Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 339

Kim Sang-mi, who was momentarily stunned by Lee Seo-jun’s appearance, tapped Yun Jung-won’s arm, who was frozen in place. 

Yun Jung-won finally came to his senses and opened his mouth.

“Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Yun Jung-won, the CEO of Noeul Studio. I’ll be taking the photos today and this is Kim Sang-mi, the writer who will help me with the shooting.”

Yun Jung-won also introduced the youngest employee and the guide who came with Seo-jun.

After exchanging brief greetings, Yun Jung-won showed them around the studio.

“We’ll be shooting over here. It’s a white background now, but we can change it to a different color right away.”

Yun Jung-won pointed to a place where a wooden chair was placed alone and the background was covered with a spotless white color. 

There were also large lights and reflectors that were not turned on yet, all facing the chair.

Seo-jun turned his head and looked at the other side. 

He saw a camera. 

It looked different from the ones used for filming movies or dramas, but he didn’t know the exact model. 

It looked similar to the cameras that reporters or fans brought.

There was a set, there were lights.

There was a camera.

Seo-jun felt a little bit of interest in the photo studio, which was similar but different from the movie set.

“First, we’ll take your ID photo and then your profile photo. There are some people from Cocoa Entertainment in the waiting room. They’ll be getting ready for the shooting, so please come right away when you’re done with your makeup.”

“Okay.”

At Yun Jung-won’s words, Seo-jun and Ahn Da-ho followed the youngest employee to the waiting room.

 In the meantime, the guide returned to the lobby and Kim Sang-mi and Yun Jung-won prepared for the shooting.

“I thought I was going to die of nervousness!”

“Me too.”

***

As soon as he opened the door of the waiting room, Seo-jun smiled brightly at the familiar faces he saw.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Seo-jun!”

There were two employees from Team 2 and two stylists in the waiting room.

While the Team 2 employees were talking with Ahn Da-ho, one of the stylists quickly seated Seo-jun on a chair. 

In front of him, there were many cosmetics prepared. 

The other stylist touched Seo-jun’s hair.

“It’s been a while, Seo-jun.”

“Yeah.”

The two stylists usually worked with ‘White’, but sometimes they worked with Seo-jun when he had schedules other than filming. 

The last time they met was last year, so it was really a long time.

“Sis. They said they’re going to take my ID photo first.”

“I know. That’s why I’m not going to put too much makeup on you.”

“I’ll just fix your hair a little bit.”

“Please make me look good.”

At Seo-jun’s words, the two stylists smiled brightly and moved their hands.

Seo-jun gently closed his eyes at the soft brush that brushed his face.

***

When he came out of the waiting room after getting ready, Seo-jun saw the studio in his sight.

The studio had changed completely from when he entered the waiting room. 

The lights that were turned off had been turned on. 

The bright lights cast a clear shadow of the wooden chair that was left alone on the white floor.

“Actor, you’re here!”

At the voice of the youngest employee who spotted Seo-jun, Yun Jung-won and Kim Sang-mi, who were checking the camera angle, looked at Seo-jun. 

After briefly looking at Seo-jun, who had calmed down from when he entered the waiting room, Yun Jung-won opened his mouth.

“Please sit on the chair if you’re ready.”

“Yes.”

Seo-jun, who was wearing a white shirt, sat on the prepared chair.

He straightened his back and looked at the camera.

Yun Jung-won looked at the camera.

Seo-jun’s figure was reflected in the camera lens.

His neatly combed black hair sparkled in the light and his white shirt reflected like a reflector, making his face shine more.

“Sang-mi! To the right!”

At Yun Jung-won’s instruction, Kim Sang-mi skillfully moved one of the lights to the right. 

The shadow that had been on Seo-jun’s face disappeared.

“Look straight ahead. Lower your chin slightly. Yes. Look at the camera. Turn your head slightly to the left. Yes yes. Stay still. I’ll take it.”

Click. Click.

The sound of the camera shutter echoed in the quiet studio.

