Seo Jun returned to Korea with his uncle Hee Sang. His bag, filled with gifts from friends, also contained the synopsis he received from director Ryan Will.
After reading the synopsis and hearing about the future development from director Ryan Will, Seo Jun decided to take the role. There was a person, the vice president of Marine Co., who looked at him with a complicated gaze, but he shrugged it off and quickly signed the contract.
"But..."
Seo Jun recalled the content of the synopsis. There was one thing that bothered him. The acting he had done in front of director Ryan Will felt a bit uncomfortable.
It wasn't as refreshing as the acting he had done before. He pondered what the problem was, both in America and after coming to Korea, but couldn't pinpoint it.
"Since the director said it was good, it probably isn't a big issue... Still, I don't know."
In his room, Seo Jun put away the synopsis of Shadowman 2 and placed it next to the bookshelf filled with English scripts that Aunt Nara had found for him.
Out of the three bookshelves, only two were now filled, but he decided that this bookshelf would be where he would put the scripts of the movies he would star in.
The bookshelf of reality, the bookshelf of life!
He wanted to do enough acting to fill this bookshelf.
"Seo Jun, let's eat grapes."
"Okay!"
His father, who had transferred to his uncle Hee Sang's company, and his mother, who was recruiting Korean language tutoring students, watched TV together.
Lee Ji-seok was being interviewed for the promotion of The Possessed.
"Does Seo Jun do things like that?"
"He's still too young to do interviews, isn't he?"
"He can do it!"
If asked, he could do it, but for some reason, after the trailer for Shadowman 2 was released, the scripts, synopses, and commercial offers stopped coming in.
Seo Jun and his parents were flustered by this strange phenomenon, but Seo Chan said it was nothing.
"It's about the money. They're probably racking their brains over how much to pay the actors who are confirmed to appear in Shadowman 2. Besides, they can't predict how much publicity effect Seo Jun will bring, even though he has the name value of a Hollywood actor."
Fortunately, with the success of The Possessed, scripts started coming in little by little. The production companies concluded that the high appearance fee was worth it.
"So, is there a script you like?"
"No. There isn't!"
He shook his head in response to his father's question. Although his appearance fee had increased and his acting skills were recognized, the roles he was getting didn't seem to require him specifically.
A child who had lost his parents, a child crying. At this age, the roles he could play were indeed limited. The role of the baby shaman in The Possessed was certainly unique.
[What kind of actor is Seo Jun?]
At the reporter's question, the family's gaze turned to the TV. Seo Jun looked at Lee Ji-seok's face.
His first leading role was a hit. Many people had seen Lee Ji-seok's acting again. Lee Ji-seok's face was beaming.
[Seo Jun is amazing. At first, I thought he was just a talented genius actor.]
That's right. People watching TV nodded. A Hollywood movie at the age of six. Although it wasn't officially announced by Marine Co., giving that hint made everyone who knew, know. Seo Jun had become an indispensable presence in Shadowman.
If he wasn't a genius, what else could he be?
[But when I saw Seo Jun's script, it wasn't the case.]
[What was the script like?]
[He studied not only his own lines but all the lines. There were many words he didn't know...]
Lee Ji-seok laughed. He remembered the script that had peeked out of the bag that looked like a goblin's. Out of curiosity, he asked Seo Jun to show it to him, and Seo Jun showed it without hesitation.
Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-joon, who were watching Lee Ji-seok's interview, also laughed.
Seo Jun pouted. No, what! It was the first time learning Korean! Well, not completely, but he couldn't even remember.
[He was diligently writing down the meanings with colorful pens and studying.]
[That's really cute.]
[Yes, it is.]
The reporter, Lee Ji-seok, and the people watching the interview all smiled.
[Seo Jun is a wonderful actor with incredible talent and effort. When I act with him, I feel it even more. When Su-hyuk and the baby shaman first meet, I really felt like I was Su-hyuk. I was overwhelmed by the expression Seo Jun gave.]
Some people who had seen The Possessed nodded at the behind-the-scenes story. The interview continued, and suddenly the lighting on the screen darkened, and the reporter asked quietly.
[Some of the staff on The Possessed said they saw a ghost during filming. Did you see it, Ji-seok?]
Ghost? The couple tilted their heads. If that had happened, the occult enthusiast Kim Hee-sang would have known.
"Seo Jun, did you see a ghost?"
"No."
Seo Jun rolled his eyes. He had an idea.
That's it. The goblin's aura.
It was made of metal and looked yellow, but in the dark, it probably looked golden.
He was shocked when he saw the finished The Possessed. The scene he had seen with his own eyes appeared on the screen.
He thought it would have some impact on people, but he never imagined it could be expressed so accurately.
"I didn't see it."
Seo Jun played it cool.
[This time, there was a scene that caused a stir with CG, right?]
[Yes. Many people commented that it felt like a god really possessed the shaman. They said Korean CG has developed a lot. I heard that the number of people asking for the CG team of The Possessed has increased.]
The reporter tilted his head. Ghosts and then CG? Lee Ji-seok laughed.
[Do you remember the golden flames seen with CG? They surrounded Seo Jun's body, ran around like a wolf, and stuck to my body like fire.]
[Of course. It's one of the best scenes in The Possessed. How could I forget it?]
[That was the ghost.]
