Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia sad face.
Random Note: ... I can't stop myself from using the french version of Matthew's name now, it seems... Must be my Québec pride lol.
Warning: Eventual yaoi, UsCa and other couples. Beware of extreme kitschness and drama.
''Speech''
''TV speech''
Thoughts
Enjoy !
International Zone
Mathieu, most ungracefully spread across his couch, zapped through the channels, face clearly showing disinterest. He seemed only to find commercials and kitschy american soap operas. Well... he thought, I am in the States, so I guess it can't be helped. He chuckled to himself as he continued to change channels without truly paying attention to what was said anymore.
''Im Yong Soo !'' Wild applauds -as well as very loud, girly screams- followed and before they had time to die down, Mathieu had unconsciously changed channel again. He froze. He blinked.
''Wait...'' Im Yong Soo ? He changed the channel back and sat himself straight on his couch. He absolutely admired Im Yong Soo. He was more than excited to see what the young man had in mind this time. Grabbing a cushion and squeezing it tightly in his arms, Mathieu leaned forward, as if afraid of missing anything that was about to be said.
Once Im Yong Soo was seated, the applauds slowly died down. The Korean kept his triumphant smile wide; his eyes were sparkling in excitement. He was slightly fidgeting in his seat, finding hard to stay in place. The middle aged lady seated beside him smiled and politely nodded to him. He quickly returned the gesture enthusiastically. The lady lifted her microphone up to her mouth -Mathieu finally recognized her, she was the animator of the most popular Talk Show in the US; Chit Chat of Miranda- and spoke in her calm, low voice.
''Welcome, Mister Im, and thank you very much for coming to my show.'' She said warmly. Yong Soo lifted up his own microphone.
''It's my pleasure, Miranda !''
''Everyone is very eager to hear what great announcement you have to make, mister Im. Would it be too impolite of me to skip the small talk and ask what it is about right away ?'' Miranda asked in a playful tone earning waves of approving screams and whistles from the crowd.
Mathieu's eyes widened. He looked down to the gossip magazine on the floor. Picking it up, the blond quickly scanned the pages, skipping the boring parts about Lady Gaga or whomever else, and stopped himself at the article dedicated to his idol. The title read: A secret revealed to Miranda ? The page contained a large photo of the Korean -the photogenic man looking just as handsome as always- and a detailed article about his up-coming appearance in the talk show. Mathieu skipped the blabbering to the time and date. He both gasped and squealed excitedly, the mix making a strange sound come out of his mouth. He couldn't believe himself. He had forgotten it was today ! He had been so close to miss it ! The Canadian wanted to slap himself. No time for penitence, back to the show ! Throwing the magazine away, Mathieu hugged his cushion again and turned his attention back to the TV.
''Haha !'' Yong Soo laughed good naturally. ''It's not, I assure you. I'm actually really excited about this too, da ze !''
''You seem very confident about the matter !'' Miranda laughed. ''Oh, but before going into the details of your announcement-'' The woman was cut by loud ''boos'' and complains from the public. Mathieu couldn't help but joined them. Miranda did not seem to mind; she had been long enough in the business not to care about it. She only laughed away the complaints and continued once they ceased, her confidence not in the least altered. ''I'm very curious to know why you decided to make it here, in the States. You've always acted in South Korea so far, aside from your numerous concerts around the world.'' The crowd let out a long 'oh'. Mathieu nodded in understanding. He, too, was curious to know why the man had decided to make his announcement in America.
''You see...'' Yong Soo started, trailing off to let his smile widening. He eyes seemed to be glittering in amusement. ''That is directly related to my announcement. I am making a new drama, da ze !'' Yong Soo exclaimed proudly, letting his arms free to flail around.
