Chapter 188: United States (3)
Translator: Dreamscribe
On a plane heading to LA International Airport.
This plane, which took off from Incheon Airport, had been in the air for about 2 hours, and it was expected to take about 11 more hours to arrive at LA International Airport. What was unique about this flight was that it was packed with broadcasting team members and celebrities’ staff.
It was the ‘Our Dining Table’ team.
There were dozens of them just by themselves, not to mention the staff of the cast members, making for a considerable group. Among them were the cast members of ‘Our Dining Table’, and Kang Woojin, with an indifferent face, was looking out the window. He seemed calm, but his heart was full of excitement.
‘So many clouds. Wow- it’s a magnificent view.’
Like a child on a picnic, Woojin, whose essence was that of a native Korean, couldn’t believe he was going to America. Certainly, at the beginning of the year when he was working at a design company, he could never have imagined such a scenic view before him.
Even more so.
‘I’m filming a variety show in the United States.’
The purpose wasn’t a leisurely tourist trip, but rather, filming as a cast member in a program of the entertainment giant PD Yoon Byung-seon. Inside the plane, Woojin suddenly felt life was quite unpredictable.
At that moment.
“Woojin-ssi.”
On the right seat, Hong Hye-yeon, with her long hair tied up, looked at Woojin’s side profile for a while before speaking.
“Why are you spacing out? Lost in memories?”
Incidentally, the seats for the cast members on the plane were arranged by team. The kitchen team consisted of Kang Woojin and Hong Hye-yeon, Hwalin and Ha Gang-su, and the boss An Jong-hak and the youngest Yeon Baek-kwang. Anyway, at Hong Hye-yeon’s question, Woojin, who had been looking out the window, turned his head.
Memories? What memories.
It was his first time on a flight to the US, so there was no way he had such memories. Then Kang Woojin suddenly remembered the presumptions about him. The stories about studying abroad? That was a deep-seated part. However, Woojin didn’t bother making up nonexistent memories of America. The answer was to vaguely dodge. And add a bit of bluffing.
His voice naturally became smooth.
“No, just thinking about the script a bit.”
Hong Hye-yeon laughed absurdly and shook her head.
“At a time like this? I understand you’re a hard-working genius, but take it easy.”
“I do take it easy.”
Inside, not outside, in the void space.
“When? I don’t seem to recall seeing that. In Da Nang, when we were shooting ‘Island of the Missing’, you were always looking at the script even during breaks?”
That’s because I was in the void space then.
“I took a break when you weren’t looking.”
“You’re funny. I’ve been watching you all the time······ Ahem! Anyway, let’s talk about something else.”
Hong Hye-yeon suddenly changed the subject.
“Are you okay with jet lag? Well, it’s not your first time in the US, so it doesn’t matter, right?”
Jet lag? The current trip to LA had a 16-hour time difference with Korea. But it should be fine. He had the void space, after all.
Just then.
“Uh- everyone?”
PD Yoon Byung-seon, who had been talking with the writers, pushed up his glasses and stood up from his seat. It seemed he had something to tell the cast members.
“Recently, it’s not common to use airplane travel cuts, but just in case, we’ve installed mini cams around you? Have a moderate conversation and then go to sleep.”
An Jong-hak, who had his hair brushed back, grumbled.
“If it’s a trend not to use them, why not just omit it?”
“Ah- when we have such great people on board, we can’t waste a single shot.”
“Always squeeze, squeeze. So, are you going to tell us the destination anytime soon?” (TL: Always squeeze, squeeze. here is to say how they try to squeeze content out of everything in entertainment industry)
“Yes, yes, I was just about to inform you.”
PD Yoon Byung-seon, with a smirk, continued speaking to the cast members, including Kang Woojin.
“I told you we’d be going to a food truck for the first two days, right? The location is a place called North Hollywood Park. There’s a food truck street there. We’ve also booked accommodations nearby, and after arriving at LA International Airport, we plan to check out the prepared food trucks before moving to the accommodations.”
Kang Woojin’s heartbeat started to accelerate.
PD Yoon Byung-seon, oblivious to this, introduced a suitable schedule.
“When we arrive at LA International Airport, it will be early morning, and considering the jet lag, we’ll take it easy on the first day. We’ll film the introduction of the food truck, the accommodations, and explore the surroundings of the accommodations. We’ve already shot the inserts. The real deal starts from the second day.”
As he explained, PD Yoon Byung-seon asked An Jong-hak, who had his arms crossed.
“So, leader? What should we start with on the second day?”
An Jong-hak shrugged nonchalantly in response.
