Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 500

One hour and thirty minutes ago.

[The Tower of Babel] filming set.

“That’s a wrap for today! Let’s pack up! Great job, everyone!”

The assistant director, who had been chatting with the PD Shin Ji-hye and the camera director, shouted to the extras and the staff, who blinked their eyes in surprise.

They were waiting for the next take in their positions, but the filming was over.

“…Is it really over?”

“Yes. Let’s clean up the cameras.”

The camera director confirmed it, so the filming team hesitated for a moment before collecting the cameras that were installed all over the set.

The lighting team and the art team also moved with bewildered faces as the directors ordered them to pack up.

“Is it really over like this?”

“Ah… I wanted to see Jun more…”

The extras, who had been staring blankly at the staff cleaning up, realized it too.

The filming was really over in the blink of an eye.

The assistant director headed to the leader in charge of the extras, while PD Shin Ji-hye went to the actors.

The actors had already remembered the filming that ended in one take (of course, they filmed close-up shots and bust shots separately) and accepted the fact that it was over easily. 

They were talking with bright faces.

“You did a great job today. What were you talking about?”

“Thank you. You worked hard too. We were trying to persuade Seo-jun to have dinner with us.”

The actors smiled at PD Shin Ji-hye, who was about to take out a card from the manager, but paused at Seo-jun’s words.

“I’m sorry. I have an appointment, so I don’t think I can have dinner with you.”

“Really? That’s too bad.”

The actors and PD Shin Ji-hye looked at Seo-jun with regretful faces.

Seo-jun smiled and said.

“I’ll definitely attend the wrap-up party. Please let me know as soon as you set a date.”

PD Shin Ji-hye and the actors smiled brightly at Seo-jun’s words.

“What do you like to eat?”

“Just tell me. I’ll prepare the most expensive and delicious restaurant for you.”

Kwon Kang-min asked, and PD Shin Ji-hye quickly added.

She looked like she was going to rob SBC, so Seo-jun laughed and said.

“It doesn’t matter what I like. The others have to enjoy it too.”

They chatted briefly about the wrap-up party, then Seo-jun looked at his watch and opened his mouth.

“Then I’ll get going.”

“Be careful. You were amazing today!”

“Seo-jun-ah. Bye!”

Seo-jun said goodbye to PD Shin Ji-hye, the actors, and the staff, and quickly walked away.

An Da-ho followed him.

“Da-ho hyung. My clothes…”

“I prepared them in the dressing room. There’s also a staff member waiting there to remove your makeup. I asked them in advance. You don’t have to worry about anything else. Just finish that and get in the car right away.”

An Da-ho had prepared everything so that they could leave as soon as possible, so Seo-jun smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Da-ho hyung.”

“Don’t mention it.”

As soon as Seo-jun changed his clothes and sat on a chair, the makeup team staff who had been waiting removed his makeup quickly.

It was a light makeup, so it was cleaned up neatly in no time.

Seo-jun thanked the staff and left the dressing room with An Da-ho. They headed to the parking lot.

Seo-jun got in the car and An Da-ho sat in the driver’s seat.

An Da-ho checked that Seo-jun had fastened his seat belt and started the car.

“Let’s go then.”

“Yes!”

Would he still be waiting for him?

Seo-jun looked out of the window as it passed by quickly and thought of Ha-rang’s back.

***

Heo Un-seong was looking at the vegetables with the kids in the garden when he groaned and bent his back.

He met the kids’ eyes and crouched down, answering their questions of “Why? Why?” He felt like his body had stiffened from doing that.

“I’m going to dig up a bigger one because I’m older!”

“No! My potato is bigger!”

The kids were competing to see who could dig up a bigger potato, so he finally got a chance to catch his breath when Myung-jin spoke to him.

“Teacher.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to go to the bathroom.”

“…Okay. Let’s go.”

He asked the production team to look after the kids and took Myung-jin to the [Chick Class].

In the kitchen, Kim Ja-young was busy making meat dishes for the last dinner.

