Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 179

Chapter 179

While Seo-jun was studying hard at school, Team 2 of Cocoa Entertainment was busy handling the flood of calls.

Ring, ring, they answered the phone and listened to the callers request.

The requests were mostly the same. 

Some broadcasting station or production company was filming something and wanted him to appear. 

Or it was an interview request from a magazine or a newspaper.

Yes. There is nothing decided yet.

We are reviewing it.

They answered mechanically, and the callers heart burned.

The movie had recorded ten million in Korea alone, and despite being a historical drama, it was a huge hit overseas. 

They could make a huge profit by filming just one episode.

The advertising fees and overseas exports. 

They didnt even have to open up overseas export channels. 

There was already a streaming site, Plus+, that was used all over the world.

The process and the result were perfect. There was no such thing as a rosy path. But the start was not difficult, but hopeless. 

The golden goose that would be a jackpot if they caught it was not caught at all.

If only I could catch it, Im confident I can raise it well and get golden eggs!

They had no choice but to contact Cocoa Entertainment, since the usual high appearance fees or threats didnt work for them.

Team 2 didnt have much to say either. They were just there to help actor Lee Seo-jun, and the decision was all up to him.

Some writer said this last time.

One of the staff members who had just hung up the phone opened his mouth. 

Everyone listened with one ear and answered mechanically. 

Their hands didnt stop taking notes of the callers words.

Is this really going to actor Lee Seo-jun?

Oh. Me too. They must think were cutting it off at our company.

Well, usually agencies would do that

Team 2 shrugged their shoulders.

For movies or dramas, Team 2 had a very narrow range of choices.

A poor production company would become a solid one if Lee Seo-jun appeared, and a poor investment situation would be solved if he was there. 

Most other problems could be solved with Lee Seo-juns name.

In that situation, there were few scripts that they could reject.

While Seo-jun was studying hard at school, Team 2 of Cocoa Entertainment was busy handling the flood of calls.

Ring, ring, they answered the phone and listened to the callers request.

The requests were mostly the same. 

Some broadcasting station or production company was filming something and wanted him to appear. 

Or it was an interview request from a magazine or a newspaper.

Yes. There is nothing decided yet.

We are reviewing it.

They answered mechanically, and the callers heart burned.

The movie had recorded ten million in Korea alone, and despite being a historical drama, it was a huge hit overseas. 

They could make a huge profit by filming just one episode.

The advertising fees and overseas exports. 

They didnt even have to open up overseas export channels. 

There was already a streaming site, Plus+, that was used all over the world.

The process and the result were perfect. There was no such thing as a rosy path. But the start was not difficult, but hopeless. 

The golden goose that would be a jackpot if they caught it was not caught at all.

If only I could catch it, Im confident I can raise it well and get golden eggs!

They had no choice but to contact Cocoa Entertainment, since the usual high appearance fees or threats didnt work for them.

Team 2 didnt have much to say either. 

They were just there to help actor Lee Seo-jun, and the decision was all up to him.

Some writer said this last time.

One of the staff members who had just hung up the phone opened his mouth. 

Everyone listened with one ear and answered mechanically. 

Their hands didnt stop taking notes of the callers words.

Is this really going to actor Lee Seo-jun?

Oh. Me too. They must think were cutting it off at our company.

Well, usually agencies would do that

Team 2 shrugged their shoulders.

For movies or dramas, Team 2 had a very narrow range of choices.

A poor production company would become a solid one if Lee Seo-jun appeared, and a poor investment situation would be solved if he was there. 

Most other problems could be solved with Lee Seo-juns name.

In that situation, there were few scripts that they could reject.

Really looks like a scam.

Were filtering out the ones that look like scams, but

Team 2 sighed.

The work was entirely up to Lee Seo-juns will.

The only programs that Team 2 could get involved in were entertainment and culture shows, but in the end, Seo-jun decided on them too. 

So Team 2 staff members just diligently wrote down the names and dates of the programs that called them.

