Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 323

“Can I make them all?”

“…What?”

The planning team leader blinked and looked at director Jeffrey. 

The director, who had bravely spoken up, shrank back.

“…Can’t I?”

The planning team leader wondered if the director’s chilling gaze just now was his imagination, as he looked at the usual timid Jeffrey. 

He opened his mouth.

“No, you can. I just don’t know what you mean by ‘all’.”

[Survivors] was a disaster movie, and like any other disaster film, the places that were destroyed were not just one or two.

The life of a disaster movie was the spectacular destruction scenes, and [Survivors] was also planned to have such scenes.

“If you want to film a real building collapsing scene, it might be possible for one or two places.”

They could buy an unused building and remodel it to look similar to the real one, and then collapse it for real.

‘Of course, once the building collapses, it’s over, so they have to film it well in one shot.’

The planning team leader thought of a movie. 

A movie where the villain blew up a building in a flashy way, and the explosion scene was not CG but a real explosion.

“There’s also a movie that blew up a real building… Should I look into it?”

The planning team leader’s head spun quickly. 

He had to find an unused building and also find an expert who could collapse the building as planned. 

He might also need the cooperation of the government agencies.

“No!”

Director Jeffrey, who had never spent so much production cost on the independent films he had made and his first commercial film, shouted with a fascinated face by the ‘Hollywood scale’.

“I want to make a set where the actors can act.”

“A set?”

“Something more realistic, like broken walls, protruding rebar, blinking emergency exits. I want to make it look like they’re really in that place by using the green chroma key as little as possible. From the first scene to the last scene.”

Not building demolition…

The director’s words were barely audible.

Ah.

The planning team leader scratched his chin.

It wasn’t his imagination that he looked disappointed. 

He was hoping to create another publicity stunt with the building demolition. 

He opened his mouth.

“That’s easy. You just have to tell the art team at the meeting. Of course, for the safety of the actors, the appearance will be realistic but light and soft enough not to hurt them, like styrofoam or special materials.”

“Yes. It’s okay as long as it looks good on the outside.”

At Jeffrey’s nod, the planning team leader imagined the set that would be recreated from the script in his head. 

With the excellent art team on board, it would be more realistic than any other place.

“That would make the actors more immersed.”

If the actors who showed great acting skills in front of the green chroma key acted in such a set, they would create a bigger synergy and the image captured by the camera would also be more vivid.

The planning team leader smiled satisfactorily and director Jeffrey cautiously opened his mouth.

“…And I’d like to have some shaking machine devices on the floor of the set.”

“Oh. That would also be realistic and nice.”

At the planning team leader’s admiration, director Jeffrey brightened up a bit and talked about the set he had envisioned.

***

A rare holiday.

The doctor who visited an entertainment agency for the first time looked around the lobby with a slightly excited expression.

Cocoa Entertainment advertised itself as ‘Lee Seo-jun’s agency’ as if it was telling everyone in town, and filled up the right wall of the lobby with posters of works that actor Lee Seo-jun had starred in. 

From Shadowman 1, Evil Spirit to Spring Has Returned’s memorable scenes. 

When they were all gathered like this, they seemed to sparkle.

The doctor looked around Seo-jun’s posters once and then looked at the photos of idols hanging on the left wall. 

Brown Black, White, and Red Crown. 

Even a doctor who had no interest in idols had heard their names quite often.

When they were all gathered like this, they seemed like a really amazing company with only a few entertainers under their name.

As he was looking around the lobby for a while, Seo-jun and his manager appeared.

“Welcome. Doctor.”

“Hi. Seo-jun.”

The doctor exchanged greetings with Seo-jun and Ahn Da-ho and followed them to Seo-jun’s practice room.

“This is my practice room.”

“It’s my first time going into an actor’s practice room. I’m nervous.”

“Haha. There’s nothing special about it.”

Contrary to Seo-jun’s words, as soon as the door opened, the doctor hesitated to step in.

The Hollywood star’s practice room was full of cameras. 

He couldn’t see anything but cameras wherever he looked, and even though he had no aversion to cameras, he felt a little intimidated.

‘It would be hell for someone with camera phobia.’

Seo-jun led the doctor to his seat with a blank face and laughed as he took out a box.

“I didn’t know what to get you, so I bought you a cake from the bakery I like. It’s really delicious.”

He said that and smiled shyly as he took out a paper bag.

“This is the posters of the works I was in. I also signed them. There are also albums and signatures from Brown Black hyungs, White hyungs, and Red Crown unnies.”

At Seo-jun’s words, the doctor smiled brightly. 

He seemed to remember that he had casually said that he enjoyed watching Seo-jun’s works.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it. I’ll hang the posters in the best place.”

He felt a sense of responsibility as he received the cake and the signed posters.

And the doctor knew by now. 

All the questions Seo-jun was asking were for his next work [Survivors]. 

His opinion would influence a Hollywood movie… It was something he had never imagined in his life.

“But I don’t know much about acting… Is that okay?”

“Yes. I just need you to check if there are any exaggerated parts, and how the symptoms worsen and overcome over time. I’m going to act like a real patient.”

Seo-jun said to the doctor, who nodded his head. It seemed doable to him.

