Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 386:

Movie production company, Dahong.

After having lunch, Lee Yoon-ju and her colleague returned to the planning team's office and saw the publicity team coming in.

“Yes. They’re still filming…”

“There's no confirmed interview yet…”

They heard phones ringing and conversations from all directions.

Their hands were busy replying to the interview proposals that came in by email.

The publicity team had a lot of influence on the success or failure of a movie, so they seemed to work even after having a quick lunch.

Lee Yoon-ju and her colleague quietly passed by them and entered the planning team's office.

They sat down at their desks.

It was more so after the location shooting that required cooperation with various groups was over.

“At least we don't have to worry about the box office this time, right? Since Seo-jun is the main lead.”

“Yeah, right.”

Her colleague smiled and continued.

“His name alone attracts a lot of views, so the reporters are actually sending us emails first. They’re asking for good sources.”

“Did you write about that? Director Min and Seo-jun meeting at Han River.”

“They said they’ll write about it later.”

“What about him meeting Kim Jong-ho and Lee Ji-seok at Busan filming site?”

“They said they’ll release it with the Hanpan team.”

Lee Yoon-ju blinked and asked.

“…Then what are they promoting now?”

“Basic information about the cast and the director? That's why they're so noisy. There's nothing else to tell.”

Lee Yoon-ju and her colleague started to prepare for work while chatting.

“By the way, when do you have time? I promised to buy you a meal.”

“Did you get the prize?”

“Yeah. They gave it right away.”

Her colleague's eyes sparkled and Lee Yoon-ju smiled brightly.

She was the winner of the Seo-jun fanlight contest.

“They said they’ll explain about the contract in two days. At Cocoa Entertainment. So I'm going to take a half day off.”

“A half day off?”

Her colleague blinked and then chuckled.

“Why don't you just say it's a business trip?”

“A business trip?”

Her colleague nodded with an amused expression.

“It's not just any fanlight, it's Seo-jun's fanlight. And you’re the first place winner! It looks like something that can be used for publicity, don't you think? The winner of the fanlight contest is a movie company employee! And she works for the production company of the movie he's filming right now!”

Lee Yoon-ju tilted her head.

“Do you think that will work?”

“Just try it. It's a weaker but more interesting story than the Han River and Busan episodes.”

Lee Yoon-ju hesitated and then headed towards the planning team leader.

The nearby employees who heard their conversation looked at her with curiosity.

“Excuse me, team leader.”

“Hmm?”

The planning team leader looked up and Lee Yoon-ju opened her mouth with an awkward expression.

She wondered if it was okay to mix her fangirling with her work.

The planning team leader listened to Lee Yoon-ju's story with a puzzled look and then his eyes widened.

“Seo-jun's fanlight?”

“Yes.”

“First place?”

“Yes.”

He nodded repeatedly at Lee Yoon-ju's answer and then reached for his phone. He seemed to be contacting the publicity team.

“Let's start with an interview.”

It worked.

***

Two days later.

Today was the day when Lee Yoon-ju would get an explanation about the use and contract of Seo-jun's fanlight design.

She arrived at Cocoa Entertainment after leaving for a business trip.

She felt nervous as she saw the agency that she had only seen in pictures.

“He has a filming today…”

She couldn't help but know Seo-jun's schedule as a movie company employee. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

As soon as she entered Cocoa Entertainment, an employee came up to her as if he had been waiting for her.

He checked her photo and name and was about to guide her when he noticed that her eyes were drawn elsewhere.

He smiled slightly.

At the end of Lee Yoon-ju's gaze, there were photos of Cocoa Entertainment's celebrities filling up the lobby wall.

From ‘Blue Moon’, a boy group that debuted in September this year and topped the charts as a rising star, to ‘Brown Black’, a singer who everyone wanted to go to his concert at least once.

And on the opposite side, there were photos of actor Seo-jun from his works.

They were so big that they caught her attention.

