Superstar From Age 0

“Seo-jun, hello!”

“Hello.”

Seo-jun smiled and greeted his friends as he stepped into the classroom for the first time in a long time.

Today was February 13th.

It was the day of the graduation ceremony at Mirinae Arts High School.

Seo-jun sat down at his seat, which had been empty for about a month and a half, and looked around his desk and surroundings for a moment. The desk drawer where his textbooks used to be was now empty, and so were the desks of the other kids.

Today was the last day he would sit in this seat.

He didn't know why he always felt so lonely when he said it was the last time.

Seo-jun looked around the classroom, which was more bustling than usual.

Maybe it was because they were seniors who had finished the college entrance exam, but unlike the normal summer and winter vacations when they had school classes or special lectures, this winter vacation was really like a ‘vacation’ where no one came to school.

That's why they might have met occasionally when they had time, but if their schedules didn't match, they wouldn't see their friends for almost a month and a half, so they were happily chatting with each other.

“Ju-hee, what did you do during the vacation?”

Seo-jun and his friends also talked about what they did during the vacation.

“I worked part-time. I'm working at a convenience store and a cafe near my house. I took today off because of the graduation ceremony, but I have to go back tomorrow.”

Everyone nodded at Yang Ju-hee's words.

“I thought you would audition if you were Ju-hee…”

“That's right.”

Everyone nodded their heads as Yang Ju-hee answered with a smile to Park Si-young's words.

“I thought about it too. But when I thought about it carefully, there are a lot of scenes in dramas and movies where there are convenience stores and cafes, right? Well, I could imitate them even if I didn't work part-time, but I thought it would be easier to act if I experienced it myself.”

Wow.

Everyone exclaimed in admiration.

“That's true. There are a lot of convenience stores and cafes in the works.”

“There are also lines to say.”

“I think I would choose someone who has part-time experience too.”

Even though extras weren't that important, that's why these experiences could unexpectedly make a difference between passing and failing.

“I’ll start over slowly.”

She was quite famous as a child actor, but now that she was an adult, it was no different from starting from scratch.

Of course, she would be in a better position than the real rookies because there were many people who knew her face. But she thought it would be equally difficult because of the risk of image change and the expectations of people who thought ‘she would do well’.

“Maybe I’ll be considered for supporting or leading roles with similar jobs.”

“…Yang Ju-hee. That's a big picture joke.”

“Should I try part-time too?”

The leader who dragged her friends into the swamp of part-time work, Yang Ju-hee.

Seo-jun also scratched his cheek for a moment.

“I auditioned and went around. As a child and an adult.”

Everyone nodded their heads at Jeon Seong-min's words, who spent a typical vacation as an acting major student. They also attended classes or auditioned at the academy on days when they didn't have performances or rehearsals.

“But because I got more roles to play, my competitors were all adults.”

Everyone frowned in agreement at Jeon Seong-min's words.

“That's right. Me too. When I went to audition for child roles, they were kids I saw every time, but now there are more people I see for the first time.”

“It feels like the number of competitors suddenly increased by several times… It's like seeing the ocean after coming out of a well.”

“I didn't want to realize that I became an adult with this. It will be like this from now on.”

Everyone nodded their heads seriously as they realized the fierce competition rate.

Seo-jun scratched his cheek as he listened to his friends’ conversation.

As soon as January 1st came, he remembered the works and proposals that came in as if they had been waiting for this moment.

At first, team 2 tried to look at them as quickly as possible as they came in, but they gave up both hands and feet in less than a day because of the emails and works that came in like waves, waiting and waiting for how long.

Ahn Da Ho and Team 2 decided to take their time looking at them instead of looking at them quickly.

The broadcast date was written down, but they laughed saying ‘the urgent person will give way’ and remembered their faces.

‘I wonder if that's okay.’

He believed that Da Ho Hyung and Team 2 would take care of it well.

Of course, Ahn Da Ho and Team 2 subtly told the people in charge that ‘so many works and proposals came in and it was difficult.’

and reminded them of the fierce competition and planted the perception that ‘it is natural that it takes a long time to review’.

But that was something Seo-jun didn't know.

