บท 448: New look

Jonathan struggled hard to suppress his laughter. He knew that Seth was a funny guy, and most of the film's comedic moments were derived from Seth's character. However, he had no idea that Renly's deadpan humor would be so exceptional.

Those eye rolls, quirked corners of the mouth, tilted head, and shrugged shoulders seamlessly interwoven throughout the performance were like sesame seeds sprinkled into the entire act. Yet they effortlessly illuminated the whole scene, expertly conveying the feeling of helpless sarcasm. Paired with the context of the scene, they created a sense of delightful absurdity that was truly irresistible.

Not only Jonathan, but also all the crew members behind him, were in the same state. They were struggling not to burst into laughter to the point that their abdominal muscles were about to explode. Almost everyone had forgotten the significance of this scene. But in the next second, they saw Renly starting to shave his head, leaving the entire audience dumbfounded.

No buffer, no hesitation, no pause—clean and neat. It was as if he was just combing his hair rather than shaving it. His serene and composed demeanor caused smiles to disappear from everyone's lips. Their expressions froze collectively, leaving them in a state of shock and bewilderment.

Kyle gritted his teeth, his brow tightly knitted. As he heard the "zzz" sound of the electric clippers, his expression became increasingly conflicted. His features squeezed toward the center of his face, and his triple chin became exceedingly prominent. "Okay! Okay! Okay! Okay!" He lifted his chin, fearfully observing Adam's back. It was as if he wasn't shaving but decapitating, and he wasn't doing it to Adam, but Adam was doing it to him.

"Okay..." Kyle's voice suddenly got stuck in his throat, completely paralyzed by fear. Adam had begun shaving directly. The sound that followed made his voice distort, rising to the point of almost turning into a scream. Without thinking, he covered his eyes with both hands again, unable to bear watching.

Adam lifted his left hand and aimed at his hairline, starting to push backward. "Zzzt, zzzt." It was as if there was a motor vibrating against his forehead. Tiny hair fragments started falling down, tickling his arm. When he reached the crown of his head, he hesitated a bit. Should he continue downward, following the whole expanse of his forehead, or should he first push to the top center of his head, and then proceed to the back?

This hesitation disrupted the fluidity of the motion, and he seemed to gather a bunch of hair on the clipper, making it impossible to continue downward. Therefore, he took the electric clippers away and examined the path he had shaved. It looked a bit odd, a bit awkward, and perhaps there were still some short strands left, indicating it wasn't thoroughly clean.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, finding a sense of amusement in this situation.

Then he pursed his lips and picked up the electric clippers again, shaving off all the remaining hair near his ears. The sound of "zzzt, zzzt" reverberated in his ears, slightly electrifying and tingly, akin to peeling a pomelo, layer by layer, experiencing a strange sense of satisfaction.

"Oh, f*ck, dude!" Seth Rogen gingerly spread his fingers and peeked through the gaps, his pained groans unconsciously escaping his lips. He let his hands fall, leaned in, and carefully examined his front profile in the mirror. His gaze couldn't leave Renly's head, which looked incredibly bizarre. Any adjective fell short in describing it.

Is Renly handsome? Maybe the answer varies depending on individual aesthetics. However, without a doubt, Renly was a charismatic man, leaving a deep impression with his demeanor.

But at this very moment, Renly's charm was still present, albeit in an unexpectedly comical way. A large chunk of hair in the upper left corner had been shaved off, yet not entirely cleaned. A mess of golden-brown curls piled up around his ears, the back of his hand, and his shoulders, making him resemble a vagabond performing an avant-garde art piece.

The scene was... Seth could hardly believe his eyes. The boundary between the movie and reality had completely vanished. His eyes widened, incredulously observing Renly's actions, especially his serious and concentrated expression, his absorbed demeanor, and his unstoppable movements. Seth found himself unable to control his own facial expressions and voice.

"F*ck!" Seth pressed down on his lips forcefully, his eyes and nose inching towards his brow, creasing his forehead with numerous wrinkles. His eyes darted anxiously, strongly denying everything his eyes were witnessing. His expression suggested that it was him who was getting a buzz cut, not Renly.

However, the more he looked, the more absurd it appeared. He instinctively covered his eyes with his hands again, the "zzz" sound continuing incessantly. His curiosity almost stifled his breath. He had to lower his hands again, looking at Renly's partially shaved head with a constipated expression. The left half was bald while the right half remained covered in hair... this image vividly illustrated what being non-mainstream was all about.

