Superstar From Age 0

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: AgRoseCrystal

Chapter 576

“Did you finish filming the movie?”

Seo-jun, who had visited Cocoa Entertainment for the first time in a long time, nodded his head and got on the elevator at Ahn Da Ho’s question.

“Yes. I finished everything I had to shoot in Seoul. Now they just have to edit it and put in Do-yoon’s narration. That seems to take a long time, though.”

“The director must be worried a lot since it’s her first movie.”

Director Hwang Ji-yoon would slowly complete [Fire] by editing it according to the script, changing the order, cutting out the scenes she thought were unnecessary, and adding unexpected scenes.

“But it will be done before the deadline for the film festival. Oh, and I promised to help Do-yoon practice his narration later.”

Well, Seo-jun had some experience in narration from the documentary [We Are Now/In the Sea], so he seemed to be quite helpful.

“Well, it might be a little different from documentary narration. That’s why I’m looking forward to it. It sounds fun.”

Ahn Da Ho smiled at Seo-jun, who was shining his eyes. He wondered how he could be so happy when he was not filming and just helping with the practice.

The elevator stopped at the 8th floor, the practice room for the actors.

Seo-jun looked at the other side of the window on the door with an interested face. The actors of Cocoa Entertainment were taking acting classes in the largest practice room.

Seo-jun’s heart fluttered at the sight of them concentrating without blinking.

“Come on, we can’t disturb the class.”

Ahn Da Ho led him to the practice room with a smile, and Seo-jun moved his steps with a regretful face.

“How are they doing?”

“They’re doing well. Starting next year, we’ll have auditions and managers.”

Ahn Da Ho, the director of the acting team, said.

“Your new manager, Seo-jun, I’m going to pick and train him while you’re in the army. I have some people in mind.”

‘Is the timing good or…’

Ahn Da Ho planned to select new manager candidates and let them have a lot of experience in various places during the 1 year and 4 months that Seo-jun was not active, and then assign the most suitable candidate as Seo-jun’s manager.

Seo-jun nodded his head at Ahn Da Ho’s words.

Da Ho would surely give him a good person as a manager, so he had no worries.

Seo-jun, who came to his practice room for the first time in a month, rolled his eyes and looked around. The neatly cleaned practice room. There was not a single piece of paper dropped. Seo-jun frowned.

“You really cleaned it up neatly, Da Ho.”

There was not a single script.

There was nothing like a synopsis.

“We’ll shoot it if you find a work you like, so come back from the army quickly and shoot it.”

Ahn Da Ho, who was moving the chair and talking, turned his eyes to the screen installed on the ceiling. Well, he was not wrong.

As if he heard his thoughts, Ahn Da Ho burst into laughter when their eyes met. Seo-jun also laughed.

“Did you apply for the army next week? From Monday to Thursday.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Let me know as soon as the date is set. And by the way, you’re doing Working Man before that. How do you meet so often…”

That’s right.

He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Then have fun.”

“Yes.”

When Ahn Da Ho turned off the light in the practice room and went outside, Seo-jun leaned back on the soft chair. He was planning to watch the movies he was going to vote for in this practice room today.

It was nice to watch it in his home practice room, but sometimes it was nice to change the place and watch it.

“What I’m going to watch today…”

Seo-jun pressed the play button on the remote control in his hand and began to watch the movie projected on the screen with a serious expression.

***

SBC Entertainment Department.

The [Working Man!] production team was watching the [Rest Area Restaurant] episode before the final editing. The writer who saw the edited version for the first time opened his mouth.

“A lot of scenes with KNUA students were cut out.”

They were the KNUA students who came as the first customers when no one was there and had a lot of conversations with the [Working Man!] members, but the amount was more than the other customers, but less than expected.

Jeon Min-jae PD nodded his head at that.

“There were a lot of funny scenes later, and the important thing was the parking lot scene and the tunnel accident. I cut out all the local broadcasts.”

The story of Baekgu or something. Something that happened when they were filming.

The [Working Man!] members scattered and talked with the KNUA students, and most of the small scenes were cut out.

Jeon PD’s words made everyone nod their heads as if it was nothing.

It was not strange.

It was broadcasting that they filmed for over 12 hours, cut out the boring parts or the parts with low importance, and made it into 90 minutes.

“What about the interview with the KNUA students?”

“Ah, they did the interview, but they said they didn’t know much about actor Lee Seo-jun.”

“Even Hwang Do-yoon?”

“Yes.”

A sigh of regret came out of the production team’s mouth.

“I can understand that the students from other departments might not know, but I was hoping that Hwang Do-yoon, the student council president of the acting department, would…”

Jeon Min-jae PD, who scratched his head, pushed back his regret and said.

“Well, there’s nothing we can do. But let’s promote it. What was the film festival?”

“Korean Independent Film Festival. It’s in April.”

“Then let’s put a little bit of data screen on that.”

