While waiting for their luggage at the airport entrance, a large car pulled up in front of Seojun.
The driver's side window rolled down, revealing a gleaming blonde. Seojun, meeting an old acquaintance after a long time, smiled broadly and greeted her.
"Hi! Richelle!"
"Jun! Long time no see!"
Richelle Hill warmly welcomed Seojun and his group, who had just arrived in the United States.
Richelle Hill stretched her head out of the window and had a brief conversation with Seojun. A voice came from somewhere. "Didn't someone say it was Richelle?" At this, Richelle, wearing sunglasses, clicked her tongue and gestured.
"Get in quickly. If we're spotted, it'll be hard to leave!"
Without time to exchange greetings, Seojun, his parents, Seunchan, and Andaho all got into Richelle Hill's car.
Once everyone was in, Richelle Hill drove out of the airport.
"Thank you. I don't know if it's okay to impose like this."
"It's fine. Make yourself at home."
Seonhui and Richelle Hill, who had introduced themselves over the phone, smiled and exchanged greetings.
Seojun and his parents, attending a film festival for the first time, knew little about it. The information provided by the festival was not very helpful.
Fortunately, Seojun had many acquaintances who knew a lot about the festival. When he contacted Director Ryan Will, Richelle Hill, and Evan Block, they said they would walk the red carpet together.
They mentioned they were about to contact Seojun.
This year's WTV Film Festival was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles.
LA, home to Hollywood, the mecca of the film industry, was where many directors, actors, and people in film-related professions lived.
Richelle Hill was one of those who owned a large mansion in LA.
Seojun and his parents nodded when Richelle Hill suggested they stay at her house and attend the festival together.
"This is our house."
Seojun, his parents, Seunchan, and Andaho were speechless at the sight of the large mansion with a garden. Indeed, the size of the houses in the United States, where the land was vast, was on a different scale from those in Korea.
Everyone got out of the car and unpacked their luggage in the rooms Richelle Hill showed them.
"If you need anything, just let me know."
Richelle Hill introduced the staff working in the mansion, and everyone awkwardly smiled and nodded. After all, managing such a large house would be difficult without help.
The next day.
Seojun, who had adjusted to the time difference, gathered with the adults in the dining room. Richelle Hill, who had prepared breakfast in advance, greeted the five of them.
Everyone found their seats and started eating. As they occasionally chatted, the conversation turned to the film festival.
"We need to choose some clothes first."
Richelle Hill, sipping warm tea, spoke. Seonhui tilted her head.
"I did bring some suits from Korea, but they might not be good enough."
"That's fine, but there might be better options. Wait a moment. I have something prepared in the living room."
Richelle Hill smiled and led Seojun and the adults to the living room. In the spacious living room with a plush sofa, there was a mobile clothes rack and a staff member.
The rack was filled with clothes, but by their length and appearance, they were not Richelle Hill's.
"What's this, Richelle?"
Seojun asked, and Richelle Hill smiled.
"These are Jun's clothes."
"Mine?"
"Yes. They were sent to me to pass on to you. Everyone asked you to wear them at the festival or other events."
Is that all?
The adults were speechless. Richelle Hill took out the first piece of clothing and showed it to everyone. Like a show host, she introduced the brand, designer, and features of the clothes.
There were various types of clothes, from well-known brands that the adults had heard of to emerging brands.
"These are from a brand that's recently become popular for children's clothing. Although it's not as famous, they know what clothes fit children well. They are comfortable and durable for active children."
"This is from a brand known for women's suits, but they've started a new children's suit brand. I think Jun might be the first model if he wears it."
She explained over ten pieces of clothing.
"To fit Jun, they will need alterations. They said they can come whenever you call. Oh, don't feel pressured. During the festival, the brands send tailors because you never know when alterations might be needed."
One thing that didn't change in Richelle Hill's explanation was that all the clothes were for 'Seojun.'
She showed a short letter that came with the clothes, explaining that some designers were inspired by William, while others felt struck by lightning after seeing Jin Natra's performance.
