Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 374:

Movie production company, Dahong.

The phones were ringing nonstop, loud enough to be heard outside the office.

The planning team leader entered the office with a bored expression on his face, and the eyes of the employees who were working were drawn to him.

“Team leader. How was the filming site?”

“It was fine. There was hardly any NG. No interference from the investors. It was quieter than here. Heaven. Heaven.”

The planning team leader's words elicited laughter from various places. But that laughter did not last long in the face of the ringing phones.

They wondered why there were so many calls.

“Team leader.”

“Hmm?”

He was holding a phone and looked exhausted.

The planning team leader smirked.

‘How long has it been?’

‘An hour.’

He seemed to be still on the call, covering the bottom part of the phone.

The planning team leader shuddered at his persistence.

The employee sighed quietly and said.

“Do you think we can add a scene where he drops his phone while traveling and changes it? Then we can include both products from the two companies…”

The planning team leader laughed incredulously at the employee's words.

Changing the phone brand in the middle of the movie, that's a good idea.

It seemed like a result of his frustration.

“Of course not. It's an unnecessary scene and you would want to add a scene where he breaks his phone by dropping it?”

It would leave a bad impression of a fragile phone.

‘If he drops it from a place like an observatory, maybe…’

Hmm. It might be a useful trick someday, so let's remember it.

The employee who did not know the planning team leader's thoughts slumped his shoulders even more.

His brilliant idea was rejected, and he did not know how much longer he had to talk.

“It's because they keep calling from over there.”

“Then they should have spent their money properly in the first place.”

“That's true.”

The other employees also laughed bitterly at that.

[Working Title: Travel] had faded from the public's attention a bit after Lee Seo-jun's audition article.

Of course, they did not forget it completely, but they just hoped that the release date would come soon and kept it in their hearts, so whenever a related article came out, it would flare up as if it had never been quiet.

But the companies could not react the same way as the public.

Wasn't it a huge advertisement for their products?

“It's better to save money on things we need anyway.”

Plus+ had invested in it, so there was no shortage of production costs. But it was better to save money where they could, and the more production costs they had, the better.

So Dahong, the production company, sent proposals to companies related to the props that appeared in the movie.

The first place they sent them to was naturally the phone that Jung Ga-ram would use every time he filmed YouTube videos in the movie.

Two companies that received part of [Working Title: Travel]'s synopsis responded quickly.

“A YouTube-related movie filmed with a phone!”

And Lee Seo-jun himself would hold it!

And film it!

It was obvious that it would get a lot of screen time.

And Lee Seo-jun's works had a high chance of being released overseas as well as in Korea.

“We have to do this!”

The two companies that realized the promotional effect immediately accepted Dahong's proposal as soon as they received it.

That's how one of the two companies that offered much higher investment money than expected was chosen.

That's why the company that offered what Dahong expected and thought was reasonable and failed kept calling them.

“They probably didn't expect them to drop out with that money.”

‘How much did they offer!?’

The employee who remembered the words of the person in charge who kept asking him that shook his head.

“That's what makes betting fun.”

You have to spend money when you need to.

And they only asked for a good shot of Lee Seo-jun and the phone together without any interference.

It was a welcome story for Dahong.

The employee sighed and picked up the phone again. He heard a question from the other side asking if they could use other phones for other roles.

Unfortunately, it was impossible because it was exclusive.

“Team leader.”

“Huh?”

“I don't know where the news got out, but we keep getting calls from other regions.”

The sponsorship war was not only for props but also for filming locations.

[Working Title: Travel] was about traveling to various regions while going down from Seoul to Busan as its title suggested, and that was the content of the first half of the movie.

They planned to visit three regions starting from Suwon and go all the way to Busan, and they had already completed the request for filming cooperation in the selected destinations.

Lee Seo-jun was starring in the movie!

They knew how much the filming locations of Lee Seo-jun's previous works had attracted tourists, so it was an opportunity they could not miss.

“We have more than ten places calling us.”

The filming location was not just one region but nationwide, so they received various proposals.

It was like a goose that laid golden eggs passed by them and went to the next house, so they were anxious, but all the schedules and plans were already completed.

The regions that were selected as filming locations also gave permission for filming in less than a day, let alone an hour, so they must have known how good this opportunity was.

“They are asking if we can stop by other places in the filming region. What should we do?”

“No. It will be edited out anyway. Tell them we don't have time.”

“Yes!”

Dahong's office was filled with phone calls again.

***

Today was the day to film the scene where Jung Ga-ram received a terminal diagnosis.

Seo-jun had filmed several tests in the morning and headed to the afternoon filming site after lunch.

The afternoon filming site was a university hospital waiting room, and since it was always crowded with people, there were many extra actors as well.

Kim Haun, a second-year student of Mirinae Arts High School's acting department, was one of them. Kim Haun was with the actors who played ‘father’, ‘mother’, and ‘brother’. It was not a comfortable seat.

“Oh, this is a picture taken at the studio where Lee Seo-jun filmed?”

“It's really hard to get a reservation there…”

The other extras were interested in the name Lee Seo-jun.

Kim Jin-cheol, who played the brother role, looked smug at their surprised expressions.

“The photographer kept taking pictures so much that I almost missed lunch.”

He conveniently forgot his own behavior of nitpicking everything and making him take pictures again.

The people at Noeul Studio would have grabbed his neck if they heard him.

“But it came out so well that it must have been fun to take.”

“He's handsome and good at acting, he’ll be a star soon.”

The actors nodded their heads in agreement with Kim Jin-cheol's words.

He did well in rehearsals and had a more noticeable appearance than other extras.

That was true.

Kim Jin-cheol glanced at Kim Haun.

