“Oppa…?”
Yooha’s lips curled up, and her eyes were filled with disbelief. It was understandable since someone who was supposed to be in England had suddenly appeared in New York.
When Hyun nodded briefly and responded with a smile, Yooha’s eyes welled up.
“Y-Yooha?”
Hyun’s voice came out, flustered. He had never imagined that the Ice Queen would be on the verge of tears.
Hyun quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to look at Yooha. It was then.
Grab.
Yooha threw her arms around Hyun’s neck and hugged him tightly. She burst into tears, no longer the Ice Queen but a regular seventeen-year-old girl.
Of course, it must have been tough living alone in a foreign country at such a young age. Hyun, having experienced homesickness in his past life, understood this well.
Hyun comforted Yooha silently. Surely, complex emotions must have been welling up inside her.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes!”
How long did she cry? Yooha’s cheeks were red, and she nodded with a shy smile, looking more like an Ice Crybaby than an Ice Queen.
Growl.
Yooha held her stomach with an embarrassed expression. It seemed she had gotten hungry after crying so much.
Hyun smiled, as if he had expected this, and started the car again.
“Oppa, have you been to New York often?”
“Huh?”
“How do you know the roads so well?”
Yooha asked curiously as she watched Hyun drive skillfully towards 5th Avenue.
Hyun had spent quite some time living in New York in his past life. Even though his memory might be fuzzy, his body seemed to remember as he navigated through shortcuts effortlessly.
“Where is this?”
“Restaurant Vermia. I made a reservation for dinner with you in advance.”
Yooha’s eyes sparkled with happiness like a child.
And rightly so, as Restaurant Vermia was famous for being difficult to reserve. Especially, Vermia’s pasta and steak were known to be among the best in New York’s Michelin Guide. It was said that even making a reservation a month in advance could be tough.
“This is the steak served with a sauce recipe handed down since Vermia opened in 1917. It’s medium-rare, and the origin of the steak meat is…”
Hyun had also visited this place several times in his past life. The only difference now was the chef’s attitude.
Not only did the chef personally serve the food, but he also explained it himself. The head chef was doing what the manager could have done.
“Oppa, is this normal?”
“Usually, the manager explains, or sometimes the chef comes out if requested, but I don’t remember asking for this.”
It was a bit overwhelming. However, the taste of the food was so delightful that it was comparable to any Michelin-starred restaurant.
He wanted to have a glass of wine, but he had to drive and couldn’t drink alone in front of a high school student.
Reluctantly, he had to settle for sparkling water to cleanse his palate.
After the meal was over.
Again?
Sure enough, the chef personally brought out the dessert and served it.
“This is a dessert made with my heart. I took special care, so please enjoy it as much as you like. If it’s not too much, may I ask for a favor as a huge fan of yours, Mr. Hyun?”
The chef, with an impressive mustache, cautiously took out an album and a marker pen from his inside pocket. As the tables were quite far apart in this private restaurant, no other guests could see the chef’s actions or words.
Hyun smiled and signed the album the chef handed him. At that moment, the chef’s mustache quivered with emotion as he showed an expression of deep gratitude.
The events of that day didn’t end there.
“Hyun?”
Just as they were about to leave after paying the bill.
“Matthew?”
It was Matthew, the vocalist of the rookie band Iris, whom he had composed and produced for in the past.
Matthew, now a prominent band that had taken the U.S. and Europe by storm, warmly hugged Hyun.
“Since when have you been in New York? If you had contacted me, I would have come to meet you!”
“If I had contacted Matthew, we would be drinking at a pub by now instead of a restaurant. I was planning to contact you after my work was done.”
“Were you in New York for producing another band? Even though I begged you to produce for us one more time, you never listened. That’s too harsh, Hyun!”
Matthew kept smiling, unable to hide his joy. Then he looked at Yooha standing next to Hyun and asked.
“Hyun’s girlfriend?”
Hyun chuckled and nodded.
“Violinist Hyun is in New York?”
In a quiet suburban mansion, several elderly middle-aged men were sipping wine.
They were all different people, but in reality, they were directors representing Hollywood.
When someone asked, a bald director nodded and replied.
