Hunting in Hollywood

After more than seven hours of travel, the coach finally reached its destination in the evening.

Simon stepped off the bus and looked around the streets. Although it was his first visit here, he quickly confirmed based on the information in his mind that this place was Burbank in the northwest of Los Angeles County, located within the San Fernando Valley. He still needed to cross the Santa Monica Mountains to the south to reach his ideal destination.

Beyond the mountains lay Hollywood, the real geographical Hollywood.

In the 1980s, although many Hollywood movie studios had begun to relocate to the surrounding areas, many film industry-related production companies, distribution companies, and talent agencies were still clustered in the world-famous streets of the Hollywood district.

Katherine followed Simon off the bus and also stood looking around. The friend who was supposed to pick her up hadn't arrived yet, so she turned to look at Simon next to her.

What she had anticipated to be a boring journey became enriching because of this young man. After exchanging insights on the scripts they had read, the two of them engaged in lively discussions on numerous topics for the remainder of the trip.

Although he was much younger than her, Katherine sometimes felt that in his presence, she was just a naive girl.

It was hard to imagine how this young man had accumulated such extensive knowledge, whether it was about movies, music, or even her own profession in painting, among many other topics. He could converse fluently on any subject, making the few hours they spent together feel profoundly enlightening.

As they were about to part ways, Katherine suddenly realized that aside from his name and his intent to become a screenwriter in Los Angeles, she knew almost nothing else about Simon, yet she found herself unwittingly divulging a lot about herself, such as growing up in San Francisco, visiting her parents, her life in Manhattan's Soho district, and her interest in film directing.

If his inquisitiveness was deliberate, that would be quite cunning.

However, upon reflection, she realized that she hadn't really asked him those questions, as his topics had kept her fully engaged.

After surveying his surroundings, Simon turned to Katherine, who was looking at him, and he nodded and smiled at her.

Throughout their journey, Simon had noted a strong contrast between Katherine's personality and her cinematic style. Her film characters often murdered and cursed without inhibition, living recklessly, but Katherine herself was very quiet and spoke softly and timidly.

Of course, Simon wasn't surprised by this. Such a stark divergence between real-life persona and artistic expression is quite common among artists.

Thinking this, Simon asked her, "Katherine, isn't anyone coming to pick you up?"

"Yes, but they haven't arrived yet," Katherine hadn't finished formulating her thoughts when Simon spoke first. She shook her head and asked in return, "What about you?"

Simon shrugged, "I thought we could share a ride and split the cost."

"I live in Malibu," Katherine pointed westward and said, "Where are you headed? If it's on the way, I could give you a lift."

"Malibu? That's a nice city," Simon said with a smile, "How about you consider taking me in? I can cook, do laundry, and clean—just provide food and lodging."

Katherine glared lightly at Simon, showing her disdain for his freeloading suggestion, but then seriously explained, "I'm just staying at a friend's place; I can't really invite anyone else."

Simon laughed; he was, of course, just joking. Even if Katherine really offered, he would politely decline.

Not because he was too proud to accept her 'charity,' but because he inherently resisted the idea of living in someone else's home. He preferred to have his own space.

That being said, he might not achieve that independence for a long time to come.

Upon hearing Katherine say she was staying at a friend's, Simon suddenly wondered:

A friend?

Could it be James Cameron?

In the original timeline, Katherine and Cameron were once married, a fact that became particularly newsworthy when "The Hurt Locker" won the Oscar the same year "Avatar" was released—ex-wife vs. ex-husband.

After quickly reviewing the information in his mind, Simon dismissed this guess.

Cameron's current wife was Gale Anne Hurd, producer of "The Terminator" and Cameron's career benefactor. They had only married last year, and though Cameron was not one to settle down, they weren't likely to divorce for another three to four years.

Unaware of Simon's thoughts, Katherine finished explaining and then said, "Simon, since you're new in Los Angeles and aiming to become a screenwriter, you'll probably need an agent. Maybe I can help."

Although Simon had his own plans, he took her offer seriously, "Really? I mean, if it's not too much trouble?"

