nucmednet Chapter 103 Day 1 in Los Angeles
Chapter 103 Day 1 in Los Angeles
Before the plane landed, Su Yu saw Los Angeles through the porthole.
The city spread out, not densely packed upwards like Seoul, but rather sprawling in all directions. The sunlight was bright, visibility was high, and the distant mountain outlines were clear. He glanced at his watch; it was past midnight in Seoul, but 2 PM here. A twelve-hour time difference, day and night reversed.
The flight attendant announced the ground temperature: 23 degrees Celsius. He boarded the plane wearing a coat, but now he has to take it off.
There were many people going through customs; it took almost forty minutes to get through. A Korean woman ahead of him was questioned by customs for a long time, and Su Yu translated a few sentences for her, for which the woman thanked him profusely. When it was his turn, customs glanced at his passport and asked what he was doing in the US. He said "business." Customs asked what kind of business, and he said "film production." Customs typed a few keys, stamped his passport, and let him through.
Rachel was waiting for him at the exit, holding up a sign with his name on it, "SU YU," the letters all jumbled up. Su Yu walked over, and she smiled and extended her hand.
"Representative Su, welcome to Los Angeles."
"Thanks."
Rachel was driving a black Ford SUV. As she drove, she talked about the contract, mentioning that the general counsel from headquarters would be flying in from New York the next day to discuss things in person. "He had a very good impression of you," she said. "After the last video conference, he told me, 'This young man is impressive.'"
Su Yu looked at the palm trees outside the window. "Did he agree to delete that clause?"
Rachel hesitated for a moment. "He wants to talk to me in person."
Su Yu didn't ask any more questions.
The hotel was near Beverly Hills, with white walls and several palm trees at the entrance. The lobby wasn't large, but it was very elegant. Rachel helped him check in, told him she would pick him up at ten o'clock the next morning, and then left. Su Yu went into the room, laid his suitcase down, and opened the curtains.
Outside the window was the Los Angeles skyline, not high, but wide, with the Hollywood sign visible in the distance. He stood there for a moment, then took out his phone and texted Cai Xiubin: "Arrived."
Cai Xiubin replied immediately: "Are you tired?"
"fine."
"Have you got a meal yet?"
No. I'm not hungry.
"No, we have to eat. We'll just grab something at the hotel restaurant."
Su Yu looked at those lines of text, his lips twitching slightly. He put down his phone, took off his coat, washed his face, and went downstairs to the restaurant. He ordered a steak, medium-rare, with mashed potatoes. The taste was so-so, but it was filling. Halfway through his meal, Cai Xiubin sent a video request. He answered; her face was very close on the screen, against the backdrop of the white walls of a hotel room.
"Are you at the hotel too?" Su Yu asked.
"Yes. Just arrived in Busan. The room is the same as last time, and the window has a view of the sea." She turned her phone to show him the view outside the window. It was already dark, and nothing could be seen on the sea except for the distant lighthouse flashing.
"Where's the sea?" Su Yu asked.
You can't see it at night. You can see it during the day.
Su Yu cut a piece of steak and put it in his mouth. Cai Xiubin saw him eating and smiled. "You're eating steak?"
"Um."
"Is it tasty?"
"generally."
"Then why are you still eating?"
"You said you have to eat it."
Cai Xiubin laughed out loud. "When did you become so obedient to me?"
Su Yu chewed on his beef, not answering. He swallowed, put down his fork, and looked at the screen. "What did you do today?"
"I did some additional narration. I recorded over a dozen takes, and the director said, 'Be quieter, like you're talking to yourself.' I spoke so softly I was almost inaudible, and he said, 'That's it.' My voice was hoarse." She picked up her water glass and took a sip. "After work, I went to that barbecue restaurant by the sea. The older lady there asked me why I hadn't come, and I told her I'd gone to America. She gave me an extra bowl of fish cake soup."
"Did you eat this all by yourself?"
"Hmm. We can't finish it, so we'll pack it up."
Su Yu looked at her. Cai Xiubin on the screen was without makeup, her hair was tied up, and she was wearing an old T-shirt with a slightly loose neckline. She looked a little tired, but her eyes were bright.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" she asked.
"Let's talk about the contract."
"Is it possible to reach an agreement?"
"able."
Cai Xiubin smiled. "You're that confident?"
"What else would you do?"
The two chatted for a while, then Cai Xiubin said she was sleepy and had to get up early the next day. Su Yu said, "Go to sleep," and said, "You hang up first." Su Yu didn't hang up, and neither did she. The two just stared at the screen in silence for a few seconds.
"Su Yu".
"Um."
Message me when I arrive. Otherwise, I'll worry.
"it is good."
"Good night."
"Good night."
After hanging up the phone, Su Yu placed it on the table and leaned back in his chair. Several other tables of customers were still in the restaurant; some were eating salads, others were drinking and chatting. He paid the bill and went upstairs to his room. After showering, he lay in bed, jet lag starting to hit him, his head spinning, but he couldn't fall asleep. He turned on his phone and saw a message from Shirley.
