Seojun saw Lee Jiseok off and sat down in a chair. The drama shooting felt faster than movie shooting. Both the bust shots and close-up shots felt less intense than in movies.
If a Monday-Tuesday drama is this fast, a daily drama must be really tough.
While looking around the set, a staff member brought over a boy with a pouty face, holding a soccer ball under his arm.
"Actor Seojun, you'll be shooting with this older brother later. The shoot might take a while, so please wait with him."
"Okay, I understand."
The boy sat in the seat Lee Jiseok had just vacated. Silence fell between the two children. Feeling a bit awkward, Seojun spoke up first.
"Hello, I'm Seojun. I'm in the first grade."
Seojun greeted him warmly, and the boy, whose cute face had relaxed, smiled and returned the greeting. Since he was already here, there was no choice.
"Hello? I'm Jeong Sihyeok. I'm in the sixth grade. I'm on the soccer team."
"Soccer team?"
"Yeah. My dream is to be a soccer player."
Seojun recalled the script. It was a scene where children playing soccer in an open field tell a detective the license plate number of a hit-and-run car. Even though he was just a elementary school student, they had brought a real soccer player.
"Hmm. Seojun, do you want to play soccer? I'll teach you."
Even though he had only been sitting in the chair for a short while, Jeong Sihyeok seemed restless. He kept picking up and putting down the soccer ball with both hands and couldn't sit still. Worried that the ball might fly away and interfere with the shooting, Seojun nodded.
"Should we?"
"Sure! I'll go ask my uncle!"
Yoon Ji-hyuk quickly ran over to where the lighting staff was. Ah, it seemed he had come through someone he knew. With a nod of approval, Jeong Sihyeok ran back with a bright face.
"You can play in that open field. Just don't go too far."
"Okay."
As Seojun stood up, Yoon Seong-oh, who had been watching Seojun and Lee Jiseok alternately, approached. Usually, Yoon Seong-oh would take care of Seojun when Lee Jiseok was shooting.
"Seojun, where are you going?"
"I'm going to play soccer with Sihyeok hyung in that open field."
"Really? Then I'll go with you."
"What about Jiseok hyung?"
"Hyung is an adult, so he'll be fine."
The two children headed to the open field with their guardian, Yoon Seong-oh. The lighting staff, who had been glancing at them, seemed to relax and returned to their work.
"Kick it like this, with the inside of your foot."
"Like this?"
"Good job! Have you played soccer before?"
"No."
Although he had never played soccer, he had played with balls before.
[(Pre)Golden Seal's Golden Ball - Low]
The Golden Seal never lets go of the golden ball it carries.
It can handle the ball freely.
When handling the ball, the user's athletic ability slightly improves.
The Golden Seal makes a round ball from the shell of the golden egg it hatched from.
Since it carries the golden ball all its life, it is a species that handles the ball better than anyone else.
It uses its tail to hit the ball to attack enemies or find food.
‘There are no monsters that play soccer, but there are quite a few that play with balls.’
[(Pre)Golden Seal's Golden Ball is activated.]
The soccer ball stuck to his foot like a magnet, moving as he moved, which was quite fun.
Although he had kicked the soccer ball a few times before, it was a different level when using the skill.
Like a player who had spent a lifetime with the ball, Seojun's skills improved noticeably under Jeong Sihyeok's guidance. Impressed by the change, Yoon Seong-oh clapped without realizing it.
"Here! Pass it to me!"
Jeong Sihyeok was also excited. He had come without practice because his uncle had asked him to help just once, but the child he was shooting with was incredibly good.
Despite the difference in height and body movements, Seojun's quick footwork allowed him to steal the ball from Jeong Sihyeok.
Seeing this, Jeong Sihyeok's enthusiasm was ignited, and he kicked the ball hard. The two children continued to steal and pass the ball, and when they got tired, they would move apart and pass again.
Jeong Sihyeok, who had received Seojun's pass, smiled brightly and shouted.
"Seojun, are you really playing for the first time? You're really good."
"Really?"
Seojun laughed and kicked the ball. While they were playing, Lee Jiseok's shooting ended. The staff gathered to shoot in the open field and were amazed at the children playing.
"They're both really good, aren't they?"
"Sihyeok is one of the top five elementary school players in the country. He even appeared on TV last time. But, Actor Seojun is also really good."
The passes were seamless, and sometimes they would fight for the ball.
Although Jeong Sihyeok, who was bigger, was gentle, Seojun's skills were impressive.
