Chapter 117
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: The Big Reveal
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Choi Yuseong and Natalie, who had found a table in the campus cafeteria, anxiously awaited the upload on the [RAINBOW] channel.
“I don’t know about anyone else, but this person must have gotten a good video.”
“Yeah. Let’s have faith.”
In the meantime, posts about today’s busking performance had already appeared on SNS.
[Today was so moving. The music students were nice, but the violin boy’s performance was truly amazing. It was a simple yet happy piece of music just to listen to. No one knew the title of the song. I’m just waiting for the N-tube upload now. I really hope Rainbow-nim filmed it.]
#DemonicTalent #ViolinBoy #BuskingWeek8 #OurOnlyHopeIsRainbow!
[The first performance was shocking, and not in a good way. He was doing so well up until last week, so what happened today? Still, it’s a relief the last performance was shocking in a good way. If it wasn’t, I might have grabbed his teacher by the collar ;)]
#DemonicTalent #ViolinBoy #WhoIsHisTeacher? #YoudBetterBeGrateful!
“I agree.”
“Me too.”
Choi Yuseong and Natalie muttered unconsciously as they read the posts. If it hadn’t been for that second performance, they might have actually coaxed the kid into going to find his teacher with them.
“It’s up!”
“Rainbow-nim, as expected!”
They opened the N-tube website on the laptop and went to the [RAINBOW] channel.
A new video had appeared. With pounding hearts, Choi Yuseong and Natalie pressed the play button.
“Do you think we’ll be in it?”
“Hmm… Maybe?”
Rainbow’s videos were usually uploaded without any editing.
Just then, the violin boy’s performance began. His bow moved in a wide arc. Seeing the boy’s posture, more radiant than ever before, Choi Yuseong and Natalie smiled with satisfaction.
“This is nice.”
“It is. It’s so good to hear it again.”
Just like before, the boy sparkled. He shone as if he were alone in the spotlight.
Thankful and joyful. Choi Yuseong and Natalie felt as if they were being consumed by the emotions radiating from his entire being.
As they watched, they both felt a strange sense of familiarity. A closeness, as if they had seen him somewhere before. It was a feeling like a sneeze that wouldn’t come—something on the verge of surfacing, but never quite breaking through.
‘Is it because we’ve been seeing him every week?’
While the two pondered, the boy’s performance continued. Deciding to just listen for now, they once again immersed themselves in the music.
Having heard the performance live, Choi Yuseong and Natalie realized it was nearing its end. It was a shame. A pity. They wished he would play a little longer. Just a little longer.
And so, the boy’s performance concluded, and the laptop screen turned black.
Feeling disappointed, Choi Yuseong clicked the screen to watch the video again. Below the screen, the play button appeared along with the video’s runtime. He was about to wonder why there was still time left, when…
[What do you need to make music?]
A little girl’s voice was heard. She spoke in a flat, almost bored tone, as if simply relaying someone else’s words.
“Huh?”
At the unexpected voice, Choi Yuseong, who had been reaching for the mouse to listen again, and Natalie, who was about to post her thoughts on SNS, stared blankly at the laptop screen.
[Talent?]
The screen showed the face of a brightly smiling girl. She wasn’t looking at the camera, but off to the side.
[Effort?]
This time, it was a boy. The broadly smiling boy was looking in the same direction as the girl. The screen slowly panned to the side.
[No,]
Where the two children were looking, a shyly smiling boy stood. The child, holding a small violin, smiled as brightly as a flower.
Choi Yuseong’s and Natalie’s eyes widened. Though his face had always been hidden by a baseball cap, they recognized him instantly. The aura was identical. It was the first time they had seen the violin boy’s bare face.
[It’s money.]
As the girl’s voice finished, the black screen filled with stark white letters.
[OVER THE RAINBOW]
[Coming This Year]
[Whale Studio]
[Seojun Lee. Catherine Miller. Paul Auden.]
Even after the video ended and the replay button appeared, Choi Yuseong and Natalie couldn’t regain their senses. It was as if their brains were struggling to process what had just happened. Uh, wait, so…
“…Seojun Lee?!”
“…You mean Lee Seojun!?”
Screams erupted from all corners of the cafeteria. Other students, who had become interested after hearing about the busking from those who saw it live and were waiting for the video, were also shocked by the unimaginable turn of events.
The news of a young Asian boy with demonic talent had netizens from Korea, China, Japan, and elsewhere ready to reignite their debates about his nationality after seeing the 8th week’s video, but their hands froze.
SNS, which had been ablaze in various languages, fell silent as if doused with water.
