Superstar From Age 0

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: AgRoseCrystal

Chapter 635

“Johnny Struck?”

“I don’t think so.”

Seo-jun shook his head as he spoke, while Paul Oden turned off his phone screen with a disappointed expression.

He had been showing Seo-jun photos of bit-part actors from twenty years ago, trying to find the name of the unknown actor that Seo-jun had mentioned. Catherine Miller also looked similarly frustrated.

“I wish we could find out. The unknown actor that Jun saw.”

“Me too.”

Well, maybe it was impossible to find out.

Seo-jun smiled faintly and said.

“Maybe I don’t remember because I was young when I saw him. Maybe he was on the list.”

At Seo-jun’s words, Paul Oden turned on his phone screen again.

There were names of actors written on it. It was a list that people had compiled to find out who the ‘unknown actor’ was, after listening to Seo-jun Lee’s radio broadcast.

There were actors who had become superstars by now, actors who were loved for their indispensable supporting roles, and actors who had disappeared completely.

“But there are more candidates than I thought?”

When Seo-jun was young and living in America, the condition for being on the list was that the unknown actor had to have done at least one interview on radio, TV, or any other media. But there were more people than expected. Usually, interviews with unknown or bit-part actors didn’t get much attention.

Catherine Miller asked Seo-jun.

“Wasn’t there an actor who became a star overnight from a bit-part role back then? That’s why the bit-part actors got some attention for a while.”

TV and radio broadcasts also had trends, and when Seo-jun was young and living in America, the profession of ‘actor’ was very popular.

They showed actors who became superstars overnight, and also showed the lives of unknown actors who barely made ends meet.

“Swallen’s documentary also came out around that time.”

“Oh.”

At Seo-jun’s words, Paul Oden and Catherine Miller’s eyes sparkled with interest. They had both seen the documentary of Swalin Arnham, a Hollywood star. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“That’s still a good watch even now.”

“True.”

After chatting excitedly about Swalin Arnham’s documentary for a while, Catherine Miller checked her SNS.

-Seo-jun Lee. I think he saw my interview 20 years ago.

-I’m Seo-jun Lee’s teacher.

-I want to meet him. Seo-jun Lee. He’s still an actor who loves acting.

Besides that, there were people who were mentioned in ‘Seo-jun Lee’s role model list’ who were subtly trying to join the hype.

“Then these are all lies, right?”

“Well…”

Seo-jun shrugged.

“Rather than lies, I think they all think they are the ones because they can’t confirm it.”

“And then when Jun says ‘he looks like him’, it’ll be a big deal.”

At Paul Oden’s words, Seo-jun imagined the scene.

“They’ll say it’s a touching reunion and go on a talk show together or act in the same work.”

“That might really happen.”

The three of them laughed.

“But it’s a good thing that it’s not a bad thing. This world is a place where all kinds of rumors are made.”

They all nodded at Catherine Miller’s words.

It was a place where all kinds of rumors could be created from a single photo, a few seconds of conversation. Especially Hollywood, which received worldwide attention, was more so.

“I didn’t know this story would get this big.”

He had just talked about the reason he became an actor.

He had also added that he didn’t remember well because he was young when he saw him, but he didn’t expect them to make a list and try to find out.

“But they said it would die down soon if there was no reaction.”

Seo-jun told them the opinions of Ahn Da Ho and Kings Agency, and Catherine and Paul nodded.

“Right. It’s not a bad thing either. When the buzz dies down, it’ll quiet down.”

“There’s no evidence like photos or anything.”

It was something that depended entirely on Seo-jun’s memory, and it was already 20 years ago, when he was only four years old. It was amazing that he remembered it.

“Shall we practice for tomorrow’s filming then?”

Seo-jun picked up the script after talking with his friends. It was also the reason they had gathered here after dinner.

***

The next day.

A section of Chicago was blocked off.

“Let’s get ready quickly!”

At that shout, the staff moved busily. They had to film within a set time, since it was a street where people came and went.

“But the actors are reliable, so the filming should end smoothly.”

“Right.”

The staff who were busy moving their hands looked at Seo-jun Lee, Catherine Miller, and Paul Oden, who were preparing for the filming, with a pleased smile. They were amazing actors who had hardly made any NGs in the filming so far.

“Well, the other side is worrying though.”

“Hmm.”

The staff looked at the bit-part actors who were appearing in this scene with a worried look. They looked pitiful, sitting together nervously.

“Lights!”

“Yes!”

Well, that time wasn’t long either.

Seo-jun appeared in the empty spot where the lighting staff had gone, after finishing his preparations.

“Hello. I look forward to working with you today.”

Seo-jun smiled brightly and reached out his hand.

Unlike the old man who had looked almost like a homeless person during the filming in Cleveland, Ohio, the three people who were wearing slightly old but free-spirited clothes were startled and got up from their seats.

The leader who had wiped his hands on his clothes grabbed Seo-jun’s hand.

“Ni, ni, nice to meet you! Jun!”

“Please take good care of me!”

“…me!”

The last person’s voice was barely audible, but the trembling hand that he held told him how nervous he was.

“We have plenty of time for filming, so please play comfortably.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Ye, ye, yes!”

Seeing them so nervous, Seo-jun smiled and sent them a fluffy warmth. The warm warmth melted the frozen tension, and the three people’s expressions became more relaxed. Their trembling voices also calmed down and became softer.

“We’ll do our best.”

“Please listen well. Jun.”

“Yes. I will.”

Seo-jun smiled brightly at the serious expressions of the three people.

