On the Boat (1)

April 17, 1996. Bombay Beach, a trailer park about a three-hour drive from Los Angeles, was the absolute perfect location to portray a "shabby, old, impoverished rural town." Once a thriving mobile home community near the Salton Sea, it had fallen into ruin due to flooding and salt lake pollution, transforming into a symbol of a ghost town. In the mid-90s, it was a desolate wasteland with only about 300 residents.

Upon arriving, the production team of Rainbow Road first rented nearby accommodations for the actors and crew, then immediately began preparing for the shoot. To enhance the realism, they scouted various spots around the area, looking for places where the film's protagonists, the sibling duo Sunny and Andy, would realistically hang out. They then set up their cameras at a trailer they had secured cooperation from in advance, offered their polite greetings, and began filming.

The first scene to be shot was the very opening of the movie. To preserve the authentic feel of a road movie, they intentionally decided to shoot as close to chronological order as possible.

"Is everyone ready?"

Although it had been a while since he last stood behind a camera, Daniel Summit's face was filled with nothing but pure excitement. In his mind, every scene of the film was already broken down and playing on an endless loop. Seeing those mental images manifest into reality before his eyes brought him an overwhelming sense of ecstasy.

Elena Asimov, playing Sunny, stood in front of the kitchen refrigerator, taking deep breaths. Meanwhile, Leo Walker, playing Andy, sat on the sofa, quietly focusing his mind.

Soon, the director gave the cue, and the camera began to roll.

"Sunny..."

A gruff voice echoed from a distance. The camera captured Elena's profile, her face etched with deep exhaustion. She had tried tanning for the role, but it hadn't taken well, leaving her skin still remarkably pale. Instead, the makeup team had added reddish touches to the areas most prone to sunburn, dotted her face with freckles, and dressed her in a pair of tacky overalls and a simple shirt. She looked exactly like a rural girl from the American South.

...Of course, even with all that, she was still one of the most breathtaking beauties in Hollywood.

"Sunny!"

The voice grew louder. Exhaling a heavy sigh, Sunny rummaged through the refrigerator—an entirely empty refrigerator. Her young brother, Andy, who had been playing with a worn-out toy robot, began to watch her anxiously.

"Sunny! I know you can hear me!"

"Ugh, what?!"

"Go buy some beer!"

"With what money?!"

"We got that government assistance check the other day!"

"We already spent all of that on living expenses!"

The camera captured her raw, emotional shouting. A young girl thrust into the role of head of the household, barely scraping by day by day in a decaying trailer park. Elena, playing a life she had never once experienced, transformed so completely the moment the camera rolled that it was no exaggeration to say she had become an entirely different person.

She unleashed the raw, fierce side of her inner self without restraint. Once the storm of anger passed, she turned away with a heavy sigh, trying to suppress the lingering rage. What was truly impressive was how quickly the hostility vanished from her expression right after.

A rapid emotional shift necessary for survival.

Incredible, Daniel thought, marveling at Elena's performance, which was packed with so many intricate details.

Sunny then approached Andy, who was trembling with fear from the shouting, and began to comfort him.

Rainbow Road. A story about a girl who has just graduated high school and her young brother embarking on a journey to find their mother. Reality is bleak. They lack the courage to leave. But when their father's death forces their hand, they are thrust onto the road, embarking on a journey of growth and healing.

Even as they shot this very first scene, Daniel Summit felt it.

Her acting alone is going to make this a masterpiece.

It wasn't just Daniel; the crew members on set were also utterly captivated by Elena Asimov's screen presence and acting prowess.

And so, the first sequence wrapped.

"Phew."

Elena sat down on a folding chair, holding a water bottle. Her gaze drifted toward the shoreline beyond the desolate trailer park. It felt as though she had stepped into an entirely different world.

"Great job, Elena."

Just then, the child actor, Leo Walker, walked over with soft, shuffling steps and stood beside her.

"Ah, great job to you too, Leo. Are you doing okay?"

Unlike her usual sharp demeanor with Sion, she welcomed Leo with a warm, bright smile. Perhaps because she was an only child, she tended to be quite gentle with children his age.

"Yes. It's my first time filming outside of Hollywood, so I was a bit nervous, but..."

Leo, wearing child-sized sunglasses, stared blankly out at the beach.

"It's not bad. Aside from all the administrative paperwork we had to deal with."

