While setting up the stage for the vampire and werewolf performance, the award ceremony for the contest began.
All the lights on the stage went out, and only the spotlight on the elevated stage lit up. As the 13 teams of participants appeared, the audience's attention turned to the elevated stage.
"Now, we will begin the Monster Contest award ceremony. Mayor Orchesi will present the trophies."
A voice came from the speaker. The mayor, standing next to the trophy, bowed. The audience clapped.
"Third place!"
"Who could it be?"
"I thought the team of wizards and witches who performed together was great."
"Second place! Number 2! Dance with Pegasus!"
The audience burst into laughter at this. No one had forgotten the comical participant. Number 2 participant twirled and came forward to receive the trophy.
"Great job!"
"You made everyone laugh so much!"
As the sound of congratulatory applause filled the air, Number 2 participant danced energetically without music. It was funny even on screen, but seeing it in person was even funnier. Seo Jun and the other participants gathered behind also burst into laughter.
"Credit to him. Thanks to him, I could perform with a relaxed mind."
"He's really impressive."
The mayor, with a cheerful smile, handed the trophy to Number 2 participant.
"Second place! Number 1! The dance of the fairy!"
Wow!
The children's cheers were heard. Number 1 participant walked out gracefully, received the shining trophy, and made a beautiful turn. The two pairs of transparent, sparkling wings were incredibly beautiful.
"First place!"
"Werewolf!"
"The best!!"
The audience erupted in cheers.
"Number 13! The werewolf's transformation!"
Seo Jun walked forward. This was the second time he was receiving an award, but despite the different scale from the film festival, it felt good to feel the warmth of the people congratulating him.
Seo Jun waved and smiled broadly, and applause broke out from all around.
Seo Jun walked to the mayor, who was handing out the trophy, just as the other award winners had shown short performances. The audience, still moved by the performance, cheered and clapped. The smoke on the stage made it look even more impressive, but it was great even without the smoke.
"Please give a big round of applause to all the participants for their wonderful performances!"
The audience erupted in cheers and applause once again. Even the participants who didn't win awards smiled brightly and greeted the audience.
"Shortly, the performance by vampires and werewolves will begin. Please wait in your seats."
The announcement was made, and the participants went to the VIP seats prepared by the organizers. The groups of participants who were already seated greeted the new arrivals with bright smiles. Lee Min-joon, watching from the VIP seats, greeted the two children and Seo Eun-hye with a broad smile.
"Great job! You really looked like a wolf!"
Seo Jun laughed and sat down. People sitting near the VIP seats also kept praising him.
"Your acting was amazing, even though you're so young."
"It looked like modern dance. Where did you learn to dance?"
The praise directed at Seo Jun made his friend Charlie's shoulders rise. However, the shower of compliments soon stopped because of the announcement.
"Now, we will begin the final performance of Orchesi's Halloween Festival."
Soft music played, and a beam of light fell on the dark stage. A golden box was placed on a tower in the center of the stage.
Seo Jun, who had been looking at the stage, took off his wolf hat because it was a bit uncomfortable. Seo Eun-hye, sitting next to him, carefully adjusted his wolf ears and fur to avoid leaving marks.
The light shone on a different part of the stage. On the left side, five black coffins were set against a dark castle background.
"Vampires."
Charlie whispered.
The lids of the black coffins slowly opened, and white smoke flowed out. Inside the coffins were men with pale skin and black hair, dressed in black suits, with their eyes closed. The same was true for the other coffins.
The sound of bats flying was heard. The vampires opened their eyes simultaneously. Heavy music played, and the vampires came out of the coffins. They greeted each other and conversed as if they were nobles. One of the vampires pointed to the golden box on the tower in the center of the stage.
The light on the left side of the stage went out. This time, the light shone on the right side. Someone appeared on a rock-shaped prop set against a rocky background. A yellow light illuminated them.
"Werewolves!"
Then, five werewolves appeared. Unlike the stiff vampires, they sat and stood freely. One of the werewolves pointed to the golden box.
Even without dialogue, the audience understood. Both the vampires and the werewolves were after the golden box.
The light on the right side of the stage went out, and soon the entire stage was lit. The increased number of vampires and werewolves met face to face.
One of the vampires pointed at them. The werewolves bowed their upper bodies and growled.
Tense music played. The vampires and werewolves began to fight, like enemies meeting on a log bridge.
As the fight progressed, something yellow caught the audience's eye. It was a pumpkin.
"Jack-o'-lantern!"
The pumpkin-headed figure moved around between the fighting vampires and werewolves, dodging their attacks, which made the audience laugh.
In the end, the Jack-o'-lantern claimed the golden box.
The performance ended with a loud applause. The vampires and werewolves, who had performed and were sweating, bowed to the audience.
A relaxed Jack-o'-lantern, holding the golden box, walked past them. It was a fun performance until the end.
The lights on the stage went out,
Bang! Bang!
Fireworks exploded. Beautiful fireworks bloomed in the dark sky. After a short fireworks show, an announcement was made.
"Thank you to everyone who participated in Orchesi's Halloween Festival. We hope it was a pleasant memory. See you at next year's Halloween Festival!"
The Halloween Festival in Orchesi was over. People left their seats with happy faces. While waiting for Charlie's dad to arrive, a witch ran over from a distance.
"Joon! Charlie!"
"Grace!"
"Joon, you really got first place! I cheered for you so much!"
Grace's family was seen behind her. They all waved and smiled.
"I was looking for you because I forgot to give you my contact info. I thought you had already left, but you're here!"
"I'll give you my phone number too! What messaging app do you use?"
While the three children exchanged contact information, Charlie's dad, who had changed his clothes, appeared. Seeing the suddenly increased group, Charlie's dad smiled and said,
"If you'd like, would you like to have something to eat at our shop?"
