Chapter 59
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Scene 59. Siren Veil.
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Scene.59
Siren Veil.
Yu-hyeon shook his head as he watched Elizabeth cause trouble the moment she arrived.
She didn't seem this extreme when they first met. Why was she getting more aggressive over time?
"What happened to Sam? Did you come alone?"
"Alone? Of course not. He's following close behind."
Elizabeth answered slyly, as if the alternative was unthinkable.
Even Yu-hyeon, who rarely got surprised, still found it hard to believe how fluent Elizabeth's Korean was.
"Sam must have his hands full."
When Yu-hyeon put on a sympathetic expression, Elizabeth subtly averted her gaze and began greeting the people who had come to meet her.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm Elizabeth Veil."
"Yes! I'm Yu Han-seong, the chief producer in charge of this drama."
"I'm the co-writer, Kim Seong-hui."
After greeting the two key production staff members, Elizabeth exchanged a few words with the actors. But she kept glancing around, as if looking for someone.
"Are you looking for someone?"
"Daddy?"
"Who?"
"Camu's father."
Yu-hyeon's expression clearly said, 'Why are you looking for my father?' Just then, from behind the actors, Kang Man-dong cleared his throat with a "Ahem," and revealed himself.
"Welcome to Camu, Miss Veil."
As Kang Man-dong offered a casual greeting, Elizabeth's eyes sparkled, and she approached him.
"Daddy?"
"Hmm?"
Watching Elizabeth suddenly call him "Daddy" and bow deeply, even Kang Man-dong, who was hard to faze, found his eyes widening in surprise.
"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I'm Elizabeth Veil. I speak Korean well."
"Oh... is that so? It's a pleasure to meet you too. I'm Kang Man-dong. I speak English well..."
Kang Man-dong, momentarily swept up in Elizabeth's style and mimicking her textbook-like tone, suddenly wore a 'What am I doing?' expression.
Kang Man-dong cleared his throat, cutting himself off. Elizabeth grinned and linked her arm with his.
"Daddy. I really missed you. Please call me Annie."
"Uh... I... Can I really do that?"
Kang Man-dong was bewildered by the Hollywood star acting so familiarly and affectionately, but he didn't look displeased.
"I learned about formal and informal speech, for adults and children. You can speak comfortably."
Kang Man-dong looked at Yu-hyeon as if to ask what was going on, only to find him looking just as flustered.
Acting friendly with his friend's father whom she's just met?
Even if you were completely clueless, you couldn't miss the vibe in the air.
'So that's what this is all about. He's been hiding this all along.'
Kang Man-dong nodded readily.
"Alright. So I should call you Annie?"
"Yes, Daddy! Oh, should I call you Appa in Korean? Appa!"
"Huh? Appa?"
"Daddy means Appa, right?"
"Ahaha, yes. Daddy is Appa. And Appa is Daddy. That's right, that's right."
Kang Man-dong nodded repeatedly with a half-mesmerized expression.
His own son never showed any interest in the word no matter how much he wanted to hear it, but here was a Hollywood star calling him "Appa, Appa" and acting so close. In an instant, his brain turned to mush.
"This must be your house?"
"That's right. Yu-hyeon and I live here."
"Yu-hyeon? So that's Camu's Korean name."
"What? You didn't even know his real name?"
"He's so aloof. At first, I thought I was talking to a pillar of ice. Perhaps the fact that I'm even here is an incredible! miracle."
Though her Korean was fluent, it was mixed with a slightly awkward turn of phrase, which strangely made it sound even more charming. It was like tasting a spoonful of 'earnest effort.'
"Ahem. I wonder why Yu-hyeon would do such a thing."
"He's very shy."
"Shy? What nonsense. He's as shameless as they come. He's probably just dense."
"I knew it. So he really is dense?"
Elizabeth's eyes went wide, perfectly mimicking Puss in Boots.
The sight was so potent, his already mushy brain felt like it was about to melt and drip out of his nose.
"Ahem. By any chance, do you like coffee?"
"Yes, I love it!"
"I'll brew you a special cup. Come on, let's go inside."
"Thank you, Daddy. Appa!"
"Heeh. Heheh. Heheheh."
Chattering away like a daughter who'd returned home after a decade, Elizabeth disappeared into the main house with Kang Man-dong.
Kim Seong-hui stared at Yu-hyeon with a blank expression.
Mr. Yu-hyeon. What is this...
What... exactly is this situation?
