Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 189

Special Makeup Team, Dohwa.

They were one of the top three special makeup teams in Korea, mainly working on the production of movies, dramas, and plays. 

Of course, since there were not many works that used special makeup, they also took on some ordinary makeup jobs.

“Did you hear? There’s a zombie movie coming out.”

At someone’s words, the others who were lying on chairs or sofas nodded their heads.

As befitting of the free-spirited Dohwa team, they were spending their leisure time in a company that looked more like a cozy cafe than an office, drinking cool beverages.

Since they had to travel around different movie sets, drama sets, etc., the only time the Dohwa special makeup artists gathered at the company was when they had no work. 

Those who were not here must be busy working right now.

“I heard that too… Is it true?”

“I’ve always wanted to do something like that!”

It was a topic that they could not be indifferent to as special makeup artists. They opened their mouths one by one with interest.

“I’m confident that I can do well… But I’m worried that it might look cheap.”

“But judging by the fact that we haven’t received any requests from our side, are they not doing it? Aren’t we the best in Korea in terms of skills?”

“Even if we’re not the top… It would be hard to make a zombie movie without us.”

They nodded their heads at the proud words.

The team had not been formed for a long time, but they were confident in their skills. 

It was because of their skills that they had gained this much recognition in such a short time.

They were chatting about zombie makeup when the office door opened. 

It was Kim Sowon, the team leader who created Dohwa.

“You’re here. Are you all gathered?”

“No. Some are missing because of work.”

Kim Sowon nodded his head and said.

“I’ll have to tell them when they come.”

“Oh. Did you get a job?”

A special makeup artist who brightened up asked around.

He laughed at the sight of his colleagues who were sprawled out like they were in their own home. 

One, two, three… He counted the number of special makeup artists. 

His eyes widened. Half of the special makeup artists belonging to Dohwa were here.

“Half of them are here, but is this not enough for the job?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Kim Sowon at his words. With this many people, they could handle most of the work. 

Then it meant that it was not an ordinary job.

Someone exclaimed in surprise.

“Are you really making a zombie movie? In Korea?”

“Wow. Making zombies was my dream!”

The special makeup artists looked at the team leader with sparkling eyes. 

Kim Sowon, who should have been the happiest and most excited, smiled as if he had given up.

They blinked their eyes at his expression. What was that reaction?

“That’s right. They’re making a zombie movie. And we’re going to work with them too.”

Someone raised his hand sharply.

“But do they pay well? The rent must be huge, and they need a lot of people. If we go alone, we have to give up other jobs.”

“Sowon! I have to pay off my card debt.”

“I’m out of living expenses too!”

Kim Sowon laughed bitterly at the cries of his team members who sounded like baby birds asking for food.

Baby birds were at least cute.

“They gave us a generous advance payment.”

“Really? Does that mean the investor has a lot of money?”

“I heard from an actor I know that it’s going to flop? What’s going on?”

‘Yeah, they have a lot of money. They’re Plus+.’

He couldn’t forget the shocking meeting he had in his head.

In the conference room of Movie Dream Production Company, there were several other special makeup teams besides Dohwa. 

They all looked at each other in surprise. 

They’re really making it. 

A zombie movie. 

They thought so and estimated the cost when Kim Sowon heard some astonishing stories.

At first, he was surprised by the fact that making a zombie movie was true. 

Second, he was surprised by the fact that the investor was Plus+. 

They must have enough money, he thought with relief, but the surprise was not over yet. 

Third, he was surprised by the fact that Kim Jongho and Lee Dajin, actors who appeared in My Doctorate Degree Holder Husband (), were starring in this non-mainstream movie. 

And finally…

Kim Sowon recalled the memory of the conference room.

“And we have to gather and take lectures from next week.”

“…Lectures? What lectures?”

“Special makeup lectures.”

“Us?”

Kim Sowon lifted one corner of his mouth and smiled at the reaction of the special makeup artists who were full of pride. 

They would surely say that they wanted to take the lectures after hearing this story. 

And then they would wait for it every day like a child waiting for a picnic day. Just like he did.

“The production company brought in the Mirror team.”

“…What?”

They stiffened their heads like meerkats at the name they never expected to hear here. 

The team leaders they met at Movie Dream Production Company all did the same. Kim Sowon was no exception. 

His heart thumped.

“They brought in the Hollywood special makeup team, Mirror. And even Jena Trade! Take this opportunity to learn well. If you catch Jena Trade’s eye, you might even go to Hollywood, you know.”