As a child actor, Leo Walker was protected by various labor laws, meaning a nanny, a private tutor, and his agent had to accompany him on set. CK Agency had gladly covered all those expenses.

"Weren't you scared when I was shouting right next to you?"

"I'm an actor. I'm fine."

"Still, if you ever feel scared or uncomfortable, you have to tell me. Okay?"

"...Elena."

Leo looked at Elena with a slightly exasperated expression, clearly miffed at being treated like a toddler.

"I'm a professional too. I don't get scared by things like that."

"I know you are, but just in case. Besides, we're going to be stuck together throughout the entire shoot, so I wanted us to be close."

"...Well, if that's the case."

Taking a sip of his juice box through a straw, Leo asked, "What do you hope to get out of this movie?"

"An experience I could never get inside the Hollywood bubble."

"Same here."

Elena looked at the ten-year-old boy with a complex expression, amazed that such mature thoughts were coming from someone so young.

"To be honest, I was a bit surprised when I found out Sion actively pushed for this project and handpicked me for the role of Andy. But I figured he had a reason. He's one of the most successful actors I know, after all. I wanted to live up to the trust he placed in me."

"...Hmm, my perspective is a bit different."

"In what way?"

"I'm aware of Sion's intentions, but I want to find my own answers."

Sion Lee's influence was heavily woven into this project. She had heard he had also invested a significant amount of his own money. Naturally, as the face of the film, she felt a strong sense of responsibility.

Yet, knowing Sion as well as she did, Elena knew exactly how he would respond if she told him she felt burdened by that responsibility.

"He'd probably say, 'What responsibility? Just do whatever you want.' Sion hates dragging that kind of baggage into acting."

"Still, it feels a bit irresponsible. What if we just wing it and the movie flops?"

"That's exactly why you shouldn't tense up. Honestly, there's very little an actor can do to control the success of an indie film. Unless you're someone of Sion's caliber, that is."

Leo fell into deep thought at her words. Elena quietly waited for his response, looking at him through his tiny sunglasses.

"...I suppose you're right. It is an indie film, after all."

He finally conceded, letting go of some of the pressure weighing on his shoulders.

"I should probably just focus on enjoying the set and connecting with Andy's emotions."

"Exactly. Want to hit the arcade later? I saw one nearby."

"An... arcade? No thanks. Who do you think I am, a kid?"

You are a kid, Elena thought, but she simply smiled instead.

At that moment, she felt she understood a little better why Sion had cast the two of them in these roles.

In a way, we really are alike.

The two of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them, who had lived their entire lives trapped inside the gilded cage of the acting world, and the siblings Sunny and Andy, the protagonists of this film.

Despite its small scale, Rainbow Road had a relatively long shooting schedule. Sion had subtly suggested to the production team that they take their time, soak in the scenery, and film it as if they were on an actual road trip.

As a result, they were allocated three months—an exceptionally long period for an indie film, contrasting sharply with the "quick shoot and release" strategy Sion had pitched to Charlie Kang.

Whenever the crew wasn't camping out in the wilderness, Sion would receive phone calls keeping him updated on their progress.

Elena would chatter away, recounting the minor mishaps of traversing the vast American landscape in an excited voice, as if she had survived a grand adventure.

And then, late at night, Daniel would call.

It was a relief to hear they were having fun.

I can't wait to see it.

But the more updates he received, the more restless Sion became.

Man, I want to act too...

However, his current daily routine was painfully simple.

"Mr. Lee! Absolutely incredible! Just two more!"

He spent his mornings and evenings pumping iron with a trainer who seemingly couldn't count past two, endlessly shouting "just two more."

Afterward, he would have killed for even a single slice of bacon pizza, but instead, he had to choke down massive amounts of dry, tasteless chicken breast and raw broccoli.

But the results of his hard work were starting to show.

My shirts are getting tight lately.

His chest had squared out, and his shoulders had developed a distinct, broad frame. The veins in his forearms bulged thicker, and his intense lower-body workouts had left his thighs sharply defined.

As Sion was checking his physique in the mirror, his trainer approached him, marveling.

"Oh, my god... How can someone's body look this beautiful?"

"Excuse me? Beautiful?"

"It's incredible. Your pectoral shape is perfect, and your six-pack is exceptionally symmetrical. Plus, your skin is so thin that even with a slightly higher body fat percentage, your muscle definition pops. We might not even need to cut any further... I guess some people really do have it all."