Thanks to that, seo-jun was able to leisurely stop by Cocoa Entertainment on days when he didn't have performances or rehearsals and look at the works that came in.

His friends laughed when they noticed Seo-jun's awkward face.

“Seo-jun is out of the norm.”

“That's right. It's better to be out of the norm. If I compete with Seo-jun, I'm really doomed. You do the lead role and let us do the supporting or extra roles.”

Yeah.

Everyone nodded their heads in unison.

“But still… It wouldn't be bad to compete with him once in a while, right?”

“If it's a good work, I’ll challenge it even if it's Seo-jun.”

“Oh!”

Everyone exclaimed at the ambitious words of Kang Jae-han and Jeon Seong-min. Han Jinho blinked his eyes as he listened to his friends’ stories.

“…Was I the only one who played around?”

Everyone burst out laughing at Han Jinho's expression, who said with a fierce expression. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

“Of course we played when we didn't have a schedule.”

“We went to the amusement park together. And the skating rink too.”

“Come to think of it, both times there were few people, so it was good. The weather was good too. Seo-jun must have a talent for choosing dates.”

“Is that why he's good at planning?”

Everyone nodded their heads at Kang Jae-han's words.

“We’re going to the ski resort this Thursday, right?”

“Yeah. That's right.”

“It's going to be hard to get up early in the morning.”

“Hey, excuse me? I really played all the time when I didn't have performances or rehearsals? Should I look for auditions now?”

Everyone couldn't get rid of the smile on their faces at Han Jinho's serious expression.

Even on the day of graduation, they were as noisy as ever, and the classroom door opened.

“Seo-jun, Ju-hee. The teacher wants you to come to the office.”

A kid from Class 2 called Seo-jun and Yang Ju-hee.

“Really? Okay.”

“Thanks for letting me know.”

Seo-jun and Yang Ju-hee got up from their seats and everyone tilted their heads.

“Ju-hee must be the representative of Grade 3.”

“Oh, seo-jun, you’re playing again.”

Seo-jun smiled sheepishly at his friends’ words.

***

The graduation ceremony of Mirinae Arts High School was held at Mirinae Hall.

The families of the third graders who came to see the graduation performance looked around Mirinae Hall with curious eyes.

“It feels like yesterday when I saw Jangsanbeom here…”

“So, you know what I mean. It feels good to see 436 in the news.”

The others bragged about seeing the play they wanted first, while shouting “Picketing!”.

“Friends keep calling me too. They ask me if my kid goes to Mirinae Arts High School, and if I saw the play.”

“Do they also ask you to get them tickets?”

“Yeah. But only the team members get invitations. They don't understand, no matter how much I explain. Why can't they get them if they're from the same school?”

“Well, the kids all saw it as a graduation performance.”

The parents nodded their heads in agreement.

“Lee Seo-jun is really popular.”

“I knew he was good at acting, but he also makes great works.”

Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-jun, who were holding a bouquet of flowers in their arms, tried hard to suppress their smiles as they heard the praises for their son from all around.

They couldn't help but feel proud.

They looked at each other and burst into laughter.

“Seo-jun is graduating already.”

Lee Min-jun leaned back on his chair. The scent of flowers filled the air.

“I know. It feels like just a few days ago when he entered high school…”

The image of Seo-jun standing as a representative of the freshmen flashed in their minds.

They couldn't believe how time had flown by.

Then, they heard a new conversation.

“Do you think he’ll play this time too?”

“Play? What do you mean?”

“At Yeoul Arts Middle School's graduation ceremony, Lee Seo-jun played for us. Over the Rainbow.”

“Wow… Really?”

The couple looked at each other.

“Do you think he will?”

“I don't know. He didn't say anything…”

“He didn't teach us either when he was in middle school.”

“We’ll find out soon enough. Should we get the camera ready?”

“Yeah. Let's do that.”

Seo Eun-hye handed the bouquet to Lee Min-jun and took out her camera to set it up.

The other families also moved around to prepare for the upcoming graduation ceremony.

A few moments later.

The students entered the hall one class at a time and took their seats.

The seniors sat in the front rows, followed by the juniors and sophomores.

“Isn't there a gap in the senior seats?”