"Should we include this?"
"Sure. Add a little bit at the beginning."
Director Choi Min-sung and writer So Eun-jin nodded.
Unaware, the camera was rolling, and Yoon Seong-oh moved away from the children to avoid being in the shot.
The scene of the two children playing was quickly shot, and the main shooting began.
* * *
May 8th.
It was Mother's Day.
Seojun, who had played to his heart's content with his friends at the camp on Children's Day, made carnations for his parents at school.
Since the first graders were still too young to use scissors safely, the teacher had already cut out red, yellow, and pink petals.
While other children made faces as the glue stuck to their hands and the petals tore, Seojun's carnation was as beautiful as a store-bought one.
Seojun had even folded the paper petals himself and added creases, making the petals look different.
"Seojun, how did you do that?"
Ji-yoon, who sat next to Seojun, asked. Her carnation, with glue smeared all over it, was very different from Seojun's, which was much prettier. I want to give my parents a pretty flower too!
"This? Fold it like this and then unfold it. You have to fold it halfway."
Seojun demonstrated by folding a petal, and not only Ji-yoon but also the other children sitting around followed suit. Soon, the children who had been making their carnations at their desks gathered around Seojun.
"Like this?"
"Yeah! You're doing great."
The teacher, who had been smiling at Seojun's mature behavior, rolled up her sleeves when she saw that Seojun was helping the other children and not making his own carnation.
"Sure. I'll help too."
Soon, everyone was helping to make beautiful carnations.
While the children were making carnations for their parents with their clumsy hands, Seojun's hands were busy. He quickly folded and neatly cut the colored paper he had bought with his allowance—thanks to the teacher's help—and filled his bag with flowers.
When he returned home from his taekwondo class, his parents were waiting with excited expressions.
Seojun looked at the clock. It wasn't even 6 PM, yet his father was home.
"Dad! You're off work early?"
"Hmm."
Seojun's words made Lee Min-joon clear his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say that he had come home early because it was Mother's Day and he wanted to receive a carnation. Guessing his father's thoughts, Seojun smiled and opened his navy blue backpack.
"This is for Mom. This is for Dad!"
Beautiful envelopes and carnations landed in the hands of the couple.
"Mom, Dad, I love you!"
Seojun hugged them tightly. Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-joon, unable to help it, teared up. They put the carnations and letters on the floor and hugged Seojun.
Ah, when did that little baby grow so big?
Although they received carnations and letters every year, it always made their hearts flutter.
"Mom and Dad love Seojun a lot too!"
Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-joon pinned the carnations on their clothes and read the letters. Seojun, who was embarrassed, quickly went to his room and brought out a few boxes he had prepared.
After reading the letters, the parents were wiping away tears. Lee Min-joon, who had even blown his nose, asked as Seojun took out the carnations from his bag.
"Seojun, why did you make so many?"
"Because there are many people to give them to!"
Seojun placed the carnations in the pretty boxes. Although the petals were less attached compared to the ones for his parents, they were still beautiful.
"This is for Grandma and Grandpa. This is for Grandma on Mom's side. This is for Chan-uncle. This is for Heesang-uncle. This is for the BrownBlack members. This is for Nara-aunt."
These were the carnations. Seojun then took out a new flower.
"I made these to give to other people too."
For Lee Jiseok and Yoon Seong-oh, Director Choi Daeman, Director Ryan Will, Jonathan, Evan Block, and Richelle Hill. These were paper flowers to send to people he was grateful to.
Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-joon smiled as they looked at the postcards and flowers in the boxes.
"Everyone will love them."
As the couple said, after sending the boxes to people by mail, Seojun's phone kept ringing.
BrownBlack, who cried and said they never expected to receive such a gift, and Kim Heesang, who sent a lot of dolls. The others, who seemed to have forgotten the gifts sent on Children's Day, sent gifts again.
* * *
It had been three weeks since the re-investigation drama started airing. Seojun, who usually watched Lee Jiseok's re-investigation on reruns and went to bed at 9 PM, decided to watch the live broadcast today.
Finally, Re-investigation Episode 5. This was the episode where Seojun would appear as a cameo.
"It feels a bit strange to watch it on TV. I always go to the cinema to see it."
"That's true. Mom and Dad are already watching KBC."
The family, including Seojun, sat on the sofa and watched the TV, which was showing advertisements.
Although they always watched the drama because it was interesting, it felt different and exciting to see Seojun in it.
