Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 390

“This concludes the production report meeting for the movie, Flowing Away.”

As the host announced the end of the event, flashes of cameras burst from all directions, as if it was the last chance to take a picture.

This was the first time he received such attention, so unlike the other people who smiled awkwardly, Seo-jun looked relaxed and smiled at the cameras.

The production report meeting, which was broadcast live, ended and the Flowing Away team headed to the waiting room.

They all looked exhausted from answering questions without giving away any spoilers.

The managers quickly brought them drinks and snacks.

The director and the actors drank water and had their makeup removed while chatting about various topics.

Most of them were about the unknown world they had never visited before, the Cannes Film Festival.

“Do you think English will be okay?”

“I can’t speak English at all.”

“Me neither.”

Choi Hyun Hee and Kim Ho Young, who played Jung Ga Ram’s parents, said with a worried expression.

Kim Han Seok and Min Hee Kyung, the director, laughed but they all shared the same concern.

Seo-jun reassured them with a smile.

“Don’t worry, they will provide an interpreter for us.”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to understand even Korean…”

They all nodded in agreement when Dan Hong, the planning team leader, opened the door of the waiting room and entered.

“Great job, everyone. The live broadcast was well received. I came to tell you the screening date for Flowing Away at Cannes.”

At his words, not only Seo-jun but also Min Hee Kyung and the other actors perked up their ears.

“It’s on the 21st. And on the 20th, the day before our screening, there will be a press screening.”

“Then when are we going to Cannes?”

Choi Hyun Hee, who played Jung Ga Ram’s mother, asked.

“I think we’ll leave during the festival. Around May 18th.”

From May 11th to May 25th.

The Cannes Film Festival lasted for two weeks, so there were many people who arrived in Cannes during the festival.

It was also because the accommodation and living expenses were quite high and their schedules were not very flexible to fill up the festival.

They all nodded at the team leader’s words.

They had cleared their schedules as soon as they were announced as an invited film, so they had plenty of time for the festival.

Then, Seo-jun raised his hand without nodding along with them.

“Team leader.”

“Yes. Mr. Actor.”

“I couldn’t tell you earlier because I got a call just before… I was invited to the opening ceremony red carpet. I think I have to leave earlier.”

…Opening ceremony red carpet?

There was no one in the waiting room who was not surprised by Seo-jun’s words.

‘No. Come to think of it, it’s not surprising.’

Until a few months ago, he had been filming with them and even today he was talking comfortably with them in this room, but Seo-jun was a world-famous star.

It was rather strange that he was going to Cannes for the first time, when even Hollywood stars often attended.

The team leader who had a surprised expression soon nodded with a regretful face.

“Then you’ll have to go separately.”

It would be less interesting without Seo-jun, but it wasn’t such a bad thing.

As much as Seo-jun left separately, the attention would be divided and there would be fewer reporters on their departure day.

It was good to have many, but too many was dangerous.

“Seo-jun hyung. Then you’ll be in Cannes from the opening ceremony?”

“Yeah. I’ll wait while watching some movies I’m interested in.”

Seo-jun said with a bright smile.

Kim Han Seok and Min Hee Kyung blinked their eyes at his expression.

His face was more radiant than usual. They suddenly had a thought as they saw his bright face when he talked about filming or his work.

‘…Is it not because of the opening ceremony red carpet but because he wants to watch movies early?’

He seemed like someone who had already made a list of movies he wanted to see.

‘Oh. This one is first. Then on the first day, I’ll watch this one…and this one.’

As they expected, Seo-jun was more interested in watching movies than attending the opening ceremony red carpet.

He looked at the released screening schedule with sparkling eyes.

***

“Are you still undecided?”

An Da Ho asked with a smile and Seo-jun nodded with a serious face.

The staff member of Team 2 who was driving also smiled.

“They both look interesting. And their directors are not bad either. I don’t know why they are showing them at similar times.”

There were quite a few movies that were screened at similar times at Cannes Film Festival since there were several theaters.

Moreover, the unofficial section movies such as Director’s Fortnight were sometimes far away from the theaters.

“Can’t you watch the ones you miss later?”

“I don’t think I can wait that long. The release dates are different for each movie. Some of them won’t be released until October.”

And that was in their own country.

It took more than a year for some movies to be released in Korea, and some movies were not imported if they didn’t seem to be popular.

“So I have to choose well.”

