Chapter 78
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Arrival in London
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Ugh.
After enduring a flight of over twelve hours, we finally arrived at London Heathrow Airport.
Id returned to my longed-for hometown of London, but I had no time to bask in the emotion.
Siu, you okay?
Ugh.
They said Heathrow was the largest airport in the UK and the third busiest in the world
There were so many people.
In the crowd mixed with all sorts of races, I barely managed to stumble forward.
You took motion sickness meds, but they didnt help? Should we get another one?
How long until the hotel again?
Im f-fine much better than before.
You sure youre okay?
I waved off my worried mothers repeated questions and suggested we sit on that bench over there for a bit before going.
The two of them nodded eagerly at my words, and we sat down on the bench.
The problem was that Uncle had gotten excited about sitting by the window to watch the clouds on his first plane ride, saying thats what youre supposed to do.
I hadnt noticed in the car, but the plane shook so much that the motion sickness hit me hard.
On top of that, the plane climbed so high into the sky that the ground vanished from sight.
Watching it, I felt dizzy and collapsed into my seat.
Turns out I had a fear of heights.
In the end, I couldnt eat properly for the entire twelve hours and had to force my eyes shut even though I wasnt sleepy.
Thanks to that, even though I was back on solid ground in the UK after so long, I couldnt savor the moment.
My feet were on the ground now, so it felt a little better
But the floor seemed to be rocking.
Shall we go now? Isu-hyungs waiting.
You sure youre okay?
Want me to carry you?
Uncles offer tempted me for a second, but I shook my head.
I was about to reunite with Joey after so longI couldnt let him see me like this.
After sitting on the bench a while, the crowd seemed to have thinned a bit.
Being short still, it was suffocating in this sea of people with no clear view.
We hurried through immigration, and the three of us exited the gate.
Siu!
Hey! Isu!
Maybe it was being in England, but I called out to him in English naturally.
Joey grinned like hed seen a savior and welcomed me.
Thanks for coming, Isu-hyung.
Jessica wasnt here yet.
Realizing Uncle and Mom were with me, I switched to Korean.
Hey now, Siu. Thats what I should be saying. Of all times, she goes AWOL. Jessicas standards shot up because of you, making casting a nightmare.
Good thing I had time.
That was the sudden reason Jessica had summoned me to England.
After the Japan run, she was doing RUN here, but the child lead couldnt adjust and vanished.
With just over a month until opening, shed called me in a panic.
Yeah, right? Shall we go? Ill drive you to the hotel.
Thank you.
The three of us followed Joey out of the airport.
The gates went on forever, and Heathrow was notoriously hard to navigate.
We kept thanking our lucky stars that Joey had come to pick us up as we trailed behind him.
We needed a reliable actor right away Like thered be one in England. Couldnt pull the lead from the US run either.
Mustve been tough for you and Jessica.
Yeah. But its fine now. You came all the way to England.
Her desperate tone on the phone hadnt been my imagination.
Shed tried to play it cool, telling me not to feel burdened, but her urgency came through.
Still, it all worked out in the end.
It was Jessica asking, after all.
And since I was coming to England for the variety show anyway, doing a show here sounded fun.
Performing theater back in my old hometown felt nostalgic too.
Alright, is this all the luggage?
Yeah. Oh, Ill get it.
No way. You came all this way. Ill load it in the trunkhop in first.
Uncle tried to help, but Joey insisted.
Once hed loaded our familys bags, he got in the drivers seat and explained the schedule.
You probably know already, but our timelines tight. Its late, but we should at least introduce you to the troupe tonight and start rehearsals tomorrow.
No problem!
I shot my hand up at Joeys apologetic tone.
Uncle and Mom smiled at my cheerful response.
They seemed relieved to see me revived after looking so wilted from the motion sickness.
If Sius fine with it, we dont mind.
Yes, well drop you two off at the hotel we booked first. After intros, Ill bring Siu back too.
Thank you so much for being so thoughtful.
Mom spoke with genuine gratitude for Joeys consideration.
He shook his head vigorously.
No, no. Were the ones begging you. Sorry, Siu. Long flight mustve been rough.
Better to start practicing ASAP. Im curious about the British cast.
Haha, thats my Siu. Lets head out then.