"KBC also shows Ghost on Sundays."
"Ugh. I'm a bit... "
At the mention of Ghost, Lee Min-joon shuddered, and Seojun and Seo Eun-hye burst out laughing. Unlike the cinema, where they had to focus quietly on the movie, watching a drama at home allowed them to chat comfortably.
The ratings for the drama 'Re-investigation' were high. It had the highest ratings among Monday-Tuesday dramas on other channels. It was also a hot topic online, with a bulletin board where people shared their thoughts.
[Re-investigation Episode 5]
-It seems my eye for Lee Jiseok's works has improved. Re-investigation is fun lol
-The play was also fun lol
-By the way, haven't there been more broadcasts related to Seojun on KBC lately?
-Yeah, 48 Hours and Shadowman are airing, and Ghost is even on weekends. It's still so much fun to watch again lol
-Definitely, TV has more reach than movies lol My friend who only watches TV saw Seojun for the first time. After watching Ghost, they were surprised by his acting skills and are now watching Shadowman 1 and 2 lol
-Please stick to the topic of Re-investigation!
Many ads ended, and Re-investigation Episode 5 started.
In the middle of Episode 5, a new episode began. The viewers were glued to the TV.
When a suspicious hit-and-run accident occurred, Lee Jiseok headed to the scene to find clues.
"We need to find it here."
"Bro! Pass it here!"
"Sure!"
While looking around the alleys, Lee Jiseok heard the voices of children. Following the voices, he found two children playing soccer in a large open field. Both the smaller and the larger child were handling the soccer ball skillfully.
They were playing, stealing the ball from each other, and their movements were impressive. The larger child pressured the smaller one with his size, while the smaller one moved quickly.
Despite the intense physical struggle, the soccer ball seemed to be magnetically attached to their feet and didn't fall.
"Wow, they're really good."
At Lee Jiseok's words, people who were related to soccer and those who often watched soccer matches nodded.
For a moment, it felt like they were seriously watching a soccer match.
Hearing that Jeong Sihyeok would appear, the soccer coach who was watching Re-investigation jumped up.
How much would he overact? He was watching to tease Jeong Sihyeok tomorrow, but another child caught his attention.
"Who's next to Sihyeok?"
"I'm not sure. He looks like an elementary school student by his height?"
"Sihyeok couldn't play like that when he was that age..."
The soccer coach, who had spotted Jeong Sihyeok's talent early and brought him to the team, saw a new prospect and his eyes sparkled.
Hearing Lee Jiseok's comment, the two children stopped and looked at him. Lee Jiseok, seeing the children staring blankly, cleared his throat and spoke.
"Do you play soccer here every day?"
"Yes."
The smaller child, who was missing a front tooth, replied. His cheeky but clear answer made Lee Jiseok and the viewers smile.
The viewers' expressions hardened. They had been so focused on the children's impressive footwork and physical play that they only now recognized their faces.
Seojun smiled brightly.
"Did you play yesterday too?"
"Yes. But who are you?"
The larger child hid the smaller one behind his back. The smaller child, unaware of his brother's intentions, looked at Lee Jiseok with curious eyes.
"I'm a police officer. There was a hit-and-run accident here. I'm investigating it."
"Is that so?"
"There's no other way out of here. Did you see any strange cars passing by?"
"Didn't see... "
"I saw it!"
The smaller child quickly answered. The larger child sighed, remembering the child's chatter about a strange car all night.
"The driver was driving strangely. It hit that streetlight and that wall."
"Did you see the license plate?"
"Um... It was similar to our home phone number... 4812. I don't know the front part."
"Thanks."
Lee Jiseok nodded. He then left the alley to investigate the hit-and-run car.
With that, Re-investigation Episode 5 ended, and the credits rolled. A bright image of a smiling child appeared on the screen with white subtitles.
[Special thanks to Seojun Lee and Sihyeok Jeong for their special appearance.]
-??? Seojun Lee?! Really?
-Wow. I thought Seojun only did movies!
-But Seojun's front tooth is missing lol It makes him look so young lol
-So that's why he went to the theater with Lee Jiseok.
-Who's the kid next to him? He really plays soccer well.
=It's Sihyeok Jeong, a promising player in elementary school. He's the best in his age group lol
=But Seojun also plays well lol What can't he do? Acting genius, soccer genius lol
=My dad, who is a middle school soccer coach, is asking who he is and where he lives lol