Chapter 143
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Unveiling the Shadows
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The lights in the theater came on as the last of the end credits rolled up the screen. A heavy, profound silence filled the auditorium. The audience, who had been watching the screen with their bodies tensed, finally relaxed and let out difficult breaths.
“Wow…”
“That was genuinely terrifying…”
“Look at that presence. Who wouldn't think he's the villain?”
Agreeing with the audience's comments, Park Sungwon rubbed his arms, which were covered in goosebumps.
* * *
“Welcome to the second part of our Assemble 2 review! We’ve set aside a special session because the main plot of Assemble 2 serves as a setup for Shadowman 3. For those who want to see our review of Assemble 2 outside of the Shadowman 3 teasers, please click the link appearing now.”
- First up, Bel Natra?
“Yes. Let’s start with Bel Natra. I’ve mentioned before that I got an unsettling feeling from him, and now we know why.”
- He just abandoned Jin Natraㅠ How could heㅜ
- I felt so betrayed for himㅠ
- I literally gasped when I saw it.
“Yes. The reason Jin Natra suddenly appeared on Earth, of all places, in Central Park. I can understand the sentiment—thinking it’s better for him to live comfortably on Earth since he’s an earthling, rather than being bullied among the Natrans. But unlike Natra, which is a single-planet, single-nation world, Earth has countless countries, so Bel Natra’s attempt ended in failure.”
- Telling a kid with amnesia to go find his home is a bit much.
“But if you think about it from a Natran perspective, it makes a little more sense. When William, an earthling, was discovered, the king was notified immediately. I think Bel Natra probably assumed Earth would be the same.”
- Go to Earth > The king is notified > Find his parents?
“Yes. That’s likely what he thought.”
- But Bel Natra said he thought Jin would have realized…
- I watched Shadowman 2, and he was just standing there, not thinking much of anything.
The Critic nodded.
“The flashback showed Jin Natra waiting for Bel Natra, but he didn’t seem suspicious at all. He just looked like he was waiting for a family member who had stepped away for a moment. Usually, when you’re out with family and they say they’ll be right back, you just assume they’ll return eventually and don’t think much of it. You might even wander around excitedly on your own.”
- lol yeah, and then you get lost haha
“It just goes to show how strong his bond with Bel Natra was. Like real family.”
- That makes it even sadderㅠ
- How could he just leave himㅠ
- Do you think Jin still doesn't know?
The viewer’s question made The Critic frown.
“By now, I think he probably knows. After learning about William, Jin Natra was shocked by his trusted father’s betrayal, and that shock must have affected his bond with Bel Natra as well. A faint suspicion—‘Could Bel have done something too?’—was likely the start.”
The Critic continued.
“Bel Natra taking him to Earth, him waiting there alone, Bel Natra arriving late. All those things that seemed insignificant at the time would have suddenly become ‘significant.’”
- Poor Jinㅠㅠ
- If he had come back just a little sooner, he wouldn't have known the truth.
- ㄴㄴ Then the story wouldn't progress.
“The pendant plot thread was also resolved, and we learned the reason for Natra’s invasion.”
- I get how a parent who lost their child would feel, but to cause an abnormal wormhole over it…
- After 100 years, you’d probably lose your mind. Your son is alive and sending signals, but the kidnapper is right in front of you. And he’s incredibly powerful. The only way you can imagine him getting that strong is by consuming ‘your son’s shadow’… which means your son must be dead. My son is dead, but this guy is alive?
- Yeah, that's probably why he snapped.
- When powerful people go crazy, the damage is immense.
- Is this a case of an innocent bystander getting hurt in a fight between giants…
“The reason for Shadowman’s strength was also revealed.”
An image appeared on the screen showing a drawing of a person labeled A, another labeled B, and a small baby. Shadows were drawn beneath them.
“So, A, who won the fight, absorbed B’s shadow, but A was also on the verge of death due to fatal injuries. At that moment, ‘A’s shadow,’ which had grown through forced succession, gained a consciousness and escaped into the nearest person, the baby Mac.”
On the screen, ‘A’s (+B’s) shadow’ seeped into baby Mac’s shadow.
“According to Bel Natra, it’s an extremely rare occurrence for a shadow to gain consciousness, so the probability of two shadows gaining consciousness simultaneously is low. And we only see one consciousness in Shadowman’s shadow.”
