Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 708

Seo-jun got out of the car and looked up at the sky.

LA was always sunny, but today seemed especially nice.

It felt like the sky was helping with the filming.

Seo-jun smiled and said,

“I’m glad the weather is good.”

“Me too.”

Today was a day for outdoor shooting.

The weather was the most important factor, and they were really lucky.

“Fix the chroma key properly!”

“Lights! Please tidy up the wires!”

Although it was not a perfect outdoor, but a studio area, the staff were busy preparing more things than usual because it was an outdoor shooting.

Seo-jun and Choi Tae-woo passed through the staff smoothly like fish swimming in water and arrived at the place where they would shoot today.

It was a park with lush green trees and grass, benches and a running track.

Of course, it was a set that only made a part of the area. 

The other parts were all covered with chroma key, and they seemed to plan to make a complete park with CG later.

Choi Tae-woo, who looked at the shooting set that was like a piece of cake cut from a park, opened his mouth.

“Is this the place? The park that appeared in the Mad Hatter cookie video.”

Seo-jun nodded his head as he looked at the park set and checked the route in advance. 

Well, there was nothing to call a route since he just had to run from here to there.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Maybe because I saw it in the cookie video. It feels familiar even though I’ve never been here before.”

“Me too.”

Seo-jun agreed with a smile.

It felt familiar because they had recorded the sound of footsteps several times.

“Are you here, Jun?”

“Yes. Director Jonathan.”

Jonathan, the director, greeted Seo-jun and Choi Tae-woo, who were looking around the set, warmly, and Seo-jun also greeted him with a smile.

“It still feels awkward to hear you call me director, Jun.”

“Haha. I’ll get used to it by the time the shooting is over.”

Jonathan scratched the back of his head and Seo-jun said with a smile.

“To be honest, I’m also a bit awkward. Jonathan.”

Then Jonathan and Seo-jun looked at each other for a moment and burst into laughter. 

Choi Tae-woo, who was watching them and thinking of writing [Good relationship with the director today.] in the report to Cocoa Entertainment, also smiled.

“Has Evan arrived?”

“Yeah. He’s in the waiting room. Let’s go together…”

“Director!”

“I guess I have to go alone…”

“Haha. Good luck, director.”

As the assistant director called him, Jonathan dropped his shoulders and left behind Seo-jun, who headed to the waiting room not far from the outdoor shooting site.

“Outdoor shooting in the studio area is nice. The waiting room is not a tent.”

“That’s true.”

[Over the Rainbow 2], which had a lot of ‘real’ outdoor shooting with less CG, had to make a temporary tent for the actors to wait, but this outdoor shooting in the studio area was comfortable and nice because they could use the waiting room of the nearby studio.

“It’s like the difference between shooting at Han River Park and shooting in the front yard of the house.”

“That makes sense.”

It was obvious that the latter was more comfortable for both the staff and the actors.

Seo-jun reached the waiting room and knocked on the door that said ‘Evan Block’. 

Hmm. Yesterday’s shooting came to mind. It was not a delusion.

“Jun!”

But unlike yesterday, when only Evan Block was there, there was another person in the waiting room who was happy to see him.

“Rachel!”

It was Rachel Hill.

Wow!

Evan Block and Choi Tae-woo smiled as they watched the two actors who were happy to meet each other.

“What brings you here, Rachel?”

Seo-jun asked as he sat on an empty chair. 

Evan Block and Rachel Hill seemed to have prepared in advance. He smiled at their small consideration.

“I came because it was my day off!”

“How’s the shooting going?”

“Yeah. It’s going well because everyone is nice.”

Rachel Hill, who was shooting another work besides [Shadow and Knight], smiled and gave a thumbs up.

“But I’m still sorry. If it wasn’t for the shooting, I would have gone to the premiere and your first shooting. The premiere was fun, right? It was William’s first appearance! I really wanted to see it.”

“It’s okay. You can’t always come.”

Evan Block, who took out a drink for Seo-jun from the mini fridge, said with a dumbfounded expression.

“…Jun. Isn’t our reaction too different?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well…”

“No, Evan and Rachel are in different situations!”

The waiting room soon became noisy with the sound of conversation and laughter.

“I wonder if we should change this from Evan’s waiting room to the actors’ waiting room.”

“That’s true.”

The staff whispered with a smile.

***

The pleasant conversation was only for a while.

Soon it was time to get ready for the shooting.

While Seo-jun was changing his clothes, Rachel Hill, who had gone out, came in and sat next to Seo-jun, who was getting makeup and hair styling.

“Evan must be alone.”

He thought of Evan, who would be lonely in his waiting room alone. 

Rachel Hill shrugged her shoulders.

“He’s boring.”

Seo-jun, who laughed at that, said,

“Don’t laugh, Jun.”

“Yes.”

He quickly corrected his expression at the staff’s words. Rachel Hill, who had nothing to do with makeup, giggled.

“I didn’t expect you to come, Rachel.”

“I was able to come because the time was right. I might not be able to come next time.”

“Yes. Don’t push yourself, Rachel.”

Even if the schedule was fixed in Hollywood, shooting was still hard. He was really grateful and happy that she came.

“But I’m really happy to see you today.”

“Me too.”

Seo-jun and Rachel Hill, who couldn’t move because they were styling, looked at each other through the mirror and smiled warmly.

***

“Ready, action!”

Shadowman, Mac always came to this park whenever he had some free time on weekend mornings.