“Why am I the leader?”
“Because you’re the boss, right?”
“A boss, no I’m just a figurehead boss. The concept is clear, the leader should obviously be Chef Woojin.”
“Then what do you do?”
“Supporting the chef, of course. Go to any restaurant in America, and the chef is god.”
“Are you okay with taking orders from a junior? Doesn’t seem like Woojin-ssi likes to give orders based on seniority?”
“So what. Actually, being on the receiving end is the most comfortable.”
“Your true feelings came out at last. You just want to be comfortable.”
“Because I’m a figurehead boss?”
Soon, quiet laughter spread among the staff. Then, An Jong-hak stretched his head forward and met Kang Woojin’s gaze.
“So, Woojin-ssi, start giving orders.”
Suddenly, all eyes on the plane were on Kang Woojin, who remained silent. Unexpected? Normally, one would be flustered, but Kang Woojin nonchalantly pulled up ‘Chef’s Recipe’ in his mind. Then, a suitable answer came out instantly.
“We should decide on the menu first, then select and buy the ingredients.”
As if it was the correct answer, PD Yoon Byung-seon clapped his hands.
“As expected of the leader! By the way, are we going to do all the menus selected for the food truck, Chef?”
“It will be difficult. The space is limited, and the flow is tight. Keeping it simple with about 2 dishes would be appropriate.”
“Two dishes! Okay, Chef, you decide on the menu. We’ll buy the ingredients based on the selected menu. From the moment we arrive in LA, Woojin-ssi will lead.”
At this moment, Kang Woojin was not a rookie actor. He was Chef Kang Woojin.
After tens of hours passed.
“Alright! Let’s move!!”
The ‘Our Dining Table’ team and the cast, including Kang Woojin, emerged at the arrival hall. The vast airport unfolded before them. Despite it being morning, the airport was bustling with people, and the sight that unfolded before Kang Woojin’s eyes was utterly shocking.
‘Wow- amazing… no, wow!’
The mix of different races was fascinating, but what was more, the Americans seemed enormously large, both sideways and upwards. Looking around at them, Kang Woojin felt like a hobbit.
‘That black man who just passed by! His fist is the size of my head??!’
Woojin began to get excited internally. This place was not another country but seemed like another planet. Amidst this, someone tapped Woojin’s back, stopping him.
“What are you doing, standing still?”
Thanks to that, Woojin managed to speak in a low voice, snapping back to reality.
“No- it’s nothing.”
However, his internal excitement did not subside.
‘Crazy! Where is this place?! Is this even the same Earth??’
Kang Woojin and the ‘Our Dining Table’ team had arrived in LA.
Meanwhile, in Korea.
It was early morning in the US, but it was late night in Korea, around 11 PM. Korea was still buzzing with various issues. Especially, the Hwalin stabbing incident was a hot topic across numerous communities. Unfounded rumors, tabloids, urban legends, nonsensical talk, and outright lies mixed together, snowballing continuously.
Of course, the news of ‘Our Dining Table’s arrival in the US was often seen in articles. At this moment, a post went up on one of the large community sites in Korea.
-Super super super super big news)) <Hwalin awl Stabbing Incident> This was captured right in front of my car’s dashcam (not clickbait).avi
Just from the title, it was clear what the content was about. It was such a hot issue, and given it was a major community site, the view count quickly surpassed 300. More than half of them probably clicked on it, thinking they would be fooled. Because so-called “not clickbait” are mostly false posts that often appeared.
However, about 30 minutes later, when the view count of the post surpassed 1000.
– Huh? What’s this? This is real??
Comments on the post started exploding.
– Whaaaaaaaaat I thought it was edited, but this is real??????
Meaning, it wasn’t just clickbait.
The next day, around 8 a.m.
The location was Jinju, Gyeongnam, near the terminal at a porridge shop. It was a familiar place. It was the store run by Kang Woojin’s parents. There were no customers inside the porridge shop yet. It was opening time.
On the other hand, Woojin’s parents were busy.
Both his father, Kang Woo-chul, and his mother, Seo Hyun-mi, were wiping the tables in the hall. What was unusual was that the interior of the porridge shop had changed, and the kitchen equipment and the air conditioner in the hall had been replaced with new ones.
The reason was simple.
All of it was done by their son, Kang Woojin.
Moreover, the number of Woojin’s posters inside the shop had significantly increased. Magazine photo shoots, posters, ‘Drug Dealer’ posters, ‘Male Friend’ still cuts, etc. It seemed Kang Woojin’s fans also visited frequently. Polaroid photos of their shots were plastered on one side of the wall.