We rode with Joey to the rehearsal space.
I rolled down the window with a whirr, letting the English wind hit my face.
The breeze blowing in was damp.
October in England was the same as ever.
After dropping Mom and Uncle at the hotel, Joey and I arrived at the massive building housing the rehearsal rooms.
As we entered, Joey checked his watch and scratched his forehead awkwardly.
Hmm, Jessicas still in meetings, I guess. Lots of back-and-forth with the British production lately.
Oh?
Yeah, but it should wrap soon. Theyve been in there almost two hours. Even Jessica cant torture them forever.
I swallowed a chuckle at Joey hamming it up, knowing her personality.
Heh. Shall we go in first?
Yeah. Greet the troupe, and Jessicall show up.
I followed Joey down the long hallway.
This would be the place Id visit endlessly from now on.
I glanced at the lounge, cafeteria, water cooler, and such facilities en route.
Heres the rehearsal room.
Joey flung the door open with his intro.
A large space appeared, similar to the one at the Korean Cultural Center in Gwanghwamun.
The differences? It was a bit bigger, and everyone inside was foreign.
The mostly white troupe members turned to us all at once as we entered.
You all heard, right? Our lead actors arrived from far-off Korea. Names Siu Han. Six years old this yearfive in British reckoning. Anyway, he wont disappoint. Plenty of experience and skill for his age.
Joey finished introducing me, but the reaction was lukewarm.
They seemed to know already, nodding reluctantly.
Haha, five years old? Even younger. Nice to meet you.
Skinnier than I thought. But isnt he too small? Does he even speak English?
What was with this vibe?
I thought they were rude, but plastered on a bright smile to introduce myself.
If not for the voice that suddenly cut in.
Five? Even so, fives too much. And a little Asian kid for a British show? Just cause his skins a bit pale doesnt make him white. Even Rainbow Pictures couldnt do better?
Gordon! Whats that supposed to mean? In front of the kid. Apologize now.
Joey, indignant as a fellow producer, demanded Gordon apologize.
But the guy just shrugged, no intention of backing down.
Im the dadmakes no sense for my son to be Asian, right? Does he even speak English? Man, Jessica chases off one kid crying, now brings an Asian so he wont understand the insults.
Some actors snickered at Gordons sarcasm.
Looks like Gordon wasnt the only one unhappy about me joining.
Gordon! Keep talking like that,
Its fine, Isu-hyung.
I deliberately spoke in Korean to stop him.
Gordon whistled at the sight, and the chucklers muttered about what language it was.
Time to shut that mouth.
It was my job, not Joeys.
Id watched them quietly, then faced Gordon and spoke.
You came from a cold place.
Perfect Received Pronunciation.
The aristocratic accent even nobles rarely use nowadays, emphasized on purpose.
I remembered Jessica and Lucas from Rainbow Pictures gaping when I used it beforethese days in England, almost no one spoke like that.
Wh-what how?
As expected.
Everyone, Gordon included, was stunned by my words.
Dunno. Dont think I need to explain that.
I continued fluently in English, and the whole room went silent as tombs.
With the situation calming, Joey rushed to say,
Sorry, Siu. I shouldve prevented this beforehand Gave you a bad first impression. My bad.
No need for you to apologize, Isu.
I glanced at Gordon, whod hurled insults at me, as I replied to Joey.
Then, looking at Gordonwhose prized pale face had turned beet redI added,
But Isu our dad Nixon isnt from Scotland, is he? This okay?
Nixon, the dad of my RUN role Jonathan.
Id tweaked the original setting of the aspiring American rocker.
My tone feigned real concern, making Gordons face burn even hotter.
Pfft-haha!
Hey, Gordon! You just got owned!
Everyone but Gordon burst into laughter.
Gordons accent had that distinct Scottish burr, so with his origins called out, he clamped his mouth shut, speechless.
He couldnt retort.
One word, and the Scottish twang would spill out.
Well have to ask Jessica seriously when she gets here. Right, Isu?
Joey barely held back laughter, turning his head away at my final line.
As time passed, Gordons face flushed purple with rage.
He looked ready to snap back.
Okay. Come on. Bring it.
Thats when
Siu!!
The rehearsal room door flew open, revealing Jessica beaming even wider.
