Superstar From Age 0

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: AgRoseCrystal

Chapter 542

Seo-jun looked up at the new office building of Cocoa Entertainment.

He had planned to visit sooner, right after they moved, but he was delayed by the audition(?) practice for [Fire]. Ahn Da Ho had told him that it would be better to practice at home since the company was still chaotic.

He felt a new admiration for the shiny 10-story building (with a basement).

“Our company has grown so much.”

He remembered the first office of Cocoa Entertainment that had surprised him when he first visited. It was an old office with a restaurant on the first floor and a taekwondo academy on the second floor. He also recalled the 5-story building that they had stayed for over 10 years after Seo Eun-chan took over.

He felt proud as an investor and as Seo-jun to see the company growing.

Seo-jun, wearing a hat, stepped into the lobby of the new office.

One of the three security guards who noticed the person entering the entrance recognized who he was and relaxed his stiff face with a smile. Seo-jun also recognized him and smiled brightly.

“Hello, team leader.”

He was the security team leader who had been in charge of Cocoa Entertainment’s security since Seo Eun-chan took over. He and Seo-jun were quite close.

“Oh, I was wondering when you would come… Is this your first time seeing the new office?”

“Yes. How is the new office?”

“The company has grown and there are a lot of new people, so it seems like we’ll have a hard time for a while. These are the new employees who joined the company when we expanded.”

Next to the security team leader, there were two security guards who looked a bit nervous. They didn’t seem to recognize Seo-jun who was wearing a hat, but they bowed politely anyway.

In front of them, their boss who had been staring at them fiercely was having a casual conversation with someone, and they looked curious about who he was.

“This is our company’s actor Seo-jun. He often comes like this, so you’d better remember him well.”

The two security guards’ eyes widened at the introduction. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The actor Seo-jun, who would surely attract people’s attention if he showed up, came in with just a hat and no bodyguards or managers? He looked like a student who was entering an academy.

“Then I’ll go up.”

“Okay.”

Seo-jun bowed to the security team leader who nodded and the two security guards who were silently shining their eyes, and entered with the card that Ahn Da Ho gave him (they didn’t have this in the old office) and waited for the elevator.

Soon, the elevator door opened from the basement. Someone was inside.

“Oh, Team 1, no, Director Kim.”

It was Kim Sang-jin, the director of the singer team, who seemed to have come up from the underground parking lot.

“Huh. It’s weird to hear you call me director, Seo-jun.”

“Haha. Da Ho hyung feels the same way. He says it’s still awkward.”

Seo-jun laughed and got on the elevator.

“9th floor, 10th floor?”

“I’m going to the 10th floor too.”

Kim Sang-jin’s destination was also the 10th floor, so there was no need to press a separate button.

“How is the new office?”

“It’s nice. The lobby was cool too.”

The lobby wall had pictures of the singers and Seo-jun, just like before, but the new office’s lobby was a bit more glamorous than the neat previous one.

“It’s more glamorous than the old office. The empty spaces will probably be filled one by one when the new actors come next week.”

Seo-jun said regretfully.

“I used to hang out with the trainees on the sofa in the lobby of the old office, but I don’t think I can do that anymore. I miss that.”

“There’s a cafe on the first floor and a relaxation area next to the restaurant on the sixth floor, but… it won’t feel as comfortable as the old office.”

Seo-jun nodded at Kim Sang-jin’s words.

“But isn’t it hard to get along with the new trainees who are younger than you, Seo-jun? They must have seen you as a star since they were young.”

Well. That was possible.

It was different from the White hyungs and the Red Crown noonas who adored him as a younger brother, and the Blue Moon who were easy to be friends with as classmates from the same school. He had no connection with the trainees who would come in now.

“Well, if they can be friendly without any ulterior motives, despite your fame, that would be great.”

He meant in terms of guts or personality.

If you’re a celebrity, you should have that much courage, Kim Sang-jin thought and said harshly.

“Do you want to attend the trainee audition next month?”

Seo-jun imagined the trainees who would be shocked to see him sitting on the judging panel.

“What if they freeze and can’t do well?”

“They should have that much guts!”

“I’m in a different field, so I’ll pass.”

“It’s okay. You’ve been active as Blue Moon. You’re good at being an idol, right? Or solo? We’re thinking about solo too.”

