Became an American Retro Novelist - Chapter 129



Only Noblemtl

129.

Darth Vader just passed me.

“······?!”

I turned my head for a moment, then realized that Alexa was with me and focused on walking again. However, I was questioned as to whether I could have fooled Alexa’s eyes, who was standing right next to me.

“What did you just see?”

“Oh, I didn’t see anything!”

“I saw Darth Vader over there.”

“······It’s like a ghost.”

“Do you want to take a picture together?”

“Uh, yeah!”

I nodded, feeling like I was a dog wagging its tail.

Actually, I didn’t have the courage to do that. I wanted to take a picture.

Darth Vader.

He was one of the most successful villain characters in the film industry. ······He was actually a cosplayer, but thinking about it makes me feel a little better, so I decided to think of him as myself.

I approached her, said hello, and took a picture with her using the disposable camera Alexa had brought. One picture.

And I asked a passerby, including Alexa, to take another photo. Two.

“Go, thank you! May the Force be with you!”

“······May the Force serve you well.”

It’s crazy.

This is the real Darth Vader. When did he come down from space? Which Jedi will die today?

“Why do we greet each other differently?”

“Because he’s a Sith.”

“huh?”

Alexa tilts her head as she listens to me.

To her, I explained the relationship between the Jedi Order and the Sith. It was very difficult to explain that long history in a few words, but I summarized it calmly, and Alexa answered after listening to it all.

“I don’t understand it at all!”

Yeah, I guess so.

But Alexa listened, and I explained.

That was enough. We looked at each other and smiled.

The weather was so nice that I wondered if it was okay.

Hollywood Boulevard, the center of the film industry, was still glamorous in 1984. Billboards, movie posters, and movie theaters were densely placed between the gaps between the five-story buildings on either side, and the atmosphere was lively with buskers, street vendors, and cosplayers walking down the street.

And we had barely arrived at such a wonderful place.

I took a leisurely walk down the street with Alexa.

We didn’t really talk about where to go or what to do.

It was our first date, but we didn’t really prepare or do anything special for each other. Just walking down Hollywood Boulevard together under the nice weather made us excited. Then, if something looked interesting, we went to see it and then moved on.

“Oh, over there, over there.”

Alexa discovers a group of people and approaches them first.

I was performing busking.

In the midst of a large crowd, I glanced over my shoulder and saw a black man holding a microphone, tapping out to a hip-hop beat. Doom doom doom tsk, doom tsk, doom tsk. Alexa nodded slightly and tapped out the beat, naturally blending in with the crowd.

He closed his eyes and gave himself over to the beat, then suddenly turned around and approached the black man on the other side.

······And then he started rapping thickly using slang I’d never heard before.

“Hey! Hae@byun-ah.”

“······?”

I just said ‘Bitch’, and it felt like there was a weird letter in the middle.

I guess it’s my fault.

“@F@@Bongbageo! You’re nothing! You’re nothing in front of this DJ Powder! You’re a n@@too nothing! You’re a newbie! You’re so ‘gun’ ‘bang’! I’ll give you a present like that! ‘Gun’ ‘Bang’ ‘Thug-!!’”

[Uooooooooooooooooooohhhh-?!]

The cheering audience.

“Oh, that’s interesting. Is that ‘hip-hop’?”

“······??”

Alexa looked a little surprised, and I couldn’t help but doubt my ears.

The man half-throws the microphone at the other man right in front of him. You bastard. You son of a bitch. Amidst the swearing from the hood that feels like it’s dirtying my ears, I quietly grab Alexa and drag her along.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Isn’t it fun?”

“······I think my ears are going to melt.”

“Hahahaha! But isn’t it interesting? The words are a bit scary though.”

As expected, he was a guy who tried to accept everything without prejudice.

Metal is related to gaming and nerd culture, so I listened to it occasionally even as I got older, but rap music is completely a culture for the ‘popular’ crowd, so I never really sought it out to listen to it.

But now that I’m with Alexa, I think understanding this culture could definitely be a good writing experience.

‘But, was that there at this time?’

Even in the late 80s, there were many people having rap battles here and there, but this was before genres like gangster rap emerged.

······Maybe those two were ahead of their time. Maybe one of them was a member of the hip-hop group NWA.

‘Or one of the members of RUN DMC.’

With a sense of anticipation, I cautiously turned my head and listened.

