Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 554

The bus carrying the [Hwa] team’s rear guard headed towards the tunnel where the explosion had occurred. The tunnel was cleared of debris, but the traces of the blast were still visible.

Kim Se-yeon, the assistant director of [Hwa], glanced out the window at the tunnel. She felt a chill down her spine as she saw the black smoke marks that still lingered. She was not the only one who felt uneasy. The other cars moving next to the bus were also unusually calm and cautious.

“Please drive carefully, even if we’re a bit late!”

“Yes, I understand.”

The bus moved more carefully than usual, followed by a truck loaded with furniture, props, costumes, and filming equipment.

Soon, the bus and the truck arrived at the lodging where the [Hwa] team’s front guard was staying. The front guard, who had been waiting for them, greeted the rear guard.

“Ji-yoon!”

“Are you all okay?”

The rear guard got off the bus and surrounded the front guard with worried expressions.

They knew they had been lucky to avoid the accident, but they felt more anxious when they saw them in person.

Hwang Ji-yoon and the seniors looked awkward at the sight of their friends and juniors. They could tell from the phone calls that they were not just mildly worried.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. We managed to escape somehow.”

“And in a very miraculous way, too?”

Park Woo-jin, who was calming down the film majors’ juniors, opened his mouth.

“Let’s move the luggage first.”

The truck that carried the luggage was rented for a month, so it didn’t matter, but the bus that was rented for a day had to go back now. They planned to come back here again after the filming was over.

The rear guard quickly unloaded the luggage from the bus, and the seniors told the students which rooms they were assigned to.

The students who had finished worrying went to their rooms with excited faces, as if they had come to play. Hwang Ji-yoon smiled at the voices saying ‘Oh! It’s better than I thought!’ and approached the two men and women who were standing a little apart.

“Thank you for coming.”

“No, no. It’s part of the independent film making. We go to the mountains and the sea and all that.”

“That’s right. Last time, we even went to the end of the land.”

The two middle-aged actors who had joined [Hwa] smiled and said. Hwang Ji-yoon, who had auditioned and contacted them quite a lot, guided the two middle-aged actors to their rooms.

“It’s a bit small, but you have your own bathroom, so you can use it comfortably by yourself.”

“Oh, thank you.”

The two actors, who had not expected a single room, brightened up a bit.

“We’ll have dinner together at the restaurant, so just come at the right time. And if you have any discomfort, please let me know.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Then, please drop off your luggage and come to the restaurant right away.”

The middle-aged actors carried their luggage and headed to their respective rooms. The lodging became noisy as more people arrived.

“There’s no luggage left on the bus. You can leave now. Thank you for today.”

Kim Se-yeon, who was checking if there was any luggage left on the bus, got off the bus, and the bus returned the way it came.

Kim Se-yeon, who was watching the bus go away, asked Hwang Ji-yoon.

“Where’s Seo-joon? I don’t see him.”

“He’s in the kitchen with my brother, preparing some warm tea. It’s too early for dinner.”

“Wow… You’re making a superstar work for you.”

“Seo-joon wanted to do it first, you know?”

Kim Se-yeon chuckled at Hwang Ji-yoon’s raised voice and carried her luggage to her room.

***

The acting majors of the first and second year were the first ones to drop off their luggage in their rooms and head to the restaurant.

“There was some other luggage in our room. Whose luggage is that?”

“Isn’t it Do-yoon senior’s? He came earlier.”

“Oh… Then we have to live with Hwang Do-yoon senior?”

The acting majors of the second year, who shared the same room, answered, and the two acting majors of the first year made a subtle expression. They knew that Hwang Do-yoon, the student council president of the acting department, was nice, but they felt a bit distant because he was a senior.

“It’s okay. Do-yoon senior is really fun.”

As they say, speak of the devil, and he shall appear. As soon as they entered the restaurant, they ran into Hwang Do-yoon. The first-year students bowed to Hwang Do-yoon.

“Hello!”