"Of course not," Katherine shook her head, "But I can only introduce

 you. Whether you can convince them to represent you is up to you. Do you know WMA? It's a reputable agency."

WMA (William Morris Agency) was a well-known talent agency founded in the late 19th century and remained one of Hollywood's largest.

Despite its current struggles, WMA was far from 'lean.' A powerhouse like WMA, still far from a decline, could squash a multitude of lesser agencies; if Simon could get in, it would significantly shorten his path to success.

Hollywood stars often claim to have been discovered while going about their everyday lives, suggesting a swift rise to fame.

Don't believe it. Open any star's IMDb page and track the time from their first role to their breakout part to see the reality of their arduous journeys.

Although Simon had extraordinary opportunities and resources and was prepared to spend a few years breaking into Hollywood, he wouldn't turn down any help Katherine could offer.

Together, they walked to a nearby payphone booth where Katherine pulled out a phonebook, flipped through it, and made a call.

Simon waited patiently beside her.

After a brief conversation, Katherine covered the mouthpiece and whispered to Simon, "How do you spell 'Westeros'?"

Simon spelled out his surname: "W-e-s-t-e-r-o-s."

Katherine nodded, returned to her call for a minute more, then hung up.

"It's a good thing Mr. Friedman was still at the office. I forgot it's after hours already. But with the recent chaos at WMA, overtime isn't unusual," Katherine said apologetically as she scribbled something in her phonebook, tore out the page, and handed it to Simon with instructions, "Four o'clock tomorrow afternoon, William Morris headquarters. Don't be late. Just tell the front desk you have an appointment, and someone will escort you. If there's any trouble, you can call this number."

Simon nodded, taking the note. At the top was a name—Jonathan Friedman, evidently the Mr. Friedman Katherine mentioned. Below that was the address: 150 Camino Drive, Beverly Hills, the WMA headquarters. Lastly, a phone number.

Tucking the note into his wallet, Simon watched Katherine pick up her handbag, then suddenly asked, "And you, Katherine? I mean, if I end up failing miserably and near starvation on the streets, I should know how to find you for help, right?"

Katherine gave Simon a mild glare but took out her phonebook again and started writing, jokingly saying, "If you can starve on the streets with your abilities, I might not bother to help."

As they spoke, a car horn honked loudly on the street, and a burgundy Ford sedan pulled up. The woman in the driver's seat looked eager as she leaned out the window and said, "Kate, I've got you. Hey, little boy, hop in. Don't chat up random older sisters on the street; they might drag you into an alley and eat you up."

Katherine handed Simon her contact information, looking helplessly at the woman in the car, "Jenny, you're late again."

"Maybe I shouldn't have come at all. I must be interrupting something, right?" Jenny Johnson stepped out of the car, beaming, and extended her hand to Simon, "Jenny Johnson. What's your name, young man?"

Simon, assessing the woman with curly blonde hair, a pink form-fitting T-shirt with fancy English lettering, and high-waisted jeans, found her attractive though not as pretty as Katherine. Her well-maintained appearance made her age hard to guess.

Yet, Simon could sense a touch of madness in her demeanor.

Plus, driving in high heels—really?

With these thoughts, Simon still shook her hand politely and introduced himself, "Simon Westeros."

"Strange surname," Jenny mumbled, then scrutinized Simon approvingly before turning to Katherine, "So, Kate, shall we take him home?"

Katherine placed her luggage in the back of the car and approached, "Jenny, stop joking. Let's go."

Jenny wasn't ready to let go and grabbed Katherine's arm, still fixating on Simon with curiosity, "Little boy, you just arrived in Los Angeles with Kate, right? Let me guess, you're from San Francisco too, which city? I'm asking for Kate."

Simon considered briefly before replying, "Around San Jose, I guess."

Jenny frowned disapprovingly, "How interesting, 'around'?"

Simon shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't have a home. I just grew up in San Jose."

"How can someone not have a home?" Jenny, missing the subtlety and ignoring Katherine's tugging at her arm, pressed, "So where were you living before coming to Los Angeles?"

Simon smiled innocently and replied, "Watsonville Psychiatric Hospital."