Superstar From Age 0

“Ah, I'm home. Dad must have gone out.”

Charlie's voice came from across the phone, followed by the sound of opening the door.

He seemed to have arrived home safely.

“Okay? Say hello to your dad for me.”

“I will. The film festival was fun.”

Charlie's words made Seo-jun smile slightly.

“I think I had too many schedules to enjoy it properly.”

“When will I ever get to participate as a guest? It was so much fun, so don't worry. Or we can just hang out together with Grace next time.”

“Should we?”

Seo-jun smiled as he recalled the two young werewolves and one witch from his childhood.

“By the way, I heard that the novel written by Grace's sister is being made into a movie, right?”

“Yeah. That's what I heard. They already cast all the actors, I think.”

“Didn't you get the script?”

Seo-jun shrugged.

“I didn't.”

“Really? It would have been fun if you were in it. The main character is based on us, you know.”

“Well. The novel was interesting, but I don't know how it would be as a script… It's hard.”

“That's not something you should say, who adapted a novel into a play.”

Seo-jun laughed at Charlie's joking remark. Charlie also laughed and then said in a slightly regretful tone.

“So Grace couldn't tell you, huh?”

Seo-jun remembered Grace's cheerful talk about how she wished Seo-jun would star in her sister's novel.

Her sister, Laura Walton, who was also a writer, agreed with her idea.

“It's not like the movie production depends on the author or the author's sister's opinion, so there's no need to worry too much… I was going to refuse if I didn't like the script anyway.”

“You should tell her that.”

“I should. I’ll call her later.”

“Are you still at the airport?”

“Yeah. I'm waiting at the lounge.”

Airport lounge.

Somehow, he ended up returning with the teams of [One Shot] and [Flowing Away].

Some of them went shopping and some were enjoying the snacks prepared at the lounge and contacting someone.

Kim Han-seok, who was sitting next to Seo-jun, was having a lively conversation with his parents.

“Dad, Korea is so noisy, oh, dad.”

“Jun?”

“Yeah.”

“Hello. Uncle.”

“Long time no see. Jun. Congratulations on winning the Golden Palme d'Or Award.”

Seo-jun smiled and thanked him.

***

A little later.

The plane that departed from France arrived in Korea.

The airport was filled with flashing camera flashes and cheers from reporters and people who welcomed the actors and directors who returned home.

The security guards and bodyguards were tense as if an accident would happen at any moment due to the excited people.

Then, a sweet floral scent filled the airport.

And soon after, the explosive atmosphere calmed down.

Lee Ji-seok, who was moving under the guidance of the bodyguards, smiled slyly.

“As expected, it was good to come in with Seo-jun.”

“That's right.”

Kim Jong-ho and other related people also unknowingly admired the ‘Lee Seo-jun airport effect’.

[Golden Palme d'Or Award ‘Flowing Away’, Director Min Hee-kyung, actors Lee Seo-jun, Kim Han-seok return home!]

[Grand Prix ‘One Shot’, director Kim Joo-hyung, actors Lee Ji-seok, Kim Jong-ho return home!]

-I told you to have a good trip, but you really did have a great trip!

=I thought they would win some awards, but they swept them all!

-Seo-jun, congratulations!!

***

“Wow. It's crazy.”

The entertainment reporter looked at the movie release schedule for the next two weeks.

“On the 29th, one Shot will be released and on the 30th, Flowing Away will be released, and on June 5th, suryeo will be released. Next week will be busy.”

“But is it okay to release them all at once?”

The rookie reporter asked and the senior reporter answered.

“They want to attract audiences while the Cannes Film Festival buzz is still there. That's why some movies that were invited to Cannes hurriedly postponed their release dates.”

It was hard to ignore the promotional effect of being invited to Cannes.

“Besides, considering the actors involved, they must have expected some awards too.”

“They probably didn't expect it to be the Golden Palme d'Or Award though.”

“We didn't either.”

The reporters nodded seriously when the rookie reporter shouted.

“There's a press release from Dahong!”

“That one? The one that director Min said in her acceptance speech.”

“Yes.”

The acceptance speech that had to be shortened because of the fixed time limit had many abbreviated parts.

So the public wanted to know more details.

The reporter read down the press releases that the rookie reporter brought.