“No way. No thanks. I don’t want to.”

Seo-jun refused with a chuckle at Kim Sung-jin’s teasing words.

Ding-

Then the door opened on the 8th floor.

It was Choi Tae-woo, who was going to check out the practice room assigned to his team 3 and then go to the basement archive. He reflexively tried to enter the elevator that opened, but he froze when he saw the inside of the elevator.

Kim Sang-jin, the director of the singer team, and actor Seo-jun were there.

The elevator arrow was pointing up.

Choi Tae-woo remembered the button that was pressed before he came. Someone must have been planning to go to the 9th floor.

‘…Where did they go?!’

‘And why am I here?!’

He was about to back away and disappear with just a greeting, but Kim Sang-jin noticed him and pressed the open button with a wide smile. The door that was about to close opened.

“Ah, Seo-jun. This is Choi Tae-woo, the manager who found the plagiarized script.”

“Oh, really?”

Seo-jun and Choi Tae-woo were both surprised.

Well, it seemed natural that the actor Seo-jun’s business would be known, but he didn’t think they would know his face. And that was the director of the singer team.

“Manager Choi. Hurry up and get on. The door will close.”

“Get on.”

Choi Tae-woo shed tears inside at the sight of the two people who even made room for him in the spacious space.

“Ah, no, I…”

‘I’m going to the basement.’

“Thank you…”

Choi Tae-woo swallowed his tears and got on the elevator with the director and the top star.

He thought he saw some managers who were coming this way and then backpedaling between the closing elevator doors.

‘…You guys pressed the button to go up.’

***

They didn’t talk much, but the elevator arrived at the 10th floor in no time.

Seo-jun said goodbye to Choi Tae-woo with a regretful face and got off the elevator with Kim Sang-jin.

“Thank you for finding the script, Manager Choi.”

“Ah, no, not at all!”

Choi Tae-woo, who had lost half of his soul in the elevator where time and space were separate, bowed reflexively at Seo-jun’s greeting.

The elevator doors closed. Seo-jun, who was watching the descending elevator, suddenly tilted his head at a thought.

“Why didn’t he get off?”

“That’s because you and I were here, right? He probably had a different destination in mind.”

Director Kim Sang-jin, who knew Choi Tae-woo’s mind well, chuckled. Seo-jun realized the reason as well.

He felt anew that new employees had joined the company.

At the old office, the building was small and the number of employees was few, so they greeted and talked to each other as they came and went.

‘It was like a family in a good way.’

There weren’t many positions, either. It was either a team leader, an employee, or a newbie. Even if they weren’t very close, they weren’t as cold as Choi Tae-woo.

But now it had changed.

There were more positions, more employees, and more teams. From now on, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to get close to anyone outside of his own department like before.

‘That’s a shame.’

Director Kim Sang-jin patted Seo-jun’s shoulder.

“Da Ho is in his room. Go check it out.”

“Yes.”

Director Kim Sang-jin headed to his office and Seo-jun headed to Ahn Da Ho’s office.

He knocked on the door and heard Ahn Da Ho’s voice telling him to come in.

“I’m here. Da Ho hyung.”

“Yeah. Come on in.”

As Seo-jun entered the office, Ahn Da Ho, who was sitting, got up.

“Do you want some juice?”

“Yes. Please.”

While Ahn Da Ho prepared orange juice and snacks from the snack table that was set up for the first time, Seo-jun looked around the office.

It was Da Ho hyung’s office, and he felt amazed.

Then he spotted a compass on the desk and smiled brightly. It was placed like a silver medal.

“It suits it well, right? I ordered a custom-made stand for it.”

“Yes. It’s pretty.”

Ahn Da Ho placed juice and snacks in front of Seo-jun, who was sitting on a fluffy sofa, and coffee in front of himself. He sat down on the sofa.

“How was the audition?”

He wasn’t sure if he could call it an audition, since he was suddenly asked to show his acting.

Seo-jun answered with a smile.

“I think I did well. I worked hard.”

Ahn Da Ho laughed at Seo-jun’s words.

“Then you don’t have to worry.”

“But will it go as planned?”

To impress Hwang Ji-yoon with his amazing acting.

