After a long Lunar New Year holiday, the promotion for Shadowman 2 began.
Scenes from the Redbone 2 cookie video appeared on TV, and there were also edited scenes of Seojun and Evan Block happily touring Central Park.
Additionally, scenes of Evan Block fighting and a blonde woman appearing were shown in advertisements.
- Richelle Hill! Evan Block! It's amazing to see the members of the teen movie 'With' come together!
= Teen movie 'With'?
= It's a teen movie 'With.' The love interest, Richelle Hill, and Evan Block were actually multiple personalities in the same body, a groundbreaking work! Haha
= Wow;;;
[Shadowman 2, Mid-March, Grand Premiere!]
[Featuring Korean Hollywood star, Seojun Lee!]
[Check out the filmography of the proud Korean, Seojun Lee!]
[Debate: Hero or Villain!]
- So, is he a hero or a villain?
= Can't you tell just by looking at him? He's a hero!
= Can't you tell from the way they're promoting it? He's a villain!
- But if he's a villain, I can't really empathize. I keep thinking of him as an angel. I prayed and went to work today.
= Weren't you the one who found a money envelope and received 500,000 won?
= Yes, yes, yes! Haha
The internet was filled with opinions, but most people, at a ratio of 9 to 1, predicted that Seojun was a hero.
Despite this, everyone was eagerly looking forward to Shadowman 2.
In contrast to the noisy internet, Seojun's family was peaceful.
"Seojun, isn't this one good? It's light and doesn't get dirty easily."
Minjun held up a navy blue backpack. Seojun, who was wearing a navy blue backpack with a soft back, thought seriously.
The straps seemed to fit well on his shoulders, and it was light. Seojun nodded, and Eunhye, who was standing next to him, held up a sky-blue backpack.
"How about this one? It looks fresh and nice."
"Hmm."
Seojun tried on the sky-blue backpack as well. After alternating between the two backpacks, Seojun chose the one his father picked.
Minjun cheered and put the navy blue backpack in the cart. Eunhye, with a disappointed look, put the sky-blue backpack back on the shelf.
"Next, we need a pencil case and pencils. We also need erasers and notebooks."
The large mart was full of families with children. As if they had made a pact, everyone was putting backpacks, stationery, and notebooks into their carts.
That's right. Next month would be March.
The start of a new school year, a month filled with the excitement of children starting school.
Seojun Lee, now 8 years old, was assigned to nearby Maesil Elementary School.
"Uncle Hishang is going to make a pencil case for you."
Seojun, who was looking around the shelves, suddenly said.
"It's a gift for your first day of school! He's also going to make a lot of figurines that can be attached to the backpack."
The couple, who were heading to the stationery section, shook their heads.
"Is he planning to branch out into stationery now?"
"He must be popular. Then, we just need to buy the notebooks."
Seojun chose a notebook with a cover he liked, and the preparations for his first day of elementary school were complete.
That night, Hishang came to the house and handed Seojun a box.
"Basic item, a long slime pencil case. There are five different colors. This is the werewolf version of the pencil case. There's also a bear version."
"Uncle, what about the giant worm?"
Seojun's words made Eunhye and Minjun, who were eating oranges, cough.
A giant worm?! They were going to make a pencil case out of that?! Although prejudices have largely disappeared, worms are still a bit...
"That was rejected by the planning and design teams, so it failed."
The images of the planning and design team members, who were probably scolding the CEO with their eyes, came to mind for Eunhye and Minjun.
"Can't be helped."
"Aww, it would have been a perfect fit."
Seojun and Hishang, who had now learned to compromise with reality, were like this.
* * *
March 3rd.
A still chilly morning.
Elementary school entrance ceremonies were held across the country.
Seojun, who would be attending Maesil Elementary School, went to the elementary school with his parents.
Due to his height or the balance of Seo and Magi, Seojun was not recognized by anyone except his kindergarten friends and their parents. Many people whispered, "He's so handsome. Is he a model? I think I've seen him somewhere."