Lee Yoon-ju was mesmerized by them and the employee waited for a moment.

“Can I take a picture of this?”

“Yes. It's okay.”

He nodded with a smile and Lee Yoon-ju gleamed as she took a picture in front of [Survivors]'s photo.

She took a satisfying picture and followed the employee.

She thought they were going to a meeting room or something, but she froze at the sign that she saw.

[Practice Room]

[Seo-jun]

Lee Yoon-ju rolled her eyes and looked at the employee.

He smiled as he saw her trembling but sparkling eyes.

“Seo-jun wanted to meet you in person, but he couldn't because of his filming schedule.”

Hmm.

She couldn't say it, but she already knew that. But she kept her mouth shut.

It felt weird to say that she was a Dahong employee now.

“So he wanted to show you his practice room at least.”

“Wow. Can I go in?”

‘Wasn't I supposed to just see it from outside?’

She was surprised and the employee laughed and continued.

“You can't take pictures, though.”

He said that and took out a card and walked to the door lock.

He explained that only a few people were registered in Cocoa Entertainment as he opened the door.

The first thing that came into Lee Yoon-ju's eyes as she entered was,

A camera.

There were about ten black cameras.

They looked more intimidating than the ones she had seen at the movie filming sites.

“There are some on the ceiling too…”

It seemed like the actor wanted to capture every angle, and Lee Yoon-ju felt her heart pounding.

As she entered the practice room, she felt something else.

The lenses of the cameras installed all over the place surrounded the center of the practice room, as if there was a spotlight on that spot.

She could tell who was standing there at a glance.

“The setting is the same as the last time Seo-jun filmed here.”

She could imagine Seo-jun practicing in this place.

He would practice here and read the script there.

‘Wow. There's a script too!’

The script and the pen on the table looked like they had been used just before.

She also noticed a small refrigerator and some snacks.

She felt like she knew what snacks Seo-jun liked.

As she looked around the practice room with a thrilled expression, the employee said to her.

“We can record a video for you now. Do you want us to do that? We can edit it and send it to you right after the meeting.”

“Uh. Me? There?”

Lee Yoon-ju was startled and took two steps back, pointing at the center of the practice room with her finger.

“Yes. He filmed there a few minutes ago. Some people didn't film, though.”

She hesitated for a moment at the employee's words and then nodded. She wanted to keep a video like this since she couldn't take pictures.

“The front camera is this one. It's a video, so feel free to move around.”

She followed the employee's words and moved awkwardly here and there.

The video that she filmed appeared on the monitor that Seo-jun always watched (he said he checked his videos like this) and Lee Yoon-ju buried her face in her palms.

‘…I can't do this twice.’

***

After the Cocoa Entertainment tour, Lee Yoon-ju headed to the meeting room.

There was still plenty of time left, but there were already some people in the meeting room.

“Hello.”

“Nice to meet you.”

They felt a bit awkward as they ranged from middle school students to middle-aged office workers, but they quickly got along as they had something in common: Seo-jun.

“You made the Snowball fanlight as a student? Didn't [Snowball] air before you were born?”

“Not that much. I was six years old.”

The others exclaimed at the middle school student's words.

“My parents said I watched it live, but I only remember some scenes now. So I watched it again. Which design is yours?”

“Me? I'm William.”

“Wow! That was so cute!”

They talked about Seo-jun's works regardless of their age and gender, and they couldn't be happier. Their interest soon shifted to Lee Yoon-ju.

“How did you come up with changing the models? Thanks to that, other works also have goods now. I'm so happy.”

“True. There were hardly any official goods except for [Shadowman] series.”

They nodded at her words as they looked around the practice room.

“Did you see the practice room? I've never seen an actor's practice room before. Do they usually practice with so many cameras?”

“I don't think so. They usually film with one or two cameras…”

“Wow. I think I would get camera phobia.”

“I felt a chill when I saw Seo-jun's determination not to miss a single mistake.”