“I heard he arrived in New York a few days ago. I’m definitely going to ask Hyun to compose a piece for my next movie.”
“Marker, what are you talking about? I was going to ask him first!”
“Both of you are dreaming. It’s been years since Hyun last worked in Hollywood. Do you really think no one has asked him to work since then? Many have requested, but they were all turned down.”
It was unbelievable. Who were these people? They were all famous directors with high profiles in Hollywood. Many film industry professionals dreamed of working with them.
Of course, Hollywood didn’t just offer work to anyone who wanted it.
But Hyun had consistently turned down their requests. It was then.
“I also plan to propose a project to Hyun.”
James Cameron, who was sitting at the head of the table, spoke softly. The other directors looked at him, wondering if they had heard correctly.
“Cameron, are you serious?”
“Why, is it strange?”
“No, it’s just unusual for someone like you, known for your perfectionism, to propose a project to someone.”
It wasn’t a wrong statement. James Cameron’s reputation was so great that it stood out even among the directors gathered here.
Given his filmography, it was understandable. He was called the father of masterpieces.
And he never proposed projects to anyone directly. Even famous Hollywood actors had to audition in front of him.
“The reason I came here today is simple. I knew you would all want to propose projects to Hyun. If we all propose at the same time, Hyun might turn us down, as he usually does. He is not an ordinary musician.”
“Cameron, I agree with you.”
“Indeed, if he were an ordinary musician, he would have been grateful and bowed down to accept our offers. But given his past actions, he might get fed up and leave New York.”
Everyone seemed to agree with James Cameron.
If they treated Hyun like an ordinary musician, everything could go wrong.
Now, they understood why James Cameron, who rarely attended social gatherings, was here today.
“So how about inviting Hyun to our meeting?”
“Invite?”
“Yes, inviting him and understanding his intentions here would be better than working behind the scenes.”
This gathering looked like a casual meeting of middle-aged men, but it was one of the most prestigious social gatherings in Hollywood.
Not just anyone could join. Just like the Central Park Co-op entrance issue, the influence of the directors attending this gathering was significant.
For example, a famous Hollywood actress once wanted to join but was flatly rejected. But this time was different.
After someone shouted,
“I’m in!”
“Me too!”
“Yes, let’s invite Hyun directly and ask him. I also want to meet him in person!”
Thus, it was unanimously decided to invite Hyun.
Just as Hyun was getting used to life in New York, an unexpected invitation arrived.
“Directors representing Hollywood…”
Hyun couldn’t believe it as he headed to a mansion in the suburbs of New York. He never imagined that famous Hollywood directors would invite him to a social gathering.
Was he nervous? Of course. These were famous people he couldn’t meet even if he wanted to in his past life. But then.
“I have a date today.”
It was the day he had a date planned with Yooha. He intended to pick her up after the meeting.
He wanted to bring Yooha to the meeting, but he couldn’t make her skip school. As his thoughts deepened, the car arrived at the mansion.
“Nice to meet you, Hyun.”
“Hyun, nice to see you. You look much better in person.”
“Marker, you’re right. He has a face as versatile as DiCaprio’s. He could be an actor, not just a violinist.”
The first meeting was a bit overwhelming. The eccentric directors, after their greetings, started discussing Hyun as if they were appraising him.
It didn’t feel bad. After all, they were all praising him.
Then James Cameron, whom Hyun had seen on famous award shows like the Oscars, approached him.
“Hyun, I hope you don’t feel bad. Because of their profession, they have peculiar habits. They mean no harm.”
“It’s all right, Director. I’m actually flattered by the warm welcome.”
“Thank you for saying that. Actually, I’m excited to see you in person for the first time. You probably already know that I’ve written a screenplay with you in mind.”
The other directors widened their eyes. They thought Cameron had come only to propose a film score, but he mentioned a screenplay.
James Cameron quickly added, worried that other directors might steal his thunder.
“I want to make a musical film with you as the protagonist.”
At that moment,
“Cameron, wait—!”
“Cameron, are you really going to play dirty?”
“Hyun, before you listen to Cameron’s proposal, please hear us out.”
The other directors urgently approached Hyun.
Hyun was not used to this situation at all. He never imagined that film directors, not musicians, would be so eager for him.
