CH3

Sizzle

The sound of a corn dog frying in oil tantalized the ears. 

Dylan, not expecting much, carelessly poked at the corn dog impaled on a stick.

It was natural for Americans, who love to stuff fries in burgers and pizzas, to be enchanted by the uneven, potato-studded corn dogs.

"Here! It's all done."

The appetizing smell hit the nose as the golden-fried corn dogs were placed on a rack.

"Really? You sprinkle sugar on this?"

"And a generous amount of sauce too."

"Sauce is a given. Shall we try everything from ketchup on?"

With a tone of uncertainty, Ian and Dylan said the same thing in front of the sauce-drenched corn dog.

"Ladies first."

"Ha, these two guys are alike in all the wrong ways."

Chloe, rolling her eyes, still took a bite of the corn dog out of curiosity.

Her eyes widened as she chewed, accompanied by a crunchy sound.

"How is it? Good?"

"Dylan, this is seriously serious."

Chloe said gravely, staring down the corn dog.

"Why haven't we Americans thought of combining fries and corn dogs when we eat them so often? What exactly do you get a Nobel Prize for?"

"How good is it for you to say that?"

Following Chloe's lead, Dylan understood her fuss after eating the corn dog.

Whether it was the batter or not, the texture was crispy without being greasy, filling the mouth with a sweet and salty taste.

The stretching cheese captured both fun and flavor.

"This is really good?"

Amazed, Dylan heard Ian say as if he had been waiting,

"Good enough to want to sell?"

"Sell this?"

Dylan, who had made it casually for Ian, quickly calculated without intending to sell.

He didn't know how well it would sell, but since most of the ingredients were readily available, there was little risk of failure.

It was worth a try without much to lose.

After a moment of consideration, Dylan looked at Ian with surprise.

"Son, did you have this in mind from the beginning?"

"What are you talking about? But Dad, you really can cook. This is delicious!"

Dylan ruffled Ian's hair as he ate the corn dog nonchalantly.

"If it doesn't work out, it's the customers' taste that's the problem, so don't be too disappointed, okay?"

"I won't be disappointed."

There's no plan to be disappointed. Just make it a success.

'The bait is set; now we just need the fish to bite.'

Ian looked out the window like an eagle eyeing its prey.

***

The door to a room bustling with people checking filming equipment burst open.

A man with tousled blond hair entered, spreading a strong smell of alcohol enough to mask the sweat of the staff.

A middle-aged man among the staff cheerfully raised his voice.

"Ben! Have you already done the homeless makeup? You're really enthusiastic about the film!"

"To shoot a film, you have to do at least this much. Right, Oliver?"

Oliver shook his head at Ben's sly response.

"Never at a loss for words. So, what's the occasion? A party before filming? That's unlike you. Why? Met a girl you like?"

"I don't know what you mean."

Oliver burst into laughter at the response, which was as good as an answer.

"Ha-ha-ha, I wonder who the woman who's got Ben Roberts feeling lovesick is. Quite something!"

At Oliver's teasing, Ben waved his hand.

Honestly, even he didn't know why he was acting like this. 

For someone who started as a handsome actor and was followed by all sorts of scandals, it was odd to be behaving like a lovesick teenager.

Normally, he would have just thought about taking someone to bed, but this time, he couldn't feel less like it.

"Ha, I'm going to focus on filming now, so don't worry. As you can see, I'm more than ready to play a homeless role."

With a self-deprecating joke, Ben placed the script he brought on the table.

-Sucker Punch

It was a movie about a former soldier with transient amnesia, who forgets the previous day's memories upon waking, and his experiences living as a homeless person.

It was an action thriller about the protagonist, who lives every day thinking it's November 11th, the day he became homeless, fighting against past grievances and conflicts he doesn't remember.

"We'll shoot the ordinary homeless scenes in the usual city streets. We'll film from a distance."

"It looks like I'll be digging through trash for the first time in my life. Wonder if there'll be any good food."

Seeing Ben, ready to eat discarded food just like a real homeless person, Oliver looked pleased.

Ben was known for his love of parties and women, but he was serious about acting.

He was an actor whose astronomical fees were well justified.

"If you can make it as realistic as homeless, I couldn't ask for more. Don't worry; there will be plainclothes security around."

"That's a given."

"Ha-ha-ha, let's shoot well for three days. Our meticulous producer has given us a hard time to secure this period."

The scenes of living as an ordinary homeless person might take up a small part of the movie, but they were crucial for contrasting with the protagonist's true nature, struggling with PTSD and amnesia.

The fact that the producer, who wielded considerable power, had granted three days for shooting said a lot.

"Alright, let's get to work properly!"

With Oliver's words, the staff moved in an organized manner.

***

Homelessness is clearly a subject of disdain.

Homeless people intoxicated with drugs and alcohol, threatening with guns, and extorting money were common on the streets.

'But, that doesn't mean they are worthless humans.'

Each had their own story of how they hit rock bottom.

From veterans who turned to drugs while suffering from PTSD to former financiers hit hard by the financial crisis.

To Ian, the homeless, made up of all sorts of people, were teachers.

"Wow, wow!"

The ball left his hand and swished through the rim.