Although expensive, these were not just off-the-rack suits from a department store; they were different in design.
Seonhui and Minjun, who had closely examined the clothes and listened to Richelle Hill's explanations, smiled and nodded.
"These are better than the ones we brought from Korea!"
"Let's try them on!"
The eyes of the couple and Richelle Hill sparkled. Seunchan and Andaho, who had seen them become exhausted while choosing outfits for the Brown Black Awards, shook their heads.
Seojun, unaware of what was to come, bit into a delicious chocolate cookie.
Then, Seojun's small fashion show began. Seunchan and Andaho dressed him, and Minjun took photos enthusiastically.
Seonhui and Richelle Hill, comparing the photos and the real thing, discussed and exchanged opinions.
"Should we style his hair back?"
"Or maybe a little to the side?"
They did this ten times.
At first, Seojun enjoyed it like a real fashion model, but he sighed and took off his shirt.
Seunchan and Andaho awkwardly laughed and handed him the next outfit.
"Just three more changes."
"Keep going, Seojun."
"Okay!"
Alright, just three more!
Just as he was determined, a surprise appeared. Evan Block, who had heard about Seojun's arrival, came to Richelle Hill's house with his hands full of clothes.
"Great, I brought some too."
Evan Block took out the clothes. They were for Seojun.
"He asked me to pass them on."
Women's clothing brands sent them to Richelle Hill, and men's clothing brands sent them to Evan Block.
Unable to reach Seojun directly, they sent the clothes through the two actors.
At least it was only six more outfits. Seojun looked at the well-packaged clothes with a sense of dread.
"Let's go with these."
After trying on and taking off a total of 20 outfits, a lot of time had passed. With Evan Block joining, Seojun's outfits and hairstyles were decided.
Everyone gathered for dinner, and Seunchan and Andaho went to their rooms because there was still work to be done after the festival.
Seonhui and Minjun decided to meet old friends in LA. Although they were worried about Seojun, they left with peace of mind, thinking there were things to discuss among actors.
With everyone gone, Seojun, Richelle Hill, and Evan Block decided to watch a movie in the small cinema in Richelle Hill's mansion.
Richelle Hill shook her head at Seojun and Evan Block, who were enthusiastically choosing movies in front of the DVD shelf.
"How do you always end up talking about movies and acting?"
"Why not? It's fun."
"You might, but how about Jun?"
"I love it!"
The two answered as if they had been waiting for the question. Richelle Hill, almost lying on the plush sofa, laughed helplessly.
It seemed they found watching movie DVDs fun, and the time spent choosing movies dragged on. Tired of waiting, Richelle Hill suddenly remembered something.
"Shall we watch this?"
"What?"
"This one?"
At Richelle Hill's words, Evan Block and Seojun turned their heads. Richelle Hill remembered the news she had heard from Nara Kim.
"Jun, do you know if there are English subtitles? I heard you did a play in Korea?"
Evan Block also remembered. He had been so engrossed in the movie DVDs that he had temporarily forgotten.
A play. Seojun, who had debuted in a movie, had performed on stage. According to Nara, only children were on stage.
To the two Hollywood actors, it might seem lacking, but it was Seojun's performance. Seojun's performance that made their hearts race.
They regretted not seeing it in person. If they had known, they would have flown to Korea immediately.
Fortunately, Seojun's play was recorded. Their hearts raced.
"Yes, I did!"
"Do you have a DVD?"
"Yes! I brought it to give to Richelle and Evan. It has English subtitles too!"
Seojun jumped up and went to his room. Richelle and Evan followed. Two DVDs came out of Seojun's wolf-shaped bag. The two laughed at the cute cover of the DVD Seojun handed them.
"Let's watch this."
"It's only child actors. And we changed some lines."
Evan Block said, and Seojun explained the play as they headed to the cinema.
The two, nodding, laughed at Seojun's comment about only the voices being recorded.
The more they heard, the more curious they became about Seojun's performance.
"I'm really curious."
