Chapter 96: Father
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96: Father
I suppressed my presence and crept up behind Dad and his friends.
They were so absorbed in their game that they didn't even notice me approaching.
He’s turned the house into a full-blown PC cafe. It must be a real struggle to hide all this every time Mom comes over.
The 850-square-foot apartment where I’d lived since birth had been transformed into a magnificent man-cave.
On a whim, I opened the door to my old room to see what it looked like.
It’s exactly the same as before I moved out.
Nothing had changed. It was exactly as I’d left it, without a speck of dust.
When I moved to Hannam-dong, I took things like my computer, but I’d left the bed and desk behind, assuming they’d be thrown away.
I wonder if Yu-seok’s room is the same?
Instead, I found my younger brother’s room had been neatly converted into a guest room.
Right, this is how you’re supposed to raise a son.
I wouldn't have been particularly upset even if my room had been cleared out like that. Still, I felt a little concerned that my brother might feel discriminated against.
Sigh, poor guy. I guess his rich older sister has to look out for him.
I opened my banking app and wired ten million won to my brother’s account.
A barrage of KakaoTalk messages immediately started pouring in, but I ignored them, knowing they’d just be some over-the-top nonsense disguised as gratitude.
I went back to the living room and quietly watched Dad and his friends’ League of Legends match from behind.
They’re actually playing quite adorably.
Let’s see. Should I look up their tiers?
Gold?
Being in Gold at that age is actually impressive. Especially since they’re all busy professionals who probably only play as a hobby.
I had no idea Dad played LoL. Why didn't I know?
I guess he was embarrassed to show his Gold tier to a Challenger son—well, daughter. He has a cute side.
I watched quietly for a bit before slipping away.
I’ll keep your secret from Mom.
He’d made such a big deal about going out for a drink with friends because he was depressed over Tommy Cross’s "daughter" comment in that interview—it was all just a build-up.
He was just making sure Mom wouldn't stop by the house today...
You see this? There’s no better daughter than me. So please, I hope he stops asking for hugs now.
*
When I contacted Grandfather to let him know I was in Seoul, a family gathering was called in Samsung-dong.
Will he give me pocket money today too?
Having achieved complete financial freedom, I didn't really need pocket money anymore.
While my status as an Hermès Ambassador was a secret, it was public knowledge that my appearance fee for Ace Down to Sea was in the tens of billions of won.
The specific details—like how my $50 million (70 billion won) fee was converted into production equity—were private, but the whole world knew I’d received a massive sum.
"Yu-jin nuna!"
"Unni! Unni! Hug me!"
"Nuna, hug me too!"
I lightly disciplined my little cousins to get them to behave and then went to the study to see Grandfather.
"Grandfather. Your greedy granddaughter, Lee Yu-jin—who is still expecting pocket money even after signing a deed of gift for a 400-billion-won building—is here to greet you."
I said it as a joke, but Grandfather chuckled and pulled something out of his safe.
"It seems you won't be needing cash for a while, so take this instead."
"Wo-woah! Thank you!"
It was three shimmering one-kilogram gold bars.
I quickly tucked them into a box disguised as a hardcover book and held it dear.
"I was really just joking, I didn't think you'd actually give me something."
"I’ve reached a point where I feel anxious if I don't give you something. I keep hearing rumors that those chaebol punks are eyeing you lately."
"I’m only a high school freshman; why would I even think about that? I don't plan on thinking about dating or marriage until I'm at least thirty. I have money to make."
Since I have the mind of a man, I obviously have no intention of ever dating or marrying, but I couldn't worry Grandfather, so I gave him that excuse.
"I’m just giving this to you for my own peace of mind. Don't overthink it."
"Thank you!"
Receiving gold bars as pocket money is an act of filial piety. What a sweet life.
"Yu-jin, there’s one more thing I want to ask of you."
"Just say the word."
"If other branches of the clan approach you using the excuse of being from the same Jeonju Lee clan, draw a firm line regardless of which faction they belong to."
"Only up to third cousins are real relatives; anyone beyond that is just a stranger whose face I don't know, right? Don't worry."
The world is full of scammers trying to squeeze money out of people based on sharing the same school or hometown. I understood Grandfather’s concern.
"Don't even speak to them."
"Understood."
Leaving the study, I spent more time surrounded by my little cousins.
They were curious about life on an aircraft carrier, so I showed off the photos and videos I’d taken.
"Nuna! I want to be an aircraft carrier pilot when I grow up too!"
"Unfortunately, our country doesn't have an aircraft carrier."
"Why don't we have one?"
"Because we don't have the money."
Well, there are more than just one or two things we lack to become a carrier-operating nation, but that was the simplest answer.
"What was it like meeting Tommy Cross in person?"
"Not yet. I’ll meet him when I return to the carrier this time. We have a shoot together."
"But isn't Tommy shorter than you, Yu-jin?"
"Was he? I’m not sure."
Anyway, after enjoying a short break in Seoul, I returned to the aircraft carrier.
"By the way, Jang Ji-hye, why didn't you go home during the break?"
