Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 311

Two days after the shooting.

Anh Da Ho stopped by Nara Kim’s mansion.

“They decided to split the documentary into two parts and broadcast them separately.”

“Two parts?”

Seo-jun tilted his head at Anh Da Ho’s words.

“Yeah. The first part is the one with you, with a bit of a variety show vibe, and the second part is the documentary without you. They plan to edit the first part in a lighter tone and go deeper into the second part.”

Oh.

Seo-jun nodded.

That way, they could satisfy both the people who didn’t watch documentaries and the people who wanted to see serious documentaries.

“That’s a good idea.”

“The ABS station is also happy to get two programs from one shoot. They’re already getting a lot of offers for advertising because it’s such a hot topic.”

“I see.”

Anh Da Ho’s words made Seo-jun smile.

“I was worried about how to watch it in Korea. If it’s uploaded on Plus, I can watch it comfortably in Korea!”

Seo-jun had no idea how fiercely the broadcasters in Korea were competing to buy his documentary.

Anh Da Ho had heard some news from across the ocean.

The companies that wanted to put ads in also kept an eye on which station Seo-jun’s documentary would go to.

“And the PD said he wanted to ask you to do the narration for both parts.”

Seo-jun tilted his head.

“I’m going back to Korea next week. They have to edit the documentary footage and write a script that matches the video… Will there be enough time?”

It would take quite some time to edit, let alone one part, but two parts.

‘Good scripts don’t come out easily either.’

Anh Da Ho smiled and answered Seo-jun’s question.

“He said it wouldn’t take that long.”

Anh Da Ho recalled his conversation with the PD last night. The PD shouted when Anh Da Ho told him that he was going back to Korea next week.

‘It won’t take that long!’

He had planned to take a break after the shooting and then start editing, but the PD quickly changed his schedule. He couldn’t miss the ratings, buzz, and various benefits that would come from Seo-jun’s narration.

‘Yeah. I can sleep later.’

Anh Da Ho smiled faintly as he remembered what the PD had muttered faintly over the phone.

Seo-jun thought for a moment and nodded.

“Then I’m fine with it.”

Narration.

He wanted to try it because he had never done it before.

Anh Da Ho smiled and said at Seo-jun’s acceptance.

“And there’s one more proposal that came in.”

“A proposal?”

“Yeah. Seo-jun, do you want to throw the first pitch?”

First pitch?

Seo-jun blinked at the unexpected suggestion.

***

The day before.

The LA Dodgers’ promotion team leader pointed his finger at Seo-jun’s name that filled the internet.

“From Hero Assemble to whale rescue to documentary shooting, and even whale clouds. It’s been a week of Seo-jun Lee, huh? But what does Seo-jun Lee have to do with whale clouds?”

At the promotion team leader’s question, one of his staff smiled and said.

“Well, I guess Seo-jun Lee is the most famous person related to whales right now. He’s at the center of attention for various reasons, and then there’s a cloud like that. It’s bound to be a topic.”

“And it’s even more chaotic because of that whale cloud circling the earth.”

“There are also a lot of products and events related to whales. Whale tours have also increased a lot, they say.”

The promotion team leader scratched his chin at his staff’s words.

The promotion team had to be most sensitive to the world’s attention.

There were ads related to ‘whales’ popping up everywhere, and there was a good opportunity right in front of them when the center of attention was in California, especially LA.

“Hmm. Then should we join in too?”

“Huh?”

The staff who were talking about watching Seo-jun Lee’s documentary tilted their heads at the promotion team leader’s words.

“We have a home game in a few days.”

“Yes.”

“How about bringing Seo-jun Lee as the first pitcher for that game?”

Oh.

Oh!

The promotion team staff’s eyes sparkled at the promotion team leader’s suggestion.

***

After lunch, two scouts returned to their office and looked at one desk and hesitated, backing away.

“Philip, why is he like that?”

The two people’s eyes were on Philip, a scout who was lying on his desk as if he was dead.

Was he sleeping or fainting?

Only Philip’s seat seemed to be covered with dark clouds.

“He went through all the names of high school players in East Asia four or five days ago, and he’s been like that ever since. What did he say? Jack Smith was friends with Seo-jun Lee! He was a Hollywood actor! He screamed like that.”

At that, his colleague spat out his coffee.

“Ah. I saw that too.”

Seo-jun Lee’s whale rescue videos went up on YouTube, and the people who were in those videos also got attention.

There were people who appeared in the news interviews, and people who revealed themselves on SNS.

The one who got the most attention was the big boy who was around Seo-jun Lee, wearing a black hat.

At first, he was suspected to be Seo-jun Lee’s bodyguard, but then people who knew the boy started to appear.

He was a famous high school player, so there were quite a few people who recognized him.

The scouts also quickly figured out that the boy was Jack Smith.

“But are Jack Smith and Seo-jun Lee really friends? Not just passing by and rescuing whales together?”

The scout shook his head.

“There was an interview during Over the Rainbow that said that. Seo-jun Lee lived in LA when he filmed Shadowman1. He lived next to Jack Smith, so they were friends since they were young.”

His colleague exclaimed.

“Wow. The kid who lived next door was a superstar… It’s like a novel.”

“Well, he was just a kid back then.”

