Superstar From Age 0

“See you in Seoul. Uncle Jong-ho. Ji-seok hyung.”

“Have a safe trip!”

The day they left after finishing filming the movie [One Shot].

Seo-jun and Kim Han-seok said goodbye to Kim Jong-ho and Lee Ji-seok a little away from the staff who were loading their luggage on the bus.

Ahn Da Ho and the managers were talking about the photos taken by the assistant director of [One Shot].

“Seo-jun and Han-seok did well in filming. Let's go eat something delicious when the filming is over.”

“Yes!”

Kim Han-seok's eyes sparkled at Lee Ji-seok's words.

Kim Jong-ho looked at Seo-jun, who nodded his head, with a worried expression.

“Seo-jun, take good care of your health.”

“Don't worry, uncle.”

Seo-jun smiled brightly and answered.

Soon, the bus carrying the [One Shot] filming team moved and two cars carrying the two actors followed.

Seo-jun, who had been watching them for a while, soon opened his mouth with a smile.

“Han-seok, let's go up.”

“Yes!”

When Seo-jun and Kim Han-seok, who had seen off the two actors, returned to ‘Kwon Yoon-chan's house’, the staff were starting to prepare for filming.

“Let's go change our clothes.”

“Yes.”

Seo-jun and Kim Han-seok changed their clothes and sat down in a place that would not interfere with the filming preparation and read the script.

Especially today, Kim Han-seok had a scene where he had to be emotionally intense, so he seemed more focused than usual.

Meanwhile, water was spraying from the sprinkler that had been prepared because the fire truck could not enter.

When directed to the sky, it looked like rain.

Director Min Hee-kyung nodded her head as she watched the rainy scene on the monitor.

“We’ll start filming!”

Kim Han-seok tried not to forget the emotion he had brought up and opened his umbrella.

Seo-jun also smiled and opened his umbrella.

“Ready, action!”

The entrance of Daldongne.

Two umbrellas were climbing up the hill in harmony.

It was Jung Ga-ram and Kwon Yoon-chan who had gone to a slightly far mart that had a special sale today.

The two boys carrying a carton of eggs and vinyl bags filled with food ingredients moved their steps slowly.

“The big mart was cheap. And there were many kinds.”

“There were some things that were cheaper here. I'm going to buy them tomorrow.”

“Really?”

Wow.

Kwon Yoon-chan coughed at Jung Ga-ram's admiration.

“What are we going to eat for dinner?”

“There's not much we can do…”

Kwon Yoon-chan and Jung Ga-ram listed various menus as they moved their steps.

The steep road and heavy load made their steps heavy, but their faces were bright.

“It would be nice to cook with fire in the yard…”

Jung Ga-ram stopped talking as he walked.

Kwon Yoon-chan, who was walking avoiding puddles, lifted his head.

Jung Ga-ram was looking ahead with his eyes blinking.

Kwon Yoon-chan also turned his head to look at where Jung Ga-ram's gaze was heading.

“…Did we leave our gate open?”

The gate that was rusty and didn't open well, the gate that didn't open even in strong winds, was half open.

“? I'm sure we closed it when we left…!”

Kwon Yoon-chan's face turned pale in an instant as he answered with a puzzled look.

Then he threw away the umbrella and vinyl bag he was holding and ran towards the house.

“…Kwon Yoon-chan?”

Jung Ga-ram, who was confused by Kwon Yoon-chan's behavior, alternately looked at the open gate and the things scattered on the ground and picked them up carefully.

He felt uneasy for some reason at the eggs that were half broken.

When he entered through the gate, all the doors were wide open.

The yard that was well organized, the kitchen where cooking utensils were lined up.

The refrigerator seemed to have been turned upside down.

Jung Ga-ram looked around the house with a bewildered face.

…It seemed like a thief had broken in.

Kwon Yoon-chan came out of Jung Ga-ram's room.

His face was flushed red and his neck muscles were tense.

He clenched his teeth and looked like he was angry.

His fists were clenched tightly.

“…Was it a thief?”

At that word, Kwon Yoon-chan's eyes, which seemed to be staring at somewhere far away, turned to Jung Ga-ram.

The eyes that were burning fiercely cooled down in an instant.

He buried his face in his palms as he sat down on the floor and lowered his head. He wiped his face and covered his face with his palms.

His shoulders were bent.

