Superstar From Age 0

The curtain fell on the stage.

The theater was filled with cold and heavy air.

The audience stared blankly at the stage, hidden by the curtain.

The story that spanned from space to the Joseon era, the puzzle-like plot, and the identity of ‘that thing’.

It was a time when they couldn't take their eyes off for a single moment.

The audience felt the weight of the theater's atmosphere and stayed still for a while, enjoying the afterglow of the play.

They still felt the chill that ran through their bodies when they saw something white passing by them.

Yoo-jin, who was pure.

The android fake Yoo-jin.

The broken android.

That white thing.

Jangsanbeom.

All those images replayed in their minds.

“Haah.”

At some point.

It felt like a warm breeze blew, and the tension that filled the theater loosened up. At the same time, a deep sigh burst out from their stomachs.

It was a sigh of satisfaction.

Their hearts swelled with the fact that they had seen their favorite actors perform right in front of them.

They couldn't contain their excitement and fidgeted in their seats.

They tensed their legs and bent and straightened their waists, moving slightly.

They clasped their hands tightly together.

They finally curled up their bodies and buried their faces in their palms, smiling like fools.

Hee…heehee.

They couldn't help but laugh at that heartwarming feeling. They unconsciously expressed their admiration.

“Wow-. It was so good.”

“Haah-. It was so amazing, right?”

They flinched at the sound that came from next to them and lifted their heads.

Kim Suhan, who was sitting next to them, looked at them with a similar posture, covering his mouth with both hands that almost reached his ears.

They saw each other's silly faces and chuckled softly.

They realized that they weren't the only ones who felt so overwhelmed that they wanted to scream.

And it seemed like they weren't the only two people who felt that way, as a loud applause echoed throughout the theater.

***

Only after the curtain completely covered the stage did Seo-jun stop acting and relaxed his shoulders, letting out a satisfied sigh.

His yellow eyes sparkled with life and his white hair flowed smoothly.

“…Good.”

He wasn't excited.

He almost acted with all his might because it was the last performance, but fortunately he was able to act as usual.

He thought he might have gone overboard if it was in the past and headed backstage.

Kim Joo-kyung and Han Jinho handed water bottles to Seo-jun and the kids.

“Ugh. I think I was more nervous than usual.”

“Me too. Did I make any mistakes?”

Park Yeon-ji and Kim Young-chan looked more exhausted than usual. Kang Jae-han drank some water and smiled brightly.

“You did just fine as always. Good job.”

“It's okay to put more effort into it since it's the last performance. We did too.”

Park Yeon-ji and Kim Young-chan sighed in relief at Kim Joo-kyung's words. Seo-jun and the kids smiled at their juniors’ expressions.

[The debt of (pre)intermediate angel is activated.]

Seo-jun cleared his throat and activated his ability.

“Then let's get ready for the curtain call.”

“Okay.”

The acting team kids nodded their heads and moved towards the stage.

Seo-jun put down his water bottle and followed behind them, then turned around.

“You guys should come up too.”

“…Us too?”

Kim Chae-yeon, the music team leader, and Lee Sol, the art team leader, blinked their eyes in confusion. The other team members were the same. Seo-jun smiled brightly and said,

“It's our work's curtain call. We should all go together.”

“Yeah! Hurry up.”

Han Jinho, who had climbed halfway up the stairs, waved his hands frantically and urged them.

The other acting team kids also gestured for them to come quickly.

Lee Sol rolled her eyes and rubbed her neck.

“But curtain calls are for actors only. We’re not famous enough to greet people… Isn't it weird?”

“No one here doesn't know that we made this play together, right? They’ll love it.”

Seo-jun's words made the music team and art team look at each other.

“Of course, if you feel uncomfortable being on stage or don't want to be filmed, you don't have to come up.”

“I don't really care about that…”

The music team, who played in front of a full audience and had their faces known through some articles, thought for a moment and nodded their heads.

Kim Chae-yeon took the lead and walked ahead.

“We’re a bit nervous…”

The art team, who worked alone in their studio and rarely stood in front of people unless it was an exhibition (they hardly had any exhibitions since they were still students), imagined the empty seats they saw during practice filled with people.

They couldn't imagine it.

They heard a sound.

It was a loud applause that reached all the way to the backstage.