“This is the recipe with 3 million views on YouTube…!”

She seemed to be doing well.

“Did you wash your hands, Myung-jin?”

“Yes!”

“Shall we go dig up some potatoes then?”

“Ah, teacher. Carrots too!”

“Yes. I got it.”

Heo Un-seong smiled and answered Kim Ja-young’s words.

He picked up Myung-jin, who wanted to be hugged, and walked away, when he saw something approaching from afar.

A big black car.

It was a familiar car to Heo Un-seong.

‘The model seems different though.’

The appearance of the van, also known as the celebrity car, made Heo Un-seong and the cameraman who was filming him look puzzled.

“Did our guest come?”

“No. I didn’t hear anything like that. Besides, today is the last day of filming…”

He felt a strange sense of déjà vu in their conversation.

Heo Un-seong and the cameraman looked at each other for a moment.

They seemed to be thinking of the same person.

The cameraman quickly took out his phone.

“PD Kang! It looks like actor Lee Seo-jun is coming here!”

-…What?! Really?!

“No, I mean… I don’t know if it’s really him or not… But there’s a very expensive-looking van coming here!”

The cameraman was filming the scene while talking to PD Kang Su-jeong, but he was nervous.

No, if it’s really Lee Seo-jun, how can he film him alone?

“What’s going on?”

“Is Seo-jun-saem coming?”

Kim Ja-young, who was in the kitchen, came to Heo Un-seong’s side.

Another camera that was in charge of Kim Ja-young was added.

The cameras that were in the garden and in the forest joined one by one.

PD Kang Su-jeong and the writers ran over in a hurry.

Just then, the van entered the parking lot.

Blue Moon manager, who ran over with a puzzled expression as if he had heard the news, headed to the parking lot with an exclamation mark over his head. 

It was 100 percent Lee Seo-jun.

“Is he in the driver’s seat? Or the passenger seat? Or the back seat?”

The cameras didn’t know where Seo-jun would come out, so they filmed around the car.

Maybe the manager drove today, unlike last time, the car parked so that the passenger and back seat doors were visible to the cameras.

Soon, the back door of the car opened.

The large car door slid open sideways.

They saw a man step out of the car and touch the ground with his feet.

It was actor Lee Seo-jun.

***

“What are you doing here, Seo-jun-saem!”

“Eden showed me a picture of Ha-rang. How could I not come?”

“Really? We didn’t know… Well, Ha-rang did wait for you a lot.”

Seo-jun smiled faintly at Heo Un-seong and Kim Ja-young’s words.

‘He didn’t tell them.’

Maybe he didn’t say anything because Seo-jun might not be able to call him because of [The Tower of Babel] filming.

It would be better not to lie and then not be able to call him, because it would disappoint many people.

“Where is Ha-rang?”

“He’s picking herbs in the forest.”

“Do they know how to tell herbs from grass?”

“They just pick everything, whatever.”

Seo-jun laughed at Heo Un-seong and Kim Ja-young’s words.

“Then I’ll go over there.”

“Ah, Seo-jun-saem. Have you had dinner? If not, how about having some before you go?”

Kim Ja-young offered to prepare one more serving for him, and Seo-jun grinned.

“I want to stay overnight… Is that okay?”

Wow!

“We’re fine with that!”

“You’re welcome!”

The two teachers and the production team cheered.

Myung-jin, who was clinging to Heo Un-seong, also raised his arms and shouted hooray with everyone else.

***

“That’s how it happened.”

“I see… I thought something was going on when I was talking to Ha-rang and the production team looked busy. But why are you so proactive? I’m scared to contact you now.”

“You have to seize the opportunity when you have it, right? Timing is everything in a work. And how can I not come when he’s waiting like this.”

Seo-jun comforted Ha-rang, who seemed to calm down a bit, and said.

Park Eden smiled brightly and said.

“That’s right. You came well. How was the filming?”

“I did well. I finished it in one go.”

