Chapter 98: Siren
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98: Siren
“Veteran high school girl, veteran actress, veteran Lee Yu-jin, veteran pilot... Ah, what else was there?”
Jang Ji-hye teased me the entire way back, but I didn't mind. If anything, I felt proud.
“Are you jealous? Just be honest if you are.”
“I’m honestly jealous that you can enter and leave the US whenever you want without a visa.”
“I’ve literally lived on an aircraft carrier; that’s no big deal. Living on a carrier is the true VVVVIP treatment.”
“Is it really?”
“Of course. Besides, I don’t have much reason to go to the US, so unlimited free entry doesn’t mean much to me.”
Brigadier General Asher had told me that from now on, the US Air Force would guarantee my identity whenever I visited the States. He said I’d be treated with the same status and benefits as a permanent resident for all my activities in America.
Of course, he was referring to administrative services, excluding things like voting rights.
“Yu-jin, this is your last time returning to the carrier, right?”
“Yeah. I have to bring all my luggage out this time.”
It was the first time I felt so reluctant to head back to the ship. Once I returned, I’d have to finish the final shoot and pack my bags.
Actually, if the additional filming hadn't been scheduled, I would have had to pack everything when I left the carrier last time.
‘I intended to stay on the carrier until filming was over.’
But the US Navy was so concerned about my potential homesickness that they practically forced me to take several vacations. They claimed that for someone my age, living in a cramped single room away from home for too long would ruin my mental health.
‘It doesn’t affect me at all, but I guess Ji-hye and my brother are still young...’
As soon as I got home, I quickly changed into my Air Force uniform and pinned on my pilot wing badge. My brother busily snapped photos, and I happily struck poses without hesitation.
Not the "clumsy dummy" concept where I try to look fatally charming, but disciplined, soldierly poses befitting the Air Force.
“I can’t take it. I need to start a vlog right now and brag to my 100,000 fans around the world.”
“What do you mean 'only 100,000'? When you turn on a live stream, your concurrent viewers hit at least a million.”
“No, Sis, I disagree. This is 'making-of' content that will be much more interesting and meaningful if we release it after the movie premieres.”
“I agree with Yu-seok. I don't think now is the time to release it; we should save it.”
“Is that so? I guess you guys are right.”
It sounded plausible, so I decided to hold off on bragging about my honorary Air Force discharge certificate and pilot wing badge for a bit. Instead, I bragged to my mom to my heart's content.
*
Today was a day off.
It was also the day I was scheduled to meet Dwayne Jo’s daughter, who had come to Korea.
“She’s a special fan. How about going in 'Baby Elf' mode?”
“If I think of it as work, it’s fine. Of course, my gratitude toward Mr. Dwayne and his daughter is sincere.”
“I know, I know.”
Since it was a fan service event where I’d be meeting a fan as an actress, I naturally chose an actress's outfit. Instead of my usual gender-neutral clothes, I wore a blue blouse, black skinny jeans, and high heels.
“Hmm... which Birkin bag should I take today?”
My collection of Birkin bags had continued to multiply, and before I knew it, I had over twenty. I hadn't bought them; Hermès had made them for me as "one-of-a-kind" editions.
Every Birkin bag came with a 5kg Hermès gold bar inside, which was almost overwhelming. I assumed they included them as an incentive since the bags were provided free of charge.
‘Exactly how many kilograms of gold do I have at home? If a war breaks out, I could live like royalty anywhere just by grabbing those and running.’
Perhaps because I had experienced nothing but war throughout my infinite reincarnations, I always found myself simulating what to pack and where to run if a conflict started. I even had a separate room filled with organized survival backpacks. A safe containing cash in US dollars and the gold bars my grandfather gave me was also kept there.
The Cullinan pulled up at the Lunaris Art Hall, and I quickly entered the gallery. I saw Dwayne Jo chatting with Curator Han Ji-woo.
I approached with a social smile, but I froze when I saw "Mini Dwayne Jo."
“Uh...?”
Jang Ji-hye let out a dazed gasp beside me, so I nudged her in the ribs.
“Hey, fix your face. Fix your face. She’s my precious fan.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
The reason Ji-hye was so shocked was simple. Even from a distance, you could tell at a single glance that she was Dwayne Jo’s son—no, daughter.
‘Didn’t he say she was ten years old? Is that physique even possible?’
Dwayne Jo was a two-meter-tall man with a build so robust he was often mistaken for a UFC champion. And Dwayne Jo had essentially given birth to another Dwayne Jo.
“Hello, I’m actress Lee Yu.”
When I greeted her with a smile, Dwayne Jo’s daughter, Stephanie Cho, started jumping up and down, looking like she might die of happiness.
“Unnie! Unnie! You’re so pretty! I cried when I got the ticket you sent! I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life!”
“Haha... I’m honored. I’m so happy to meet such a precious fan as well.”
I shook hands with Stephanie Cho, gave her a hug, took selfies together, and gave her my best fan service.
*
“Ta-da! Yu-jin, this is totally Hermès! Put it on, hurry.”
“Oh, what’s this? A Navy uniform?”
I looked at the stunning Navy uniform in admiration. But why Hermès?
“Hermès made it for you. When I told them you’d be wearing it for filming, they were absolutely thrilled to make it.”
“Really? Amazing.”