That thunderous applause made them excited.

Lee Sol, who was hesitating for a while, shrugged her shoulders and said,

“It’ll be fine, I guess.”

The art team members also heard the applause and headed to the stairs with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

The applause didn't stop while the [436] team all went up to the stage.

“I'm a bit nervous.”

“Me too. We’ve never been up here when there were people.”

The art team and music team whispered to each other.

“The curtain is going up.”

At Han Jinho's words, they all looked nervously at the audience.

Lee Sol, the art team leader, held the hand of a freshman junior who said her heart was beating too fast.

The freshman junior looked at Lee Sol with admiration in her eyes.

‘A cool senior!’

“Thank you.”

“No. I'm just nervous too.”

Lee Sol's words, which were not a joke but full of sincerity, made them all laugh softly. They felt a bit more relaxed.

The curtain slowly rose above their sight.

“…Wow.”

They gasped unconsciously at the sight of the people filling the seats.

Their hearts pounded at the fact that these many people had seen their music and their backgrounds.

Park Min-hyung couldn't even blink his eyes.

It felt very different from what he saw in the lighting & sound room.

‘To make so many people so immersed…’

The acting team looked really amazing.

One actor had captivated the audience throughout the play with his various mood changes.

Park Min-hyung's eyes followed him.

Seo-jun, who stood in the center of the stage, seemed to shine.

***

The curtain rose with the applause of the audience.

The audience widened their eyes at the sight of more people than the characters who had appeared, then quickly realized the situation and cheered.

“Oh. The other students are also here.”

“They’re all from Mirinae Arts High School, right?”

“Yes.”

Moviegoer and Kim Suhan clapped their hands until they were hot with excitement.

Six actors stood side by side in their character costumes at the front of the stage, and behind them were children divided into two teams.

Moviegoer, who was looking at each child, exclaimed when he saw Seo-jun.

“He looks completely different.”

Seo-jun, who stood in the middle of the stage, was dressed as Jangsanbeom with long white hair and a white cloak, but he had a completely different vibe. He had thrown away his menacing aura and looked full of joy, which was a bit of a cognitive dissonance.

Between the loud applause, a voice came from the speaker as if he had planned the curtain call in advance. It was Seo-jun's voice.

[Thank you for watching the play MOEB-436. I will introduce you to my friends who made this work together. First, the actors who showed us their amazing acting in MOEB-436.]

Seo-jun and the acting team smiled brightly and bowed.

[The art team that made the background, props, and costumes for MOEB-436.]

The audience, as well as the acting team and music team on stage, applauded the art team members who greeted them awkwardly.

[The music team that made the background music and sound effects for MOEB-436.]

The music team members, who had experience on stage from concerts, greeted them more naturally amid the loud applause.

A huge applause and cheer filled the theater.

Once again, seo-jun bowed with his friends and Kim Suhan felt a tingling sensation in his mouth.

***

The audience left the second theater one by one. Moviegoer and Kim Suhan were among them.

“Moviegoer. If you don't have any plans, would you like to have dinner with us? My friends also like your reviews.”

Kim Suhan asked him with an apologetic face.

“I have to go home right away and watch YouTube and analyze it, so I don't think I can.”

“That's too bad.”

They exchanged phone numbers as they thought it was fate. Moviegoer, who was busy with time, left first. His friends followed Kim Suhan.

“What about Moviegoer? Did he leave?”

“Yeah. He said he's doing a live broadcast at 10 o’clock.”

“Today?”

Kim Suhan and his friends moved on.

“Then isn't it better to pack up and eat at home than eat outside? I want to watch the YouTube video too. The directors who filmed and edited it are amazing.”

“Right. I'm curious how it's different from the play. There must be a lot of close-up scenes too, right?”

Kim Suhan nodded at his friends’ words.

“Then let's just watch YouTube videos at home and then watch Moviegoer's review right away?”

“Yeah. Let's do that.”

On their way, they looked for a good restaurant. Another friend smiled and said.

“By the way, I was nervous when they did the curtain call.”

“Why?”

“I thought you might scream again.”

Hahaha.

His friend burst into laughter at that. Kim Suhan clenched his mouth as he felt something was wrong.

“What did you say back then?”

