55. Just the two of us out and about?
From nob le mt l. co m
Jerry Bruckheimer.
He’s been called the highest-grossing filmmaker in the world.
If you still don’t know who he is, try to remember these movies.
Flashdance, Top Gun, Crimson Tide, Bad Boys, The Rock, Black Hawk Down, and even Pirates of the Caribbean.
On top of that, the CSI series is his creation.
In short, the most influential filmmaker on the planet.
And yet, here he is, right in front of me.
“hahahahaha! I’m Jerry Bruckheimer.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Bruckheimer! I’m Alex Kang.”
“Oh no, my last name is too long to call. Just call me Jerry.”
“Is that okay?”
“Sure! If you’re a friend of Tom’s, you’re a friend of mine. Besides, I heard you have a lot of money, so you’re qualified to be my friend! hahahahaha!”
“hahahahaha!”
It’s like a mammoth.
From nob le mt l. co m
Jerry is an old man, approaching 80 years of age, but he looks like he’s in his early 60s if you look hard enough, and he was very friendly and pleasant to me, probably because he’d heard I had a lot of money.
“I hear you’ve decided to invest in Tom’s Mission Impossible?”
“hahahaha, yeah, Mission Impossible is a guaranteed box office check, so I’m happy to invest.”
“Huh? So you’re going to invest in my movie too?”
“What? Is there anything that goes into pre-production?”
“Have you seen Bad Boys?”
“Yeah, of course I saw it, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence were killing it.”
“hahahahaha! Alex, you know your movies, don’t you?”
“…”
Bad guys don’t know movies, but haven’t they seen most of them?
“By the way, is there a third installment of that one coming out? It seems like it’s been a while since the second installment came out?”
“It was supposed to be a while ago, but it got delayed due to various circumstances, but now it’s almost confirmed, and filming is scheduled to start next January.”
“Ohhhhh! I can’t wait to see that, hahahahaha! By the way, is it still funded?”
“I’m Tom’s friend, so I’ll be honest with you. Lately, the mood around here hasn’t been great, so we’ve been struggling to get funding. We’re still very short.”
“Huh.”
I was stunned.
From nob le mt l. co m
Jerry Bruckheimer’s third installment of the Bad Guys series was having trouble raising money?
Really?
Are they changing the lead actor?
“Have they changed the cast? Instead of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence?”
“No way. If the bad guys don’t have Will and Martin, they’re not bad guys.”
I said.
“What about the director? I thought Michael Bay was the director?”
“Yeah, I know,” I said, “but he can’t do it this time because he’s got some stuff going on, so some of his friends are directing.”
“Oh, right.”
“What’s with the stunned reaction?”
“Oh, Jerry. Like Jerry said, it’s not a bad movie without Will and Martin, and it’s not a bad movie without Michael.”
So, when he said he was having trouble raising money, I knew.
The director of Bad Boys is always Michael Bay.
“Uh-huh, big deal! All four of the Alien movies had the wrong director, and it wasn’t Alien?”
“Yes, but—.”
“Alex, it’s me, Jerry, it’s Jerry, it’s Jerry Bruckheimer, and I guarantee you, this third installment of Bad Boys is going to be a huge hit, I, this Jerry, I guarantee it!” “Jerry, then send me a screenplay or something, and I’ll judge your report.”
“No, I thought you said you invested in Top Gun 2.”
“…”
“No, this guy?
Is Top Gun Two on the same level as the bad guys?
Besides, Top Gun Two was my fantasy.
I was going to invest in it even if I had to, but the bad guys are different.
It was just a fun action movie.
“Jerry, how much is this movie going to cost?”
“We’re looking at $90 million.”
“Ninety million dollars? That’s all it cost? How much did the second movie cost?”
“The second installment cost $130 million.”
“No, it cost $130 million 16 years ago, and now it’s $90 million?”
“A movie that costs a lot of money to make doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good movie.”
“No, but it does, doesn’t it?”
From nob le mt l. co m
Jerry’s right, but what he’s saying is that a smaller budget with the same cast means fewer action scenes.
It doesn’t have to be action to be a good movie, but if you’re watching a movie where the bad guys are basically just beating the crap out of you and blowing things up, that’s the way to go.
“Jerry.”
“Yeah, Alex.”
“Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do.”
“How?”
“Well, let’s just call it a day for now, and you can bring the material to my office tomorrow and we’ll decide. I have to have something to judge, right?”
“That’s true. So, if the scenario report tomorrow is good, how much do you want to invest?”
“Don’t worry about the money. I’d hate to see a movie like Bad Boys bomb less because you’re being stingy with your money. Just decide and I’ll give you as much as you want.”
“Oooh, you’re so cool, hahahahaha!”
“I’m kind of cool, heh heh heh!”
Once I was released from Jerry, Tom introduced me to a bunch of people again.
All of them famous stars or tycoons.
Add to that the fact that Jerry was trying to look good for me and introducing himself to me as if we were bosom buddies, and I quickly became the center of attention.
This feels good.
Turns out, Jeffrey was right.
At first, I was nervous to see celebrities I’d only seen in theaters and on TV grow up in front of me, but when the edgy mogul Jerry Bruckheimer started farting in my face, the reality of Jeffrey’s words began to sink in.
In short, I’m the big guy with the most money here.
“Alex, you should come to the next party I throw!”
“Alex, I have a great scenario for you—.”
“Alex, do you want to go out with me after the party?”