''Woohoo !'' Mathieu cried out excitedly, crushing his cushion tightly to his chest. Similar sounds were coming out of the TV as well. He could barely contain his excitement. Yong Soo was simply a genius. He was ridiculously talented in about everything. Yong Soo, the only son of a tremendously rich businessman, had first made his debut as a celebrity as a signer and dancer. He was, until the age of twenty four, the leader of the most popular boys band in Asia -and soon enough, in America as well- he had also released three solo CDs which had been a huge success. He had retired from the music world -to the great dismay of his fans- only to make himself even more popular by being the director -and actor- of three dramas and two movies (BL-centered, mind you; the Korean was quite clear about his sexual preference) which were not much later translated in fifteen different languages. As if this was not enough, it was recently revealed that Im Yong Soo was the author and drawer of two popular Manwha series as well as several yaoi doujinshis under various anonymous names. Although, for the later case, there had been no official confirmation, every single of his fans on the Internet had agreed on the fact that he was the author of those doujinshis. The drawing style and the sheer genius behind the plot line made it undoubted. The Asian was now twenty seven, yet his popularity among the female -and male, of course- population had not diminished in the slightest. The man had kept the liveliness and young spirit that made him just as charismatic as in his early adulthood and his now mature features seemed only to make him more appealing in the eyes of his fans.
People were soon silent again, eager to hear more details about the new series the Asian was planing on doing. ''The drama will be called International Zone. The story is about personified countries who live in the same communal house. The events, their relationships with each other and their personalities go according to each country's stereotypes, culture and History, da ze !'' Yong Soo explained with all the enthusiasm he was known for. Miranda nodded, eyebrows high up expressing both surprise and admiration. Mathieu, still glued to his couch, was mirroring the public's reaction. His eyes were sparkling. Maple, that's so awesome ! I can't wait until it's aired !
Encouraged by his admirers' whistles and animated whispers among themselves, Yong Soo continued his explanations. ''There will be time travels here and there, as if the characters were having dreams or memories, providing great variety in both the visual aspects and the plot of the drama, da ze. Furthermore, I want this drama to be as authentic as possible, almost as if it was a reality show but with a script. For this reason, each character will be played by someone from their respective country. The actors will have a certain liberty in their acting, da ze ! Because they will most aware of how their, well, country would react in A or B situation.'' Yong Soo had a hard time keeping his grin at a reasonable size as he talked, too much aware of his own genius.
''Your reputation doesn't fail you, mister Im ! That is a very original and innovative idea ! Have you already chosen your actors ?''
''I have, da ze !'' Yong Soo exclaimed excitedly. ''But they're not aware of it yet. It's going to be a surprise ! I have already contact their schools and working places to warn them of their absence...'' He snickered evilly.
''Oh ? Why is that ? And what were your criteria when you chose your actors ?'' Miranda asked, smiling calmly.
''Because it's a lot more fun that way, da ze !'' He confessed, laughing out loud. Miranda and the rest of the crowd instantly joined him in his laughter. ''As for the requirements...'' He continued as he sank back into his seat in a more relaxed position. ''... Well first, they must speak Korean perfectly; the drama will be filmed in South Korea after all and since all the actors come from different countries, they need a common language in which we call all communicate anyways, da ze.'' He crossed his legs, getting more comfortable as he got more confident about his idea. Not that he had ever doubted his brain, of course. ''They must be good-looking too; a drama wouldn't be a real drama if their characters weren't good-looking, da ze !'' He chuckled at his own words. ''Finally, they must work, or study, in domains and have hobbies that are typical to their country.''
''They are not trained actors ?'' Miranda asked, surprised.
''Nope !'' Yong Soo exclaimed as he sat up straight again, excitement taken the better of him. ''As I said, I want it to be as authentic as possible. It will be better if they've always been versed in the average life of a citizen of their country... well... average is a big word... most of the actors I have chosen are at least already half-celebrities in their respective domains, da ze ! Which is how I managed to I know about them in the first place, haha ! But it's better that way; at least they are not complete strangers to the world of media, da ze.'' At this, Yong Soo winked and flashed the lady a handsome smile. The woman was unable to suppress the red that then coloured her cheeks. His smile turned into a triumphant grin. Miranda cleared her throat, a little embarrassed.
