Oscar vs. Sion Lee (1)

What awaited Sion upon his return from the Berlin International Film Festival was... a party.

A celebration party to commemorate Echos of a Family winning the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Only the cast, crew, film industry insiders, a few of their acquaintances, and a select handful of reporters were invited to the penthouse party venue of the hotel. Aside from those who had actually attended the festival in person, this was the first time everyone else got to lay eyes on the actual trophy.

"Whoa..."

The reasonably handsome man staring at the trophy in sheer awe was Frederic Patterson. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the golden trophy, the first major award of his life.

Susan Hopkins, standing right beside him with her arms crossed, wore a similar expression. She gazed lovingly at the cute bear-shaped trophy and spoke.

"Look at that shine... Is this what a major award trophy looks like?"

"And it's the Golden Bear, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the highest honor in Berlin!"

"We can put this on our résumés, right?! We can, right?!"

Just then, a man stepped up behind them. It was Sion Lee, dressed rather casually in a jacket over a T-shirt.

"Of course you can. It's an award we won by working together, after all."

Hearing his voice, the two turned around with suspicious looks.

"Uh... what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

Like Pavlov's dog, Frederic's tail instinctively tucked between his legs the moment he saw Sion.

"...Hmph, I know you're not one to give empty flattery. Just speak normally."

Susan, also reacting like Pavlov's dog, huffed and turned her nose up.

"No, really. I mean it. Without you two, Echos of a Family wouldn't exist."

Sion flashed a bright smile and slung his arms over their shoulders. Startled for a brief second, Frederic and Susan soon chuckled and conceded.

"I'm really glad I got to be in this film. It made me realize I was actually capable of this kind of acting."

"It was a great movie. I wonder if I'll ever be able to build a family like that one day?"

"I agree. It was a film that really made you think."

Right on cue, the final member of their four-piece band, Kate Winslet, approached them.

"Even though it's a family movie, it doesn't just end as a simple happy story... It's about finding that happiness on your own."

In Echos of a Family, the subplots woven throughout the film showed the lives of Nancy, Mina, and Donny, whom they played. Each of them had immersed themselves in their roles, delivering highly memorable scenes that helped reinforce the film's core theme. Because they overcame their respective struggles and supported the narrative, the growth of Dan, played by Sion, shone even brighter.

The four of them looked at one another, feeling as though they had truly become a family.

But today will probably be the last time.

As a wave of bittersweet nostalgia washed over them all at once, a man holding a camera approached.

"Would you mind if I took a photo of you all?"

"Make sure we look good!"

Susan flashed a peace sign and stood next to the trophy with Kate, while Sion and Frederic stood slightly behind them. And just like that, a shot of the gorgeous young actors was captured.

Michael Mitchum, who had taken the photo, suppressed his fluttering heart as he spoke to Sion Lee.

"I really enjoyed the movie, Sion. And congratulations on the Golden Bear."

The other actors took the hint and quietly slipped away, leaving Sion to flash a confident smile.

"Thank you. And you are...?"

"Michael. Michael Mitchum. I'm the Editor-in-Chief of Behind the Scene."

"Ah, that magazine. I enjoy reading it. You've written a lot of articles about me since the early days of my career."

"Haha, well, you've always been an actor people are deeply fascinated by, Sion. Both then and now."

Michael couldn't help but feel the excitement in his chest grow even stronger. Despite having written so many articles about Sion Lee—even making bets over him—this was the first time they were meeting face-to-face, one-on-one.

The boyish charm was completely gone, replaced by a masculine allure that defined this once-in-a-generation handsome actor. A figure who, through his sheer presence and past actions alone, had provided endless drama and headlines. He was the very embodiment of a superstar, playing his 'role' on the stage of reality more flawlessly than anyone else.

Naturally, the words slipped out.

"Thank you, always."

"...For what, suddenly?"

"If it weren't for you, our magazine sales wouldn't be anywhere near what they are today."

Not wanting to drag out an explanation of his past memories or the complex emotions he was feeling at this moment, Michael wrapped up the conversation with a joke.

