Oscar vs. Sion Lee (3)
The Sion Lee on the television screen spoke without hesitation.
With that, Sion Lee stepped closer to the camera and blew a light kiss. He held eye contact with the lens for a few seconds, smirked, and turned away—a display that sent all of America into a frenzy.
It was inevitable. Americans had always highly valued a rebellious attitude when authority failed to do its job. Sion's current posture closely mirrored the pioneering spirit that could be called the national ethos of America.
The Academy, which was already facing heavy criticism due to previous controversies, was utterly humiliated. And the younger generation, in particular, became even more fanatical about Sion because of this incident.
"Whoa, holy shit! That is seriously badass...! Sion Lee!"
"So damn cool! He's basically risking his own neck to take on Hollywood!"
The sheer audacity of fearlessly fighting against Hollywood itself, the very entity that bestowed great authority upon the Academy Awards. Since youth is naturally inclined to rebel against authority, everyone had no choice but to cast their clean vote for Sion.
Sensing the extraordinary viral momentum, the broadcasting stations didn't sit idle either. The live show he appeared on was quoted repeatedly on television, spreading to many who hadn't watched it in real-time. It was covered not only on MTV but also on major news networks like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.
To that question, a film critic on air gave an answer that precisely pinpointed the current state of affairs.
The conflict between the old generation and the new. The message of love presented through the film had now transformed into a message of debate. It was proof that Sion's work, statements, and actions continued to captivate all of America.
And gradually, people began to respond.
Terry Semel, the president of Warner Bros., who had been watching the situation from a neutral stance, finally came to a conclusion after personally watching Sion's appearance on Total Request Live.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to give Sion Lee some backing.
He had a premonition that if public opinion continued to sour, the Bad Contract franchise would end with its second installment. However, by drawing massive favor from the younger demographic regarding his previously controversial remarks, Sion had flipped the atmosphere in a single stroke.
As a result, the industry's internal reaction was largely split into three camps: those who still insisted he should be banned, those who now defended Sion's position, and finally, those who, like himself, were calculating the gains and losses while testing the waters.
And the fact that he had completely overturned the industry's reaction—which until recently had been thick with demands for a 'ban'—was truly an incredible feat.
I wonder how things will play out.
In any case, one thing was certain.
Late at night, in front of Sion Lee's house.
"Oh, you're here?"
Seeing the homeowner emerge with a pair of gardening shears in hand, Frederic Patterson asked cautiously, "Uh... I didn't come to the wrong place, did I?"
"What?"
"I thought I got the time wrong. It looks like you were doing something terrifying."
To Frederic, who regarded Sion Lee as a terrifying demon king or some sort of incubus designed to tempt mortals, Sion lightly scratched his cheek and snipped the shears in the air.
"These are just for pruning."
"What? No, wait, do you actually do gardening?"
"Did you think I was lying? Just come on in."
Sion guided Frederic inside while keeping an eye on the surroundings. Frederic kept staring at him with suspicious eyes.
"...I was sure it was just a concept. You know, a gap-moe thing to make people fall for you."
"Gardening is a gap?"
"Yeah. You usually act like you sleep with three different women a day."
"..."
Sion stared at him, utterly speechless, but even a Hollywood actor is still a man. Getting excited as he spoke, Frederic, curious about the real life of the handsome and seemingly perfect Sion Lee, eagerly asked:
"Do you want to go hunting for girls together next time? You and me, we'd be the perfect combo."
...In a way, it was this very attitude that turned Sion into a demon king in front of him.
"Are you still doing stuff like that? You're definitely going to get talked about behind your back."
"But still... I just can't quit. Having a passionate night with a woman who's too drunk to realize who I am, and then seeing the look in her eyes the next morning when she realizes the guy she had a great time with is a massive Hollywood star! That's just thrilling...!"
There were more than one or two points Sion wanted to correct. Why did Frederic refer to himself as a 'massive star', and if he wanted a casual hookup, why didn't he just ask someone to set him up safely instead of going all the way to a club to meet strangers?