And then the screams are heard.

“Nigg······!”

“Ah, I don’t think so.”

It didn’t seem like a culture I could handle yet.

***

The subsequent date was also enjoyable.

After going to the long shopping mall street and looking at clothes, shoes, comic books, etc., I felt a little hungry and bought a hot dog from a nearby street vendor. After that, I went to a small theater nearby and watched a very childish adventure movie. When I came out, I saw the sunset in the distance.

“oh······.”

I was amazed when I saw the sight before Alexa.

Hollywood Hills.

The huge hill stretching out under the sun was a representative landmark of Hollywood. Looking at the ‘HOLLYWOOD’ sign erected in the form of a white signboard, I was reminded of the fact that I was in a place that dominated the film industry of the entire world, not only in the present but also in the future.

“oh!!”

Alexa discovers the sunset a beat later than me and runs towards it.

The hem of the one-piece skirt fluttered in the warm breeze. As I gazed at Alexa’s figure shining brightly under the sunset, I unconsciously picked up the disposable camera I was holding and pressed the shutter repeatedly.

Click, click, click.

“Oh my god! Look at this! The sunset is really pretty!”

“······.”

If I say, “You’re prettier,” she’ll run away again.

So I just watched.

The sun shining brightly. The Hollywood Hills and the Hollywood Sign spread out below. A leisurely street scene with people of all colors laughing and chatting peacefully.

‘How long has it been since I’ve been able to relax like this without even thinking about work?’

That was the moment I thought so.

A white man wearing sunglasses approached Alexa slowly from the side. What is he doing? Is he trying to lure her to play with him? He moved slightly cautiously, and Alexa, who had been trembling with caution at first, opened her eyes wide. Then the man took out a small piece of paper from his bosom and handed it to her.

‘ah.’

business card.

And this is Hollywood.

Only then did I get a rough idea of ​​the situation.

‘It’s street casting.’

As I got closer, my prediction turned out to be correct.

“Hey, I saw you at the national competition! You’re prettier in person, aren’t you?”

“Oh, thank you?”

Alexa’s voice was shaking more than usual, perhaps unfamiliar with this type of business situation, apart from the fact that someone was recognizing her.

Regardless, the man, who was an ‘adult’ unlike her, continued talking with a smile.

“Please contact me. Your mask will definitely work anywhere!”

“Ah, I understand······.”

As Alexa nodded, frozen like a stone, the man gave one last smirk, then turned around and went his way.

Watching the process, I decided that he wasn’t a bad person.

Usually, in these cases, if someone is someone who overly promotes themselves or tries to persuade the other person in some way, they don’t have many good experiences. However, this man didn’t even pay attention to me coming right up to him and just said what he wanted to say and left. His attitude was just neat and gentle.

‘You can do that because you are confident in yourself.’

As I was thinking that, Alexa turned to me with a pale face.

“Poem, pee pee, shin. What should I do?”

“What did you say?”

“It says ‘what agency’······. Is this asking me to contact them?”

“What agency is it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s colorful? There are a lot of logos on the back.”

“Are you a model?”

“No way! Me?”

“I think I can do it. Don’t you think it would be nice to appear on the cover of a fashion magazine?”

“Umm······.”

Alexa frowns and ponders.

After watching her for a while, I thought that perhaps this could be a very important turning point in Alexa’s life, so I took her to a nearby cafe and sat down.

The Alexa Flair I remember from her previous life was definitely a model. However, after graduating, she went to New York to find a job, and we have not heard from her since.

If I were to guess roughly, I would say it wasn’t a great success.

But things have changed a lot since then.

‘Because I didn’t win the national competition in my past life.’

Even now, Alexa’s ‘The No-Saying’ flare is famous enough to be talked about all over California. That’s because the look at that time showed the pure and bold look that only a teenager can have.

······More than anything, it was also funny.

So, unlike her previous life, Alexa now received a business card from a modeling agency representative.

“What are you going to do?”

“Well. ······No, rather than that, we’re on a date, so is it okay to talk about this?”

“It’s okay. Alexa, you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but if there’s something you want to say, feel free to say anything in front of me.”

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.”

“Looking at your business card, it looks like you’re from a model, actor, and singer agency. Since you said ‘mask,’ I’m guessing you’re thinking of becoming a model or actor.”

“Model? Actor?”

“Are you interested in that?”

“I never even thought about it.”