Anh Da Ho collected the hastily written notes and checked the rankings of the programs in the file where he had organized domestic broadcast programs.

Broadcasting station, program name, PD, cast, ratings.

He had already collected and organized a lot of information, so he didnt need to do any extra research unless it was a new program or the PD had changed.

When the phone calls that had been pouring in calmed down, they had to look at the synopses and scripts that came in by email. Half of Team 2 staff members received phone calls, and half looked through the printed synopses and scripts.

Back to the sea of synopses.

They felt their eyes ache just by looking at the stacked papers.

It was easier when he was filming.

Yeah. They probably didnt send them when he was filming, but they started sending them right after the release.

After the release, the synopses and scripts that had stopped coming in during filming started coming in again. 

A Team 2 staff member who was rating scripts as usual found a familiar name.

This is Director Choi Dae-mans work.

Really?

Team 2 staff members and Anh Da Ho knew Director Choi Dae-man well.

He was the director who filmed Seo-juns first commercial and his first Korean movie Evil Spirit. And,

This is his sixth time.

He was also the persistent director who sent his sixth synopsis after being rejected five times.

But it wasnt anything special at Team 2. It was an opportunity to film with superstar Lee Seo-jun. An opportunity to gain wealth and fame. Whats six times? There were many people who tried ten times or twenty times.

Well, who here isnt like that?

But there are also directors who send the same script over and over again. Director Choi Dae-man always sends different stories, so its amazing.

And he has a connection with Seo-jun too.

Is this a new work?

The staff member who held Director Choi Dae-mans synopsis turned over a page. Flap flap. They talked while taking a break for a moment.

What was his last work?

I think it was a historical drama

Wasnt that the one before?

Hmm. Was it?

Team 2 staff members shrugged their shoulders.

When Seo-jun was studying hard at school, Team 2 of Cocoa Entertainment was busy handling the flood of calls.

Ring, ring, they answered the phone and listened to the callers request.

The requests were mostly the same. 

Some broadcasting station or production company was filming something and wanted him to appear. 

Or it was an interview request from a magazine or a newspaper.

Yes. There is nothing decided yet.

We are reviewing it.

They answered mechanically, and the callers heart burned.

The movie had recorded ten million in Korea alone, and despite being a historical drama, it was a huge hit overseas. 

They could make a huge profit by filming just one episode.

The advertising fees and overseas exports. 

They didnt even have to open up overseas export channels. 

There was already a streaming site, Plus+, that was used all over the world.

The process and the result were perfect. 

There was no such thing as a rosy path. But the start was not difficult, but hopeless. 

The golden goose that would be a jackpot if they caught it was not caught at all.

If only I could catch it, Im confident I can raise it well and get golden eggs!

They had no choice but to contact Cocoa Entertainment, since the usual high appearance fees or threats didnt work for them.

Team 2 didnt have much to say either. 

They were just there to help actor Lee Seo-jun, and the decision was all up to him.

Some writer said this last time.

One of the staff members who had just hung up the phone opened his mouth. 

Everyone listened with one ear and answered mechanically. 

Their hands didnt stop taking notes of the callers words.

Is this really going to actor Lee Seo-jun?

Oh. Me too. They must think were cutting it off at our company.

Well, usually agencies would do that

Team 2 shrugged their shoulders.

For movies or dramas, Team 2 had a very narrow range of choices.

A poor production company would become a solid one if Lee Seo-jun appeared, and a poor investment situation would be solved if he was there. 

Most other problems could be solved with Lee Seo-juns name.

In that situation, there were few scripts that they could reject.

Really looks like a scam.

Were filtering out the ones that look like scams, but

Team 2 sighed.

The work was entirely up to Lee Seo-juns will.

The only programs that Team 2 could get involved in were entertainment and culture shows, but in the end, Seo-jun decided on them too. 

So Team 2 staff members just diligently wrote down the names and dates of the programs that called them.

Anh Da Ho collected the hastily written notes and checked the rankings of the programs in the file where he had organized domestic broadcast programs.

