Chapter 181: Workshop (1)
Chapter 181: Workshop (1)
Inside the plane headed for Los Angeles, USA, as soon as the seatbelt sign turned off after takeoff, I checked the status window.
【Stats】
【Appearance: A+】
【Acting: S】
【Mental: S】
At last, Acting had risen to S-rank.
【Acting Details】
【Emotional Expression: S】
【Dialogue Delivery: S】
【Physical Acting: S】
All three corners of the triangle had been filled in perfectly.
Thanks to that, the stats looked very neat and beautiful.
While I was leisurely scanning the status window in satisfaction, one item caught my eye.
【Ripple Effect: 58/100】
Why had Ripple Effect gone up this much?
I couldn’t remember causing any particularly major social issue lately.
The contract renewal news and the pickpocket video had become hot topics, but those felt closer to Recognition Level or Favorability, didn’t they?
Ripple Effect was the power to drive actual action.
Was it because of Singgeut Ice Cream?
A while ago, I had heard that Singgeut had officially released the chili oil ice cream I created as a limited-edition product.
Had it become that popular?
As I tilted my head and speculated to myself, Team Leader Jo Sehun, seated beside me, walked over holding a tablet PC.
“Sunho, I heard Seonhosasang is preparing a birthday gift for you.”
“A gift? I don’t really need anything.”
“No, not that kind of material gift you’re thinking of. It looks like they’re preparing something more special.”
“Something special?”
Team Leader Jo Sehun smiled and handed over the tablet screen.
[Actor Ryu Sunho Birthday Donation Project: A Heart That Favors Sunho, the Joy of Sharing]
Huh?
It was something I had never expected.
To match my birthday, the fans were voluntarily raising funds and preparing a donation.
The amount raised already seemed to have gone far past the target.
...I really didn’t see this coming.
I read through the fans’ comments participating in the donation one by one.
“Because of Sunho, I’m making a donation for the first time in my life lol.”
“The actor I like is a good person, so I should become a good person too!”
“I joined thinking of it as giving up coffee for one month! We’ll continue the good influence oppa showed us!”
“It’s a small amount, but I hope it helps~!! Happy birthday!”
This really was...
It really was a special gift.
A sharp, aching warmth pricked somewhere in my chest.
Going beyond simply liking me, they were sharing my values with me.
What greater support could there be than this?
“I heard the amount has already reached nearly 300 million won.”
“300 million won...?”
At that unreal figure, my mouth fell open on its own.
But then I saw the membership count of the fan café and understood.
It had already surpassed one million members.
With the successive successes of Doctor Princess and Vacuum State, a fandom had formed across all age groups, and it seemed to have grown overwhelmingly, even absorbing the fans left adrift after Gong Hajin’s downfall.
If that’s the case...
Then I couldn’t just sit still either.
“I’ll donate too.”
I wanted more people to learn about the fans’ beautiful hearts like this, to empathize with them, and for the virtuous cycle to grow even larger.
If possible, it would be nice if Ripple Effect rose even more too.
A car sped along a road on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
“How much longer?”
“We should arrive in about thirty minutes.”
Townsend checked the watch on his wrist.
His luxury watch flashed brightly.
“Drive slowly. If we get there too early, it’ll make me look pathetic. Like some Asian who lives chasing time. Arrive with some leisure.”
“...Yes, understood.”
The manager checked Townsend’s mood in the rearview mirror and slowed down.
Townsend crossed his legs and opened the script for Check Mate.
He intended to look it over in advance for today’s script reading.
But the protagonist’s name stamped on the cover kept bothering him.
Ryu Sunho.
Just looking at that Korean actor’s name made him sick.
Townsend checked the mirror.
His face had been consistently maintained, but shallow lines had settled between his brows.
Those Asians keep making my wrinkles multiply.
At that moment, as he chewed over his hatred as if fortifying his will, a thick, rough voice crossed his mind.
Townsend, you must never lose to an Asian.
It was his father’s voice.
When he had been a child.
Around eight years old.
Townsend had been sitting in front of the TV.
An action movie starring Jackie Chan had been playing on the screen.
The boy couldn’t take his eyes off the dazzling kung fu action.
“Wow, Dad! That man is really cool!”
Crash!
His father, who had been sitting on the sofa sipping canned beer, suddenly hurled the remote.
The TV screen fizzled and shut off.
The boy froze in fear.
“Cool, my ass. How is a monkey like that cool?”
“......”
His father limped over to his son and roughly grabbed his shoulder.
The smell of alcohol was overwhelming, but the boy didn’t dare frown.
“They’re thieves who invaded our Hollywood.”
“......?”
“When I worked as a stuntman, white stuntmen like us were the mainstream. But then bastards like that came charging in from Asia and ruined everything.”