It would be the best way if it was a normal audition, but he wondered if it wasn’t too simple and uncertain in the current situation where the director was firmly determined.

Ahn Da Ho explained with a smile.

“Independent films are films that try to capture what the director imagines. They don’t care about box office or commerciality.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Director Hwang Ji-yoon must have only filmed with rookies or unknown actors.”

Seo-jun nodded at Ahn Da Ho’s words.

It was inevitable for a student director with no capital.

Na Jin’s first fan, director Kim Suhan, did the same. He brought his friends and filmed until he made a name for himself.

Just like that, Hwang Ji-yoon, who was still a student, had limited choices of actors. Of course, Hwang Ji-yoon’s imagination of [Fire] was also limited to that extent.

“So, Director Hwang Ji-yoon must have never imagined it. What it feels like to have an actor with amazing acting skills in her work.”

It was a work that he had been planning for a long time.

Hwang Ji-yoon must have assessed the limitations of the budget, the actors’ acting skills, the background, etc. and planned the work at that level.

In her perfect plan that didn’t allow any interference from others, Seo-jun added some paint.

Just one act.

It wasn’t a long time.

But it was the acting of Lee Seo-jun, an actor who was recognized worldwide.

And it was the acting that he himself said he worked hard on.

With that one act, Hwang Ji-yoon’s imagination, which was full of black and white, became colorful and alive.

‘If independent films are for capturing what the director imagines, then all I have to do is add Seo-jun’s acting to that imagination.’

Would Director Hwang Ji-yoon, who met a colorful character for the first time after only imagining black and white works, be able to go back to her previous black and white works?

She would never forget it once she saw it.

She wouldn’t be able to ignore it even if she closed her eyes and tried to.

The bigger her affection for the work, the better.

As long as she could see a way to improve, Hwang Ji-yoon would think of Seo-jun’s acting all day long. She would forget what kind of work she had imagined before.

Of course, this plan was only possible if Seo-jun’s acting skills were absolutely outstanding, but Ahn Da Ho wasn’t worried.

“Even Director Woo Jeong-han, who has been active in the film industry for a long time, saw your audition and filmed the role. It would be easier for a rookie director.”

“Oh.”

Seo-jun exclaimed.

Ahn Da Ho smiled and took a sip of coffee.

‘And…’

If people’s attention was a problem, he just had to divert their eyes.

There was a suitable incident.

He originally intended to just ask, but he ended up using it.

It was the plagiarism incident.

Ahn Da Ho and Team 1 created a negative atmosphere with articles like ‘Seo-jun’s next work won’t be out this year.’, ‘Even if he does a next work, it won’t be a student work.’

Now no one would think that Seo-jun’s next work was a student’s work and that he was going to film it this year.

“I hope they took the bait.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Ahn Da Ho and Seo-jun smiled brightly.

***

“…I must be crazy…”

It was dawn, just before the sun rose.

Hwang Ji-yoon, who was lying in bed, sprang up. Her eyes were red with blood, as if she hadn’t slept a wink.

“…The unknown painter won’t die…!”

The unknown painter, who was supposed to die at the climax of the film, the unknown painter who was supposed to decorate the finale of the film with his death, wouldn’t die.

No matter how many times he tried to follow the script, the unknown painter in the camera she imagined moved as if he was alive, avoiding all kinds of deaths that she, the director, imagined.

“Why won’t you die…!”

What would it feel like to have a character in a story move differently from the creator’s thoughts?

Hwang Ji-yoon washed her face.

She thought about it again carefully. He appeared and the story progressed. Yeah, that was fine. But then it changed. It was different from the ending she had written.

But this was too…

“…Good…”

It was too good.

She had left out the lightly written draft, and although she had changed the script here and there, she had kept the ending… But that had changed. But she didn’t hate it at all, and she rather liked it.

It was just one day.

No, if she thought about seeing Lee Seo-jun’s acting around 5 p.m., it had been only 12 hours. But that acting stuck in her head and changed the ending.

“You hate interference, you idiot…”

Hwang Ji-yoon buried her head in the blanket.

“I don’t want to change the script…”

In Hwang Ji-yoon’s imagination, the unknown painter with a handsome face smiled brightly with his eyes.

The face of the unknown painter was, of course,

the face of actor Lee Seo-jun.