Superstar From Age 0

The weekend passed by quickly and it was Monday again.

It was a day that many office workers and students hated, to the point that the word “Monday blues” was coined. But today, at Mirinae Arts High School, it might be an exception.

“They said they would announce it at lunchtime…”

“Ugh. I'm nervous!”

Last week.

From Monday to Friday, the audition for the play [MOEB-436], or [436] for short, was held and today the winners would be announced.

That's why the acting department, which would be the center of the play, as well as the music and art departments, were buzzing with that topic all morning.

A little different from the music and art departments, where students from first to third grade had the same reaction, the first and second graders in the acting department were half-giving up.

“Do you think they’ll only pick third graders like they did in middle school?”

Lunchtime.

The first graders of class 1 gathered together to eat lunch.

Today's menu was pork cutlet, and they dipped a piece of crispy pork cutlet in a sweet sauce that suited their taste and put it in their mouths.

The first graders who opened their mouths with a strange expression at their friend's words.

“The third grade seniors are good at acting. Isn't it natural that they get picked if they choose based on skills?”

“Well, yeah, but… If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to just have auditions for third graders?”

“That's why some people in class 2 didn't even audition.”

At that, Kim Young-chan, who was in class 1 of the first grade, cut the bread into pieces and made croutons that he soaked in mushroom soup. He opened his eyes wide.

“Really?”

“Yeah. There were also some second grade seniors who didn't audition because of that. Not many, though.”

“Oh, I heard that too.”

The kids who went to the same acting academy nodded along.

They said that some of them had already formed teams and prepared for the end-of-year performance, thinking that Seo-jun would only pick third graders.

Of course, the students who auditioned for the play [436] also had one foot in the end-of-year performance teams in case they failed the audition. But they didn't know that some people didn't even audition.

“But don't you think it's a shame not to audition if there's a chance you won't get picked? This might be the last chance to act with Seo-jun senior.”

“That's right. You can't just pick and choose which auditions you'll pass.”

The kids nodded at that. They had competed with not only skilled competitors, but also insiders who were secretly pushed by investors, directors, writers, and other stakeholders.

And they would have to compete with them in the future as well.

“But I don't understand why we failed in middle school.”

Lunchtime.

A first grader from Yeoul Arts Middle School laughed and opened his mouth.

“They just acted exactly as they were taught at the academy. After the audition, we went to the academy and reenacted the audition with our teacher and classmates. But they all looked exactly the same.”

“Us too. Our teacher tapped his forehead.

‘You have to put your own interpretation into it! How can you do it just as I taught you?’”

The kids who went to the same academy laughed at their friend's imitation.

The kids from Yeoul Arts Middle School also agreed as if they understood.

The kids who came from other middle schools and couldn't audition for [Mirror] also agreed because they had heard a lot about it from their acting academies.

“Don't you think there's a possibility that first and second graders will get picked this time since we prepared well?”

“Then… whoever gets picked, please teach us how to practice with Seo-jun senior!”

The kids’ eyes sparkled at that.

“Oh yeah. That sounds good!”

“Right? We practice it often at our academy too… Mirror, isn't it too hard?”

“Do you guys do it too?”

“Yeah. They said it would be easy because it's a middle school play. But it's not easy at all.”

Kim Young-chan and his friends finished their lunch with a sip of fresh orange juice and got up from their seats to clean up their plates.

“Seo-jun senior is more than just a middle schooler.”

“Yeah, what middle schooler wins an Oscar?”

“That's what I'm saying.”

And then they headed to the bulletin board where the winners would be posted.

“Looks like they haven't posted it yet?”

“It would be noisy if they did.”

The first graders headed to the bulletin board closest to the third grade classroom of the acting department.

There were a few students scattered around.

They seemed to have gathered there to find out who the winners were as soon as possible.

‘I won't get picked anyway.’

Kim Young-chan knew very well that he had no chance of getting picked, even though he had auditioned hard like he did in middle school.

He was drinking orange juice comfortably with a straw when he saw Seo-jun senior and the third grade seniors coming out of the classroom.

‘But…’

They looked awkward, avoiding each other's eyes.

***

[Blue Moon, finally releases their single album ‘Blue Moon’!]

[‘Blue Moon (actor Lee Seo-jun)’ photocard in the single album package of ‘Blue Moon’!]

[Cocoa Entertainment, plans to make a snow globe of ‘Blue Moon (actor Lee Seo-jun)’!]

To ensure a smooth lunchtime, today was the day when the first graders ate first.

