Superstar From Age 0

“Didn't we just have an exam a while ago?”

Park Si-young flipped through the textbook with a blank expression.

The other kids who gathered at the study cafe looked the same. It seemed like their concentration had been shattered in an instant.

“That was the midterm. This is the final.”

“Already the final!”

Time flew by and it was the third week of June. Next week was the final exam.

“It's similar to high school, but it feels different.”

“I know, right? How about we take a break for 10 minutes?”

“Yeah!”

As soon as they decided to take a 10-minute break, the kids who looked wilted like dried leaves perked up. It was always more exciting and energetic to do something else during the exam period.

“What are you guys going to do during the summer break?”

As soon as the final exam was over next week, it would be the summer break.

They were not used to the college system of starting the break right after the exams, but they also enjoyed it. The exams would end by this week or next week at the latest.

Even Jeon Seong-min, who had his exam postponed by a week during the midterm, was able to take the exam on the same date as the others this time.

“I'm going to audition. I already picked out some works.”

Kim Joo-kyung said as she chose some snacks with her PinePad.

Kang Jae-han and Han Jinho also nodded and shared their opinions on the works and roles they were aiming for.

“Jae-han, are you also auditioning for that role?”

“Yeah. The script was good.”

“I know. We have similar tastes. But it's nice to have more roles to choose from as adults, right?”

“Yeah.”

They had some overlapping works because they had similar tastes, but they were satisfied with having more roles to play than when they were child actors.

“I'm participating in a department event. They’re putting on a play for the September festival.”

“I'm looking for a project team.”

Yang Ju-hee, who was aiming for the department head, decided to focus on the acting department activities, and Jeon Seong-min was looking for a project team.

“But there are quite a few project teams, but it's hard to find a work that I like. If I can't find one by July, I’ll just audition too.”

At Jeon Seong-min's words, Yang Ju-hee's eyes sparkled.

“Seong-min, if you can't find a project team, do you want to do a play with me? There are plenty of spots left.”

“Hmm. Maybe?”

“Anytime, if you have time, contact me!”

The kids laughed at Yang Ju-hee's words.

“I got an audition last week, so I'm preparing for the performance during the summer break.”

The kids’ eyes lit up at Park Si-young's words.

“Wow! When is the performance?”

“In October. I’ll give you the tickets when they come out. Come and see it if you have time.”

“If I have time? I have to go and see it.”

The kids nodded vigorously at Seo-jun's words.

Seo-jun and the kids happily talked about the play that Park Si-young was in. It was a foreign play that was being staged for the first time in Korea, and there were a lot of posts on the internet expressing their expectations.

Listening to his friends’ summer break schedules, seo-jun smiled and said.

“Then no one is taking the summer session?”

“Who would do that?”

The kids shook their heads in unison.

“We might need it later if we’re short on graduation credits, but this is our first summer break after becoming freshmen.”

“I don't want to come to school during the happy summer break.”

“Are you taking the summer session, seo-jun?”

“No. I don't want to come to school until the summer break either.”

The kids chuckled at Seo-jun's firm words.

“By the way, seo-jun, what are you going to do during the summer break?”

“Aren't you auditioning?”

“Seo-jun would be filming, not auditioning.”

That's true.

The kids nodded at Yang Ju-hee's words. Seeing their expressions, seo-jun smiled and said.

“I'm planning to travel.”

“Travel?”

Not filming? The kids blinked their eyes, and Kim Joo-kyung nodded.

“Now that I think about it, seo-jun, you used to travel abroad a lot when you were a student and had no filming.”

“And you also filmed a documentary.”

The kids nodded as they recalled [We Are Now/In the Sea].

“Are you going to the US then?” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The US means Hollywood, hollywood means stars.

The kids thought of the actors who made their hearts flutter even though they had met them a few times thanks to Seo-jun.

“No.”

Seo-jun grinned.

“Spain.”

The kids’ eyes widened.

“To watch soccer.”

Wow!

The kids exclaimed as they thought of the soccer player who was stirring up the sports world.

***

-Da Ho: This is one of the candidates.

