Superstar From Age 0

Chapter 242

Chapter 242

Chapter 242

Bing!

Seo-jun took out his phone at the sound of the Banana Talk notification.

Ji-ho: Where are you?

Ju-kyung: Everyones here except you.

Jae-han: Cafe, second floor. Seminar room 3.

Ju-hee: What drink do you want?

<Im on my way.

Choi Da-ye and the publishers employee, Kim Hyung-won, stared at Seo-jun, who moved without making a sound. Seo-jun smiled and spoke after sending a message to his friends.

I have an appointment. Ill contact you later if you give me your phone number.

Yes, yes!

Here it is!

Seo-jun took the business card that Kim Hyung-won handed him with a trembling hand. 

He put on his glasses and pulled down his hat. Choi Da-ye and Kim Hyung-won were amazed by his aura that was felt even through the disguise. 

They wondered how they could not recognize him until now.

It was really fun today.

He said that and bowed his head. 

The actor Lee Seo-jun left the room with his bag.

Choi Da-ye and Kim Hyung-won just stared blankly at the back of the superstar who appeared and disappeared like the wind.

Excuse me, you have to clear out now.

They must have been lost in thought for a long time. They came to their senses when a bookstore employee came in.

It wasnt a dream, was it?

It might have been a dream.

Choi Da-ye and Kim Hyung-won had to pinch themselves to make sure they were not dreaming of Seo-jun who vanished without a trace.

***

One orange smoothie, please.

He ordered a drink and received a vibrating bell.

Seo-jun headed to the seminar room on the second floor. 

He knocked on the door of seminar room 3 that Jae-han had sent him.

Youre here!

Come on in!

The kids from group 3 welcomed Seo-jun who entered the seminar room. 

Group leader Yang Ju-hee, Kim Ju-kyung, Kang Jae-han, Han Ji-ho, and Lee Seo-jun. 

They were all drawn by lottery, but it was amazing that they gathered like this.

Its only 1:30, isnt it too early for everyone to come?

The kids laughed and answered Seo-juns question as he sat down.

Its better than being late.

I just happened to come early.

Then, since Seo-jun is here too, shall we start the discussion now?

The kids shook their heads at Jae-hans question.

We agreed to start at 2 oclock.

Lets start at 2 oclock.

The kids wanted to do their homework as late as possible. 

They all answered at the same time and laughed at their own reactions.

Then what are we going to do?

Im going to eat lunch. I havent eaten yet.

The kids eyes widened at Seo-juns answer. 

They were at an age when they would be hungry as soon as they turned around.

It was shocking to hear that he hadnt eaten lunch.

What? You didnt eat because you were busy?

I stopped by the bookstore and watched a book concert.

Book concert?

First of all, you should buy lunch for yourself, Seo-jun. They say the sandwiches here are good.

Okay.

The vibrating bell rang just then.

He went down to the first floor and got his orange smoothie. 

He ordered two sandwiches and four small cakes. 

The food was ready quickly unlike the drink that took quite a while.

He returned to the seminar room and put the tray with the drinks and food on the table.

It would be weird if I ate alone, so lets eat together.

Oh! Thank you!

Thank you, Seo-jun.

The kids picked out the cake they wanted and grabbed a fork. 

Seo-jun also bit into his ham cheese sandwich. 

It was delicious as Ju-hee said.

You were so cute when you were little.

I saw it too. Your cheeks were chubby.

They cooed.

Seo-jun just ate his sandwich without saying anything. He thought he was cute when he was seven years old, but he felt awkward to say it himself.

Then you must have known the ending.

Yeah, I did.

How did you keep it a secret for nine years? I would have bragged about it to my friends if I were you.

Seo-jun shrugged his shoulders as he drank his orange smoothie.

Its more touching to reveal it now than to say it then. If I had said it then, it wouldnt have been as touching as now.

Thats true.

And the ending could have changed due to a leak.

The ending could have been a sad one.

Sad ending.

The kids tilted their heads as they ate the sweet cake. 

They couldnt imagine a sad ending for the Shadowman series. 

Maybe it was because they had already seen the awesome ending.

What would it have been like?

I dont know. Maybe Jin Natra would have died.

That seems likely, right?

The topic of the kids who were talking about the sad ending changed quickly.

Which high school are you going to?

Seo-jun finished his ham cheese sandwich neatly and tore open the package of the chicken sandwich. 

He bit into it.

Well, Mirinae High School is the best, I guess.

The kids nodded at Ji-hos words.

Mirinae Art High School, a school of ATR Foundation, just like Yeoul Art Middle School.

The kids excitedly talked about the information they knew about the high school they wanted to go to the most.

Our school has a similar curriculum, but its better.

Right. The students can make their own works just like here, but if the works are good, they can have an official performance.

If its a movie, they can screen it at an affiliated theater.

And thats for a fee!

They can also use the Galaxy Center, which is bigger and better than our auditorium.

I really want to go there!

It was like a dream that the works made by the students could be on stage and screened at theaters. 

And they could also make some profit, although not much.

But the evaluation is harsh, too.

