CH53

The old characters written in the worn notebook floated around in his head. From hastily scribbled cursive to carefully penned text, it seemed important. Within these pages, a person's life was melted into words.

"Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine. Just remembered something."

As he continued to reassure Austin, Ian casually asked, "Have you ever dreamed of being a journalist? Your investigative skills are quite extraordinary."

"A journalist? Haha, it was a childhood dream. I thought it was a romantic job, revealing hidden truths. But I gave up thinking it would be hard to become a good one."

Hmm.

Ian recalled the contents of the notebook. It wasn't certain if the person was truly a good journalist based on the written content alone.

'It seemed he tried to be a good journalist.'

After all, there was a clear concern about whether it was right to write an article, even if it was an exclusive scoop.

"Austin would have made a good journalist."

At this, he smiled refreshingly.

"I'm more confident about becoming a good agent. That's my goal."

Austin left. The man who entrusted his future goals to his junior disappeared, and the memories he left behind remained like a legacy.

Ben, coming out of the practice room, called Ian as he was about to go back upstairs.

"What, you're not practicing and going somewhere? Didn't the person who came leave?"

"I'm just hanging out. Got something urgent to do."

Ben, about to grumble, waved his hand after seeing Ian's expression.

"What's with the serious face? Alright, don't mind me then. But if you need help, make sure to tell me."

"Thanks!"

Ian quickly took out his pen and notebook, closed his eyes, and recalled the fleeting content of the notebook.

'Carter, this guy is definitely trash.'

The content related to him was atrocious. From wheedling parents to squeeze out child actors to demanding sexual favors from actors to secure roles.

Names presumed to be victims were listed, regardless of gender.

"Now, this content is meaningless."

Because the future with Carter would disappear.

As Ian was erasing related contents from his mind, he paused for a moment.

"Aubrey Day?"

It wasn't just because she was a top star actress. Though one-sided, there was a connection.

'The second homeless.'

Living out of her car, she became a world-famous star, and for Ian, who lived a life full of despair, she became hope.

He never expected to learn the story of the last of the three homeless people who inspired him to dream of becoming an actor. He shook off the mixed feelings.

"It's just a guess, and it's not something that's going to happen anyway."

There's no need to worry about someone who hasn't even entered the entertainment industry yet. After deleting the stories related to Carter, what remained were mostly Hollywood scandals that he shouldn't even know about, having returned to the past.

He scribbled away with his pen.

To survive in Hollywood, it was important to avoid the filth. At least, being prepared meant this information was valuable. As Ian reviewed the content written in Korean, so others couldn't easily read it, his eyes landed on two points:

– April 7, 2013, Caleb Elementary School shooting.

It was certainly a tragic event. And as the future unfolded, such dreadful incidents happened all too frequently. But it wasn't something that Austin, who covers celebrities, would write about. The reason for noting this must have been related to the "Director refusal, investigation ended." written beside it. It seemed that some director was involved, and the immediate cessation of investigation indicated they were probably well-known.

'It's a distant issue, and it might not even happen.'

But there was more important information:

– The popular novel Big Mountain's author is actually a fake?

He knew about 'Big Mountain.' Well, more precisely, he enjoyed the movie based on the novel. It was about people fighting over the only land, Big Mountain, in a world submerged in water. It did quite well at the box office.

'There were plagiarism rumors after all subsequent works failed.'

It was a comment made in jest about a one-hit-wonder author, but Austin's notebook contained solid evidence.

– Seemed to mentor an 18-year-old named Aiden Hood. Rumors say he secluded himself writing novels.

His address and the surrounding circumstances were meticulously noted. Just from reading this, it was clear that Aiden was the original author.

– 'Big Mountain' was published in February 2014, and Aiden chose to end his life in August 2014.

– The first to discover was the author, Lukas. No suicide note was found at the house, leading to suspicions it was destroyed.

– Investigation ended due to insufficient evidence.

That was the last entry about Aiden, filled with regret.

"The person who wrote that novel was just 18? If that's true, then he was a real genius."

Ian thought about the story of 'Big Mountain.' It was hard to believe it was written by an 18-year-old. Yet, that made it all the more credible.

'Even if he claimed to be the original author, nobody would have believed him. Especially since he hadn't even finished high school.'

According to people around him, he was extremely introverted. The only family he had was a father, who was worse off than others.

The despair from being betrayed by the only person he relied on in his isolated life must have been immense.

"I wish I could go to him right now, but that's not possible."

It's doubtful whether he still lives at the address written, and as just a elementary student, what excuse would he have to go to a strange area? There's still time. He quickly scanned the notebook. Depending on how it's used, this information could be worth at least tens of millions of dollars, or even hundreds of billions of won. He carefully placed the notebook in his bag and opened the door to the practice room where Ben was.

"Ben! Let's practice quickly!"

"What, I'm done now! I'm going home!"

"This is also Ben's home. Where are you going?"

Starting practice reluctantly with a tired Ben, Ian calmed his pounding heart. It felt like he had become a farmer who had stumbled upon treasure in the field.

***

-…Only reaching out when you need something. Honey, is this why you're with me?

"That's why we're not meeting and just talking on the phone."

-If I couldn't even speak…

Charlotte grumbled. It was understandable to miss each other since they couldn't meet often. They were both busy.

"Tell me to come to a party if you want to meet. Do you know what could happen there?"

-Oh, who would do something strange? It would be nice to show off our friendship. Surely, a scandal because of our age difference wouldn't happen, right?

"Well, there is quite an age difference between us."

-Yeah!

He didn't know why she's angry after saying it herself. Ian laughed lightly and steered the conversation back.

