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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: That Was the Ghost
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Seojun returned to Korea with his uncle, Heesang. His bag, filled with gifts from acquaintances, also contained a synopsis he received from Director Ryan Will.
Shadowman 2.
After reading the synopsis and hearing about the future developments from Director Ryan Will, Seojun decided to take the role.
Although he was a little bothered by the complicated look from the vice president of Marine Company, he shrugged and quickly signed the contract.
"But..."
Seojun recalled the contents of the synopsis. There was just one thing that bothered him. The performance he had given in front of Director Ryan Will left a slightly uneasy feeling.
Unlike his acting until now, it didn't feel satisfying. He had pondered what the problem was from time to time, both in the US and after returning to Korea, but he couldn't pinpoint it.
"The director said I passed, so it probably isn't a big deal... Still, I don't know."
In his room, Seojun closed the synopsis for Shadowman 2 and placed it on the bookshelf filled with English scripts that his Aunt Nara had gotten for him.
He decided that this bookshelf, which now held three scripts, would be where he kept the scripts for the movies he would star in.
Nicknamed the real-life, bookshelf of life!
He wanted to act in so many productions that this bookshelf would be completely full.
"Seojun, let's have some grapes."
"Okay!"
His dad, who had moved to Uncle Heesang's company, and his mom, who was recruiting students for Korean tutoring, watched television together.
Lee Jiseok was being interviewed to promote "The Evil Spirit."
"I wonder if Seojun will do something like that?"
"Isn't he still too young for interviews?"
"I can do it!"
He could do it if they asked, but for some reason, after the Shadowman 2 trailer was released, the offers for scripts, synopses, and commercials had completely stopped.
While Seojun and his parents were baffled by this strange phenomenon, Seo Eunchan spoke as if it were no big deal.
"It's because of money. Their heads are probably exploding trying to figure out how much to pay an actor confirmed to be in Shadowman 2. Plus, even though he has the 'Hollywood actor' brand, they can't predict the promotional effect of casting Seojun."
Fortunately, thanks to the success of "The Evil Spirit," scripts began to trickle in. The production companies concluded that although his appearance fee would be high, he would be worth the price.
"So, are there any scripts you like?"
"No. None!"
He shook his head at his dad's question. His fee had gone up and his acting was recognized, but the roles he was being offered now felt like ones that didn't necessarily need him.
A child who lost their parents, a child sobbing their eyes out. It seemed the roles available for his age were all pretty much the same. The role of the baby shaman in "The Evil Spirit" was certainly unique.
[What kind of actor is Lee Seojun?]
At the reporter's question, the family's eyes turned to the television. Seojun looked at Lee Jiseok's face.
The first movie he starred in was a box office hit. Many people said they were seeing Lee Jiseok's acting in a new light. Lee Jiseok's face was beaming.
[Actor Lee Seojun is incredible. At first, I just thought he was a genius actor with innate talent.]
That's right. The people watching TV nodded. A Hollywood movie at six years old. Although Marine Company hadn't officially announced it, with that many hints, anyone who needed to know, knew. Lee Seojun had become an indispensable part of Shadowman.
If that wasn't a genius, what was?
[But, after seeing Actor Lee Seojun's script, I realized that wasn't it.]
[What was the script like?]
[He hadn't just studied his own lines, but everyone else's. It seemed there were still a lot of words he didn't know...]
Lee Jiseok smiled. He remembered the script peeking out from the dokkaebi-shaped bag. When he'd asked Seojun to see it out of curiosity, Seojun had shown it to him without a second thought.
Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun, who were watching Lee Jiseok's interview, also smiled.
Seojun pouted. *Hey! It's my first time learning Korean! Well, not exactly the first time, but I don't remember any of it.*
[He was studying diligently, writing down the meanings with colorful pens.]
[That's... quite cute.]
[Yes. It is cute.]
The reporter, Lee Jiseok, and the people watching the interview all smiled.
