Became an American Retro Novelist - Chapter 243



Only Noblemtl

243.

Director Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece film series, ‘The Godfather’, was produced in three parts.

‘It’s not all out yet.’

The first one came out in 1972, the second one in 1974, and the third one was released in 1990.

As is typical of trilogy films, the first one is the beginning, the second one is the best, and the third one is ambiguous. The Godfather is a story about the main character Michael Corleone overcoming various crises that come his way and solving everything in the way he does best, the ‘mafia’.

Assassination, intimidation, and persuasion.

In other words, through an act that is extremely ‘ruthless’.

The crisis seemed to be resolved, and the final scene of ‘The Godfather Part III’.

Michael, who went to see the opera with his family, thinks that all his problems have been solved and slowly walks down the theater stairs. His daughter Mary is angry because he ruined her love by interfering.

It was just then.

The crisis that Michael had put off or ignored in his own way comes back again. Suddenly, a hitman appears, gunshots ring out, and his daughter Mary is killed by a blind bullet.

The death of his daughter, Mary, who symbolized his purity.

Michael screams like a ‘little child’.

The innocence that had been held back until now burst out.

How can humans be so ruthless?

‘It was an incredible scene.’

······Hmm, isn’t that what you were thinking of doing as you entered the theater?

But I can’t help it. I was a novelist, a person who noticed the details embedded in various stories and remembered them to write them in my own way.

Aren’t they basically stylish people who have their own world and deep insight?

‘In some ways, you could say it’s hardboiled.’

It was a night when I wanted to smoke a cigarette, even though I had never smoked one before.

“god.”

A muscular man wearing a black suit approached.

It was my old friend, Doofus Xavier Kingston.

“You’re here. Doofus.”

“Frrrr······. You’re wearing a nice suit.”

“Yeah, it’s a Paul Stuart suit. I like it.”

“Whew, but. You shine brighter than those clothes. Even if you’re wearing fakes, I’d still believe they’re luxury.”

“Haha, that’s not true, Doofus. This Phew Sduer has its own meaning.”

I rolled my pronunciation on purpose. Actually, this isn’t Paul Stewart. Anyway, it was just a joke, and of course, Dooppi knew it and hit back.

Since ancient times, boys have been expected to play with each other like this when they put on their suits.

“I see. I learned a thing or two.”

“It’s me.”

We pushed up our glasses with our hearts.

It was just then.

“What were you two talking about?”

Jiwoo, who had gone out to buy popcorn, came back just in time.

“You’re here. Jiwoo.”

“Oh, hi. Doofy. Your suit is nice.”

“Your knit shirt suits you well too.”

“But are you two going to church after the play? Why are you wearing suits?”

“Because it’s Alexa’s show.”

The hamster became sullen when we both gave the same answer at the same time.

“Then, in that case, what would become of me, who came dressed comfortably?”

“It’s okay for a child to do that. Right, God?”

“Ah, just remain as a symbol of purity. Jiwoo.”

“······Did you two drink?”

Jiwoo gave me a look as if he was looking at something strange.

Before we could enjoy the ‘adult hobby’ of performing in a play, we had already tried it out in earnest, both in terms of attire and attitude. It seemed like he didn’t understand that feeling.

And the same goes for the people who are occasionally around. Unlike Nana and Dupi, most of the people who came out leisurely in the evening were dressed casually.

‘Wow, you guys don’t know what’s cool.’

······I became a little awkward when I realized it.

After a while we found our seats and soon the show began.

Creative play, ‘Cleaning is too hard’.

While their parents are away from home for a while, three siblings get into all sorts of trouble, and under the leadership of Michelle, the eldest and a freshman in college, they all work together to clean up the messy house.

In the meantime, they look around the house and misunderstand their parents due to their delusions(?), and all sorts of comical situations occur.

Alexa’s role was that of Michelle, the eldest and more sensible of the three siblings.