It felt somewhat like a famous spot.
Anyway.
-Swish.
While busy wiping the tables, Seo Hyun-mi suddenly picked up a thin booklet from the counter. It was an booklet for various new cars, and Kang Woo-chul, with a deep expression, sighed as he looked at his wife, who was near the counter.
“You’re looking at that again.”
“Our son is going to change our car, so I have to choose properly.”
“You chose one yesterday.”
“I woke up this morning and felt like that car wasn’t the right choice.”
“It’s been days now. You’ve been choosing for over two weeks.”
“So what! I do it because I like it, because I like it.”
“If you’re like that, you’ll end up memorizing all the car names.”
“I already memorized them.”
Seo Hyun-mi casually replied and looked down at the booklet again, while Kang Woo-chul sat next to her, as if letting her do as she pleased. Then, he picked up the remote control placed on the counter. He turned on the large TV mounted on the wall in front of them. The TV was also recently replaced with a new one by Kang Woojin.
Soon.
-Swish.
Yawning, Kang Woo-chul familiarly flipped through the channels. He stopped on a public broadcasting channel. It was obvious that it would be time for the morning news. Kang Woo-chul always watched the news while opening the store, so the scene of the couple was no different from usual.
And so, the appearance of Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-chul was the same as yesterday.
However.
[“Next up, a few days ago, we reported the assault incident involving singer and actress Hwalin. Related to that, new facts were revealed yesterday.”]
Following the news anchor’s statement, a tidal wave hit the otherwise ordinary day of Seo Hyun-mi and Kang Woo-chul.
[“The person who subdued the stalker with an awl attacking Ms. Hwalin was not her bodyguard, but actor Kang Woojin. The source was a community site where a citizen who had parked their car nearby published the dashcam footage. The moment Kang Woojin subdued the attacker was instantaneous, reported by Go Min-hee.”]
At that moment, the eyes of Kang Woo-chul, who was holding the remote control, widened.
“Huh? What did they say?”
His mouth slowly opened.
Naturally, Seo Hyun-mi sitting beside him also showed a dramatic reaction. She threw the booklet aside and stood up abruptly.
“What, what??! What did my son do??! Honey! Did they just mention Woojin’s name on the news?!”
“······Uh, I heard it.”
Regardless, the TV news had already started to switch scenes. The anchor disappeared, and what seemed unmistakably to be dashcam footage appeared. It was showing the video uploaded to the community site.
It starts with Hwalin and Kang Woojin entering the parking lot, overlaid with the reporter’s voice.
[“Ms. Hwalin and Mr. Kang Woojin are seen entering the parking lot, engaging in a brief conversation. At this moment, an assailant wielding an awl appears.”]
In the video, Kang Woojin quickly subdues the assailant rushing at them while also protecting Hwalin. The skill and courage he displayed in that brief moment were extraordinary.
[“While sending Hwalin behind him for protection, Mr. Kang Woojin first grabs the assailant’s arm, and in a scene reminiscent of a movie, he twists the arm before tripping the assailant to the ground. Despite the critical situation, Mr. Kang Woojin remains calm.”]
The news repeatedly showed cuts of Kang Woojin subduing the assailant. Then, it moved to the scene where Woojin takes away the ice pick from the restrained assailant.
[“After subduing the assailant, Mr. Kang Woojin takes the weapon, an awl, from him and hands it over to the staff. Soon, bodyguards join in, and the assailant is fully restrained.”]
And the situation that followed.
[“As you can see, while it was Mr. Kang Woojin who saved Ms. Hwalin, speculation arises that the reason it wasn’t made public could be due to Mr. Kang Woojin’s request to keep it under wraps.”]
The news then showed the community site where the dashcam video was uploaded.
[“The comments from netizens who have seen this video have already surpassed hundreds. They include reactions like ‘I thought I was watching a movie’, ‘The technique of subduing him is extraordinary’, ‘It must be edited or CG’, ‘Hiding such a heroic act is even cooler’.”]
Soon, the news began to announce other stories, but Kang Woo-chul and Seo Hyun-mi were frozen. They just stared blankly at the TV. The first to speak between them was Seo Hyun-mi.
“Is, is that our Woojin?”
“······It is.”
“He must be… filming, right?”
“It’s not.”
Hearing the answer, Seo Hyun-mi turned her head to meet Kang Woo-chul’s gaze. Both of their pupils were dilated.
“······How long did Woojin take Hapkido classes when he was young?”
Recalling the very old memory of Kang Woojin, Kang Woo-chul briefly answered.
“3 months.”
*****