It might not attract much attention by promoting it, but it was a good thing for the passionate KNUA students and the people who participated in the film festival.

“Then let’s go with the editing as it is.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, and keep the un-aired footage.”

Jeon Min-jae PD, who was organizing the papers on the desk, said casually.

“If they win an award at the film festival, we can use it as a data screen.”

Neither Jeon Min-jae PD nor the production team had any idea that it would be a godsend.

***

Sunday afternoon.

The [Fire] team chat room was buzzing.

-Today’s Working Man broadcast!

-I wonder how much we came out!

-I think we’ll come out a lot!

It was because SBC [Working Man!] was about to be broadcasted.

-Isn’t it a giveaway if we come out a lot?

-Well, I don’t think it will be revealed since it wasn’t revealed on the spot.

-I still don’t know why he hid itㅋㅋ

-It will be a big deal when it’s revealed.

Oh, Seo-jun, you’re a new face!

The chat room with thirty-two people was pouring out all kinds of stories.

It was Seo-jun’s new face story, then the upcoming exam story, then the graduation story of the seniors, then the lament of the juniors who had to make their graduation works as they became seniors, then the gift card story they got from the [Working Man!] interview.

-If an interview was needed, Seo-jun would do it himself, so he didn’t do it.

-Me too!

-I thought he would ask persistently, but he just moved on when I said I didn’t know.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

The group chat that was noisy became quiet after [Working Man!] started.

“Seo-jun, it’s starting.”

“Yeah.”

Seo-jun looked at the TV after taking his eyes off his phone.

Seo Eun-hye and Lee Min-jun, who were sitting next to him, were also watching [Working Man!] with interest, knowing that Seo-jun and the [Fire] team would appear.

***

-Who would have thought that the pork cutlet vs. spicy pork stir-fry would get this big lol

-I thought it would end in one week lol

Last week’s broadcast of [Working Man!]

The [Working Man!] members, who chose their favorite food between pork cutlet and spicy pork stir-fry in the opening, were divided into two teams and played games to get the ingredients for each dish and completed the mission of making that dish in the final game.

Then, the production team’s voice came like a bolt from the blue to the spicy pork stir-fry team that won and the pork cutlet team that lost.

“Based on your experience today, we will try to run a real restaurant in the next shoot.”

…?!

After a moment of incomprehension, they exclaimed, “What?!” and last week’s [Working Man!] ended with the members’ shocked faces.

And today.

“They want us to run a restaurant now?!”

[Working Man! – Rest Stop Restaurant Battle] that followed the previous episode started with the members’ loud shouts.

“No, you saw it. The onion that wasn’t even cut? They want us to sell that?!”

“Do you really think that this pork cutlet, which is burnt on the outside and almost raw on the inside, can go into the viewers’ mouths? I’m asking you, PD!”

The members’ outcry that started like this soon stopped. They knew that it was no use.

“But we really can’t do this…”

“You don’t have to worry. The chef will teach you the recipe and how to make it. He will go with you to the restaurant.”

Five-star hotel chef!

The members clapped their hands as hard as they could at the appearance of the savior.

The experienced chef assigned the most appropriate tasks to the members who were good at cooking and those who were not.

-Jung-hoon lol He’s just pounding the pork for the pork cutlet lol

-Look at his strength lol It looks like it’s going to turn into paper lol Is that a pork cutlet that doesn’t chew at all lol

-Park Young-jin lol Why is he shining a light on the cabbage he cut lol

-222 Isn’t that something you usually do when you cut radish? lol

-Park Young-jin got kicked out lol He’s stirring the sauce lol

And then, scenes of the members practicing at their homes for a week followed.

-But if you dig one well, your skills improve.

-Memo) Dig one well.

-lol No, the members have teammates, so they can do it lol

-22 Usually, if you dig one well, you get in trouble lol

-33 What’s the use of cutting cabbage well lol You can’t make pork cutlet lol

-Cabbage yum yum.

The members who had prepared well arrived at the rest stop on the highway.

They were surprised by the fairly large size and quickly started preparing for the business.

“We’re pros who chase and get chased, do chases, right? Now we have to cook too?!”

Park Young-jin, who shouted like this, quietly started stirring the sauce again at Choi Soohee’s words.

Cooking was cooking, but the members also paid attention to not letting the audio be empty.

“The taste is fine because it’s the chef’s recipe, but… we’re the ones who make it.”

“…That’s true.”

-That’s true.

-There are many delicious recipes on the internet, but… my hands are cursed.

-I ruin even the simplest recipes.

-22 I put in what they tell me to… but it’s weird…

The viewers sympathized with the [Working Man!] broadcast that continued like this.

“…But isn’t it too empty?”

With the caption [The rest stop manager sees it for the first time, too!], the cameras installed in each area showed the screen. It was a quietness that not even a single ant could be seen.

-It looks like they’re going to fail because of the food.

-lol lol lol

-That’s not it. I heard there were a lot of customers.

-They’ll probably promote it on SNS now.