Is she just being friendly in that Western way, saying 'hi, hello' to strangers, or is there another reason for this?
Everyone looked at Yu-hyeon, silently demanding an explanation.
Elizabeth Veil.
Is she really here to shoot a drama?
No matter how you look at it, this seems like... something else entirely.
Facing their gazes, Yu-hyeon shook his head with a firm expression.
"That's all an act. Don't fall for it."
"What?"
They looked at Yu-hyeon, wondering why she would put on such an act, especially in front of everyone.
"Do you know what Elizabeth Veil's hidden nickname is in Hollywood?"
"That! Of course not."
"Then remember this now. Among film industry insiders, she has another name: Siren Veil."
"You mean the Siren from the Iliad and the Odyssey?"
"Yes. In Korean terms, a Gumiho that bewitches people? It's something like that."
"....."
"Especially you, CP-nim, and Writer Kim Seong-hui. You two must be careful. Unless you want to see scenes change or the script altered in the blink of an eye."
Why else would Yu-hyeon have personally participated in the script, been involved in directing, and even appeared as the faceless 'Mystery M'?
It was all because of Elizabeth Veil, Hollywood's Gumiho, known as the Siren. She seemed obedient most of the time, but she could be incredibly stubborn about the strangest things.
She had thrown a fit, threatening to refuse filming unless Yu-hyeon played M, arguing that no one but the Master could play the Master's role. Back then, even Yu-hyeon had no way to handle her.
It was a role where his face was never shown, only his voice and his back occasionally, but ironically, it worked incredibly well.
If nothing else, her instincts for entertainment were a cut above Yu-hyeon's.
At Yu-hyeon's words, Seong Ye-rim carefully asked a question.
"Excuse me, Writer-nim."
"Yes, Ms. Ye-rim."
"Isn't the President unrelated to the drama?"
Her eyes suggested that if Elizabeth Veil was really like that, it would make more sense to win over the two people in charge, not Kang Man-dong.
'It's obviously a ploy to get to me.'
Having received a different education and lived a different life from ordinary people since childhood, Elizabeth had an unparalleled talent for sniffing out power.
The moment she arrived, she had instinctively known who she needed to win over to climb to the top of the pyramid.
Either that, or poor old Sam had worked his butt off doing preliminary research.
Yu-hyeon looked at Seong Ye-rim and left a short remark.
"Director Choi would know more about that than I do."
"What? The director?"
The number of tails and their quality may differ, but they're cut from the same cloth.
*
"Mr. Yu-hyeon. There's something I need to ask you. Could you spare a moment?"
At Kim Seong-hui's words, Yu Han-seong, who had been standing beside her looking deep in thought, chimed in.
"I'd like to join as well."
Yu-hyeon nodded.
"Where should we go?"
"To my room, for now."
"Let's go. I'm not sure what this is about, but..."
As soon as they entered the pension, Kim Seong-hui spoke up without even taking the time to sit down.
"I'll just ask you straight."
"....?"
"The drama. How did you end up acting in it?"
"I think you've already figured it out."
"Is it because of Elizabeth... no, Siren Veil?"
"That's right."
At Yu-hyeon's answer, Kim Seong-hui's expression grew serious. This wasn't just anyone. The Yu-hyeon she knew was someone who wouldn't even glance at something he didn't want to do.
He could be ruthless, almost to the point of seeming barren.
But for that same Yu-hyeon to be forced into acting because of Elizabeth Veil?
If that was true, it meant her drama was also exposed to immense risk.
"Even now, perhaps we could... the acting part..."
As Kim Seong-hui made a worried expression, Yu-hyeon shook his head as if to say it was already too late.
"Before coming here, she would have finalized the contract. She probably dealt with the broadcasting station directly. Elizabeth is more than capable of that."
"I haven't heard anything about that yet."
"You should check."
At Yu-hyeon's words, Yu Han-seong shook his head as if there was no need.
"Before Elizabeth Veil arrived, I got a call from the department director."
"What did he say?"
"He asked if she had arrived. He even sent a grinning emoji, saying they signed her for practically no appearance fee."
Kim Seong-hui chewed on her lip and spoke.
"If there was such a risk, you should have put your foot down and said no."
Seong-hui looked at Yu-hyeon with reproachful eyes.
'That's true, but she's the perfect asset for promoting the drama. I feel bad for Ms. Seong-hui, but I have no intention of rejecting an even bigger asset than this.'