-Da Ho: (Picture)(Picture)(Picture)(Picture)

I was waiting for the exam time when I got a flood of messages from Da Ho hyung. Pictures of buildings that were taller and bigger than the one I was in. He seemed to have already picked out some candidates for the new office.

“Isn't it too soon?”

It was Da Ho hyung's matter that we discussed in March, so maybe he had been thinking about the new office before that. He had to move someday anyway.

-Seo-jun: I’ll follow your and uncle's opinions. You’ve been at the company longer than me.

I thought that the opinions of Da Ho and Seo Eun-chan, who spent more time at the company, were more important than mine, who only visited occasionally. And the opinions of the employees who worked at the company.

-Da Ho: …We can't make a decision either.

-Da Ho: They all have pros and cons.

-Da Ho: Some of them need external remodeling, so the president is also very worried.

He seemed to be careful because it was a place where he would stay for a long time once he moved.

I looked at the pictures of the inside and outside of the buildings that Da Ho sent me and scratched my head.

“I still don't know.”

The singer team, who had to go to three or four music shows a week, would want a place close to the three or four broadcasting stations, and the actor team, who had to move around different filming locations, would want a place with convenient transportation. And for the rest of the staff, the closer to home, the better.

‘I don't mind if it's a bit far, since I have a practice room at home.’

As he thought about it, something came to his mind.

“Would that apply to the company building too?”

The ability that Seo-jun's family used when they moved to their current house, [Divine/Creation: Sparrow's Note].

Thanks to that ability, they had been living happily and contentedly ever since they graduated from elementary school and moved here.

‘There are no problems and the neighbors are all nice.’

But he wasn't sure if it would work at the company, because the ability's guide window specified ‘house’.

‘If it doesn't work, I’ll look for a similar higher-level ability.’

[Divine/Creation: Sparrow's Note] was a medium-low level ability, so he thought a medium or medium-high level ability would be fine.

As he thought about the Book of Life, he naturally remembered the book he was reading now. The highest-level book that seemed to be helpful for Ahn Da Ho.

‘But there are too many.’

Golden Mermaid, Parvita's Life.

He started reading it in March, when the door to the highest-level library opened, but he had only read half of it in four months.

Of course, he had read other books in between, but still, there were too many books.

And Parvita's Life was half about food, so he got hungry as he read it and regained his appetite. Even though it was a dream, even though it was the Library of Life.

‘The other half is about business, so it feels like reading a book about economics.’

As he waited for his senior, Kwon Se-ah, to finish her test, seo-jun recalled Parvita's Life.

***

Golden Mermaid, Parvita.

The second prince of the mermaid kingdom, semudari, with golden hair and blue eyes.

Just as Seo-jun chose acting as his joy of life, Parvita chose food as his joy of life.

From the frozen northern sea to the scorching southern sea that seemed to boil with lava, from the western sea of death where no living creature could survive, to the eastern sea full of terrifying whirlpools.

He searched every sea that the mermaids’ tails could reach, and ate the food made from rare ingredients that he brought himself, enjoying his life.

His amazing adventures (which were actually runaways) filled the Book of Life. It was a matter of course that his life was in danger, and it was also normal for him to sneak out without the knights who said it was dangerous.

‘You're a prince, you know…’

And the heir to the throne who would succeed the king right after the first prince died.

“Parvita!!”

The king's voice, looking for his son, always echoed in the palace.

It was a good thing for the kingdom to get information about the unknown areas, but they were dumbfounded by the fact that the adventurer was the second prince and that his purpose was food.

Then one day, Parvita realized that he had eaten all the food he could eat in the sea.

“Then I have to go to the land!”

“Parvita!?”

“Your Highness?!”

“Brother! Are you crazy!?”

Except for the mermaids who were captured by pirates or humans (he rescued them before leaving the sea or asked other races to rescue them), no mermaid had ever gone to the land. Because the mermaids didn't have legs to stand on the ground…

“Ta-da!”

“…Why do you have legs, brother!?”

“Father! Father has fainted! Palace!!”

The country was completely turned upside down by the sight of Parvita, whose tail had turned into legs. It was the ability of the Library of Life.

What kind of trouble did you get into, the first prince asked, grabbing his collar. Parvita lied that he got an artifact from a wizard he met in the western sea of death (it was a lie) and that it changed him.

