Superstar From Age 0

-Isn't it time for that story to come out?

=What story?

=Lee Seo-jun's graduation performance.

=Oh. I forgot about that. Thanks. Are you a fan of Lee Seo-jun?

=I'm not a fan of Lee Seo-jun, but I'm looking forward to his work.

=Lol, you’re not a fan, but you’re waiting for the date like this? Lol

=22, the news hasn't even come out yet. Lol

-But I'm curious now that you mention it.

=Three years ago, there were rumors in the acting academy.

=Maybe this time, some acquaintances who go to the acting academy will bring us some gossip?

=I don't have anyone around me. T. T

-Is it an existing play this time? Or another adaptation?

=I hope it's an adaptation. Discovering interesting novels!

=222, I enjoyed watching Mirror.

=333, I can read books! The author of Mirror also wrote a fun next work.

=Oh. Did the next work come out?

-There was a preview that said it could be a movie. Will it be a movie?

=I hope it's a play! I want to go see the official performance. T. T

=22, I want to see Lee Seo-jun's acting in person.

-(Two)I got some info(two)

=Wow!

=I've been waiting for this!

=Info 1. It's a play.

=Wow! A play! Can I look forward to an official performance?

=I expected this.

=22, he said he would do a play in Moviegoer's interview. (Link to the video of Moviegoer's interview with Lee Seo-jun & Evan Block at Cannes Film Festival)

=Info 2. The genre is SF.

=? SF??

=I didn't expect this at all;;;

=A SF play… I can't imagine it.

=Info 3. Lee Seo-jun's original play.

=What??

=A play written by Seo-jun??

=This is the most surprising thing…

=There's also information about the audition characters, but I don't think that's very important, so I won't tell you.

=Wow. Thanks for avoiding spoilers!

-But can we trust that?

=222, both the genre and the creation part are hard to believe.

=333, it's too random.

-I heard the same story, and it's true.

=22, Lee Seo-jun's original SF play.

The news about Lee Seo-jun's next work, his graduation performance at Mirinae Arts High School, began to circulate on the internet.

Naturally, the reporters who were thirsty for topics sparkled their eyes. Lee Seo-jun's next work was enough to make headlines, but the content was also intriguing.

“A play is a play, but… SF…”

“It's a rare genre for a play.”

If the play became an official performance, there was a possibility that ordinary people could see Lee Seo-jun's acting directly with their own eyes, and the genre was SF that aroused curiosity.

It was natural that reporters paid attention to Seo-jun's news every time it was mentioned.

“But the most important thing is this.”

“Lee Seo-jun's original work.”

There was silence in the office for a moment. Someone exclaimed from their mouth.

“Original? I didn't even think about it. But seeing how he adapted Mirror, he seems to be good at writing scripts.”

“Writing is a bit different from adapting… but somehow I trust him? I have faith that Lee Seo-jun will do well.”

“I wonder what kind of work Lee Seo-jun made.”

The public probably felt the same way as the reporters.

“But isn't it amazing? Other actors don't do this kind of thing.”

Indeed, even if it was a school activity, most of them had separate writers or directors, and it was rare for an actor to roll up their sleeves and adapt and create scripts themselves.

“Usually, the agency would stop them. How much money would Lee Seo-jun make with his works? If he makes one mistake, it could damage his reputation that he has built up so far.”

The reporters nodded in agreement.

“If it were my actor, I wouldn't make such a risky choice and keep his reputation as it is. I don't know what Cocoa Entertainment is thinking.”

“It's okay because he's still a student… It's an age where he can try things out.”

Then someone's voice was heard.

“Cocoa Entertainment contacted me. They said it's all true!”

At that word, the reporters finally started uploading their articles.

They decided to go through the verification process before posting articles because they remembered what happened three years ago when there were false reports of Seo-jun's appearance in [Juror] and they lost their credibility with the news of the new member recruitment for [Blue Moon].

Of course, there were also reporters who uploaded articles without checking.

Fortunately, it was not difficult to verify the content.

It was also leaked from the academies that the Mirinae Arts High School students attended (art, music, acting, etc.), and Cocoa Entertainment did not hide it either.

