Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 341

After finishing his application for an ID card, Seo-jun waited for the issuance date as usual, going back and forth between school, home, and Cocoa Entertainment. 

Then he received a piece of news from the United States. 

He heard from Andaho and quickly picked up his phone to contact Kim Jong Ho.

“Uncle Jong Ho. Did you hear?”

-Yeah. The rough cut of Survivors is done, right?

Two days ago, he got the news that the rough cut of Survivors was finished.

Seo-jun chattered with a bright face.

“It seems like both the theatrical version and the director’s cut are done. It was faster than I expected.”

-The director’s cut, I heard about it, but I wonder how it will turn out. The internal screening is on a weekday, can you go, Jun?

Kim Jong Ho sounded worried that Seo-jun might not be able to go because of school. Seo-jun smiled widely and said.

“It’s okay. I didn’t have any filming in the first semester, so I still have enough attendance days.”

-Really? That’s good. Then we can go together next week.

“Yes! See you next week, Uncle Jong Ho!”

***

And a week later, on Tuesday.

Seo-jun and Kim Jong Ho arrived in the United States on Sunday and headed to Bearound to attend the internal screening of Survivors.

In the car driven by a King’s Agency employee, there were Seo-jun, Andaho, Kim Jong Ho, and manager Kim Sang Woo.

Kim Jong Ho asked with a surprised expression.

“You’re leaving on Thursday? Wouldn’t Saturday be fine? You said you were going to miss a whole week because of the screening date.”

“I’m going to the district office on Friday.”

“The district office?”

“Hehe. I’m getting my ID card.”

He said with a somewhat shy expression. Kim Jong Ho and manager Kim Sang Woo widened their eyes. 

Somehow, everyone he had known since he was young had this reaction.

“You’re making it already?”

“I don’t remember when I made mine.”

Kim Jong Ho nodded in agreement with Kim Sang Woo’s words. 

Seo-jun laughed at the sight of the two adults.

“The district office is only open on weekdays, so I’m going to arrive in Korea on Thursday and go there for a while on Friday. It took some time to apply, but they said it doesn’t take long to issue it.”

“It would be nice to rest on weekends after going to school on weekdays.”

Kim Jong Ho was wondering if he should return early as well, when Kim Sang Woo suddenly opened his mouth with something that came to his mind.

“But it would be a big deal if Seo-jun loses his ID card.”

It would be a big deal for anyone to lose their ID card, but even more so for a celebrity.

At Kim Sang Woo’s words, Seo-jun and Andaho widened their eyes.

‘I never thought of that…’

He had never lost his phone or card before, so he didn’t think about it.

And unlike phones or cards that can easily change numbers, ID cards have fixed social security numbers, so even if he reissued them, the numbers would be the same.

There were many things he could do with just his name and social security number.

Andaho took out his phone with a serious face.

“Can I change my social security number too…”

He thought he should have a plan before losing it.

***

Bearound internal screening room.

It was an important event to check the box office potential of a project, so the planning team leader and Bearound employees were busy running around. 

If they received bad reviews here, they might have to edit again or delay the schedule.

‘Well. I’m not worried.’

The planning team leader who had a proud expression for a moment frowned with a dark face.

No.

He wasn’t worried about Survivors-Theatrical Version, but he was worried about what kind of reaction Survivors-Director’s Cut would get.

‘There’s nothing I can do now.’

He sighed and raised his voice.

“Check your seats again!”

Survivors starring Davis Garrett and Seo-jun Ri was a work that Bearound expected, so there were more participants than usual. 

There were Bearound executives, of course, as well as actors who participated in the filming, employees from the investment company, and employees from Plus+ who came to see the director’s cut.

A little later.

As the internal screening time approached, the audience arrived one by one.

“/Hello! Director Jeffrey!/”

“/Welcome. Jun. Nice to see you. Kim./”

Director Jeffrey greeted Seo-jun and Kim Jong Ho with a bright smile in Bearound’s internal screening room.

