Chapter 112
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: The Boy with the Violin
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In the meantime, preparations for the reshoot were complete.
“We'll begin filming!”
“Alright! Let's get it right this time!”
“Yeah!”
While Catherine and Paul, who had memorized their lines perfectly, clenched their fists in determination, Seojun headed for the bushes. It seemed the ability was working better than he'd thought. Seojun sat down in the bushes again and waited for the signal.
“Ready, action!”
[(Good) Black and White Chameleon's Monochrome is activated.]
[(Good) Black and White Chameleon's Monochrome - Intermediate-Low Grade]
The Black and White Chameleon's body color changes to black and white.
It changes the color of its surroundings to black and white.
Restriction: Vision becomes black and white.
The world where the Black and White Chameleon lived was just like the world inside a black-and-white comic book.
Everything was black and white, the boundaries barely defined by the presence or absence of light and shadow.
That world was heavy and somber in and of itself.
Occasionally, when a being of full color appeared, it was either revered as a god or killed as a demon.
Next to the Black and White Chameleon's book of life was the book for its next life. In that life, it was born as a golem and could only stare blankly at a colorful world. It was fortunate to be a golem; if it had been a creature like a slime or an orc, it would have probably starved to death.
Seojun blinked. Under the influence of [(Good) Black and White Chameleon's Monochrome], the world appeared in black and white.
Gray lived in a rather poor environment. He lived with his mother, a Korean immigrant. His American father had passed away when Gray was very young.
While his mother was at work, Gray, an elementary school student, would often stop by the park after school. This was because the park was close to a private school, and its students often came here.
Students came to draw, to sing, to film something. Among the many children, the one Gray looked for was the one holding an instrument.
A beautiful performance flowed out. He didn't know the name of the piece, the composer, or its meaning. He only knew that the continuous sound was incredibly beautiful.
Today, too, Gray was waiting in his designated spot for the child who would play the instrument. As he hid behind the bushes, two children who looked to be his age appeared.
The children chattered away. Unlike the other children who started playing without a word, these two announced the title before they began.
His heart pounded. Ah. So this piece is 'Spring' from 'The Four Seasons'.
It was a piece he had heard quite often. Someone would always play it on a sunny spring day. Sometimes it was on a violin, other times on an electronic piano.
The small patch of bushes could only hide Gray's body if he curled up. Listening to the performance while crouched, Gray unknowingly straightened his back. He swayed his body back and forth to the flowing music.
“Hey! Who are you?”
That's why he didn't realize his head was poking out of the bushes until he heard the harsh voice. At the child's loud voice, Gray awkwardly stood up.
Slumped shoulders. Fidgeting hands. A gaze fixed on the ground, unable to meet their eyes.
His mother's voice echoed in Gray's ears. *Don't get involved with the Starfield people.* You never knew when they might pick a fight over something.
Gray lifted his head. Unlike him, the sparkling children were looking at him. He wanted to step back, but he held it in.
“...I'm sorry for listening in secret.”
It was such a meek apology that it made their anger feel pointless. At his apology, Rebecca and George felt embarrassed. This was a park, and anyone could listen to Rebecca's performance.
“No, it's not like this is my practice room, so it's fine. It's a park, so of course you'd hear it.”
“Sorry for shouting. I thought you were a bad person.”
At the children's apology, Gray's eyes darted around. An awkward atmosphere briefly filled the park.
“Cut, OK!”
At the sound of 'OK,' the two child actors plopped down. They were drained of energy, but their faces were happy to have gotten the OK.
“I almost forgot my lines again.”
“I was surprised because Jun was so different.”
“Ahaha. That's because he's Gray.”
Everyone burst into laughter at the sound of the children bickering.
* * *
After the first day of shooting was over, as Seojun was getting ready to go home, Director Sarah Rothe approached him.
“You know there's a park just up ahead, right?”
“Yes.”
Seojun nodded. During the two weeks he practiced the violin, he had gone there a few times with his mom for walks and picnics.
“How about you try playing there?”
“Playing?”
“Yeah. It's a plan from the marketing team. It sounded pretty good, so I thought I'd mention it.”
Sarah Rothe continued. At the word 'marketing,' An Daho's ears perked up.
Even though it had been several months since Seojun decided to star in the movie, not a single article had been released. Whale Studios would handle it, but he was still concerned.
“Of course, only if you're okay with it, Jun.”
Seojun tilted his head and asked.
“What kind of plan is it?”
“Our movie is about a child who plays the violin for the first time and gradually improves with the help of his friends, right?”
Seojun nodded. That's why Seojun needed to practice transitioning his posture from that of a beginner to that of an expert. He recorded himself and copied his own movements, and also followed along with videos on N-tube. It wasn't as difficult as he thought.
“Yes.”
“So, just like that, we'd show you in the park, starting as a beginner, gradually improving, and eventually playing more beautifully and perfectly than anyone else.”
“...Will that really be good promotion?”
“They're planning to film it and create a promotional video. A mysterious child whose skills improve noticeably every week. The number of onlookers will grow, right?”
Hearing Director Sarah Rothe's words, Seo Eunhye and An Daho nodded. A child like that would surely become a hot topic.
“That sounds fun. I'll do it!”
And so, starting this week, Seojun would be playing in the park every Sunday afternoon.
* * *
Filming proceeded without any major issues.
The fourth shoot was a scene where Gray goes to meet his friends with a bright face.
Rebecca and George, who had brought a ton of snacks from home, welcomed Gray.
Even while eating the delicious snacks for the first time, Gray's gaze never left Rebecca's violin. Noticing this, Rebecca smiled and handed the violin to Gray.
“Want to try playing? I'll teach you.”
“...Is that okay?”
[(Good) Black and White Chameleon's Monochrome is deactivated.]