* * *
Charlie's dad's shop was close to the square. The temperature inside the shop was raised due to the chilly weather, and seats were prepared for everyone to sit.
Charlie's dad quickly brought out delicious food. Both the children and adults kept praising the food.
"Do you want to play over there?"
"Sure!"
When Charlie pointed to another table, Seo Jun and Grace nodded. While they were chatting and playing, Seo Jun scratched his cheek.
He had been thinking about this since the performance. He thought that if the video was uploaded to Nertube, someone would recognize him. And that one person would spread the word. Although they were friends he had just met, he wanted to tell them directly.
"There's something I want to tell you."
"What is it? A secret?"
At the word "secret," Charlie and Grace's eyes sparkled. Seo Jun smiled and took out his phone to show them a photo.
It was a photo of Evan Block, Richelle Hill, and Seo Jun, taken just before shooting Shadowman 2, after they had finished their makeup. Charlie and Grace blinked at the photo.
"What is this?"
"Charlie, don't you know Shadowman?"
"I know Shadowman, but... is that Evan Block!?"
"...And Richelle Hill is here too."
The two children's eyes widened. Next to the two actors stood the child who had been playing with them.
Charlie looked back and forth between the photo and his friend. Unbelievable. Although no one was around, Charlie lowered his voice.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Are you really Jin Natra?"
Grace, who realized a bit later, covered her mouth as if she was about to scream. Seo Jun, meeting the shocked eyes of the two children, smiled and said,
"I'm Jin Natra, Seo Jun Lee."
Charlie and Grace were frozen for a few seconds before they let out a gasp. My friend is Jin Natra! A Hollywood actor!
"Wow!"
Grace and Charlie's eyes sparkled. Seo Jun showed them more photos. Photos with Redbone and Davis Garrett.
"Redbone!"
"It's real!"
The two children's hearts were pounding so hard. They were so excited they thought they might faint. Grace lowered her voice and asked Seo Jun,
"Can I tell my parents? And my sister?"
"Me too! Can I tell my dad?"
"Sure."
While the children were playing, the adults, drinking tea and chatting, brought up the performance. When they said it was a great performance, Charlie's dad smiled shyly.
"Joon did an amazing job, better than me."
"He really looked like a werewolf."
Everyone recalled the vivid performance. Grace's dad took out his phone.
"I recorded it. Do you want to see it?"
"Me too."
The adults took out their phones and showed the videos. Watching Seo Jun's performance from different seats in the audience, it was still impressive and amazing.
"This angle shows the transformation scene well."
"Running looks better from the side."
"But no matter where you sit, Joon did a great job."
The adults laughed at this. Grace's sister asked Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-joon,
"Does Joon do dancing or acting? If not, he should start now! He's much better than our school drama club!"
"Ah..."
Hmm. What should they do? While the couple exchanged glances, Charlie and Grace ran over, excited.
"Dad! Dad! Da-ad!!"
Charlie called out to his dad as if he had seen something incredible. Charlie's dad seemed to be seeing his son's expression for the first time. His face was flushed with excitement. Joon looked normal, but his son was the only one like this.
"What's wrong?"
"Dad!"
Charlie kept calling out to his dad as if he was broken. Seo Jun patted Charlie's shoulder. Charlie couldn't stand still, jumping around, not knowing what to do. Hmm. Charlie was a playful kid, but he had never been this excited.
"Dad, Joon is Jin!"
"What?"
Joon is Jin? Confused by this strange statement, Charlie's dad frowned.
Is it some kind of secret code that only kids know? When Charlie's dad looked at the couple with a puzzled expression, they smiled as if they knew something.
Just as Charlie's dad was about to ask, Charlie spoke first. He couldn't contain his excitement.
Grace was also explaining enthusiastically to her parents and sister. Grace, using gestures and body language, and her family, whose expressions gradually turned blank, were visible.
"Joon is Jin Natra! The one from Shadowman! Seo Jun Lee is Joon! He showed us photos with Evan Block and Richelle Hill, and photos with Davis Garrett and Redbone!"
"…What?"
"You saw it too, Dad! Shadowman!"
At his son's words, Charlie's dad's gaze turned to Seo Jun. Grace's family also looked at Seo Jun.
Seo Jun, pushing his bangs back and smiling like when he played Jin Natra, made the adults' mouths drop open. It was really Jin Natra.
Thinking the wolf hat-wearing family was just an ordinary family, why was a Hollywood actor here?
"Hello, I'm actor Seo Jun Lee."
"…Really?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
Even though he recognized him, Charlie's dad couldn't believe it and looked at the couple. The couple nodded in agreement.
Charlie kept running around the restaurant, too excited to think of anything to say, just shouting "Wow! Wow!" Grace was also running around.
"Can I have an autograph?"
"Right! An autograph! Me too!"
"Can we have one too?"
"Sure, no problem!"
The two children, who received the autographs, shouted with excited faces.
"This is my treasure!"
"I'll put it in a frame!"
After getting autographs and taking photos, it was time to part ways. Although everyone was reluctant to leave, they gathered their things and stood up because they had plans the next day.
It was a short but unforgettable meeting. Seo Jun hugged the two children, who looked like they were about to cry. Charlie and Grace also hugged Seo Jun.
"I'll definitely watch Shadowman 3."
"Me too! I'll watch all the movies you're in!"
"Come back and visit again!"
"Come to New York!"
"You two should visit Korea! Let's play together!"
The adults also shook hands, saying goodbye. It was really time to part. The children, reluctant to leave, kept looking back and waving.
"Goodbye!"
"Bye!"
"See you again!"
Seo Jun waved hard at his friends, who were getting smaller and smaller.