That's how the news about Lee Seo-jun's graduation performance started to come out as articles, and the reporters smiled satisfactorily as they saw the rising views.

The comments were also good because they said they confirmed the information from Cocoa Entertainment.

“By the way, isn't it amazing? If it's a graduation performance, it means that Lee Seo-jun is already a senior in high school… Which university will Lee Seo-jun apply to?”

“It must be Korea National University of Arts, right?”

It was Korea National University of Arts that came out of their mouths without thinking.

It was the first choice university for aspiring art students in Korea, whether they were seniors or re-applicants.

“He's a senior, he doesn't need to retake the exam. It's the first choice university for art students in Korea.”

The other reporters nodded in agreement.

The youngest reporter sparkled his eyes.

“Then will he take the practical exam? Lee Seo-jun's entrance exam videos were always a hot topic.”

“Oh. That's right. There was that.”

“But isn't Lee Seo-jun a special admission? How does Korea National University of Arts admission work?”

The reporters who found the next article topic blinked their eyes and accessed the Korea National University of Arts website.

“The practical exam is in October.”

“The announcement is in November. We can write an article with the story of the college entrance exam.”

“Wow.”

Practical exam, announcement, college entrance exam.

The reporters were happy to have a lot of topics to write about.

A faint sigh was heard among them.

The reporters looked at him.

The youngest reporter who was looking at the monitor had a surprised expression on his face. But when they looked closely, it didn't seem like he was surprised in a good way.

“What's wrong? Why are you like that?”

“Did you upload something wrong? If it's a typo, you can fix it quickly.”

The youngest reporter slowly opened his mouth amid everyone's attention.

“…Korea National University of Arts does not release their performance videos.”

“…What?!”

The reporters’ astonishment filled the office.

***

[Actor Lee Seo-jun, his next work is a graduation performance!]

[SF play, and Lee Seo-jun's original creation!]

[What kind of acting will he show this year? Actor Lee Seo-jun who is preparing for college entrance!]

[Korea National University of Arts is not releasing their performance videos?]

Mirinae Arts High School, cafeteria.

It was crowded with students at lunchtime.

“The play article came out.”

“It must have been announced through the High School.”

“But I'm glad there are no spoilers like the plot or the character description.”

Seo-jun and his friends talked about the articles that appeared on the internet while receiving food on their trays. Today's menu was tender pork belly with spicy cabbage and lettuce, which made it fun to wrap and eat.

“Don't you think everyone is surprised that Seo-jun made a play?”

“I was also very surprised when I first heard about it.”

They sat down at an empty seat and saw some students quickly finish their lunch and get up from their seats.

They all had papers in their hands, which looked like the audition scripts that Seo-jun had prepared.

They must have been saving their lunchtime to prepare for the audition next week.

Two days ago, on Wednesday, seo-jun posted an audition notice and planned to start the audition from next week.

He planned to see the music and art departments on Monday and Tuesday, and the acting department audition from Wednesday to Friday.

“Did I set the audition too early?”

His friends shook their heads at Seo-jun's words.

“No. It's okay. They must have improved their skills since middle school.”

“The audition script also has the lines of characters that are most similar to the characters in your play. And only from famous works.”

“They must have seen them once, and it's easier to practice because there are videos as well as books.”

“That's a relief.”

Seo-jun smiled in relief and put a piece of pork belly and cabbage in his mouth with chopsticks.

The well-cooked pork belly was not tough at all and soft.

The combination of savory pork belly and spicy cabbage was very delicious.

“But Korea National University of Arts doesn't release their performance videos. Why did I think they would do it for sure?”

Jeon Seong-min's words made everyone nod in agreement as they chewed on their wraps. Park Si-young laughed and said.

“It's because Yeoul Arts Middle School and Mirinae Arts High School keep releasing them. I looked it up this time and other schools don't release their performance videos.”

“Right. Yeoul Arts Middle School and Mirinae Arts High School are the exceptions. Maybe it's because they are both ATR Foundation schools.”

Everyone nodded at Yang Ju-hee's explanation and continued their delicious lunch while chatting about various things.

***

Time passed like light.

It really passed by fast. It felt like she was just looking at the notice and closed her eyes, then it was Friday.