[Actor Lee Seojun is a wonderful actor who not only has incredible talent but also works hard. You feel that even more when you act with him. When Suhyuk and the baby shaman first met, I felt like I had truly become Suhyuk. I was completely overwhelmed by the god that Actor Lee Seojun portrayed.]
Hearing this behind-the-scenes story from "The Evil Spirit," some of the viewers who had seen the movie nodded. The interview continued, then suddenly the lights in the studio dimmed, and the reporter asked quietly.
[I heard that some of the staff on "The Evil Spirit" saw a ghost during filming. Did you see one, Jiseok?]
A ghost? The couple tilted their heads. If something like that had happened, they would have surely heard about it from Kim Heesang, the occult enthusiast.
"Seojun. Did you see a ghost?"
"No?"
Seojun rolled his eyes. He had a hunch.
It was that. The dokkaebi's energy.
The brassy, yellow energy must have looked golden in the dark.
He had been surprised when he saw the final edited version of "The Evil Spirit." The scene he had seen with his own eyes was right there on the screen.
He had thought it would influence people to some extent, but he never imagined it could be portrayed so accurately.
"I didn't see anything."
Seojun played dumb.
[There was that scene with the CG that caused a huge stir, wasn't there?]
[Yes. There were many reviews saying it felt like a god had truly descended into the shaman's body. That Korean CG had advanced so much. Rumor has it that many people were asking for the contact information of "The Evil Spirit's" CG team?]
The reporter tilted his head. They were talking about ghosts, so why bring up CG? Lee Jiseok smiled.
[Do you remember the golden flames from the CG? The ones that wrapped around Actor Lee Seojun's body, ran beside me like a wolf, and clung to my body like fire.]
[Of course. It's one of the most iconic scenes in "The Evil Spirit." How could I forget such a masterpiece?]
[That was the ghost.]
[...What?]
His dad, who was eating grapes, choked and spat out a grape.
Lee Minjun had loved that scene in "The Evil Spirit," praising how cool the CG was. And he was terrified of ghosts. Lee Minjun's face turned pale.
It wasn't just Lee Minjun; everyone watching the interview was as speechless as the reporter.
Lee Jiseok smiled brightly.
[I thought I was the only one who saw it, but Director Choi Daeman saw the ghost too. So he thought it would be great to use that scene as it was, and worked hard on it with the CG supervisor. The CG supervisor was amazed at how the director had such a clear image in mind. I bet they never imagined it was a real ghost he had seen with his own eyes.]
The CG supervisor, who was watching television with their family, was left with their mouth wide open.
[At the premiere, I was shocked when I saw the final movie with all the editing and CG work done. It was recreated exactly as I had seen it. That's how I knew the director and some of the other staff members had seen the same ghost.]
Was it just their imagination, or did the word 'exactly' sound particularly loud?
If it were just the director or Lee Jiseok, it might be one thing, but hearing that other staff members saw the exact same ghost sent shivers down their spines. The reporter barely managed to continue.
[So then... all that CG was?]
[Only in the full shot. I only saw it when we were filming the full shot, and not after that. It was a bit of a shame. If it had appeared during other scenes, my acting would have been more realistic. Still, the movie is a hit, so I guess the saying that you need to see a ghost on set for a movie to succeed isn't a lie.]
Thanks to the success of "The Evil Spirit" and the flood of leading role scripts that came pouring in as if they had never avoided him, a happy Lee Jiseok laughed, "Ahahaha."
With this interesting behind-the-scenes story from "The Evil Spirit," comments flooded the interview program's message board.
-LOL Lee Jiseok's face really looks disappointed LOL
-Won't they get cursed for recreating something like that? The director and the actor must be out of their minds.
