Beef Feast Bliss and a Cannes Surprise
Me too? Delicious things were always right. Pork belly was like that, beef was like that. Meats never disappointed me. On the contrary, they always satisfied me. So this beef party was a very good thing for me too.
But Dad was pacing around. Because there were only two seats left. The barbecue restaurant had a rule. Only four people per table. Considering the table size and all sorts of things, sitting more than four per table wasn't efficient and left no space. But I didn't care about that. It was best to enjoy it together with Mom and Dad. I ended up using my authority.
"Mom, Dad, sit down!"
I seated Mom and Dad at the table with Director Manjae and Grandpa Sungmin. The staff might find these two a little intimidating. In big company terms, it was like regular employees or assistant managers sitting among the executives. Whether by position or age, they were way above. But we didn't care. To Mom and Dad, the director and the writer were just the grandpa next door. They weren't subordinates, and there was no need to watch their reactions.
It was like reservists seeing a general. When you're active duty, seeing a general makes your body tremble and cold sweat pour out, but as a reservist, you just think, Who's this grandpa? No matter how impressive the general was, they couldn't touch reservists. Reservists were civilians. Sure, you become a soldier during training, but trying to pin you down for that carried way too much risk. So there was absolutely no problem with Mom and Dad sitting there.
I looked at the table where the four of them were seated. I deployed a strategy only a little kid could pull off.
"Yup!"
I plopped right into Mom's lap. It was possible thanks to my tiny frame. And no one thought it was weird. Even in middle school, if you sat in your mom's lap eating meat, people would give you strange looks. But at my current age—first grade in elementary school—it was the age where people would just go, Aww, how cute! An age where it made perfect sense.
And right now, floor seating was all the rage at restaurants. Sitting on the floor to eat. In my day, floor seating had mostly vanished, replaced by chairs. Chairs were just more comfortable. Sitting on the floor too long made your back ache and your legs cramp. None of that with chairs.
"Hello, grandpas!"
I greeted them cheerfully with a big smile. The grandpas returned my greeting with happy laughs.
"Hehe! Sora looks so happy!"
"Eat lots, okay?"
The age gap between me and the directors was over forty years. It was a difference that totally made sense to call them grandpas. After all, I'd have to live more than forty more years to reach their age.
Mom and Dad gave slight bows too.
"We'll eat well, Directors!"
"Enjoy!"
In response to Mom and Dad's greetings, the director waved his hand.
"Eat up and enjoy."
They were still using formal speech with Mom and Dad. With me, they were completely casual, but maybe because Mom and Dad were adults.
Out of habit, I grabbed the tongs and scissors. A habit from my day labor days. Labor sites didn't attract young folks. The youngest were in their forties, with fifties, sixties, and even seventies. So I'd grilled more meat than I could count. At company dinners, there was never anyone younger than me. And in Korea, the youngest always did the grilling.
But seeing me do that, Mom said,
"Sora! Mom will grill for you!"
"Ah!"
Mom snatched the tongs and scissors from me. I looked at her, and she stroked my head.
"Do you want to grill the meat that badly, Sora? When you grow up, grill for Mom and Dad, okay?"
"Honey, give me the scissors and tongs."
"No way! I'll do it."
"Hey!"
Mom and Dad were bickering over who would grill the meat. The grandpas watched with warm smiles. Was it a young couple's lovers' quarrel? Or caring for each other? They were witnessing it firsthand.
But I was different. My stomach let out a loud gurgle. I looked at Mom and Dad.
"Hurry up and grill the meat! No more arguing!"
If I didn't say it that strongly, their fight seemed like it would go on forever. Hearing me, Mom and Dad hurriedly started grilling. The tongs and scissors were in Dad's hands now.
Sizzle, sizzle—
The beef hit the grill, making a delicious sound. My mouth watered automatically. I'd skipped dinner for this dinner party. Of course my stomach was growling.
"That parasite..."
"Sora's just too talented..."
The directors' praise continued. I'd written such an outstanding script that we'd been invited to Cannes... A blessed talent... They went on and on. I just nodded vaguely, eyes fixed on the beef. After turning into a child's body, my impulses were hard to control. I had a rough idea why. My body was still so young, creating a disconnect with my mind.
"Sora, eat up!"
Dad put some meat on my plate. I gazed at the tender, appetizing beef. Picking up my chopsticks, I lifted a piece, dunked it in the sauce, and popped it straight into my mouth. The nutty, salty sauce blended perfectly with the clean flavor of the beef, filling my mouth. I broke into a happy smile. Seeing me, Mom and Dad burst out laughing.
"Tasty, Sora? You're smiling so happily!"
"My baby girl~ Mom's sorry she couldn't feed you yummy stuff more often!"
I shook my head side to side. There were only days of stuffing myself with delicious things ahead.
Mom and Dad thoughtfully took care of the directors' portions too. Dad was handling all of us. The silver lining was that beef cooked faster than pork. Still, Dad barely had time to eat. I made a wrap for him.
"Sora! You made a wrap for Dad?"
"Yeah."
I nodded and fed it right into Dad's mouth. He chewed it with a blissful expression. Seeing him like that, I puffed out my chest proudly. The directors watched us and said,
"What a happy family."
"No wonder Sora turned out so well raised...!"
Just like that, the beef on the plate was gone. I had no idea how much we'd eaten, but it felt like quite a bit. Exaggerating a little, it seemed like more beef than I'd eaten since being born as Sora.
"Whew!"
I patted my belly. Just beef felt too greasy, so we ordered doenjang jjigae and rice too. Mixing rice into the spicy, hearty stew was perfection. With my hunger satisfied, my vision somehow felt clearer.
"But grandpas! When are you going to Cannes?"
"Hm? Next week."
"Really? Jealous! I've always wanted to go to France!"
Cannes was held in France. Top names from around the world gathered there. Think Olympics. And France was famous for tourism! Taking a photo with the Eiffel Tower was practically mandatory. Pretty sure everyone does it. A bucket list item you have to do in Paris.
But hearing that, the grandpas looked at me and said,
"Huh? Sora, you're going too, you know."
"Huh?"
I tilted my head. Me, going all of a sudden...? Me and the grandpas just exchanged awkward glances.
"Kyaa! France!"
Mom was making a huge fuss, thrilled. I couldn't hide my stunned expression either. The grandpas had said yesterday,
[Sora, you participated in the screenplay, right? No, it's not just participation—you basically did the whole thing.]
[If you're not going, who will?]
That's what they said. Movies and such comprehensive arts weren't usually written by one person alone. Multiple people collaborated. Assistant writers, I suppose. Writing solo meant feedback wasn't smooth. In my case, my name was listed alongside Grandpa Sungmin's.
That's right. I was officially part of the production crew, and my trip to France was confirmed.
"Thanks to Sora, I get to go to France~ This is amazing!"
Of course, I couldn't go overseas alone. It was settled that Mom would come with me.