Although he takes on the role of leading the flow of the story, he does not have a large presence compared to the slightly delinquent second sister Violet and the nerdy third sister Daniel, and as a character with common sense, he is closer to a character suffering between two slightly crazy younger brothers.

“Daniel! What are you doing?!”

“Oh, Sister. There’s a fight going on between General Mod and Uhula right now.”

“It’s Modego, Uhulago, and Nabal! Why don’t you clean this up quickly?!”

Alexa has done a great job portraying the role she has been given.

It’s so immersive that even a layperson can get lost in it.

I smiled as I looked at that sight.

‘As expected, she’s the queen of comic book stores.’

Her pronunciation was clean and her acting was good. She didn’t tremble on stage. It was a sight that made you realize how much effort she had put in since graduating from school and choosing to become an actress.

As I watched the performance that continued for a while, I felt a new sense of emotion for some reason.

I felt touched by her shining appearance wherever I went.

***

It was night when the play ended.

Me, Doopi, and Jiwoo went to the waiting room to congratulate Alexa.

Perhaps because it was her first performance, all kinds of acquaintances had come to see her, and among them was a representative dressed in a suit whom she had met in Hollywood.

‘It was KH Agency.’

The gorgeous women holding bouquets and running towards Alexa next to her seemed to be models from the same agency who were listening to Alexa’s story. It was very impressive to see them all excited and making a lot of noise like students, saying things like “Alexa is cute” and “She was the best.”

In the midst of all this, Alexa, who had discovered us late, approached us first with a smile, and we briefly congratulated each other like those who had gone before before heading out.

And after that, Jiwoo and Doopi each said they had work to do and went back first.

‘I guess they were considerate.’

Since it was their first time as lead actors in a play, I wanted to give them some time for just the two of them to celebrate in a more meaningful way.

I waited at the back of the venue with a bouquet of flowers that I had prepared separately, just as Alexa had told me in advance.

As the actors came out one by one and went back home, and the street gradually became covered in darkness, Alexa finally made her appearance.

“god!”

“Alexa, thank you for your hard work.”

“Why didn’t you pretend to know before?!”

I tilted my head as I looked down at her as she hugged me tightly.

“Was it? You celebrated with the kids.”

“It was different from usual!”

“That’s why I was left alone like this.”

“Ah······! That’s right!”

She smiles bashfully.

I came out after removing my makeup, but the lingering scent of her perfume was still very nice. Maybe she was a little sweaty from the play, but her body odor mixed in, making it even stronger. For some reason, it was a scent that made me feel at ease.

After hugging her in silence for a while, Alexa felt something and slowly pushed me away.

“Yes, up to here.”

“why?”

“······Something is strange!”

“That could be the case.”

I chuckled and handed her the bouquet of flowers I had been holding in one hand.

Alexa, who was a little embarrassed, took it and smiled brightly, and we got into the car while talking about the play.

Holding a large bouquet of flowers in her arms, Alexa said in an excited voice that she was glad that her first performance had gone better than she had feared. I drove slowly, listening to her story unfold as if it were a flower blooming.

The reason I kept my distance in the waiting room was, of course, because I was thinking about Alexa’s career.

That was something we had discussed in advance at the beginning of our relationship.

I tended to hide things that ‘don’t need to be told to others’, and the fact that we are closer as men and women than others was actually closer to that side.

Since it was a private matter, I didn’t think it was necessary to go around showing it to people.

So I invited Alexa as my partner at the Nebula Awards, but I didn’t bother to reveal my relationship with her. I don’t think that would have caused much of a stir in the writers’ community anyway.

And this time again, she treated me definitely as a ‘friend’ in the waiting room.

‘I didn’t know you’d care even in a place like this.’

And yet, just a little while ago, he was playfully questioning me, but even that was really cute.

While driving around downtown Los Angeles for a while, this story came up.

“How’s work going these days?”

Alexa’s question.

I answered without thinking as I drove out of the city center and into the outskirts.

