Chapter 152
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: The Coveted Title
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The history of child actors in Korea can be broadly divided into two eras: before Lee Seojun, and after.
If his N-tube mukbangs were a brief taste, things truly changed when his appearance in the *Shadowman* series was confirmed and the trailer for *Shadowman 2* was released.
He was six years old in Korean age.
A new wind began to blow in the hearts of parents and families with children of a similar age to Lee Seojun.
‘What makes my daughter, my son, my nephew any less capable than Lee Seojun?’
Entertainment industry insiders would have found it absurd, but to a parent, their own child is always the cutest.
Fueling these parental sentiments was the sudden increase in roles for child actors following the success of the play ‘Children’s Play: Spring’.
As more productions featured children's roles, the number of child actors naturally grew.
Acting academies began using promotional slogans like "The Next Lee Seojun" to entice children and their parents.
The entertainment industry, always on the lookout for new faces, welcomed the birth of these child actors. The more children who aspired to act, the higher the probability of discovering a hidden gem.
Among them, there were bound to be talented child actors, even if not quite on Lee Seojun's level.
As Lee Seojun grew, achieving unprecedented popularity, everyone's hearts pounded with excitement. Dreaming of becoming the next Lee Seojun, children dove into the world of child acting.
And so,
the era of the child actor had arrived.
Keeping pace with this new trend, one sector was on high alert: the schools that children were required to attend. While elementary school was one thing, middle school was a different story.
Arts middle schools. Arts high schools.
These were specialized schools that allowed students to pursue acting alongside the regular curriculum.
In particular, Seojun's choice of middle school drew immense interest.
As Seojun entered the upper grades of elementary school, arts middle schools across the country began to review their policies.
Schools that had prohibited entertainment activities during the academic year abolished the rule, and some arts middle schools without an acting department went so far as to create a combined musical theater and acting major after much deliberation.
The arts middle school that Lee Seojun attends, that Lee Seojun graduated from.
They desperately wanted that title.
The problem was that Seojun could only apply to one school. If he applied to one and was rejected, he would be assigned to a regular middle school.
Of course, there was no chance of Lee Seojun being rejected, so whichever school he applied to would earn that coveted title.
The parents of child actors and aspiring child actors were also deep in thought. They wanted to apply to the same school as Lee Seojun, but they had no idea which one it would be.
Would it be an arts middle school near Maesil Elementary, the school Seojun quietly attended, or a different one? The 고민 of child actors and their families continued.
And there was another group watching them closely: the arts high schools and universities across the country that Lee Seojun and this generation would one day attend.
"Let's investigate thoroughly. Find out why Lee Seojun chose that school. We'll revise our curriculum based on that."
They, too, did not want to miss out on the title of the high school or university that Lee Seojun attended and graduated from.
Amidst this atmosphere, even aunts and uncles with nephews Seojun's age thought of him when their own relatives' middle school choices came up.
- My nephew is the same age as Seojun, and he’s stressing about which middle school to go to.
= Isn't middle school compulsory education, so it's a lottery system?
= You still list your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices. Then it’s a lottery based on percentages for each choice.
- But isn't Lee Seojun going to an arts middle school?
= Yeah, but I'm curious which one.
- Wouldn't he just go somewhere close to home?
= Why? Without looking at the curriculum?
= His career is so impressive, it's not like he needs to learn acting in middle school.
= Ah, that could be true.
- So the school Seojun goes to isn't necessarily the best?
- That may be, but the record remains. And it'll be on his resume.
- Yep. Talented actors will flock there because of Seojun, and if they succeed, students who look up to them will gather, and eventually, it'll become a prestigious school.
- Just hearing "Lee Seojun's middle school" makes it sound prestigious lol
= IKR? Sounds like a school that would teach acting really well.
With the internet buzzing, articles began to appear one by one.
[Which Middle School Will Actor Lee Seojun, Now in 6th Grade, Attend?]
[A Look into Specialized Middle Schools.]
[What are the Acceptance Rates for Arts Middle Schools?]
[Arts Middle Schools, Once Focused on Music and Art, Now Adding Acting and Musical Theater Departments!]
[Which School Will Become ‘Lee Seojun’s Middle School’?!]
Lee Seojun's middle school.
All eyes were on which school would gain that title and become a prestigious institution for years to come.
***
While Seojun was enjoying his summer vacation, An Daho arrived with a mountain of papers.
Seojun's eyes sparkled. He reviewed new scripts every day, and while there were occasional days with none, he had never received so many at once.
"Are these all scripts?"
At Seojun's cheerful voice, An Daho smiled and shook his head.
"Nope."
"They're not?"
Seojun's excitedly wagging tail suddenly drooped. An Daho set down the box.
"They're from arts middle schools."
"Arts middle schools?"
Seojun looked at the paper on top of the pile. Gyeeul Arts Middle School.
"Yeah. They sent everything in great detail, from the school's history to its famous actor alumni."
When the flood of documents from middle schools across the country began at the start of summer vacation, Team 2 wasn't fazed.
For a long time, Team 2 had been preparing for Seojun's transition to middle school, keeping track of rumors and incidents at every school.
While a school couldn't perfectly control every incident, what mattered was how the school handled it. All that data had been compiled to create the perfect guide, one that any student or parent hoping to attend an arts middle school would covet.
Of course, they planned to create a similar guide for high schools as well.
"Applications are around October, so take your time and think it over with your parents."
It was still July. There was plenty of time until October.
"Okay! I'll ask Mom and Dad."
"Oh, and you can only apply to one arts middle school, so whichever one you apply to will likely be your school. You have to think carefully."
"Okay."