It was a compliment laced with a hint of envy.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The best part of being an actor was that a muscular physique immediately garnered a strong reaction.

On a morning in mid-June.

Like a middle schooler who had just built muscle for the first time—though, in truth, this was his first time undergoing a proper bulk-and-cut cycle for a physical transformation—Sion struck a few poses, examining his body with fascination.

Standing in front of the mirror, he thought, Not bad at all.

His schedule lined up so that he would shoot Titanic first, followed immediately by Bad contract.

The former required him to play an overbearing, upper-class aristocrat. The latter, a highly skilled multinational mercenary. Though their core concepts were entirely different, both characters shared the common denominator of being "strong men," and his bulked-up physique would undoubtedly help portray that.

I should buy some new clothes on my way back.

The loose shirts he used to enjoy wearing now fit him snugly.

Not long after he changed, Chloe arrived.

"Good morning, Mr. Lee."

Chloe didn't bat an eye at Sion's tight-fitting shirt. Thus, Sion headed to the 20th Century Fox offices for the table read without thinking much of it, only to receive a far more intense reaction than he had anticipated.

"Oh... Ah, hello?"

The female receptionist guiding him let out a quiet gasp as her eyes darted between Sion's face and his body.

"Wow..."

And it didn't stop there.

"Oh..."

"Yeahhh..."

"Damnnn..."

The reactions from the women were identical. Their faces flushed instantly, and their eyes shamelessly swept from his head to his toes. Some even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slowed their pace as they walked past, just to get a longer look at his muscular frame.

On the other hand, the men laughed heartily, as if amused by the sheer absurdity of it, and struck up conversations.

"Man! You look absolutely killer! When did you build all this?"

"This is insane! You've got the face, and now you're built too? Talk about unfair!"

"Whoa... talk about motivation. I need to hit the gym."

Amidst the flurry of reactions, Sion casually turned to Chloe.

"How about that? I never thought I'd see the day my body gets more attention than my face."

All those grueling workouts had paid off.

Since I'm on the taller side and naturally lean, putting on muscle wasn't easy.

Believing his current look exuded both an imposing presence and masculine charm, Sion squared his shoulders confidently and stepped into the office where the table read was to take place.

Instantly, the noisy room fell dead silent.

The entrance of the "new" Sion Lee—tall, strikingly handsome, and now powerfully built.

What the... When did he get so buff?

Oh my god, he's a total man now.

While everyone stared, utterly spellbound by the mature charm Sion was radiating, James Cameron stood up from his seat to break the ice and walked over to him.

"Long time no see, Sion. How have you been?"

"Great. Though I imagine you've been incredibly busy, Director."

"Haha, well, I'm just glad I can say all that hard work was worth it."

Sion shared a firm handshake with the confidently smiling director. The two ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠men, resonating with each other in different ways, burned with shared determination for Titanic.

Having instantly commanded the room, Sion left Chloe by the back wall and walked over to the seat bearing his nameplate.

Turning his head, he finally came face-to-face with the actors he had been dying to meet in this lifetime.

"...Hello, Sion. It's an honor to work with you."

The beautiful, slightly reserved actress, Kate Winslet.

And right next to her, a blond, angelic-looking young man poked his head out with a brilliant smile.

"Hi, Sion! Wow, I've been so excited to meet you! I've watched all of your movies!"

Boyish, innocent, with coral-colored eyes as deep as the cosmos.

Leonardo DiCaprio.

He really is the undisputed peak of visual perfection right now.

Across both his past and present lives, Leonardo possessed the most overwhelming face of any male actor Sion had ever encountered.

But... honestly, I don't fall short either.

At twenty-one, he was two years younger than Sion. Armed with that youth and beauty, he would star in Titanic and go on to build a legendary filmography.

And I won't lose to him in acting, either.

Even if their screen time differed based on their roles, Sion had no intention of letting his presence be overshadowed. He had spent his time sharpening his performance, keeping Elena's "compliment" in mind—that he was the "best villain she knew."

"I've heard so much about both of you. It's a pleasure. Let's make this great."

Sion offered a gentle smile to the two promising actors.

"On that note, if anyone drags us down on set, we throw them in the ocean. Deal?"

Confronted by the casual, playful threat of the notorious "brat," the two lead actors, who were just beginning their journey to Hollywood superstardom, found themselves momentarily speechless.