Green Card Perks
Umm— click.
"Yes, PD-nim."
"Ga-eul, do you happen to have a separate passport?"
"Of course. I've been back and forth a few times already."
The country bumpkin who'd never once left Korea had somehow become someone who zipped overseas without a second thought.
"Ah, the thing is, we've scheduled the first shoot in the States. One of our staff came by to explain it last time—did you get the details?"
"Yes. I checked the email."
"Right, we'd like to have you on as a guest. Would it be all right if we helped with your visa application? We can send over a specialist to handle the paperwork."
"Hmm… Would it be okay if I look into the visa first and get back to you?"
"Of course. Once your visa is ready, we'll have everything on standby so you can depart immediately. These days, as long as there aren't any major issues, it usually takes one to two weeks at most."
"Major issues?"
"Like visiting North Korea or anything along those lines."
"I'm fine."
"Understood. We'll be waiting for your call."
"Neng."
Click.
"Hmm…"
"I have to go abroad, but the visa is the problem."
Until now, I'd just left the country without thinking twice. I pulled out the passport I always used and flipped it open. Other than an ID-like card tucked into the back, it looked like an ordinary passport. This thing had been a free pass every single time.
"Just a second."
Ring— click.
The call was picked up almost instantly.
"Grandpa!"
"Aigoo, young lady. How have you been?"
Grandpa Kamar greeted me warmly as always.
"Grandpa, I need to go to America. What do I do about the visa?"
"A visa? You can just leave the country as you are."
"Huh? Why?"
"You have permanent residency, so you can just go. Do you see the card at the bottom of your passport?"
"Neng, I see it."
"That's your MA visa, green card, and invitation for permanent residency all in one. It was processed together when your passport was issued last time."
Without me even realizing it, things had progressed at an alarming speed.
"The most important factor when applying for that is financial guarantee, which basically comes down to how high your income is."
"Neng."
"Originally I was listed as your guarantor, but it was changed last time."
"Grandpa Herman?"
"Hoho, correct. So you don't need to worry much about immigration."
With Grandpa's name on the mansion itself, it really wasn't something I had to stress over.
"It's not like a single-entry visa with a limited number of entries, so feel free to use it. You can even use it as an ID card in that country."
"Thank you! I'll come visit next time. Stay healthy, Grandpa."
"Haha, you take care of yourself too, young lady."
"Neng!"
Click.
"Guys, what does 'visa entry' mean?"
"Aha."
"Agh, damn it. Change your nickname."
"There's someone named Ariel among my friends, that's why."
"You little pervs, look at that reaction."
"Hurry up and come out, Chulbong."
As always, proper conversation was impossible when the viewers were around. They just giggled among themselves, but I didn't really mind.
"Baek Seol's cape is pretty."
"Eung!"
Rattle.
Baek Seol excitedly rolled a ball across the desk, making the place even more chaotic.
Ring— click.
"PD-nim, you can depart tomorrow. I have a visa that lets me leave right away."
"Really?"
"Neng."
Kang PD's voice was full of doubt. For a PD, nothing was more troublesome than a sudden travel block.
"I can really go."
"Understood. In that case, let's head out right away since we're already talking about it. The concept is a no-script free trip, so you'll meet the other cast members tomorrow."
"Neng. See you tomorrow."
"Yes."
Click.
"Guys, I'm going to be on a broadcast."
"Details are under embargo."
At one corner of the airport, in an empty lot with no people around, broadcast staff swarmed like ants. Filming apparently required a surprising number of people. Countless staff moved in perfect sync just to shoot the two people standing up ahead.
"Man-seung, I heard filming got moved up because of the guest today."
"That's right. I thought the passport issue would take forever, but they said everything's already prepared."
The man with the thick dark beard and bucket hat chatting with PD Kang Man-seung looked strangely familiar. Even someone like me, whose only cultural life had been reading books and playing games in my room, recognized that face.
"Just how big of a guest is this that they're making us wait like this?"
"You'll be surprised when you see them."
A man sitting casually on the ground answered without hesitation.
"How big could they possibly be?"
PD Kang laughed off the man speaking in dialect.
"As I mentioned, the fully edited version will air on terrestrial TV, the live version on Vtube, and the highlight edit on Vtube as well—three total releases."
"Our Kang PD is working himself to death."
"Haha. Hyung, we have to go with the flow. If you stubbornly stick to regular programming only, you won't survive these days."
"Isn't the live broadcast already on? Can the main PD really say that?"
It was a surprisingly unusual broadcast. Not only the cast, but even the main PD who was supposed to be directing was being shown live. And he was even calling the cast "hyung."
"Hyung, do you know how many viewers are watching the Vtube live right now?"
"How many?"
"Two hundred and ten thousand."
"……What?"
"Two hundred and ten thousand at this hour?"
"Hyung, it's already morning. The sun's up. And more than half of them probably came to see this guest."
"Huh?"
"Does that even make sense? A World Cup stadium only holds sixty thousand people."
Seeing PD Kang hand his phone to the two men, I turned on my own phone just in case—and sure enough, it was exactly what I expected.
Even a quick glance told me these were my viewers. Still, reading the chat made me remember who the two men were. The middle-aged man with the dark beard and bucket hat was a legendary actor who'd swept domestic film awards dozens of times and even received the Order of Cultural Merit. The dialect-speaking man beside him was a former singer who'd founded an entertainment company in his middle age and now worked as a producer. Both were people with enormous social influence.
Seeing them casually sitting on the bare ground joking around with PD Kang felt strangely out of place. Their friendship was famous enough that even I knew about it, but I hadn't expected PD Kang to have the kind of connection that would let him invite them on a variety show.
"Whoa, what is this? Are they greeting me? Hyung-nim? Hyung-nim, wave your hand once."
"Like this?"
"Hahaha. That was ages ago. Now I'm just hearing old-man talk."
"But who's the streamer? The chat keeps saying to bring out the streamer."
"Right. Everyone, who are you calling the streamer? Is Jin-i-hyung the streamer?"
"No, it's not me. You said half of them came to see the guest. Who the hell is that person? An idol?"
"Aigoo, hyung. Of course it's an idol. Why would they send two dark-haired guys on a trip?"
While the two bickered, PD Kang smiled, took the phone, fiddled with it for a moment, then handed it back.
"Take a look. We've mosaicked the face."
As the two stared at the phone with curious expressions, a single line of humming flowed out.
『Ah, ah──』
It was the wordless song I'd sung. Hearing it now made me a little embarrassed.
"Aigoo, that's nice. But there are no lyrics?"
"Isn't this called vocal improvisation?"
"Dude, there you go again pulling out difficult words just because it's your specialty."
"Don't use that weird dialect."
"Aratta."
『Ah──』
"Kya, that's the real deal. How is a treasure like this out there instead of coming to me?"
"Ah, seriously. Woo-hyuk, shut up. We're listening to the song."
"Hyung! The live broadcast is still on. You can't swear."
"Whoa, this is insane. I wouldn't need anything else if I could just see their face once."
"But Man-seung, why are you showing us this? To kill time until the guest arrives?"
A staff member behind PD Kang waved frantically at me from a distance. I approached quietly, but the two men staring at the phone had no idea I was there.
"Hello."
"Yes? ……Huh? Huh!?"
"I'm the treasure and the streamer."
