Chapter 101
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: The Viral Werewolf
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After the Orchess Halloween Festival ended, videos shot by the audience began to appear on N-tube.
Videos were also uploaded to the official Orchess channel, from contest participants to performance footage.
It wasn't a particularly famous festival, but thanks to the sponsorship from the Monster Company and news articles about Seojun's potential attendance, there were people in Korea eagerly awaiting videos and reviews.
[Title: My Orchess Halloween Festival Experience]
I'm a student studying abroad in Paris. I went to Orchess because I heard Lee Seojun might be there. It was more crowded than I expected. Anyway, I stopped by the Monster Company booth, but Lee Seojun wasn't there. I tried to look for him, but everyone was wearing masks and costumes, so I couldn't find him ㅜ
But the festival was fun. There was an event called the Monster Contest, and everyone did great. Especially the werewolf who came on last... After watching everything, I realized it was probably Lee Seojun.
People who read the review searched for the werewolf on N-tube. The video with the most views was the one uploaded by the city of Orchess.
[Monster Contest Winner! Number 13, The Werewolf's Transformation.]
-Wow, amazing. Comparing him to other videos, he's short, so I don't think he's an adult.
-Seems like a kid. Did he study contemporary dance somewhere? He's incredible.
-He made great use of the lighting, smoke, and shadows. If the smoke had been thinner, there would have been no shadow, and it would've looked cheap. Looks like the weather was on his side.
-I feel like I've experienced this before. Is this déjà vu?
=I think I know what you mean. Whenever Lee Seojun is out of sight and some kid becomes famous, it turns out to be him lol.
The official Orchess video was filmed from a fixed angle, so people looked for other videos too. They were shaky, but each one had different parts that were clearly visible, and soon a post titled [The Best Order to Watch the Werewolf Videos] appeared.
-But you can't see his face because of the wolf mask. Is it really Lee Seojun?
-Who else at that age has that level of acting skill besides Lee Seojun?
-You never know. Could be another genius.
Was it Lee Seojun or not? The debate reached Cocoa Entertainment. With the phone ringing off the hook, Seo Eunchan let out a weary sigh and headed to Seojun's house.
The couple and Seojun, who were busy unpacking their luggage and souvenirs from Paris, welcomed Seo Eunchan.
“This is for you, Samchon!”
“...A slime?”
“It looks like you!”
It wasn't a product from the Monster Company but a doll bought at the Halloween festival. Seo Eunchan fiddled with the squishy slime doll and sighed.
“...Didn't you say it was a family trip?”
“Yeah! It was so much fun!”
Seeing the sparkle in Seojun's eyes, Seo Eunchan couldn't help but smile. *Right. Well. As long as he had fun, that's what matters.*
“Nuna. Give me any videos you took.”
“To post on the fan cafe?”
“I thought it was just a small festival, but anything Seojun participates in becomes legendary.”
Seo Eunchan gave a weary laugh and turned on his laptop. Seo Eunhye showed him the videos.
“Why are there three videos?”
“This one was filmed by Seojun's friend's older sister, this one by his friend's parents, and this one by Minjun. Each video captured different parts of the performance well. I thought it would be better to edit them together before uploading.”
“Hmm. That makes sense.”
Seo Eunchan watched the three videos. They were short, so it didn't take long, and it was just as Seo Eunhye had said.
“Alright. I'll take care of this at the office.”
Back at the company, Seo Eunchan handed the videos over to the PR team. The staff gathered and created the best possible edit. At the end of the video, they added a few photos of Seojun taken at the festival.
The video was immediately uploaded to the fan cafe.
-Wow! It really was Seojun!
-He looks so cool even without showing his face!
-The photos are so cute! Those must be Monster Company clothes too, right?
And as soon as Seojun's video was up, news articles started to appear. Seojun and his parents, who had finished unpacking and were watching the video Cocoa Entertainment had posted, marveled at the lightning-fast speed.
“They're incredibly fast.”
[Actor Lee Seojun Attends Orchess Halloween Festival!]
[Wins First Place in Monster Contest During Family Trip!]
[A Real Werewolf?! Actor Lee Seojun!]