"There’s no one there even if I go."
It was a statement that could have sounded very pitiful, but Jang Ji-hye said it like it was nothing.
She seemed to have become an adult at such a young age that I felt both proud and a bit sorry for her...
*
Back on the USS Ford, I finally met Tommy Cross.
As he stepped off the helicopter, he didn't look sixty at all.
He was indeed shorter than me.
However, the intangible charisma exuded by a Hollywood top star made him feel massive, regardless of his height.
"Kid. Long time no see. The Navy treating you well? If they give you any trouble, tell your old man. I’ll bring Cold over and blow everything apart."
I realized from the very first greeting: Tommy was already fully immersed in his role.
So, I decided to play along. I thought this would be fun.
"Father. But honestly, the Navy food is better. Especially the steaks. Nothing beats the ones on a nuclear sub."
We stared into each other's eyes in silence for a moment, then laughed simultaneously and lightly bumped fists.
"Kid. Let’s make something legendary."
"Yes, Sir."
"Your brother is watching."
"I know."
My character’s brother—Callsign Self’s brother—only appears briefly in passing, mostly mentioned by others. Because he is dead.
The backstory is that the Cold fighter jet is the final masterpiece left behind by Kael, Self’s brother and a genius engineer.
That’s why the fighter jet holds a special meaning for both Self and Hellfire (Tommy’s callsign).
We made a silent pact.
Until the day production ended.
We would live as father and child, and as lead and wingman.
*
Father Tommy only boards the aircraft carrier once in the script.
He came aboard this time for that single sequence, and I was amazed by his incredible performance.
He’s completely an ace pilot himself. So that’s the acting power of a top star... I should learn from this.
I guess you have to be at that level to fly your fellow actors and staff around in your private jet when promoting a movie overseas.
Looking at the photos of his private jet he showed me during a break, I quietly added an item to my bucket list.
Someday, I’m going to buy the best Gulfstream there is.
I’m wary of Boeing because their board of directors looked down on engineers and turned the company into a mess. It’s no wonder they have so many accidents.
"Kid, we’re done for the day. Want to grab some food?"
"I’d love to!"
I felt like putting my arm around his shoulder, but he was very strict about that sort of thing.
It’s understandable. From an American perspective, I’m a sixteen-year-old girl—a total landmine he can't touch.
"Mmm, you were right. The Navy food is better."
"How is the Air Force food these days?"
"It’s still good. Tasty."
"I miss that taste sometimes too."
"How about transferring back now? The Air Force is regretting letting you go."
"I’ll think about it after we bring the Tomcat back to life. The Navy is getting interested in variable-sweep wing aircraft again lately."
"Retro is definitely the global trend. To think it reached the Navy too."
Spending time with Father Tommy even after filming, I felt the boundary between Lee Yu-jin and the Air-Force-turned-Navy-Top-Gun-pilot Self becoming blurred.
I liked that jumbled sensation.
The ticklish feeling of something growing rapidly inside me was addictive.
"Is it tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow it is."
The day we film one of the highlight scenes of the movie.
The scene where I go to rescue Father Tommy when he’s in danger, and we have an argument.
The moment we show the audience the greatest conflict and then resolve it.
"It’s a bit of a shame. Dying there would have been quite tragic in its own way."
"Hey, what are you talking about? You have to live a long time to see me become an Admiral."
Originally, Jang Ji-hye had killed off the Top Gun father in this scene.
But she changed it to let him live.
This involved "adult circumstances" and Jang Ji-hye’s whims, but in my opinion, letting him live was better.
But if this gets out in the making-of film, will my real Dad be upset? Or will he use that 'upset' feeling as an excuse to kick Mom out of his hideout again?
*
The next day.
Jang Ji-hye, who had followed Lee Yu-jin to Osan Air Base for the shoot, watched the set with a pounding heart.
Watching the lines she had written with her own hands being turned into a blockbuster movie was a dreamlike experience.
Tommy, who had crash-landed in the Cold fighter jet, is shocked to see his daughter, Self, coming to rescue him.
It was the highlight of the film, where the father and daughter, who had barely spoken since her transfer, pour out all their pent-up feelings and let their emotions explode.
"Ready, Action!"
The director’s signal was given, and multiple cameras began to roll.
The pilot father and daughter, dressed in flight suits, let their accumulated emotions erupt over the Cold fighter jet.
"We can’t let Cold fall into enemy hands. Kid, you go. Now."
"Father! Kael is dead! This isn’t Kael anymore! Don’t throw your life away for a jet!"
Tommy’s eyes distorted, and his expression twitched.
At a glance, it looked like anger. It also looked like the pain of a terrible sense of loss.
It looked like unbearable longing, and a determination never to regret again.
Jang Ji-hye covered her mouth with both hands at the sheer delivery—the way he expressed a father’s heart through only his eyes and expression before even uttering a line.
"My daughter... This isn’t just a fighter."
Tommy pointed at the Cold fighter jet, speaking each word as if chewing on his heart.
"He’s my son. A father doesn't leave his son behind."