He enjoyed even this dilemma of choosing one movie over another.

An Da Ho and the staff member of Team 2 held back their laughter at Seo-jun’s serious face, as if he was making a once-in-a-lifetime decision.

While Seo-jun was pondering, the car stopped.

“Seo-jun. We’re here.”

“Ah, yes!”

He could hear the noisy sound even though the car door was closed.

The staff member of Team 2 and An Da Ho checked the situation and opened the door.

As soon as he got out of the car, Seo-jun smiled brightly and waved his hand at the flashing cameras of the reporters.

[Actor Lee Seo-jun, his first official visit to Cannes Film Festival!]

[Actor Lee Seo-jun, invited to the opening ceremony red carpet at Cannes!]

[Flowing Away’s Lee Seo-jun, departing for Cannes, France!]

-…Was this his first time???

=I thought he went there often;;;

=He can go there more often from now on!

-I wonder if they will broadcast the opening ceremony live

=The opening ceremony starts at 6:30 p.m… which is 2:30 a.m. in Korea.

=…

-Have a safe trip!

***

“Wow. I can’t believe I’m in Cannes!”

Kim Su Han, Na Jin’s first fan, exclaimed as he looked around the Nice airport.

From the airport covered with Cannes Film Festival posters to the reporters with cameras and fans waiting for the stars.

The atmosphere of the festival was palpable.

He was about to enjoy the atmosphere of the festival for a while when he heard someone calling him.

“Kim Su Han!”

“Yes! Director!”

The assistant director Kim Su Han ran over to him.

The team of Flowery, which was invited to the non-competitive section of Midnight Screening, arrived in Cannes, France.

While the actors of Flowery were having interviews with a few reporters, Kim Su Han and the director talked to each other.

“Hyung. Midnight Screening is also at Lumiere Theater, right?”

“Well, yeah. We might have gotten more attention if we were in competition, but there are two Korean films in competition this year, so…”

Park Jung Woo, the director of Flowery, shook his head and the distributor staff smiled and said.

“Actually, this is a good thing. We can promote our two works together. You have the assistant director here and Director Park as well. I heard that the other actor in [Flowing] is Kim Han-seok.”

“Kim Han-seok? You mean…”

Park Jung-woo and Kim Su-han recalled the old shooting.

“Yes, he’s the actor from One Step that you two directed.”

What a coincidence.

Fate is really amazing.

“Seo-jun is also attending the opening ceremony, right? Maybe we can meet him there. He might come to see our movie too.”

“That would be nice.”

The distributor’s face brightened with expectation at the conversation between Kim Su-han and Director Park. If Seo-jun came and said ‘it was fun’, it would have a bigger effect than any other promotion.

He wished Kim Su-han and Director Park would be more proactive, but they didn’t seem to care.

“The interview is over, I guess. Let’s go now.”

As the Korean reporters and a few foreign reporters left their seats, the actors’ faces were full of regret.

They thought of the reporters and fans who had filled the front of the foreign star who came in before them.

If it was Korea, they would have been no less than the foreign star.

“Well, it’s not Korea.”

The actors nodded at the words of the distributor who had been to several overseas film festivals.

Then, a huge cheer and a continuous shutter sound erupted.

Everyone in the airport, including the [Beautiful] team who was about to leave, had to turn their heads at the louder noise than the foreign star who had passed by earlier.

“Jun! Over here!”

“Look over here, please! Jun!”

“Are you going to the opening ceremony today…?”

Among the various noises, Kim Su-han smiled brightly at the name that he heard occasionally.

“Oh, it’s Seo-jun!”

“He must have taken the flight right after us.”

Director Park also smiled at Seo-jun, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time.

Of course, he couldn’t see his face at all because of the reporters and fans who had calmed down a bit. That must be the ‘Seo-jun airport effect’.

Unlike the relaxed two, the distributor was restless.

He wanted to push Kim Su-han and Director Park into that crowd.

If they took a picture together, it would be a great publicity for overseas, since there were more foreign reporters than Korean ones.

While the distributor was worrying behind Kim Su-han and Director Park, the actors could only marvel.

They were getting such cheers from foreigners in a foreign country.

“…Amazing.”

“You said it.”

They realized once again that Seo-jun was a superstar.

[Actor Seo-jun! Enters Cannes Film Festival in France!]

***

“He’s coming next week?”