“Hi. Is it cold outside? Do you want a cup of warm tea? We have cocoa, too.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Hwang Do-yoon and the second-year students smiled at the slightly nervous first-year students. The second-year students were about to pat the shoulders of the first-year students, asking why they were so tense, when they heard someone walking from the kitchen.

“Do-yoon hyung. The water is boiled… Oh? Hi! Hello!”

The acting majors blinked their eyes.

The man who was holding a kettle with steam rising from it was familiar. They recognized his voice, which greeted them with a bright smile.

“I heard there were acting majors of the first year, but it was you and hyung!”

They felt like their brains had stopped at the appearance of an unexpected person. No, no, they muttered with their mouths, and the first-year student managed to say a word.

“…Seo-joon, why are you here?”

Seo-joon laughed at the question of his half-dazed classmate.

***

The students and the two middle-aged actors who had dropped off their luggage in their rooms gathered at the restaurant.

There were more than thirty people in the restaurant, so it should have been noisy, but it was so quiet that it seemed like they could hear a needle drop.

The [Hwa] team members’ eyes were fixed on one place and they didn’t even think of moving.

Seo-joon.

It was Lee Seo-joon.

Whether they looked at him from this side or that side, he was Lee Seo-joon.

‘…But why is Lee Seo-joon here?’

They wondered if they were dreaming on the bus. But the surroundings were too vivid, and Seo-joon, who was handing them a cup of tea with steam rising from it, was shining brightly.

“Wow… This seems real.”

The film major of the fourth year blurted out without knowing, and the front guard and Kim Se-yeon giggled. As the team members’ expressions slowly became more realistic, director Hwang Ji-yoon opened his mouth.

“Well, since this is the first time we’ve all gathered, let’s start with self-introductions.”

The team members, who would have cheered and booed at the mention of self-introductions, nodded their heads today.

“I’m Hwang Ji-yoon, the director of the independent film [Hwa], and a third-year student of the film department. [Hwa] is a precious work that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, so it might be a bit difficult during the filming, but I’d appreciate it if you think of it as for the quality.”

The team members applauded Hwang Ji-yoon, who bowed.

“Then, next is…”

“Seo-joon. Seo-joon.”

The order that was heading towards the assistant director changed to Seo-joon by Kim Se-yeon’s active claim. The team members’ eyes sparkled.

Seo-joon, who got up from his seat, looked at the thirty team members with a grin.

“Hello. I’m Lee Seo-joon, a first-year student of the acting department. I’m participating in this film as one of the main characters, an unknown painter.”

Wow! He’s really starring!

The team members exclaimed. They couldn’t believe that Lee Seo-joon, who was an actor, was participating in the independent film they were making.

“I know I might seem a bit difficult, but I joined this project team as a student, Lee Seo-joon, so I hope you treat me as comfortably as the other team members. I look forward to working with you for the next month.”

Clap clap clap! A loud applause sounded. Hwang Ji-yoon added a word.

“Please keep it a secret that Seo-jun is in this film until we announce it.”

Everyone nodded their heads.

Next, they introduced Hwang Do-yoon, who played the role of Min-han, Kim Sung-sik, who played the role of Mr. Lee, and Jung Eun-mi, who played the role of Go-seong’s wife. The middle-aged actors still had expressions of surprise and shock on their faces.

Then, they moved on to the introductions of the assistant director Kim Se-yeon, the filming team, the lighting team, the sound team, the art team, and the props team.

“Hello, I’m Kwon Se-a, a third-year music major who is in charge of the music for the film.”

Kwon Se-a, who was surprised to see Seo-jun, got up from her seat and greeted him. Seo-jun was also surprised that Kwon Se-a came to the filming site.

“I thought it would be inspiring to see the actors filming in person, so I decided to come to the filming site. If you need my help or have any chores to assign, please let me know anytime!”

After Kwon Se-a’s introduction, all the eyes were on Seo-jun again. The students who saw a star for the first time in such a close distance had sparkling eyes.

Seo-jun scratched his cheek. He had asked them to treat him like a normal student, but it seemed like it would take some time for that to happen.