''I see, though it might still come as a challenge.''
''It makes the whole thing even more interesting, in my opinion, da ze !''
''I expected no other reply from you, mister Im.'' Miranda chuckled. ''And so you are here because of the american actor you have chosen, I understand ?''
''Exactly, da ze ! The main character in International Zone is actually the United States and-'' Loud, wild cries of enthusiasm and applauds were instantly heard in the TV. The american spectators were glad to hear the news. Once they died down, Yong Soo laughed loudly again and continued. ''I'm also here for Canada.'' Mathieu blinked at this. What ?
''Canada will be interpreted by an American ?'' Miranda asked, greatly confused. Wasn't he contradicting himself ?
''Oh, no no, he is Canadian, only, he has been living in the States for about a year now.'' Yong Soo chuckled at the public's confusion.
''This is more and more intriguing ! But Mister Im, aren't you afraid of the controversy that your drama will create ? Especially since most of its characters, who are supposed to represent an entire country, will be homosexual ?''
''Well, I admit that I've chosen a very touchy subject and that-''
At this point, Mathieu wasn't paying attention anymore. His heart was fluttering in what he could only describe as childish and improper excitement. But he simply couldn't help it. He, after all, fit almost perfectly in the Yong Soo's requirements. Born in Montréal, Mathieu was a typical Canadian. He was the son of a francophone mother and anglophone father. He spoke Korean fluently, even though -Mathieu admitted embarrassingly to himself- he had learned it only so that he could be able to listen, watch and read Yong Soo's creations in their original language. This was the extent of Mathieu's admiration for the man and his work. He was also -in his own humble opinion- pretty good-looking as well. On top of that, his... unusual profession had made him move in the States about a year ago. Wasn't this simply fantastic ? Could he be the Canadian that had been chosen for his Idol's newest drama ? Mathieu sighed heavily, forcing a laugh to dismiss the matter. ''Nah... It's impossible. There's no way...'' Besides, he thought, my work isn't exactly... typical... or is it ? Mathieu pondered for a second, but decided to dismiss it again. There was simply no way he was the one. He was fancying a dream that would never come true. He turned his attention back to the TV.
''And so you will go look for those soon to be actors yourself ?'' Miranda asked curiously.
''Yes, I'm leaving tomorrow morning to get the first two, da ze.'' Yong Soo replied, smiling.
''What if they refuse ? Do you have several candidates for each character in mind ?''
''Hm...'' Yong Soo seemed unsure of himself, which was quite an unusual sight to see. ''Well, to be honest, I don't. Not for each of them, at least. But I'm pretty sure they'll all say yes... hopefully.'' Yong Soo scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
''I wish you the best luck then, mister Im.''
''Thank you, da ze !''
''I'm afraid this is all the time we had. Thank you for watching-'' She turned to Yong Soo and extended her hand. ''-and thank you again, mister Im, for coming this evening.'' The two shook hands, accompanied by wild applauds and whistles.
''Anytime, Miranda.'' Yong Soo waved to the camera, almost screaming his signature phrase. ''Uri nara mansae !''
Mathieu turned off the TV, sighing halfheartedly. He was incredibly excited to see the show, but he didn't want to get his hopes to high either; there was just no way that he would be the one selected for the role of Canada and greatly envied whomever would participate in International Zone. Glancing down at his watch, he sighed again. Time to go to work...
Note: HO ZE SUSPENSE !1!1one! You guys must be wondering who will be Canada in International Zone, eh ? Oh yes you must. Lololol-shot-
Anyhoo. I hope you like the idea so far. For those who read my other story (Dis Papa), don't worry, I have not given up on it; I have something like 12 pages of chapter 6 written so far. I'm hoping to update sometime this weekend. C8
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