His father slapped his limping right knee.
“They risk their lives for cheap wages, steal all the jobs, and I pushed myself too far and ended up crippled.”
“......”
“It’s because of those mongrels that I can’t work anymore. The reason our family lives this hard is all because of them. Got it?”
The boy trembled.
His father roughly patted his head.
“So, Townsend, you must never lose to an Asian.”
The boy nodded quickly.
His father’s gaze terrified him.
From that day on, whenever Townsend saw an Asian actor on TV, he dragged up anger and manufactured hatred.
Those people made our family miserable.
That belief had been branded into him.
“We’ve arrived.”
At his manager’s voice, Townsend came out of his recollection.
Outside the window stood a massive villa located in the woods.
Townsend checked the mirror once more and adjusted his expression.
“That’s right. Monkeys never belong in America.”
Using his index finger, Townsend forced the corners of his mouth upward into a fake smile.
Quentin’s private villa, located halfway up the Santa Monica Mountains outside Los Angeles.
With its sweeping view and private swimming pool, it felt like the resting place of a successful Hollywood master.
But unlike the peaceful scenery, blazing flames and acrid smoke were rising from one corner of the garden.
Sssizzle—
“Die! Just die, you bastard!”
At the source of the smoke was Quentin, fighting for his life against a giant grill.
A world-famous master was burning meat and cursing at it.
The actors and staff who had already arrived were nearby, but no one dared stop Quentin’s rampage.
Then Ryu Sunho walked into the smoke.
“Hello, Director. Do you need a fire extinguisher, by any chance?”
At that voice, Quentin whipped his head around.
The face that had been filled with irritation brightened in an instant like a child’s when he spotted Ryu Sunho.
“Oh! Ryu!”
He threw the tongs in his hand to the ground and ran over with both arms spread wide.
“My muse! You’ve finally arrived!”
The huge Quentin hugged Ryu Sunho tightly enough to crush him.
Because of that, the shirt I had ironed crisp became damp in an instant with sweat and the smell of barbecue.
It felt unpleasant, but I didn’t dislike it.
Because I knew this intense display was sincere.
“You prepared a lot, right?”
“Yes. I practiced hard and got ready.”
“Good. If it’s the body that even won over that cold-blooded Michael, what do I have to worry about? The only thing unprepared is this damned barbecue.”
Snorting angrily, Quentin grabbed the torch and pulled the trigger into the air.
“By the way, is there something like a flamethrower in the car?”
“...What?”
“Forget you heard that.”
In the meantime, Evan Harris approached.
His refined cologne drove away the smell of sweat.
“You’re here! I’ve been waiting.”
“Good to see you, Evan. It’s been a while.”
“I read the script for this project, and it was incredible. Especially your character. I’m already dying to see it with my own eyes on set. I’m looking forward to it.”
“I’m looking forward to it too. It’s an honor to be able to act together with you.”
“Haha, let’s create good synergy together.”
When Ryu Sunho appeared, the atmosphere changed subtly.
There were people like Evan Harris who greeted him warmly, but most still seemed to be glancing over as though testing the waters.
Still, the exclamations that came out were similar across the board.
“He really is handsome...”
“He’s really tall too, and his proportions are good.”
“His face definitely suits a lead role. He’ll look great on camera.”
At that moment, an exaggerated voice cut in from behind.
“Oh, so the star of the rumors got here first!”
Townsend approached with a bright smile.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Townsend. Uh... what was your name again? It was something difficult.”
“I’m Ryu Sunho. You can call me Ryu.”
“Ah, right, right. Ryung? Something like that.”
Townsend barely seemed to listen and held out his hand.
The moment Ryu Sunho clasped it, Townsend tightened his grip hard, as if he had been waiting for it.
“Oh, your hand is pretty solid. Asians who do martial arts really are different.”
“I’ve never trained in martial arts.”
“Oh, really? I thought all actors from your country learned martial arts. Like Jackie Chan or Jet Li.”
Ryu Sunho looked at Townsend for a moment.
This bastard’s taking a malicious jab at me.
Jackie Chan and Jet Li were Chinese actors, and he had clearly brought them up on purpose to a Korean.
A racist remark implying that all Asians were the same.
But without changing his expression at all, Ryu Sunho replied with an easy smile.
“Senior Jackie Chan and Senior Jet Li are Chinese actors. Their nationality is different from mine.”
“Sorry, sorry. I’m just bad at recognizing people. They all look similar to me! Haha!”
Townsend laughed it off shamelessly and patted Ryu Sunho’s shoulder.
I could see Evan, standing beside us, growing cold-faced.
Just as the mood was about to turn strange, Team Leader Jo Sehun came in belatedly carrying the luggage.