Kim Haun smiled awkwardly at his gaze.

It had been like this since earlier.

Kim Jin-cheol kept listing the works he had appeared in and talked about how close he was with the directors, and Kim Haun, who was quietly among the people who admired or asked for appearances, looked at him with displeasure.

“This time, I know a director who…”

The shooting set was buzzing.

“It's Lee Seo-jun…!”

The top actor Lee Seo-jun, Kim Ho-young, who played the role of ‘Jung Ga-ram's father’ and Kim Nae-gwan in [role], and Choi Hyun-hee, who played the role of ‘Jung Ga-ram's mother’, entered the shooting set.

Someone blurted out without realizing it.

“Wow… Actors are really different.”

They seemed to shine with just smiling and talking.

Kim Jin-cheol's face darkened at the aura that made the shooting set stir in an instant.

***

“Excuse me.”

Kim Ho-young got up from his seat with his vibrating phone.

Choi Hyun-hee also moved her steps at the call of director Min Hee-kyung.

Seo-jun, who was left alone by chance, scratched his cheek and looked around.

He found a familiar face.

He was about to call his name, but he moved his steps at the sight of his friend who was waving his eyes and hands.

When he waited for a while in a secluded place where people hardly passed by, Kim Haun appeared, panting as if he had been running around looking for something.

“Really… How did you find… this place?”

“By intuition?”

“…I thought I wouldn't be able to find it until the shooting time.”

Seo-jun tilted his head at Kim Haun's words.

“Why did you do that earlier?”

“Ah, I thought it would be a bit troublesome if it was revealed that I was friends with you.”

Kim Haun scratched his cheek as Seo-jun tilted his head further.

“Just let it go for now. I don't have any shooting after this scene.”

“I don't mind, but the director must know, right? And the cinematographer too.”

Anyone who saw the audition application form would know that Kim Haun went to Mirinae High School.

Kim Haun felt uneasy at Seo-jun's words.

***

“You. You're friends with Lee Seo-jun?”

The anxiety hit the mark.

Kim Haun looked around and some of them seemed to know, so he couldn't avoid it.

He nodded awkwardly with a smile.

Kim Jin-cheol's expression became fierce.

“Well. You probably didn't hear my story next to such a top-star.”

“No, no. That's not…”

“Let's see how well you do.”

He muttered a villain-like line and left his seat.

Kim Haun sighed.

He didn't have time to think as other people crowded around him.

“Why didn't you tell me? You go to Mirinae High School?”

“Can you get me Lee Seo-jun's autograph?”

“You must be good at acting too! Isn't today's shooting over early?”

“It's good for us if the shooting ends early!”

Among the cheerful people.

Only Kim Haun's face became blurred.

***

“Cut, nG!”

“I'm sorry!”

The atmosphere of the shooting set became heavy as NG continued several times.

Kim Haun, who caused NG, closed his eyes tightly.

He heard Kim Jin-cheol's sneering voice.

His skin felt hot from the staring eyes.

He seemed to know what they were thinking without hearing them.

‘Didn't you say you were friends with Lee Seo-jun?’

He saw the planning director and casting director who he saw at the audition in his shaky sight.

He also saw Seo-jun's face, who was worried about him.

Director Min Hee-kyung, who was watching Kim Haun, called the assistant director.

“Let's take a break! There's a coffee truck outside! Everyone take a cup!”

The extras scattered in threes and fives at the assistant director's shout.

Ahn Da Ho approached Seo-jun and said.

“It's from actor Kang Tae-young.”

Nice timing, tae-young hyung.

“I should give Tae-young hyung a gift.”

As he said that, seo-jun's eyes turned to Kim Haun, who was hanging his shoulders and heading somewhere.

***

“Can you stop making NGs?”

Kim Haun, who was watching the practice video he shot at the academy in a secluded place where he had talked with Seo-jun, raised his head at the sudden voice.

It was Kim Jin-cheol.

Kim Haun got up awkwardly from his seat.

Kim Jin-cheol rubbed his neck nervously and opened his mouth.

“How many times do you have to repeat the same scene?”

“So, sorry…”

“No, is it that hard to smile? Don't you smile normally? Well, with that acting skill, I guess you can't laugh. Wouldn't it be better to grab a passerby and put them on the set than you?”

Kim Jin-cheol's sarcasm continued as if he didn't hear Kim Haun's apology.

Kim Haun lowered his head.

Sweat spread from his hands that were fiddling with his phone.

“You said you were friends with Lee Seo-jun, but… Well, there must be a reason why you’re an extra.”

Kim Haun's heart sank.

“I heard that there's a kid who's a supporting actor who's younger than you. He also knows Lee Seo-jun, but why are they so different? Who's the supporting actor and who's the extra?”

Kim Jin-cheol, who remembered his situation for a moment, spat out a curse.

There was not enough space for adult actors, let alone child actors.

He felt his stomach boil and his fever rise at the thought that he might have been able to play the role that the child actors played.

“Shit. Those kids…”

Kim Haun's shoulders shrank at the rough words.

Seeing him, Kim Jin-cheol smirked and tapped Kim Haun's shoulder roughly.

It sounded like a thud.

“Let's do well in the shooting, okay? Everyone is suffering because of you. Smile. I don't understand why it's so hard to just smile. If you can't do it, just quit. Oh. That would be good. I saw the casting director earlier, so it would be easy to find a new actor.”

Kim Haun's palms were damp with Kim Jin-cheol's sharp words.

His head was lowered so much that he couldn't look down any further.

His heart was beating fast without a breath.

**

“Hmm.”

There was a being who heard that situation.

Lee Seo-jun, who had orange juice in one hand and warm yuzu tea in the other, had his black eyes calmly settled.