Mr. Kane Got Blacklisted

Nicole inquired, "So, which option are you leaning toward?" Leighton hesitated, weighing his choices.
Opting for the first one would entail assisting the company in promoting new talents.
While he didn't mind mentoring newcomers, he found the company's various publicity tactics distasteful.
Previously, they had gone to great lengths to pair him with an actor two years his junior, arranging for the actor to join the same
cast and assigning her the role of an assistant, always at his side.
The actor obediently followed the company's instructions, behaving particularly intimately with him on set, fetching drinks or
snacks.
Even after shooting a rain scene, the actor brought him a towel and a hand warmer.
Leighton remained oblivious, sensing nothing awry throughout the filming process.
It wasn't until the drama aired, and the ‘relationship’ between him and the new actor began trending, that things became clear.
During public events, friends teased, "Are you two an item? Your eye contact in the video makes it seem so." Leighton was
completely baffled, not comprehending their implications.
His friends assumed he was pretending and showed him screenshots of fan edits, where fans interpreted every tweet timing and
every coincidental schedule overlap as evidence of a romantic relationship.
For instance, in one video, they shared a sip from the same coffee cup, leading fans to speculate about indirect kissing.
There were numerous other "sweet moments," such as using the same towel or wearing the same jacket.
Particularly noteworthy was when the new actor accidentally liked a fan's comment under Leighton's post, insinuating a romantic
connection.
The new actor had posted a birthday tweet, showcasing one of the gifts—a scarf.
It happened to resemble the one Leighton had been spotted wearing a couple of days earlier.
This prompted a comment from a follower, "Is that a couples' scarf from so-and-so?" The new actor mistakenly liked the
comment before retracting it.

Some "fans" were quick to screenshot the incident, sparking a frenzy among couple enthusiasts, leading many in the industry to
believe Leighton was genuinely attracted to men.
Estelle caught wind of it before Leighton did and immediately approached the company.
However, they dismissed his concerns and instructed him to keep an eye on Leighton without intervening.
Estelle realized it was a publicity stunt orchestrated by the company, leveraging Leighton's "bromance" to boost their popularity.
Estelle was furious.
While such tactics weren't uncommon, they usually involved mutual agreements between both parties' teams and were used by
actors trying to break into the mainstream with unconventional roles.
Leighton didn't need this—he was already a sensation from a talent show, with a fan base built on authenticity.
Such publicity would only alienate his fans.
They were essentially trying to bleed Leighton dry, using star- making tactics to create another A-lister.
Estelle couldn't afford to offend his superiors and didn't want to keep Leighton in the dark.
He was struggling to find the right words when Leighton found out on his own.
He didn't even acknowledge Estelle, simply unfollowed the new actor and posted a tweet, showcasing his own scarf with the
caption, "My mom knitted this." Couple enthusiasts felt duped and expressed disappointment and accusations of heartlessness
toward him on Twitter, even though he hadn't done anything, inexplicably becoming the villain.
Leighton, resolute, retweeted a post about Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that, in one case mentioned in the tweet, infected
aman who had secretly used utensils previously used by a woman he admired.
Underneath the educational tweet, the top-liked comment read, " This bacteria is impressive.
It truly knows how to get things moving."