It was the last day of the audition, and Park Yeon-ji, a second-year student in the acting department who had an audition this afternoon, felt like her stomach was hurting.

It had only been ten days since the second semester started, but from the audition notice to the audition. It was too stormy a schedule.

“Another article came out.”

“Is it because Seo-jun senior's work is original, it seems like there is more interest than in middle school?”

“No. It was like this in middle school too.”

The students from Yeoul Arts Middle School and other schools talked about various things with the articles that appeared on the internet.

Among them, those who had finished their auditions early looked relaxed.

“It's more scary than in middle school, or should I say serious? As expected, seeing Seo-jun senior one-on-one is bad for my heart.”

“When you just meet him, he's nice. It's because it's related to acting. This time too, he was like an angel to the art and music departments.”

“Right. He was kind and gave lessons. I wanted to be a student of another department at times like this.”

Hearing the stories of those who had finished their auditions, she felt even more sick.

Park Yeon-ji was from a different middle school, so it was her first time seeing Seo-jun senior's audition, so she was more nervous and tense.

In the meantime, time passed and it was time for the audition.

Park Yeon-ji sighed and headed to the temporary audition waiting room.

There were first- and third-year students from the acting department in the waiting room, but they didn't seem to be divided by characters.

Park Yeon-ji rolled her eyes as she sat down.

There were Park Si-young and Kang Jae-han, who had appeared in the play [Mirror], and Kim Han-seok, who had never been in the same class and had even been to the Cannes Film Festival.

It felt like the four heavenly kings guarding the devil's castle.

‘Are they the three heavenly kings since there are three of them?’

She felt like she was losing her mind to think of such a nonsense.

It wasn't the same role, but even being in the waiting room together made her lips dry and her stomach sour. She felt like half of her soul had left.

‘Focus. Let's focus.’

She looked down at the crumpled paper and muttered that.

It wasn't a role with a lot of lines, so the audition script was short. She had read, memorized, and acted it several times, so she felt like she could act even in her dreams.

“Second-year Park Yeon-ji.”

“…Yes!”

Was it the four heavenly kings?

She flinched at the appearance of Yang Ju-hee, who had appeared in [Mirror].

Yang Ju-hee smiled and gestured with her hand.

Park Yeon-ji followed her out into the hallway.

The second practice room of the acting department right next to the waiting room was the audition place.

The practice room door that she always saw felt heavy, cold, and scary today.

“Relax. You’ll be fine if you do as you prepared.”

“…Yes! Thank you.”

At Yang Ju-hee's gentle words, Park Yeon-ji breathed in and opened the door.

There was a desk in the center of the practice room.

There sitting in front of Park Yeon-ji, the superstar Lee Seo-jun, who was the role model of all child actors.

He quietly looked over the applications with a serious face, then lifted his head at the sound of the door opening. Then he smiled softly.

“Please stand where it's marked.”

“Ah, yes!”

Park Yeon-ji walked nervously to where it was marked on the floor. Her hands clasped in front of her trembled slightly. He seemed to have noticed that, as Seo-jun opened his mouth with a soft voice.

“Take it easy. Please introduce yourself first.”

Seo-jun's consideration eased her tension a bit. He wasn't as scary as she had heard. He was okay. Park Yeon-ji breathed out lightly and answered.

“I'm Park Yeon-ji from class 1 of second year. Nice to meet you.”

After listening to a brief introduction and a story about the character, it was time to show her real acting.

She breathed in deeply to relax her remaining tension and was about to exhale when she felt a heavy atmosphere settle down.

Park Yeon-ji's eyes met Seo-jun's.

His black eyes, which had been soft until a moment ago, were filled with seriousness. His expression was still gentle, but his eyes made her tense involuntarily.

‘It would be better to audition in front of the director.’

‘The pressure is no joke.’

Her friends’ voices flashed through her head. Park Yeon-ji swallowed hard. She felt like she knew what his eyes meant, that he would analyze and dismantle her acting.

‘In middle school, han-seok said that. Seo-jun hyung doesn't spare anything for acting.’

Like a carnivore with prey in front of him, seo-jun's shining black eyes really didn't seem to give any leeway.