The kids nodded at Seo-juns words. 

They couldnt put up low-quality works as they had to pay for them. 

They wanted high-level works that were beyond high school students.

Still, theres no other high school that supports us like this.

Yeoul Art Middle School entrance exam was fierce, but Mirinae High School entrance exam will be even fiercer.

The second semester will be busy. Graduation performance and high school entrance exam What kind of acting should I do this time?

Thats right. Its hard to choose a free acting piece.

Isnt Seo-jun doing another movie?

Ahahaha.

Seo-jun just laughed at his friends words.

Theres no way that would happen again, right?

***

They had filled their stomachs and it was almost 2 oclock. The kids started their summer vacation homework.

Seo-jun and the kids took out the book they were going to discuss, the notebook they were going to write down the discussion, and the writing tools from their bags and put them on the table.

I might not be able to write down everything, so Ill start recording now.

Okay.

Ju-hee took out her phone and started recording.

Lets decide on the topic of discussion first.

I think it would be good to choose whether Park Kyung-wons verdict was fair or not as the topic.

Do you mean we should act as jurors? I like that.

That sounds good, but who thinks the verdict was fair?

The kids raised their hands at Ju-hees words. Ju-kyung, Jae-han, and Ji-ho.

Only Seo-jun and I think it was unfair, huh. Its well divided.

3 : 2

Ju-hee smiled brightly at the opinions that were divided well for discussion.

Then lets start the discussion. Lets hear from those who think it was fair first.

Among the three, Ju-kyung raised his hand first.

***

[Juror]

It was a story that unfolded from the third-person observers point of view of the protagonist, who was a juror in the trial of Park Kyung-won, who killed his father by mistake.

Since it was a trial seen from the perspective of a juror, the only information that the readers could know was what the prosecutor and the lawyer said and how the witnesses and Park Kyung-won answered their questions.

As the prosecutor and the lawyer argued, the image of Park Kyung-won that the protagonist juror had in mind changed slightly throughout the trial.

[A brutal planned murder]

[An accidental incident]

As the confrontation between the prosecutor and the lawyer intensified, Park Kyung-won looked like a completely different person in the jurors imagination. The book described that change.

It was interesting.

It seemed like a complicated story, but thanks to the writers skill, it was easy to understand.

Seo-jun, who was thinking about something else for a moment, listened to his friends voices again.

Maybe it was because they were acting students, but they were different from analyzing characters. 

They paid attention to every sentence in the novel and analyzed it.

Ju-kyung argued that the verdict that reduced his sentence due to his past of being abused was fair.

He shakes his hand under the prosecutors pressure. Maybe its because of guilt? Park Kyung-won knows his mistake well enough.

I think differently. Look at what the doctor who testified as a witness said.

As if she had prepared in advance, Ju-hee opened a page with a post-it on it.

<I didnt hear anything about abuse. He just said his hand shook when he was tired. I advised him to reduce stress.>

His hand just shakes because of stress. And Park Kyung-won is a crazy bastard who uses that for his trial. Maybe he even faked his hand tremor.

Ju-hees rebuttal made Ji-ho raise his hand.

I dont think hes that bad of a guy. He answers honestly throughout the trial. He obediently answers all questions, even those from the prosecutor that are unfavorable to him. Doesnt that show his attitude of acknowledging and reflecting on his mistake?

Jae-han and Ju-kyung nodded at Ji-hos words. Ju-hee tapped her forehead.

Ugh. No, thats all part of Park Kyung-wons plan, dont you see?

Its amazing.

Seo-jun looked at his friends who were passionately expressing their opinions. 

Even though they read the same book, their character interpretations were slightly different.

Even if they had the same opinion.

Ju-kyungs Park Kyung-won seemed to have courage to live again, while Jae-hans Park Kyung-won seemed to have given up on everything. 

Ji-hos Park Kyung-won looked a bit fierce.

Ju-hee thinks Park Kyung-won went crazy after being abused.

He was smart enough to use his abused past to get a lighter sentence, which was Ju-hees Park Kyung-won.

The different interpretations were interesting and he smiled slightly. Seo-jun supported Ju-hees opinion.

I think Park Kyung-won is weird too.

But Seo-juns Park Kyung-won was not exactly like Ju-hees.

Seo-jun talked about Park Kyung-won that he had thought of. 

There were explanations that made them nod and explanations that made them tilt their heads.

Incomprehension.

Not understanding.

Park Kyung-won did not understand people from the beginning.

Why do they cry and laugh, hurt and get annoyed, get angry and hit and resent? 

He did not understand emotions, so everything was just a tiring and exhausting thing for his body.

That doesnt mean his body was fine. Something would break if he kept getting shocked. Thats why his hand shook during the trial.

Ju-kyung, Jae-han, and Ji-ho nodded slightly at Seo-juns explanation. 

They looked a bit wronged.

I dont know. It sounds like theres something to argue against when I hear it

But it seems right when I see Seo-juns acting.

Convincing with acting Scary guy.

Only Ju-hee, who was on the same side as Seo-jun, clapped her hands excitedly.

As expected of the ace of the acting department!