As we continued talking about the work, we realized we had arrived in LA before we knew it.
The plan was to head straight to the filming location from here.
So, after gathering my belongings, I waited for the others.
“Ah, you’re here. Let’s have a brief meeting.”
“Who?”
“My father and mother.”
“…Here?”
“Yes. Didn’t I say that you might briefly see them?”
“…No, you didn’t. My condolences.”
“Ah, why did that happen?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
Heavenly Yuah had just dropped a bombshell.
Apparently, the Chairman and the Demon Queen were at the airport.
And then she nonchalantly acted as if she had forgotten to mention it.
It was so awkward it only prompted hollow laughs.
“Well, we’re just here to greet everyone. They’re very busy.”
“Alright, let’s go then. Is Mother doing well? This side can be dangerous for relapse.”
“She’s reportedly doing extremely well. So much so that the doctors were surprised. She finished her rehabilitation recently.”
“Ah, that’s good to hear.”
Her recovery period was shorter than expected and her progress was good, so it seems my father’s bone marrow transplant really worked wonders.
This is definitely good news.
If they’re healthy enough to come and greet us, it’s clear the treatment has been effective.
Sudden as it was, this was something we eventually had to deal with, and since I had nothing to feel guilty about, I resolved to greet them confidently.
Following Heavenly Yuah, we found ourselves in front of a middle-aged man who looked just like the previous Heavenly Demon and the Demon Queen waiting for us.
Seeing the security guards surrounding them who smelled of New Religion brought back memories of the past.
Our company’s guards felt the same way; this side is also serious about training security personnel.
“Oh, what a handsome young man. Clearly, Yoo-a has good taste. Hmm, yes, I like him.”
“Ah, it seems you like Mr. Siu.”
“Yes, I do…”
The Demon Queen was the first to react.
Before I could even greet her, she smiled and said something, and the mention of the word “handsome” made it clear that she approved.
After all, it was the Demon Queen who noticed me and recruited me into the New Religion, saying I was as cute as a little ball.
Back then or now, my appearance seems to have a good impression on the Demon Queen.
“Hmph, what good is a man who only has a decent figure? Wasn’t your name Siwoo? It won’t be easy.”
On the other hand, the Chairman tersely muttered something unsatisfied and turned his head away.
He looked at me with an incredibly sharp gaze, as if he were looking at a thief.
Even speaking in Chinese—and though the ancient Chinese from the world I knew isn’t vastly different from modern Chinese—I roughly understood what he said, but the feeling wasn’t good.
But the Chairman is rather superficial.
He was already wary of me during the New Religion era, so I wasn’t particularly affected.
“This gentleman is just overthinking things.”
Even as the Chairman retreated, the Demon Queen approached me casually and engaged in active conversation.
Her first and most basic comment was a thank you, following by a few more questions.
Most of them were about how Heavenly Yuah was doing in Korea.
Though she had been informed by Selly, she wanted to hear it objectively through someone else.
I honestly told her that everything was going well.
It was true; overall, it was going fine.
Although there are sometimes strange conflicts with Moon Suyeon, I wasn’t about to share that.
She nodded, seeming satisfied, saying that it seemed much better than when she was in America.
“And also, regarding Mr. Siwoo’s father…”
We also talked about my father.
After the Demon Queen recovered, she tried to reach out to our family to offer thanks, but my father, who believes in accepting gifts freely, apparently rejected everything.
Given his refusal, it seems she had proposed something extraordinary.
Food that might cause trouble isn’t something we accept in our family, and it appeared we had fallen into the same trap.
Therefore, I simply conveyed that gratitude was enough.
If she really wanted to give something, I suggested sending a couple of the newly released Shinephones might suffice.
The Demon Queen nodding seemed to acknowledge this appropriately.
“Well, see you later. When we have more leisure, I’ll visit Korea. We’ll meet then.”
After a light conversation, I watched the Demon Queen leave, exhaling a deep sigh.
Even for someone like me, the unexpected meeting drained some energy.
Though the Demon Queen at the New Religion feels like a mother to me, the Demon Queen of this world is not yet someone I have such a close relationship with.
Still, seeing her healthy improved my mood.
Actually, just seeing that was enough to make this meeting a meaningful event.
“The next time, such surprise events are prohibited.”
“Yes, me too. It wasn’t my intention either.”
However, surprise events like this are really something I’d rather avoid.
At the very least, an early heads-up should be given, right?
Even though Heavenly Yuah claims it wasn’t her plan, how can I trust her when she’s whistling while claiming otherwise?