“That’s true.”

The two scouts chuckled.

“But how did you know he lived next door? That story didn’t come up in the interview, did it?”

“Jack Smith is also getting a lot of questions from his fellow players. Well, I guess I’d be curious too if my friend’s friend was a superstar. But Jack Smith is cutting them off well, so he doesn’t say anything more.”

His colleague nodded.

Whether it was a baseball player or an actor, the biggest threat to a superstar was the stories that came out of the mouths of their acquaintances.

Even if there was no clear evidence that the information was true or false, the fact that they were ‘friends of the star’ gave people some kind of confidence.

“So they’re selling that kind of information too… He’s a good friend. Oh, do you know? The promotion team is trying to get Seo-jun Lee to throw the first pitch.”

“Oh, that would be nice, right? He’s the center of attention right now, and there are a lot of Koreans in LA, so a lot of people will come. And Seo-jun Lee has a lot of fans too…”

The scout who was thinking for a moment said with a slightly sour face.

“…It seems like more people will come than I expected?”

***

Scout Philip had found a gem that had not been polished yet when he followed Jack Smith to the batting cage a few days ago.

He went straight to the office and searched through all the data of high school players in East Asia, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find the player he saw at the batting cage.

Philip sighed as he put down the last sheet.

“…Is he not a high school player?”

He could be a pro player or a second-team player. Or maybe just an ordinary person. Philip scratched his head.

“It’s hard to find him if he’s an ordinary person…”

He had no idea where to start looking. But he felt guilty as a baseball fan to just leave him alone when he showed such talent.

“He definitely has the potential to be a superstar.”

Scout Philip trusted his own eyes.

He got up again to print out the list of East Asian players.

Then, one of the scouts in the office exclaimed.

The eyes of the people in the office turned to him.

“Seo-jun Lee showed up at Mindman Beach!”

“Seo-jun Lee?!”

The employee who was a fan of Seo-jun Lee screamed and jumped up.

He looked like he was ready to run to Mindman Beach right away.

“I knew he was in LA, but he went to Mindman Beach.”

Everyone picked up their phones with interest. The internet was already in chaos.

Philip also picked up his phone to take a break and looked around.

And he stopped breathing when he saw a certain picture.

He couldn’t even blink.

His whole body stiffened and he could only stare blankly at his phone.

“Whale rescue, huh… That’s amazing.”

“But who’s that next to him? Doesn’t he look familiar?”

“Yeah, he does. If we know him, he should be a baseball player. Oh, isn’t that Jack Smith? Philip! This is Jack Smith… Philip?”

Two boys came into Philip’s pale sight.

Jack Smith in the same outfit as today and the boy who he thought was a gem covered in mud, but was actually a polished gem-like actor, Seo-jun Lee.

***

Since then, Philip seemed to have lost all his motivation.

He couldn’t hide his regret.

He walked around with his shoulders drooping, but still did his work diligently, so the scout team leader just shook his head silently.

Bang!

Philip banged his head on the desk after finishing all his work for the morning.

“Damn… It would have been better if he was an ordinary person…”

If he was an ordinary person, it would have been hard to find him, but he could have persuaded him to take a test somehow. But,

“He’s a Hollywood actor!”

A Hollywood actor, and one who won an Academy Award at such a young age and was recognized for his acting skills!

The potential for superstardom that Philip had imagined was being displayed elsewhere.

And amazingly! Magnificently!

As he was so frustrated, Philip heard his colleagues’ conversation.

First pitch?

He lost a talented hitter to Hollywood and was frustrated, so Philip jumped up from his seat. The two scouts who were surprised spilled some coffee.

“First pitch?!”

“What, what?”

“What’s going on?”

Philip shouted.

“Seo-jun Lee should be hitting, not pitching!”

The two scouts blinked at Philip’s sudden outburst.

***

“So you’re suggesting hitting?”

The promotion team leader said with an expression that wasn’t very pleased at Philip’s words.

Philip’s story had reached the promotion team leader through one of his staff.

The promotion team staff also had their eyes sparkling at the interesting story.

Wow.

He followed Jack Smith and saw a talented hitter, but it turned out to be Seo-jun Lee?

These kinds of behind-the-scenes stories usually sold well.

If Seo-jun Lee agreed to hit, they could spread this story as publicity, but unlike the staff who thought so, the promotion team leader said.

“But even if the pitcher throws well, most people can’t hit it well. People are watching and if he can’t hit it, it won’t be good for Seo-jun Lee’s image either. I think we’ll get scolded for making him hit for no reason.”

“Even if he throws the first pitch, he has to practice, so can’t we just ask him to hit once when he comes to practice?”

The promotion team leader scratched his cheek at Philip’s words.

“Hmm. If we add the story, hitting would be perfect for publicity… Alright. Then let Seo-jun Lee choose between pitching and hitting, whatever.”

Philip’s face brightened at the promotion team leader’s words.

“But you know that Seo-jun Lee has to agree first, right?”

***

-Let’s do it!!

It was deafening.

Seo-jun dropped his phone far away.

Jack Smith was screaming on the other side of the phone.

-You throw well! You have great control!

If Philip had heard that, he would have been shocked. He could hit well and pitch well too!?