Schwarzenegger & Asimov
And the next morning.
"Why on earth...?"
Arnold, who had just finished washing up and stepped out to hear the day's shooting schedule, asked back with a dumbfounded expression. "Today is leg day."
Unfortunately, a different schedule had been set. The night before, Sion had been excited, saying, "Let's squat together! Let's destroy our legs!" But the moment he woke up this morning, he felt a wave of professional responsibility. We still have to work... he thought, shaking off the sentimentality to assess the situation coolly.
Sitting at the dining table, Sion calmly tried to soothe Arnold. "When we planned this, we agreed that the second day would be for visiting a bookstore."
"I didn't know a tiny town like this even had a bookstore."
"It does," Elena said, pulling freshly toasted bread from the toaster with a triumphant smile. "Now, you gentlemen will have to match my pace today."
As an English literature major, books were naturally much closer to her heart than muscles.
"So, what are we doing for breakfast?"
"Ah, we'll make it ourselves," Sion said, quickly rising from his seat.
"No, the person wearing the apron should serve." Elena, looking delighted by the cozy, family-like atmosphere, suddenly froze at the next order.
"Six boiled eggs and oatmeal. Only two yolks," Arnold ordered.
"Same for me, but add three slices of cured ham," Sion followed up immediately.
"...?"
That many eggs for breakfast? But as the saying goes, in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. To them, she was the unusual one.
"Ho, adding cured ham. As expected of the young, your digestion is excellent."
"You have to eat when you can. ...That's why I said we'd make it." Sion walked up behind Elena, who was scrambling to find a large pot, and gently untied her apron. To maintain that much muscle, one simply had to eat a lot.
After finishing breakfast and drinking coffee brewed by Arnold himself, the group headed straight to the town center.
It was a small, bustling district lined with restaurants, a tiny cinema, and various shops. There, they met up with the prep crew, held a brief production meeting, and immediately began the second day of shooting for Sion Lee Takes You Out.
With no script in hand, the talk variety show relied entirely on a single prompt: "Go to a bookstore and read." Sion walked between Arnold and Elena, smoothly starting the conversation.
"The streets are really quiet."
"Most people commute to Graz. It's always been that way. A peaceful, lovely town."
"Exactly. I'd love to live in a place like this when I retire. What about you, Elena?"
"Me too. It would be wonderful to spend my retirement in such a peaceful place."
They naturally drifted into a small bookstore. It was a cozy scene pre-arranged by the crew: a local kid and a teenager were reading books here and there, and a few town elders sat at a table, chatting warmly.
Elena's eyes sparkled with genuine interest as she began to explore the bookstore.
In other words, her time had come.
Sion thought to himself, In my entire life, I've never been in a space that interests me less. It wasn't that he hated bookstores; it was just that almost all the books were in German, which he couldn't read.
But Elena seemed perfectly capable of reading German. Watching her intellectual side, Sion thought he should cherish and serve her for the rest of his life.
"Hey, Arnold. Could you come here for a second?"
"Hmm, yes...?"
"What does this mean? I'm sure I learned it. 'Weltschmerz'."
"I am an American."
"Pardon?"
"I don't know German."
"Hehe, you should read books diligently too."
"I do read. Books like Playboy or Maxim."
"Oh, I like those too," Sion chimed in.
"..."
Looking at Arnold and Sion as if they were gorillas chewing on banana leaves, Elena turned away and approached a few teenagers nearby, asking in a gentle voice, "Excuse me..."
"Y-Yes!" The girl, who had been cast as a background extra, was startled by the sudden interaction.
"Do you speak English?"
"Yes, a little..."
"Could you teach me how to read this?"
"Ah, that is..."
Elena quickly dove into studying German with the flattered girl. Watching from behind, Arnold whispered to Sion, "Wonderful. She's so eager to learn."
"Ahem, right? She's from Stanford, after all!"
"...Why are you the one looking proud?"
After capturing a delicious comedic beat, Sion noticed some kids looking at him and Arnold with curiosity from afar. He naturally steered toward them.
"Hi."
"Ah, hello~."
"Do you like books? Do you read a lot?"
"..."
They didn't answer, likely because they didn't speak English. Sion looked back. Arnold, with an awkward expression, approached, knelt, and hunched his massive body as much as possible.
Despite his efforts, the kids shrank back slightly at his sheer size, but they relaxed when he smiled warmly. When he asked them something in fluent German, the kids burst into giggles.