-Of course... I knew it.
-He was seriously good. It's like he lived with wolves for years.
-I'm a zookeeper (in charge of wolves), and the shadow in his performance is a perfect wolf. How is that even possible? lol. I don't think I could imitate it that well.
-Lee Seojun is good at playing a blue dragon and a wolf. That's not an easy thing to do lol.
* * *
After the Halloween festival, everyone returned to their daily lives. A peaceful routine. But this year, for some reason, things were even more bustling after the festival was over.
“Charlie! Charlie!”
The restaurant door burst open. The vampire leader, who ran the wine shop, rushed in with a shocked expression.
With the tourists gone, the restaurant was once again filled with the citizens of Orchess. They were all familiar faces, so everyone simply raised their forks and carried on.
Charlie, who had been giggling while looking at a photo of himself and Jun on his phone, looked up at the sound of his name.
“What is it, Uncle?”
“Your friend! The one who was wearing the werewolf costume!”
At the mention of Seojun, Charlie shot to his feet. Hearing the commotion in the dining hall, Charlie's father came out to see what was going on.
“Jun?”
“Yes, your friend Jun!”
The people eating also recalled the boy with the wolf head who had been with Charlie throughout the Halloween festival. He was a bright-eyed, kind kid. They vividly remembered his performance at the contest.
“He was really good, wasn't he?”
“Yeah! I didn't expect a little kid to be that talented.”
“Don't you think he'd become a huge actor if he pursued it?”
“I know...”
“They're saying he's a Hollywood star!?”
“...?”
At the man's words, everyone froze, their forks halfway to their mouths. Blinking as if they'd misheard, the patrons stared at him.
“Have you been drinking wine since this morning?”
“If you're going to be a drunk, do it at home.”
Before Charlie's father, who despised drunken behavior, could say a word, the customers spoke up first.
“No, I'm telling you, it's true!?”
The red-faced man insisted, but everyone just shook their heads. They could already picture Charlie's father quietly getting angry. Around this point, they expected to hear him say, "Get out," but there was only silence.
The customers looked at Charlie's father. They were puzzled by the wide grin on his face. Charlie then spoke up, smiling triumphantly.
“You're just finding out now? I've known since the day of the festival. That Jun is a Hollywood star!”
“I knew it! So it was true?!”
“I even have his autograph!”
Charlie showed them the photo on his phone. [To my werewolf friend, Charlie. From Seojun Lee.] Seeing the signature, the man who had been half-doubting shouted.
“I've never seen a Hollywood actor in my entire life! He was right there, and I didn't even get to shake his hand!”
It was the customers whose confusion grew as they watched the man's anguish.
“Charlie, what are you talking about? What was that kid back then?”
The old man who had given Charlie and Seojun orange juice asked. Charlie answered with a bright smile.
“A Hollywood actor! Jin Natra from *Shadowman*! He's Seojun Lee!”
“...What!?”
Even those who hadn't seen *Shadowman* knew the movie existed. And that it had been a massive hit. Everyone's eyes widened as they stared at Charlie.
The city official who had been giving updates backstage clutched his forehead. He was a Marine fan who had watched everything from *Redborn 1* to *Assemble 1* multiple times.
He knew Seojun Lee, and Jin Natra, very well—down to his bones. Tears welled up in his eyes.
“...I'm a huge fan! No wonder! I thought his acting was incredible! I never imagined he'd come here.”
*I saw him right in front of my eyes!* Seeing the official's despair, the others began to realize one by one that the little wolf they had seen was truly a Hollywood actor.
“Last year a theater actor, this year a Hollywood actor. I'm almost scared to see who shows up next year.”
“Do you think he'll come back next year?”
“What was the name of that movie again?”
“But Uncle, how did you know? That Jun is a Hollywood actor!”
At Charlie's question, everyone fell silent and looked at the man.
“It's on N-tube. Videos were uploaded showing that Jun is a Hollywood actor and that he was the last contestant. The view count is insane right now! And because of that, our festival is getting famous, too. All over the world!”
“...!”
All over the world! Those last words echoed through the restaurant. *Maybe next year will be a huge festival.* The citizens of Orchess gulped.
