Chapter 94: Who’s the Wingman? (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 94: Who’s the Wingman? (1)
Lieutenant Colonel Viper possessed the exceptional piloting skills one would expect from a Top Gun ace.
However, the performance of the "workhorse" Super Hornet couldn't even come close to the extreme thrill I had personally extracted from the F-22 Cold—the literal embodiment of the future.
‘This is bad. I’m already addicted to the Cold...’
The Cold was a cheat code. It was too perfect.
Not only was the aircraft’s performance flawless, but the narrative surrounding it was equally compelling: only two prototypes existed in the world, and it had been abandoned by policymakers for being a "money-eating, over-specced monster."
If this were a person, wouldn't that be a perfect hero’s journey? Perhaps that was why my heart was racing like this.
‘No, you old rower. Don’t forget your roots are in the Navy.’
At any rate, after a bout of aerial maneuvers that felt somewhat dull and less exhilarating compared to the Cold, it was finally time to land.
“Elf, watch closely. See how a simulator landing differs from the real thing.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Since you’re the one who calmly and perfectly executed a barricade emergency landing during your first sim training, I doubt a standard live landing will surprise you much.”
Thud! Screeech!
The aircraft slammed onto the deck as if colliding with it, and the arresting hook snagged the cable, bringing the plane to a halt.
A significant amount of inertial pressure slammed into my body for a moment, but it felt like nothing more than a slight tickle.
“Elf, how was it? Can you handle it?”
“Yes, I’m fine. It was nothing.”
“As expected of a prepared sailor.”
“Ahaha...”
Once, my dad had asked me to sneak out and play with him without telling Mom.
Later, looking at my unsuspecting mother, I felt a pang of guilt—and that was exactly how I felt now.
Because I’d had a truly wonderful time playing with Dad.
Since we’d left Mom and my brother behind to have fun just the two of us, my conscience felt heavy. To this day, it remains our little secret.
Stepping out of the Hornet, I looked around the carrier deck and offered a silent apology.
‘Mama Ford, I’m sorry...’
*
It was only February, but I had already begun filming my solo scenes.
I was starting much earlier than any of the other actors.
The great thing about filming a pilot movie is that you can film the cockpit scenes alone.
Since I’m the only one in the rear seat of the cockpit anyway, I just have to act as if I’m communicating with the other actors, and they can stitch it all together in editing later.
‘This is the only way to save on filming time. Gotta move fast. Time is money.’
I worked hard, repeating sorties and landings, acting out most of the pilot scenes in the cockpit.
Lieutenant Colonel Viper turned out to be quite the natural; he even read the lines of the other characters for me to play off of.
Thanks to him, the acting was smooth.
Today, as we were returning to the carrier after finishing our aerial scenes...
“Elf, your pronunciation is quite interesting.”
“Oh, I only recently started studying English again. Is my accent very strange?”
“It’s not strange; it’s fascinating.”
“...?”
“British aristocratic? It has that kind of feel, but it’s even more elegant and dignified.”
“It’s probably because I learned Classical Latin. The pronunciation must have bled over.”
People naturally project mystery and value onto things they don't fully understand.
It’s like when you love a Billboard hit as a kid and sing along without knowing the lyrics, only for the mystery to shatter once you learn the translation.
“Do you think that kind of accent might diminish the vibe of an ace Navy pilot?”
An ace Navy pilot should have a bit of that unpredictable, "maverick" energy. If I sounded too elegant and dignified, it might be a problem...
“No, quite the opposite.”
“Pardon?”
“That shell of elegance, which seems more suited for the Air Force than the Navy—I’m looking forward to seeing how it looks on screen when it finally cracks to reveal your true nature.”
“Ah...”
“I still haven't forgotten the finale where you deployed your parachute and drifted alongside the AI pilot.”
That was basically just a "fountain dive" in League of Legends after you've already won the game.
You do it to break the enemies' mental state so they’re shaken for the next round.
Senseless mockery is just bragging, but if it’s a design for victory, it becomes "tactics."
‘Hmm, maybe I’m still stuck in my days as a Panokseon rower and don’t fully grasp the "maverick" sensibility of a modern carrier strike group.’