"Have we arrived yet?"
"arrive."
"How's Los Angeles?"
"hot."
Shirley sent a smiley face and then said, "Are you underdressed?"
"I brought a coat."
"You don't need a coat there. Didn't you check the weather?"
Su Yu didn't reply. A few seconds later, Shirley sent another message: "It's so quiet in the company now that you're gone. Kim Dong-wook is talking less, and Choi Min-soo isn't joking around anymore. Even Kim Eun-sook has stopped swearing." Su Yu looked at the message and typed: "Make them work. Don't let them sit idle." Shirley replied with an eye-rolling emoji.
"Go to sleep early. Jet lag is really uncomfortable."
"Um."
"Be careful in Los Angeles. Don't wander around at night."
"it is good."
Shirley sent a "Goodnight," but Su Yu didn't reply. He placed his phone on the bedside table and turned off the light. In the darkness, light from outside shone faintly through the window. He closed his eyes, his mind filled with Cai Xiubin's expression when she said, "You hang up first," and Shirley's tone when she said, "It's so quiet in the company now that you're gone."
These thoughts swirled around in his mind, gradually fading. He fell asleep, but slept restlessly, waking up several times in the middle of the night to check his phone. It was daytime back home, and messages kept popping up in the group chat. He didn't reply, turned over, and went back to sleep.
The next morning, Su Yu was woken by his alarm clock. 7:30. He took a shower, changed his shirt, and went downstairs for breakfast. The coffee was weak, not as good as the one in Seoul. He drank half a cup, put it down, and went to the lobby to wait for Rachel.
At 10:00 AM sharp, Rachel arrived. She was wearing a suit today, much more formal than yesterday. "Let's go. The general counsel is already here."
The conference room was on the second floor of office building A24. It wasn't large, but the windows were big, and the sunlight made the whole room bright. The general counsel, Mark, was in his fifties, with gray hair and glasses; he looked more like a university professor than a lawyer. He stood up and shook hands with Su Yu, his grip neither too strong nor too weak.
"Representative Su, I've long admired you."
"Hello there."
After sitting down, Mark got straight to the point. "Regarding those supplementary clauses, I'd like to explain our position." He opened his folder. "The distribution rights are split 70/30 because A24's distribution channels in North America are stronger than any Asian company. It's not cost-effective for you to take 50%. If we take 70%, we can help you get the film into more theaters."
Su Yu looked at him. "Then you'll give me 70%?"
Mark paused for a moment, then laughed. "Representative Su is very humorous."
"This isn't a joke." Su Yu's tone was flat. "The distribution rights will be split 50/50, the sequel rights will be jointly owned, and the losses will be split 50/50. This was agreed upon beforehand. Your addition of clauses at the last minute is your problem, not mine."
Rachel watched silently from the side. Mark took off his glasses, wiped them, and put them back on. "Representative Su, do you know what cooperating with A24 means to you?"
"I know," Su Yu said. "It means you need me as much as I need you."
A few seconds of silence filled the meeting room. Mark stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed. This laugh was different from before; it wasn't polite, he was genuinely amused. "Rachel told me you were difficult, and I didn't believe her. Now I do.
Su Yu didn't reply.
Mark leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. "Fifty-fifty distribution rights, shared sequel rights, and splitting the losses equally. You insist on these three conditions?"
"persist in."
"No objections to the other terms?"
"Other things can be discussed."
Mark glanced at Rachel, who nodded slightly. Mark put his glasses back on, picked up a pen, made a few marks on the document, and handed it to Su Yu. "Then change it as you said. Sign it tomorrow."
Su Yu took it, looked at it, and nodded.
As they left the conference room, Rachel escorted Su Yu downstairs. She smiled and said, "You really impressed Mark. He rarely backs down." Su Yu replied, "He didn't concede because I spoke well; it was because he didn't want to lose this project." Rachel glanced at him but said nothing more.
Back at the hotel, Su Yu messaged Cai Xiubin: "All done talking. Signing tomorrow." Cai Xiubin replied with a smiley face, saying, "I knew you could do it." He then sent another message: "I'm in the recording studio, the director called me. Let's talk later." Su Yu replied with an "OK."
He lay in bed, turned on the TV, and randomly flipped to a movie channel, not paying much attention. His phone vibrated again. A message from Shirley: "Is the contract settled?"
"Okay. Sign it tomorrow."
"When are you coming back?"
"Saturday."
Shirley sent a "OK" and didn't send another. Su Yu put down his phone and looked at the ceiling. He wasn't quite adjusted to the time difference yet, but it was a little better than yesterday. He closed his eyes, wanting to sleep for a while.
But his mind kept racing—after the contract was signed, when would the project start, who would be cast, and which departments would need to be coordinated for filming in South Korea? These thoughts kept popping up, and he couldn't put them down. He opened his eyes, sat up, took out his laptop, and started writing emails.