Chapter 199: Hawaii
Flying across the Pacific aboard the 787 Dreamliner was a special experience.
After taking off from Incheon Airport, I showed Jo Soo-ah around the inside of the plane.
“This is the conference room.”
A table and chairs decorated with gold to suit the tastes of Middle Eastern tycoons.
“Do you work here?”
“No, but I have played PlayStation with Myeong-woo here before.”
I didn’t want to live holding meetings even on the plane.
Seeing that kind of thing in movies was satisfying enough.
Next to the conference room, I guided her to the bathroom with its fairly spacious bathtub.
“The bathroom facilities are nice.”
“Yeah. It’s well-stocked with bath bombs and bath products.”
Honestly, I wanted to take a bath with Jo Soo-ah on the plane, but I passed since the pilot and crew were around.
* * *
[CEO Kim Shin’s Private Jet Visits Incheon Airport]
[Why Did Call Sign Earth One Come to Korea?]
There had been a little news coverage about the visit to Incheon Airport, but it hadn’t blown up into a big story.
I could have flown straight back to San Francisco, but I didn’t want to.
“Shall we take a short break in Hawaii?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They say Hawaii is great in spring, summer, fall, and winter.”
“Then I’m all for it.”
Earth One changed its destination and landed at Honolulu International Airport.
This was Hawaii in December.
Amazed by the warm weather as we stepped onto the runway, airport staff arrived in a car.
“It really is CEO Kim Shin.”
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
“We’ll guide you.”
Thanks to the staff’s assistance, we breezed through immigration and exited the airport.
“We need to book a place to stay.”
“Yeah, we do.”
It was a trip with zero planning.
“Don’t worry. We can find lodging in no time.”
It was the world-famous tourist destination of Honolulu island, and more importantly, money wasn’t an issue.
I wasn’t the type to think money solved everything, but how hard could booking a place to stay be?
If push came to shove, I could buy the whole hotel.
“Just reserve the best room available.”
I opened the hotel app and sorted places on Waikiki Beach by highest price.
I usually avoided unnecessary spending, but this was with Jo Soo-ah.
“No need to go for somewhere too pricey.”
“It’s fine. It’s not a stretch.”
I booked a room at the Hilton with a great ocean view, then took the airport shuttle to the rental car agency.
Rented a standard mid-size Volkswagen.
The bodyguards could have handled the car and lodging, but there was a simple pleasure in doing it ourselves.
Upon arriving at the Hilton, we handed off the car to valet parking and checked in.
“You’re Korean. Kim Shin? Nice name. Lots of Kim Shins in Korea, huh?”
“Yeah, well...”
Kim Shin wasn’t super common, but it existed.
“Could I see your passport?”
The hotel staffer in traditional Hawaiian attire checked the passport and gasped in surprise.
“It’s really you, Kim Shin? I’m a huge fan!”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Could I get an autograph?”
It had a more free-spirited vibe than the top luxury hotels in New York or Los Angeles.
I signed for the staffer in her early twenties and explained to Jo Soo-ah.
“She said she’s my fan. That’s why I did it. Nothing else.”
“I know.”
The priciest suite overlooked Waikiki Beach from three sides.
It reminded me of the old days in my basement apartment, watching variety show contestants do missions just to get to Hawaii.
‘It was so much fun.’
In the midst of tiring part-time jobs and office life, variety shows had been like a breath of fresh air.
It might have seemed like just another run-of-the-mill program at the time, but looking back, I realized how great it was.
I had memories of spending a chunk of my life with those shows.
There were probably many others who missed it as much as I did.
―Kim Shin: Hello, Vice President Jeong Beom-tae. I have a favor to ask.
―Vice President Jeong Beom-tae: Yes, CEO. Go ahead.
―Kim Shin: You know Reckless Challenge, the old terrestrial broadcast?
―Vice President Jeong Beom-tae: I watched it ages ago.
―Kim Shin: I’d like to revive it. If the production team or cast opposes, no choice, but I’d love full support to make it happen.
―Vice President Jeong Beom-tae: I’ll stake my life on it.
There was no need to stake your life.
I was about to continue chatting with Vice President Jeong when Jo Soo-ah emerged from the bathroom in a robe. She had showered first.
After the long flight, bathing on the plane had felt too awkward.
“Soo-ah.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll shower quick. Just wait a sec.”
There was something far more urgent and important than chatting with Vice President Jeong or touring Hawaii.
* * *
Hawaii had long been part of my retirement dreams.
‘I always wanted to come here.’
I’d planned to live out my days in a resort paradise with perfect weather and stunning views.
That desire hadn’t changed a bit.
Managing Earth Resource and all its ventures was fun, but someday I wanted to step back and relax.
“Let’s grab dinner. It feels like a real vacation, so I’d rather eat out than hotel food. That okay?”
“As long as it’s with you, Oppa, I’m happy.”
We left the hotel late in the evening with Jo Soo-ah and wandered the streets.
We checked out nearby McDonald’s and restaurants before settling on a Japanese teppanyaki spot for dinner.
“Autograph, please.”
“Sure. The food was delicious.”
I hid my face with sunglasses and a mask on the street, but in the restaurant, I signed for those who recognized me.
“You’re famous everywhere.”
“Yeah. Lots of people know me.”