Sion chuckled. "...I thought you said you were an American?"
"I can handle casual conversation. I've just forgotten many of those difficult words."
Meanwhile, a child brought over a fairy tale book and held it out. Arnold, slightly surprised, asked a question in German. The kids nodded excitedly. Arnold looked back at Sion, looking a bit flustered.
"They're asking me to read them a fairy tale."
"Go ahead and read it. Don't you do that for your kids at home anyway?"
"But still, this is a broadcast..."
"It's fine, it's fine. We'll shoot it, and if it's no good, we can just cut it."
Sion encouraged Arnold, finding the situation highly entertaining.
The 80s action star had aged as he entered the late 90s. The "invincible" image of his past had cracked, and he was transitioning into characters dealing with a more relatable "midlife crisis."
And if there was a reason for that transition...
Because he became a family man.
Faced with the children whose eyes sparkled with no intention of backing down, Arnold chuckled sheepishly, sat on a nearby sofa, and began reading the fairy tale book.
A single shot captured the giant man and the children huddled next to him. The combination was fascinating, and the camera kept rolling.
The unexpected sides of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Elena Asimov. The PD was inwardly amazed by this completely unpredictable scenario.
The show was turning out to be much more stable and engaging than expected.
Sion quietly stepped out of the frame and watched Elena and Arnold from an observer's perspective.
This is good.
While it might look like he was just boosting them through this show, Sion was also planting seeds of his own. Offering a different perspective and giving a fresh image to "comrades" struggling in the hyper-competitive market of Hollywood.
Later, I should gather everyone who appears on this show and shoot an action blockbuster.
Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger... and anyone else he connected with. And for the main villain, for some reason, Paprika Man seemed perfect.
Sion Lee Takes You Out continued filming while keeping the direction MTV wanted: breaking out of conventional thinking, seeking a new order, and bringing a fresh breeze.
Sion had thrown out a few actor combinations during production meetings. The team, initially skeptical of his eccentric suggestions, was amazed after seeing the power of the first shoot, "Schwarzenegger & Asimov."
"The combination is actually really good."
"It's incredibly fresh and nice. I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
Reviewing the footage in internal meetings, the team placed more trust in Sion's vision. They realized a great actor truly sees a different horizon.
The next combination he proposed also caused a lot of concern at first... but once filming started, unexpected comedic elements immediately burst forth.
It was the combination of Frederic Patterson and Olga Asimov.
"Hello~! Olga! It's been a while!"
"...My shooting partner was you? Isn't this a bit too predictable?"
Frederic, who was excessively managing his image even before the cameras rolled, and Olga, who saw right through him and chuckles. Sion, standing between them, smiled confidently.
"Let's go with the vibe of a teacher instructing two of her former students."
The shoot, taking place in Hollywood, started on the first day in Frederic's style.
"Usually, when I wake up in the morning, I drink a glass of milk and turn on the PS."
"PS? Is that a brand of green juice extractor?"
"...It's PlayStation, Olga." He explained to Olga, who didn't understand how kids play these days.
"PlayStation...?"
"Yes! The Bad Contract game is really fun!"
"...No, that game is absolute garbage. Director, please cut this part."
Sion cut off the cunning Frederic, who was trying too hard to flatter him. Indeed, it was a garbage game rushed out to cash in on the movie's success.
"...A game?"
"Now, now, grab the controller."
"No, this kind of thing... I've never done it before?"
A flustered Olga eventually took the controller. Sion and Frederic exchanged glances and immediately booted up the masterpiece of the century, Tekken 3.
Surprisingly, Olga seemed to find it fun. Despite her awkward expression, she quickly blended into the youth culture.
"Oh?"
...And she picked Gun Jack as her playable character and beat Frederic's Jin like a dog.
Frederic Patterson. Is he a man who cannot win anywhere?
Tsk, tsk. And to think he's one of the hottest actors in Hollywood right now.
That night, the combination of Frederic Patterson and Olga Asimov continued.
"Frederic."
"Y-Yes!"
They were in a private room in a club. Following Olga's rule that "alcohol ruins your health," non-alcoholic beers were lined up. Sion sat close to Olga, giggling like a mischievous sister-in-law, watching Frederic get scolded.
"How often do you drink?"
"About once a week?"
"Be honest."
"Three... four times a week, Ma'am."
"Quit."
"How can I...!"
"Alcohol ruins the brain. Sion, you don't drink, right?"
