Chapter 43
Jasmine couldn't help but burst into laughter as the scene came to an end. The bewilderment on Edgar's face was incredibly comical, sparking an uncontrollable fit of giggles.
After a little while, the hilarity subsided, and she managed to regain her composure, though the amusement still lingered. The smile on her face hinted at the lasting enjoyment from the scene.
Just like last time, she glanced at the description and found the link to the full video.
She clicked on it, and in an instant, she was redirected to a familiar YouTube channel - "Nouveau Studio."
As she browsed the page, her eyes widened in surprise at the substantial surge in subscribers—jumping from just a few hundred to an impressive 6,923.
Considering it had been only a week since the first upload, achieving such a significant increase in subscribers was nothing short of remarkable, especially in this time period.
Browsing through the upload list, she noted there were only two videos posted. However, what caught her attention was the view count on the first video—it had already climbed to an impressive 89,054 views.
Although views might not accurately represent the exact number of individual viewers due to potential re-viewing, the fact that the views on the first upload had surged to such a substantial number was genuinely astonishing.
"Hiss, that's incredible?" Jasmine mumbled in surprise.
She was momentarily taken aback, it's really unique at this time... but again, considering the quality of the content, she found it quite reasonable.
After all, numerous internet videos gained massive popularity every week, some even featured it on TV. And to be honest, some of them were boring, so Jasmine found it reasonable.
Not wanting to dwell on this, she clicked through to the second video, titled "Episode 2 - School Skits."
The first five minutes remained the same as she had watched on Edward's posts before.
But after that, the following skits unfolded. This time, the setting was different; it was inside a packed classroom filled with students, and the main actors were different from before.
The video kicked off with a simple exchange of greetings and prayers. Seated at the front, both student A and student B raised their hands at the same time, engaging in a friendly, competitive spirit.
The teacher casually chose student A, who, upon being selected, shot a smug smile at student B. In response, student B let out a snort and countered with a 'so what?' expression, creating a playful dynamic.
Soon after the prayer, the scene continued to unfold. The teacher asked about the last week's topic, prompting, as expected, the two students at the front to raise their hands in their friendly competition.
This time, student B was chosen. As he got up, he looked at student A with raised eyebrows and mouthed 'See?' in a playful, victorious manner.
The scene advanced, depicting the continuous rivalry between the two, involving various class activities—starting from simple recitations to quiz scores.
Their friendly competition heated up, adding to the amusement and intensity.
The pinnacle arrived when the teacher, frustrated by their constant rivalry, lost his temper. In a fit of anger, he ordered them out of the classroom, making them stand in the hallway until the end of the class.
As the skit concluded, Jasmine once again found herself laughing out loud.
The storyline was straightforward, but the comical lines, actions, expressions, delivery, background sounds, and the seamless transitions from full shot to close-ups all melded to create an incredibly hilarious performance.
Soon, the next skit unfolded—a boy confessing his love to a girl in front of the gate after school, only to be rejected. Then, a girl with blurry eyes mistakenly entered the men's restroom and had to keep quiet to avoid being discovered. Another plot involved a student who, after falling asleep during class, woke up in the middle of the night alone in the classroom...
The assortment of plots and clever humor had Jasmine captivated, her eyes widening in surprise and delight with each unfolding scenario. The unexpected twists and comical situations within the skits were like a breath of fresh air.
However, just as she was deeply immersed in the comedic world, the video concluded abruptly, snapping her out of her delightful trance. She was left staring at the screen, a sense of unwillingness settling in, accompanied by a strong desire for more of the entertaining and amusing skits that had thoroughly captured her attention.
Glancing at the comments section, she clicked to share her thoughts:
"Well done! The plot, the dialogues, the logic—everything was excellently crafted. While there were some minor acting flaws, the overall presentation was impressive. The cinematography, too—I swear, it's better than some GMA TV dramas! Edward, I initially followed you for your song covers. I never expected you to excel at skits too! Please upload more; I'm eagerly anticipating more!"
After reading her comment several times, Jasmine nodded in satisfaction, confirming her words. With a decisive click of the "enter" button, she posted her thoughts, eager to join the discussion and share her views.