Kwon Yoon-chan blamed himself. He had no face to see Jung Ga-ram.

It hadn't been a month since he came… So he thought he would come later.

He thought he would come after Jung Ga-ram left… He let his guard down.

“I'm sorry…the laptop…”

Jung Ga-ram, who didn't know what to do, opened his mouth calmly.

“Let's report it to the police first.”

“I'm sorry…”

“What are you sorry for? You said a thief broke in on the first day, but it's my fault for not being careful. It's lucky that we took our wallets with us.”

“I'm sorry…”

Kwon Yoon-chan, who was soaked in the rain, could not lift his head and repeated only the words of apology.

“It's okay. I didn't have anything important on the laptop anyway. I have the videos I took on my phone.”

At Jung Ga-ram's words, Kwon Yoon-chan bit his lips hard.

He had to tell his friend honestly. But he couldn't say anything as if something was stuck in his throat.

“Let's clean this up first. It's heavy.”

Kwon Yoon-chan couldn't lift his head even at Jung Ga-ram's words, holding a vinyl bag.

“…Ga-ram.”

“Huh?”

“…It's my father…”

Jung Ga-ram couldn't say anything to Kwon Yoon-chan's words, which were mixed with resentment, anger, and regret, as he buried his face in his palms.

The sound of rain was heard.

“Cut, okay!”

At the sound of cut, Kim Han-seok's breathing slowly calmed down.

It took time to calm down as his emotions were intense.

He even shed a tear or two.

“Han-seok, can you give me a wet tissue?”

“…Yes. Just one please.”

Unlike Kim Han-seok, seo-jun was already fine. Kim Han-seok looked at him with a curious face.

***

“Ready, action!”

…!

Uh?

Kwon Yoon-chan opened his eyes slightly as if he heard something.

It was a faint sound, so he wondered if a cat had come in.

He was too tired to think further.

‘…Should I grill mackerel tomorrow.’

It seemed like Jung Ga-ram hadn't eaten well for a few days.

Well, the menus he could make were similar, so he thought he might get bored.

The grandfather who lived next door said that grilled fish was best on a grill, so he thought it would be nice to grill it in the yard.

He listened for a moment and heard nothing.

As expected.

It must have been a cat.

Kwon Yoon-chan closed his heavy eyelids as the sound faded away.

He felt like he finally understood what it meant to live with someone who made him not feel lonely tomorrow.

‘Tomorrow…’

Kwon Yoon-chan's lips curled up softly as he looked forward to tomorrow.

***

Ugh…!

Jung Ga-ram clenched his lips.

The pain that suddenly came in his sleep gave him no time to prepare.

He curled up in agony, but it was no use.

Every time he moved a millimeter, his whole body felt like it was being stabbed, burned, and frozen.

His hands that held the blanket trembled.

His body was soaked with cold sweat and his vision turned white, unable to see anything.

‘Pain… painkillers…’

That was the only thing on his mind.

He reached out his hand frantically, feeling like he was sinking into a deep swamp.

He couldn't balance himself. Jung Ga-ram's body swayed.

The water bottle and cup that he had placed by his bedside seemed far away.

“Hu… huk… huk…”

A second of pain felt like a year.

The pain that started from somewhere unknown spread throughout his body.

He could only think of the word ‘pain’.

It was enough to make him cry involuntarily.

He couldn't breathe properly and forgot how to breathe normally.

He could see how hard it was to reach those few centimeters, his fingers trembling as they barely touched the tray.

Jung Ga-ram writhed in pain.

He reached out desperately, as if grabbing a lifeline, and after brushing it a few times, he finally touched the tray.

Jung Ga-ram hooked his fingers on the tray and pulled it.

The water bottle fell over in his haste.

A loud noise rang out.

He held his breath, afraid that Kwon Yoon-chan would open the door and come in.

He didn't want to be found out yet.

He wanted to be the last person to face ‘healthy’ Jung Ga-ram.

Cold water soaked the floor.

He scooped up the water with both hands, looking for the pill bottle.

He could see it faintly, but he couldn't grab it well.

He finally got hold of the white pill bottle.

Jung Ga-ram tried to open the bottle with his trembling hands, but he couldn't open it properly in his haste.

He suppressed his pain and opened the lid, then turned it over.

He didn't have the mind to take one at a time.

