Chapter 128
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: The Story of Seojun Lee
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Meanwhile, on stage, cheers erupted from the audience. An Daho and the PR team employee watched the stage. Valeria’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Seojun.
“Are you really going to play the violin for us?”
“Yes. I brought my violin with me.”
“Wow. I was so sad when I heard they were only inviting the public as extras for the final day of filming. I can’t believe I get to hear you play this close!”
Moved by Seojun’s words, Valeria and the audience cheered. A staff member handed Seojun a violin. It was the one Aunt Nara had bought for him.
“This piece is called ‘Gray’s Violin Piece No. 1,’ which was uploaded to N-tube. It’s also been released as a digital single. Have you seen the eighth-week busking video and the stage performance video?”
Answers of “Yes!” came from all over. As fans of Lee Seojun, there wasn't a video they hadn't seen. Seojun smiled and continued.
“That’s right. It’s that piece. It’s filled with the joy Gray felt when he first learned the violin and his deep gratitude for his friends.”
“I see.”
Recalling the scene in the movie where Gray meets the two children, Valeria and the audience nodded.
Seojun rested his chin on the violin. He decided to play with Gray’s heart—with the pure joy of meeting his first friends and learning the violin.
Seojun Lee’s entire demeanor on stage changed in an instant. The transformation was so drastic it surprised even Valeria, who had met countless actors. The audience was stunned as well. His clothes, hairstyle, and makeup were the same, yet the shift in his aura made it seem as if a completely different person had appeared.
‘He did seem like a different person in his other roles, surprisingly so.’
Even though they were different people, entirely different characters, people who liked William also liked Grand Prince Seongnyeong, and those who liked Jin Natra also liked the Blue Dragon God.
Suddenly, Valeria thought she understood the common thread behind his popularity, which transcended villainous roles and genres.
The emotion, the atmosphere, the aura that viewers could feel from Seojun Lee’s acting.
‘Yes. It’s this… this powerful emotional delivery that you can’t feel from ordinary actors.’
The vivid emotions and feelings were transmitted as if you were meeting the characters right in front of you. It was a wave of emotion that, once experienced, made you want to feel it again, as if addicted, and an incomparable level of immersion that no other actor could match.
Valeria swallowed hard. The chattering audience fell silent, overcome by an inexplicable sense of awe.
[The Melody of the (Good) Goblin Violinist activates.]
The mid-to-low-tier ability washed over Valeria, the audience, and the film crew like a wave. A flood of vivid joy and gratitude filled them, leaving Valeria and the audience with a wondrous feeling.
Could there be a better way to express gratitude and thanks than this, even with words or gifts?
The shy yet clear expression of gratitude was so heartfelt that everyone quietly listened to the violin performance.
After the performance, there was a short break. After drinking some water and resting for a moment, Seojun returned to the stage.
“That was a wonderful performance.”
“Thank you.”
“Jun, what made you start acting?”
At Valeria's question, the audience, staff, PR team, and An Daho all perked up their ears. Seojun paused, lost in thought.
‘I can’t exactly say it’s because of my first life.’
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but when I was very young, I appeared on an N-tube variety show.”
“I know! ‘Brown Black and Jun’s 48 Hours’!”
“Me too! I saw it on N-tube!”
Fans raised their hands here and there. The PR team employee tilted his head and asked An Daho.
“What’s that?”
“It was a program Jun filmed when he was about ten months old. It was a show where an idol group took care of a baby for forty-eight hours. Unless you’re a fan of Brown Black or Jun, it’s rare for even people in Korea to know about it now…”
“Wow…”
Wow. Seojun was also impressed.
“I didn’t expect anyone to know about it.”
“What is it? Am I the only one who doesn’t know?”
“It was a variety show where an idol group took care of a baby for forty-eight hours. It was December back then, so I must have been around nine or ten months old. I was that baby.”
Seojun Lee at ten months old. Valeria and the audience members who hadn't known about *48 Hours* screamed internally.
“You must have been incredibly cute!”
Seojun shrugged.
“Even I have to admit, I was cute.”
His playful remark sent a wave of laughter through the audience. Just then, an image of a brightly smiling baby appeared on the screen behind the stage. The laughing audience members paused for a brief moment at the sight of the adorable baby, then screamed.
