Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 188

Kim Jukyung, Yang Juhee, and Kang Jaehan were tapping their phones. 

Some of the other kids were also checking their acting skills that they had filmed at the academy, or going outside to talk with their guardians and relieve their tension.

They could hear some murmuring sounds from inside the audition room, but they couldnt hear them clearly. 

The audition was to give three applicants a designated script and have them memorize it for 10 minutes, then randomly decide the order and show their acting.

I wonder if the designated script will be hard.

Juhee shrugged her shoulders at Jukyungs question.

Maybe it will be something we know? They wont give us anything too weird since were child actors. I think the zombie role might need some practice though. But theyll teach us that if we pass.

Jukyung and Jaehan nodded at Juhees words.

Oh, the kids from class 2 are here too.

They waved their hands at the familiar faces that had just entered, and the kids from class 2 also greeted them.

The kids from class 1 are here too.

Are they the ones who hang out with Seo-jun?

The kids from class 2 whispered to each other as they sat down. The three people who were closest to Seo-jun were quite famous in Yeoul Arts School. Kim Jukyung was popular because of One Step, Yang Juhee had a wide network as the class president of class 1, and Kang Jaehan had many kids who liked him as a younger brother.

I guess Seo-jun didnt apply this time.

Well, he just finished filming his role not long ago.

The kids from class 2 who were glad that one of the roles was already taken flinched.

Kim Jukyung and Yang Juhee, who seemed to be sending messages to each other on their phones until a moment ago, quietly moved to both sides of Kang Jaehan and slapped his back hard.

Kang Jaehan twisted his body as if his back was burning, and tapped his phone with his trembling hand as if sending an SOS signal. The SOS signal seemed to work as Kim Jukyung and Yang Juhee moved back to their original seats with bright faces.

The kids in the waiting room chuckled at the situation that looked like a comedy skit.

The atmosphere in the waiting room seemed to relax a bit.

But that soon changed. 

The door of the audition room opened and three applicants came out with a staff member. 

The staff members appearance made the next three applicants who would be called wait with stiff expressions.

The staff member glanced at the paper and called out the next numbers.

Jaehan, well go first.

Good luck!

It was Kim Jukyung and Yang Juhees numbers.

All three of them had received their numbers in order, but they couldnt see the audition together. 

Jukyung and Juhee were in front, and Kang Jaehan was alone in the back.

Thats why Kang Jaehan, who had to show his acting alone, was more nervous than the two who were going to audition together.

Dont be too nervous.

Do you want one more hit?

Kang Jaehan quickly shook his head at Jukyungs gesture of spreading her palm. 

Seeing Jaehans reaction, Jukyung and Juhee smiled and headed to the audition room, and Kang Jaehan picked up his phone again.

<Juhee and Jukyung went in.

Seo-jun: Really? Im on my way home right now.

<You finished early?

Seo-jun: I have an appointment today.

Seo-jun: Is your back okay?

< Their hands are so spicy

Kang Jaehan made a sad face at Seo-juns question. 

The burning sensation was gone, but he still felt the touch of their palms on his back.

Seo-jun: Good luck on your audition.

<Okay!

Kang Jaehan let out a sigh and waited for his turn.

***

Is it your audition day today?

Seo-jun nodded at Anh Da Hos question as he sat in the passenger seat.

Yes. There are some kids from our school too.

I hope they pass.

But there are only a limited number of spots

Five archery club members, right?

Yes.

Only five can pass. It must be fierce.

Seo-jun nodded. 

He hoped his friends would pass. 

He briefly prayed and asked Anh Da Ho.

Da-ho hyung. Do you know who the lead actors are?

Yeah. You know them too, Seo-jun.

Seo-jun pondered at Anh Da Hos words.

He knew most of the actors. He knew the actors from Jo Juyeons group, of course, and even the names of the extras who had memorable roles or good acting skills.

If theyre not just actors I know by name, they must be actors Im close with. Who are they?

As Seo-jun was lost in thought, Anh Da Ho smiled and said.

Its Lee Dajin and Kim Jongho.

Seo-juns eyes widened at Anh Da Hos words.

Dajin-nuna and Jongho uncle?!

He didnt expect that at all.

Anh Da Ho chuckled at Seo-juns surprised voice.