"Anyway, please tell the journalist I asked for. Carter has been fired, and there are stars who invested through him."

-Doing favors isn't really my style.

"Then, shall we do business together again?"

Charlotte grimaced at the memory of the last exposé involving Herman. 

-Forget it. One more time, and you won't be able to set foot in Hollywood.

"Then don't say I didn't ask."

He was not a crusader of justice aiming to clean up Hollywood. It's not certain that everything the journalist investigated is true, so innocent victims could be created unnecessarily.

-Forget meeting then. Just call more often. That's doable, right?

"Of course. I'll contact you again next time."

-You better keep that promise. Otherwise, I'll expose everything about us. Got it, honey?

Ian shook his head as the call ended with playful laughter. When he first met her at a party, he never dreamed they would end up like this.

"Indeed, I have too many such relationships." 

Since he was working as a child actor during a time when he was abused in foster care, it was natural that he would form many new relationships.

The upcoming meeting was just an extension of that.

Upon arriving at the meeting place, a man accompanied by a cameraman approached him with a smile.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jerry Perez. Just call me Jerry."

"I'm Ian Pryce. Feel free to call me Ian."

"Good. Ah, don't worry too much about the camera. We're filming for the premiere, but we'll definitely get your permission before using any of it."

Ian nodded and sized up Jerry. Talk show hosts varied greatly, from those who bluntly discussed sensitive topics to those quick-witted enough to make people laugh.

'Among them, Jerry is rather mild.'

Being mild isn't a bad thing. It means creating a talk show that everyone can watch without feeling burdened. The results spoke for themselves through the ratings.

With his characteristic relaxed atmosphere, Jerry initiated the conversation.

"It wasn't too sudden a meeting, was it?"

"I actually thought being invited as a talk show guest would come first."

"Hahaha, I'd be happy to have you as a guest. Let's arrange that sometime."

"I'll look forward to it."

Neither of them was making empty promises. After all, appearing on talk shows is standard for promotion later on.

When that will be, however, he was not sure.

"Shall we get to the point? You know why I called you here?"

"You wanted to do something special for the awards ceremony, including the other child actors."

"Right, but I was struggling to think of what could be good."

He lightly tossed a few ideas my way, but nothing really struck a chord.

Luckily, Ian had a good plan. It seemed they wouldn't need to argue too much.

"I have a good idea. You know how you get really hungry at award ceremonies."

"True. People diet to fit into dresses and suits, and the ceremonies aren't short."

"Not just the celebrities, but the staff must be starving too. How about we give out food? The child actors could deliver it."

Food distribution for the hungry? It sounded like a good event.

"Oh, that's a good idea. So, what kind of food should we use?"

"Why even ask?"

As if the event was suggested for no reason. Seeing Ian's broad smile, Jerry let out an exclamation. He had momentarily forgotten.

"Corn dogs! Your store's corn dogs were famous, right?"

"And they're special to me. They're the reason I'm here today."

Had it not been for corn dogs, his connection with Ben might not have happened. He wouldn't have been cast in "Invisible Children," nor met Nathan, the child actor from "Sucker Punch."

'Then I wouldn't have connected with Director Gavin either.'

Corn dogs were at the start of these cascading connections. While not as pure as known, the significance wasn't diminished.

Ian pointed at the camera, suggesting, "What about sharing something we've made ourselves? It's not as hard as you think."

"We'll have to see about that."

"Let's try making them at our store. I'll talk to my dad and let you use the kitchen."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. We actually have a second location that hasn't opened yet."

"Then I'm counting on you!"

'Great, I've secured an opportunity to promote the second location in front of over ten million viewers.'

***

The dough, a mixture of strong flour and glutinous rice flour, had fermented and thickened nicely.

"It's easy, so just follow along."

Holding a skewer, Ian pointed to the mozzarella cheese and sausages.

"Adding mozzarella cheese to a corn dog brings the fun of stretching cheese and a rich, nutty flavor. There's no need to mention how delicious the sausage is."

"Familiar tastes do have their own fear."

"Now, just skewer the ingredients you want like this."

As Jerry skewered a square piece of mozzarella cheese, Ian tilted the sticky dough container.

"Just coat it thoroughly with the batter without leaving any gaps."

"Is this good?"

"That's perfect. Normally, corn dogs are just dipped in breadcrumbs, but the best version is this."

Ian then presented small diced potatoes.

"Oh, potatoes!"

"Yes, if you attach the potatoes and fry it, you get a really delicious corn dog. It's the best-selling item in our store."

As they dropped the corn dog into boiling oil, a savory aroma immediately filled the air.

The cameraman filming the golden-frying corn dog swallowed hard.

When the timer beeped, Ian tapped Jerry, who was full of anticipation.

"Now, we just have to take it out. Let's wait until some of the oil drains off."

After letting the oil drain from the corn dog, Ian had Jerry sprinkle it with sugar and sauce.

"Try it. You'll be surprised."

"I've been waiting for you to say that."

Biting into it, unlike the greasy corn dogs he was used to, this one crunched satisfyingly, and the cheese stretched long.

Jerry's eyes widened.

"Oh, this is really good? And easy to make."

"Right? Now you just have to make and distribute them yourself."

"Great! How many should we make?"

Ian smiled at the camera.

"Uh, a thousand?"

Considering the staff, wouldn't that number be about right?

Jerry's shocked face was captured perfectly on camera, and Ian said with a sly grin,

"Don't worry. No one has died from making corn dogs yet."

Maybe?

If it really gets too tough, they could just order from their store.

The Emmy Awards ceremony was fast approaching.