Parvita somehow managed to set foot on the continent.

“Are you really going, Parvita?”

A knight (childhood friend) who stuck his head out of the water asked with a worried face. Parvita, who was awkwardly wearing pants that he got through other races, smiled brightly.

“Why? Are you worried?”

“Yes. About the land. And the land creatures.”

“…”

“Don't invade the kingdom later. If you get into trouble, say you’re not a mermaid. Why can't you change your upper body? Your fins are still visible. Um. You can say you’re a new race. Lizard-necked race? Anyway, say you’re not a mermaid.”

“…”

“And don't eat other races.”

“Hey!”

The first prince's knights, who were doubled in number due to the escort, looked at the childhood friend with trembling eyes. It seemed that they had to do that much to stay with the second prince.

Parvita shouted.

“I’ll make your legs first when I find a way! You're my subordinate forever, in the sea and on the land!”

The childhood friend, who shouted that there was no way that would happen, disappeared into the sea, shouting ‘I'm finally free!’.

And a few pages later.

Parvita, who opened the door to the medium-level Library of Life, came up to the land with his childhood friend.

The childhood friend, who was caught after a historic chase, looked at his new legs with a half-dried fish-like face. It was awkward. It was unfamiliar.

“…Did you have another artifact from the wizard? Didn't you say you only had one?”

“Ahem.”

“! You lied! What did you do! Can I go back to being a mermaid!?”

“Come on, friend! Let's go on an adventure!”

“Hey, Parvita! Give me back my tail!”

Parvita, who had a good head for food, quickly figured out his situation as he wandered around the human village near the beach with his childhood friend, who had given up after running around.

Two mermaids, wearing robes and sitting side by side in an alley near the market, whispered quietly.

“I need money.”

He needed money for everything: to eat, to get ingredients, to buy weapons for his adventures, to rent a house to sleep.

“Well, I had everything prepared for me at the palace until now.”

Parvita was a precious prince in Semudari, the mermaid kingdom, but on land, he was just one of the mixed races. He was sure to be ignored by the land creatures, since the mermaids had no influence on land.

“Let's set up a guild. The name is Golden Mermaid Guild!”

To eat all the delicious food in the world, Parvita rolled up his sleeves.

He could have made a lot of money by hunting monsters with his and his childhood friend's skills, or brought some from the palace, but the guild was the best way to extend his influence across the continent and collect all kinds of rare ingredients.

“Well, at least it's not a continental conquest.”

The childhood friend sincerely thought so and helped Parvita.

“But let's exclude the mermaids.”

The childhood friend, who was relieved to know that he could go back to being a mermaid, was still unsure what Parvita would do. It would be a big problem if his influence reached beyond the land to the sea of Semudari.

He might get scolded by his parents for not supporting the prince properly, and he might lose his job as a knight… wait, wasn't that a good thing?

The childhood friend's eyes rolled.

“No way. I'm a mermaid prince, so I have to join.”

“Yes! That's right! We’re proud mermaids, so we can't leave out the mermaids!”

“…Why are you like that?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Parvita looked at him with a suspicious gaze, and the childhood friend tilted his head with a brighter face than ever.

He had never seen such a bright face… Ah, he was hungry. Feeling the hunger, Parvita stopped thinking. He was always like that, anyway. If he ran away, he would catch him.

“Never mind. Let's eat first. I'm hungry. Then let's look for some goods to buy and sell.”

“Yes! Let's also review the land information we got from the palace!”

The two mermaids, wearing robes, came out of the alley and stepped a little awkwardly into the street full of humans.

It was the beginning of the Golden Mermaid Guild, which later had enough wealth to buy the whole continent.

****

As the story of the Golden Mermaid Guild continued, the story became complicated with supply and demand, contracts, and whatnot, and it felt like reading an economic book.

“It's interesting, but.”

The problem was that he had as many books left to read as he had read so far. He sighed lightly and looked at the door that opened. Kwon Se-ah, who was right before him, came out of the classroom with a bright smile.

“It's your turn, oppa.”

“Okay.”

Seo-jun nodded his head with a smile as Kwon Se-ah cheered him on.