The other actors who had arrived earlier also greeted Seo-jun and Kim Jong Ho.

“/Jun!/”

Andrew Walker who had just entered shouted at Seo-jun with an excited face. He stopped running when he saw the man standing next to Seo-jun. It was a grim face, but that made it more unforgettable.

“/…It’s the detective!/”

Andrew Walker, who had watched Escape several times, sparkled his eyes at Kim Jong Ho. Kim Jong Ho also smiled at the child actor he had heard a lot from Seo-jun.

***

After everyone arrived, the internal screening began shortly.

The first one to be screened was Survivors-Theatrical Version.

Kim Jong Ho, who was sitting and watching the screen, blinked in wonder.

‘…It’s different from the script?’

It was a short and chopped script to avoid leaking the content, but Kim Jong Ho knew roughly what the plot was.

The beginning of the script was Raymond Wish and his family, played by Davis Garrett. 

Raymond Wish was the ‘pearl protagonist’ who was the center from beginning to end.

‘I heard that Jun and I appear in flashbacks…’

But the actual movie somehow started with Seo-jun and Kim Jong Ho.

‘It changes sometimes during editing, but…’

He couldn’t understand the situation on the screen even as he watched. 

He had heard from Seo-jun that there were a lot of ‘ad-libs’ and the content changed, but he didn’t know it would be this unfamiliar.

‘Hmm. Let’s just watch.’

He decided to think of it as watching a movie he didn’t know and focused on the screen again.

That’s how people who knew the original script like Kim Jong Ho tilted their heads at the changed composition and then focused on the movie, and people who didn’t know the original script like Plus+ employees were immersed in the movie from the beginning.

A while later.

The screening of Survivors-Theatrical Version ended and the screening room brightened. 

There was a short break before screening Survivors-Director’s Cut.

The planning team leader got up from his seat and looked around the screening room. 

Everyone here was in the movie business and related to movies, so he knew how high their eyes were for watching movies. 

He was more nervous than the general audience’s reviews.

‘Director Jeffrey seems satisfied.’

Director Jeffrey, who saw Survivors on a big screen for the first time today, had a bright face and talked with the actors next to him. 

The actors’ reactions were also good.

The investment company employees and Plus+ employees also had satisfied eyes and talked with the people next to them. 

He could feel good reactions everywhere.

The planning team leader clenched his fist and rejoiced.

“The movie was fun, but… Seo-jun. Didn’t you say it was ad-lib? It’s not ad-lib level. It looks like you changed everything?”

Kim Jong Ho’s first reaction after the movie ended was to laugh at Seo-jun.

“Right?”

“Not right. Right? Wasn’t Lee Hyun Woo the first one to be isolated among the survivors? Why is Raymond Wish, who has to escape at the end, the first one to be isolated?”

Seo-jun laughed and answered Kim Jong Ho’s question.

“Director Jeffrey said that it suits Raymond Wish’s personality better.”

Seo-jun and Davis Garrett, who had seen Director Jeffrey’s script, had no choice but to spit out the lines as they were. 

They didn’t know how ecstatic Director Jeffrey was at the sight of the two actors acting according to the script.

Kim Jong Ho chuckled at the stories he had never heard or seen from the set.

“That’s something. I wonder how the set was like.”

“It was really fun. Oh. Uncle. Do you want me to show you the script?”

“The script?”

“Yes. I have from ‘Revision 1’ to ‘Final Revision’. There are some scripts that I didn’t use and some that I filmed.”

There were scripts from [Revision 1] to [Survivors Director’s Cut_Revision 7_8_Final_Final2_Final Final_End_Really End_Completed]. Of course, there were also that many scripts for [Theatrical Version].

“Sure. Let’s read it.”

Kim Jong Ho nodded his head with curiosity at Seo-jun’s words.

There was nothing better than a script to show the feel of the set.

***

The break time passed quickly and it was time to watch [Survivors-Director’s Cut].

The people who had gone outside sat in their seats one by one.

“Do you think Bearound will release this in theaters if the director’s cut is better?”