Still, they both looked exceptionally busy, so it seemed unlikely I’d see them again during this shoot.
*
After meeting the parents of Heavenly Yuah, we immediately headed to the filming location.
About a two-hour bus ride from the airport.
Apparently, the studio is located practically adjacent to LA, yet it took two hours just to get there.
It was an absurdly vast stretch of land.
“Wow, this is impressive.”
“You can say that.”
“If Korea had something like this, we wouldn’t have had to fly all the way to the U.S.”
“Unfortunately.”
Yet, it was worth the investment of time.
Just taking a look showed that the set was as grand, if not grander, than Dream Meta Studios.
Just the fact that Finesse owns another large CG studio like this clearly shows that the media industry here is more advanced than ours.
No matter how big K-dramas or anything else may be, accumulated infrastructure remains unbeatable.
“Maybe we should have thanked the Chairman.”
“Eh, that side also stands to gain, so they’re investing.”
A significant portion of the costs for this set is to be covered by S&M.
This includes transportation for the actors flying here and accommodation costs.
Of course, it’s not free—S&M will receive product placement for the latest Shinephones.
All smartphones used in this movie will be the newest model.
Although I’m not sure what effect such product placement has, according to Heavenly Yuah, as long as the movie succeeds to a degree, S&M will come out ahead.
When adding up the rental fees for the set and various other costs, it amounts to a staggering sum, and yet they stand to gain even more—making its value difficult for me to fully evaluate.
“Looks like we need to wait a bit longer.”
“Yes, sure. Let’s take our time. We’re just here to get a taste of things today, right?”
“Ah, being here just makes me more anxious. The environment is even better than I expected.”
Despite our arrival today, a schedule was already in place.
No matter the support from S&M, the timeline for movie production is always tight.
Furthermore, this place is entirely unfamiliar to us.
Of course, Finesse sent local staff to assist, but expecting them to perfectly follow our will would be laughable.
We planned some light shoots to adjust to the place on the first day, but these kept getting delayed.
It seems the Korean staff needed more time to adapt to the environment.
“The shooting environment is definitely better than Korea. But why did she fly all the way to Korea to shoot a drama?”
With some spare time, I explored the set. It was indeed superior to Dream Meta Studios.
This is America, after all.
Still, it made me wonder why the American citizen Heavenly Yuah had been working in Korea.
Surprisingly, she wasn’t even Korean-American.
After all, look at the Chairman we saw today. He clearly seems to be of Chinese descent.
Her father is Chinese, and her mother British, but she works in Korea?
There’s no sense to that.
“Ah, that? Erm, there wasn’t really a specific reason.”
“Hmm?”
“Yeah, it was kind of… fate.”
“…Why is it fate?”
“My instincts knew. This is where I was meant to be—to meet Mr. Siwoo.”
“…What? It just happened like that?”
When I asked why she started working in Korea, she just babbled on with some offbeat explanations.
She laughed lightly, but even she seemed aware it was ridiculous.
After some laughter, Heavenly Yuah finally gave a serious answer.
She grew up in an environment familiar with Korea, and it was the best option.
“My grandmother was Korean, and so was my maternal grandmother.”
“Ah, really?”
“Yes, both of my parents were busy, so I owe a lot to them, and that’s how I naturally grew accustomed to Korean.”
“Ah…”
“And besides, it’s safe, right? A place where guns are unusable. It’s also a place where media business runs cleanly.”
She said her parents would never have allowed her to be in a dangerous place, and on this point, I agree.
Korea is safe.
People unaware might question the safety of a cease-fire country, but anyone who knows Korea recognizes that it’s much safer than the U.S.
“It was definitely divine intervention. Coming to Korea. If I had stayed in America, I might have just sat there waiting for Mr. Siwoo’s Hollywood debut, wouldn’t I? In the world today, Hollywood isn’t the only goal anymore.”
Heavenly Yuah agreed, nodding. If not for her, I’d almost certainly have been robbed by someone like Moon Suyeon.
Still, if it weren’t for Heavenly Yuah, I might not have been able to rescue Moon Suyeon so neatly, so that likely wouldn’t have happened either.
I wouldn’t be able to work as comfortably now either.
In that sense, Heavenly Yuah’s decision to come to Korea might have been divine intervention for me as well.
“Oh, filming preparations are complete. Actors, please gather.”
“Looks like we’re ready.”
“Yes, let’s go. It’s better to shoot a few scenes and rest.”
As we chatted, the filming preparations were finalized.
Well, let’s start then?
Regardless of the release date, it’s always better to wrap the filming as quickly as possible, so it’s probably time to gear up.