The couple and Seojun sighed in relief at this reaction.
The entrance ceremony in the auditorium was kept short to match the short attention spans of the children.
Seojun was placed in 1st grade, 2nd class. Parents were seated at the back of the classroom, and the children were sitting at desks with their names on them.
"Seojun! Sit here!"
"Here, here."
While looking for his name, Seojun was called by some children.
"Hi, Mina. Jiyeon."
"Hi, Seojun!"
"Jiho and Jio are in the same class too?"
Fortunately, all the friends he had made when he was a baby were in the same class, and their seats were close.
While excitedly talking with his friends—about the unicorn figurine attached to their backpacks—the door creaked open, and the homeroom teacher came in.
The teacher called each child's name and announced important information to the parents and children.
"See you all tomorrow!"
"Yes, teacher!"
With a lively farewell, the entrance ceremony ended.
Seojun, holding his mother and father's hands, headed to his grandfather's house. Both sides of the family had gathered to celebrate Seojun's first day of school.
On the way to his grandfather's house, his parents stopped at a mobile phone store to activate a smartphone for him.
With the phone case, featuring various monsters, that Hishang had prepared as a surprise, Seojun's personal smartphone was complete.
While registering the phone numbers of their acquaintances, the couple told Seojun,
"You need to answer calls. Your parents will worry."
"If there's danger, call. If your parents don't answer, call your grandparents and uncles. I've also registered the Brownblack members' numbers."
"Okay!"
"Banana Talk is also set up. Do you want to send a message?"
"I'll do it!"
My smartphone! Seojun awkwardly held the phone and sent messages. Many chat rooms were created, and he sent messages in Korean and English.
"I was thinking about getting both an American and a Korean number, but I got both!"
* * *
"Our puppy is already going to school!"
"This is a gift from Grandpa."
"This is a gift from Grandma."
Seojun held the gift boxes and smiled brightly. Grandpa whispered, "I'll give you your birthday gift separately."
After eating a lot of delicious food and returning home, Seojun found that the news of his first day of school had already spread to the United States, and many congratulatory messages had arrived.
"He must have told Jonathan, and Jonathan must have told Director Ryan, and everyone found out."
"When did he become friends with Jonathan?"
Eunhye shook her head.
"Everyone sent their entrance and birthday gifts together."
"Wow. There will be a lot of packages for a few days, won't there?"
As Minjun predicted, gifts arrived from American acquaintances, Brownblack, and through Kakao Entertainment from Eunseok Lee and Director Daeman Choi.
Seojun looked up at the living room filled with gift boxes.
"Are they all mine?"
"Yes, they're all yours."
The couple was grateful for the many gifts but also sighed. They were especially worried about the gifts from Nara and Kevin.
"We should add a gift from Richelle."
"......Right."
Kevin and Nara, who had sent professional violins and guitars, had become familiar. Hollywood actress Richelle Hill sent an expensive digital piano, and Evan sent books related to movies.
The gifts, each reflecting their personalities, made everyone laugh.
"Since we're at it, do you want to learn an instrument? The violin and guitar might be difficult, but the piano might be okay to learn from videos."
"Or you could take lessons."
"Hmm. I'll think about it!"
Seojun's fan club decided to make a donation instead of sending a birthday gift. Seojun and the couple posted a thank-you message on the fan club's page. Everyone commented, expressing their excitement for Shadowman 2.
* * *
It was still cold, but spring was approaching.
Mid-March. Shadowman 2 was released.
"The poster looks cool, doesn't it?"
Hishang looked at the poster on the wall.
The parents were going on a date, and Hishang was taking care of Seojun to see his drawings.
The poster for Shadowman 2, featuring Shadowman's face with a stern expression, was on the wall.
"Seojun, how was the gift?"
"The vampire badge! The kids were really jealous."
"I've also started to take an interest in metalwork and made it."