And above all, why was he saying this...
"Hello, Frederic."
"...Huh?"
...in front of Elena Asimov?
Granted, Sion hadn't mentioned she was already here.
"E-Elena?! Why are you...!"
Frederic's face drained of color as he stumbled backward. Elena, looking at him like a gulag warden staring at a frozen bell pepper, quickly averted her eyes as if she didn't even want to make eye contact.
"Sion invited me. But, um..."
Holding the book she had been reading in one hand, she pushed up her glasses and said, "So that's how male actors play. I learned something new."
"Leave me out of this, El."
"It's fine. Feel free to talk. ...I'll finish reading this book until everyone else gathers."
Elena turned away, flipping open a thick hardcover volume. Frederic, pale as a ghost, looked back at Sion with the most innocent expression he could muster.
Sion, who had just been subjected to an unexpected misunderstanding by Elena because of this, quietly picked up the gardening shears.
"Would you like to help me prune some branches, Frederic?"
"O-Oh! That's exactly what I wanted to do! Sion!"
Even as he kept an eye on the living room where Elena had disappeared, his mouth didn't stop.
"Hey, man... how did Elena get even prettier? Are you two seriously dating?"
Snip. Snip, snip.
"Why did you call us here anyway?"
"...I thought we could have a meal together."
"A meal? Me? With you?"
For a moment, Frederic, unable to connect the meaning of the words, made a foolish face that didn't match his slightly rugged, handsome features. Sion shrugged and continued pruning.
"We've worked together for a long time."
"...You're not planning to suggest I switch agencies again, are you?"
"It's really nothing like that today."
"Or recommending me for a movie?"
"Zero business talk. Just, you know... it's nice to have a gathering like this once in a while."
Sion spoke with a slight blush, looking almost embarrassed. Watching him, Frederic thought:
Th-this bastard... is seriously, ridiculously handsome.
An appearance so beautiful it could make even him, a ten-thousand-percent heterosexual man, feel a momentary flutter. The contrast of Sion, who usually acted confident and masculine, showing such a different side came as a huge gap, making him realize it all over again.
Feeling a bit more relaxed due to that attitude, Frederic's mischievous side flared up again as he asked, "Are we actually friends?"
"No. Of course not. You and I can't be friends. Friends have to be on the same level, don't they? Given our lead roles and the difference in our status, a relationship like a prince and his servant seems more appropriate, don't you think?"
The moment Sion read his vibe, he instantly reverted to his arrogant brat mode, speaking with a smirk.
"............Gah."
Frederic feebly expressed his inner rage.
Some time passed...
"What's this, Sion Lee~? You've changed. You never used to do things like this."
Finally, the last member, Susan Hopkins, arrived at Sion's house.
"But this isn't bad. Since we're all actors, it's nice to get along, right?"
Laughing heartily, the brown-bobbed actress picked up a taco from the prepared food.
Sion had considered having a traditional American barbecue party in the backyard, but with paparazzi always watching the house like hawks, they settled for a quiet, LA-fusion style indoor meal.
A taco set Sion had asked Chloe to buy, along with a few dishes Elena had prepared at home after hearing about it beforehand. The young Hollywood actors devoured the food in the blink of an eye.
Taking a bite of a meat pie and chewing, Frederic looked around, feeling a bit unsatisfied.
"No wine?"
"I have it ready. Let's drink after we finish eating."
"Oh, is there cheese too?"
The atmosphere grew warm.
Elena Asimov, Frederic Patterson, Susan Hopkins.
These three were the people Sion considered to be of a 'similar age group' and 'completely on his side'. Elena was naturally a more personal relationship, while the other two felt like comrades who had shared joys and sorrows through various incidents during the year-long sitcom season shoot.
He had thought about inviting friends like Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Winslet, who were starting to approach that kind of relationship, but they had been busy with their respective projects ever since Titanic, and they weren't quite at the level of open closeness as these three yet.
