Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 329

Seo-jun checked his makeup for the close-up shot.

“Please extend your right hand.”

“Okay.”

A staff member from the art team attached a device to Seo-jun’s wrist.

This device was designed to make a red liquid flow from a thin tube connected to the wrist when a certain pressure was applied to the ten fingers. 

This was how ‘Lee Hyun-woo’ bled every time he touched and removed the stones.

The red liquid, the blood-filled pouch, was hidden under the sleeve of the wrist. 

The staff member from the art team connected five very thin tubes to the tips of Seo-jun’s five fingers. 

Then, he used a tape of the same color as Seo-jun’s skin to stick the tubes.

“Can you press here once?”

As instructed by the staff member, Seo-jun pressed his thumb to his little finger on the table in order. 

As a certain pressure was applied, the red liquid stained the table through the tubes. 

The staff member said with a satisfied face.

“It comes out well. Now, your left hand.”

“Okay.”

Seo-jun extended his left hand, being careful not to press his right hand. 

After attaching the device and checking Seo-jun’s hair and clothes again, the close-up shot began right away.

As soon as the close-up shot started, the set was once again filled with silence.

Unlike the full shot before, this time, the camera lens, the director, and the staff were standing in front of the actors. 

It was a close distance that would make anyone uncomfortable, but Seo-jun Lee didn’t seem to care at all.

“…It’s like he doesn’t see the camera at all.”

Seo-jun ignored the camera and staff in front of him and showed ‘Lee Hyun-woo’s despair on camera.

The bloody hand digging into the pile of stones, the tense arms, and the reddened eyes. 

The lips that only muttered mom and dad.

The close-up shot that didn’t miss anything made director Jeffrey shiver.

Despair. Abyss.

Sorrow and sadness.

He felt his heart without shedding a tear. 

Paradoxically, it showed how much Lee Hyun-woo loved his family.

Milan Chellen came in at a good timing.

The camera slowly turned around Lee Hyun-woo. 

Maybe his parents came through another way, there was a light of hope like a thin spider web that would break with a gust of wind in Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes.

Another camera followed the black hand that came over Lee Hyun-woo’s shoulder up to his arm, shoulder, and chin. 

The face reflected on the camera was completely different from Lee Hyun-woo’s expectation. 

The screen of the camera that was filming Seo-jun Lee once again captured Lee Hyun-woo’s desperate eyes.

The staff who couldn’t see the actors’ acting properly because they were blocked by the director and staff sneaked behind director Jeffrey and peeked at the monitor. 

They reddened their eyes at Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes.

***

“We’re going to shoot 5-2 collapse of south shopping street!”

As expected by Seo-jun, new machines installed in new locations started to move at assistant director’s shout.

The place where Lee Hyun-woo’s blood remained vividly was completely buried by collapsing pillars and ceilings.

The lights on the ceiling flickered and turned off one by one.

Thump thump, as if there was a sound that couldn’t be heard, the set collapsed.

The cameras on top of the set captured it all.

“It’s like dominoes.”

Seo-jun whispered quietly since they were going to dub over this scene anyway. 

Milan Chellen nodded his head as he checked his movements.

“That’s right.”

That’s how two-fifths of Galleria Mall’s south shopping street collapsed.

***

“Ready, action!”

Jackson Miller ran towards a boy who was left alone while evacuating.

Jackson Miller called out to him and the boy turned around. Jackson Miller flinched when he met eyes with him. 

The boy didn’t look well.

“Do you speak English?”

Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes wandered even with Jackson Miller’s gentle question.

Jackson Miller sighed and rubbed Lee Hyun-woo’s cold hands.

He bit his lips hard at the sight of broken nails and blood oozing out of them, and dirt covering him all over.

‘I don’t know what happened but…’

He spat out a bitter sound at the desperate handprints left on that solid wall.

“First… let’s get out of here. Do you understand? It’s dangerous here so we’re going over there.”

Jackson Miller looked back.

There was no sign of collapse behind them yet as lights were still on on ceiling. 

Some lights were flickering where they were standing because of shock.

He could still hear people evacuating.

“Can you move?”

Thud.

Jackson Miller swallowed his saliva at the debris falling from the ceiling. 

He didn’t know if another bomb would go off or the building would collapse due to the impact of the previous bomb.

But he couldn’t leave the boy alone.

Jackson Miller tried to move while supporting Lee Hyun-woo who was out of his mind, but contrary to his thoughts, Lee Hyun-woo didn’t budge with strength in his legs. Lee Hyun-woo’s head didn’t leave the bloody wall and his parents behind it.

“Go, go… sir… go…”

“You speak English. Let’s get out of here quickly. Another bomb might go off!”

“I, I’ll stay here… sir… you go.”

Lee Hyun-woo pulled his hand away from Jackson Miller. 

Jackson Miller looked at Lee Hyun-woo’s hand and then at him with a stiff face.

“It’s dangerous here. Let’s get out quickly.”

“I, I’ll stay here…”

He couldn’t leave his parents here.