"The red eyes are really scary!"
The kids thought it was scary but also shiny and cool. Hishang and Seojun whispered and joked together because they were in a movie theater showing Shadowman 2.
"If Seojun's identity is revealed, it will be a complete mess."
"Hehehe."
Seojun and Hishang sat in empty seats. The screening time for Shadowman 2, which they had booked, was still far away. Seojun, who wanted to hear people's conversations, had nagged Hishang to come early.
"Of course, he's a hero, right? They say he was affectionate with Evan Block during filming."
"No, it's strange that they were so open about it. Maybe he's actually a villain?"
"Even if William is the villain, what could there be to be affectionate with Shadowman?"
"Well, that's true..."
Everyone was curious about William's role.
"I'm more curious about why William, who was sucked into the wormhole, is on Earth."
"That's true. What happened?"
"I'm really curious!"
The door to the theater, which had just finished cleaning, opened. An employee began guiding the next group of viewers.
"Screen 4! Please enter if you are here to watch Shadowman 2!"
Seojun and Hishang held hands and headed into the theater.
Sungwan Park followed behind them. His small stature stood out among the many viewers.
'Such a young kid is coming to watch. But, he looks familiar?'
But once he sat in his reserved seat, his thoughts disappeared. It was Shadowman 2, which he had been waiting for two years. His heart was pounding.
The advertisements ended, and the theater darkened. Park waited for the Marine logo to appear. It was just a logo, but it was a tense and exciting moment.
However, the flashy logo Park was expecting did not appear, and the screen turned black. Music he had never heard before played from the speakers. It was a heavy and melancholic tune that seemed to thump in his chest.
It was music that would later be used as the OST for Jin Natra.
The black screen brightened, and black shadows moved. They clumped together and fell apart, moving like black flames.
-Can't even do this?
-Of course, a found kid.
-You're not even part of our race.
Mocking voices filled the theater.
Park swallowed hard. What is this? Did they play the wrong movie?
[Mom, Dad...]
Then, a child's sobbing voice was heard. Before he could guess whose voice it was,
Boom!
Boom!
The Marine logo appeared.
That day, Mac's part-time job was to guide tourists around Central Park. Thanks to the enthusiastic tourists, Mac had been out guiding them since morning when he met a child.
From somewhere in the theater, a voice calling "Seojun!" was heard. Despite the commotion, Park focused on the screen.
The child, who seemed flustered, still exuded a mature and gentle aura. Park thought of the angelic photo of Seojun smiling brightly.
A smile appeared on his face. He must be a hero!
Since it was almost time to finish his part-time job and the child would be bored if left at the lost and found center for too long, Mac decided to show him around Central Park. They visited the baseball field, zoo, and art museum before entering an exhibition hall.
[Memorial Hall]
The subtitle made the audience hold their breath.
Mac looked at the child listening to his explanation. This was a space for those who had disappeared into the wormhole. The two of them stood in front of the memorial hall.
"Wow."
Someone involuntarily gasped, but no one paid attention. They felt they might gasp too if they relaxed a bit. Park covered his mouth and stared at the screen.
There was William. Mac alternated his gaze between the photo and the child, tilting his head.
When the child realized, Park and the audience felt a chill. They had been curious about how he would become a hero, but it wasn't a hero. The feeling they got in that moment was not of a hero.
Park rejected this in his heart. No, that can't be. Such a good kid... And he thought of the god he had seen in the haunted house. It felt unfamiliar, like that. It will be better after some time...
Then, Belle appeared, and the story of the child, Jin Natra, was revealed. Park's mouth dropped open as he recalled the first scene.
The gentle aura of the child changed in an instant.
The parents who had lost him, the hero who couldn't protect him, and the loving father who caused all the pain.
The inherently good child couldn't bear the pain and betrayal.
"You should have defeated Natra. And..."
The child, who had lost his happy daily life with his parents, shed a tear.