Not only did countries like China and Japan realize the boy wasn’t one of their own, but even Korean netizens, who learned he was Korean, were at a loss for words.
-????
-I never realized it before, but I think I learned the alphabet wrong.
=Right? I think I learned it wrong with you… or maybe the romanization rules changed…?
=33333 ????
Is this what it feels like to not believe what you’re seeing? People who were staring blankly at the comments suddenly snapped back to reality, as if a spell had been broken by one particular comment.
-…? Seojun? Why are you there?
-…It is him, right?! Lee Seojun! I thought it was just someone with the same name!?
-Seriously, why is Lee Seojun here? Someone explain!!
-Wasn’t this a busking video? Why is there suddenly a movie? Lee Seojun?
It took only a few seconds for their frozen minds to grasp the situation. People watching the video let out real-life screams and began typing furiously.
The internet was turned upside down. And with the completely unexpected appearance of Lee Seojun, Korea was turned upside down too.
NEW! Lee Seojun
NEW! Lee Seojun violin
NEW! Lee Seojun movie
NEW! Lee Seojun movie filming
“I was prepared for this, but this is incredible.”
“All the real-time search rankings are about Seojun.”
The employees of Cocoa Entertainment’s Team 2 and the PR team answered the deafeningly loud phones with practiced ease, checking their overflowing inboxes and personal phones one after another.
Is it really the actor Lee Seojun? Is he filming a Hollywood movie? When is the release date? Where is he and what is he doing now? The questions poured in.
“Sending out the press release now!”
[Actor Lee Seojun, Filming a Movie in LA!]
[Cocoa Entertainment Reveals Preparations Began Last Summer!]
[Actor Lee Seojun’s First Hollywood Lead Role!]
[What are Lee Seojun’s Limits? His Violin Skills are Top-Notch!]
[Lee Seojun’s Next Film, Just a Few Months from Release!]
[What’s Needed for Music? Talent? Effort? No, Money. What Could it Mean!]
-He really has a knack for surprising people. That’s why I love it so much lol
-First lead role!! Congratulations!! Seojun!!
-Wow. I thought it would come out next year, but it’s this year! And he was already filming lol
-A violin! A music movie!!
-A sing-along will probably be impossible. It’s only fun if you can sing together lol but with a violinㅠ
As soon as the articles about Seojun were released, the view and subscriber counts for the [RAINBOW] channel began to skyrocket.
Even people who had no interest in classical music started looking up the videos after hearing that the person in them was Lee Seojun. From the first week’s video to the eighth.
The transformation was astounding, even on a rewatch. They could understand why everyone had called it demonic talent.
-It’s still weird watching it even though I know it’s Lee Seojun.
-His height and silhouette seem similar, but his whole vibe is completely different. As expected of Lee Seojun’s acting skills.
=But in the 8th week, he looks like Lee Seojun. He’s got this presence even without any lighting lol
=You could tell it was Lee Seojun just by walking past lol How did nobody recognize him?
=Honestly, isn’t it weirder to assume Lee Seojun would be busking on the street? And not just once, but for 8 weeks lol If it were me, I’d just think, ‘Oh, that kid’s here again today,’ and walk past too lol
-But the difference in skill from week 1 to week 8 is no joke. From his posture in week 1 that could fool a violin major to his pro-like performance in week 8… Amazing.
-The song from week 8 is great. What’s the title?
=No one knows. Seems like everyone is trying to ask Whale Studio. Their site crashed lol
-So when’s the release date?
***
The day after the teaser was released. On set.
Everyone looked at Seojun with expressions of wonder. Jason Moore, who had long encouraged Seojun to play the violin, and even Benjamin Morton, who had always chuckled and said, ‘That’s up to Jun’s heart,’ were now looking at Seojun with faces full of genuine regret.
“Did Jun really compose that?”
“Yes. The director said he’s been working on it since last year.”
It seemed he had composed about one song a year, but for a complete novice to create a piece of that caliber was no easy feat. If he were to learn from Benjamin Morton, who was also renowned for his compositions, how much could he grow? The more they thought about it, the more they felt it was a waste.
“You should have tried to persuade him with me. I’m terrible with words, but if you had coaxed him like you coaxed me, he might have given in.”
“…You’re right. I really should have.”
Benjamin Morton replied to Jason Moore’s grumbling, half-joking and half-serious.
But they both knew. They knew that Seojun, a born actor, would never pursue it professionally unless it was for a hobby or for filming.
***
“Ready, action!”
With director Sarah Rothe’s call, raindrops spewed from a machine, filling the sky.
