Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 322

Bearound headquarters.

The actors who passed the first round of video audition were gathered in the waiting room.

There were experienced actors who had appeared in dramas or movies, and newcomers who had not been in any works yet. 

The familiar faces of the actors made the nearby rookies widen their eyes.

But their eyes did not have the same surprise and awe that the actors who auditioned a few days ago felt when they saw Kim Jong-ho.

I saw that kid on TV.

Mom, I want his autograph.

The average age was 10.

Today was the audition for the child actors who would appear in [Survivors].

The waiting room was a bit more lively than usual, unlike the quiet times before.

There were child actors and their guardians who passed the first round, and some children who were bored and chatting with their peers.

Among them, some children were reading the audition script. It was obvious that there was a difference in attitude from the start, so the guardians could not help but sigh.

We will start the audition now.

A Bearound staff member entered the waiting room and said that, and then it became quiet.

The appearance of a stranger made the waiting room tense.

When you enter the audition room, there will be a director and judges, and a camera will be installed in front of them. It is the same model as the one used for filming, and you just need to look at that camera and do the designated acting. The audition content will be recorded as it is.

Can the guardians go in with them?

A staff member nodded at a guardians question.

Yes. But you cant talk.

Some guardians who were worried about sending their children alone breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, number one.

The staff called out, and the oldest child among the child actors and their guardian headed to the audition room. The second round of audition officially began.

***

Number five, come in.

Andrew Walker, who was reading a script full of colorful notes, jumped up from his seat. He had read it so many times that the audition script he was holding was crumpled.

Its my turn. Dad.

Y-yeah.

The calm expression of Andrew Walker, who had to show his acting, contrasted with his dads restless expression.

Ill be back!

Andrew cheerfully headed out of the waiting room, and his surprised dad quickly followed him.

No, Andy! You have to go with dad!

His dad laughed helplessly at the sight of Andrew already standing in front of the audition room.

He was so brave.

When Andrew Walker and his dad arrived at the door, a staff member opened it for them.

Unlike Andrew Walker, who was calm, his dad swallowed nervously.

A huge camera that looked threatening was installed in the center, and behind it were judges sitting side by side. 

The serious faces of the adults and the large lens of the camera were enough to scare not only children but also adults.

The guardian can sit here.

The staff pointed to a chair near the door, and his dad nodded and sat down.

Dont talk.

Andrews dad didnt know anything about acting. 

He had nothing to say. 

He just trusted his son and watched over him. 

His dad closed his mouth tightly and looked at his son.

The planning team leader sitting on the judges seat looked at such a guardian and wrote something on [no.5. Andrew Walker]'s application form.

When filming with child actors, guardians were as important as child actors. 

Because depending on the temperament of the guardian, the condition of the child actor could also change.

A guardian who interfered with everything could cause trouble for filming or complain about the directors direction. 

The child actor might not be able to show their full potential because of such a guardians pressure.

Number four was like that too.

Despite being told not to talk, number fours guardian gave various instructions to the child actor who was scared by the huge camera. 

The planning team leader shook his head at the sight of the child actor moving according to the guardians instructions.

But it wasnt good either if they didnt care about their child actor. 

A child actor couldnt check their schedule properly or adjust their condition by themselves.

Its best to be moderate.

A guardian who trusts and cares for their child.

If the level of child actors was similar, it would be decided by their guardians. 

That was also why they called more candidates than usual this time.

I wonder if there is an actor who can show such great acting that any guardian would be fine.

Like Seo-jun Lee, who captivated the world with one smiling scene.

I cant believe it myself. 

The planning team leader chuckled and looked ahead. 

A child actor who was not afraid of a huge camera looked at them with sparkling eyes.

Please introduce yourself first.

Andrew Walker straightened his shoulders and spoke confidently.

Number five! Im Andrew Walker! Im nine years old!

Andrew looked at the judges sitting down, then looked at the camera and continued.

My favorite actor is Seo-jun Lee!

***

Even after the midterm exam, the audition for [Survivors] continued. 

Seo-jun, who smiled satisfactorily at the test papers with no wrong answers, asked Andaho.

Brother Daho. When will the audition end?

Its almost over. Today theyre going to see the second round of child actors. They might go to the third round too.

I see.

[Survivors] had child actors. 

And not just passing extras, but for a long time. 

Seo-jun thought of the role that the child actor in the script would play and smiled brightly.

Its been a while since I worked with younger child actors.

Kim Han Seok, who filmed with him in the fire departments public video One Step, was a year younger than Seo-jun, but this time they were much younger.

Thats right. I heard the average age is 10

10 years old means

Seo-jun counted on his fingers and made a surprised expression.