Being able to document and record Sion Lee's growth as he advanced his career—this act had slowly become a source of pride for him. But his own feelings were just another untold story, one that a star destined to shine in the brightest spotlight didn't need to know.

Watching Michael walk away after saying his goodbyes, Sion suddenly remembered. Wait, isn't that the crazy guy who dressed up in women's clothes a long time ago just to get an interview?

Did he actually make it all the way to Editor-in-Chief?

Unaware that Michael had already been the Editor-in-Chief back then, Sion smiled warmly, thinking of him as someone who had grown alongside him. In any case, having won the Golden Bear, he felt like nothing could ruin his mood today.

Well, of course.

Once this party was over, things were about to get a whole lot more interesting.

A few days later.

"..."

Jack Nicholson stared at Sion, utterly dumbfounded. What Sion had just proposed was... that shocking.

Letting out a long sigh, Jack rubbed his face a few times before repeating what he had just heard to make sure he understood correctly.

"So, you're saying the talks are already wrapped up... and we're shooting a gummy bear commercial?"

"Yes."

"With Haribo? The German company that makes those bear-shaped jellies?"

"To be precise, it's with their American branch."

"As a commemorative collaboration to celebrate us winning the Golden Bear?"

"It's a fantastic collaboration."

"...Whew."

Jack let out another long sigh and asked,

"Kid, are you really trying to pick a fight with the Academy?"

"No, I'm just going to beat them to a pulp."

"Let's do it right now."

Jack Nicholson let out a hearty laugh.

Having secured his approval in an instant, they immediately began filming ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the commercial. Wanting to air the ad around the time of the Academy Awards, the Echos of a Family team bypassed tedious contractual procedures, keeping approvals to a minimum to swiftly propose the marketing campaign. This allowed the two actors to focus entirely on the shoot.

Haribo America, located in Baltimore, Maryland, rejoiced at the highly reasonable advertising costs. After confirming the specifications, they agreed to mix in special gummy bears made with just a tiny bit more yellow food coloring than usual.

And above all, the reason things progressed so smoothly was thanks to the immense influence of the person who had connected them.

It was Michael Jackson. The King of Pop, who was still actively performing without any issues in this timeline. He was a massive fan of sweets, including gummy bears, which was why he had helped Sion network with the company.

"I'd love to, Michael. Definitely. ...How have you been lately?"

"For someone like me, that's what keeps life interesting. Fighting is fun, isn't it?"

Michael fell silent for a moment. Then, in a serious, slightly worried tone, he spoke.

"There's no one more reassuring than you."

Michael Jackson seemed to already be aware of the situation. The people behind the scenes who were desperate to tear down Sion Lee's soaring success. Come to think of it, there were conspiracy theories in his past life that Michael Jackson had also been brought down by the attacks of such forces.

It might not be entirely baseless.

In any case, now was the time to keep showing them. To the public, and to those who wished to control that public. Exactly what kind of actor Sion Lee was.

Ultimately, Harvey Weinstein's camp concluded that they should "do nothing." They realized that continuously publishing articles to undermine the prestige of the Berlin International Film Festival would only amplify public interest. Instead, they settled for a single rebuttal to blunt the initial momentum, followed by releasing several scandals to control the news cycle—incidents they had known about but kept hidden for just such an occasion.

And among those, the most effective was always a Hollywood dating scandal.

However, all of this was nothing more than a temporary band-aid on a gaping wound.

Cruise & Wagner Productions, which had been waiting with bated breath until the award was secured, launched their "award marketing" campaign. They signed deals with theaters across the country to begin additional screenings. From that moment on, the box office numbers for Echos of a Family began to climb rapidly once again.

Ultimately, what the public craved was authority. As the film began to go viral, people naturally started questioning the situation.

"Wait, Echos of a Family isn't nominated for a single Oscar this year?"

"I don't get it. It was such a great movie."

"...Most of the nominees are period dramas. Did they deliberately stack it that way?"

Regardless of their internal solidarity, the Academy's authority was beginning to crack under pressure from the outside. Amidst this, the "Haribo Special Limited Edition" commercial, which had been shot in record time, was released, drawing massive attention.