As his fingers touched Rebecca's violin, Gray's world was tinged with the color of grass. The pure white sky turned blue, and a rosy hue spread across Gray's pale cheeks.
Color slowly seeped into the black-and-white world.
At that astonishing transformation, Catherine and Paul were once again completely captivated.
“Cut, NG!”
Director Sarah Rothe's voice rang out, and Catherine and Paul clutched their heads.
“I messed up again.”
“I thought we'd get it in one take this time.”
At the children's words, Seojun and the staff burst into laughter. Seojun practiced with the children as they read from the scripts they had prepared.
“Alright! Let's pass this time!”
“Yeah! Let's do our best!”
Before the reshoot, seeing Catherine and Paul psyching themselves up, Seojun also clenched his fists. My friends are working so hard, so I have to work hard too!
“I'll work hard too!”
At Seojun's words, Catherine, Paul, and the staff all flinched. Even harder than this? Will we even get an OK cut today? A sudden fear crept into Catherine, and she opened her mouth.
“...I think you can take it a little easier, Jun.”
Paul nodded his head repeatedly, as if in agreement.
* * *
Sunday, a day with no filming, arrived. Hollywood shoots ran on a tight schedule, so there were plenty of days off for the child actors.
Seo Eunhye, who came out to see Seojun off as he left for the park with An Daho, said.
“Seojun. Your dad is coming today, so don't be late.”
It was the first time his father had taken a vacation to come to the US since they had arrived for filming.
They video-called every evening, but seeing him in person was even better. Seojun beamed and said.
“Okay! I'm only playing three pieces, so I'll be back early.”
“Is playing just three songs enough for promotion?”
“I'm not really sure. But they said that's enough.”
Seojun, with the violin case on his back, shrugged. Seo Eunhye smiled and stroked Seojun's hair. He looked so natural with the violin that he seemed more like a violinist than an actor.
“Alright. Have a good time. Mr. Daho, please take care of him.”
“Yes, don't worry.”
“Mom! I'm heading out!”
Seojun and An Daho took a car to the nearby park. Unlike a typical park filled with families, this one had many people singing and playing instruments.
“I heard there's a music university nearby, so a lot of students must come here.”
“I see. No wonder I heard so much singing.”
Seojun and An Daho drove to a shop that Whale Studios had told them about. It was a small shop they had rented for two hours on Sunday afternoon.
In front of the closed shop stood an employee from Whale Studios' marketing team. The employee spotted the car, guided them to a parking spot, and greeted Seojun and An Daho as they got out.
“Nice to meet you, Seojun Lee.”
“Hello!”
After exchanging greetings, the three of them entered the shop. The shop's windows were covered with curtains, and several sturdy-looking bodyguards greeted them.
Unlike their usual jet-black suits, they were dressed in plain clothes like ordinary people, but a blue whale pattern, like a brand logo, was visible in a conspicuous spot.
After a brief greeting with the bodyguards, the employee handed An Daho a violin case and a paper bag. Seojun, who had his own violin on his back, tilted his head.
“I have a violin.”
“The concept for the promotional shoot is 'Gray.' That violin is too good for Gray to use, Jun.”
After blinking a few times, Seojun nodded.
“So I'm going to be busking as Gray.”
“Yes. I heard you were amazing during the shoot. Just do it like you did then.”
“I understand!”
“There are clothes in the paper bag, so please get changed.”
“Okay!”
Seojun changed his clothes in a pre-prepared changing room. He neatly set aside the clothes he had been wearing and took out the ones from the paper bag. The faded blue t-shirt looked exactly like something Gray would wear.
After changing, Seojun left the shop with the employee and the bodyguards. Keeping a slight distance and pretending not to know each other, they headed to the pre-arranged busking spot in the park.
It was a bit off to the side, but Seojun really liked the quiet atmosphere.
“You can play right here. This person and the bodyguards will be filming. Other buskers get filmed by the audience too, so it won't be too conspicuous.”
At the Whale Studios marketing employee's words, a man wearing a blue cap with a whale pattern smiled and held up his phone. Seojun tilted his head.
“Won't the video quality be bad?”
“That's the charm of busking. Besides, if the quality is too good, people will find out it's you right away, Jun.”
“I'm not supposed to be found out?”
“We'll see if it gets revealed unavoidably, but the plan is to hide it as much as possible, Seojun. If it rains or something happens, please come back to the shop from before. Of course, the bodyguards and I will always be with you, but we need to be prepared.”
“Okay.”
The marketing employee checked the time on his wristwatch and pointed to a spot.
“It's time to start. You can stand here and play, Jun.”
“Yes, I understand!”
Finally, to hide his face, Seojun pulled down the black baseball cap the employee handed him and stood in the indicated spot.
The bodyguards and the filming employee also stood naturally, surrounding Seojun as if they were just there to watch a busking performance. Of course, they left enough space for other people to watch.
“You can start whenever you're ready.”
The employee and An Daho both moved a short distance away from Seojun. They stood there as if they were just part of the audience.
It was Seojun's first time busking, but it didn't feel particularly awkward. He casually placed the violin case on the ground and took out the violin. It was an old but well-maintained violin.
“It's smaller than mine.”
Still, it was good enough to play. Holding the violin and bow, he opened the violin case wide towards the people to collect money.
Meanwhile, the sight of the bodyguards and employees starting to film with their phones caught the eyes of passersby.
It was a bit of a secluded spot, but since there were people gathered, 'real' onlookers, wondering what was going on, started to gather one by one.
Seojun took a deep breath, *huu*, and rested his chin on the violin. He held the bow in his right hand and placed his left hand on the strings.
[(Good) Black and White Chameleon's Monochrome is activated.]
The world was painted in black and white. Now, Seojun became Gray, playing the violin for the very first time.