Neither Seojun nor An Daho ever considered the possibility that he might not be accepted.
After An Daho left, Seojun and his parents pored over the pile of brochures, falling into deep thought.
"Where should we choose... Seojun, is there anywhere you want to go?"
"Not really... Should I just go somewhere close to home?"
Even the schools close to home were quite far. Seojun was lost in thought.
He had no intention of going to a regular middle school, though.
Arts middle schools generally counted filming periods as part of the attendance record, so he wouldn't have to meticulously calculate his mandatory school days.
It hadn't happened yet, but there could come a time when he had filming in both the first and second semesters, or an overseas shoot could run long.
‘The production company would be considerate about that, but still, an arts middle school would be better than a regular one.’
Seeing Seojun lost in thought, Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun spoke up, a little hesitantly.
"Um, Seojun. How would you feel about us moving?"
"Moving?"
Seojun's eyes went wide. Seo Eunhye nodded.
"If you don't want to, we can stay here longer, but we were thinking about moving somewhere with better security and more space."
Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun had originally chosen this apartment because it was close to an elementary school. It was far from any middle schools, however, so they had planned to move closer to one when their son became a middle schooler.
"I see."
Seojun nodded. He looked around their home. This place held so many memories. He had lived here for a long time, even after returning from the U.S.
"You don't want to move?"
Lee Minjun asked cautiously as he watched Seojun scan the house. Seojun shook his head.
"Moving would be nice. My room would get bigger, right?"
"Yes. We'll find a bigger place."
"And we'll remodel it to be soundproof so you can practice acting or play instruments comfortably."
The couple wanted to give their son a great room. Yet, they hesitated because there were so many good people here. In particular, Seojun's four friends who lived in the same apartment complex.
Seojun thought of his friends, too.
As they got older and approached middle school, his friends started attending more and more academies. The clever Jihu was already planning to attend a specialized high school to become a doctor.
Unless you had a clear future like him, it was the time to start preparing for high school and university by attending various cram schools.
It was a little sad, but it was okay. He still kept in touch with Jack Smith, who was far away and whom he couldn't see often, through messenger. His friends would still be in Korea; they could just meet on weekends.
"I think moving would be fine."
At Seojun's words, his parents nodded. Seojun turned his attention back to the arts middle school brochures.
"Then I need to choose carefully."
With the constraint of distance gone, he could focus more on the curriculum. The arts middle school closest to Seojun's current home would have been devastated if they knew.
During summer vacation, Seojun looked into various arts middle schools.
Since it was compulsory education, he couldn't ignore the standard curriculum. He considered the balance between those core subjects and the acting-related classes.
The acting skills of the teachers who would be instructing him. Schools that, while not as intensive as high school or university, occasionally invited current actors or directors for special lectures.
"Should I pick this one?"
Established ten years ago.
It was Yeoul Arts Middle School.
***
Summer vacation ended, and the second semester of sixth grade began.
"Everyone knows middle school assignments start in November, right? Make sure you discuss it with your parents and decide on your first, second, and third choices."
"Yes."
"And don't pick a middle school just to follow your friends!"
The homeroom teacher's words made the kids burst into laughter. Most of the students in the class had probably chosen the same schools as their friends, hoping to go together.
"You can't all get into your first-choice school, so you have to consider the commute from your house, too."
"Okay!"
Even with this warning, every year there would be at least one student who followed a friend's choice only to be assigned to a distant school while their friend got in, ending in tears. The teacher sighed inwardly and her gaze shifted to Seojun. Seojun tilted his head.
"Seojun, can I see you for a moment?"
"Yes."
While the other kids chattered about their school choices, Seojun went to his teacher.
The teacher looked at Seojun. To the world, he was the sensational actor Lee Seojun, but to her, he was just an exemplary, mature, and truly admirable student.
The teacher smiled gently and said.
"Seojun, are you going to an arts middle school?"
Without much thought, Seojun nodded.
"Yes."
"I heard that applications for arts middle schools usually start in October. It's still September, but have you been looking into it?"
"Yes. I've already decided where I'm going."
"Oh, you have? That's a relief. If you need any documents for the application, let me know. If you tell me early, I can prepare them quickly, so please let me know in advance."
"Yes! Thank you."
After finishing his talk with the teacher, Seojun returned to his friends. Jio asked.
"What did the teacher say?"
"She said to tell her in advance about any documents I need for the arts middle school."
"Ah, so you're definitely going to an arts middle school."
"Yeah. It's better since they recognize filming days as attendance."
"Then you'll be going to a different school. And you're moving, so it'll be hard to see you."
At the mention of moving, tears started to well up in the eyes of Jiyoon and Jio, who had already cried their hearts out over the summer. Mina's disappointed comment was followed by Jihu's addition.
"We could all get separated, too. There are co-ed schools, but there are also all-girls and all-boys middle schools."
"That's right. It's a lottery, so we don't know what will happen."
After their first separation at age one, which none of them could remember, they had met again at five and had been together ever since.
Seojun felt a pang of sadness, too, but he knew this wasn't the end.
Jack in LA. Charlie in Paris. Grace in New York.
Seojun's world was vast, and his connections were lasting.
His baby friends would also experience many farewells and new encounters as their worlds expanded through middle school, high school, university, and into society.
Seeing his friends' gloomy faces at the thought of being scattered, Seojun smiled.
Maintaining old friendships required effort. And in the modern era, with a communication device called a cellphone, that effort was quite a bit easier. No matter how far apart they were, they could always stay in touch.
"We can just keep in touch. You're not going to ignore my messages, are you?"
"No. I'll reply."
At Jihu's firm reply, Seojun and the other kids burst into laughter.