Hollywood Zenith

"Old man, you are not upset with me, right?" After the end of the launch conference, Samuel stood nervously in front of Georgio Armani. His brazen persona was nowhere to be seen.

"Humph, what's good to blame you now? What's done is done." Georgio Armani looked at him angrily. But Samuel didn't feel any ill will in his eyes.

"Master is the best! I was only spouting nonsense anyways." Samuel curled his lips and chuckled a bit.

" Brat! Are you taking it lightly? It is not enough, but your statements were not wrong. It is foolish to think otherwise; if you want to make a living in someone else's place, you should put away your prejudice at the door!" Just as the old man was starting to give 'life' lessons to him, he decided to head out.

"I get it, sir; then I will follow your teachings first!" Taking Liliana and Rosaline's hand, Samuel left the Broadway theatre. He also invited Koo Hye-sun with him.

...

...

...

Samuel invited Koo Hye-sun to have dinner with him. After all, the girls overdid a little with their diet to participate in the press conference. They were already complaining, especially Rosaline, who was new to this.

"It's already ten; it will be hard to visit any fancy restaurants," Liliana said; she was suggesting grabbing takeout or something, but they had Hye-sun with them; unlike them, she was a celebrity, so it would be rude to her.

" We can't return to the manor; I must be home today. I have already stretched the vacation lie long enough." Rosaline reminded him.

" I know, don't worry. I will have you home by midnight. Also, it would be ideal for telling them if you are anxious, I can be there with you."

" Wow, and what will you tell them? I am dating your daughter and ten other women!" Liliana chuckled, making it sound like a joke, but Samuel didn't know how to respond.

" Ten?" He asked. Where did that number come from?

" Iblis, Paige, and Maia, just to name a few. You have to know people gossip!." Liliana laughed; she enjoyed his ever-changing face as she named different girls in his life.

" I will take care of it, and stop making me a bad guy; I am only taking responsibility. On that thought, I will also arrange a suitable restaurant for us." He skillfully changed the topic.

" Hello... I want to know if you are still open- you are...ok, you don't have to go that-... Five people... We will be there."

" See, done."

...

...

...

" We are glad to see you again, Master Samuel." Every staff was at the entrance to welcome him.

" You guys... I told you not to do that, right? Chef Takayama, I am sorry to drop in suddenly." Samuel lightly shook his hand. The group was surprised to hear him speak fluent Japanese.

Hye-sun especially could see the restaurant's exterior was not extraordinary; it had nothing noteworthy, but maybe that was the beauty of it.

Zukesa, a Japanese-style restaurant that was making headway in the restaurant industry, was something Samuel had invested in. Takayama was a talented chef, but due to his young age, no one was willing to support him.

This was why he respected Samuel even more, it was way past their operating time when he received the call from Samuel, but knowing that his benefactor was coming, he convinced the staff members with extra bonuses.

" Please, I will guide you. I am preparing something special for you and your companions."

The interior was spotless as everything from stools to the tables was handpicked by the chef to make it feel as homely as possible. He got behind the counter and started preparing their meals in front of them.

They had menus at the table, but Samuel chose the omakase menu, meaning he left the selection up to the chef. Hye-sun was curious and picked up the menu to look at the price.

" Eh?" She involuntarily exclaimed; the agent was also curious and wondered why she was making a fuss.

"Mr Samuel, I think they misprinted the price." He said outright.

Samuel glanced at the menu and said with a smile," There is nothing wrong, don't worry about it."

" But-" They were referring to the omakase menu, thirty small portion dishes priced at five thousand dollars per person! They still needed to include the drinks!

Seven million wons! That's an astronomical price for a one-time meal! One had to consider an entry-level actress, Koo Hye-sun's base salary was around seventy million won in a year, and here she was eating a meal worth one-tenth of her yearly wage.

" My friend here is generous; he would not charge us, right?" To his questioning, Takayama could only smile. He knew his boss liked to keep a low profile, but not charging him was out of option!

"Of course, but I want a big tip for my overworked staff!"

" Deal!" Takayama knew how generous Samuel was with his tips.

During the dinner, Samuel called someone to help with Hye-sun's case. Douglas, the party leader and a family friend, LA being under his jurisdiction meant he was the person who could move things along.

It was very late, but fortunately, Douglas was awake. Samuel told him everything about her and her experience at the airport. In the end, he also added she was his friend.

Douglas being an intelligent man, knew what he meant by it. He immediately stated that he would order some people to solve the case within the time limit.

After a hearty dinner, at 11 o'clock Koo Hye-sun and her agent left. They exchanged their contact information just in case something happened.

Samuel also dropped off the girls; fortunately, it was getting late, so he could not explain it to Rosaline's parents. He quietly returned to the family mansion in Beverly Hills.

...

...

...

A few hours later, Koo Hye-sun called and informed that the Los Angeles Police department had contacted her about her bag. He didn't know what Douglas did, but her purse had been found and was ready to collect.

They seemed to know about this supposed theft group that specialized in stealing from foreigners at the airports. Everything from her passport and invitation letter was in her bag safe.

She once again expressed her gratitude to him, but because of her busy schedule, she could not stay longer in LA. She had to rush back to Korea tomorrow morning.

She made him promise that if he ever visited Korea, he had to contact her, and she would repay her kindness and show him around the city.

After getting his positive response, she hung up the phone. It was already two in the morning; he switched his phone to silent mode and went to bed, unaware of what would come.