chapter 24

Chapter 24. Hawaii

"Oh my, it's Son Jin-wook!"

"And the one next to him is that popular high school actor."

Yeon-woo overheard the flight attendants whispering excitedly. He and Jin-wook took selfies with the starstruck crew before settling into their business class seats.

Yeon-woo, who in his past life had flown not only commercial planes but also military aircraft and even light planes, had never received such attention from flight attendants.

So-hyun, as predicted, immediately put on an eye mask and fell asleep, snoring softly. She only woke briefly for the meal service before drifting off again.

Across the aisle, Ahn Joon-ho was on his umpteenth drink.

"Joon-ho hyung, you're going to be drunk before we even arrive."

"Ah, so refreshing. I love alcohol. I had to control myself during filming, so now it's time to celebrate."

Time passed, and the plane landed smoothly at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

Yeon-woo chuckled, watching Han So-hyun stretch as she woke up.

"Are you sure you're afraid of flying?"

"Heh, if you're scared, you sleep."

The plane reached the gate, and the passengers, eager to disembark after the long flight, began to stand.

Yeon-woo and his group proceeded through the gate and joined the immigration queue.

"Hopefully, they won't ask too many questions," Min-soo said, worried about the notoriously strict US immigration process. He had never been to the US before.

"Min-soo hyung, they probably won't ask much since we're a group. And our Korean passports are pretty powerful."

Min-soo nodded. They proceeded through immigration one by one, and as Yeon-woo predicted, they passed without any issues.

"Wow, Yeon-woo, your English is good," Ahn Joon-ho, who had been standing behind Yeon-woo, commented, impressed by his fluent conversation with the immigration officer.

Jin-wook, who had finished his immigration check, appeared behind Yeon-woo and slung his arm around Joon-ho's shoulder. "Not surprising, he's first in his class."

As they exited the baggage claim area with their suitcases, a small group of people, mostly Korean expats, greeted them with placards. They were mainly fans of Jin-wook, who had gained some international recognition for his role in "Your Name."

Jin-wook approached his fans, signing autographs and taking photos.

"Thank you! Kamsahamnida!"

Ahn Joon-ho nudged Yeon-woo. "Maybe we'll also get to film internationally and have fans overseas someday. It's amazing that people here recognize Jin-wook hyung."

"Well, Korean content is trending these days, so maybe our next project will be a global hit."

"You think so?" Ahn Joon-ho grinned at Yeon-woo's words.

They followed their guide to the hotel and settled in, recovering from the long journey.

The next morning, after breakfast, Yeon-woo was resting in his room when someone knocked on the door.

He opened the door to find Jin-wook and Joon-ho, ready to go out.

"Yeon-woo, we're going to that shooting range I mentioned, with the other staff. Want to come?"

Shooting… He had done it so much in his past life that it wasn't a hobby he was particularly interested in pursuing. However, since he had nothing else to do, he agreed.

"Sure. What about So-hyun noona?"

"She said she's scared of loud noises, so she's at the hotel pool with Writer Choi."

Yeon-woo suddenly felt the urge to relax by the pool as well, but since he had already agreed, he decided to go with them.

"Give me a second. I'll just change."

He changed into comfortable clothes, applied sunscreen liberally, and joined them.

"Hyungs, did you put on sunscreen? The Hawaiian sun is intense."

"Ah, I put on some."

Yeon-woo handed Joon-ho the sunscreen. "You need to apply it properly, hyung. Otherwise, your skin will look like the Polish flag. You missed a spot here. And here too."

"Ugh, you sound like my dad, Yeon-woo."

"You'll get skin cancer."

Joon-ho reluctantly applied more sunscreen, while Jin-wook chuckled, saying Yeon-woo had finally met his match.

They met the other staff in the hotel lobby and drove to an outdoor shooting range near Waikiki.

"Wow, this is the place? I can already hear gunshots."

"It's been so long since my reservist training that I don't even remember the last time I shot a gun."

"This way, please. We'll start with a safety briefing."

After the briefing, they were instructed to choose their weapons.

"I'll take the Glock 19," Yeon-woo said, choosing the familiar pistol he had often used in the field.

"Good choice," the staff member said.

Despite its unassuming appearance, the Glock 19 was a popular choice for its lightweight, durability, and reliability. It was even used by the Presidential Security Service in Korea.

"Not interested in rifles? We have some with a nice kick."

"Hmm…" Yeon-woo pondered, stroking his chin.

"I can give you some recommendations." The burly middle-aged staff member, who was preparing Yeon-woo's safety glasses, shooting headphones, and plate carrier, offered.

"Do you have the Beretta SC70/90?"

"Oh ho, interesting. A Korean guy requesting an Italian piece."

