Schwarzenegger & Asimov (Part 1)

"Isn't it an interesting combination?" Sion replied.

At the airport before departure, Sion was on his cell phone, wrapping up a call with Olga. Their conversation was a mix of a mother's gentle warnings about her daughter and an actress's curiosity about the show she had helped bring to life. As they drifted from one topic to another, Sion waited for the right moment to bring up what had been on his mind. After all, he felt he needed to soothe Olga Asimov's pride as an actress.

"I originally promised to invite you first, Olga, but things turned out like this."

"Thank you for understanding."

That was precisely why Sion had chosen Elena and Arnold as his first guests. Elena was filming in the UK until August. As the shoot progressed toward its final stages, her schedule was bound to get tighter, meaning now was the only window of opportunity. Meanwhile, Arnold was taking a break after filming Batman & Robin, creating the perfect rendezvous point for the two stars. It had taken a month of pitching and coordinating with both parties. Thus, in July, Sion Lee Takes You Out officially began production as planned.

"Of course. Look whose name is on the show."

"Will do," Sion replied briefly before hanging up and looking around.

They were in a private terminal, a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠facility designed to prevent high-profile figures from getting mobbed by crowds and missing their flights. The production crew was busy checking equipment and preparing for departure. After a short while, a figure approached from the distance, his heavy footsteps echoing. Even in an empty terminal, his presence was absolutely overwhelming.

Arnold Schwarzenegger. Currently fifty years old. Although he had lost some muscle mass compared to his absolute prime, the sheer scale of his physique still evoked the image of a Roman gladiator. Yet, he possessed a rugged, masculine charm, highlighted by a warm smile that revealed perfectly aligned teeth. He walked straight up to Sion, who was waiting, and delivered his iconic line:

"I'll be back."

"...With just that one line, you could probably survive another twenty years in Hollywood."

Soon, the crew of Sion Lee Takes You Out would be heading to his hometown.

The choice of Austria as the filming location was, of course, heavily influenced by the actor who hailed from there. "I vant to go to Austria," Sion recalled the distinct accent from their planning sessions. Sitting next to Arnold, Sion asked,

"Why do you deliberately speak like the Terminator even in everyday life?"

"It's fun. Besides, people don't like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it when a big guy acts all stiff and serious."

"...But aren't you the definition of a big, solemn guy?"

In private, Arnold was far more lighthearted than expected. They had arrived in Thal, Austria—a village whose name literally meant "valley," and Arnold's hometown. Sitting in a worn rocking chair in front of the house where Arnold had actually lived as a child, watching the production crew bustle about... Sion felt a slight twinge of guilt, but brushing it off with 'Well, I'm the talent' made him feel absolutely fantastic.

And the iced coffee here is great, too. The humble locals of this quiet village had gathered around, drawn by the rare spectacle of a major production. Standing outside the fence of the yard, they stared at Arnold and Sion as if they were tigers and wolves in a zoo. From Sion's perspective inside the yard, the sight was rather surreal. Someone was shouting something in German; Sion couldn't understand a word, but they seemed thrilled. After soaking in the atmosphere for a while, Sion came to a conclusion.

"It's nice here. Your hometown."

"When you're here, all the worries and anxieties that build up in bustling Hollywood just melt away. You don't have to think about things like Mr. Freeze. And you don't have to think about Bad Contract either."

"It sounds like you had a really rough time filming."

"Well, I liked the movie itself. But Val kept singing your praises. Director Schumacher did, too."

"...That's probably because I bought them a lot of drinks during production."

"Well, regardless of that, I did feel like my run was slowly coming to an end."

"Pardon?" Sion asked, wondering what he meant, but Arnold didn't elaborate. He simply took a sip of his beer. A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hazy, leisurely silence stretched as they waited for the shoot to begin.

A spacious yard enclosed by a white picket fence. The early July summer weather was perfectly bearable under the shade. As Sion sipped his iced coffee in silence, clearing his mind of the complex thoughts that usually cluttered it, a car pulled up. Stepping out of the vehicle was Elena Asimov, dressed casually in jeans. The moment she spotted them, she waved with the aloof elegance of a cat. Watching her, Sion smiled, sensing that today's shoot was going to be highly entertaining. Of course...