"I'm the one who successfully wrapped up the Urus Club. Don't worry too much."
"Still... *Sigh*."
The Kim Seong-hui who had been ecstatic just at the thought of Elizabeth Veil being in her drama was nowhere to be found. Now, her eyes were filled with nothing but worry.
"Given your warning earlier... if there's anything else I should know, please tell me."
When signing the drama rights contract for the original novel, Yu-hyeon had included a condition: 'The original work must not be damaged as much as possible.' It was a strict constraint, powerful enough to void the contract if there were problems with the script.
"And yet, despite that condition, a strange script found its way to me."
I found it completely unacceptable, so I flew to Hollywood myself and met the source of the problem, Elizabeth Veil.
"Seeing how you managed to preserve the original story, you must have somehow resisted the Siren's song."
"There was no reason to give in. I could just not make the drama."
"Ah... so you were holding an invincible shield."
"As you know, Ms. Seong-hui, thanks to that, I had no choice but to work on the script myself. And I ended up participating in the filming and directing as well. If I let my guard down for even a moment, a different scene would pop up."
"No matter how big a star Elizabeth Veil is, is that really possible?"
"She's not just a star."
"What?"
"I'm not sure if you've heard of BIS Management."
"Oh, I know it. The one that represents Hollywood actors, singers, and even writers."
"BIS is short for 'Stars Invested by Veil.'"
"Veil... Elizabeth Veil?"
"BIS is a company owned by the Veil family. And Elizabeth is the family's sole heiress and successor. Though she works as an actress, she's also a CEO and an investor. The person who bought the rights to the Urus Club, and the one who stepped up to turn it into a drama..."
"Elizabeth Veil?"
"Bingo."
"But still, ruining the work..."
"Ah, let me correct you on that part."
At Yu-hyeon's word 'correct', she blinked as if asking what he meant.
"The problem is that her suggestions are interesting. The issue arose because she adapted the original story to an excessive degree."
"So, you're saying she didn't do anything crazy like demand strange scenes or twist the plot into knots."
When Yu-hyeon nodded, Seong-hui finally looked relieved.
"This isn't something to be happy about."
"What?"
"Once you start accepting her suggestions..."
"......?"
"...by the time the drama ends, it will have become a completely different story. There are already several precedents."
"Did those dramas or movies completely flop..."
"None of them failed. In fact, you could say most were successful. That's also why her influence extends far beyond that of a mere actress."
"That's a relief, at least."
"No. That's why I'm telling you to stay sharp. The original story you envisioned could melt away like snow."
"Ah!"
"Does she meddle with the directing too?"
Yu Han-seong, who had been quiet because of Seong-hui, finally spoke up.
"At times. But you don't need to worry too much. Surprisingly, she doesn't show much interest in the directing side of things."
"Ah, that's a relief."
"Just stick to the standards you two have set. I'll control the rest."
*
As they finished their conversation and stepped outside the pension, three vehicles caught his eye, hastily entering the farm.
A white-haired gentleman scrambled out of a car and rushed toward Yu-hyeon.
"You're late, Sam."
"Ah... The young lady? Where is the young lady!"
"She arrived safely and is having tea time. But even if she's the owner of the company, aren't you a bit too lenient? Riding a motorcycle all the way here..."
"This!!! This is all your fault, Camu! Before she met you, she was the epitome of a gentle lady! You ruined everything!"
Sam glared at Yu-hyeon with a terrifying look in his eyes.
"You still misunderstand..."
"Misunderstand? What misunderstanding! You taught her strange martial arts, car racing, flying planes, sailing yachts, and even motorcycles! You taught her every dangerous thing imaginable! And what's this about strategy and tactics? Why would she need that crap for shooting a drama!"
"Hmm. Those were all scenes that appeared in the drama, though."
"Are body doubles and stuntmen just for decoration! Why does our precious young lady have to do such dangerous things herself! Just you wait. I'll make you pay the price for ruining her!"
Sam spewed insults like a madman, then started searching the area, shouting, "Young lady! Young lady, where are you!"
Seeing that he had used Sam, who detested him, to get the news of this place to Elizabeth's ears...
'They may misfire sometimes, but the CIA is still useful enough.'
Yu-hyeon let out a small laugh and walked toward the main house.
It was time to begin the undercover operation to become a 'famous artist' in earnest.
To do that, he had to grow the pie even bigger. Big enough to make things sizzle