“…? Aaaahhh!”
The scream startled Seojun and Valeria, who were sitting with their backs to the screen.
“You scared me! What’s going on?”
In response to Valeria's question, the audience pointed behind her. Valeria and Seojun turned to look. A baby with chubby cheeks, seemingly giggling, was on the screen.
“…Is that you, Jun?”
“Yes. Super cute, right?”
“He really is adorable.”
Valeria resolved to look up *48 Hours* as soon as the taping was over. The image of baby Seojun disappeared from the screen, and everyone’s attention returned to him.
Seojun slowly continued, as if recalling that day.
He could still vividly remember it. That day, when the guys won first place on the music show and received their award, they shone so brightly it made him envious.
“I think that show had a huge influence on me.”
It wasn't a goal he carried over from his first life, but the day it became a true goal for *this* life. It was the most important day in Seojun’s life. Everyone listened intently to his serious expression.
“Even after moving to the US, I watched programs related to acting and actors, and that’s how I learned. My parents just thought I was playing, but there was someone who took a five-year-old’s words seriously.”
“Who was that?”
“My Aunt Nara. She was the one who signed me up for my first audition.”
The hidden stories of stars were always fascinating. The audience was completely captivated by Seojun Lee’s story. A five-year-old boy who wanted to be an actor and the aunt who took his words to heart.
At the mention of an audition, everyone had a hunch. There was only one project Seojun Lee had appeared in at the age of five. Valeria opened her mouth.
“…That audition was for?”
“*Shadowman*.”
A cheer erupted from the audience at Seojun’s words. Valeria beamed.
“That’s right. *Shadowman*. Everyone came to remember William, who only appeared for a brief moment. Thanks to your acting, Jun.”
“If my Aunt Nara hadn’t signed me up for the audition, I wouldn’t have been able to be in it.”
Valeria and the audience imagined a world without Seojun Lee in *Shadowman*, and other projects without him, and collectively sighed in relief.
“We should all thank Ms. Nara, then.”
Everyone nodded in agreement at Valeria’s words. Seojun burst into laughter, imagining his aunt’s reaction to suddenly receiving thanks from so many people.
* * *
[Actor Lee Seojun Appears on Valeria’s Talk Show!]
[Valeria’s Talk Show, Lee Seojun Episode, Uploaded to Plus+!]
[Gray’s Violin Piece No. 1, A Song That Perfectly Conveys Gratitude!]
[WNET Announces It Will Air Brown Black and Jun’s 48 Hours!]
[Without His Aunt, There Would Be No Actor Lee Seojun.]
- A talk show ㅠㅠ I can’t believe I’m seeing Seojun on a talk show and not in a movie or drama!
= I wish he would appear on other shows too ㅠ
- The violin performance is so good, no matter how many times I listen to it ㅎ
- WNET lol, striking while the iron is hot lol.
- Seojun’s aunt. Thank you so much. May you work less and earn a lot of money.
= Lee Seojun’s aunt is rich lol. She’s Brown Black Kevin Kim’s older sister. The owner of King’s Market.
= …May you earn even more money.
- I can’t imagine anyone but Seojun playing William lol. If it weren’t for *Shadowman*, I don’t think he would have become famous this quickly.
- You never know. With Lee Seojun’s acting skills, he would have become an actor eventually.
= That’s true… but then we wouldn’t have Grand Prince Seongnyeong.
= …Thank you, auntie.
* * *
“I’ve gotten pretty famous, haven’t I?”
Nara laughed cheerfully at the comments wishing her good health and lots of money. Messages and calls were also pouring in from her acquaintances, asking if it was true.
“They never believed a word I said!”
Nara chuckled and sent pictures she had taken with Seojun to her friends. Her friends who were fans of Seojun, in particular, apologized profusely and begged for his autograph. Sitting next to Nara, reading a script she had gifted him, Seojun beamed.
“I did a good job, right?”
“Of course! Seojun’s fans have been coming to our market to buy things just to say thanks.”
“Really?”
“This month’s sales are all thanks to you, Seojun. I never thought one TV appearance would have such a promotional effect.”
Nara Kim’s name became known, and so did her company. People who knew of King’s Market and those who didn’t were all reminded of its name.