Jena Trade. And the special makeup team, Mirror.

The Korean special makeup teams were turned upside down by those two names.

***

-Jena Trade? She’s good.

“She’s good?”

Rachel Hill said in a bright voice.

-Special makeup can be suffocating, you know. It feels like you’re wearing a mask or something. But when Jena Trade does it, there’s not much of that. It’s easier to move your face when you act than other special makeup.

“I see.”

-And the special makeup doesn’t look awkward at all. It looks real. Even if you ask her to make a very strange creature, it’s very natural.

She said that and named some of the works and characters that Jena Trade and her team Mirror had done special makeup for.

Seo-jun recalled the characters. 

Most of the characters that Rachel Hill had mentioned were ones that even Seo-jun, who had seen and experienced various creatures, thought were natural.

‘I thought she would be good at making monster dolls…’

It was Jena Trade and her team Mirror’s skills that even Seo-jun acknowledged.

-But calling Jena Trade too, that’s very serious, huh?

“They had a hard time at Plus+.”

He wondered how much money it would take to bring in the best special makeup team that had enough demand in Hollywood to Korea. 

He laughed bitterly at the amount he couldn’t even guess.

-By the way, I heard that the actors who are in My Doctorate Degree Holder Husband are also starring in it?

“Yes.”

That’s how it happened.

The day when Uncle Jongho gathered them to tease Jiseok.

That very day, the cameo offer was delivered to the production company, and eventually, with the welcome of Movie Dream Production Company and Plus+ Investment Company, the cameo appearances of Lee Jiseok and Park Dohoon were decided.

-It’s going to be so fun with the Hunter actor who came out in spring!

Seo-jun rolled his eyes at Rachel Hill’s excited voice.

It would be fun to surprise them on the set, but he was also worried that they might be too shocked to act properly.

‘Or maybe, would they be more nervous after knowing? They might worry a lot until the shooting day.’

He pondered for a moment and came to a conclusion.

It would be better to meet them beforehand and have a chat. He thought it would be nice to invite some other people as well.

“Do you want to meet them?”

-Of course I do! I’ll ask Evan too.

“Haha. They’ll all love it.”

He imagined the faces of his acquaintances who would be surprised and smiled brightly.

***

Lee Dajin: I can’t believe I’m shooting with you!

<We’re acting together again! Dajin-nuna.

Lee Dajin: We were in the same play, but we never got to match our timing, so I was so sad!! I thought I would never get to do it in my life.

Seo-jun laughed at Lee Dajin’s message.

<Did you see the script, nuna?

Lee Dajin: Yeah! There’s a scene where I appear with a foreign actor… I have a foreigner phobia

<Didn’t you say you were learning English?

Lee Dajin: These days, there are often characters who use English in movies or dramas. I thought it would be nice if my pronunciation was natural, so I learned it, but, ugh. English is hard.

<It’s a Korean movie, so the foreign actors should be able to speak Korean too.

He hid the fact that those foreign actors were Rachel Hill and Evan Block.

Lee Dajin: That’s true? When will the shooting start? I’m so excited.

<Me too. Let’s do our best. Nuna.

Lee Dajin: Yeah!

***

The news of passing Escape’s audition came.

Out of the five archery club members, two from Class 1 and one from Class 2 of Yeoul Arts High School were selected, and the other two were from different schools.

“Juhee, Jaehan. Congratulations.”

Juhee and Jaehan passed and Jukyung failed. Juhee and Jaehan couldn’t be completely happy at the news of Jukyung’s failure.

‘This kind of thing will happen more often in the future…’

It was a sad thing that they couldn’t get used to. 

What should they say to comfort him? 

They wondered, but Jukyung, who they thought would be down, was still cheerful. 

No, he looked even happier.

They blinked their eyes at Jukyung’s smiling face.

“I got to shoot as an extra!”

Seo-jun and his friends widened their eyes.

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s not a noticeable role like an archery club member, but I get to act as a zombie too.”

Juhee and Jaehan brightened up at Jukyung’s words.

“That’s great!”

“We’ll all shoot together!”

It was really good news, and Seo-jun and his friends finally rejoiced with all their hearts.

The homeroom teacher who appeared for morning attendance smiled and said.

“We have someone who got confirmed for shooting in our class.”

Not only Jukyung, but some of the other Class 1 students who participated in the audition also got to participate in the shooting as extras.

“If you want to practice together, tell me. I can rent a practice room at school. It’s okay whether it’s lunchtime or after school. It’s the same for other kids too.”