"Let's not go easy on her." After all, today's shoot was with none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Meanwhile, completely oblivious to Sion's mischievous intentions, Elena was practically bubbling with excitement. Seriously, I missed him so much I thought I'd die! That idiot, always playing with my heart. ...Wait, did he lose some weight? I should cook something delicious for him later. Ah, since we're filming, will we even have time to be alone? Maybe we can slip away for a bit when the cameras are off? These "naive" thoughts, however, were shattered to pieces in no time.

Lately, Elena Asimov had been having a much tougher time than anyone realized. It wasn't a mental struggle—she had been trained and disciplined for years. The issue was purely physical. Her role as Padmé in Star Wars required her to wear heavy, elaborate ornaments, endure hours of makeup and massive wigs, and perform demanding action sequences. She was constantly getting bruised and scraped. Though she pushed through with a professional mindset, she was undeniably exhausted. She had hoped to get some rest during this three-day break for an external shoot, but...

"Ngh...!" Why on earth? "One more! One more!" In the middle of a rural Austrian village... "You don't stop when you hit failure! You squeeze out two more reps from there!" ...did she have to do strength training with sweaty, muscular men?

It's work. Just work. Empty your mind. She barely managed to hold onto her sanity with that mantra, but her resolve shattered completely when Sion pointed to a massive steel contraption and said, "Next up is this." It was a lat pulldown machine. Arnold stood behind Sion, who sat down first to demonstrate, examining Sion's form with an appreciative gaze before clapping. And then, Elena's physical torment resumed.

"Y-you idiot...! You said this was a talk variety show!" Elena screamed, completely forgetting the cameras were rolling after squeezing out a few reps.

"It is a variety show."

"Then why are we working out?!"

"Oh, Elly. My beautiful Elly. Look around." Sion gestured to their surroundings. It was a run-down, ancient gym. The equipment creaked loudly, and the paint on the walls was peeling. "Isn't it amazing?"

"What is?!"

"This is the very gym in the village where Arnold was born."

The action star of the '80s, and before that, the undisputed GOAT of bodybuilding: Arnold Schwarzenegger. After the village's pride rose to fame, a massive bodybuilding craze had swept the area, leading to the creation of this facility. Honestly, it looked more like a prehistoric training ground than a proper gym, but its raw, unpolished nature actually made Sion reflect on the true philosophy of physical beauty.

"You've changed ever since you started working out!"

"Oh, so you've forgotten how much you liked touching my chest?"

"W-w-we're filming right now...! Stop making weird jokes!"

"We're only going to use a very short clip of the workout anyway. Right, Director?" When the PD nodded, Elena's face turned pale.

"So... I'm suffering like this just for a tiny snippet of footage?!"

"Nine, nine, nine. Come on, just three more."

"Ten comes after nine!"

After Elena's chaotic turn ended, Arnold and Sion began their workout.

"Ho... With your frame, it couldn't have been easy to build up your shoulders like this."

"It's all thanks to the Arnold Press."

"It's great, isn't it? The Arnold Press."

"Absolutely. It worked wonders."

Watching the two fitness fanatics, Elena, who was sprawled out in exhaustion, muttered, "...I'd honestly rather go back to filming."

After capturing the strength training footage, Arnold shared his thoughts on working out in the gym. "Back in the day, we didn't even have a shabby place like this. We used to lift concrete blocks in the forest."

"T-that... is truly incredible." Hearing the gritty, old-school story, Elena couldn't help but admire him sincerely. But the "show" didn't stop there.

"W-why do we have to run now?!"

"Cardio always follows strength training."

"Yes, you must never neglect body fat management, Sion, Elena."

"Of course. We know that all too well."

Watching Arnold and Sion take the lead in perfect sync, Elena pouted slightly before naturally picking up her pace to run between them.

"Oh...?"

"Ho."

"I won't fall behind when it comes to running. I started when I was learning ballet, and I still run regularly."

"Ah, ballet. A very good exercise. I took ballet lessons too."

"You took ballet, Arnold...?"

"Yes. It helped with my bodybuilding poses."

Elena and Arnold continued their conversation, sharing various stories. In any case, the shoot seemed to serve as a refreshing break for both of them.

When people did the same thing for too long, they became accustomed to it, eventually losing sight of what they were actually doing. It was a form of inertia. But acting was a profession where one could never afford to fall into such a rut, as actors had to present a fresh version of themselves with every script, even on the same project. This flexibility became even more crucial when juggling multiple projects or transitioning immediately to a new shoot without a break. Therefore, they had to constantly seek new stimuli, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enrich their inner experiences, and gather inspiration.

