Chapter 39
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: A Lavish Korean Meal
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Wow.
Is this really a restaurant?
Holding my mothers hand, I entered the Korean restaurant Jessica had recommended.
Jessica, who had come out of the practice room with us, said shed bring her guest and head to the restaurant separately.
And so, wed arrived at the place Jessica told us about...
But the exterior of the restaurant was anything but ordinary.
Lets go in first, Mom.
Okay.
Right in the heart of downtown Seoul stood a massive tiled-roof house straight out of a historical drama.
With a cozy creak, the large wooden door swung open.
Do you have a reservation?
Yes. Jessica Brown.
This way, please.
An employee dressed in strangely elegant hanbok led us to a private annex.
As we opened the door and stepped inside, Jessica and a certain American man greeted us.
Oh, Siu!
Youre here. Come on in. Hello, Sius mom.
Jessica spotted my mother and greeted her in awkward Korean.
Over the past few months, as Mom had been coming and going to the practice room with me, the two had met several times, so it wasnt all that awkward.
This place is amazing.
The food here is delicious too. You can look forward to it.
I diligently interpreted between Jessica and my mother.
Meanwhile, a brown-haired, brown-eyed man was staring straight at me.
He appeared to be in his early forties, gazing piercingly at me with a faint smile.
Jessica, whos this?
Feeling burdened by his gaze as I was about to say something to my mother, I called out to Jessica in English.
Jessica turned to the man and introduced him to me.
Oh, right. Siu, this is Lucas Miller, the standing director at Rainbow Pictures. And Lucas, this is the Han Siu youve been dying to meet. And next to him is Sius mother.
Nice to meet you. Ive been eager to see you. A mother with such a talented actor for a son.
Lucas introduced himself slowly in short, simple English.
He must have heard from Jessica that I spoke English, but he was clearly being considerate of a six-year-old like me.
From his warm, gentle smile and polite bow to me and my mother, I could tell right away he was a good person with fine manners.
I beamed back at the courtesy in his English.
Mom, he says hes a big shot from Rainbow Pictures. Hes happy to meet us.
Wow, really? Tell him Im happy to meet him too. Oh, and thank you for inviting us.
I faithfully relayed my mothers words.
Lucas placed a hand over his heart as if it were the most natural thing.
Im thrilled to meet you like this. Its an honor for both me and your mother.
At my fluent English, Lucass eyes widened in surprise.
Im the one who begged to meet Siu, so of course. Jessica said the food here is fantastic, so Im looking forward to it too.
As we exchanged brief greetings, the sliding door to the annex opened, and in came a massive table laden with food.
Atop it was a feast of colorful Korean dishes filling the entire surface.
Wow, so this is the Korean food Ive heard so much about.
Yeah. Everything here is delicious, so youll be satisfied no matter what you try.
Then lets dig in.
The four of us exclaimed in admiration and began the meal.
Siu, try this too. This place has a lot of authentic Korean dishes. Even Ive never had food like this before.
Mm! Delicious.
With my mouth full, I eagerly accepted the skewers and mackerel fillets my mother placed over my rice bowl.
Lucas watched us fondly, carefully noting the side dishes my mother ate and trying them himself.
Siu, hows the food?
Of course, Jessica. Theres so much here Ive never tried before.
As I answered Jessica smoothly, Lucas paused mid-spoonful of soup and said,
By the way, Siu, your English is even more impressive than Id heard. To think you handle proper British pronunciation so well.
You flatter me.
Haha, Siu, do you know the staff back at Rainbow Pictures headquarters are all dying to meet you?
Really?
This was new information.
Did that mean the people who made the original play already knew about my acting?
After Jessica showed me a teaser video, I couldnt hold back my curiosity. I rushed to Korea and caught the Sunday performance. The moment I told them, everyone was jealous.
Then Lucas went on at length about how shocked and impressed hed been by my performance.
My mother wore a weary expression at his endless rapid-fire English.
It was too much to interpret on the spot, so I promised her Id fill her in at home later.
Thats an honor. Id love to meet the people who made such an amazing show too.
Oh... Our headquarters staff would cry tears of joy hearing that. And the more I listen, the more incredible your pronunciation is. With your acting skills, youd be great at dubbing too.
Oh ho, Lucas. Thats not a bad idea.
Dubbing?
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term, and an excited Jessica jumped in to explain.
You know Rainbow Pictures specializes in animation production, right? Its the work of voicing the characters in the footage. You record the lines while watching the video.
Wow, that sounds fun. I dont know much about animation, so Im not sure if Id be any help.
It was a whole new world of acting.
Seeing my interest, Lucas seized the opportunity.
Really? You dont like animation much?