-Yeah. Most of the movies I want to see are in the second half. It’s hard to watch movies for two weeks straight.

Charlie joked that he liked movies but not as much as him at Seo-jun’s regretful face.

“Okay. See you next week then.”

-Are you going alone?

“No.”

Seo-jun looked up.

Rachel Hill in a white dress and Evan Block in a black suit with a bow tie were smiling brightly.

Seo-jun also smiled back.

“I’m going with Rachel and Evan.”

Charlie laughed at the sudden appearance of Hollywood stars.

-Right. It’s a world-class film festival, so you probably know more people than me as an actor.

“That might be true.”

Seo-jun and Charlie chuckled.

-Then have fun. See you next week.

“Yeah.”

After hanging up, Rachel Hill’s eyes sparkled.

“A friend? An actor?”

“No, a student. He’s learning how to cook.”

Running his father’s restaurant was Charlie’s dream.

“French cuisine! Delicious! How about we go eat some? There’s a good restaurant nearby.”

“Do we have time to go there? What are we watching tomorrow?”

“This one. It’s a bit late, but we can have lunch.”

Rachel Hill tapped her forehead at Evan Block and Seo-jun’s words.

They were thinking about eating while watching movies.

“How many are you going to watch in a day?”

“If there’s one at 10 p.m., we can watch four from morning?”

Evan Block nodded as if agreeing with Seo-jun’s words. Rachel Hill raised her hands.

“I’m out.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah.”

“…Aren’t you too cool?”

At Rachel Hill’s words, Seo-jun burst into laughter and so did the two.

Then, Andaho in a suit came in with a light knock.

“It’s time to go.”

At his words, the three stars got up from their seats.

***
As the eight jurors of the Cannes Film Festival walked on the red carpet, flashes burst with cheers.

It was not broadcasted in Korea, but it was streamed live on YouTube.

The actors and directors of the opening film walked on the red carpet, followed by invited Hollywood stars, singers, models, who posed for the cameras.

Another black limousine stopped at the end of the red carpet. After waiting a bit for the actor who had left earlier, the door opened.

“Evan!!”

“Evan Block!!”

A cheer erupted. It was Evan Block.

He stepped aside a little and waited, instead of moving forward.

A new car appeared next to him.

The door opened and Rachel Hill in a white mermaid-style dress appeared.

“Rachel!!”

“Rachel Hill!! Look over here!”

Evan Block took her hand and helped her out of the car. Rachel Hill also moved aside a bit, but did not walk away.

Flashes burst at the two smiling actors.

A reporter holding a camera whispered.

“Are they coming together?”

“Then the next one must be Seo-jun!”

The Korean reporters in tuxedos shone their eyes.

A black car stopped in front of the red carpet. Before the door opened, flashes burst first.

The door opened and Seo-jun got out in a suit made by ‘Hive’ with a bow tie.

He pushed back his black hair to reveal his smooth forehead.

His appearance seemed more dazzling than usual, and the people who took pictures unknowingly admired him.

The aura that sparkled around Seo-jun reflected his excited mood well.

Wasn’t it a place that every actor wanted to visit at least once?

‘He must have felt the same way in his first life.’

Seo-jun felt the same way now.

He had received several invitations before, but he wanted to come here with his work, and now he was here.

Seo-jun smiled brightly with a thrilled face.

“Actor Seo-jun!! Look over here!”

“Jun! Jun!”

As Seo-jun Lee, Rachel Hill, and Evan Block climbed up the stairs of the Lumiere Theater where the opening ceremony was held, flashes burst everywhere.

[A festival of dazzling stars, Cannes Film Festival opens!]

[Actor Seo-jun appears with Rachel Hill and Evan Block!]

[Actor Seo-jun walks on the red carpet of Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony!]

***

[What are the ratings of the movies screened at Cannes Film Festival for three days?]

[Cannes Film Festival, today’s midnight screening ‘Beautiful’!]

[‘One Step’ director Park Jung-woo’s ‘Beautiful’ to be screened!]

-Wow. If only Kim Joo-kyung was here, it would be a perfect One Step reunion, right?

= I know. How did they meet like this?

-But Seo-jun is in Cannes… Why are there no sightings of him?

=22 There are so many people there. There’s no video except for the opening ceremony.

=333 Wouldn’t foreigners recognize him if he’s as famous as Seo-jun?