The Stand-in of the Movie Emperor's First Love

The escape room show was streamed live, and Silas and I were guest participants for this episode. We were randomly assigned to two different teams.

My team had two guys and me, while Silas’s team had two girls and one guy.

As soon as the teams were announced, the chat exploded.

[I’m pretty sure the director did this on purpose, but I can’t prove it.]

[This lineup is pure drama!]

[I swear this is gonna turn into a dating show by the end.]

When the recording started, everyone was blindfolded and led into the escape room.

The door slammed shut behind us, and the room filled with immediate screams. Even the guys on my team couldn’t hold back.

I wasn’t too rattled by the typical haunted house setup.

After taking off my blindfold, I quickly adjusted to the dark.

My two teammates, though, were obviously new to this. They tried to act cool, but their shaky hands gave them away.

At first, they insisted I walk in the middle for "safety," but after seeing how calmly I took the lead, they quickly fell in line behind me.

Both teams tiptoed through the room, nerves shot, with every little sound sending shockwaves through us.

Then suddenly, a child’s voice echoed in the darkness.

“Brother and sister, I lost my doll. Can you help me find it? Please… please help me…”

The eerie, tearful tone in that small voice made my skin crawl, and it sent the rest of the group into a full-blown panic.

Screams erupted like it was a horror movie concert.

And just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, a creepy lullaby started playing, the kind that sounded like it came straight from a nightmare.

Bella and Kayla had plans to play the damsel in distress, hoping to win Silas’s sympathy with a tearful act and maybe even cry their way into his arms.

But as soon as that eerie song started, they completely lost their cool. Terrified, they clung to each other, tears streaming down their faces, no longer caring about smudged makeup or broken facades.

Silas and I led the way.

While the others screamed behind us, I couldn’t help but glance at him, calm as ever. Finally, I gave in to my curiosity, tugged on his sleeve, and whispered.

“Hey, uh… maybe you could, you know, scream a little too?”

…

When the Stand-In Became the One