Not My Type (2)

A week had passed since the release of the romantic comedy film Not My Type.

"..."

"..."

On a leisurely afternoon, inside a conference room at New Line Cinema.

Centered around Keenen Ivory Wayans, the core figures responsible for the production of this film had gathered.

The film's first-week box office performance was... well beyond expectations.

Fifteen million dollars.

Number one at the box office in its opening week.

For a romantic "comedy" genre, it was an overwhelmingly massive success—almost incomprehensibly so. This was especially true considering that March was typically a slow month for movies.

"Star power really is something else," one staff member remarked, sounding utterly dumbfounded.

Another staff member chimed in. "Even though the movie itself was well-made with a pretty mainstream feel, I never expected this level of positive reception."

"...Indeed."

After a few more exchanges, Keenen spoke up to draw a conclusion.

"That's true. 'Star power' played a huge role. The two leads truly unlocked the absolute maximum potential of this film."

In terms of subject matter alone, Not My Type wasn't a completely mainstream comedy. A superstar and a single mother. Although it drew on themes of high social interest at the time, no one had initially thought it was a guaranteed hit.

However, Sion Lee and Olga Asimov took that premise and, through their script interpretation, ad-libs, and overwhelming acting prowess, crafted a wonderful film that made people laugh heartily while also drawing them deep into the story.

"Perhaps thanks to their acting guidance, even the child actor did incredibly well."

The child actor, who could have easily been relegated to a mere narrative plot device to connect the two leads, delivered a stellar performance. As a result, the film became a heartwarming, hilarious, and deeply touching experience that any American living in 1995 could thoroughly enjoy.

"It's even more meaningful because it's a film with social relevance at this point in time."

That was precisely why most comedy films ultimately dealt with the theme of "returning to family." Even if it wasn't overly preachy, it was the kind of movie that left you with a warm feeling in your chest after watching it.

Keenen, who had thrown his hat into the ring of white-dominated comedy films, had made sure from the very beginning that Not My Type would fit that exact definition.

"Above all, it's genuinely funny."

The production company had designed a modest plan and maintained an appropriate level of production quality to ensure a "low-risk, medium-return" comedy. By casting the hottest young handsome actor and a seasoned veteran, they achieved the optimal result.

It was different from a typical Hollywood blockbuster, yet it fully capitalized on the rational strengths of the "Hollywood" system. It was a film faithful to the comedy genre without any glaring flaws. Since the participating actors were highly famous, the media also covered it favorably.

Not only was the media making a fuss, but the reactions ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the audience who watched the movie during its opening week were also highly positive.

A heartwarming film that anyone could easily enjoy, Not My Type. The movie, where Sion Lee cast aside his handsome image to shine, began with...

"Ken! Look over here, please!"

"The fans want you!"

It felt like a scene straight out of real life. An opening that kicked off frantically, as if to say, 'This is the life of a star.'

Flash, flash, flash. A barrage of camera flashes erupted as a man stepped out of a luxury limousine and slowly walked down the red carpet. As he walked among the fans and reporters with a bright smile, the surrounding crowd began to ride the wave of a Hollywood superstar's life to the beat of RUN DMC's music.

"Oh, Ken. Good evening."

Enjoying champagne with people at a party.

"Ken! You were truly impressive in this movie as well!"

Answering questions people were curious about on a talk show.

"I love you, Ken!"

"You really are the best model."

At other times, he shook hands at fan signings and met with sponsors to try on new clothes. Because the actor playing the role was Sion Lee, it felt all the more realistic. Thus, Not My Type began in earnest, firmly establishing that the protagonist, "Ken," played by Sion, was an immense superstar.

"Ugh... Blegh!"

Ken was dry-heaving violently over a toilet. As he tried to sit up, crack! He slammed his head hard against a cabinet. All sorts of cosmetics came tumbling down. Groaning in pain, Ken tried to clean it up roughly before giving up and walking out of the bathroom.

A messy, chaotic house that was the exact opposite of a glamorous superstar's life. It vividly illustrated what kind of person Ken was. A superstar whose face was plastered on the city's largest billboard, but behind that facade lay a profound mental loneliness that anyone could imagine. A love story between such a man and a single mother was about to unfold.

'How will this turn out?'

'Wow, this is already intriguing.'

It was still 1995. An era where people still thoroughly enjoyed variations of the Cinderella story, which would be deemed cliché in the future.

Soon, the screen transitioned to show a house. A house quite large for a mother and son, but very worn down. Karen always lived her life rushed for time. A single mother juggling a freelance schedule of cleaning, organizing, catering, and babysitting, with a part-time job at a grocery store as her base. Unfortunately, since there was no one to watch her son today, they drove together to the contracted house.

"I like being with Mom the best!"

"Tommy. You're going to stay quiet and not cause any trouble, right?"

"Aw, when have I ever caused trouble?"