“‘Na Jin! Let's see your face in your next work!’ You said that. I remember it even after 12 years. I do.”

“Your voice was really loud. Everyone looked at you.”

His friends laughed out loud.

That's why friends are trouble if you hang out for a long time. Kim Suhan covered his ears from all kinds of dark history that came out of his friends’ mouths.

‘I knew it… My mouth was tingling.’

He thought of the little child actor from long ago and the grown-up actor now, na Jin and Lee Seo-jun's fan Kim Suhan smiled softly.

****

“It's delicious!”

Kim Young-chan swallowed a thick piece of steak in one bite with shining eyes.

The other first and second graders also did not stop their fork movements with their eyes shining at the food full of tables.

Seo-jun and the third graders laughed at their juniors’ hearty appetite.

The [436] team had a party after finishing all their schedules.

The party place was a small restaurant, which they rented for the evening.

“I've only seen this in dramas… Isn't it expensive?”

Lee Sol looked around the restaurant in awe. The interior, props, and food were all perfect.

“Ahem. This is actor Lee Seo-jun.”

“He's the first Korean actor to win an Oscar and a Golden Globe.”

Snap!

Han Jinho and Kim Joo-kyung, who shook their hands as if they were making a sparkling sound effect, made Seo-jun and the kids laugh.

Well, seo-jun was too amazing to worry about money.

Seo-jun, who smiled lightly and shrugged his shoulders, said.

“It's okay. We’ll have plenty left from the play's revenue.”

Oh. That's right.

The kids, who had forgotten about the income from the official performance, sparkled their eyes.

Even with a simple calculation, it seemed like a lot of money.

“What if other customers come and get disappointed?”

Seo-jun answered with a smile at Park Min-hyung's question, who bit a piece of pepperoni pizza.

“It's fine. This place is usually rented out to various places. You can rent it for drama or movie filming, and the food is delicious, so sometimes there are group customers like us who rent it, so they always post a notice a few days ago.”

“It really was in a drama.”

Park Yeon-ji, who was twirling rose pasta on her fork, looked around with a curious expression as if she was wondering what drama it was in.

The table, where four people sat each, was full of delicious food and refreshing drinks that suited the kids’ tastes, such as steak, pizza, pasta, etc.

“Feel free to order anything you want.”

“Yes! We’ll enjoy it!”

“It's really delicious!”

Seo-jun's eyes looked at the kids and his friends laughed and said.

“Don't you look like a parent feeding their kids?”

“That's true.”

At that, seo-jun scratched his cheek.

“You guys can order anything you need too.”

“Then one more plate of steak. Young-chan is eating it so deliciously.”

Han Jinho's words made laughter erupt everywhere, and after that, steak orders poured out.

In the midst of the noisy atmosphere, the restaurant staff ran around and served food.

They all heard that high school students were coming as customers today and prepared themselves for their appetite (some buffets charge more for middle and high school students than adults), but they never imagined that they would be actor Lee Seo-jun and his friends.

Soon it would be 7 o’clock when the video was uploaded.

They were disappointed that they couldn't watch it just a while ago, but the situation changed completely.

‘But real life is better than video!’

They said and looked at actor Lee Seo-jun and his friends with satisfied expressions and bright smiles.

“They’re all so kind.”

“Right. I think I’ll come again.”

Seo-jun and the kids also smiled brightly at the staff and enjoyed the party.

***

At 7 o’clock sharp in the evening.

While Seo-jun and the [436] team kids were enjoying their party.

Ahn Da Ho, who had brought the [436] team kids to the party place with several vehicles along with the staff and was about to go up to Cocoa Entertainment's 2nd team office with the food packed from the restaurant.

A video titled [Play MOEB-436] was uploaded to the YouTube channel [Mirinae Preview].

At the same time, as if they had been waiting for this moment, YouTube stuttered for a moment as the views increased in an instant and articles titled ‘Play video uploaded’ exploded.

The people who had succeeded in ticketing and watched the play [MOEB-436] at Milky Way Center, and those who failed to ticket and couldn't watch it, played the video with anticipation.

And that night at 10 o’clock sharp.

Moviegoer's live broadcast titled [Play ‘MOEB-436’ direct review! I saw actor Lee Seo-jun's acting with these two eyes! (Infinite gratitude to my sister!)] began.