“Yes!”

“If you need help, ask any teacher regardless of grade. If they’re not busy, they’ll help you.”

As expected of our school.

The kids marveled at the school’s support.

“Teacher Jeong Siwoon said he’ll teach us after school, so if you’re interested in zombie acting, go to Practice Room 3 after school.”

“Yes!”

After school. Practice Room 3.

Jeong Siwoon, who had judged their skills during the audition and was in charge of acting classes for first graders, opened his mouth as he looked at the kids who were sitting in a circle on the floor.

“Juhee, Jaehan, Jinho. Three of you passed, that’s amazing. Do you need to practice a lot?”

“Yes!”

Yang Juhee, Kang Jaehan, and Han Jinho from Class 2 answered.

“What about the others? You’re also shooting, right? Don’t take it lightly just because you’re extras. There might be a director who will pick you for the next work after seeing your acting.”

“Yes!”

Jukyung and the kids answered confidently.

“Those of you who came here are smart. Zombie movies are rare, but it’s a good experience to practice the movement once.”

The kids who came to learn a new kind of acting that they were not familiar with also said a word to Jeong Siwoon.

“First of all, let’s watch the scenes I edited and think about how the zombies move in other works.”

From Death Wall that Director Cho Daeman had mentioned before to Plus+‘s original zombie drama. 

The kids focused on the video that only showed the zombies’ movements.

“This is when the slow zombies started to change. I don’t know what the movie that’s coming out will be like, but it probably won’t be much different. This one is more thrilling and tense.”

If they had been slow zombies all along, they might not have known, but there had already been new zombie works with a different speed. 

People wouldn’t think that zombies were slow anymore.

Jeong Siwoon continued.

“One thing to keep in mind when acting as a zombie is makeup. You’re wearing thick makeup, so your facial movements might be different from usual. Of course, since you’re a zombie, you don’t have to do much facial acting, but it will feel different from usual.”

The kids listened to Jeong Siwoon’s voice without missing a word.

Jeong Siwoon’s explanation and demonstration followed. Even without makeup, his eerie movements made the kids swallow their saliva.

“Okay. Who wants to go first?”

The kids looked at each other. 

They were all reluctant to be the first one to show their lacking acting to their friends. 

It was one thing to practice other kinds of acting that they had learned at the acting academy, but it was another thing to do zombie acting that they had never done before.

As he was wondering, Jeong Siwoon noticed Seo-jun, who was shining his eyes alone. 

His eyes seemed to be asking him to order him right away. 

Jeong Siwoon groaned inwardly.

‘If Seo-jun goes first, the kids will lose their spirit…’

He deliberately avoided Seo-jun’s sparkling eyes and said.

“Let’s start with the ones who passed the audition.”

At Jeong Siwoon’s words, Han Jinho, Kang Jaehan, and Yang Juhee tensed up and straightened their backs.

The three of them did their awkward zombie acting and Jeong Siwoon gave them some advice. 

The other kids also did their acting once, and there was one kid left.

“Now it’s Seo-jun’s turn.”

At the teacher’s call, Seo-jun got up from his seat. 

The kids’ eyes sparkled and Jeong Siwoon also tried to hide his face that was clearly filled with anticipation.

Seo-jun exhaled.

Maybe. Maybe he had prepared a skill for this. 

He didn’t think he would ever use it for real, though. 

He hoped that his acting would help his friends.

Seo-jun stood in front of the kids who were sitting in a circle. 

It felt like there was a spotlight on him alone. 

It was always like this when he took acting classes with them.

It had been a semester already, but he felt like he would never get used to it. 

The kids swallowed their saliva.

[(Evil) Undead’s Evening Exercise-Lowest Level is activated.]

[(Evil) Undead’s Evening Exercise-Lowest Level]

It is an evening exercise created to loosen the stiff joints of the undead who resurrected from the grave.

Flexibility, activity, and agility are greatly reduced.

Your movement becomes slow.

Caution: You are very vulnerable to holy power.

Seo-jun’s arms, legs, head moved very slowly in a strange direction. 

It seemed like all the joints in his body were moving separately.

Despite his slow movement, he felt more tense than the zombies who ran at a terrifyingly fast speed in the video.

The kids who watched Seo-jun’s acting, especially the three who had to shoot the zombie movie as archery club members and Kim Jukyung and some others who would act as zombies as extras, focused on Seo-jun’s acting without even noticing their sweaty hands.

To learn more from the world-class actor, the kids blinked their eyes.