“Alex!”
“Alex!”
Oh, my God, I’m freaking out.
I’m getting too much attention.
I’ll just have to stay in moderation and go home.
Beans!
After a moment of bruising, someone bumps into me from behind.
I turned around to see who it was.
There was a stunning blonde beauty standing there.
“Oops, sorry!”
“Oh, it’s okay.”
“I’m Amber. Amber Heard.”
“Oh, and I’m Alex, Alex Kang.”
“Ho-ho! I saw you walking around with Tom and Jerry earlier.”
Tom and Jerry?
Oh, so it’s really Tom and Jerry?
“Oh, yeah. We just happened to be—.”
“You do investments?”
“Yes, I run a small investment firm.”
“Wow, so you specialize in investing in movies?”
“No, movies are just a semi-hobby of mine, my main focus is investing in the IT industry.”
“Ho-ho-ho! Wow! You invest in movies as a hobby? That’s great, so you’re investing in places like Google and Microsoft?”
“hahahaha, I don’t have a stake there, I invest in companies like AMD and Nvidia.”
“So can I invest, even if it’s just a small amount of money?”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t take outside investment.”
“Oh, my God, so it’s all Alex’s money?”
“Well, sort of.”
“That’s awesome!”
The beautiful woman I introduced as Amber Heard’s eyes seemed to light up.
Then she leaned in close, and my mind went blank.
This woman, she’s evil.
“What about her, Amber?”
“Oh my God, don’t you know me, I’m an actress, too—. I’m so sorry!”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t seen any movies—.”
Speaking of actors, I recognized him from somewhere, but I couldn’t remember Tong.
“Chit! What is it?”
My eyes snapped open and I grabbed his arm, his pungent pheromones tickling my nose, and I felt a rush of blood to my bottom.
sh*t, I’m going to get eaten.
In the midst of my frenzy, my rational mind was sending up red flags, but I couldn’t get out of my own way.
That’s because amber has a deadly charm.
“If you’re sorry, why don’t you buy me a drink, just the two of us?”
From nob le mt l. co m
Just the two of us?
Isn’t that a sign?
As a healthy male, I can definitely feel it.
This woman is asking me to sleep with her.
God! Buddha! Jesus!
Give me the strength to resist this temptation. No, why should I?
Why would a healthy man in his 30s resist the temptation of a crazy, beautiful woman?
I nodded, my mouth opening automatically.
“Uh, uh—. Uh, yeah. Kek!”
I choked out as I felt a strong forearm wrap around my neck, just as I was about to ask Amber to do the same.
“What, what, Kuck!”
“Alex! Where have you been?”
“Who?”
I turned around and saw it was my brother Tom.
Man, why does this brother have to barge in at such an important moment.
“Hey, Tom, what’s wrong?”
“Why don’t you finish the story you were talking about with me?”
“Huh? What story—.”
But Uncle Tom didn’t listen to me and pulled me away.
“No, what the hell—.”
“hahahahaha! Amber, how long have you been gone?”
“Huh! Tom! What’s wrong?”
“Sorry! Alex here has some investment talks to do with me, so I’ll see you later!”
“Ugh! No, let me get this—.”
Eventually, I was pulled away from Amber by Tom.
“Kid, what the hell is wrong with you?”
“Are you crazy?”
“No, who says I’m crazy?”
“You’re not crazy, you were going to go out with Amber because you didn’t have a girl to meet?”
“No, why shouldn’t I, I thought you said to have fun?”
“Dude, if you’re going to have some fun, do it with a girl you don’t have a problem with, and out of all the girls out there, why Amber?”
“Who the hell do you think she is?”
“Don’t you know her, Amber?”
“No, I’m Korean, how do I know a girl I’m not even famous for, though I think I’ve seen her somewhere—.”
“Heh! You’re in trouble if I leave you alone at a party. I mean, don’t you know Johnny Depp’s ex-wife?”
“Joe, Johnny Depp? Ah!”
Now I remembered.
Wasn’t she the one who got loud with Johnny Depp years ago?
“Now you remember?”
“Yeah, I remembered, but why, it doesn’t matter if she’s divorced, right?”
“Don’t you realize how bad her rumors are?”
“…”
How the hell do I know that?
You’ve been living under a rock these past few years, haven’t you?
At least I know Johnny Depp because he’s so famous and I like him.
“You can sleep with any other girl, but not Amber. I think she’s sticking around because you’re like Super Rich, but she’s a yo-yo, a yo-yo. If she bites you, she’s gone.”
“…”
“Not too long ago, he was hanging around Elon Musk, and now he’s feeding on you. Arthur, Arthur!”
“Isn’t it that good?”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t know it from looking at him. Nobody goes near him anymore. He’s got a nasty temper and he treats people like sh*t. Plus, he’s bis*xual, so he used to have a girlfriend, and he got in trouble for beating her up.”
“Huh—.”
I was about to get in trouble.
“Alex, I may have dragged you to Hollywood, but always be careful. With your kind of money and power, there’s going to be all kinds of crazy b*tches out there, not to mention the ones who are starving for roles.”
“Ha, thanks for the heads up, Brother Tom.”
“If you see any girls at the party that look good, ask me. I’ll let you know if it’s okay to go out with her.”
“Eh, no thanks, I’ve already lost my cool.”
Damn, I thought I was going to meet a girl and have a good time, and what’s this?
Ouch! It’s my nephew!