"Well, that's true, but..."

A son who had grown up fast. Karen agreed with Tommy's boast, but through very subtle facial expressions, she conveyed her pride and pity for her son.

And just as the character introductions were wrapping up, the film emphasized that things were starting to go awry. The cleaning agency that had arranged today's job had given her the wrong address.

The sound of popcorn crunching. The movie slowly set up the situation. Standing in front of a massive mansion somewhere in Hollywood, the mother and son could not hide their bewilderment.

"Mom, are we really cleaning this huge house and only getting thirty dollars?"

"...U-Uh, that's strange. Are you sure?"

"How are we supposed to get inside?"

"They said the key is under the flowerpot right in front of the house... Oh! There it is! I guess this is the right house!"

To the accompaniment of whimsical music, the mother and son stepped inside.

"Pant, pant, pant...!"

"Whoa, Mom! It's a chihuahua!"

"A chihuahua... in the garden?"

"Can I play with him?!"

Untying the dog in the garden to let Tommy play with it, Karen stepped inside the house and gasped in horror at the state of it. It was one of the few indoor long-take shots in a comedy film that usually favored close-ups.

"...Either they haven't left the house in thirty years, or they're trying to hide a murder."

And all sorts of movie award trophies discovered throughout the house.

"Mom. This guy has movie trophies, but he doesn't have a sock drawer."

"Eek?! Tommy! I told you not to come inside!"

"He said he wanted to come in."

The short-haired chihuahua cradled in Tommy's arms panted as the boy smiled innocently. The audience began to chuckle. The combination of a child and an animal was the ultimate formula to melt hearts.

'This is good.'

'Now Ken is going to come back and they'll run into each other, right?'

Afterward, a cleaning montage rolled to upbeat old pop music. The mother and son opened the refrigerator together and gasped.

"Yikes... Shouldn't we file a missing person's report for this?"

"T-Tommy. Stay back."

While sweeping the floor, she found a pair of underwear.

"This guy is a movie star. But I guess he only heard people telling him to take a bow, not to pick up his clothes."

"...Give it here. I need to put it in the washing machine."

Then, the two discovered a worn-out doll.

"Huh? Unless he kidnapped a kid like me, does this belong to him?"

"T-Tommy! Why would you say something like that!"

As the house was cheerfully tidied up, the music took a dark turn, and the scene transitioned. The owner of the house, superstar Ken, had returned.

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

Seeing the tidy first floor, he tensed up. Spotting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠underwear draped over the sofa due to a lack of drying rack space, his Adam's apple bobbed in an exaggerated gulp. Turning pale, he hesitated before heading to the kitchen and grabbing a frying pan. Around this point, the audience began to laugh out loud. Since it was a comedy, the unspoken rule was that no one picked up a knife.

Cautiously heading toward the source of the noise, he misconstrued the mother and son's conversation, gasped, and finally appeared before them.

"What are you doing here!"

"Oh, h-hello...? Huh?"

Karen's eyes widened in surprise. If it had ended there, they could have just cleared up the misunderstanding. But as per the rules of comedy, the situation began to spiral out of control.

"Run, Mom!"

Tommy's panicked shout threw a wrench into the works. Screaming, Karen picked up Tommy and bolted. Tommy was still holding the chihuahua. And Ken gave chase.

Taking a wrong turn into a dead end in the kitchen, Karen was cornered. In her desperation, she shoved her son (and the chihuahua) halfway under the dining table. Confronting Ken, who had just caught up, she grabbed another frying pan nearby in terror, and they finally began to talk.

"W-Who are you!"

"Uh, uh. The cleaning...!"

"I didn't hire any cleaners! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠At least make your excuse believable, you perverted sasaeng fan!"

"Eek!"

Karen narrowly dodged the frying pan swung by Ken. It hit the corner, bounced back, and struck Ken square in the face. A trickle of blood ran from his nose.

"D-Did... did you just attack me?!"

"I-I didn't do anything! Who on earth are you?!"

"Bwahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

The two engaged in a comical chase reminiscent of Tom and Jerry. Ken tried various ways to subdue Karen but failed, only to end up getting thoroughly thrashed. He tripped, fell, and got hit on the head by a falling fruit basket.

'Wait, Sion Lee and Olga Asimov are acting like this?'

Everyone watching the movie couldn't help but think that. The audience in the theater roared with laughter at the well-choreographed comic action sequence. Just before it went too far, Karen's mature son stepped in to mediate.

"Mom! This guy is the homeowner!"

"Huh...?"

"Y-Your son?"

"Of course he's my son... Oh, I-I'm so sorry. I didn't have anyone to watch him while I worked..."

"You're a sasaeng fan who even brought her son?!"

"I'm not a sasaeng fan!"