Inside a movie theater. The theme song of Echos of a Family plays as the background music. The camera focuses on a man sitting in the audience, rummaging through a bag. It is Jack Nicholson.

[Do you really like those that much?]

Sion Lee walks over and sits down next to him.

[Of course I do. It's a Golden Bear.]

[A Golden Bear?]

Jack Nicholson pulls something out of the bag...

[Yeah, Goldbears.]

[Oh, I have one of those bears too.]

[But you can chew this one.]

The two of them begin eating the golden gummy bears. Chew, chew. A father and son's warm laughter is shared between their locked gazes. Then, the voiceover plays:

"..."

"..."

Watching the commercial on television, Elena and Dmitry were left utterly speechless.

"Bwahahaha! He really pulled it off! That's my future son-in-law!"

On the other hand, Olga Asimov, who had already grown accustomed to such antics while expanding her reach into television, burst into delighted laughter.

Haribo, whose position as the number one brand in the gummy market had been threatened since the 90s by the rise of gummy worms and sour candies, experienced one of its highest short-term sales spikes since entering the US market. It was all a side effect of the Golden Bear marketing campaign.

The news was beautifully packaged and reported on a massive scale, just like their win at the Berlin Film Festival. Naturally, the public became fully aware that Sion Lee had won a major award for Echos of a Family. While the Academy organizers' insides burned with anxiety, the image of the Golden Bear was naturally etched into the minds of the public.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited day finally arrived: March 21, 1999, the Academy Awards.

It was an unexpected result—one that was bound to stir up at least a bit of controversy. With Echos of a Family not even nominated, most had predicted that Saving Private Ryan would take the prize. In fact, the two films had split the awards in other categories. Yet, under those circumstances, Shakespeare in Love, heavily pushed by Harvey Weinstein, took home the night's most prestigious honor.

Wow, he really got greedy.

Watching the Academy Awards leisurely from home since he wasn't nominated for anything, Sion couldn't help but find it absurd. In his past life, this exact result had sparked massive controversy. Many had called it the year the Oscar campaign wars, instigated by Harvey Weinstein, truly began in earnest. On top of that, in this life, there was already a brewing controversy regarding Echos of a Family being snubbed... and yet they still pushed this through.

What a foolish choice. Though it's exactly what I wanted.

And just as Sion expected, reports began flooding in the very next day.

Headlines like these dominated the front pages of every newspaper, and some even published articles like this:

Naturally, people read these papers.

And some, seeing the advertisement printed right there, bought gummy bears for their children.

"Where is the Golden Bear...?"

"Don't tell me it's this slightly darker yellow gummy bear?"

"Looks like it."

Though quite a few were disappointed by the gummy bears that weren't perfectly "golden" due to "industry limitations," it was an undeniable fact that the campaign had successfully generated massive interest, even if it drew some playful complaints.

In any case, the focus of everyone following the situation converged on one question: What did the people at the center of this controversy think?

"Tom, could you give us a comment regarding the controversy surrounding this year's awards?"

"Uh... I'm in a bit of a hurry. I'm sorry."

Tom Hanks, one of Hollywood's finest actors and the star of Saving Private Ryan. Known as a rare straight-arrow in Hollywood who almost exclusively played wholesome roles, he naturally chose ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to hold his tongue regarding the controversy.

Denied a story from him, the reporters turned their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sights toward an actor who stood on the complete opposite end of the spectrum in more ways than one.

The poster boy for Hollywood troublemakers, and the lead actor of the film that had sparked the controversy in the first place: Sion Lee.

And when asked the same question, he responded like this:

"Well, I don't think it's really my place to say anything."

Cornered by reporters waiting outside his office, Sion started with a polite deflection. Then, wearing a troubled expression on his innocent, handsome face, he added one more thing.

"I mean, it's just a local film festival run by old people anyway, right? It's probably best if they spread the awards around as much as possible."

"..."

"..."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to my next appointment."

Sion slipped away with a subtle smirk. Watching him leave, the reporters couldn't help but think: We are so incredibly lucky to be alive in the same era as this absolute madman.