Broadcasting station, program name, PD, cast, ratings.

He had already collected and organized a lot of information, so he didnt need to do any extra research unless it was a new program or the PD had changed.

When the phone calls that had been pouring in calmed down, they had to look at the synopses and scripts that came in by email. 

Half of Team 2 staff members received phone calls, and half looked through the printed synopses and scripts.

Back to the sea of synopses.

They felt their eyes ache just by looking at the stacked papers.

It was easier when he was filming.

Yeah. They probably didnt send them when he was filming, but they started sending them right after the release.

After the release, the synopses and scripts that had stopped coming in during filming started coming in again. 

A Team 2 staff member who was rating scripts as usual found a familiar name.

This is Director Choi Dae-mans work.

Really?

Team 2 staff members and Anh Da Ho knew Director Choi Dae-man well.

He was the director who filmed Seo-juns first commercial and his first Korean movie Evil Spirit. And,

This is his sixth time.

He was also the persistent director who sent his sixth synopsis after being rejected five times.

But it wasnt anything special at Team 2. It was an opportunity to film with superstar Lee Seo-jun. 

An opportunity to gain wealth and fame. 

Whats six times? There were many people who tried ten times or twenty times.

Well, who here isnt like that?

But there are also directors who send the same script over and over again. Director Choi Dae-man always sends different stories, so its amazing.

And he has a connection with Seo-jun too.

Is this a new work?

The staff member who held Director Choi Dae-mans synopsis turned over a page. Flap flap. They talked while taking a break for a moment.

What was his last work?

I think it was a historical drama

Wasnt that the one before?

Hmm. Was it?

Team 2 staff members shrugged their shoulders.

Oh.

Blood is draining out.

My blood.

Red blood.

My heart is pounding.

Seo-juns eyes flickered as he saw the red blood.

Yes. Its done. Press it hard until the bleeding stops.

The nurse who had injected the needle into his inner arm put a band-aid on it. Seo-jun came to his senses as he stared blankly at his blood draining out.

Thank you.

Please fill out the questionnaire when the bleeding seems to stop.

Okay.

Seo-jun got up from his seat and gave it to Jae-han. 

Jae-han, who was having his blood drawn for the first time in his life, as far as he could remember, walked awkwardly to the chair with a pale face.

There were mandatory health check-ups for first graders in middle school and high school, set by the country. 

They had to do the health check-ups at a hospital affiliated with the school, and Yeoul Arts Middle School was no exception. 

The deadline was October.

After school, Seo-jun decided to get a health check-up at a nearby hospital with Jae-han. Luckily, there were not many people at the hospital, so they had already finished other tests such as X-ray and physical measurement, and only blood collection and questionnaire were left.

Seo-jun pressed the band-aid and looked at Jae-han, who looked like he was about to cry. 

He felt like laughing at the sight of Jae-han, who was frowning and scared.

It doesnt hurt that much.

It looks like it hurts a lot. The needle is so sharp

The needle for blood collection sparkled as it caught the light. 

Jae-han swallowed his saliva and turned his head away from the sharp needle.

Lets not look. If I dont look, it wont be scary It wont be scary Its scary!

He closed his eyes and was very scared as the nurse tied a rubber band around his arm.

Thump thump thump. His heart felt like it was going to jump out of his mouth.

Have you never had blood drawn before?

Uh-huh.

Jae-han opened his eyes slightly at Seo-juns question and thought. 

He thought it was his first time.

Is this your first time Have you done it before, Seo-jun?

Yeah. I did it at the clinic.

Oh. I saw that. You were on the clinic special, right?

He remembered watching it with his mom and dad, who talked about how to be healthy like Seo-jun.

The clinic.

Seo-jun acted very well then too. 

He couldnt believe that the grand prince in the television was the same age as him, a third grader. 

The grand prince made many people laugh and cry with his gestures and steps.

 Korea was in an uproar, and most of the people around Kang Jae-han loved the grand prince. 