The last ones to eat, seo-jun and his friends, were chatting in the classroom.

“Blue Moon's single album is out! Is this Blue Moon photocard you, seo-jun?”

“Yeah. It's me.”

Kim Joo-kyung asked and Seo-jun nodded. His friends exclaimed.

“Ee-deun and Eun-sung's photocard seem to be random… Is yours random too?”

“No, mine isn't. They said they put the same picture in all of them.”

“Then Seo-jun's fans don't need to buy more than one. They’ll have Seo-jun's photocard even if they buy one.”

Kang Jae-han said and Seo-jun smiled and opened his mouth.

“Do you see that snow globe article?”

“This one?”

Han Jinho clicked on one of the articles. [Cocoa Entertainment, plans to make a snow globe of ‘Blue Moon (actor Lee Seo-jun)’!] was the title of the article.

“Yeah. That's a sprout-shaped model, and it's supposed to have the same picture as the one in the single album. In case one is not enough, they're going to put in a few more different pictures.”

“Oh. Then I don't need to buy the album.”

“Right. I only need to buy that and I’ll have the photocard.”

The kids talked a little bit about Blue Moon, who were attracting people's attention with their cool stage and performance even without Seo-jun.

“By the way, I thought you would post it this morning, but it's pretty late. Was it hard to decide?”

Kim Joo-kyung asked curiously and Seo-jun smiled and nodded.

“They were all good. The character interpretation was good too. Maybe it's because they're high school students. It seemed different from when they were in middle school.”

His friends smiled at Seo-jun's compliment.

It was nice to hear praise from others about their acting, but it felt even better when they heard it from Seo-jun.

They knew how cold and strict he was about acting.

“And…”

Seo-jun looked around the classroom.

Kim Haun, Jung Bo-ram, and others also seemed curious about who the winners were.

“Most of the third graders were aiming for Eugene only or Scientist, so it was harder to decide.”

The third-graders who had applied for the roles of [Scientist] and [Eugene] laughed at Seo-jun's words.

The characters of [Scientist] and [Eugene], number one and number two, had the most lines after Seo-jun's role.

Kim Haun, who had applied for the role of [Eugene], shrugged his shoulders and said.

“Of course, actors want more lines.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Jung Bo-ram and the other kids nodded their heads.

“But I didn't expect them to flock like that…”

Since the skilled third-graders crowded around the two roles, the competition for the other roles was relatively low.

Seo-jun's voice sounded a bit regretful, as if he was slightly disappointed.

Kang Jae-han asked him with a worried look.

“Are there not many talented kids for the other roles?”

“No. That's not it.”

Seo-jun shook his head.

The candidates he had thought of over the weekend and this morning were satisfactory.

‘Of course, the third-graders would do better.’

But he couldn't choose them as the candidates for the other roles that they didn't even apply for.

He didn't want to change his decision either.

If he did, he would have just picked from the third-graders.

‘It's just…’

Seo-jun looked at his friends.

“It's just… It's my last work as a child actor, and it's my last play at school… I thought it would be nice to do it with you guys.”

That was all he felt sorry for.

His friends looked touched by Seo-jun's words.

Some of them even teared up, feeling the reality of their high school life that had only a few months left.

“Seo-jun!”

“How can you move us like this!”

The kids rushed to Seo-jun.

Seo-jun laughed out loud at the pleasant pressure.

***

A little later.

The third-graders who had shared a warm hug of friendship came out to the hallway with awkward faces.

They had shown a strong reaction due to the sudden surge of emotions, but after a while, they felt embarrassed and awkward.

“I took a picture.”

They all shuddered and laughed at that.

“Send it to me later.”

“Me too!”

“I’ll post it on the group chat.”

The students who were gathered in front of the bulletin board looked puzzled at the atmosphere of the third-graders who didn't know why.

Seo-jun walked towards them with a bright smile.

And he attached a white paper to the bulletin board.

[[MOEB-436] Successful Candidates]

Music Team

Background & Props Team

Acting Team

The names of the successful candidates for the music team and the background & props team were printed at home in a stiff font like an official document, but Seo-jun had to write down the names of the successful candidates for the acting team by hand with a ballpoint pen because he had been thinking and worrying until just before lunchtime.

The curious eyes of the kids went to the neatly written letters.

“I made it! It's been a while since I worked with Seo-jun!”

Kim Joo-kyung said with a bright expression.

“Cool. I finally get to do a play with you.”