And so, their connection began. Somehow, the misunderstanding was resolved, and Karen prepared to head home. After treating Ken's wound, she advised him, "It's better to keep chihuahuas indoors." Left alone in a house that was much cleaner than in the opening sequence, Ken let out a long sigh as he watched the chihuahua deliberately urinate on the rug. Then, he walked into the kitchen and began to eat the soup Karen had made. All of this unfolded to a very gentle and peaceful background track.

The next day, Ken's agent visited and threw a fit, saying they should formally press charges, but Ken brushed it off as no big deal. On the other hand, Karen, having been told by the cleaning agency that "this could become a major issue" in an attempt to shift blame, was terrified. She visited Ken's house carrying ingredients to properly apologize. However, lacking the courage to even ring the doorbell, she hovered anxiously outside, only to run into him just as he was leaving.

"Oh?"

"H-Hello. About yesterday, I'm really..."

"Just come inside. If I talk to you in front of the house like this, the paparazzi will take photos and make up rumors about me being involved with a sasaeng."

The two went inside and formally introduced themselves. As Karen apologized once again for the previous day, Ken got straight to the point and asked her to make the soup he had eaten yesterday, easing the tension. After a brief montage of daily life, the two began to understand each other. Karen was a single mother with a child, struggling with reality and various problems. On the other hand, Ken, despite being a superstar, was like a child. He didn't know how to take care of household chores and, unable to trust others, didn't even keep a live-in housekeeper. The two cleared up their misunderstandings and reconciled. And just when it seemed their connection would end there, it restarted in a completely different place.

"...Oh?"

Ken spotted Tommy visiting the filming set. Tommy, who played the comic relief, was a young boy who "acted mature" while staying strong despite his difficult family circumstances. Stripping away his superstar persona, Ken's clumsy interactions with Tommy on an almost equal level brought a bittersweet smile to the audience. Thus, Ken, who usually "acted like an adult" in front of others, became good friends with Tommy, and the two returned to Karen's house together.

"...K-Ken? Why are you here?"

"I promised to play a game with Tommy."

"Mom, play Monopoly with us!"

"No. After dinner."

"...*Gulp*."

"*Gulp*?"

Ken swallowed hard with slight exaggeration, as if that had been his goal all along. By now, the story had reached its midpoint, and heartwarming yet hilarious scenes began to unfold on screen.

"Alright, yes!!"

Ken cheered after taking over every single property in Monopoly. When Tommy looked on the verge of tears, Ken panicked and apologized sincerely—and in a grand, superstar-like tone at that. When an awkwardly sad track played in the background, the audience snickered. And when Karen, watching quietly from behind, muttered, "I can't tell who the kid is," bursts of laughter erupted throughout the theater.

Sion, literally throwing his body into the performance with that handsome face of his.

'At first, I thought it was only going to be chemistry between him and Olga, but that wasn't it!'

'The child actor playing Tommy is no joke either! He's making the protagonist stand out so well!'

While everyone across America was enjoying the movie with a joyful heart...

On a yacht floating in the sea about a kilometer away from the California coast.

"Phew."

Sion, wearing swim trunks, took a sip of cola from a glass filled with ice. He was lying on a sunbed, thoroughly enjoying his rest. Of course, there was no such thing as ordinary rest for a Hollywood superstar. In the grand scheme of things, it was all "part of the job." Therefore, eight-year-old child actor Leo Walker, well aware of why he had been invited to this space, still hovered hesitantly despite the vacation atmosphere. Seeing him, Sion spoke in a relaxed tone to ease his tension.

"Leo. You have talent. Keep up the hard work."

"T-Thank you! Sion!"

At this timing, just as Not My Type was starting to screen across America, Sion had intentionally invited Leo to this spot to create "material" to keep the box office momentum going. Of course, the fact that Leo's parents were currently separated due to the appearance fees their son had earned was also a factor considered in the invitation, but it wasn't a major issue. Leo Walker was a precocious kid, just like in the movie. The problem was that he was still a kid.

"Make sure to take some Pain Walker merchandise when you leave later."

"R-Really?! I... I mean, my friends absolutely love Pain Walker."

"That's not for kids. How did you even watch it?"

"Kids these days know everything."

Leo mimicked pushing up a pair of non-existent glasses. As Sion patted the cute child actor's head, a group emerged from the inside of the yacht.

"Elena. You brought the oil, right?"

"Ah, yes. I have it here."

"Ask Sion to apply it for you."

"...Mother?"

Elena, clad in a bikini, widened her eyes in surprise. Beside her was Olga, wearing a one-piece swimsuit that looked like she could swim in the frozen waters of Siberia without a care. Standing at the stern of the boat, Dmitry, in an Aloha shirt, was grinning from ear to ear at the prospect of fishing. It was quite an impressive sight. Including Leo's mother, it was a family vacation for the cast of Not My Type, totaling six people.

'So, I should hang around for a bit and make sure we get photographed.'

Sion anticipated that this would undoubtedly make for a great press story.