- Right. I always thought it was weird how only Shadowman's shadow seemed to be awkwardly doing its own thing.
- In Shadowman 1 and 2, the Natrans just used their shadows as weapons, but Shadowman's shadow was definitely unique.
- Even in Assemble 1, when Shadowman was down, his shadow often provided comic relief and got into trouble lol
- But it’s a little unsettling that it’s the kidnapper’s shadow.
- ! I never thought of that! I just thought the shadow was cute!
“Yes. I thought so too, but… Jin Natra’s shadow originally belonged to Tul Natra, so…”
A heavy silence fell over the chat at The Critic’s words.
- Oh my god… they all have their enemies’ powers.
- Well, Tul Natra is a bit of a gray area…
- But you can't deny he's the source of William's misfortune.
“And a new plot device has appeared: the Timestone.”
Photos of a red gem and a blue gem appeared on the screen.
“The Red Timestone and Blue Timestone, which allow Natrans to live for over 100 years. I believe this is a very important clue. Turning back time. We know a child who can’t go home because of ‘time.’”
- That’s why I thought it would be a happy ending…
- ? You still think that after seeing Jin Natra in Shadowman 2?
- lol You still saying that after the post-credits scene?
- I've given upㅠ
The Critic nodded.
“Yes. The post-credits scene. Jin Natra went ahead and used forced succession. Honestly, from the moment Bel Natra mentioned the concept of ‘forced succession,’ I had a feeling it would happen, but… there was a huge difference between imagining it and actually seeing it.”
Just thinking about it now sent a shiver down his spine.
“I thought he would just absorb the shadow moderately, but I had no idea it would be that gruesome. It felt like the shadow was literally crunching and chewing him up. The CG technology seems to have advanced a lot.”
- Chills. That post-credits scene freaked me out.
- 222 It was seriously scary. Something was writhing, and I thought it was going to pop out of the screen…
- That must have been CG too, right? Marine Company's CG is amazing.
- What about Tul Natra?
The Critic’s face lit up as he spoke.
“Yes! Tul Natra! It’s unclear if he’ll be in Shadowman 3 after being forcibly absorbed, but I was so surprised. Swalin Enum! Swalin Enum in a superhero movie!”
- After a five-year hiatus, I thought he’d do an Oscar-worthy film!
- Yeah, a superhero movie was the last thing I expected.
- But will he actually be in it? That forced succession looked brutal.
- It looked like he kicked the bucket in the post-credits scene…
“I hope he appears. It would be a shame if his first appearance in a superhero movie was just that post-credits scene. Swalin Enum and Lee Seojun acting together… I get excited just imagining it.”
- I’m so hyped!!!
- Bring on Shadowman 3!
“Lee Seojun’s acting was incredible as always. His voice, his movements… just watching him sent a chill down my spine. He must have filmed that post-credits scene after shooting ‘Over the Rainbow,’ yet he showed a perfect Jin Natra without a single trace of Gray Vainie’s emotional state bleeding through. His acting ability is nothing short of astounding.”
- His presence was incredible. I almost knelt while watching lol
- Do you think there will be a fight scene in Shadowman 3?
- I think so. It seems like Jin Natra and Shadowman will fight. Who do you think will win?
- Shadowman = King Candidate ×2 VS Jin Natra = Tul Natra (Forced Succession)
- It'll probably be a fight between the 'potential' Shadowman has as a Natran versus the 'grown shadow' Tul Natra cultivated over 100 years.
- Yeah, since Jin Natra is an earthling, he doesn't have that 'potential.'
- Shadowman = King Candidate ×2 + Potential VS Jin Natra = Tul Natra (Forced Succession) + 100 Years of Growth / Like this?
- Nice summary.
The Critic scratched his cheek. The viewers, with whom he had been doing reviews for years, had started their own discussion.
“Aren’t you all being a little harsh? At this rate, there’ll be nothing left for me to say.”
- Oh. sry sry
- The film analysis is just so fun haha
- Go ahead. Explain!
“…You’ve all covered everything already.”
Sigh. The Critic let out a breath and continued.
“The biggest question is whether the Natrans will follow the commands of a Jin Natra who has used forced succession. It's possible Jin Natra could invade Earth on his own, but that would be difficult. He would probably need to mobilize the Natran forces. He may have become the strongest of the candidates through forced succession, but will the Natrans obey an earthling like Jin Natra?”