They were born when I was filming Shadowman 2?

Thats right. Arent they similar in age to Seo-juns siblings?

Su Bin is 8 and Eun Su is 6, so yeah.

He was going to act with child actors who were similar in age to Su Bin. It felt strange and interesting.

He had been with older actors until now, but from now on there would be more younger actors.

Seo-jun thought for a moment and decided to stop by the Library of Life. 

It was a fake disaster situation made for filming, but he was worried that the child actors might be swept away by the atmosphere of the set and get scared.

Oh. Maybe not.

He wondered what ability would be good for child actors.

Come to think of it, Hollywood might make fake props, but they might use CG to create the background.

Seo-jun blinked as he thought about it.

What is Kim Jong-ho doing these days?

Uncle Jong-ho?

There are a lot of requests for casting from Team 2. I wonder if Kim Jong-hos agency is not like that.

Seo-jun giggled at Andahos question.

They said it was crazy. The manager said it was the first time he unplugged the phone because it was so noisy.

He understood how they felt. 

The superstars manager nodded his head repeatedly.

As the news of Kim Jong-hos Hollywood audition success spread, companies and broadcasters were quick to move to get him.

They already knew that Lee Seo-jun had been receiving scripts from Hollywood and had many casting offers (still amazing, but) somewhat familiar, but Kim Jong-ho was the first actor to challenge and pass a Hollywood audition, so he attracted more attention.

Kim Jong-ho was a good enough actor to work only in Korea, but people admired his courage to challenge a new place where he had no fan base.

Lee Ji-seok: You must be getting a lot of ads too, right?

Park Do-hoon: Just from what I heard, there are three.

But Uncle Jong-ho decided to postpone everything until after filming.

Lee Ji-seok: Isnt it too much?

He understood his joy of being in his first Hollywood movie, but the director would want natural acting that suited the movie, not exaggerated acting that required a lot of effort.

Kim Jong-ho: I know.

Kim Jong-ho: Im just studying.

He looked at the acting textbook he had read for the first time and watched his first work to refresh his basic acting skills. Kim Jong-ho acted as if he had become a real rookie actor.

Thats amazing.

Andaho sincerely admired his determination to do better, the spirit of an actor.

So Im going to work harder too.

Seo-jun picked up his phone and sent a message to someone.

<When are you available, teacher?

The recipient of the message was the psychiatrist he met during the health checkup.

***

While the actors were working hard for filming, Bearound was also preparing for filming.

The director Jeffrey, who was reviewing the script while imagining the images of the cast, was handed a paper by the planning team leader.

All this?

Jeffreys eyes widened. 

There was an amount he had never imagined on the paper. 

The planning team leader, who didnt notice his pale face getting some color, said.

Yes. The response is better than expected. We havent announced the cast yet, but were getting good offers from everywhere.

The planning team leader mentioned streaming sites like Plus+. 

The countries that wanted to release [Survivors] were also increasing.

Of course, it will be uploaded on Plus+ much later.

There was no need to upload it on streaming sites early. 

Once in theaters, once on VOD. Then they would upload it on Plus+ at the right time.

Plus+ had the best conditions.

Among several streaming sites, Plus+ was the most passionate.

Maybe it was true that Plus+ really liked Seo-jun Lee. Well, he would too if he made that much money. 

He hoped that luck would come to Bearound as well and opened his mouth.

Especially in Korea, the response is hot.

Bearound had been monitoring Koreas reaction since they cast Korean actors. 

Most of the posts related to Bearound were full of anticipation and excitement. The SNS mentions were also impressive.

Of course, over time, other topics would push it away and cool down, but Seo-jun Lee and Jong-ho Kims popularity would make it rise again soon.

The articles hadnt been out for long, but the response was so fiery that Bearound increased their production budget. It might even increase more than now.

Probably because they saved on publicity.

But he couldnt tell the director something that wasnt decided yet.

The movie market in Korea is big, so they increased the budget with high expectations.

The director Jeffrey nodded with a grateful face at the planning team leaders words. 

He trembled at the unexpected amount. 

At the same time, he thought of what he could do with this increased budget.

Maybe.

He looked down at the paper with a budget that seemed more than enough.

I have to start building the set soon. Tell me what you have in mind and the art team will make it. There will be a meeting with the art team this week. Oh. Youre going to use CG for the set, right?

No.

Okay. I underst What?

The planning team leader was about to nod his head expecting him to say yes, but stopped at his unexpected answer.

Uh You mean youre not going to use CG?

Jeffrey slowly lifted his head and looked at him. The planning team leader felt a chill down his spine as he met Jeffreys sparkling eyes.

Cant I make them all?

What?