As the net swished, Ian felt a rough bump from behind.

"Ugh!"

"Ian! You're really awesome! How do you shoot so well when you're so short?"

Colliding with a black kid a head taller felt like being hit by a truck.

It reminded him of the damned guys who bounced him around like a pinball while pretending to teach him basketball.

'Indeed, learning art or music was much better than sports.'

Of course, the quirky homeless folks didn't teach anything nicely. Extorting hard-earned money as payment was standard.

-OMG! What's this crappy music? Hey! Listen to this! Sounds like my butthole is singing!

-Damn it! You call this a painting? It's not your face that's messed up; it's your fingers!

It made him angry just remembering after a long time.

'I wonder if those guys are still alive?'

Not that he misses them, but maybe he should look them up once he makes it big.

With sweat droplets wiped away along with his idle thoughts, Ian smiled softly upon seeing Chloe waving at him.

"Today's the day."

It was the day of the Field Day, an event his busy mom, usually preoccupied with work at the store, had managed to attend.

It was especially memorable because his parents, usually too busy with the store to attend school events, were there.

As Field Day was coming to an end, Ian impatiently grabbed Chloe's hand.

"We have to go to the store, right? Let's hurry. Dad must be waiting."

"It's a shame we can't go out for a nice family meal on a day like this. It's almost dinner time, and we can't leave the store."

"Dad's cooking is delicious too. He'd be disappointed to hear you say that."

"Well, if he thought his cooking was that good, we wouldn't be ordering pizza every weekend, would we?"

Chloe laughed playfully and headed to the store with Ian.

Entering the store to the sound of the bell, they were greeted by Dylan, who was grilling patties on the griddle, with a bright smile.

"My boy! Did you have a good day today? Sorry, Dad couldn't make it."

"It's fine, Dad."

Ian waved his hand dismissively and looked around the store.

Checking how much of the ketchup, mayonnaise, sugar, and teriyaki sauce had been used, Ian asked,

"Looks like the corn dogs sold pretty well, huh?"

"Of course! Who do you think spread the word?"

Dylan smiled proudly, but Ian judged the situation critically.

'Selling them probably didn't help the store's profits.'

It was likely that the existing customers bought the corn dogs out of curiosity or recommendation, not new customers.

Choosing the cheaper corn dogs over other menu items might have even hurt profits.

Of course, if word of mouth spread and more customers came, it would be fine, but Ian wasn't the type to wait around for that.

"Dad, I'll have one of the Korean-style potato corn dogs, please."

"Sure! You must be hungry after all that exercise. Just a moment."

Ian waited for the quickly fried corn dog, generously sprinkled with sugar and sauce, and sat down by the window, opening his bag.

Chloe, who came over to Ian, who was drawing in his notebook instead of eating the corn dog, tilted her head.

"Aren't you eating? I thought you were hungry."

"It's too hot. I'll eat it after it cools down. And I'm also learning Chinese at school these days."

"Really? That's impressive."

Ian showed her the notebook filled with Chinese characters. 

He needed to start laying the groundwork now so his parents wouldn't find it strange later.

After Chloe gently patted his head and went back to work, Ian carefully scanned the street outside.

He didn't want to miss an opportunity by looking away for even a moment.

How long had he been watching? The street was getting busier, and more customers were starting to come to the store for dinner.

Ian's lips curled up when he spotted suspicious movements in the crowd.

'Cameras.'

He saw people with small cameras moving around, and following the lenses, he spotted a homeless person.

The homeless person, wearing a beanie pressed down so much that his hair was hardly visible and a faded jacket, was shaking a discarded can of cola as people avoided him with disgust.

As the homeless person crossed the street and got closer to the store, Ian, whose eyes met the gaunt face, jumped up.

"Ian? Ian! Where are you going?!"

As the well-behaved child ran out, Chloe was shocked, but there was someone else who was even more surprised.

"Hey! That kid! Director?!"

The staff were startled when the suddenly dashing child blocked the actor's path.

The child, hiding something behind his back, seemed dangerous at a glance.

However, Oliver, observing the situation, urgently gestured to the surrounding security guards and the actor facing the child.

"Stop the nonsense and just shoot!"

Following Oliver's shout, the child's hand, previously hidden behind, moved.

***

As people wrinkled their noses and passed by, trash was thrown over the hands rummaging through the garbage can.

Ben, acting as a homeless person and receiving the disdain that came with it, was momentarily taken aback by the child blocking his path.

Ben, who usually didn't like children, hesitated for a moment before the child unexpectedly offered him a strangely shaped corn dog.

"…Are you giving this to me?"

"Yes, please eat it, sir."

The smile was as radiant as if untouched by the world's filth.

Without hesitation, Ben bit into the unfamiliar food, his eyes widening in surprise.

It was cold, but tastier than he expected.

"Is it good?"

"Yeah, it is. It's really good."

"That's great!"

Watching the child's happy smile, Ben felt an unsettlingly strong sense of unease.

Instinctively searching for the reason, he realized the direction of the child's gaze was odd.

Following the gaze of the camera, Ben felt a chill and asked in a low voice,

"…You recognize me, don't you?"

The child's smile deepened.