The staff member placed the Beretta, the Glock, ammunition, and other accessories in a hard gun case and helped Yeon-woo put on the plate carrier.

"This brings back memories." Putting on the tactical gear evoked a mix of emotions in Yeon-woo.

"Yeon-woo, you've already chosen?"

"He picked one with a complicated name, too."

"Haha, I'm a bit interested in these things…" Yeon-woo replied to Jin-wook's question, scratching his head, downplaying his expertise. In reality, he had lived and breathed firearms in his past life.

The other staff members, whose knowledge of firearms was mostly limited to the M16 and K2 rifles from their military service, mostly followed the staff's recommendations. After another safety briefing, they put on their protective gear and entered the shooting range.

"Young-chan, you just finished your military service, so show us what you've got. Show them the power of the Korean reserve forces," Cinematographer Kang In-chan said, patting the youngest member of the camera crew on the back.

"Yes, sir! Just watch!"

Kim Young-chan, assisted by a staff member, loaded his pistol with ammunition from the box and fired.

Bang!

"Whoa." He was startled by the recoil.

Hahaha

The staff laughed at his surprised expression.

He regained his composure and fired at the distant target.

He fired fifteen rounds and returned.

His target sheet arrived quickly. He had hit thirteen out of fifteen shots, but most were scattered away from the center.

"That's pretty good. Most people have trouble hitting the target with a pistol." The shooting range staff member offered words of encouragement.

The other staff members who followed also had similar results. Ahn Joon-ho fired all fifteen rounds but only had three holes in his target sheet. He insisted that some bullets had gone through the same holes, but no one believed him.

A middle-aged Caucasian man with brown hair, who had been watching Yeon-woo and his group from the next lane, clicked his tongue. "Look at them, celebrating even though they didn't even hit near the center. Typical Asians, they should stick to bows and arrows."

"Hey, Jimmy, isn't that a bit racist? Haha, bows and arrows, that's funny."

"So what? They can't understand us anyway."

Yeon-woo, who had overheard their conversation, looked at them impassively through the bulletproof glass.

Just then, Ahn Joon-ho, who had just finished his disastrous shooting session, called out to Yeon-woo, "Looks like there's another non-military guy besides me. Your turn, Yeon-woo."

Yeon-woo took out his pistol from the gun case and expertly loaded it.

Click, clack! His movements were fluid and practiced.

He assumed a perfect isosceles stance and began firing.

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

He adjusted his aim with the first shot and then fired rapidly.

"Whoa!" The shooting range staff and Yeon-woo's group were impressed by his perfect stance and rapid fire.

"What the heck? Is he really a high school student?"

Yeon-woo fired all fifteen rounds and returned to his group. His target sheet arrived shortly after.

"Wow, impressive!" The staff member handed him the sheet. The bullet holes formed a tight cluster right in the center of the target.

"This is definitely the highest score today."

"Wow, Yeon-woo is making us proud. Is there anything he's not good at?"

"Haha…" Yeon-woo simply scratched his head, speechless.

The rifle shooting was no different. Since all the Korean staff members had received military training, their accuracy was generally better than the average foreign visitor, but Yeon-woo was in a league of his own.

"He got a perfect score."

"Are you sure this is your first time? That's amazing."

Not only his group but even the shooting range staff were impressed by his near-perfect marksmanship.

"Sir, have you had professional training?"

Yeon-woo looked at the middle-aged man with brown hair in the next lane, who was staring at him with his mouth agape, and replied, "No, this is my first time. Maybe it's because Koreans are naturally good with bows and arrows." He grinned and closed his gun case.

The staff members who had served in the military joked that he could earn extra vacation days in the army with those skills, while Yeon-woo and Joon-ho, who hadn't served yet, felt a twinge of apprehension about their future military service.

In the afternoon, the "Summer's Closet" team enjoyed a sightseeing cruise and then returned to the hotel to rest. Yeon-woo decided to take a walk, enjoying the evening breeze.

He spotted a familiar silhouette in the distance.

Han So-hyun, her pale skin illuminated by the lights of a convenience store, was walking with Screenwriter Choi Mi-hyun.

'Are they getting snacks?'

He decided to greet them. As he approached, he noticed a group of burly local men approaching them as well.

'Don't tell me this is going to be a cliché scene.'

However, it was even more predictable than he had imagined. While it was a tourist area, it wasn't uncommon for men to approach attractive women, especially in a foreign country with a less safe environment than Korea.

While their intentions didn't seem overtly malicious, it was a dark street, and the situation could be perceived as threatening by So-hyun and Writer Choi.

Yeon-woo quickly crossed the street and addressed the men in fluent English. "Hey, mates, is there a problem? I'm with them."

Han So-hyun, who had looked slightly apprehensive, turned around.

"Yeon-woo!"