Police officers in raincoats were emerging from Swallow’s apartment. The children, who had come with George’s brother to see their teacher, watched with pale faces from under an umbrella.
“Wait here a moment.”
George’s brother headed toward the police officers. Gray watched their conversation with a blank expression.
George’s brother returned. The children and Gray clung to a tiny sliver of hope. Having already heard the full story from George, his brother opened his mouth with a devastated look.
“There was… another…”
The sound of rain filled the air. Heavy raindrops hit the ground, screaming.
“There was another incident, it seems. The victim from that case reported him.”
Gray’s ears began to ring. Victim. Incident. Those two words were enough for him to understand. In a neighborhood like Downrock, even a snot-nosed kid knew what a ‘scam’ was.
“They said if you’re a victim, you should come to the police station. You might be able to get back some of the money…”
Amidst his chaotic thoughts, Gray suddenly recalled his mother’s happy face.
His mother, who had been so happy he was learning the violin. If she found out the teacher she had painstakingly found was a con artist, and that her son had been learning from a fraud who didn’t know the first thing about the violin… Gray squeezed his eyes shut.
“…Can I go to the police station?”
“…An adult probably has to go.”
Of course, they would.
Trying to buy even a little time, Gray gripped his umbrella tightly. The handle felt so cold.
“…Thank you. I’ll be going now.”
“Gray…”
“You guys, too… thank you, really. I’ll see you later. Later.”
The rain fell. With his usual gait, Gray left his friends behind and headed home.
Scamming, being scammed, hitting, getting hurt, fighting. In Downrock, these were ordinary things. For Gray, they were ordinary things too.
Yes…
Still…
He wished, just once, that a miracle could happen.
Gray lifted his head and looked ahead. The pitch-black street seemed just like him. He slowly took a step forward.
[(Evil) Baby Kraken’s Stealth is activated.]
[(Evil) Baby Kraken’s Stealth - Lowest Grade]
The stealth ability of the kraken, a master of concealment.
Allows you to blend in with your surroundings.
Contact may result in demonic energy infection.
The camera captured Gray being swallowed by the pitch-black darkness. Sarah Rothe checked the lighting.
‘Is it a little too dark?’
It wasn’t so dark that Seojun’s back was invisible. But there was a subtle way the darkness of the alley seemed to tangle with Seojun’s figure.
‘But this isn’t bad either. No, it’s good.’
The lack of a clear boundary seemed to better portray Gray’s despair. A dark, ominous aura seemed to envelop Seojun. Gray’s despair, the atmosphere of it, was palpable.
Sarah Rothe wasn’t the only one who felt it. Tears welled up in the eyes of Catherine and Paul, who were only looking at Seojun’s back.
Overcome by a wave of sadness, the two missed their cue to speak.
Seojun, who had been walking slowly while waiting for Catherine and Paul’s lines, realized this and activated his ability.
[(Good) Lesser Angel’s Fan is activated.]
“Cut! NG!”
A warm breeze blew, and the demonic energy that had settled low over the set dissipated. Catherine and Paul, who had been overwhelmed by the atmosphere, snapped out of it.
“…I’m sorry!”
“It’s okay. Emily. Stop the rain.”
“Ah, yes!”
At Sarah Rothe’s voice, the staff members came to their senses and moved quickly.
They stopped the machine and headed toward the actors with towels. Even with umbrellas, they couldn’t completely block the rain. After drying their wet clothes with fresh towels, Seojun and the other kids sat in chairs to warm up and go over their lines.
And so, the third take began.
Rebecca, looking anxious, shouted.
“Gray! In two days! Let’s meet at the park in two days! At our usual spot!”
“You have to come! We’ll wait for you!”
At Rebecca and George’s voices, Gray’s black umbrella seemed to start to turn, but in the end, he disappeared into the darkness.
“Cut! OK!”
At Sarah Rothe’s voice, the rain machine stopped. Seojun folded his umbrella and activated his ability.
[(Good) Lesser Angel’s Fan is activated.]
A warm breeze, meant to dispel the demonic energy, filled the set. Seojun and the other children wiped their splattered clothes and bodies with towels handed to them by the staff.
“It would’ve been freezing if we filmed this in the winter.”
“Still, I’m glad we only had two NGs.”
“That’s because Catherine started crying.”
“You cried too.”
“Honestly, it was hard not to cry during that.”
Having shed the heavy atmosphere, the children chattered away. Watching the brightly talking actors, Sarah Rothe thought about the remaining filming schedule. They were nearing the end.
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