-My friend was on "The Evil Spirit" staff, said everyone applauded during the exorcism full shot. They were all just watching, mesmerized LOL. Heard a few of them saw the ghost tooㄷㄷ
-No wonder... Lee Seojun's acting. At first, it felt so alien, like I was seeing a ghost, and it was scary, but when he was fighting the evil spirit, he seemed like a truly great god. Like a benevolent god? But to think it was a real ghost. Chills.
Lee Jiseok laughing "ahaha" under the dim lights. The reporter, feeling a chill as if someone was watching, quickly changed the subject.
[I hear Actor Lee Seojun did something very heroic?]
Along with the reporter's words, a post appeared on the television screen. Seojun and his parents, who had been watching the interview without much thought, were startled to see the screen.
Title: Wow. I saw Lee Seojun but I didn't see him.
Author: LawAndOrder
[Link to previous post]
Please read this first. The movie filmed here was 'The Evil Spirit' and the child actor who saved me was 'Lee Seojun'. I was unconscious so I didn't see him... really... I wanted to treat him to a nice meal to thank him for saving me, but he has more money than me.
The short text passed, and a leg in a cast appeared. The face wasn't shown, only the boy's voice could be heard. The boy spoke, sounding shy and embarrassed.
-I fell into a boar trap... If Actor Lee Seojun hadn't saved me, something terrible could have happened! Actor Lee Seojun. Thank you so much!
"So that's the boy Seojun saved."
"He seems to be okay now!"
Unlike back then, when only the slight movement of his chest proved he was alive, his clear voice was reassuring. It really was the right thing to do, even if it meant writing a self-reflection letter. Seojun smiled brightly.
In the month that followed, "The Evil Spirit," which left behind the catchphrase "That was the ghost," continued its box office success, concluding its run with 6 million viewers, far surpassing its break-even point.
And a few months later, it was released in several other countries, including the United States, albeit on a small scale.
* * *
Even as the weather grew chilly, the children, with their high body temperatures, remained energetic.
"Bye, Seojun!"
"See you! Let's play later!"
Seojun waved enthusiastically to his kindergarten friends. Most of them headed home on the kindergarten bus, but there were also some kids whose mothers came to pick them up directly.
His friends left the kindergarten, chattering away while holding their mothers' hands.
The parents, now quite used to the sight of a Hollywood actor at the kindergarten, greeted Seojun calmly.
It was a much-improved situation compared to when Seojun first came to the kindergarten.
Recalling that time, Seojun shook his head. *It was tough.* The kids didn't know who he was, but their parents were so excited they didn't know what to do.
In the end, the kindergarten principal, who had anticipated this situation, decided to send Seojun's autographs home with the children for their parents, which finally calmed everyone down.
"Seojun. It's cold, isn't it? Should we wait inside?"
Seojun took his teacher's hand and went inside.
Seo Eunhye, who always picked Seojun up at the exact same time every day, was running late today. That was because she had gone to see off his maternal grandmother, paternal grandmother, and paternal grandfather, who were going on an overseas trip.
The departure time for the flight to Europe was awkward, so she had no choice but to leave Seojun at the kindergarten a little longer.
It was everyone's first time traveling abroad, so they were on a package tour with a guide, but she couldn't help but worry.
Seojun used an ability he found in the newly opened library to make talismans. He could only make one a day, so it took him three days.
While making the talismans, he couldn't use any other abilities. Not [Orchestra Conductor's Connection] nor [Slime's Digestive Ability]. His appetite decreased for three days, which made his parents worry.
That morning, Seojun had given the talismans to the three of them when they came to Seo Eunhye's house. The grandparents treasured the talismans, which had fireflies drawn on them, and carefully placed them in their bags.
[(Creation) Firefly's Averted Misfortune - Low Grade]
Approaching misfortune will be averted.
The more detailed the drawing, the more the ability improves.
Can be used once a day.
How to use: Possess the paper with the firefly drawn on it.
Expiration: 2 weeks (1 use per person - reusable after 1 year)
"With this, nothing major should happen!"
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