Hwang Do-yoon, who knew that, opened his mouth with a smile.

“Shall we prepare for dinner then?”

Food was the best way to divert attention.

***

Since there were 32 people, they decided to have an easy dinner of meat.

“It’s either meat or ramen…”

The third and fourth-year students nodded their heads as they washed a box of vegetables and piled up meat at the faucet in the yard.

Thanks to the grill they brought from Seoul, they could grill meat at each table.

“Grill is better than frying pan.”

“Right.”

Hwang Do-yoon and Seo-jun nodded their heads.

The middle-aged actors, Kim Sang-sik and Jung Eun-mi, who sat in front of them, looked at Seo-jun with curious expressions. Seo-jun smiled and pinched his cheek.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No, no. It’s just… I can’t believe that I’m seeing the actor I’ve only seen in works… right in front of me.”

“I’m a huge fan of you, Seo-jun. I don’t know how much I admire your works. Every line and movement is so delicate…”

Seo-jun smiled brightly and listened to the two actors who spoke passionately.

They were unknown, but both actors were sincere about acting. They could tell by the fact that they went to film independent films that were bound to be hard.

“I understand how Director Hwang feels. I once starred in a work that changed completely after getting an investment. The director, who was so happy when he got the investment, disappeared before I knew it.”

“Ugh…”

Soon, the first and second-year acting students and the film students gathered and talked about independent films and commercial films.

“But you still need some investment! The materials for making props are different. If they don’t pay you and ask you to make it like a commercial film, it’s like asking you to buy a 1,000 won bread with 100 won.”

“But you can’t ignore the creators!”

The stage art and art majors also joined the debate.

Hwang Ji-yoon blinked her eyes at the burning scene of the restaurant and asked Kim Se-yeon.

“Did you put alcohol in the water?”

“It’s the first day of filming tomorrow. No way.”

Maybe it was because they were all passionate about their work, but they all expressed their opinions fervently on one topic.

Hwang Ji-yoon decided to end the dinner before it got more heated. They must have been tired from traveling from Seoul to Gangwon-do.

As the heat subsided, the fatigue came. Only the people who were in charge of the dishes remained, and the rest went back to their rooms with groans.

The three first and second-year acting students also yawned and moved their feet. At that moment, they turned their heads to the person who followed them. It was Seo-jun.

“…?”

“I’m in this room too.”

The first and second-year students, who looked at Seo-jun and the door with blank faces, opened their mouths wide. Seo-jun laughed.

***

The next morning.

Before leaving for the mansion, the [Hwa] team decided to have a simple ritual.

Hwang Ji-yoon found a pig’s head image on the PinePad she brought and placed it on the table. She set up the ritual table with the food she brought. The rest were helped by Kim Sang-sik and Jung Eun-mi, who were older.

“Please let nothing happen during the filming…!”

“Then what if something happens after the filming?”

“Please just let nothing happen at all…!”

Considering what happened before the filming, it was possible. Hwang Do-yoon’s words made Hwang Ji-yoon and the [Hwa] team pray sincerely again.

And Seo-jun answered their prayer.

[(Sun) Divine Sheep’s Wool – Intermediate -]

It is the wool cut from the sheep that God raises.

The size of the wool varies depending on the sincerity of the prayer.

The size of the wool decreases depending on the amount of misfortune absorbed.

Seo-jun looked at the sheep picture he secretly placed next to the PinePad on the ritual table.

This ability required Seo-jun to infuse mana himself, draw a picture of a divine sheep with a round horn and fluffy wool, and offer a sacrifice. He wondered if the ritual table would have any effect.

[(Sun) Divine Sheep’s Wool – Intermediate – is activated.]

Fortunately, it worked.

Fluffy and white cloud-like wool appeared on the heads of the [Hwa] team members. Seeing that Hwang Ji-yoon’s wool was the biggest, he could tell how sincerely she was praying.

‘It might snow too.’

It would prevent minor misfortunes like slipping on the snow, and even major accidents.

Seo-jun smiled as he looked at the cloud-like wool on his head.