The Weight of the Law (5)
With the LA riots lawsuit finally wrapped up, it was already June before I knew it. Summer. Schindler's List was scheduled for September, so I had some free time in between. She hadn't met with me at all during that stretch. Thanks to that, I had a ton of stuff to handle, but the top priority was...
Final exams, obviously.
"Yep, another perfect score on the finals."
I returned to school, picked up my perfect-score test paper, and grinned. It had been almost a month since I'd worn my uniform instead of a suit, and it felt pretty good.
"As expected of our young lady. Studying just one day and pulling this off—you're amazing!"
Seo Ji-yeon clapped enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling. She'd placed in the top five school-wide herself, but it didn't feel like empty flattery. Hmm, that made it feel even better. Praise from someone exceptional always hits different.
"You worked hard too, Ji-yeon. Wasn't studying tough?"
"Huh? Ahaha, it's fine. No big deal."
Back in elementary school, Seo Ji-yeon had been bullied and her grades suffered. For ridiculous reasons like being pretty and nice... I have no idea what gave those kids the guts to mess with the daughter of a Daeha Group director. Anyway. After I kicked them all out of school, she could focus on studying, but her grades were still middling back then. That's the past, though. Now in middle school, her scores had skyrocketed—she must've put in real effort.
"It's all thanks to you, young lady. Makes it easy to keep my grades up. N-not that the other kids can't do it or anything. The school's system just suits me, I guess."
Seo Ji-yeon giggled and hugged me tight. I patted her head like you would a puppy, and her goofy smile widened.
She's so cute.
"Still, good job is good job. Hey, someone's over there calling herself a genius but scraping by at seventh place."
Seventh overall wasn't bad, but considering her brains and age, it was pretty low. I smirked as I said it, and Mai-ryeon, who was glued to the computer playing games, grumbled.
"...Who was it that made me work during exam week?"
"It was a fair trade. Don't like it? Don't use it."
I shrugged and pointed to one corner of the clubroom. We now had a pretty rare PC communications setup. Oh, and I covered all the communication fees.
"Sigh, relic of an era that's about to get crushed by the web..."
"But you're using it now, right?"
"...No choice."
In this era, PC communications was the only way to freely chat with others. Even I barely used the internet—imagine how little others did. Windows 95 hadn't even dropped yet.
With finals over, it was time to head back to the US, but... I glanced at Seo Ji-yeon. Last time without her had been kinda boring.
"Ji-yeon, what're you doing for summer break?"
"Uh... nothing planned, so more studying, I guess. Or anything you want me to do?"
I gave a wry smile at how naturally she offered to serve me.
I planned it this way, but it feels a bit off.
We were the same age, and her using formal speech didn't help. Not the healthiest dynamic, really. Great for building loyalty, though... Whatever. Not my problem. I gave her the choice, and she made it.
"It's summer—let's go on an overseas trip together. Oh, finals are done, so maybe round up the whole class and hit the beach?"
"Huh? Didn't you say you were busy, young lady?"
Busy, sure, but I couldn't miss summer. A legal excuse to check out swimsuits. Why did I always have to be the one wearing them?
And...
"It's taking a bit longer than expected. Spielberg wants to focus more on filming."
Seo Ji-yeon, who knew almost all my secrets but didn't realize the full picture, nodded.
"Ah, that scam thing? Wild. A big-shot director getting conned... Tsk tsk, gotta keep your wits about you."
Madoff's victims would feel so wronged hearing that.
"So, you in?"
The girl who'd made banks worldwide look like fools shook her head.
"Uh... break's fine, but right now's tough."
Hesitant words. I tilted my head.
"Why?"
She squeezed her eyes shut and said carefully,
"I could go, but... before we do, can I get Seo Taiji oppa's new album...?"
"..."
Oppa? Who's oppa? Same surname or something? (Not really.)
I crossed my arms and stared her down.
"Hey! Me or him? An album's that important?"
"Wh-what do you mean 'just an album'? Kids are obsessed these days..."
She shook her little head, grumbling.
"Fine, whatever, you boomer young lady... You only know trends for making money anyway."
What.
"..."
My arms trembled. I'd played it safe to avoid 20th-century fads, and now boomer?
As I stood there stunned, oblivious Mai-ryeon piped up from the side.
"So, what's a boomer?"
Pouting, I glared at Seo Ji-yeon.
"It's some word old uncles used back in the day."
After punishing the insolent Seo Ji-yeon by making her lick a Melona bar, I headed to the film club.
I need some healing...
I kicked the door open, and all eyes turned to me.
-What the?
-Whoa, the young lady's here.
-Crazy bitch? Man, Yoo Ha-yeon is stupid hot though...
True to one of the top clubs in school, the reaction was rowdy. Feeling smug, I waved to the crowd, basking in it. Then the vice president, with an awkward smile, calmed everyone down and asked casually,
"Oh? Young lady! Where've you been the last few months?"
I grinned.
*Flutter.*
"Just got back from Hollywood meeting Spielberg. Anyone wanna hear about the movie coming out next year?"
"...!"
Lee Seo-hye, the film club's vice president, gaped. That's more like it.
...
The young film club vice president diligently flipped through the script, translating English aloud. She tilted her head and said,
"One thing I'm curious about."
"Shoot."
"You said you met Spielberg. That you wanted to get close personally."
"Yeah. Even got his email."
"Whoa..."
She looked at me with envy, swallowed hard, and asked,
"Um, what was the director's expression like?"
Huh? It took a sec to parse.
"His expression? Obviously..."
Good...? Thinking back, he hadn't looked thrilled.
"Unlike you, young lady, my English sucks... Not sure if I translated right, but this feels kinda risky. Even just reading it feels heavy."
*Tap tap.*
Lee Seo-hye pointed at the page with her delicate finger. It was the background on the Holocaust, scrawled in angry, depressed handwriting from some unknown author.
...Ah. I realized what I'd missed.
Didn't consider his mental state.
Schindler's List is about the Nazi genocide of Jews. Spielberg hadn't lived it directly, but losing so many relatives would've scarred him.
...No wonder other directors turned it down. It was 1992—plenty of Holocaust survivors still alive, including directors who'd endured it. Hadn't thought of that.
"Hmm, if the movie hits big, won't that make it okay?"
Cautiously, I figured it'd be tough but survivable. He'd been fine in my past life, after all. Sure, I'd trashed him as a noob gamer watching Ready Player One, but I didn't want him dying from depression.
"Not everyone's as tough as you, young lady. My dad loves it when his movies flop—er, succeed—but sometimes he drinks regardless."
Couldn't tell her Korean filmmakers barely pay directors. Seo Ji-yeon or Lee Si-hyun would've said,
-"You'd jump out of bed for money, young lady, but Spielberg doesn't love it that much."
A bit harsh, but fair. Money's great in heaps, but not everything.
Ah.
I realized something and groaned inwardly. Right. Money isn't everything. My life revolved around it so much I'd almost forgotten. Gotta see from others' views. And for Spielberg, movies were probably paramount. Maybe. In that case... I could squeeze a bit more. If I helped him make a masterpiece, he'd barely notice some extra cash taken.
Close call on a big mistake.
Good people who consider others get blessed, after all.
"Donate all the Schindler's List earnings...?"
"Yeah, suggest setting up a foundation and investing it there. Might ease his guilt a ton."
"Ooh. Brilliant idea. Put it in Alpha Fund?"
"Nah, too obvious for us. There's a good guy on Wall Street—a respected Jewish ex-NASDAQ chairman with a stable-return fund."