We strolled Waikiki Beach, taking in the night sea and cool breeze.
Laguna Beach near Los Angeles had its ocean too, but this felt somehow more special.
“Should we buy a house in Hawaii?”
“Hmm, that sounds nice.”
I wanted the best house Hawaii had to offer.
If nothing caught my eye, I’d just build one.
I could handle anything without second-guessing.
* * *
Dream Art Rainbow was insanely busy.
It was backing Earth Channel’s massive success and receiving enormous funding.
“Vice President, headcount for LA is over 2,000.”
“Make sure production crews, actors, and singers are all taken care of.”
The film, drama, and music teams were all participating in Earth Festival.
While coordinating with the airline for ten charter flights, a text came in from Kim Shin.
Jeong Beom-tae immediately summoned the Reckless Challenge production team.
The show that had ended four years ago.
Only Dream Art Rainbow could gather the star PD at its peak popularity, along with assistant PDs and writers, in one place.
“Back to the old format?”
The production team felt burdened about reviving a show they’d once shelved.
“We haven’t set a format. You could assemble a new cast for something even funnier, or continue the Reckless Challenge vibe. Dream Art Rainbow will provide maximum support.”
“We ran out of ideas, and viewer reactions turned harsh. By the end, the team and cast were burned out.”
“If the crew works hard to make it fun and the cast enjoys it, isn’t that enough?”
“It’s not that simple.”
The production team wouldn’t budge easily.
Jeong Beom-tae smiled.
“This is something the CEO is deeply interested in.”
“The CEO...”
“Kim Shin gave me direct instructions.”
In Korea’s broadcasting world, Kim Shin’s influence outpowered every network president combined.
As the saying went, the richest man since Dangun, wielding massive sway over all media.
“The CEO said if the production team or cast truly don’t want to, there’s nothing to be done. But if you do want to make it, spare no support.”
Coming straight from Kim Shin, “spare no support” carried real weight.
PD Kim Tae-oh asked.
“You mean even if we mobilize hundreds of extras for a special episode, you’ll back it?”
“Of course.”
“Even for car chases or totally absurd challenges requiring frequent overseas shoots?”
“Heh heh heh.”
Jeong Beom-tae let out a subtle chuckle.
“I noticed Reckless Challenge had episodes going to New York or Hawaii.”
“Yes, we aimed to give viewers a variety of thrills...”
“Seems you don’t fully grasp what the CEO means by ‘best support’ from Dream Art Rainbow.”
Truth be told, even Jeong Beom-tae wasn’t entirely sure.
There were no specific benchmarks. But with Dream Art Rainbow’s resources, anything feasible was fair game for support.
“We’ll provide charter flights for your shoots.”
“Charter flights?”
“Yes. Top hotels in New York are fine, and we’ll support filming anywhere via Dream Art Rainbow’s human and logistical networks.”
“But the costs...”
“Our company’s budget next year exceeds 3 trillion won.”
“What?”
To the naive, it was just a big number, but to broadcasting veterans, it was staggering.
Most terrestrial networks had modest annual revenues and ran deficits in the hundreds of billions, constantly trimming staff and production budgets to stay afloat.
“Reckless Challenge shoots often didn’t wrap in a single day, right?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Reckless Challenge was not built around weekly one-off shoots; filming often continued for days at a time.
Not every challenge succeeded, and both crew and cast busted their asses for the sake of entertaining TV.
“We’ll generously cover production costs, even for reshoots.”
It was support no broadcaster could match.
An offer the production team couldn’t refuse.
* * *
―Vacationing in Hawaii. At the airport, but looks like Earth One’s parked in the apron?
―For real?
―Plane with three horizontal blue stripes. That’s Earth One.
It started with someone posting on SNS.
Any Korean who’d seen the news knew Earth One’s silhouette.
―Yep, it’s Earth One.
―Checked a private jet tracker. LA → Incheon Airport → Hawaii.
Earth One drew enormous attention.
―Earth One that shuttled between San Francisco, LA, and Austin... why Hawaii?
―Kim Shin in Hawaii?
―Nah, it came from Incheon.
Private jets don’t have to carry the owner.
So it seemed like it’d fizzle as idle gossip.
―Student at Honolulu International School here. After classes, hit Waikiki Beach. Is that Kim Shin oppa over there?
―Don’t troll.
―For real!
The international student posted a photo of a guy in a white dress shirt and shorts.
―Legit? Sunglasses make it hard to tell.
―Bodyguards visible nearby.
―Just a newlywed couple strolling with his girlfriend?
―Kinda generic pic...
―Ocean looks gorgeous though.
Then the Kim Shin sightings flooded SNS.
―Late night at Japanese teppanyaki joint. Kim Shin hyung shows up. Wild!
―Seriously?
―Went up when recognized, got an autograph. Hit the golden bell—free for everyone!
―Kim Shin hyung’s really in Hawaii.
―Year-end vacation probably.
―Solo?
―With bodyguards... uh, there’s a companion... but bro code, lips sealed lololol
A photo of Kim Shin eating followed.
―Hawaii prices are nuts.
―Worried about celebs, chaebols, now even Kim Shin hyung?
―Next-level class worrying about the #1 richest guy lol
―Can’t stop picturing Kim Shin at a convenience store, debating a Kona coffee.