“Wow! As expected of Lee Seo-jun!”

Park Eden exaggerated his reaction, and Seo-jun elbowed his side lightly. Then Ha-rang squirmed in his arms.

“Ha-rang, did you miss your teacher?”

Seo-jun quickly changed his expression and opened his mouth softly.

Park Eden shivered at his voice.

“Yes…”

Ha-rang nodded slightly in Seo-jun’s arms.

“…I don’t want to say goodbye…”

Seo-jun and Park Eden blinked at Ha-rang’s incomprehensible words.

***

Ha-rang really liked [Chick Class in the Forest].

He liked the big and beautiful house, the small playground, the garden, the teachers, the older brothers and sisters, the big cameras he had never seen before, and the adults (production team) who ran away whenever he approached them.

“This is a secret… But Ha-rang likes teacher Junie best…!”

Even though Park Eden was right next to him, he whispered (he thought he was whispering) that it was a secret. Seo-jun and Park Eden laughed at that.

Ha-rang thought this happy meeting would continue forever.

He thought that if he waited like this, teacher Junie would come again like his uncle or aunt who sometimes visited his home. It might take some time, but he would come back eventually.

He even said “See you next time”, so he thought teacher Junie would come back and play with him again.

Ha-rang waited for teacher Junie with an excited heart.

He brought his favorite Blue Dragon plushie from home to show him, and also his new Pipo plushie.

He also talked about teacher Denny and teacher Junie.

“Teacher Junie likes orange juice!”

Seo-jun glanced at Park Eden.

Park Eden shrugged his shoulders.

But mom and dad said goodbye to [Chick Class] forever.

They said goodbye to the older brothers and sisters, and the teachers too. They told him to say goodbye and come back.

Ha-rang knew what forever goodbye meant.

He remembered how he couldn’t play with his favorite toys anymore because the kids’ cafe near his grandmother’s house “went bankrupt” (he didn’t know what that meant).

No matter how much he cried or threw a tantrum, mom and dad said no.

Ha-rang thought.

If he said goodbye to [Chick Class] forever… Then it was goodbye to teacher Junie forever too.

“…I don’t want to say goodbye…”

He said he didn’t want to say goodbye, so he said “See you next time” instead of “goodbye”.

But now it was forever goodbye.

Teacher Junie, who didn’t know anything, might come to [Chick Class] to see Ha-rang and cry when he couldn’t find him. Just like Ha-rang cried when he saw the empty kids’ cafe.

“…Teacher… I’m sorry…”

“So you wanted to say goodbye to your teacher? Because you can’t come anymore and you don’t want him to wait?”

“Yes.”

The world of children and the world of adults are so different.

There was so much meaning in a simple greeting.

“…I want to say goodbye to teacher… And give him a present.”

Contrary to the adults’ worries, Ha-rang seemed to be preparing for his farewell in his own way.

Park Eden said with a curious expression.

“Kids are surprisingly smart.”

“I know, right?”

Seo-jun nodded and looked at Ha-rang.

‘He looked so young when I met him last time…’

He had grown so much in just a few weeks.

He smiled warmly and looked at Ha-rang.

‘How did you understand what Ha-rang was saying?’

He was only three years old.

He knew few words and his pronunciation was inaccurate. He also had trouble finding words to express his feelings properly.

Ha-rang was trying his best to talk, but Park Eden could only understand half of it at most.

It was lucky that Seo-jun translated for him.

The writers who were filming somewhere must have been relieved too.

They had to write subtitles for the viewers to understand.

“It’s basic to analyze the context in a script.”

‘And I’m using my ability too.’

He found an ability on his way to [Chick Class] that he thought Ha-rang might have a hard time saying goodbye. It had an unexpected effect on the other side.

[(Sun)Cloud Shepherd’s Communication-Middle Low Level]

You convey your feelings to someone who doesn’t speak your language.

You can read their feelings a little bit.

The Join tribe, who raise fluffy cloud sheep.