A little later.

All the preparations were over and the filming began.

“Ready, action!”

The camera angle showed Gray Vainy and Rebecca walking on the street.

“The lunch was delicious, right?”

“Yeah. And the price was reasonable too.”

Gray and his friends were taking a short break after their concert in Chicago.

Usually, they would have moved on to the next destination by now, but somehow they had some spare time. Maybe it was because of the documentary filming crew that was with them.

Anyway, Gray felt relaxed for the first time in a long time.

But he couldn’t enjoy it. Rebecca’s voice, which had been chatting eagerly as they walked, became intermittent.

Chicago, the third largest city in the US.

The people on the street had diverse fashions and there were many shops with various designs of clothes. Rebecca was looking at them with interest.

She said she would quit being a fashion designer.

But it seemed like she didn’t mean it.

“You can go and check them out if you’re curious.”

Gray’s words startled Rebecca and she waved her hand.

“No, no! I’m fine! You’re filming a documentary, right? I can’t interrupt you!”

“I was thinking of taking a break anyway. I’ll wait for you here.”

Gray’s gentle voice made Rebecca groan and she quickly headed to George, who was gesturing to her from behind the camera. Gray looked at Rebecca and George whispering to each other with a puzzled expression.

Rebecca’s face brightened up.

“Then I’ll be back soon!”

“Okay.”

Gray smiled. Rebecca handed him a paper and a pen that she seemed to have gotten from George.

‘…Huh?’

Gray blinked as he took the paper and the pen. It was a blank sheet of music.

“Gray, you’re composing here.”

“…Composing?”

“George said he’ll edit it for you. Just pretend. Just pretend.”

‘…Wow.’

“George, you…”

Gray’s eyes, which seemed to have seen the truth of the world, made George shrug from behind the camera.

“What. A genius violinist who gets inspiration and composes on the street. It’s fine.”

“…Okay. Fine.”

Gray smiled helplessly. It seemed like this was the best way to give Rebecca some time to enjoy herself.

“It’ll take me a while to compose, so take your time.”

“Okay!”

Rebecca smiled brightly and walked lightly to the nearest clothing store, as if she had wings on her shoes.

“She’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her.”

George nodded in agreement to Gray’s words.

Gray, who had a sheet of music in his hand, looked around for a moment. He wondered if there was a place to sit, and he saw a bench a little further away.

Gray took a seat there.

The blank sheet of music in his hand felt awkward.

“…Yeah.”

He had been practicing with full scores after traveling around for concerts, so he felt strange to see a sheet of music that had nothing drawn on it.

He tried to write a short melody that George could edit easily, but his mind felt like a blank sheet of paper. His hand holding the pen just hovered in the air.

Then, he heard music.

Gray lifted his head reflexively. There was nothing around him.

Gray got up from his seat to find the source of the sound, and the filming crew around the bench moved with him.

Gray walked with the sheet of music in his hand. He saw a small park-like place after walking a little from the bench. There were performers there.

♬

An electric piano, a guitar, and a violin.

They were not professional, but they were skilled street musicians.

Gray Vainy stopped and watched them.

Like the old man he saw in Cleveland, these three performers also played with bright and happy faces. They looked similar to Rebecca’s face a while ago.

He didn’t realize it, but his buried feelings peeked out a little.

He was envious.

Those three words came to his mind, and he felt suffocated even though he wasn’t wearing a tie.

The place where the performers were standing seemed to be shining, but his place, which was only a few steps away, seemed to be left with only darkness. He clenched his fists without knowing it, feeling anxious and frustrated.

Crunch.

He was startled by the sound and looked down. His hands, which were shaking a little, held a blank sheet of music and a pen.

Ah.

He had been at a loss until a moment ago, but now he had random musical ideas in his mind.

Dark and deep emotions writhed as if they wanted him to engrave them on the sheet of music. They screamed for him to let them out, musical ideas that would make both the listener and the performer breathless and heartbroken.

‘…No.’

Of course, those emotions could also make great music, but Gray wanted to put something else on the sheet of music.

He lifted his head and looked around. He wanted to engrave everything he saw on the sheet of music.

He didn’t care who looked or not, he lay down on the ground and filled the sheet of music. Of course, he couldn’t fit everything on the narrow sheet of music, but his head was already full of melodies.

The warm sunlight, the green grass, the bright green leaves, the sound of small birds chirping on the branches, the laughter of children who came out to play with their families, and the music of the street musicians in between.

He added another emotion to it.

The old man’s happy expression, Rebecca’s light footsteps, the lively faces of the people, the cheerful expressions of the musicians. And the happy faces of the people listening to the music.

They were the things that Gray had envied.

He filled the sheet of music with all of them.

So that both the performer and the listener could feel those emotions.

…So that he could feel those emotions too.

As the sheet of music was filled, he felt a little relieved. He felt like he knew a little bit what his heart wanted.

‘…But.’

But was it okay to do that?

“Here.”

As if to interrupt his thoughts, something familiar, no, something he missed appeared in front of him. It was a violin.

He lifted his head.

George, who had been behind the camera, smiled and handed him the violin. He looked at it and it seemed like he had borrowed it from the street musicians.

“Let’s play it.”

He blinked as he looked at the violin and got up from his seat and reached out.

He felt like he had gone back to the day when he was young, the day he first held a violin. He felt a little scared, but also happy, and his hand trembled slightly.

Gray Vainy rested his chin on the violin. And he pulled the bow hard.

[Gray’s Violin Concerto No. 3: Good afternoon] it was.