The other reporters also printed one each and sat down.

The first story was fascinating.

“The production company that rejected Director Min's work must be regretting it. They missed a work that won the Golden Palme d'Or Award right in front of them…”

“Well, if they gave good feedback, the director might have gone to that company with a new work. If they thought the director would quit after coming back from that company, they wouldn't have said such nice things… Where was it?”

Someone spat out the name of a production company.

The rookie reporter looked at him with curiosity.

“How do you know?”

“That company was in chaos when Director Min won the award. Who dealt with Director Min, how could they not see the script. It was such a mess that the story leaked out.”

“Didn't the story come out a bit before? When Lee Seo-jun and Director Min Hee-kyung's names came up.”

“They were pretty fierce then too.”

“I wonder what the script that was rejected was like… Will they not release it?”

“I don't think so.”

The next story was also equally fascinating.

“They thought he was an unknown actor? Looking at Lee Seo-jun?”

“Not recognizing Lee Seo-jun is quite common.”

“Really?”

“The play Mirror, no, the novel Mirror, right? When they had a book concert, the writer and the publisher's staff didn't recognize him either. And others too.”

The rookie reporter nodded at that. He had read a lot of articles about that when the play [Mirror] came out.

“Well, it's surprising to recognize him when he's an actor who won an Oscar and a Golden Palme d'Or Award as a child and acts like a normal person on purpose.”

“Some Hollywood actor was mistaken for a real beggar and someone even gave him money.”

There were light laughs here and there at the famous anecdote.

“Are those the kids from Mirinae Arts High School? They must have made that short film for their graduation performance last year.”

“Do you think Lee Seo-jun was in it?”

“If Lee Seo-jun was in it, it would have swept all the short film festivals and been shown in theaters. And uploaded on Plus+ too.”

They continued to talk about various interesting stories, but the most intriguing one was the audition.

“Lee Seo-jun was a candidate, but they still held an audition. Director Min Hee-kyung has some guts.”

“Maybe that's what it takes to win the Golden Palme d'Or Award.”

It sounded like a novel.

“A failed director meets an unknown actor by chance at the Han River and decides to make her last work with him. She prefers the unknown actor over the superstar and holds an audition. But the unknown actor turns out to be the superstar himself.”

“That would have been fun enough, but then they won the Golden Palme d'Or Award too…”

“They were the first ones to win the acting award at Cannes too.”

“Of course. Lee Seo-jun always brings a lot of buzz. Acting and script-reading skills are important, but a star needs to have some scandals too.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Come on, let's upload it.”

The other places must have received the press release too, so there was no time to talk at length.

They put their hands on the keyboard and wrote several articles based on the press release and uploaded them.

[‘The Connection Between Director Min Hee-kyung and Actor Lee Seo-jun!’]

[‘When Coincidence Becomes Necessity, and Necessity Becomes Destiny!’]

[‘The Han River: Where the Golden Palme d'Or Award Winners First Met!’]

As soon as they were uploaded, the views went up rapidly.

“It's a happy ending!”

A rookie reporter who empathized with the failed director after reading the press release said. The other reporters chuckled.

“It's not over yet.”

“What?”

“It's all for one thing.”

The rookie reporter blinked at the incomprehensible words.

“Box office.”

Someone said, and everyone added their opinions.

“Just because they won an award at Cannes doesn't mean they're guaranteed to be a hit. There are so many movies that flopped.”

“They’ll get some publicity effect for a few days after the release, but word of mouth is still the most important.”

“They can't relax until the end if they want a perfect happy ending.”

“Well, they’ll be fine as long as they have some buzz.”

Lee Seo-jun's movie flops.

The rookie reporter felt dizzy as he imagined the articles that would pour out.

***

“The reviews for One Shot are amazing.”

Song Yu-jung opened her mouth at Lim Ye-na's words.

“Really?” 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

“The action scenes are awesome, but the twist is mind-blowing.”

Song Yu-jung lifted up the poster for One Shot. It had a promotional phrase saying that it won the Grand Prix at Cannes, along with a picture of Lee Ji-seok smiling cheekily and Kim Jong-ho looking serious.

“Should we watch it later?”

“Let's do that.”

Song Yu-jung put down the poster for One Shot and reached for the one next to it. It was for Flowing Away, the movie they came to see today.