He tried to turn to the wall again, but Jackson Miller grabbed his shoulder tightly. 

Lee Hyun-woo’s eyes reddened at the hot and big hand.

“Think about your family waiting outside!”

Family.

Family.

He bit his lips as if he was going to vomit blood at that word.

He wanted to shout at this kind man who was trying to save him.

My family is here!

My parents are waiting for me behind that wall!

“…!”

He was about to burst into anger, but he couldn’t say anything at Jackson Miller’s worried eyes.

They looked like his dad’s eyes who were worried about him earlier.

He liked those eyes, but they also burned his whole body.

A very hot fireball rose from his stomach, burning his chest and choking his throat. 

He felt like his head was burning too.

Ah.

He had to go and help his mom and dad right now…!

He wanted to vomit everything inside him.

He made a groaning sound that couldn’t be a scream, biting his lips and pulling his hair with bloody nails. 

Jackson Miller gasped at the sight of Lee Hyun-woo.

Why am I the only one left here…

I should have stayed with mom and dad…

His heart pounded irregularly.

Lee Hyun-woo collapsed on the floor as his legs gave out.

It’s my fault.

Why did I suggest going on a trip?

If we had stayed in Korea, this wouldn’t have happened.

Mom. Dad. Where are you?

Why me. Why… why me…

He trembled all over as thoughts flooded his mind. 

He couldn’t breathe and Jackson Miller shouted something at him. 

He shook Lee Hyun-woo’s body roughly.

But Lee Hyun-woo couldn’t feel any of it.

…Are you alive?

A huge sense of guilt overwhelmed him like a fierce wave and blocked his breath.

Lee Hyun-woo’s vision went black.

“Damn it…!”

The boy who was groaning and shaking in pain without screaming finally lost consciousness and fell down. 

Jackson Miller bit his lips and lifted the boy up in a flash.

***

“…Cut, okay!”

Director Jeffrey’s shout broke the suffocating silence.

Everyone breathed in and out deeply. 

Their shoulders felt stiff as if they had been watching with concentration.

“…That was acting, right?”

That was all they could say.

As soon as the okay sign fell, Seo-jun and Milan Chellen came out of the set and the staff members from the art team took turns going up to the set.

“…Is Lee okay?”

One of the staff members who was preparing the set for the next shoot opened his mouth.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the previous shoot and this shoot… his emotional acting was very intense.”

He had seen a few actors like that while working as a staff member of the Hollywood art team.

The actors who had intense emotional scenes were sensitive before and after the shoot, unable to get out of their roles.

“That’s true. If he acts so well that even the viewers are swept away by his emotions, it’s obvious that there will be some repercussions for the actor himself.”

He still felt his heart drop when he thought of Seo-jun Lee’s suffering expression.

“…I hope he’s okay.”

The staff who had similar thoughts looked at Seo-jun Lee who came down from the set.

But contrary to their worries, there was Seo-jun Lee who was drinking orange juice and monitoring with a bright expression. 

The staff gasped at Seo-jun Lee’s appearance, who was talking with a smile while looking at the monitor.

“…I guess we don’t have to worry.”

They nodded their heads at that remark.

***

“When we do the close-up, we’ll emphasize this part.”

“That sounds good!”

Director Jeffrey smiled widely as he was satisfied with the shoot. 

Seo-jun also smiled brightly and nodded his head. 

Only Milan Chellen, whose chest was still pounding, felt like he was in a strange world.

Milan Chellen looked at Seo-jun who was drinking orange juice.

At first, he thought that Seo-jun’s eyes were blurred because he was acting well, but as time passed, he wondered if it wasn’t really dangerous.

He felt cold sweat on his hands when he remembered that scene again.

‘How…’

He would have shouted NG right away if it were him, but director Jeffrey continued without hesitation.

“Director. Have you ever seen Jun’s acting before?”

“Oh, yes. He showed me at our first meeting. I was so surprised then…”

He shook his head as if he still felt dizzy.

“I almost called an ambulance. But after hearing Jun’s words later, I felt like I understood today’s shoot a little better.”

“What did he say?”

The answer came from Seo-jun who was sitting next to him.

“It’s not me who is suffering from guilt, but ‘Lee Hyun-woo’. It’s ‘Lee Hyun-woo’ who is in pain, so you don’t have to worry.”

Seo-jun’s words made Milan Chellen understand their meaning in the next shoot.

“It’s Lee Hyun-woo who is in pain…”

As Seo-jun said, it was not Seo-jun Lee but ‘Lee Hyun-woo’ who was on the set.

***

“Hello!”

Andrew Walker, Seo-jun Lee’s big fan who had been waiting for today, greeted him cheerfully. 

The staff passing by smiled brightly and greeted him back.

“Hi, Walker. Merry Christmas in advance!”

“Merry Christmas!”

Andrew Walker smiled brightly and greeted everyone as he walked by,

“Hi, Andy.”

He froze when he saw Seo-jun who had arrived earlier.

He didn’t move an inch from where he was greeting people.

Seo-jun laughed at Andrew Walker’s appearance.