Seo-jun moved to the center of the practice room, facing the doctor. 

Anh Da Ho operated the camera. Several lenses were aimed at Seo-jun. He didn’t seem to mind the cameras at all, as if he was born to be an actor. It was impressive.

“Let’s start then.”

His words were like a switch that turned down the atmosphere of the practice room. 

The ceiling lights were bright, but it felt like only Seo-jun was standing in the dark.

Seo-jun stood there.

He just stood there.

He couldn’t move an inch, as if he was trapped in a tight space.

Soon, his hand moved as if he was grasping at something in the air. 

His breathing became faster, and his face was covered with cold sweat. 

His eyes were unfocused and dizzy.

The doctor, who was sitting on a chair, almost jumped up without realizing it, but he held back.

He knew that everything he saw was what he and Seo-jun had discussed earlier. 

And since the manager, who knew the actor’s condition best, was silently watching, it meant that everything was just an act.

‘But…’

What if it was real?

Seo-jun’s face was pale as he gasped for air.

‘Is that really acting?’

At that moment, Seo-jun collapsed as if his legs gave out.

He curled up on the floor, gathering his trembling limbs. 

The tremor that started from his hands and feet spread throughout his body. 

It didn’t look like he was controlling it.

And his ragged breathing filled the practice room. It sounded like he was about to faint. 

The sound echoed in the practice room and pierced the doctor’s ears.

Finally, the doctor couldn’t take it anymore. 

He got up from his chair and ran towards Seo-jun.

“Seo-jun!”

“Yes?”

As soon as his name was called, Seo-jun’s face changed completely. 

He looked lively and energetic, as if nothing had happened.

“Uh… Was your tremor too much?”

The doctor was speechless at Seo-jun’s casual question.

He had heard that he was a genius actor, and he thought so too. But he realized that he didn’t fully understand what that meant. 

The acting he saw from Seo-jun was on another level. 

It was beyond imagination.

Anh Da Ho scratched his cheek at the doctor’s stunned face.

He thought that seeing it with his own eyes would be better than hearing a hundred explanations of how good he was at acting. But that ‘one time’ was too effective.

***

“…Perfect.”

“Really?”

Seo-jun smiled brightly at the doctor’s compliment. 

The doctor looked a bit tired after an hour, but he couldn’t help but smile back at Seo-jun’s cheerful expression.

“I think so. I don’t know about other doctors, though.”

“That’s enough for me!”

Seo-jun thought that he could apply what he learned today to his acting, and if there was anything lacking or excessive, Jeffrey would tell him.

“Thank you for today, doctor. I’ll send you an invitation when the movie comes out.”

“Sure. Thank you. You worked hard today, Seo-jun.”

“Haha. It wasn’t hard at all. It was really fun.”

The doctor couldn’t help but recall Seo-jun’s test results when he saw him saying that with sincerity. 

Such talent and such obsession… He could only admire him now.

“You did a great job today.”

Anh Da Ho thanked the doctor, who nodded politely.

“Seo-jun worked harder than me. I learned a lot today about how actors act. I think I can give better advice to patients who are actors in the future.”

He seemed satisfied with his own profession as well.

***

After the doctor left Cocoa Entertainment with a paper bag containing Seo-jun’s poster and a cake box, Anh Da Ho asked Seo-jun.

“Do you want me to take you home, Seo-jun?”

“No, I’m going to watch what we filmed for a bit and then go.”

He would watch it again at home anyway, but he wanted to see the first and last videos he filmed right now.

“Then I’ll be back in a bit. I got a call from King’s Agency.”

“Okay.”

Seo-jun and Anh Da Ho did their own things without any hesitation.

Anh Da Ho left and Seo-jun sat on a soft sofa. 

He quickly immersed himself in his acting. 

He reviewed his acting with a sharp eye, recalling the advice he got from the doctor.

A while later.

Anh Da Ho came back from the second team and called Seo-jun, who was so focused on the monitor that he looked like he was going to enter it.

“King’s Agency called and said that the filming will start on December 4th.”

Oh.

Seo-jun’s eyes sparkled.

“Then we have to go to America by the end of November?”

“Yeah. And we have to explain to the school and get attendance approval. It was an application for field experience, right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“I checked before and it seems that you can get more attendance credit for external activities than Yeoul Arts High School. You can film comfortably.”

Seo-jun smiled widely at Anh Da Ho’s words.

“And they also decided on the child actor.”

“Really? Who is it? How old is he?”

“His name is Andrew Walker and he’s nine years old.”

Seo-jun thought of the candidates he had expected for the child actor role. But there was no ‘Andrew Walker’ among them. He blinked his eyes a few times and then widened them.

“Wow. Is this his first appearance? If this is his first work, he must be good at acting…!”

“He might be. Or he might have been on a non-filmed theater stage.”

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

That’s true. Seo-jun tried to watch as many works as possible, but he couldn’t see all the plays in Korea, let alone in America, where there was more land and people.

“I can’t wait to meet him.”

Andrew Walker.

Seo-jun repeated his name in his mind.

***

At the end of November.

Actors Lee Seo-jun and Kim Jong Ho departed for America.