It was a perfect place for exercise, with trees full of green leaves, lush grass, a wide lake, and a running track around it. 

The people who lived nearby enjoyed coming here too.

And in this neighborhood, ‘that kid’ also lived.

He must be doing well.

Mac tried to focus on his own work, but he couldn’t help wandering around this area.

And by chance, really by chance.

He saw ‘that kid’ smiling happily with his family, having fun with his friends, and sometimes crying over a normal fight with a friend. Whenever he saw that, he would tell ‘that kid’s forgotten family’ who were far away.

And then he found out that ‘that kid’ ran in this park every weekend morning.

“…I’m just out for a walk.”

Mac muttered as an excuse, holding a book that he didn’t read and sitting on a bench.

Then, zzzt zzzt-

A mechanical sound that didn’t match the frequency rang. 

The camera zoomed in on the wireless earphone that was plugged into Mac’s ear.

-Ugh, not again!

Along with Bell Natra’s voice, there was a sound of banging a machine. 

Mac’s body flinched as he sat on the bench. It’s going to break more. Bell.

-Ah, there. Can you hear me now? How is it there?

“It’s the same as usual, what.”

It was a peaceful place, as long as nothing happened.

Soon, the crackling sound stabilized.

-That’s good.

Bell Natra said cheerfully.

-You know, the data I sent you a while ago.

“Yeah, the meteorite, right?”

Seo-jun looked at Evan Block, who was acting on the bench.

It was a different line from the cookie video, but this was the main story of [Shadow and Knight]. 

It was natural that the conversation was about that.

Evan Block could act by himself, but to make it feel more like a dialogue, Rachel Hill joined him.

Bell Natra was only going to appear as a voice in [Shadow and Knight].

‘This will also be dubbed later.’

So Rachel Hill didn’t need to wear any makeup.

‘I didn’t have to come today…’

Seo-jun was grateful to Rachel Hill, who came on her day off.

The movie’s lead actor, Evan Block, and the voice-only Rachel Hill.

Of course, Seo-jun’s reaction had to be different.

-The data doesn’t seem to have any problems. I need to see it in person to be more accurate, but I’m busy right now.

“It’s okay. That’s enough.”

With Bell Natra’s opinion added, it was confirmed that it was a normal meteorite. Mac relaxed his shoulders and leaned back on the bench’s backrest. He had to tell Taylor Warren later.

After the important talk was over, they talked about trivial things in their lives.

-Oh, by the way, my father told me to stop by. You’ve been home for a while, haven’t you?

“It hasn’t been that long in Earth time.”

Tap tap tap.

As he was talking, Mac lifted his head at the sound of heavy and steady footsteps. There was a boy running hard, with a light smile on his lips and a sparkle in his eyes.

Mac’s face also smiled involuntarily.

-My father and I are in Natra, so we have to calculate in Natra time. So come often. You’ll come, right, Mac? Mac?! What? Did it cut off again?

“Just a minute.”

Thump thump thump-

The footsteps were getting closer.

Mac smiled and lifted the book he had on his lap to cover his face. And he said to ‘that kid’s forgotten family’ in a voice mixed with laughter.

“He’s coming.”

-…Oh…

A sigh came out of the earphone a little late.

It seemed to be mixed with tears.

He was running happily and healthily.

There was no darkness, only the sun shining on him. Mac looked at him without breathing.

He couldn’t see the face of Jin Natra, who was suffering. There was only William Lee, a Earthling boy who grew up with the love of his biological parents.

William went away.

After a minute that felt like an hour, Mac let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding. On the other side of the earphone, Bell Natra also seemed to have stopped breathing, as he heard a sigh.

-…

“…”

For a moment, a light and heavy, indescribable silence passed.

-…How is he?

Bell Natra, who couldn’t be called Jin or William even after ten years (or more in Natra planet time), opened his mouth. To Bell Natra, ‘Jin Natra’ was more precious than ‘William’.

“He’s doing well.”

Mac, who was looking at William’s back that had disappeared, got up from his seat and said.

“He’s decided to go into baseball now. He has a game with another school next week, and it seems like a lot of scouts are coming. I’m going to watch too.”

He wondered how happy William would be on the baseball field.

He smiled just imagining it.

-Mac… you know…

Bell Natra hesitated for a moment and said.

-You’re like a total stalker…

“?! No! This is a pretty famous story, you know! You don’t know how much Earthlings, no, Americans love baseball! Talented players are scouted by the pros from high school, and they have fans too! There are articles too!”

-Uh… um…

“This is information you can find out if you’re here for a day!”

He was an Earthling (actually an alien) who was explaining earnestly to an alien who didn’t understand the love of Americans for baseball.

***

“Cut! Okay!”

Today’s shooting was over.

Of course, Rachel Hill had to record the lines she did today again.

“Thank you for coming on your time. Rachel.”

“Don’t mention it!”

Rachel Hill smiled brightly at Jonathan’s words.

“I wish I could go and watch the next shooting too. Jun’s friend is appearing, right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Seo-jun nodded at Rachel Hill’s words.

The day when Jack Smith would appear as a cameo was finally coming.

“Is he good at acting?”

Evan Block asked, and Rachel Hill and Jonathan also perked up their ears. They knew he was a major leaguer, but he was Seo-jun’s friend, so he must be somewhat good, they were curious.

Seo-jun chuckled. His face sparkled somehow.

“Don’t worry. We practiced hard for the scene we’re going to shoot.”

“Oh…”

The two actors and the director prayed for Jun’s friend who had worked hard.