabbed Loki’s hands, tears of genuine gratitude welling up in his eyes.

"Von, I don’t even know what to say. You literally just saved my life. How could I ever reward you for this? Name it. Anything!"

Loki tilted her head, genuinely considering the offer.

"Hmm," Loki hummed.

"Reward me? Do you have fish?"

The panicked studio crew paused. Arthur blinked, completely thrown off by the request.

He let out a breathless, nervous laugh, assuming the pop star was just making a joke to lighten the incredibly tense mood.

"Ha, well, of course our studio kitchen has fish," Arthur chuckled, wiping his forehead.

"But really, Von. Do you want something from me? A massive shoutout for your movie? A donation to a charity? Anything at all."

Loki stared at him with a deadpan expression.

"Seriously, I just told you already... Fish is okay."

Arthur stared at him for three full seconds. He realized the boy wasn’t joking. He was really serious.

"Get him a fish!" Arthur yelled at the frantic producers. "Get the man a plate of fish right now!"

The broadcast quickly cut to a brief commercial break to clear the debris and bring out two new chairs.

When the show returned to live television, the audience was still buzzing with adrenaline.

The clip of Von’s insane, lightning-fast dive was already circulating on the internet.

Arthur and Loki were now seated in normal folding chairs. And true to his word, a producer had rushed out holding a silver platter with a freshly cooked, whole sea bass from the studio cafeteria, placing it on the small table in front of Loki.

"Well, folks, we are back," Arthur said, still looking a bit flushed but beaming with a massive smile.

"I am sitting here with my personal hero, Von Varley. And as requested... here is your fish."

Loki leaned forward, sniffing the plate. It smelled decent. Not premium salmon, but it would do.

"So, I have to ask," Arthur laughed, genuinely enjoying the sheer absurdity of the situation.

"Are you a massive foodie? Is that your secret to those lightning reflexes?"

Loki looked at the sea bass, narrowing her eyes in slight disappointment. "It isn’t even that big."

Arthur burst into laughter, slapping his knee.

"Oh, is that a challenge, Von? How about we do a massive food competition in the next segment? See who can eat the most?"

Instead of answering, Loki simply picked up the plate. To the absolute horror and fascination of everyone in the studio, she didn’t use a fork.

Loki opened her mouth, grabbed the entire fish by the tail, and shoved the whole thing into her mouth.

She chewed twice, the sound of crunching echoing through her microphone, and swallowed it down in one massive gulp.

She patted her stomach and let out a small, satisfied burp.

"Oops," Loki said, looking at the empty plate. "I ate this one. So we’ll use another fish for that one."

The entire studio went pin-drop silent. The audience just stared, completely bewildered by the fact that the biggest pop star in the world had just eaten a whole fish like a feral cartoon character on live television.

Then, Arthur threw his head back and roared with uproarious, genuine laughter.

"You know what, Von?" Arthur laughed, wiping a tear from his eye. "You really are so much funnier than the media makes you out to be! People call you arrogant, but you are just one of a kind!"

The studio audience instantly erupted into applause and laughter, completely charmed by the unbothered weirdness of it all.

Loki just gave a slow, lazy blink. As far as she was concerned, she was doing her job perfectly.

She didn’t blow Von’s cover and she even got a free snack as a bonus.

"So about the food competition?"

Loki reminded Arthur, not knowing the amount of shock Von would experience from the soon to be viral interview.