[...What?]
Seo Jun's father, who was eating grapes, choked and spat out the grape seeds.
Lee Min-joon, who had enjoyed the CG in The Possessed, was pale. He was afraid of ghosts. The people watching the interview, like the reporter, were speechless.
Lee Ji-seok smiled brightly.
[I thought I was the only one who saw it, but director Choi Daeman also saw the ghost. So, he thought it would be good to use that scene as it was and worked hard with the CG team. The CG team leader had such a clear image, and he thought the director was great. He probably didn't think it was a real ghost that he had seen directly.]
The CG team leader, who was watching TV with his family, opened his mouth wide.
[When I saw the completed movie with the editing and CG work at the preview, I was shocked. It was exactly the same as what I had seen. That's how I knew the director and other staff had seen the ghost.]
Was the word 'exactly' emphasized? If it was just the director or Lee Ji-seok, it might be different, but the fact that other staff also saw the same ghost gave him goosebumps. The reporter struggled to continue.
[So, the... CG was all of it?]
[Only the full shot. I only saw it during the full shot, and not after. I was a bit disappointed. If it had appeared during other scenes, my acting would have been more realistic. But since the movie is a hit, it seems that seeing a ghost during filming is necessary for success.]
Thanks to the leading roles flooding in due to the success of The Possessed, Lee Ji-seok was living a happy life, laughing aha-ha.
The interesting behind-the-scenes story of The Possessed led to a pile of comments on the interview program's bulletin board.
- Haha, Lee Ji-seok really looks disappointed.
- If they recreate that, won't they get cursed? The director and actors seem to be out of their minds.
- My friend was a staff member on The Possessed. He said there was applause during the full shot of the exorcism scene. Everyone was so engrossed... Some of them saw the ghost. Dd
- No wonder... Seo Jun's acting. At first, it felt alien and scary, like he had seen a ghost, but when he fought The Possessed, he really seemed like a great god. A good god, I guess? But if it was really a ghost, that's creepy.
Lee Ji-seok, laughing aha-ha in the dim lighting. The reporter, feeling a chill as if someone was watching, quickly changed the subject.
[Seo Jun did something big, right?]
With the reporter's words, a post appeared on the TV screen. Seo Jun and his parents, who had been watching the interview casually, were shocked.
Title: Wow, I saw Seo Jun but didn't see him.
Author: Law and Order
[Link to previous post]
Read this first. The movie I filmed was 'The Possessed,' and the child actor who saved me was 'Seo Jun.' I was unconscious... Really... I wanted to thank him by buying him something delicious, but he had more money than me.
The short post passed, and a leg in a cast appeared. The face was not shown, only the boy's voice could be heard. The boy, sounding embarrassed and awkward, said:
-I fell into a hole meant for wild boars... If Seo Jun hadn't saved me, it would have been a big deal! Seo Jun, thank you so much!
"That's the guy Seo Jun saved."
"He seems to be okay now!"
Unlike before, when only the slight movement of his chest proved he was alive, the clear voice put their minds at ease. Indeed, it was right to save him, even if he had to write a reflection. Seo Jun smiled widely.
A month later, The Possessed, which left the catchphrase "That was the ghost," continued to be a hit and ended with over 6 million viewers, surpassing the break-even point.
A few months later, it was released in several countries, including the United States, though in limited numbers.
* * *
Even as the weather turned chilly, the children with high body temperatures were energetic.
"Hi, Seo Jun!"
"See you later! Let's play soon!"
Seo Jun waved enthusiastically to his kindergarten friends. Most of them took the kindergarten bus home, but some were picked up by their parents.
Holding their mothers' hands, the children chattered as they left the kindergarten.
The parents, now familiar with the sight of a Hollywood actor in the kindergarten, greeted Seo Jun calmly.
Compared to when Seo Jun first came to the kindergarten, the situation had improved a lot.
Seo Jun shook his head. It was tough. The children didn't know who he was, but the parents were excited and didn't know what to do.
In the end, the kindergarten principal, predicting this situation, decided to have Seo Jun send his autograph to the parents, which calmed everyone down.
"Seo Jun, are you cold? Should we go inside and wait?"
Seo Jun held the teacher's hand and went inside.
Seo Eun-hye, who always picked up Seo Jun at the exact time, was late today. She had gone to see off her grandmother, mother, and father, who were going on an overseas trip.
The departure time of the flight to Europe was uncertain, so she had to leave Seo Jun at the kindergarten a bit longer.
It was their first overseas trip, so they had a guide for a package tour, but she was still worried.
Seo Jun used the ability he found in the newly opened library to make talismans. He could only make one a day, so it took three days.
During the time he made the talismans, he couldn't use other abilities. Not even [Orchestra Conductor's Connection] or [Slime's Digestion Ability]. For four days, he ate less, which worried his parents.
In the morning, Seo Jun gave the talismans to the three people at Seo Eun-hye's house. The grandparents carefully put the talismans, which had fireflies drawn on them, in their bags.
[(Production) Firefly's Avoidance of Misfortune - Low Level]
Misfortune that comes your way is avoided.
The more detailed the drawing, the better the ability.
Can be used once a day.
Usage: Possess the paper with the firefly drawn on it.
Expiration: 2 weeks (1 use per person - 1 year for reuse)