They definitely have a strong sense of their own world and desire for success.
Just like him, they were talents who could become the central axes of a network. Still, he figured they would all be able to gather like this before long.
Feeling his emotions loosen up after a long time, Sion quietly focused on eating. However, being actors, the conversation naturally drifted to their work.
"Elena, I heard you're starting a new project? As the lead."
"Ah, yes. That's the plan."
"You're seriously amazing. Aren't you basically the next Meryl Streep candidate?"
"No, not at all. I still have a long way to go. It's just that the agency treats me well."
"...We're in the same agency, you know?"
Elena stammered slightly, still finding conversations with female peers her age a bit awkward. Meanwhile, Susan kept chatting away, heedless of her awkwardness.
Not bad.
Once the meal was over, everyone gathered around the living room sofa and began sipping the wine Sion had bought. Since they all knew a thing or two about wine, they chatted about it for a while, until Frederic suddenly spoke up with a serious expression.
"Sion, can I be honest with you?"
"It sounds ominous, so could you please not?"
"You're seriously amazing. Your way of thinking and your ability to take action are completely different from others. I can't help but admire that!"
"Frederic is an idiot, but I have to agree with him this time," Susan immediately chimed in. "Honestly, none of us could understand why we weren't even nominated."
"...Yes, Echos of a Family was a truly wonderful film." Elena quietly agreed.
"It's Harvey Weinstein's doing. Not even getting nominated is definitely his influence."
"Damn it, I thought shooting a good movie would solve everything, but look at this crap."
Muttering a complaint, Frederic raised his glass toward Sion.
"So, I think what you did was amazing. Someone like me would never have the guts to say those things, even if I knew."
"Shall we toast to Sion?"
"...Can everyone please leave my house right now?"
Surprisingly, Sion was acting uncharacteristically awkward today, failing to lead the atmosphere like he usually did on set. His friends giggled, noticing his slightly relaxed demeanor.
Watching this scene with a gentle smile, Elena thought it wasn't a bad thing at all for Sion to be in a good, comfortable mood. He was someone who was busy every single day and caught up in all sorts of chaos, rarely having time to properly rest like this.
"To Sion, cheers."
It was a nice dinner gathering.
In fact, looking at the lingering warmth he felt now, he wondered if he even needed to go hanging around clubs anymore.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm..."
Returning to his house slightly tipsy, Frederic hummed a tune continuously.
"Man, could this be... the birth of an actor group that will rule Hollywood in the future?"
He thought it wouldn't be bad if this gathering continued in its current dynamic and ended up that way. But at the same time, a few concerns crossed his mind.
"Damn it."
After cracking open a can of beer from the fridge and taking a sip, Frederic muttered grumpily, "Isn't everyone doing way too well?"
Sion Lee went without saying. In June, the sequel to Bad Contract, his main franchise movie, was coming out, and he heard he had already been cast as the lead in another film.
...In the first place, their relationship was like a bell pepper and a steak; he had never even dreamed of competing with him, so that didn't matter.
But Elena too...
He wanted to strangle his past self for ever thinking of making a move on her. She was a prime candidate to be the next empress of Hollywood. While mainly appearing in artistic, performance-driven works, she had also been cast as the lead in Star Wars, which was practically considered an American myth. And that project was currently in the middle of a massive advertising campaign.
...And even Susan.
He heard that Susan Hopkins, perhaps thanks to her acting in Echos of a Family, had been cast as the lead in a newly produced film, and all sorts of commercial offers were pouring in for her.
Yet, he felt like he was still standing in the same place, just as he always had.
"Whew."
...Nothing to do but work harder.
As he took another sip of beer with that thought, the phone suddenly rang.
"...Hello, this is Frederic."
Setting down the beer can, Frederic answered the phone without much thought. It was a call from his agency.
"Frederic, the opportunity to truly soar has finally come to you."
"It's Miramax. Harvey Weinstein wants to cast you as the lead."
And with that, he heard a proposal that threw his mind into utter chaos.