The photos of Seo-jun that were taken appeared on the large monitor screen connected to the camera and passed by in an instant. 

Kim Sang-mi and the studio staff, Team 2 staff and stylists all watched the photos with interest.

“…Do we even need to edit them?”

It was an ID photo that didn’t need any touch-ups, but it had a strange charm.

It was not the dazzling actor Lee Seo-jun that they usually saw on television, but a slightly softer feeling. 

The photos, which had a static feeling unlike the dynamic videos, felt a bit different to the people.

“Did I do well?”

Seo-jun, who finished taking his ID photo, walked to the front of the monitor with a slightly flushed face.

He had never taken an ID photo in such a ‘studio’ before. 

He always took it at a photo studio near his house when he needed one, so he was a little nervous.

“You did great.”

“We can take your profile photo right away, right?”

The two employees from Team 2 and Ahn Da-ho raised their thumbs up at Seo-jun’s smile.

***

They decided to get the most urgent ID photo today.

While the youngest employee edited Seo-jun’s photo to fit the size of the ID photo, Seo-jun and Yun Jung-won started taking the profile photo.

“You know the concept of the profile photo, right?”

“Yes.”

Seo-jun nodded at Yun Jung-won’s words.

The concept of Seo-jun’s first profile photo was joy and sorrow.

Happiness. Anger. Sadness. Pleasure.

They were the most simple and widely used expressions of emotion.

“We’ll start with joy first. We’ll start shooting as soon as you’re done with your makeup.”

A moment later.

Seo-jun, who was wearing a white sweater, appeared in the studio.

His ID photo and hairstyle didn’t change much, but his hair looked a bit more curly. 

Seo-jun, who had let his bangs down, sat on the chair that was placed in the studio. 

There was a table in front of the chair.

“We’ll start with a bust shot first. You can use the table freely. If you don’t need it, I’ll take it away. Then we’ll start shooting.”

He waited for Yun Jung-won to direct his every move like he did when he took his ID photo, but he heard Yun Jung-won’s voice.

“Please express your joy freely as you think.”

At that, Seo-jun widened his eyes.

Ahn Da-ho and Team 2 employees smiled contentedly.

The reason why Team 2 chose Yun Jung-won was because of his freedom for the model.

He gave freedom to the model, rather than imposing his own thoughts on them. 

He understood and discussed the model’s thoughts and expressions. 

Yun Jung-won’s style suited Team 2’s taste.

‘I was a bit worried when he took my ID photo…’

But thinking about it, ‘ID photos’ had a fixed standard, so he probably gave detailed instructions for that.

Seo-jun blinked his eyes for a moment at Yun Jung-won’s words and nodded his head.

“Yes. I understand.”

Taking photos for his profile, he realized that it was similar to acting in many ways. 

Unlike acting, which expressed emotions through dialogue and movement, photos showed those emotions in a compressed way.

[(Sun)Pollen of the Sun Pine Flower – Intermediate is activated.]

[(Sun)Pollen of the Sun Pine Flower – Intermediate]

It is the pollen from the sun pine flower that the fairies grow.

It enhances the emotions of living beings.

‘Joy.’

A gentle smile settled on Seo-jun’s face.

Joy was reflected in his clear black eyes and his eyes curved into circles. 

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

A bright and warm happiness spread from Seo-jun. 

It was a joy that made anyone who saw it feel their heart swell and smile involuntarily.

Click.

Yun Jung-won’s fingers moved quickly, momentarily stunned by Seo-jun’s gaze.

He had said it was his first time taking profile photos, so he wondered if he needed some guidance, but it seemed like a needless worry.

“Good!”

Looking at Seo-jun’s expression through the camera lens, Yun Jung-won felt a bit regretful that he chose photos instead of videos. 

He wanted to capture this smile as it was.

‘I’ll capture as much as I can.’

Click. Click.

Click. Click. Click.

Seo-jun put his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together like a prayer, covering his mouth. 

Then he thought of the happiest moment he had ever had, among many moments.

When he received his first award.

They say that when you’re too happy and joyful, you cry.