“Yeah. What's going on?”

“Where's our kid?”

The parents murmured among themselves.

“Seo-jun is missing too?”

“Ju-hee must be the senior representative, and Seo-jun must be playing again.”

The parents of their friends also had that image of them.

[We will now begin Mirinae Arts High School's graduation ceremony.]

As the announcement came on, the commotion died down and the ceremony started.

After briefly introducing the ATR Foundation officials, the opening speech and the national anthem were followed by the principal's congratulatory speech.

[Next, we will have a farewell speech from the junior representative and a response speech from the senior representative.]

At the announcer's words, the junior and senior representatives appeared on stage from the side.

The senior representative was none other than Yang Ju-hee, the leader of everyone.

The seniors nodded their heads without any surprise.

[Next, we will have a congratulatory performance.]

At the words ‘congratulatory performance’, there were exclamations and anticipation as people pointed their camera lenses at the stage.

Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-jun were no exception.

They waited for Seo-jun to appear from the side of the stage like he did at Yeoul Arts Middle School's graduation ceremony, but then the curtain that had been raised to the ceiling started to come down.

As it covered the entire stage, everyone raised question marks over their heads.

“What's going on?”

The curtain came down and some time passed.

It wasn't a very long time. When everyone was blinking their eyes,

[Graduation congratulatory performance,]

Along with the announcement, the curtain slowly began to rise.

…!

Wow!

The sight on stage made everyone's eyes widen.

And along with that, there were involuntary exclamations that came out of their mouths.

[MOEB-436 team's]

On stage.

The students wearing Mirinae Arts High School uniforms were sitting on chairs with their instruments.

Kim Chae-yeon was at the piano, and the others had cellos, violins, flutes, and other instruments in their hands.

In the center of the stage was a team member who majored in composition with a baton in his hand, and next to him was Seo-jun with a violin on his shoulder.

“An orchestra…?”

Well, it wasn't a formal orchestra, since there weren't enough players.

But it wasn't like a trio or a quartet either, since there were several of the same instruments and some that were only one.

There were three electronic pianos on stage alone.

But it was okay.

The song they were going to play was Over the Rainbow, arranged by Lee Seo-jun himself for the 436 music team, who composed the masterpiece Gray's Violin Concerto No. 1 when he was 12 years old.

[Over the Rainbow.]

Wow!!

A huge cheer and applause erupted.

The families of the seniors fiddled with their cameras to get a better shot.

Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-jun were no different.

In the middle of the stage, the team member who was in charge of conducting bowed to the audience, and Seo-jun and the 436 team members also bowed. Another round of loud applause followed.

The conductor turned to the players, and the audience that had been filled with cheers and claps became silent at once.

Their hearts pounded.

Seo-jun rested his chin on the violin and placed his bow on the strings. Kim Chae-yeon also lightly placed her hands on the piano keys.

The other team members also held their instruments and got ready to play.

The conductor looked around at the players and moved his baton vigorously.

Bang!

Excitement and joy.

For their friends who were graduating and becoming adults, who would enjoy unlimited freedom and bear heavy responsibilities, seo-jun played his violin with all his heart.

The various sounds of the instruments that supported Seo-jun's violin made the melody richer.

Deep despair.

The despair that was expressed by a single violin became deeper as it met with countless instruments.

There had been many versions of Over the Rainbow since it was released eight years ago, but there weren't many that felt this poignant.

Especially the violin.

It could have been buried by the sounds of other instruments, but there was a vivid melody that stuck in their ears.

The wide hall was filled with gloomy melodies that seemed to explode at any moment, centered on Seo-jun's violin playing.

And then, brilliance!

Boom!

It was as if all the melodies exploded like fireworks.

The fiery melodies made the audience's bodies and minds tingle.

The violin, piano, cello, flute, and other instruments harmonized into one song and captivated their minds.

The audience came to their senses when the blazing flames faded away and they enjoyed the warm afterglow that remained.

They realized then that the performance had ended.

They saw Seo-jun and the 436 music team smiling brightly while taking deep breaths and bowing deeply.

Wow!!

They couldn't hold back their emotions any longer.

A huge cheer and applause poured out from the audience.