Before the A-lister Was Famous

: The Roasted Sweet Potato

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My eyes started to sting, so I gently closed them. But scenes from the past flooded my mind, impossible to shake.

One of the earliest things fans dug up from Alistair Hawthorne's social media was a post with a photo of a roasted sweet potato. The caption read: "As autumn deepens into winter, only love's sweetness remains."

He had just gotten famous back then, and when his fans unearthed that post, it even started trending online.

Speculation ran wild online. Some guessed he must have had a loving partner in his early years. At the time, I hid behind my screen, scrolling through the comments one by one, my heart filled with a sweet, secret joy.

We'd come so far together. But through all the times we were photographed, all the moments fans spun baseless rumors, and through all of Alistair Hawthorne's silences, I should have admitted to myself long ago that everything had changed.

Not long after we got together, Alistair Hawthorne mentioned offhandedly that he admired actors and wanted to try acting if he ever got the chance.

I silently took his words to heart, staying up all night to meticulously prepare his portfolio and submit it to a talent agency.

Alistair Hawthorne had a good foundation, and under my influence, he gradually learned how to dress well. His portfolio was quickly approved, and he signed a contract without a hitch.

After a period of being an unknown actor, I saw a casting call for a web series.

I knew instantly that the lead actor's role was tailor-made for Alistair Hawthorne. A gentle, refined scholar with an air of unimpeachable righteousness. The script, filled with patriotic themes, would perfectly complement that persona.

I encouraged him to audition and paid out of my own pocket to hire a renowned acting coach to tutor him over and over again. After I finished work, I'd go with him to his lessons, staying up late into the night without feeling the slightest bit tired.

Sure enough, my efforts weren't in vain. He stood out from the crowd of auditioners and successfully landed the role.

The day he got the call from the director, we went to the beach. We brought a few beers and some snacks from a convenience store and just talked and ate while watching the last rays of the sun sink below the horizon.

Back then, we had so much to talk about—the show, the future, everything from idiot directors to our dreams for life. It felt like we could talk forever and never run out of things to say.

Our souls were so in sync that we could understand each other with a single glance.

After night fell, I snuggled into his arms and took out the fireworks I had prepared earlier.

Brilliant fireworks on a beach at night. To this day, I can still see his face, flickering in the light of the explosions, his smile so gentle in every single moment.

He held me and spun me around on the sand without a care in the world. Our laughter carried for several yards as we paid no mind to anyone else's stares.

My judgment proved correct. The series was different from the usual clichéd scripts, and it quickly generated a huge buzz after it aired. As the lead actor, he naturally shot to fame overnight.

Everything happened very quickly after that. Alistair Hawthorne was packaged by his agency, which cultivated a 'perfect gentleman' persona for him. His past was almost completely erased. He was no longer my assistant, but a top graduate from a prestigious university.

Alistair Hawthorne started appearing on talk shows and variety programs, landed endorsement deals, and was constantly flying all over the country.

At the time, another part of his public image was that he cherished his fans. This coincided with another top star being exposed for privately cursing at fans, and the contrast between them allowed him to quickly gain a huge wave of popularity.

In reality, that incident happened because I was pretending to be a fan waiting for him at the airport. He saw that I was about to be knocked over by the other fans crowding around and, in a moment of panic, reached out to steady me.

I still have the GIF from that day saved on my phone. Even though he was wearing a mask, the concern in his eyes was unmistakable.

After that, he got busier and busier. He often had no time for dates, and his replies to my messages grew gradually more perfunctory.

I always told him I understood, but I knew, deep down, that the change in his attitude began when he started working with Raina Rhodes.

The two of them were co-starring in a series, and rumors about them started popping up frequently during that time.

Once, I was scrolling online and saw a post from Raina Rhodes showing her eating a roasted sweet potato. In the top right corner of the photo, a corner of a sleeve was visible.

Some sharp-eyed fans noticed it immediately and asked if it was Alistair Hawthorne. Raina Rhodes denied it, though, saying it was just a crew member.

But that shirt was a custom-made one I had given him for his birthday. Even the embroidery on the sleeve was identical.

Later, I discovered that he had deleted that old roasted sweet potato post, along with other posts related to me. Everything was gone, without a single trace left behind.

When I asked him about it, he gave me what seemed like a perfectly reasonable explanation: "I was afraid if I left those up, fans would misunderstand and think there's something between me and Raina Rhodes. The shippers are getting pretty intense right now, and I don't want you to get jealous."

His tone was as gentle as ever. I just smiled and didn't say anything.

The very next day, he posted a photo of himself eating on set. In the picture was another roasted sweet potato, the same brand as the one Raina was eating.

The fans went even wilder. Both he and Raina Rhodes remained completely silent, allowing the public speculation to run rampant.

Alistair Hawthorne didn't offer me any further explanation. Perhaps he thought that since I was always so understanding, he didn't need to bother taking my feelings into account.

But from that moment on, I knew. Something had definitely happened between him and Raina Rhodes.

After all, that brand of roasted sweet potatoes was only sold in the city, a long way from where the production was filming.