Han Jinho put his arm on Seo-jun's shoulder and grinned.

“Let's work hard, seo-jun.”

Kang Jae-han, who was the last successful candidate among the third-graders, and who participated in Seo-jun's play once again after [Mirror], said with a smile.

“Yeah.”

Seo-jun also smiled widely.

The friends who didn't make it also congratulated the three friends.

The third-graders who checked their names went to the cafeteria in a noisy manner, and the kids who were behind them rushed to the bulletin board.

It seemed that Kim Joo-kyung senior, han Jinho senior, and Kang Jae-han senior were successful.

“Three out of five…!”

“Then what about the other two?!”

The eyes of the kids who were checking their names became sharper.

Kim Young-chan, who was swallowing down his remaining orange juice, also looked at the paper with curiosity in his eyes, wondering who was that talented and lucky actor.

Kim Young-chan's eyes narrowed slightly in surprise.

He saw a familiar name and forgot to swallow his orange juice.

[1st grade 1st class Kim Young-chan]

“…Cough!”

He must have swallowed his orange juice wrong.

His throat hurt and he slowly realized it.

Kim Young-chan coughed while still unable to take his eyes off the paper, off his name.

‘Why is there… my name?’

As if to confirm that this was not a dream, that this was not an illusion, his friends made a fuss.

“Hey, hey, hey! Kim Young-chan! Are you crazy!”

“You made it! You made it!”

“A first-grader made it…!”

His friends hit his arms and back.

Kim Young-chan, who slowly understood his friend's words, opened and closed his mouth and then stretched his arms up and shouted.

***

Seo-jun and the third-graders saw the junior who ran past them.

They knew all the faces of the third-graders, so it must have been a first or second-grader.

“They’re fast.”

“They must have seen the successful candidates.”

The cute junior's appearance made Seo-jun and the kids giggle and line up to get their lunch.

The junior who ran past Seo-jun and his friends arrived at the cafeteria, where his friends were sitting.

“Park Yeon-ji!”

Park Yeon-ji turned around at the loud voice calling her name.

She picked up a piece of pork cutlet with chopsticks as if she was used to the sight of her friend running towards her in a gym uniform, flapping her skirt.

Park Yeon-ji's friends who were sitting around her also continued to eat their lunch.

“Park Yeon-ji! Park Yeon-ji! Park Yeon-ji! Park Yeon-ji-!”

“You're going to suffocate. I'm not going anywhere.”

“I thought you were skipping lunch because you were on a diet…”

“Today's pork cutlet is so good.”

The friend's overreaction was not new to Park Yeon-ji and her friends, so they ate their lunch comfortably.

The only one who was frustrated was the friend who ran over.

She gasped for breath and then grabbed Park Yeon-ji's shoulder and shook it.

“You're in big trouble!”

Park Yeon-ji shook violently. Her chopsticks barely held onto the pork cutlet piece.

“What? What is it?”

“Why are you so calm today?”

Park Yeon-ji and her friends looked at her friend with curiosity.

As their attention focused on her, she enjoyed their gaze for a moment and then said with a serious face and a calm voice.

“You made it.”

“What? What did I make?”

“Park Yeon-ji, did you take any tests?”

“No? I didn't.”

She tilted her head as if she was confused.

Park Yeon-ji and her friends looked at her friend like that.

The friend burst into laughter at their expressions.

“You made it to Lee Seo-jun senior's team!”

“…?”

“You're doing a play with Lee Seo-jun senior!!”

“…!”

Not only Park Yeon-ji, but also her friends and the students nearby stopped moving.

She was a second-grader according to her name tag, but she made it to Seo-jun Lee senior's team?

Wasn't that only for third-graders?

She stared blankly for a moment and then understood her friend's words.

The chopsticks fell from Park Yeon-ji's hand. The pork cutlet piece fell into the mushroom soup with a splash.

Park Yeon-ji said with a trembling voice.

“Is that true? If this is a joke…”

She wouldn't let her go home nicely.

Her friend quickly handed her phone to her.

“I took a picture!”

Park Yeon-ji looked at the phone screen with trembling eyes.

Acting team, 3rd character, next to the name,

[2nd grade 2nd class Park Yeon-ji]

There was her name.

“Crazy…!”

She exclaimed without realizing it.

***

“Wow.”

The third-graders looked at the festive atmosphere of the second-graders and looked at Seo-jun.

They smiled and nodded their heads.

“That makes sense if it's Seo-jun.”

Seo-jun coughed awkwardly at his friends’ gaze.