“Put it on before we leave. The scene is you landing on the carrier deck from a helicopter in your dress whites.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
While changing, I listened to Jang Ji-hye’s explanation of the additional scenes. Then, we immediately flew to the aircraft carrier by helicopter.
‘Right, a military blockbuster isn't complete without a scene of someone landing on a carrier deck in their dress uniform.’
On the deck, the camera crew was already filming the helicopter I was in. There seemed to be an unusually large number of crew members on the deck today. It felt like every single person on the ship, except for the essential personnel, had come out.
Following Ji-hye’s direction, I perfectly executed the scene of stepping off the helicopter in my uniform and walking across the deck. I paid meticulous attention to everything—my gaze, my expression, and even the angle of my fingertips and toes.
‘Wow, even I think that was some killer acting.’
But why wasn't anyone calling "cut"? How much further was I supposed to walk?
‘At this rate, I’m going to walk off the edge of the deck and dive into the water.’
I had no choice but to stop in front of the crowd of crew members. I wondered why they weren't giving the signal...
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, the sound of cannons erupted from all directions. I didn't flinch. It was too small and rhythmic to be live fire.
‘A salute?’
The entire fleet, including two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, was firing ceremonial salutes into the air. The crew members, who had been clapping freely, suddenly saluted in unison as if they were a single body. Reflexively, I returned the salute.
"Anchors Aweigh," the official song of the US Navy, echoed grandly.
Once the music stopped, Admiral Theodore, the commander of the carrier strike group, approached me with a gift.
“This is a plaque of our carrier’s deck number. It’s made from a piece of the deck in the area where you ran every morning—a footprint you’ve left on our ship.”
As I accepted the plaque, my dazed feeling vanished, replaced by a thrill that shot down my spine.
“CVN-78-E. This is your honorary hull number. No matter where you are in the world, you will eternally be a member of our crew.”
The Admiral paused for a breath, looked me straight in the eye, and spoke again.
“The Air Force may have let you go, but the Navy has never let you go.”
I felt a lump in my throat as I received the logbook recording my honorary crew numbering.
‘You rower. Don't you dare think for a second that it would have been cooler if they’d given this to me after letting me fly a jet.’
Navy fighters only have one control stick, so even for the crazy Navy, it would have been absolutely impossible. Above all, it was for the safety of both me and the co-pilot. The conditions were fundamentally different from the Air Force’s F-22 Cold fighter, where the pilot could immediately take back control at any time.
“Thank... you...”
My voice stumbled slightly as I expressed my gratitude. My feelings must have gotten through, because starting with the Admiral, everyone began a relentless round of applause.
Standing there with the deck plaque and my honorary hull number, I felt the ecstasy of that thunderous ovation. It felt real now. It was time for me to part ways with them. It was time to get off this carrier.
Closing my eyes and listening to the unending applause, I thought of a way to repay them for the farewell ceremony they had prepared. Only one idea resonated in my heart.
With my eyes still closed, I braced my core and opened my throat wide. Without any restraint, I let out every emotion my lungs could hold, sending them out on the wind as far as they could go.
“O dic, videsne adhuc, sub prima aurorae luce,”
(Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,)
*
The moment Lee Yu-jin began to sing, the applause stopped as if everyone were under a spell. The fleet members watching live from inside the carrier and on other ships also froze, their eyes and ears locked onto her.
It was an unknown language, making the melody seem even more mystical. But the moment they heard the first verse, the fleet members realized what it was, and a chilling shiver ran through them.
"The Star-Spangled Banner." The US National Anthem.
That brilliant tribute of glory was now pouring from Lee Yu-jin’s mouth in sweet, Classical Latin.
“Cuius stellae et fasciae, per certamina noctis, super muris fortiter fulget?”
(Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, o’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?)
Their hearts burned with the urge to sing along, but their bodies refused, as if scolding them. Their souls whispered to just listen, to enjoy, and to simply surrender to that enchanting voice.
They listened as if possessed. They were drawn in.
Everyone in the fleet was captivated by Yu-jin’s song, momentarily pushing aside the mystery of how she could navigate between superhuman high notes and ornate melodies with such a peaceful, sleeping face, moving as freely as a fairy.
“Dic, num adhuc illa vexilla stellis distincta fluctuant super terram liberorum atque domum fortium?”
(O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?)
The dreamlike moment passed all too quickly, and the song that had shaken the souls of the fleet finally came to an end.
“...”
“...”
Only then did everyone look at Lee Yu-jin with dazed faces, as if waking from a dream one by one. Those on the deck and those watching the screens inside the ship were still struggling to snap out of it.
Having finished the song, Yu-jin opened her eyes and gave a radiant smile, waving her hands brightly.
“Thank you, everyone! This was an unforgettable memory! Make America Beautiful!”
Dressed in her Hermès Navy uniform, she waved with a passionate smile. The fleet members, finally returning to reality, couldn't find the words to speak; they simply clapped until their palms stung.
*
With reddened eyes, Jang Ji-hye took in the sight of Lee Yu-jin and the fleet members. The entire fleet had become one through Yu-jin’s impromptu live performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
The person standing there wasn't just Lee Yu-jin, the one praised as an elf. She was a being from myth who enchanted sailors with a beautiful song and swallowed them into eternal ecstasy.
She was a Siren.
Jang Ji-hye wiped away a stray tear and smiled brightly.
“Billboard, watch out.”