In that sense, Sion believed that bringing Arnold and Elena together would offer a fresh perspective to both. From their age and gender to their career paths, they had walked entirely different roads as actors. Indeed, when Elena first arrived, her face had carried a hint of fatigue and routine, but that expression had completely vanished.

"Wow, that's really amazing!" Sion smiled silently, thinking that even her sweat-glistening profile looked breathtakingly beautiful.

Evening arrived. "Back in the day, we couldn't eat meat like this," Arnold began, launching into a speech as he started grilling barbecue in the yard, Austrian style.

"You have no idea how hard I worked just to get enough protein. Things are much better now, of course. But the physical foundation I built back then didn't just make me money—it helped me immensely in real life too."

"...Even during action shoots?" Elena asked, nibbling on the meat Arnold handed her like an affectionate daughter, asking various questions as a fellow actor. Rather than a broadcast, it looked like a genuine gathering of stars hanging out in private. Sion quietly ate the high-protein cuts, keeping his thoughts to himself.

It's best to let them bond and set the tone of the show on the first day anyway. Besides, the meat was delicious.

"Well, not always. When filming Conan, I couldn't even draw the sword from my back. But it was still better than nothing. Since my accent is so 'charming,' I often had to rely on physical acting rather than dialogue."

"That... is amazing. Right now, I'm..." Elena trailed off, casting a brief glance at the camera. Sensing what she was feeling, Sion called out to the PD.

"Hey, I'd like to take a quick break. Can we cut for a moment?"

The PD, being quick-witted, called for a break. Only then did Elena, looking relieved, ask Arnold a more personal question.

"I've been doing a lot of action scenes lately, and I often find it hard to keep up."

"Action acting is tough. And that's exactly why you need to work out more consistently, even when every single day feels exhausting."

"Is that so...?"

"Miss Asimov, muscles never lie."

"..."

Coming from a man who had reached the pinnacle of bodybuilding and become an icon of action cinema, this simple, rugged advice carried immense weight.

"Eat plenty of good meat, eat plenty of rice, and work out consistently. Simply getting used to the shoot isn't enough—that just makes it labor. No matter how hard it is, you have to tear down your muscles efficiently and stimulate them to grow. As an actor, you shouldn't let the role consume you; you must conquer it."

"...Those are beautiful words, Arnold." Nodding, Elena picked up a piece of grilled meat and offered it to him.

"You can just call me Elena."

"...Alright, Elena." He smiled warmly. "Tomorrow is leg day."

"...Pardon? Again?"

"Oh, Arnold, that sounds amazing. I've always wanted to learn how to squat from you."

"Why on earth...?" Elena muttered in a trembling voice, trying to escape reality, while Sion stood beside her, completely thrilled.

Looking at the contrasting pair, Arnold hesitated for a moment before pulling out a pair of glasses from his pocket and putting them on. He rarely wore them in public to maintain his tough-guy image, but perhaps because he was back in his hometown with two young, passionate actors with bright futures ahead of them... today, he felt like showing a more comfortable side of himself.

"Squats are the pinnacle of exercise. Let's eat more meat to prepare for tomorrow." Arnold placed a piece of meat on each of their plates. Sion was ecstatic, while Elena, unable to change the course of events, grumbled as she forced the meat down.

...Watching them from a distance, the PD of Sion Lee Takes You Out found the scene incredibly fascinating. He turned to the director of photography sitting next to him.

"Aren't actors fascinating?"

"...In what way?"

"On screen, they seem like untouchable beings, but there they are, so real."

Beautiful, handsome, and possessing jaw-dropping physiques, they were captivating figures who commanded attention. They moved across the stage of reality, yet they felt like illusions that didn't belong to this world. But having descended from the heavens, the real people standing before them carried a distinctly human warmth. They laughed, bickered, sweated in frustration, and grilled barbecue like ordinary folks. Seeing them mingle in what felt like genuine, everyday moments—even if framed within a structured "show"—made them seem all the more extraordinary.

"Arnold looks just like their father."

He was already in the twilight of his career as an action star. But without even realizing it, Arnold Schwarzenegger was about to embark on a new path through this very broadcast.