“One poster each is enough, right?”

“Yeah. We can get more when we come back for another round.”

“But they look like everyday photos and magazine photos at the same time.”

“I know, right?”

There were three posters for Flowing Away, each with a branch of golden Palme d'Or leaves on one side.

One showed Lee Seo-jun holding a selfie stick and filming at night at Suwon Hwaseong Fortress with a huge moon-shaped balloon in the background.

Another showed Lee Seo-jun standing and smiling on a red maple leaf road.

The last one showed Lee Seo-jun and Kim Han-seok sitting side by side on a wooden floor in front of an old house, laughing happily.

“It must be a healing movie.”

“But can a healing movie make you cry so much? There were so many stories about people crying at Cannes.”

The movie's reception at Cannes was also a hot topic as it won the Golden Palme d'Or Award.

People who posted reviews without spoilers and reporters who translated them into articles made everyone bring a handful of tissues. Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na did too.

“A healing movie can also be called a healing movie, but you know what that means.”

Lim Ye-na smiled slyly.

“A deadly harmful movie.”

“…That sounds very unsettling…”

Not only Song Yu-jung, but also the people around them swallowed their saliva unconsciously.

“It's not like Survivor's Director's Cut, is it?”

“I don't think so. The Director's Cut had mixed reactions, but this one has good reviews.”

“Oh. Right.”

Song Yu-jung sighed in relief. The people who were listening also did the same.

“Screen 1! Those who are going to watch Flowing Away, please enter now!”

As the staff's voice was heard, song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na got up from their seats and headed to Screen 1. Everyone else also moved to Screen 1.

Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na sat down in their seats and waited for the movie to start with excited faces. The ads came on and the broadcast informed them of the emergency exits.

“Lately, I've been paying more attention to One Step since it's been on TV a lot. Right?”

“Yeah.”

The other audience members also seemed to be focused.

After they memorized the emergency exits, the theater slowly darkened. Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na looked at the screen that turned black. White letters appeared.

[This fall.]

[I decided to go on a trip.]

[My destination was the sea.]

The sound of a pen scratching paper and a boy's soft voice came along. Song Yu-jung and Lim Ye-na's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

And two hours later.

The door of the theater opened and the staff shouted.

“Anyone need tissues?”

***

[One Shot: Action scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat!]

[Bring tissues, not water! Flowing Away will drain all the moisture from your body!]

[Suryeo: A zombie movie set in Joseon era! A huge hit!]

[Don't spoil the twist of Flowing Away! Marina Studio level?!]

[To watch or not to watch, the spoiler war of Flowing Away!]

[One Shot×Flowing Away×Suryeo, which one should you watch?]

-Suryeo) The zombies are escape zombies? That's why they're professionals.

=Professionals lol But it was really scary.

=I was hooked from the first scene with the zombie.

-One Shot) Lee Ji-seok and Kim Jong-ho were so fierce.

=22 But the tension was so high that my heart was pounding.

=I saw some hidden foreshadowing when I watched it again. It was so fun.

=Yeah, that subtle.

-Flowing Away) I cried so much. I ran out of tissues.

=22 Seriously, Lee Seo-jun's acting is too good…

-I can't even say anything. Everything sounds like a spoiler.

=The only thing we can say now is, the scenery was nice? The kids were cute?

=lol Everything except the beginning is a spoiler.

=Exactly. One word can ruin everything!

-I wish time would pass faster…

=It would be okay to talk about it when the audience reviews come out.

=I'm telling everyone around me to go watch the movie.

=222 It's better to watch it without knowing anything.

-Should I watch some movies that were invited to Cannes? They all seem to suit my taste.

=I don't think so. They’re just good movies.

=22 By the way, there were four Korean movies invited this year.

=…Where did one go?

=It was released earlier than One Shot but it flopped.

=…Oh.

-But didn't Kwon Yoon-chan's house appear in One Shot?

=22 I thought it looked familiar too.

=333 I watched both movies several times and I saw it too.

=Kwon Yoon-chan's house is in One Shot???

=?Why are you talking about that here??

“It's out.”

“Then I’ll send out the press release right away.”

The production company of Flowing Away and the distributor of One Shot secretly smiled and sent out the press release they had been waiting to reveal since they took pictures together.