Anyway, today’s filming ended successfully!
‘Ugh, I don’t want to go home.’
It was always like this before.
It wasn't that I hated filming, and the atmosphere on set was always fun, but going home was always better.
However, this pilot shoot was different. I felt like I’d never encounter another set where I genuinely dreaded the end of the workday.
“Elf, we have night carrier landings scheduled for tomorrow. You’re looking forward to it, aren't you?”
“Yes! I can’t wait!”
The experience of piloting the Cold had left me with an unforgettable dopamine rush.
But I decided not to stay trapped in the past and instead enjoy the present.
I might never get to fly a Hornet myself, but life on the aircraft carrier provided me with an enchanting romance from dawn until dusk.
‘Can’t the Ford carrier strike group just make Jeju Island its home port and stay forever?’
*
In my private quarters.
In the cramped bathroom, Jang Ji-hye was struggling to wash the black coating agent out of my hair.
“This bathroom is so narrow, it’s uncomfortable.”
“It can’t be helped. No matter how big a carrier is, it’s still a ship. They have to save space. Ji-hye, let’s just stop applying the coating starting tomorrow. Just while we’re living on the carrier.”
“You’re just going to walk around with silver hair?”
“I can just say I dyed it for a change of pace. People have already seen it in the drama anyway.”
“The reaction will be great. To be honest, I prefer the Silver Elf look too.”
“I just feel like you’re working too hard, applying it every morning and washing it off every night.”
“Actually, the process of changing from black to silver and back again is so fun for me that I don’t really consider it hard work.”
“You really do have a Navy-style personality.”
After I finished my shower, Ji-hye dried my hair as she always did.
Come to think of it, at some point, I’d started letting her handle everything without lifting a finger.
Even clipping my fingernails and toenails.
‘If anyone saw this, they’d think Ji-hye was my slave.’
“Yu-jin, you got that laser hair removal at the clinic Yoon Se-rang recommended, right? It turned out really well, considering there’s still no sign of anything growing back.”
“Huh? I don’t grow hair anywhere except my head and eyebrows.”
“...What are you talking about?”
“That’s just my constitution.”
“...”
I saw a massive sense of betrayal in Jang Ji-hye’s eyes—a feeling too great to be put into words.
“I... I thought you were secretly visiting the dermatologist all this time...”
“Have I ever really gone out without you?”
“That’s why I thought you were sneaking out while I was asleep!”
“Are you upset? You look upset.”
“Oh, shut up!”
Ji-hye smacked my shoulder with all her might, but it just felt like a tickle.
Instead, she was the one whimpering because her hand hurt.
‘Hmm, should I introduce Ji-hye to that clinic? The director would probably take her as a VIP, right?’
Haven't I reached the point where I can use my name to refer someone to that clinic?
I am an actress with a 70-billion-won appearance fee, after all.
*
The sailors, who had come out early to warm up so they could join Lee Yu-jin for her morning run, couldn't believe their eyes.
“It—it’s the Silver Elf!”
“My god! The Elf did this for us!”
“Oh, shit! Holy shit! How can a being like that be human? It’s impossible!”
“That’s why she’s an Elf.”
Lee Yu-jin had appeared for her run with her silver hair exposed—a rare sight.
While her long black hair gave off a pure yet strong vibe, the ethereal and mysterious silver hair was an absolute magnet for attention.
She was the literal personification of a lily of the valley.
“Elf! What made you decide to dye it all of a sudden? Did you want to show us?”
“I just did it for a change of pace.”
In reality, the silver hair had fully grown out, and she’d decided to stop using the black coating because of Ji-hye’s hard work, but...
The sailors took it as fan service for them and were overjoyed.
“Silver Elf! A photo! Please, a photo!”
“One for me too!”
As word spread, crew members flocked to her wherever she went, requesting retakes of photos. Yu-jin spent her time providing fan service as frantically as she had when she first arrived on the carrier.
*
I decided not to attend the 12th-grade graduation ceremony.