“It’s okay. Julia is helping me.”

“Oh, you’re working with Julia these days instead of Simon?”

“I’m thinking of doing a hard-boiled drama for my next project, so I think Julia would be a good fit.”

“Isn’t it hard? When I see you working so consistently on your work, I think you’re really amazing.”

“It’s something I love, so even if it’s hard, it’s fun. Alexa, how are you doing these days?”

“Acting, filming, they’re all so hard, but they’re also fun! Oh, when we started filming the movie for the first time, the director complimented me on how pure and pretty the mask was on camera!”

“Oh, that’s amazing.”

“Hahaha, I was acting a little humble there, but actually, I felt really good!”

“Alexa, you looked so pretty on stage today.”

“······Uh, yeah!”

“It’s the most beautiful thing in the world.”

“Uh uh······.”

“Why are you embarrassed?”

“Hey, are you kidding me?”

“Of course I’m serious.”

“······.”

The destructive power of just one word, “pretty,” was enormous.

I glanced at Alexa, who was avoiding eye contact with a blush on her face, smiled happily, and continued driving.

The scarlet streetlights spread and shrunk like ink across the car window. Retro music symbolizing the 80s flowed from the radio, which was turned on slightly, and I whispered praises about the parts of today’s play that I liked whenever they came to mind.

Alexa, unable to bear it any longer, asked again.

“Sir, how do you work with Julia?”

“Well, it’s the same. We meet up sometimes, have meetings, eat together after work, and go to bars together.”

“bar?”

“Yeah. This time, we went to the place in front of the city hall for the meeting, and the atmosphere was nice.”

“······Hey. You went to the bar.”

“huh?”

I glanced at the strange reaction and soon realized my mistake(?).

The light in Alexa’s pupils faded. No one could have imagined that this would be my end. The beginning of a murder case of a pulp fiction novelist.

Ah, this is Japanese style.

If we were to do it in hard-boiled style, wouldn’t he be shouting, “Why don’t you call an ambulance first! We have to take you away!” while pulling out the gun hidden in his bosom?

A strangely uncomfortable feeling that made me imagine such things dug into my pores.

As I was escaping from reality with my thoughts wandering around in a slightly bewildered state, Alexa suddenly showed up.

“I want to go there too.”

“······huh?”

“Let’s go now.”

“Yes? I brought tea.”

Besides, it’s already past 10 at night.

“Let’s go now.”

“······.”

I turned the car around, feeling a cool breeze brushing the back of my neck.

It almost seemed like Alexa had brought it to me.

***

Eventually, it came.

A small bar in front of the city hall.

As I parked nearby and walked inside with Alexa, the bartender greeted me with a silent smile. He practiced the bartender’s virtue of “necessary silence” and asked what I wanted, and I was planning on ordering something non-alcoholic since I had to drive later.

“Drink some alcohol.”

“······Honey. We have to go home.”

Although I spoke to her in a teasing tone, Alexa ignored me and silently looked at the menu.

I opened my eyes slightly, then widened them, then pushed my head in, then pulled it back.

I thought to myself as I watched her. She’s really cute. How can someone be this cute? She was so cute that I couldn’t even speak. It was even cuter because I could roughly guess why she was acting that way.

Yeah, my girlfriend is freaking cute.

‘Wow, you’re jealous?’

Alexa must have had serious feelings for him, and I felt a little sorry for her, but I just thought she was cute.

We should just hang out like this as much as possible until you feel better.

Alexa, who had been looking at the menu for a while, quickly made the most natural expression possible and ordered a drink from the bartender who was standing silently in front of her.

“Here, give me some vodka······!”

I saw the word ‘Bottle’ next to the vodka.

Oh, by the way, the prices aren’t listed here.

I looked at the bartender with a slightly bewildered look, and he seemed to have figured it out(?) and spoke softly.