His arms were full of bags of Korean snacks.
“Oh, what’s this?”
The staff gathered around with interest.
“I brought some as small gifts. Please try them. They’re popular snacks in Korea.”
Team Leader Jo Sehun explained in clumsy English.
Actors and staff alike showed interest and picked them up one by one.
K-food really must have become trendy lately; their eyes were full of curiosity.
“Mmm! This is good!”
“My daughter likes this one. Can I take some?”
“Of course. There’s plenty.”
As people picked and ate them one by one, Townsend suddenly cut in.
He looked over the pile of snacks, then picked up a fish-shaped pastry.
As if he had picked up something filthy, he held it lightly with only the tips of his thumb and index finger and shook it around.
“Ugh, people over there eat things like this? It smells fishy.”
“It doesn’t smell fishy. It’s just bread with red bean filling. It’s only shaped like a fish. Try it.”
“Hmm... I’ll pass. I’m not the adventurous type.”
He tossed the pastry back onto the table.
“When I see something that looks strange, I feel repulsed first. Even the yellowish color looks different from what we have. I’m used to things that are white and black, like Oreos. Things like that are the real original standard, aren’t they?”
Townsend laughed exaggeratedly and looked around.
Several people looked like they were struggling to control their expressions.
“I don’t know. Oreo isn’t exactly the original standard.”
“...What?”
Townsend’s smile vanished.
“Oreo came out in 1912, but four years earlier, a cookie called Hydrox had already been released. Oreo actually imitated Hydrox. It only overtook it later through marketing.”
Townsend’s face stiffened.
He looked like he had not known that at all.
How did I know?
Because I was the one who handled Oreo’s Korean advertising campaign in my previous life, you bastard.
From brand history to competitor analysis, I had memorized it all while preparing the pitch, so this much was basic.
“...So what? Oreo’s the best now.”
“Of course. I like Oreos too.”
Ryu Sunho looked Townsend straight in the eye and added, “Not because they’re white and black, but because they taste good.”
“......”
“When you look at things like this, it seems what matters isn’t whether something was the original, but how well it does its actual job. Even if it wasn’t the first, it’s now the most beloved cookie in the world.”
Before anyone noticed, the area had grown quiet.
Everyone was focused on Ryu Sunho’s mouth.
“Come to think of it, we’re similar. What matters isn’t what country you’re from or what skin color you have... it’s how well you act.”
Townsend parted his lips, but he couldn’t find anything to say in response.
The logic was flawless, and the momentum overwhelming.
“...Haha, well! That’s true! You’re right!”
Townsend’s face had turned red, but he forced himself to manage his expression and tried to change the subject.
“But your English is pretty good. Where did you learn it? Did you study abroad or something?”
“No, I learned it in Korean schools.”
“Oh, right. I heard Asian kids get intense English education. Memorizing word by word like robots.”
He really was clinging to it to the very end.
He kept provoking me by poking at stereotypes.
If he was going to take it that far...
“I did memorize things carefully, but I’m still not as good as you, Mr. Townsend.”
“......What are you talking about?”
“I heard that even though English is your native language, it takes you a very long time to memorize scripts. I’m not really the type who has to cling to memorization for that long.”
“Pff—!”
One of the nearby staff members failed to hold it in and snorted.
In fact, Townsend was notorious for being slow at memorizing scripts and for making many NGs.
His face, humiliated, reddened as if it would burst.
“What did you just say—”
The situation was on the verge of exploding.
Evan suddenly cut in while biting into the fish-shaped pastry.
“Mmm, it really is good. It isn’t soggy, and the filling is packed in. I can see why it’d be popular in Korea. It didn’t cross the sea for nothing.”
At that one remark, the atmosphere turned around.
The surrounding staff looked at each other, then one by one began picking up the snacks.
“I-It really is! Contrary to appearances, it’s chewy and tastes great!”
“That’s why you can’t judge by looks alone.”
At that moment, Quentin returned to the table, apparently having given up on the barbecue.
“Damned dogshit meat. Is everyone done eating?”
The staff looked around, then nodded.
“Then let’s start the script reading now! I’m pissed off, so I’ll relieve my stress with this!”
At that one arbitrary remark of his, the actors and staff began moving indoors one by one.
Ryu Sunho also moved calmly.
Townsend glared at his back.
As Evan Harris slowly passed by, he whispered to Townsend, “Stop making a fool of yourself. It’s painful to watch. Instead of yapping uselessly, only use your mouth when you’re acting.”
Then he walked past coldly.
Townsend clenched his fist tightly.
His nails dug into his palm.
You arrogant monkey bastard... I was going to keep it moderate, but now I’ll have to show you what real humiliation looks like.