Chapter 154
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 154
Chapter Title: The Young King's Roar
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Yeoul Arts Middle School remained silent.
They knew the news would spread through the mouths of many students and parents on the day of the practical exam anyway, so they decided to keep quiet, fearing that if they spoke up first, Lee Seojun, his parents, or Cocoa Entertainment might cancel his application.
Thus, even after the final application period for arts middle schools ended, people still didn't know which school Lee Seojun had applied to.
-?? Which school is Lee Seojun at?
=Hasn't been revealed yet.
-What are you gonna do if you find out?
-Right. Let's keep it a secret like with his elementary school.
-lol The place you and I both know but whose name we don't speak.
-Still, if it's an arts middle school, don't they put on a performance at the end of the year? I want to see that.
=That's probably only open to school officials.
=Yeah, or they'll upload a video to N-tube.
=Gotta know which school it is to even look for it T_T
With no one but those involved knowing which middle school Seojun would attend, time passed, and October 25th, the day of Yeoul Arts Middle School's practical exam, arrived.
The practical exam at Yeoul Arts Middle School was judged by the acting teachers from each grade level.
“Is Lee Seojun really coming?”
At the third-grade teacher's question, the first-grade teacher, Jung Siwoon, grinned and nodded.
“Yes. I heard he applied on the last day. His turn will probably be toward the end.”
“Lee Seojun is coming to our school. Is there anything we can even teach him?”
the second-grade teacher said with a worried expression. It was a concern the other teachers shared.
“We'll just have to do what we can.”
The two teachers nodded at Jung Siwoon's words. Just then, a knock came at the door.
The door to the audition room opened, and a staff member assisting with the practical exam peeked his head in.
“We will now begin the practical exams.”
“Alright. Please send in number one.”
And so, the Yeoul Arts Middle School practical exam began.
After several auditions, the teachers, who had been sitting in the same position judging, took a scheduled break with weary faces. They drank water and stretched their stiff bodies.
“There are more Grand Prince Seongnyeong performances than I expected.”
“It just goes to show how popular Grand Prince Seongnyeong is.”
Jung Siwoon scratched his cheek.
“It would be one thing if they were good, but with a perfect Grand Prince Seongnyeong out there, don't you feel like they're just being overshadowed?”
“Yes. All I could think of was Lee Seojun's performance.”
“It seems the acting academies came up with the wrong strategy.”
The teachers massaged their stiff shoulders and resumed the auditions.
As the auditions continued, a small commotion arose in the waiting room. At the appearance of one applicant, children from the same acting academy began to whisper.
“That's her, right? From *One Step*?”
“I think her name was Kim Jookyung...”
“If she applied here, doesn't that mean Lee Seojun is coming here too?”
Everyone thought the same thing. They wanted to ask, but they just darted their eyes around.
Just then, a child sitting next to Kim Jookyung gently tapped her shoulder. Kim Jookyung, who was reading her script, looked up at the child beside her.
“Hi. You're Kim Jookyung, right? From *One Step*...”
“Yeah, that's me.”
“...Hey. If you're here, does that mean Lee Seojun is coming here too?”
At the two children's conversation, the ears of all the children and parents gathered in the classroom perked up. Kim Jookyung opened her mouth.
“No. I don't know where he applied either.”
“...Oh, I see.”
At Kim Jookyung's words, the child nodded with a subtle expression.
“Why wouldn't you know? You filmed together, didn't you?”
“Yeah, right.”
“They might not be close even if they filmed together. They just shoot and then go their separate ways. Besides, it wasn't a long movie or drama, just a short shoot.”
“That's true. So nobody knows where Lee Seojun applied.”
“I hope we go to the same school. She got famous because of Lee Seojun, too. It'd be even better if they were in the same class at the same school.”
“I don't think so. If Lee Seojun comes, one spot is already taken. Plus, you'd be compared to him for three whole years.”
The children whispered. Kim Jookyung let their murmurs go in one ear and out the other as she continued to read her script.
She exchanged messages with Seojun from time to time, but as she'd said, she hadn't asked which school he was applying to. She had wanted to go to Yeoul Arts Middle School for a long time, and she was afraid she'd waver if she found out Seojun was going somewhere else.
Kim Jookyung sighed.
‘Maybe I should have asked after all? I'm not sure which would be better for improving my skills—the teachers' guidance or acting alongside Seojun.’
After a moment of thought, Kim Jookyung quickly shook her head and focused on the script. First things first, the practical exam.
* * *
“Hello. I'm Kim Jookyung.”
The teachers' faces lit up when they saw the first applicant to enter after the break.
But they didn't say anything else. The exam had to be fair, and everything was being recorded on camera.
“Please give your self-introduction and then your free acting piece.”
“Yes!”
Kim Jookyung calmly introduced herself. The teachers nodded at her clear, bright voice. Her free acting performance was also refreshing and confident.
“Thank you!”
Kim Jookyung bowed and left, and the teachers exchanged a few words.
“She's good. Perhaps because she's a current child actor, her immersion is exceptional.”
“It's amazing for a sixth-grader to perform at this level.”
“If an actor who worked with Lee Seojun is this good, how much better will Lee Seojun be?”