* * *
“This stupid assignment!”
Back in New York, Grace's family returned to their daily routine. Laura Welton, a high school student, was racking her brain over a writing assignment.
She was supposed to write a short story, but she hadn't written a single line yet. Only the cursor blinked on the blank screen.
“Ugh. Come on, brain, work with me.”
As she was banging her head on the desk trying to find a good idea, her sister Grace flashed into her mind like a bolt of lightning. Her sister getting lost, and the two kids who found her!
“Grace!”
“Yeah?”
“The time you got lost at the festival, can I use that for my story?”
“Eek!”
Grace, who was watching television, scrunched up her face. Laura pleaded with her.
“I'll change the names and the descriptions! I have to turn it in by this week!”
“...Hmm.”
“I'll buy you three New York cheese tarts!”
“Five!”
“Deal!”
*Money is no object right now!* Laura, her face bright, started to head to her room but turned back around.
“Can I include Jun and Charlie's story?”
“You'll have to ask Jun and Charlie about that.”
“Can you ask them for me?”
“Two more tarts!”
“Deal!”
>Charlie: I'm okay with it!
>Jun: I'm good with it too!
>Jun: Can we see it when you're done?
>Charlie: Me too! I'm curious!
Watching Grace tap on her phone, Laura was getting anxious. *There's a time difference, isn't there? Will they even pick up now? Should I wait? The assignment is due tomorrow!*
Grace looked up at Laura.
“Sis! Jun and Charlie said to show it to them when you're done!”
“Got it!”
Laura replied instantly and returned to her room. The laptop screen was still blank.
“Okay. The female lead is a witch, and the male lead is a werewolf.”
Laura began to write in a flash. She took the real events and added a little imagination.
A lost witch and the werewolf who found her. The ending was just like at the Halloween festival, with the witch reuniting with her family.
As if her writer's block had been a lie, the writing assignment was finished in no time. All her previous worrying felt pointless.
A few days after she submitted the assignment, her writing teacher called her over. As Laura Welton sat awkwardly in the chair, her teacher, Mr. Twiller, smiled kindly and spoke.
“Welton. Would you consider expanding this into a full-length novel?”
“Huh?”
“It's just so entertaining. I was thinking it would be great as a novel if you added more to the story.”
“Uh. I've never thought about it. Writing is kind of...”
She had struggled just to come up with a short story, and now he was suggesting a novel. Her vision went dark.
Seeing Laura's reluctance, Mr. Twiller thought for a moment before speaking.
“Then how about we make this your only writing assignment for the semester?”
“I'll do it!”
To get out of her immediate assignments, Laura Welton willingly threw herself into the torment of creative writing.
“It's no use. I can't think of anything!”
The short story was hard, but a novel was much, much harder. She couldn't just stretch out the story of finding a lost child, and she couldn't think of any other episodes.
She planned to write a romance novel, but she had no idea how to connect the main characters and develop their romantic feelings.
Laura Welton agonized over the problem, reading novels she'd borrowed from the library.
“The problem is the characters' backstories.”
Their pasts would be the starting point for incidents and conflicts. Laura clutched her head.
Just then, there was a knock on the door. It was Grace. Peeking her head through the open doorway, Grace spoke.
“Sis, want to watch TV with me?”
“TV? What's on?”
“A drama Jun was in. It's on Plus+.”
At Grace's words, Laura Welton looked at her blank laptop screen. It didn't seem like anything would come to her even if she agonized over it more.
“Sure, let's take a break.”
Laura and Grace sat on the sofa. The opening screen of *Naeuiwon* filled the television, which was connected to a laptop. Munching on snacks from the kitchen, Laura asked.
“So, what's this drama about?”
“There were a lot of comments saying to watch it without looking at spoilers, so all I know is that it's a Korean historical drama.”
“Oh, really?”
The first episode opened with a man treating someone. The English subtitles not only translated the dialogue but also provided explanations for things foreigners might not know, making it easy to get immersed.
As Laura and Grace were watching *Naeuiwon*, their parents, who had just returned from an outing, joined them.
The Welton family forgot all about their usual shows and became completely engrossed in *Naeuiwon*.
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