Yeah. I was surprised too. They both didnt know that you were in Escape, but they ended up acting in the same work.

Really?

He couldnt believe it.

Jongho uncle and Dajin-nuna.

Really. According to Lee Dajins side, she wanted to do a fantasy work like this after the childrens play Spring. But there arent many works with fantasy elements. So she kept doing other works, but then Escape came out and she agreed right away.

Wow!

Seo-juns eyes sparkled.

Lee Dajin.

She was the friend of the protagonist Choi Soyung and the hunter in the childrens play Spring, and the cheerful nuna who was the MC at the fan meeting.

Shes good at acting too.

Seo-jun smiled brightly.

What about Jongho uncle?

Kim Jongho said he wanted to try fantasy too, since he had done modern works. And then he got the script for Escape and agreed.

The king in Naewon who was Seongnyeong Daeguns father, Taejong. Seo-jun laughed as he remembered him bickering with Lee Jiseok.

Ah!

Seo-jun burst into laughter as he remembered something.

So thats why Jongho uncle called me today!

**

The marbled beef with snowflake-like patterns was placed on the grill. 

As the beef sizzled, Kim Jongho smiled smugly.

Lee Jiseok and Park Dohoon, who were sitting across from him, looked at Kim Jongho with subtle eyes. 

Kim Jongho had been smiling like a deflated balloon since a while ago.

Uncle. Did something good happen?

Why are you buying us all this beef, hyung?

Just wait a minute. Ill tell you when Seo-jun comes.

Thats weird.

Lee Jiseok frowned as he saw Kim Jongho smiling and occasionally sending him a provocative look.

Hello! Jongho uncle, Jiseok-hyung. Dohoon-hyung. Im here!

Seo-jun, come on in!

How have you been?

Its been a while, Da-ho ssi.

The door of the private room opened and Seo-jun and Anh Da Ho came in. Seo-jun and Anh Da Ho greeted the three actors and sat down at the same table. The three actors seemed to have come without their managers.

They briefly talked about their recent situations, and then Kim Jongho cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

Ahem. Do you guys know who Im filming with?

Lee Jiseok, who had just put a piece of cooked beef in his mouth, tilted his head.

Why do I have to know that?

Are you filming your next work, uncle?

Unlike Lee Jiseok, who was snarky, Park Dohoon asked with a smile.

That snarky bastard. Be more like Dohoon.

Kim Jongho made an annoyed expression and then smiled again.

Im filming with Seo-jun!

At that, Lee Jiseok and Park Dohoon were surprised and looked back and forth between Seo-jun and Kim Jongho.

Seo-jun, are you doing your next work?

Already? It hasnt been long since you finished your role.

There was a good work that I wanted to do. So I decided to do it.

Seo-jun answered, and Kim Jong-ho laughed out loud.

Thats exactly what I wanted to do, and Seo-jun chose it too!

Ignoring the boastful Kim Jong-ho, Lee Ji-seok and Park Do-hoon racked their brains.

What is it? A movie? A drama? What were the scripts that came in lately?

Right. What was it? I dont think there was anything with a child actor in it.

They couldnt think of anything that would suit Seo-juns taste.

Its a zombie movie. The title is Escape.

At Seo-juns words, Lee Ji-seoks eyes widened as he recalled the rumor that was floating around.

You mean the zombie movie that hasnt cast the lead role yet? Youre going to shoot that?

They said it would flop, but it turned out to be a sure thing.

Park Do-hoon was also surprised.

With Seo-jun and Kim Jong-hos appearance, it seemed like it wouldnt flop even if they held a ritual for it.

But why arent they promoting it?

Kim Jong-ho smiled smugly at Lee Ji-seoks question and said.

Thats their marketing plan. Theyre going to make a lot of noise with negative reactions and then slowly leak the rumor that Seo-jun is filming.

Seo-jun and An Da-ho nodded at Kim Jong-hos words.

It has to be noisy for it to be noise marketing or whatever. Uncle Jong-ho. This was almost buried.

Park Do-hoon was right.

Unless they liked zombie movies, people didnt care. If it was a normal movie, it would have flopped by then.

But Park Do-hoon, who said that, soon tilted his head.

But why am I not worried?

Why worry? Proper promotion can be done after the filming is over. Even if Seo-jun is buried deep, hell come back to life in no time.