[Production team! Emergency meeting and SNS promotion decided!] The caption appeared and it was noisy, and the cars entering the rest stop were seen on the drone camera. The [Working Man!] members’ faces brightened up on the screen.

-Ooh!

-They’re here!

-But are they all together?

-A strange combination of tour buses, taxis, and vans.

-We’re here!!

-It’s funny to see it like this lol

-No wonder lol There were no customers, so I thought they would just leave lol

<Working Man must have been very surprised lol

Just then, the team members who got off the bus saw the drone and got back on the bus.

-I was so proud of myself then.

<lol lol lol lol

-lol

-lol lol

Seo-jun and the [Fire] team, who finally realized the situation, laughed at the message from the fourth-year filming team who told them to film hard and stepped aside.

“Hey, hey?! Those customers are getting back on the bus?!”

The production team’s sincere, urgent voice and the members’ flustered movements, and Park Young-jin and Jung-hoon, who ran out waving their aprons, made the viewers laugh.

-No lol Why are those customers going back lol

-???: Huh? Is this place closed?

-lol But if there were no customers lol I would just leave too lol

-We’ll give you a lot of meat lol

-There’s a five-star hotel chef here lol

-But the ones who make it are Working Man lol

The customers who listened to Park Young-jin and Jung-hoon’s desperate shouts got off the car. They wrapped themselves in their coats in the cold winter wind and moved to the rest stop restaurant.

The empty restaurant became noisy, and the [Working Man!] members in the kitchen also got busy. It was a group of customers from the first, but the food came out quickly, thanks to their practice.

“I thought it was a movie shoot?”

The members, who were so focused on cooking that they momentarily forgot that it was an entertainment show, came out and talked with the students.

[Korea National University of Arts students/On their way back from a movie shoot] The caption appeared.

-Oh… They were a movie shooting team. They look like college students.

>So they thought it was a movie shoot and gave way. They all seem nice.

-They had good intentions but lol

-Isn’t Korea University of Arts Seo-jun’s school?

-It’s a movie shoot by students, do you think Seo-jun would be there?

And then the story came up.

“Is this… your story?”

The team members widened their eyes at Choi Soohee’s phone screen.

[Title: Looking for the people who helped my wife and child at the accident site.]

-Ah! I know this!

-What is this?

To satisfy the viewers’ curiosity, the screen changed.

It was SBC News.

[It’s a miracle. There were no deaths in the 9-car pileup at the ○○ tunnel, which was expected to cause many casualties…]

[All the people who were trapped in the ○○ tunnel were rescued, but there were many seriously injured…]

[The rescue work is still ongoing at the ○○ tunnel, but the black smoke is blocking the view…]

[A 9-car pileup occurred at the ○○ tunnel…]

The announcers, who were neatly dressed, slowly went back in time.

[Uh?! Why is that car doing that!?]

A car’s black box showed the scene before the ○○ tunnel accident.

-Is this… a movie stunt?

-…Is this really Working Man?

The CCTV screen showed the front of the ○○ tunnel. It was peaceful. Three tour buses that were about to enter the tunnel were visible. The viewers quickly realized that they were the Hyodo Tour buses that had appeared in the accident scene and had been mentioned in the news with regret.

As if rewinding, the three buses moved backward instead of forward. From the tunnel to the road, from the road to the city, the three buses moved backward.

-But why are they showing this?

-Yeah…?

The screen paused for a moment and then moved again.

Now the tour buses moved normally. And next to them, a yellow circle appeared on the van that was running with them. It seemed to tell them to pay attention to this car.

The van was moving with the tour buses as if they had the same destination. If they kept going like this, they would enter the tunnel and get swept up in the 9-car pileup.

-Huh? It stopped.

The van stopped on the roadside, and the CCTV screen also stopped. The tour buses continued to move and soon disappeared from the CCTV angle.

Two people came out of the stopped van. The quality was bad, but the situation was clear enough.

Two people running to the bench under the tree.

There was someone sitting on the bench. One person sat down in front of the person on the bench, and the other person ran back to the car.

The CCTV screen played at several times the speed.

The people in the van and the residents nearby flocked to the bench. The person sitting on the bench was hunched over and did not seem to move at all.

-Is he hurt somewhere?

-Yeah.

Then, they heard a sound. A sound that anyone could recognize as urgent, and the two people looked at the road.

-It sounds like an ambulance.

But it wasn’t just one.

The viewers blinked their eyes at the sight of several fire trucks and ambulances passing by the van and speeding away. The people who got off the van in the screen also couldn’t take their eyes off the fire trucks that were getting farther away.

-? Why are they just passing by…! Huh!

Suddenly, the scenes they had shown before came to the viewers’ minds.

-…Wow. Crazy!

-What is this…

As if to confirm their thoughts, the screen followed the fire trucks.

Not far away, black smoke was rising.

It was the scene of the 9-car pileup at the ○○ tunnel.