He swallowed the white pills with the remaining water in the bottle, without caring about how many came out.

He couldn't make a sound in pain until the pills took effect in his body.

He just tried to breathe consciously to clear his blocked breath and filled his white head with happy memories.

He tried to divert his attention from the pain to something else.

He took the pills, so he would be fine. He would be fine.

Slowly, very slowly.

Jung Ga-ram's face, which had been grimacing, began to relax.

Finally, as the pain subsided, he came to his senses.

He realized that he was leaning against the wall.

Jung Ga-ram opened his tearful eyes with difficulty.

In his blurry vision, he saw the messy bed and the water spilled on the floor, the white pills melting in the water, and the overturned water bottle and cup.

The traces of his struggle for survival were clearly left in the room.

He could tell by looking at the pills scattered outside that there weren't many left in the bottle.

He stared blankly at them and closed his eyes again.

He had no strength to move.

He felt hopeless as the pain disappeared.

Tears fell silently on his pale face.

‘Tomorrow…’

The few pills left seemed like his last days.

Jung Ga-ram was afraid of tomorrow.

***

Was it filming or watching?

Seo-jun looked thinner and weaker in contrast to the light coming through the window and the darkness of the room.

“Cut, okay!”

The director Min Hee-kyung, who was staring at him in awe, came to her senses and raised her voice.

The heavy silence that filled the set broke with her voice.

The staff and Kim Han-seok, who were watching from outside through monitors, swallowed their saliva.

It was a scene without a single line of dialogue, but it was more impressive than anything spoken.

‘As expected of Seo-jun.’

And this amazing actor looked perfectly fine, even smiling, as he received an ice pack from his manager and headed towards the monitor.

“Sit here. Seo-jun hyung.”

“Thanks.”

Kim Han-seok quickly gave up his seat.

As Seo-jun watched the footage again, the cheerful cinematographer looked nervous for some reason.

He was worried that he might have messed up the shot of such a great performance by the actor.

“Did it come out well?”

Seo-jun nodded at the director's question.

“Yes. It came out really well. How about going straight to the close-up shot?”

“Okay, let's do that.”

The cinematographer smiled, unable to hide his rising lips, at the satisfied actor.

Seo-jun cooled his eyes with ice and waited for the set to be ready again. Director Min Hee-kyung looked at the monitor again.

“Director. We have a problem.”

“Huh? Did something go wrong? Is there a flaw?”

The cinematographer, who was smiling brightly, widened his eyes at the director's words.

“I don't think I’ll be satisfied with anyone else I work with from now on.”

He felt like his standards for actors would be much higher after seeing such a performance with his own eyes.

The director's words were full of sincerity.

The cinematographer sighed and then chuckled, nodding his head.

“That might be true. Director Woo also had a hard time choosing actors.”

“Director Woo too?”

“Seo-jun was good even in the past.”

It made sense.

The set was ready soon.

The staff gathered around the monitor where the director was sitting to see the close-up shot.

Kim Han-seok sat in the closest seat and brightened his eyes.

Inside the room.

Seo-jun lay under the blanket and looked at his palm.

There was a crocodile pattern with its mouth open on his palm.

[(Evil) Mist Swamp Guardian's Harvest-High]

You can materialize the mist swamp for a certain period of time.

[Caution] You cannot escape from the mist swamp.

The mist swamp in Seo-jun's previous life was literally a place that was ‘connected’ to life and death.

If you could get out of the mist swamp, you lived, and if you stayed in the mist swamp, you died.

The problem was that it was very rare to get out alive.

That's why the mist swamp was synonymous with the underworld in that world.

Seo-jun's previous life, a crocodile-shaped beastman who was a guardian, managed the mist swamp and moved the dead who had completely dried up to a new place to be reborn, a being that looked like a god of the underworld to some.

But he was more of a manager who lived in the underworld than a god who ruled over it.

“Ready.”

[[(Evil) Mist Swamp Guardian's Harvest-High] temporarily lowers its rank.]

[(Evil) Mist Swamp Guardian's Harvest-Low] is activated.]

[(Evil) Mist Swamp Guardian's Harvest-Low]

A faint mist of death flows out.

Your movement becomes heavy as if you are submerged in a shallow swamp.

Seo-jun wanted to feel not only death but also the fierce feeling between life and death.

Like those who struggled to survive in the mist swamp.

“Action!”