Kim Jong-ho spoke proudly as if he was bragging. Lee Ji-seok looked displeased and said.

But why didnt I get the script?

Director said he wanted to see a different combination for your role

Whos the director?

Director Choi Dae-man.

For a moment, Lee Ji-seok felt a sense of betrayal. 

Wasnt he on good terms with him as they worked together on his first project? 

Lee Ji-seok took out his phone and tapped it hard. 

The recipient must have been Director Choi Dae-man.

Everyone laughed at his sight.

Then why didnt you send me one?

You look too young for the role, Do-hoon.

Oh, too bad. I could have filmed with Seo-jun. Hyung and uncle are filming with Seo-jun, but I cant. Lets do it next time, Seo-jun.

Okay!

Seo-jun quickly nodded at Park Do-hoons face full of regret.

Lee Ji-seok put down his phone as the other party didnt answer. 

He looked at Kim Jong-ho who was giggling. 

His face clearly showed a mocking expression as if he was teasing him. 

Lee Ji-seoks expression worsened.

I knew it. This guy bought me beef.

So thats why you called me today.

Yeah. How much did you brag about filming with Seo-jun?

He heard it so much during and after the filming that he almost got sick of it.

Let me brag too. Jealous? Youre very jealous, right?

Kim Jong-ho, who was high on drugs, and Lee Ji-seok, who had an angry expression, made Seo-jun, An Da-ho, and Park Do-hoon laugh.

He had a feeling this would happen ever since he heard about Uncle Jong-hos appearance from Da-ho hyung.

Seo-jun. Hows your preparation for filming?

Yes. Im playing an archer, so Im learning archery.

Are you good at it?

Hehe. Yes. The teacher said Im good. Hyung Do-hoon, did you decide on your next project?

Not yet. Im still looking for something I like.

While Lee Ji-seok and Kim Jong-ho were bickering as usual, Seo-jun, An Da-ho, and Park Do-hoon had a friendly conversation.

When they were talking,

Do-hoon!

Lee Ji-seok called Park Do-hoon. 

Seo-jun and the two people turned their heads to Lee Ji-seok. 

Kim Jong-ho, who had been teasing Lee Ji-seok, blinked his eyes at the sudden call.

Where did his angry face go? 

Lee Ji-seok laughed wickedly.

Lets join them too.

What?

As cameos!

Huh?!

At Lee Ji-seoks words, the three people, and even Kim Jong-ho who had been giggling, stared blankly at Lee Ji-seok who was laughing.

***

I found it!

I cant work with Director Choi again. Hes not human.

Uhahahaha.

The location managers words didnt seem to reach him, as Director Choi Dae-man ran around and examined the building in detail. 

He liked the exterior, but the interior could be different.

I can fix the inside.

The location manager, who was panting, picked up his phone. Director Choi Dae-man, who had fallen into his own world, didnt seem to have any intention of contacting the production company.

He looked down at the hard road he had climbed up and caught his breath.

Yes. Director. I found it.

-You found it quickly.

There arent many buildings that fit the criteria. Its just a matter of looking around the candidates. Its a bit small, but I think itll be fine if we change it here and there for filming.

It was hard to find the candidates though

It was better than wandering around the countryside for The Ghost, which had become a must-see tourist course by now.

-Where is it?

The location manager explained the location. It was a bit far from Seoul, but not too far. There was a pension nearby, so it was good for accommodation and meals.

-Thats good. How about vehicle access? Is there a parking lot?

There is a road, but it needs to be repaired. The parking lot looks like a mess with garbage since they didnt clean it up after the typhoon in the summer.

-Okay. Lets fix it. Make a new road very sturdy, and make a parking lot too.

The location manager looked around.

He saw the place that used to be a parking lot and the asphalt that was cracked. It would be fine if they fixed it. They wouldnt make it a mess again by restoring it after changing it,

The owner will be pissed.

Then, Director Lee Han-sol said over the phone.

-Then contact the owner of the building.

Yes. Renting it? Itll be hard to restore it after making the background.

-No.

Director Lee Han-sol chuckled.

-Buy it. The building.

Yes?

-The fire department did a good job.

His eyes sparkled as he thought of the One Step tour that had become almost a mandatory tourist course by now.

-Lets make one of those too.