“Me too! But isn't that cool?”

The middle school student's words made everyone nod at the same time.

“Did you film a video?”

“I couldn't do it twice.”

They laughed in agreement at Lee Yoon-ju's sigh-like words.

As they were having fun talking, they heard a knock on the door.

They stopped talking and looked at the door.

The door opened and a man with a gentle smile came into the meeting room.

“Nice to meet you. I'm Ahn Da Ho, seo-jun's manager.”

Ahn Da Ho was the manager who had been working with Seo-jun since he was young.

‘Didn't he have a filming today?’

Then he shouldn't be here, right? The fans looked puzzled and Ahn Da Ho smiled brightly.

“Seo-jun wanted me to tell you this personally. Another staff member went to the filming site, so it's okay.”

He sent Ahn Da Ho on purpose.

The fans smiled unknowingly at Seo-jun's thoughtfulness.

“He also signed some posters for you, so I’ll give them to you after the meeting.”

They were genuinely happy at his words and Ahn Da Ho looked at them with a smile.

He started to explain about the use and contract of the fanlight design.

It would be produced in two types: basic [Sprout] fanlight and replaceable [Work-specific] models.

The [Sprout] fanlight would be decided by Cocoa Entertainment, while the [Work-specific] models would be discussed by Cocoa Entertainment and the copyright holders.

“We don't plan to set a high price as we know that the buyers are fans.”

Lee Yoon-ju and other fans also nodded as they had designed the fanlights just because they liked Seo-jun, not to make money.

“I think the other works will also have similar prices.”

Ahn Da Ho finished his explanation and handed out the contracts.

“Please take them and check them and send them back to Cocoa Entertainment. If you have any questions, please contact me by phone or email.”

They skimmed through the contracts and they seemed to be the same as what Ahn Da Ho had said.

The fans nodded.

***

[Happy New Year everyone!]

[People flock to the east coast to see the sunrise on New Year's Day!]

[Cocoa Entertainment's ‘Blue Moon’ sweeps the rookie awards!]

[The idol powerhouse! Let's find out about Cocoa Entertainment's system!]

-It's already a new year. Happy New Year everyone!

-I started this year listening to Concerto For Two Violins!

=222 The song is so cute.

-Cocoa Entertainment makes good idols.

=22 They seem to do well with every group they debut. Blue Moon's songs are good too.

-There's someone who's the same age as Seo-jun in Blue Moon, right?

=ㅇㅇ And they go to the same school. Mirinae High School.

=I wonder what it feels like to be friends with Seo-jun.

-I want to be an idol and join Cocoa Entertainment. Please tell me how!

[Actor Seo-jun's next work, ‘Travel (tentative title)’ wraps up filming!]

[The identity of the first place winner of actor Seo-jun's fanlight contest?!]

[The connection between movie production company Dahong and actor Seo-jun!]

-Wow. They already wrapped up! Will they release it this year?

=Wrap up means they finished filming. But they haven't edited it yet.

-I proved it! Sprouts are everywhere!

=22 I think there might be some on the bus I'm on right now…!

-Then does the first place winner see Seo-jun every day?! I'm jealous!

=They said they only saw him at the audition because they're in the planning team.

=Oh… I see… (Future dream: movie production company employee (X))

=ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Seo-jun's practice room tour review is up (link)

=They couldn't upload a video so they drew a pictureㅋㅋ

=But they drew wellㅋㅋ Teddy bearㅋㅋ

=The cute [Permission granted!]

-Holy. Why do they film with cameras in front, back, left, right, top and bottom?

=22 There are 12 split screensㅎㄷㄷ

=333 My eyes would pop out watching that.

=444 I don't want him to look at me from all sides like that;;;

-Is this why he's good at acting…

=But Seo-jun was good even when he didn't have a practice room.

-I feel like there will be a lot of academies that follow Seo-jun's practice room.

=22 Cameras will sell a lot.