I heard the school was hoping I’d represent the juniors and give a farewell to the graduates. I was glad they didn't ask me directly.
‘I’m busy mining Envidium; why would I go to someone else’s graduation? I probably won’t even go to my own.’
Perhaps because of my past-life memories, I don’t feel much excitement for events like entrance or graduation ceremonies that others find special.
I have far too many memories of "graduating" from various lives piled up.
The people on the carrier suggested I go home for a bit, saying I’d stayed too long.
“Even if the carrier strike group just stays anchored for one day, the amount of money thrown into the sea is over 10 billion won...”
“We will be conducting maneuvers with the South Korean Navy in the meantime. We won’t just be floating aimlessly, so rest assured and go.”
Thinking of Jang Ji-hye, I decided to take a break and returned to Seoul.
Just like when I arrived, I landed at the private military facility in Yongsan and took the waiting Cullinan back home.
“My daughter! I thought I was going to die because I missed you so much! Why did you only come now!”
“I video-called you every day, Mom.”
“Is that the same as seeing your face in person?”
I was exhausted from trying to dodge my mom’s attempts to smother me with affection.
You shouldn't do this to a grown son...
“You’re so mean! You used to say you’d live with Mommy and Daddy forever!”
“No, that’s different. I meant I’d take care of you and live together.”
“Are you going to the entrance ceremony?”
“It’s not even my entrance ceremony; why would I go? I’m busy filming.”
The arts high school will be there this year, next year, and even after I graduate.
But the Ford carrier strike group will leave once the movie is finished. There’s no telling when we’ll meet again.
I had to enjoy it to the fullest while they were off the coast of Jeju.
‘Hermès, wait for me. I’m going to go and clean you out.’
I debated whether to go as Lee Yu-jin or in my foreigner cosplay, but since I was too lazy to wash off the coating I’d just applied, I decided to go to the shop in the Baekhyun Hotel.
As usual, I didn't worry about what others thought and just pointed at everything I wanted. The shop staff were frantically packing things up.
I was doing this thanks to a tip from Curator Han Ji-woo.
[Choi Yu-riang is feeling depressed because you haven't visited the shop in so long. They want you to mine unlimited incentives, whether it’s 10 billion or 100 billion won, so just grab whatever you want.]
So, I decided to stop worrying about Hermès' bank account and mine incentives to my heart's content.
Of course, I only chose things I would actually use.
Never picking up something just to hoard it—that was my firm incentive philosophy.
*
Bediruche Poscan.
A young Hollywood star, he played the role of a Navy pilot and Lee Yu-jin’s wingman in Ace Down to Sea.
He was also a personal fan of Lee Yu-jin. That was why he had accepted the role more happily than anyone else.
“When can I meet Actress Lee? I want to get an autograph and take a photo as soon as possible.”
“Actress Lee is on the aircraft carrier right now. You’ll have a chance to meet her later.”
He was currently at Osan Air Base.
It was to film the scene where he first encounters the Air Force version of Lee Yu-jin.
Naturally, Yu-jin wasn't here, so he had to get into character and act alone. It would be pieced together later in editing.
It was a common method in Hollywood to save time and money.
He sat in the rear seat of a two-seater fighter jet prepared on the runway. Several crane cameras followed from various angles.
The Navy jet began to taxi slowly down the runway, as if it had just landed and was moving to park.
Then, it stopped in front of an Air Force jet with a unique, never-before-seen exterior: the F-22 Cold.
Later, a scene would be added where the cockpit of that jet opens to reveal Lee Yu-jin’s face.
As Bediruche imagined that scene, getting into character to deliver his lines as if Yu-jin were right in front of him...
Ssssh.
The cockpit of the Cold slid open, and a female pilot with a noticeably slender frame removed her helmet.
Brilliant silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, and a pure, snow-white face looked at him with a smirk.
“...!”
Faced with a completely unexpected situation, his expression went beyond acting; he looked genuinely stunned and dazed.
The director’s "fake direction"—deliberately not telling him the situation—had worked perfectly.
Yu-jin’s eyes swept over him from head to toe before she asked mischievously:
“Did you lose your mom?”