Kang Jae-han, who was only a third grader, was no exception.

The grand prince was dazzling, and he even asked his mom and dad if the real grand prince lived in the palace. 

He felt so real. 

Of course, that awesome grand prince 

He felt like tears would come out even now when he thought about it.

Kang Jae-han started acting after that. 

He nagged his mom and dad to enroll him in an acting academy and practiced hard. 

Thats how Jae-han became a fifth grader, and then a sixth grader.

Facing middle school entrance, he applied to Yeoul Arts Middle School, which gave him the best support among many arts middle schools. 

He applied with half a mind that he wouldnt make it because of the fierce competition rate, but he passed with a bang.

Jae-han would never forget that day when he got the acceptance call.

[Actor Lee Seo-jun, accepted to Yeoul Arts Middle School!]

He would have never imagined that he would become friends with the grand prince who shone on television, in the same school, in the same class.

Friend.

It was a word that felt familiar but still made him nervous.

Jae-han smiled faintly.

Yeah. Ive been doing it once a year since then.

Did you not do it this year?

I didnt do it because they said they would do a health check-up at middle school.

I see.

As Jae-han nodded his head at Seo-juns words, the nurse pulled out the needle from Jae-hans arm.

There. Its done.

Oh, already?

Jae-han opened his eyes wide, and Seo-jun laughed ha ha ha.

The nurse smiled as she put a band-aid on Jaehans arm. 

She was surprised to see the actor Seo-jun in such a small hospital, but she admired how he chatted with his scared friend.

Dont rub it, or it will bruise. You have to press it firmly.

Thank you.

Seo-jun and Jaehan finished their blood tests and sat on nearby chairs to fill out the medical forms.

No problem. No problem.

Seo-jun wrote at almost the speed of light, while Jaehan read carefully down the page. 

While waiting for Jaehan, Seo-jun sent a banana talk to Dahyo. 

He had already told Dahyo hyung yesterday that he would be late because of the health check-up.

<Dahyo hyung, Im done with the health check-up.

Okay? Are you going home right away?

<Im going to eat tteokbokki with Jaehan.

Got it. Contact me when you get home.

<Okay.

Jaehan finished reading and checking the last page and looked up.

Im done.

Okay, then lets go eat tteokbokki.

They submitted their forms and left the hospital. 

Seo-jun and Jaehan headed to a nearby snack bar.

They ordered tteokbokki and fried food, and soon they got hot tteokbokki and fried food. Seo-jun took a bite of the spicy tteokbokki and opened his mouth.

Juhee and Jukyung said theyre going to look for audition notices from summer vacation. Are you going to audition too, Jaehan?

Both of them said they would start looking for audition notices from summer vacation, not the second semester.

Most of the acting majors would audition

There was nothing better than gaining experience by actually filming or performing on stage.

But among the class, there were surprisingly some kids who only wanted to focus on acting classes. 

That wasnt bad either. 

It meant they knew their weaknesses and wanted to improve them.

I wonder what Jaehan will do?

Jaehan, who was munching on fried food, nodded his head.

Yeah. Im going to apply for auditions when I see notices.

Seo-jun, who thought Jaehan would rather take acting classes than audition, asked with sparkling eyes at his unexpected answer.

Drama? Movie?

Im planning to apply for both. Ive never filmed anything before.

A child actor with no filming experience.

It wasnt anything special. 

There were many aspiring child actors, but not many roles for them. 

There were quite a few kids like that in the acting department of Yeoul Arts Middle School.

Really? Thats good. You have to try different things to find out what suits you.

Jaehan smiled brightly at Seo-juns reply and asked.

When are you going to start a new project?

It was a question mixed with a little fans heart, waiting for the next work of his favorite actor. 

Seo-jun tilted his head.

Well, I guess Ill do it if I find a work that I like. But I dont know when that will happen.

A work that you like? What kind of work do you like?

Um

Seo-jun dipped a fried food in the tteokbokki sauce and said with a smile.

Something fun.