"Me too. I can't imagine what kind of performance it was."
Seojun and the two actors sat down. On the large screen in front of the three actors, the stage unfolded.
1st performance.
2nd performance.
3rd performance.
Evan Block and Richelle Hill, who were enjoying the play, gradually became more serious as time passed. The two actors stared at the screen without blinking.
Seojun, who had seen the play several times, blinked his heavy eyelids a few times and fell asleep on the plush sofa.
Meanwhile, the couple, who had returned from an outing, were guided by a staff member to the cinema, where they saw the two actors deeply engrossed in the play and Seojun fast asleep.
The two actors didn't notice the door opening. So, Minjun quietly carried Seojun out, and Seonhui closed the cinema door.
And,
8th performance.
Evan Block and Richelle Hill couldn't take their eyes off the screen.
The deep voice of the Blue Dragon resonated through the high-quality speakers, pounding their hearts.
The 'real Blue Dragon' that some of the audience in Korea had seen appeared before them.
The rippling beard, sharp eyes, and gleaming claws, but with a gentle voice and warm gaze.
Although it was a strange thought, somehow the two felt that the Blue Dragon was Seojun himself.
* * *
The next day.
Richelle Hill's mansion was bustling from the morning. Everyone was hurrying to get ready for the WTV Film Festival.
The makeup artist called by Richelle Hill finished Seojun's and Evan Block's makeup and quickly headed to Richelle Hill.
Seojun, dressed in a black suit tailored to his body, wearing a bow tie, and with his bangs combed back, got into the car.
"Seojun, don't forget this."
"Okay!"
Seonhui neatly folded a handkerchief and put it in Seojun's suit pocket. The white handkerchief stood out against the black suit.
The handkerchief, embroidered with a winged horse, Pegasus, was a gift from Seunchan to commemorate his nomination for the film festival.
Seonhui and Minjun, who had smoothed Seojun's hair and suit, smiled and said,
"Mom and Dad will be watching! Do your best!"
"Seojun, you can do it!"
"Okay! I'll do my best!"
Seojun hugged his parents. He could feel their hearts pounding with tension.
Seonhui and Minjun, after greeting Seojun, got into another car. Seojun watched as the car carrying his parents drove away. His parents were going to the festival seats with Uncle Chan and Brother Daeho.
'I wish we could go together...'
Although he was a bit disappointed, thinking about his parents sweating from the constant camera flashes and loud noises, he thought it was better to go separately.
Seojun, who enjoyed the attention, was clearly different from his parents.
"You really did well in the play."
Evan Block, sitting next to Seojun, spoke. Seojun smiled broadly.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I stayed up all night watching it. I couldn't sleep because of the dark circles under my eyes."
Evan pointed to his chin, and Seojun laughed.
"What? You're having fun without me?"
Then, Richelle Hill got into the car. Wearing a bright red dress and with her blonde hair neatly up, Richelle Hill looked so beautiful that Seojun's eyes widened.
"You look beautiful! Richelle!"
"Thank you!"
Richelle Hill smiled brightly and sat down.
"What were you talking about?"
"The play. Evan watched it all night."
"Oh, I watched it too. I lost track of time. I'm so tired now, I might fall asleep during the ceremony."
Everyone laughed at Richelle Hill's words. She continued, smiling.
"Let's give the DVD to Director Ryan later. He'll want to see it if he hears how well Jun acted."
"We'll give it to him after the festival. He might really leave in the middle."
Seojun nodded, thinking Director Ryan might really leave in the middle. As the three actors chatted, the car started.
Director Ryan Will, who would walk the red carpet with them, got into the car, and the Shadowman team was complete.
During their conversation, the topic of the DVD came up.
Seojun mentioned leaving the DVD at Richelle Hill's house because of the festival, and Director Ryan Will was visibly anxious, fidgeting in his seat. Seojun, catching Evan's eye, laughed.
'Director Ryan, you really might leave in the middle.'
The car stopped, and the bustling sounds of the WTV Film Festival filled the air.