A sparkling tear could be seen at the end of his softly closed eyes. 

And next to his hands that were joined together like a prayer, the corners of Seo-jun’s mouth curved softly upward.

Even without dialogue or knowing the situation before and after, anyone could tell how happy Seo-jun was right now.

Click.

Click.

The sound of the shutter filled the quiet studio, where even Yun Jung-won had closed his mouth.

***

After finishing the first shooting, Seo-jun headed to the waiting room for the second shooting.

Yun Jung-won, Kim Sang-mi, Ahn Da-ho, and Team 2 employees looked at Seo-jun’s photos that appeared on the monitor from the beginning again.

“He could be a model.”

The guide and the youngest employee who were curious about Seo-jun’s photo shoot and got permission from Yun Jung-won to lock the door and enter the studio almost cried as they looked at the photos. 

They shed tears at every shining image of the actor.

They wanted them! The photos!

“Well, he’s too noticeable to be a model. No, not just noticeable, but he’s stealing all the attention from everything else with his face and eyes. You can’t even see the clothes.”

“Hmm. That’s true.”

The background, props, clothes. 

They were all invisible to Seo-jun’s smile and gaze.

Kim Sang-mi nodded in agreement with Yun Jung-won’s words.

“Manager. All of them are A cuts, so it’ll be hard to choose.”

“Yeah.”

The smile didn’t leave the faces of Ahn Da-ho and Team 2 employees who said that.

“Mr. Manager.”

Yun Jung-won, who was thinking for a moment while looking at the photos on the monitor, called Ahn Da-ho.

“Yes?”

“Can we add a black-and-white version for the profile photo?”

***

Seo-jun’s profile photo shoot went smoothly.

Yun Jung-won’s fingers moved busily to not miss any shot. 

Kim Sang-mi, who was also a photographer, couldn’t resist her restless fingers and picked up her camera from the third shot, sadness ().

“I wanted to take a side shot!”

Yun Jung-won took the front view and Kim Sang-mi took the right side view.

They quickly set up another background on Kim Sang-mi’s side and resumed shooting. 

The two had known each other for a long time and worked well together.

Click. Click.

Ahn Da-ho and Team 2 employees’ eyes moved busily with every shutter sound that increased with each photo. 

They had more trouble choosing which photos to release as they liked every one of them.

“We’ll start the last shooting.”

The last shooting was anger ().

The background of the studio changed to gray.

Seo-jun stood in front of it wearing a black turtleneck that reached up to his chin.

Seo-jun’s hairstyle had changed a lot from the first one. 

He pushed back his hair that had slightly covered his forehead and revealed his neat forehead. 

His makeup was also a bit heavier than before.

His image changed completely with just that.

Yun Jung-won and Kim Sang-mi marveled at Seo-jun’s ability to pull off any concept.

They had been worried that anger would be difficult because Seo-jun had been bright since he entered the studio, but it was a needless worry.

‘…Now that I think about it, Jin Natra was a villain.’

They remembered the scene where he exuded a terrifying aura with his whole body.

It was a needless worry.

‘Anger.’

Seo-jun, who had lowered his gaze, slowly lifted his head.

It was just lifting his head, but the studio became quiet as if something heavy had settled down. 

Everyone couldn’t take their eyes off Seo-jun’s movement.

Click. Click.

Yun Jung-won moved his fingers quickly to not miss Seo-jun’s movement. 

Kim Sang-mi also captured his image from the right side with her camera.

Finally, Seo-jun’s eyes met the camera lens that Yun Jung-won was holding.

…!

Yun Jung-won’s hand stopped for a moment as he made eye contact with Seo-jun.

He was just looking at him with a blank expression, but he felt goosebumps. His black eyes flickered like flames. He knew that Seo-jun wasn’t angry at him, but he felt a chill down his spine at that intense gaze.

Yun Jung-won didn’t even realize that he had stopped breathing.

That was only for a moment.

Click. Click.

He came to his senses at the sound of Kim Sang-mi’s shutter that echoed in his ears and moved his fingers again.