A Plus+ employee whispered to his team leader.

Plus+ was more curious about [Director’s Cut] than [Theatrical Version].

“I don’t know. If they were going to do that, they wouldn’t have invited us.”

It was actually a proposal from the Korean branch, but still.

The team leader turned his head and saw a young Asian boy in one of the seats where the actors were gathered. 

It was Seo-jun Ri, an actor that Plus+ was keeping an eye on.

“But usually director’s cuts are just a little longer or edited a little differently, right? I wonder if we came here for nothing.”

“…There’s no child actor.”

“Huh?”

The employees of Plus+ looked at the actors’ side at the sudden words of the team leader. 

The child actor who had been stuck next to Seo-jun Ri until a while ago was gone.

He felt a chill down his spine.

Either something urgent happened to the child actor or,

“I think a lot of violent scenes were cut out in the theatrical version to lower the rating. Maybe there are a lot of those scenes in this director’s cut. Since Ri is still a minor… It probably means that it’s okay for kids his age to watch.”

“Hmm.”

“Let’s just watch and talk.”

The employees nodded at the team leader’s words.

The screening room darkened and they closed their mouths.

Soon [Survivors-Director’s Cut] was projected on the screen.

Two hours later.

There was only silence in the screening room.

“…”

He didn’t know what he had just seen.

“OMG…!”

The groans that came out from here and there made the planning team leader, who had seen the edited version of [Director’s Cut] beforehand, laugh with a detached expression and make a cross sign with his fingers on his shoulders and forehead.

‘As expected. It can’t be released.’

***

Kim Jong Ho and manager Kim Sang Woo were not just shocked like other people. 

They couldn’t take their eyes off the screen even after the movie ended and the screening room brightened.

“/The edited version is better, right?/”

Andrew Walker, who had just left, said with a regretful expression. 

Seo-jun also smiled and said.

“/Right? The music was good too. It was more impressive because it was similar to the theatrical version./”

“/Of course, right? Our director has good sense./”

At Davis Garrett’s words, Director Jeffrey, who was sitting in front of them, laughed cheerfully.

“/Haha. Thank you./”

The only peaceful ones in the screening room filled with shock and horror were the actors who had participated in the filming until the end and knew the content of [Director’s Cut] and a few other people.

“/I expected it, but it was more shocking to see it as an edited version./”

Vanessa Olson nodded her head at Milan Chellen’s words next to Director Jeffrey.

“/This can’t be released, right?/”

“/I don’t think so. They seem to be in trouble over there…/”

At Milan Chellen’s words, the actors looked at one side.

Bearound executives talking with the planning team leader, Plus+ employees having a serious meeting, investment company employees who seemed to have decided on [Theatrical Version] after hesitating between [Theatrical Version] and [Director’s Cut] and shaking their heads.

It was a chaotic situation.

“/Are you okay, director?/”

Seo-jun asked Director Jeffrey.

Wasn’t he the one who wanted to release it in theaters so badly?

“/I’m fine. I’m satisfied enough./”

When he first made [Director’s Cut], he wanted to show it in theaters, but his mind changed as he filmed.

Why couldn’t he release it in theaters, why couldn’t he make a hit.

‘I was too greedy.’

He should have adjusted his greed and the public’s demand to fit well.

‘Let’s do better on the next work.’

He said with a truly satisfied expression.

“/Do you know what stained glass is?/”

“/The one in the cathedral?/”

“/Yes. When it’s one piece, it’s just a sharp, irregular piece of glass in various colors, but when they come together, they make a beautiful picture, right?/”

“/Right./”

Seo-jun and the actors nodded their heads.

“/Isn’t our movie just like stained glass?/”

Davis Garrett’s improvisation and Seo-jun Ri’s improvisation.

And with the three actors’ script acting and Director Jeffrey’s overall editing, a very cool work was completed.

“/Then the theatrical version is heaven and the director’s cut is hell./”

Everyone laughed at Davis Garrett’s serious expression.