"Oh, f*ck! Holy shit! Good God!" One curse followed another, Seth couldn't stop himself. To be precise, his brain, his tongue, his body—everything had gone out of control. He had lost his hold over them; all actions and words were mere reflexes, even he didn't know what he was doing.

This was undoubtedly the most bizarre scene he had ever witnessed!

Adam lightly bit his tongue, a smile tugging at his lips. His eyes sparkled with a radiant light, fully absorbed in the task at hand. He completely disregarded the guy beside him who was yelling like crazy. After shaving off half of his head, he shook his head like a rock star, then turned his left profile towards the mirror. He carefully checked if there were any leftover stray hairs on his scalp. He promptly eliminated them using the electric clippers before moving on to the right side.

"Jesus Christ!" The voice next to his ear didn't stop, rambling on like a sparrow. However, after a string of profanity, Seth gradually started to adapt. Kyle also stepped forward, leaned against Adam's right ear, and intently observed the shaving process through the mirror. "Cut that part off, hmm, there."

Ignoring this giant wasn't easy. Adam glanced at him and handed over the electric clippers, saying, "You want to do one?"

"Yeah, can I? Okay, I'm gonna do it.?" Kyle's expression immediately brightened, his whole face radiating excitement. He eagerly took the electric clippers, took small steps forward, and began to shave, exclaiming, "Ah!" This feels so strange. "Oh!" This feels really weird. "Ah!" This is absolutely bizarre!

Observing Kyle's expression as if he had eaten stinky tofu, a smile curved Adam's lips. Even his tired and weakened brows seemed to lighten up a bit. He arched an eyebrow as if saying to Kyle, "How's it feel? Not bad, huh?"

However, Kyle didn't quite share the same sentiment.

Kyle jumped in place as if his entire body was covered in goosebumps. He wriggled and shook vigorously, handing the electric clippers back to Adam, "I don't want to do it anymore." What was that sensation, as if ants were crawling all over him? After handing over the electric clippers, Kyle started spasming behind Adam, as if he were trying to brush off the ants crawling all over him.

However, Adam remained engrossed in his work, meticulously shaving off the remaining hair on the right side.

After Kyle finally came to his senses, he stood behind Adam. Mischievous thoughts sprouted in his mind. He removed the stray hair and carefully tidied up the hair at the back of Adam's head that hadn't been shaved yet. "You kinda got a Klingon thing going on here," he said, bursting into giggles, utterly pleased with his own imaginative association.

Klingon, an extraterrestrial race from "Star Trek". In simple terms, aliens.

"You could pass for Worf from "Star Trek"," Kyle's imagination ran wild, unable to be contained.

Adam furrowed his brows sharply and narrowed his eyes into slits, playfully tucking his head in. "Is that so?" His exaggerated ghostly expression, combined with Kyle's creativity, surprisingly began to turn into a performance.

Kyle burst into laughter. "Mouth, yeah and open it wider. That's... It's not even Worf anymore!" The two of them were fully immersed in their playfulness.

Once Adam had cleared away the stray hair on his forehead, he handed the electric clippers to Kyle, allowing him to shave off all the hair at the back of his head. Adam couldn't see his own back, and it was a bit challenging for him to do it himself.

Kyle was gradually getting the hang of it. He swiftly guided the clippers and nodded in approval. "Looks totally good!"

"It's totally uneven," Adam complained, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

However, Kyle was too engrossed in his task to pay attention to Adam's words. He tried to sweep away a cluster of hair he had just shaved off but found he couldn't pick it up. He leaned in to take a closer look. "Is this attached?" He ended up grabbing that clump of hair in one go. He froze in place, as if he had just plucked Adam's hair out with his bare hands.

Seeing this, Adam suddenly squatted down halfway and then stood back up.

Kyle was utterly confused. "What... what are you doing? Jesus Christ!"

"Trimming the lawn," Adam explained with a smirk. Then he saw Kyle's disgusted expression, as if saying, "It isn't funny at all, okay? It's really lame. I would've disowned you if we were in public."

Adam also realized his "mistake", so he nodded and quickly changed the subject. "Hurry up, quickly shave off the rest."

Kyle nodded and continued with the remaining work. Amidst their playful banter, the two of them finally completed all the steps of the haircut.

Adam lifted his chin, assessing his bald head from all angles—bare and chilly. He felt like something was missing, as if he had been completely transformed. He hardly recognized himself in the reflection. That image in the mirror looked so unfamiliar, as if he was seeing this guy for the first time in his life, and this guy was his current appearance.

This... felt a bit strange.