It was still uncertain if this would lead to sustained sales, but it was a rare occurrence for a Korean market to become this famous.
“Our Seojun! Is there anything you want? Your aunt will buy you anything!”
At Nara’s words, Seojun fell into deep thought.
His Uncle Heesang sent him all the monster dolls and merchandise he was most interested in, and if there was anything else he wanted, he would just ask his mom and dad.
Since those things were usually scripts or movie and drama DVDs, his parents were always quick to buy them.
“There’s nothing I really want… but there is something I want to do.”
“What is it?”
Something Seojun wanted to do? Nara’s eyes lit up.
“I want to donate.”
“Donate?”
“Yeah. I was thinking about it while filming the movie. I want to donate my earnings from this film.”
He liked people who worked hard, even if it was in a different field. He wanted to help people like that. The crowdfunding sites he occasionally visited while filming were full of such people.
At Seojun’s words, Nara hugged him tightly.
“Our Seojun is so kind!”
“Ahahaha.”
“Alright. Leave it to your aunt. I’ll add as much as I want to give you and donate it all. Is there a specific place you want to donate to?”
“Yeah.”
Seojun showed Nara several websites he had already looked up. Nara’s eyes sparkled as she examined each site one by one.
* * *
With actor Lee Seojun nominated for the Best Actor award at the Golden Globes and participating in the Oscar race, Korea’s attention was focused on the Golden Globe and Academy Awards ceremonies.
While producing a program that explored the history of the two award shows, titled [The Golden Globes and the Academy], the production team at MBS let out a groan.
“He’s not going to get it, is he?”
“I guess not.”
“My goodness. All the nominees were white for two years in a row? That’s unimaginable.”
“There was even a time when a Black actor who should have won Best Actor was given Best Supporting Actor instead.”
“…So this is that.”
“Yeah. #OscarsSoWhite.”
The voters for the Golden Globe Awards were about ninety members of the foreign press. Thanks to them, a more diverse range of films and actors had a chance to win, but the ceremony couldn't escape controversy over racial discrimination.
If the Golden Globes, with its foreign press voters, was like that, there was no need to even discuss the Academy Awards, where over 70% of the voters were white.
“But are we really broadcasting this?”
With all this history and data compiled, [The Golden Globes and the Academy], now in its final editing stages, had become a program devoid of dreams and hope, showing the raw, unfiltered truth of the two ceremonies.
Even the variety show PD and writers producing it felt like, ‘Shouldn’t the documentary or current affairs department be making this instead of us?’
“Honestly, there was no room to insert any dreams or hope.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
They had tried in every way possible, with all their might, to insert a conclusion that actor Lee Seojun could win, but they had failed.
It was simple. The ratio of Asian actors to white actors working in Hollywood. And the probability of Asian actors being cast in important roles for box office success. Considering everything, it was difficult for an Asian actor to find dreams and hope at American award ceremonies like the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.
The production team, who had been looking at such data and footage, came to a realization.
He’s not going to win!
And not because of actor Lee Seojun’s skills, but because of racial discrimination!
At that, the PD completely changed the direction of the program.
“It would be a bigger problem if everyone gets their hopes up without knowing any of this, and then actor Lee Seojun gets scrutinized when he doesn’t win.”
“Ugh.”
The writers sighed, as the PD’s point wasn’t wrong.
The entire nation’s attention was on the United States. Everyone was anticipating Lee Seojun’s return with an award.
There were articles pointing out the reality, but the majority of them were optimistic. The people reading those articles were, too. That sense of expectation was inflating like a balloon.
“We need to pour cold water on it. A whole bucket! So they don’t even expect it! People need to know the reality so they won’t blame Seojun if he doesn’t win the award!”
The PD decided to pop the balloon with a very sharp needle. He would shatter people’s dreams and hopes from the very beginning, to make them realize that just being nominated for a Golden Globe was an incredible, praiseworthy, and amazing achievement in itself.
The writers whispered among themselves at the PD’s words.
“The PD is a fan of Seojun, isn’t he?”
“Yeah. He was always bragging about being a first-generation fan club member, right from the sprout stage.”
And two days later, the day before the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.
MBS broadcast [The Golden Globes and the Academy].
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