Hmm, I watched a few episodes of the Korean penguin cartoon Pengpeng when I was little. But thats about it.
Sigh, thinking of Pengpeng brought back the shock of my first time seeing TV.
Unlike dramas or movies, it featured cute characters telling lively stories.
The protagonists line, Its playtime! shouted every episode, was still the best.
Truth be told, I was obsessed with that Pengpeng guy for a whole month.
I spent all day glued to it, out of my mind.
Why was I like that as a kid?
Coming back in a childs body made Pengpeng that much fun.
Of course, Im over Pengpeng now.
Absolute top secret from Sung Ji-hoon and the kids.
Oh, really? When you were little, Siu.
Youre six, and little means even younger, so we feel ancient.
Lucas and Jessica exchanged glances and laughed at my words.
Pengpeng was a really great animation. It had a clear message, and the protagonists grit in expressing it was something to see.
Recalling Pengpeng after so long made my heart race.
I must have spoken with unexpected passion.
Lucas gave a peculiar smile and said,
Ive heard of Koreas Pengpeng too. I even watched a few episodes with headquarters staff. Siu, you said you dont know animation, but you know it pretty well.
Haha, do I?
Maybe I could ask you to do some dubbing later.
Siu could handle it, no problem.
Even the thrilled Jessica chimed in.
But acting with just your voice...
I tilted my head, not quite grasping it yet.
Hmm, but it doesnt sound easy. You have to match the timing, and the pronunciation changes with the characters expressions... So low freedom but requiring top-level acting skills?
Haha. You say you dont know, but you nailed the essence of dubbing right away. I want to introduce you to our young voice actors at headquarters.
Hold on, Lucas. Sius performing with me right now.
Jessica staked her claim on me as Lucas licked his chops.
I burst into giggles at that.
What? What happened?
Oh, just now Jessica...
I gave my mother a quick rundown of the exchange.
The four of us chatted amiably and finished the meal enjoyably.
Wow, Korean food is really filling. Siu, Im so glad I got to see you today. Lets meet again soon.
Yeah, I had a great time too, Lucas.
He nodded at my mature response, then grinned and joked,
I came to get chummy with our star actor in advancelooks like mission accomplished, right?
I grinned back, holding up my thumb and index finger slightly apart.
A little bit?
February 10th.
Snow poured from the sky as if it were fate, just like on the first performance day.
Gazing out the window at the darkening sky, it felt like heaven was blessing the beginning and end of our show.
Siu, come here a sec. Let me check your hair one last time.
Yes!
Today was the final performance of the long-running RUN.
To mark the finale, the stage was filled with even more dazzling props.
So, Jessica said its okay to handle this scene like this today.
That sounds fun. I get to rest more backstage, so I like it.
Grandma, you say that, but arent you the one ad-libbing more than me today?
Maybe. But Siu, youre six now, right?
Yes!
In the waiting room, I sat side by side with Noh Younghee on the sofa, waiting.
To commemorate the last show, Jessica had given the actors more freedom than usual.
So, Id prepared something special to add, and I was chattering about it.
By the way, Siu, your pronunciation has improved beyond recognition. At the start of the run, you had a bit of a lisp here and there, but now its almost gone.
Heehee. I practiced really, really hard!
Good, good. Your lines were always clear, but this is impressive.
Noh Younghee gently stroked my hair as she spoke.
She barely wore makeup herself, but with the stage looming, her touch was extra careful.
Kids really do grow up so fast.
Wow, Grandma. That sounded just like my real grandma.
Did it? I am Johnnys real grandma.
Heehee, yes. My grandma.
I snuggled right into Noh Younghees arms.
She hugged me tight, as if finding me adorable.
Not quite like my mothers, but incredibly warm and cozy.
I wondered if she knew how rarely I initiated a hug with anyone else.
This was reserved for truly special people.
Over two months of performances, Id grown incredibly close to the leads.
Maybe because I was a lead this time, not a minor role.
Spending so much time on stage together made us feel like family.
I cant believe todays the last show.
Yeah, me too. Weve done so many, but this one feels especially short.
Noh Younghee responded bitterly to my sullen words.
Hearing that made me feel betterthis regret wasnt just mine.
Time flies faster as you age.
From her warm gaze alone, I could feel how precious these past months had been for her.
With this bittersweet feeling, I had to send off Jonathan properly today.
Standby, please!
No sooner had I resolved than the waiting room door opened to a staff shout.
Staff voices echoed down the hall, calling actors from each room.
I stood first and offered my hand to Noh Younghee.
Like a noble escorting a lady to a ball.
She burst out laughing at my dainty gesture.
Shall we, Lady Bella?
Lets, Johnny.
Hand in hand, the two of us left the waiting room for the final performance.