"Of course! I've completely replaced it with whipped cream spray! I only have to worry about diabetes!"
"Yes. A moderate amount of sugar activates the brain. Speaking of which, I must tell you about Russian desserts..."
Grrr...
"What? What is it?"
"...N-Nothing."
Frederic, who had been glaring jealously at Sion for being pampered by Olga, quickly lowered his eyes when Sion's expression suddenly turned cold. Ever since filming The College Player with him, Frederic had realized that resisting the next-generation tyrant, Sion, was futile, and that doing as he said was beneficial in many ways.
Olga continued to give serious advice to the two young actors about their careers and life as Hollywood celebrities. A great conversation ensued, the kind that rarely comes out of ordinary interviews or talk shows.
And the next day.
"I'm not a fun person like you boys."
Olga took Sion and Frederic to a small nearby art museum. Olga led the way, eagerly appreciating all kinds of artwork. Sion also stood in front of a painting, trying to contemplate deeply.
Frederic approached from behind, unable to hide his perplexed expression, and asked, "Do you understand this...?"
"It's Classicism."
"Oh... a true artist."
Sion didn't know any other related terms besides "Classicism," but he didn't correct him.
"Amazing. Is this kind of thing important to becoming a successful actor?"
Frederic diligently followed them around, trying to appreciate the paintings in his own way.
"Do you want to succeed?"
"Of course I want to succeed."
"Haven't you already succeeded enough?"
"It's not enough. No matter how much money you have, if you earn less than last month, you get anxious."
"What about recognition from others? Would you be satisfied if you became the President of the United States?"
"Hmm... well."
Frederic rested his chin on his hand, tilting his head in thought.
"I don't really know. As you know, I'm pretty simple. I just want to make a lot of money, buy a mansion later, swap out my girlfriend every time she turns 25, and keep active as a filmmaker."
"..."
Sion knew someone in the future who actually lived exactly like that.
"But I don't want to suffer too much... I want to be super popular without anyone hating me, make tons of money, and go down in history as a great person. ...Hmm, now that I say it out loud, it's a pretty shameless dream."
Hearing this, Sion burst out laughing.
Realizing that this was almost the first time Sion had laughed at his humor, Frederic asked excitedly, "Why? Was it funny?"
"Yeah, man. You're the funniest person I know."
"Ohoho..."
Frederic's cheeks flushed slightly, feeling recognized by Sion Lee for the first time.
"Quiet in the museum, gentlemen," Olga warned, stepping up beside them.
"Yes, Ma'am."
"...Yes, Ma'am."
The two men quietly resumed their art appreciation.
In the afternoon, they sat at a nearby cafe, sipping tea and chatting. Until evening, they exchanged various opinions on questions pre-arranged by the production team.
In a more serious and calm atmosphere than yesterday, Olga quietly watched Sion and Frederic fearlessly speak their minds, which might seem immature at a glance.
Sion knows exactly how to steer the conversation to a delightful line and step back, but Frederic... we'll have to edit out a lot of his parts for the broadcast.
She smiled, swallowing that judgment along with a sip of black tea. Still, she thought even that wasn't bad.
"Talking with you boys today brings back old memories." Olga mentioned the time they filmed The College Player a few years ago.
"Was it from the middle of Season 1? Frederic was truly an unpredictable rascal."
"I-I've really reflected on myself a lot."
"Sion is the same now as he was then."
"It's nice that I'm consistent, right?"
"Yes, both of you. You're both living your lives in Hollywood in your own ways."
Feeling like she had truly become their teacher, Olga spoke in her old character's tone from The College Player.
"You are doing very well, cadets."
"T-Thank you, Smirnova."
"..."
Sion naturally responded as Ryan, then glanced at Frederic, who didn't react immediately. Tearing up slightly, Frederic began to pour out his suppressed sincerity.
"Seriously, I... if it weren't for The College Player, I wouldn't be here today. Because I met you two through that project."
It was a statement filled with an actor's anxiety, which had been suppressed by the excuse of "making money and doing well."
"I learned so much from Olga and Sion. I didn't know how the world worked and only knew how to act... you made me into a proper human being. Back then, I was really stupid, everything seemed scary, and I just lived day by day. I'm truly happy to be standing here today. If there's a chance in the future, I want to gather again and talk a lot..."
Sion, slightly flustered by the excessive emotion, thought to himself, I should host a reunion here later.
He thought about using that excuse to cast all of "Sion Lee's acquaintances" as villains in his action movie.