...
Meanwhile
After uploading.
Edward opted to spend some leisure time with the group at their usual hangout instead of immediately heading back to his parents' place
Billiard Hall.
At this moment, Edward sat on a nearby bench, having just finished another game of eight-ball with Alfred and feeling somewhat dejected after losing yet again.
As Edward was lost in thought, his mind wandering, he suddenly remembered something and decided to share his thoughts with the group.
"Hey, guys, what are your thoughts on expanding our group?"
"Expanding the group!?"
Everyone seemed a bit puzzled, not fully comprehending.
"Exactly. Yesterday, I noticed that we are a bit short-handed and couldn't help but think maybe we should consider adding more people to the group. You know, shooting can be incredibly complicated, and there are many tasks to handle. Having more people could provide the extra hands and support we need."
"But how should we go about adding more members?"
"... well, we can reach out to people around us and invite them in," Edward suggested.
However, as he said this, he paused, realising the complexity of the matter was more serious than he initially thought.
Adding members is simple, as now that they were gaining fame, there were many people out there who would beg to join their group.
The real issue was: How should they choose? What kind of people should they add? What criteria should they consider?
Adding random people to the group would make things very chaotic... after all, they knew nothing about those potential additions.
"Oh, I have an idea!" Angela exclaimed, raising her arms to capture everyone's attention. "What if we made the group official?"
"Official, like a gang?" This time, it was Alfred who asked the question, and when he said the word 'gang,' his eyes noticeably lit up.
"No! We can't do that; we can't get into gangster stuff!" Jake refuted uncomfortably, attracting everyone's curious looks. It was rare for Jake to act uncharacteristic.
"Why?" Alfred asked, seeming unconvinced.
"Well... You know my uncle Ben, right? He used to be a member of a gang, and he used to tell me things about it, including drugs, politicians, trafficking—underground, it was a messed up society. My uncle said that no matter what, don't meddle with it, otherwise, there's no way out," Jake explained briefly, not elaborating on the whole thing, but everyone understood the gravity of his words.
Edward nodded and firmly rejected the idea.
He may not have been well-versed in gang culture, but he knew it wasn't the glamorous portrayal often depicted in movies and songs.
In the Philippines, they were a grim reality for people with no way out of life—a chaotic cycle he wanted no part of, both in the past and the present.
"Well, gangs are not an option!" Edward stated firmly, and the group nodded in agreement, understanding the gravity of the situation.
"Well, how about a fraternity?" Danica, the K-pop lover, suggested, attempting to lighten the mood.
"Pfft! Stupid! Fraternities are for men!" Alfred laughed, completely shifting away from the previous serious topic and mockingly poking fun at Danica.
"Hump!" Danica was visibly annoyed but blushed, acknowledging Alfred's somewhat accurate observation that fraternities are typically geared towards men.
"What about Fraternities and Sororities?" M, the usually silent guy in the group, suggested.
"No, what are you guys thinking? Fraternities and Sororities are only for colleges! What about after that?" Another member in the group commented and rejected the suggestion.
"How about SBH?" Angela raised her hand at this point.
"SBH?" The group looked at Angela, puzzled by the unfamiliar acronym.
"Well, it's a relatively new term that's gaining traction on the Internet," Angela explained shyly. "It stands for Sisterhood and Brotherhood—similar to Fraternities and Sororities, but without the constraints of degrees or age. It hasn't gained widespread recognition like other organizations, but it's definitely a thing."
"So, are we going to call ourselves SBH?"
"No, we can't just use SBH. We should create an official name. How about ABG or something?"
"What does ABG stand for?"
"Angela Beautiful Gorgeous!"
"..."
"H-hey, don't give me that look, I'm just kidding."
...
P.S. I changed the name of the second YouTube channel from "Lotus Production" to "Nouveau Studio." "Nouveau" means 'new' in French.... Anyway, the reason was partly because, when I was writing the next chapter, I found 'Lotus' sounds very girly and fantasy-like, which is not very suitable for my plan.