Huh?

It’s different from what I remember.

‘I heard that after graduation, you went to New York to work as a model.’

I’m not even thinking about that right now. What’s the reason?

“Actually, I don’t even know what to do after I graduate from school.”

“You didn’t think about anything?”

“······.”

Alexa’s shoulders slump at my question.

I realized I had been too direct and quickly corrected myself.

“Wow, you really seem to have a lot on your mind. You must be having a hard time too. But that’s how it is for everyone.”

“Right?······Uh, something feels strange.”

“No. I guess I’m mistaken. Everyone at that age has concerns about their future career.”

“Suspicious.”

“······.”

Empathy is really hard. What do you say if I do it, and what do you say if I don’t?

“Anyway, that’s why I was so jealous of you and Dooppi. Because you both have something you really want to do.”

“It’s nothing special. I’ve been writing for a long time. Isn’t cheerleading like that for you too?”

“But as I said before, I’m not thinking about it as a career after graduation. Well, cheerleading is definitely fun, but I also like other things. Talking to people and getting to know them, thinking about how I should act and who I am.”

Eighteen, an age that is bound to bring many worries.

An age where everything you do is fun and interesting.

In fact, I had gone through various experiences and miracles since my previous life and returned, and inevitably chose the path called ‘writing’, and although Doopi had chosen the field of ‘toys’ as his starting point, he had not yet decided on where or how to branch out.

But from Alexa’s perspective, either way, she was extremely jealous, and because of that, she felt strange about herself for not being able to make any decisions.

The problem was that I was so pressed for time that I couldn’t do what I really liked.

Listening to the story here, I got to thinking that maybe Alexa didn’t really want to be a model in her past life.

Wouldn’t she be better suited to acting?

‘Because I am interested in myself, others, and humanity, and I try to get along with people while observing them.’

But I thought it would be a bit odd to say it out loud, so I answered like this.

“We’re still young, so it’s okay to keep worrying. But wouldn’t it be better not to go in such a negative direction? Of course, if you receive such a business card, you might suddenly have various thoughts and get confused. And in my opinion, it seems like you have enough material to choose your future path.”

‘I received a business card from an agency representative.’

Leaving aside all the other things, if we break down and break down this situation piece by piece, what ultimately remains is one conclusion.

In the eyes of the agency, Alexa has the qualities to be a model or an actress. That is also her talent, and if she uses it well, she can really start working in that field, but that is only ‘how others see her’.

I wish Alexa would just figure out the answers herself and not get caught up in that.

I knew very well that when I lived my life according to other people’s expectations, I was more unhappy than anyone else, even if it was a choice that was not forced upon me by the other person.

“You met a lot of people and worked hard in various activities while going through middle school and high school. If you think about the things you enjoyed the most based on that, they will definitely come to mind. Don’t worry too much, and I think the priority right now is to have a deep conversation with yourself.”

“poet······.”

Alexa looks at me quietly, listening to me with a red face.

Then the guy said this.

“Hey, come to prom with me.”

“Huh?”

A reverse propose here?

***

Naturally, I accepted the reverse proposal.

Anyway, in the end, we decided to officially go to the prom together.

So after everything was settled and we had dinner together and chatted to our hearts’ content, I walked Alexa home. The time was exactly 9:48.

Mr. Flair, who had been standing at the door to greet them with a double-barreled shotgun slung over his shoulder, nodded and went in with Alexa.

“Phew.”

I successfully completed my first date and even got a proper answer from Alexa.

I breathed a sigh of relief and started driving home.

‘No, I did get a proposal in return.’

It was really cute to see her express her emotions so honestly, with her eyes shining and amazed.

Novels, family, school, work, work, and more work.

For me, who usually only thinks about such things, Alexa has always been a refreshing stimulus.

I definitely felt it when I saw the Hollywood sign at sunset.

She helped me regain my lost innocence. On top of that, her natural innocence and honesty made me feel comfortable being myself. In a way, it was thanks to her that I had the courage to take a picture with Darth Vader.

‘Oh, good. Good······.’

I wanted to be with her forever.

I can’t say that external aspects like appearance aren’t important. But leaving all that aside, the time we’ve spent together and the process of understanding each other seem to be creating something more than that, little by little.

‘I guess this is what Tony feels when he thinks of Alice.’

I felt the content of Part 3 gradually taking hold in my head.

End

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