“Or, sir, would you like me to make you a cocktail that suits you? Please tell me your usual favorite drink or your preferred flavor, and I will try my best to accommodate you.”

“Oh, is that okay?”

“Of course. Do you usually drink a lot?”

“Yes, yes! Drink well! Drink one bottle at a time!”

“Oh, I see.”

The bartender’s eyes seemed to indicate that he could not drink at all.

“So, which do you prefer, sweet chocolate or fruity?”

“Well, I feel a little more inclined towards fruit today.”

“Oh, there are days like that.”

A conversation that flows naturally.

He was a good bartender.

The job of a bartender required the ability to ‘deal with’ customers more than the ability to make alcohol. That’s why, in general situations, they were as silent as possible, but when necessary, they had to step forward and actively talk to customers. Also, the most important rule was to never let conversations that took place inside the bar leak out of the bar.

It’s something a bartender I used to know told me, and it made me like the space I wanted to go to.

And today, with Alexa here, I felt like she came a little further into my world.

Memories of gathering every weekend during my high school days suddenly came to mind.

“Then, as you said, I will prepare a drink for you. What about the man next to you?”

“Ah, I don’t drink······.”

“Shall I prepare what you usually eat?”

The bartender winks slightly, unseen by Alexa.

I had never really had that kind of conversation, and I had never come here alone to drink, but I understood what he meant by, ‘I’ll make it non-alcoholic for you.’

As he nodded with a smile and quietly walked away, I couldn’t help but express my gratitude inwardly.

I must come again next time.

After I finished ordering, I spoke to Alexa, who was looking around curiously.

“Is the atmosphere okay?”

“Ah, that’s amazing······.”

I guess I was able to blend in a little with the atmosphere here while chatting with the bartender.

Alexa enjoys the soft music and unique atmosphere with a slightly excited face.

I thought as I looked at the sight.

‘Is something strange today?’

I thought to myself, as a detective, that this was the beginning of a ‘different Alexa case’.

In our relationship, Alexa was the one who rarely got jealous. She would accept who I was hanging out with, and she didn’t mind if we were a little distant from each other sometimes. Because we had a bond that was stronger than anything else. That special bond that blossomed between a model student who didn’t want to hang out with anyone in high school and a human golden retriever and cheerleader captain.

Even with that kind of relationship, you’re suddenly jealous of Julia?

‘Or maybe some other reason?’

What did Alexa say earlier? At what point did she lose the light in her pupils?

As for me, I couldn’t remember it well because I was just concentrating on driving to avoid an accident and just brushing it off lightly. I had no choice but to move on to the next agenda item.

Why did Alexa want to come to the bar?

It must have been influenced by information she received from her surroundings. There must have been something.

So why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Are you worried about something?

While we were silently looking into each other’s eyes or looking around the bar, the prepared cocktails were brought out.

“Oh, oh.”

Alexa couldn’t help but be amazed by the dazzling colors.

A cocktail made with a peach-flavored base, fruit garnish, and various alcoholic beverages and sugar to create a carbonated flavor.

The drink that came with it was a non-alcoholic cocktail that I had made to have a bitter flavor to suit my taste.

‘He’s a really good bartender.’

Alexa took a sip of her drink, her eyes widened, and she sipped the same cocktail, one glass, two, sips, to see if it suited her taste.

‘Come to think of it, I think this is my first time drinking with this guy.’

First of all, has Alexa ever had a drink?

I felt a little uneasy, but I swallowed my anxiety down my throat along with the cocktail, thinking it would be better for me to be the first to drink it.

About an hour had passed already.

The bartender next to us briefly moved to attend to another customer who had entered the bar, and Alexa’s breath smelled of sweet mixed with the sharp scent of alcohol.

After chatting for a while, there was a brief silence, and I noticed Alexa quietly grabbing my little finger that had fallen under the table.

And then a single word was said that made the case(?) even more mysterious.

“Me, uh, me.”

“······?”

“You don’t have to come in today······.”