- True. Would they serve an earthling as their king?
- They might even rebel.
“I suspect all these stories will conclude in Shadowman 3.”
* * *
[Shadowman’s Past Revealed in Assemble 2!]
[Post-Credits Scene Teases Shadowman 3!]
[A Great Tragedy Born from Layers of Misunderstanding!]
[A New Jewel Appears, the Timestone!]
[Gray Vainie → Jin Natra, a Perfect Transformation!]
[The King of Natra! Tul Natra Appears! Played by Actor Swalin Enum!]
- Wow… I kind of knew, but it’s still shocking to have it confirmed. Older brother Shadowman, younger brother Jin Natra… a sibling fightㅠ
- I feel like the Timestone is going to do something important.
- Lee Seojun is amazing. Same face, but they felt like completely different people.
= Honestly, I feel like both Gray Vainie and Jin Natra could exist somewhere for real lol
= Yeah, Lee Seojun's on/off switch is amazing, but his 'on-to-on' is incredible too lol. I watched Over the Rainbow so many times, but I didn't feel any lingering vibes from his previous role.
= Me neither. I never thought I’d see the same face as Gray and feel so creeped out. I still get emotional just hearing the OST haha.
- Swalin Enum! Swalin Enum in a hero movie!
= Isn’t he just going to lie in bed the whole time and that’s it?
= That… might be true…
= Hey, I’ll take what I can get.
= Yeah. Back in my day, he was more famous than Davis Garrett.
= He’s still famous. A lot of actors want to work with him. Production companies are trying hard to cast him too lol.
* * *
“Seojun, is that actor, Swalin Enum, famous?”
At Jihu’s question, Seojun looked at him with a shocked expression. His friends were even more surprised by Seojun’s reaction.
“Is he that famous?”
“I guess so. I’ve never seen him before…”
Jiyun and Mina also tilted their heads. Because their friend Seojun was an actor, they were more exposed to movies than other kids, but they didn’t go out of their way to watch old films.
Seojun composed his expression and nodded. It wasn’t entirely surprising, considering Swalin Enum’s last work was a movie from five years ago.
‘They wouldn’t have sought out a movie about a journalist that came out when they were eight.’
It was different for Seojun, who owned it on VOD and even had the script. It was a bit of a shame, but there were plenty of people he could talk to about acting.
Messages were pouring in from his acquaintances in the entertainment industry—Jiseok hyung, Dohun hyung, Jongho samchon, Jihye imo, Soyoung nuna, Dajin nuna, and others—all asking if he had filmed with Swalin Enum and saying how envious they were.
Seojun nodded.
“Yeah. He’s super famous. And he’s my favorite actor.”
“If he’s your favorite actor, Seojun, he must be really amazing.”
Seojun’s mouth opened and closed.
He could have talked about everything from Swalin Enum’s debut to all his subsequent works, explaining what he liked most, which character was the coolest, how he loved this expression or that one—there was a mountain of things to say, but he looked at his friends’ faces and shut his mouth.
‘They’re not as interested in acting as I am, so they probably wouldn’t get it if I explained it like that.’
So, Seojun kept it simple.
“Swalin Enum has won a lot of awards and has been to many famous film festivals. A ton of actors want to work with him. I wanted to act with him, too.”
“I see.”
“So in Shadowman 3, you get to act with that actor?”
“Yeah! That’s why I’m so happy!”
Seojun nodded repeatedly. He had filmed with him for the post-credits scene, but that was too short.
‘And I was the only one with lines.’
He wanted to act with him more, exchanging more lines. Even without dialogue would be fine. With just gazes and gestures, more emotionally and intensely.
‘Please, Director Ryan, I hope you put in a ton of scenes with us together!’
As Seojun was seriously considering whether he should try to find a wish-granting power, Jiyun spoke up.
“But I think you’re cooler, Seojun. You’ll probably be even more famous than that actor when you grow up.”
“That’s right. You’ll win lots of awards, go to lots of film festivals, and actors will be lining up to work with you.”
“That might be happening already. You’re super famous, Seojun. Everyone was waiting for your next drama.”
Seojun’s cheeks turned bright red at his friends’ words. Just hearing it made him feel happy. His friends burst out laughing at his goofy grin.
It was then.
-WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
At the ear-splitting sound, the homeroom teacher, who had been preparing for class, shot up from her seat.
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