Before they could answer, there was another knock. There were so many applicants it could be called a child actor boom, so the auditions continued without a break.
Kim Jookyung came out of the audition room with a bright face and walked toward her mother. Her mother, who had been praying earnestly, beamed at her daughter's radiant expression.
And so, the first of the two-day practical exams at Yeoul Arts Middle School passed.
The second day dawned.
The expressions of the judges, who had been exhausted from watching children act and grading them all day yesterday, brightened. They were even humming to themselves.
“The principal wanted to come, you know.”
“He can't. That would be unfair.”
“I heard a rumor the chairman wanted to come too.”
“Of course. It's *our* Seojun.”
The two teachers burst into laughter at Jung Siwoon's words. Having unknowingly revealed his fanboy side, Jung Siwoon laughed awkwardly.
“Well then, shall we begin today's auditions.”
The audition times were sent to the applicants' phones, divided into one morning session and two afternoon sessions.
Having submitted his application on the last day, Seojun was scheduled for his practical exam near the beginning of the final session. Seojun and Seo Eunhye arrived at Yeoul Arts Middle School around 3 PM.
“We're not late, are we?”
“No.”
The waiting room for the applicants was a classroom filled with chairs, and the audition room was just two doors down.
When Seojun entered the classroom, the applicants who were already waiting unconsciously looked up at the sound of someone entering, then just blinked. The parents were also frozen in place.
“Uh...”
“Lee Seojun!”
So Lee Seojun applied to this school!
Everyone was torn between being happy to be at the same school as Lee Seojun and being sad that one spot was now taken.
In the silence, Seojun and Seo Eunhye found the chairs marked with the number on his test admission ticket and sat down.
The children, who had been staring blankly at the two, were startled when Seojun took a script out of his bag and began to read. They quickly turned their attention back to their own scripts.
Lee Seojun was Lee Seojun, but they had to pass first.
While the children struggled to muster their waning concentration, the parents in the waiting room were busy tapping away on their phones.
The news, passed on to friends, family, coworkers, and acting academy teachers, soon appeared online, and reporters who had been monitoring the situation quickly published articles.
[Actor Lee Seojun Auditions for Yeoul Arts Middle School!]
[Yeoul Arts Middle School, Celebrating its 10th Year, an Arts School Encompassing Music, Art, and Acting!]
[An Arts Middle School of the ATR Group. Same Group as the Milky Way Center!]
[Let's Learn About Yeoul Arts Middle School!]
-Wow... The Milky Way Center comes up here?
-That's where they did the children's play, right?
=Yep. They've been interested in nurturing actors for a long time.
-Actors, or maybe artists. They have a lot of scholarship students too.
-So Lee Seojun is going here. Isn't it a bit far from his elementary school?
-They're rich, they probably bought a new house.
=Yeah, he's too young to live alone.
-Doesn't Yeoul Arts Middle School have dorms?
=Yeah, but they're based on family finances, so Lee Seojun wouldn't qualify. They offer a lot of scholarships and support, so talented kids from difficult backgrounds try to get into Yeoul Arts Middle School.
While Cocoa Entertainment's Team 2 monitored the online articles, Seojun's turn drew near.
“Applicant number 274.”
“Yes.”
Seojun checked the number on his admission ticket and stood up. All eyes in the waiting room turned to him. Exuding an aura more magnificent than anyone else's, Seojun headed for the audition room.
“Finally!”
“This is the first time I've ever felt time pass so slowly.”
The teachers, having checked the next applicant's file, waited for the door to open without even breathing.
It was Lee Seojun's turn, the one they had been waiting for since his application was submitted.
Seojun entered the audition room. Standing in the center of the classroom, Seojun looked at the teachers sitting at the judges' table.
“Hello. I am applicant number 274, Lee Seojun.”
*I'm a fan. I loved your acting. I look forward to your future projects.* Jung Siwoon had so much he wanted to say, but he held it all in and spoke.
“Please give your self-introduction and then your free acting piece.”
“Yes!”
Seojun's self-introduction conveyed his deep love for acting and the hard work he had put into it. The list of his accomplishments was so impressive it deserved a round of applause just hearing it. Especially the Golden Globe and the Academy Award.
The eyes of the teachers, who now taught children but had once dreamed of becoming famous actors themselves, sparkled as if lost in a dream.
“Now, I will begin my free acting piece.”
Seojun's free acting piece began with a heavy silence. Standing still, Seojun slowly sat down on the floor.
His small movements, which made one hold their breath, caused the teachers' breathing to slowly cease.
Sitting with his back straight, Seojun's body began to twitch slightly.
Fidgeting fingers on his knees, eyebrows that quivered with fear. A tense expression.
Just then, as if hearing a loud noise, Seojun's seated body jolted violently.
He straightened his back and clenched his fists. Hiding his trembling heart, Seojun opened his mouth.
“I...”
Seojun, who had been staring straight ahead, lifted his head. He spoke not to the judges before him, but to a beast-like man in the distance, who was baring his teeth and glaring at him.
“I am the king of this nation. Uncle.”
At those words, the three of them were struck by a sudden realization. They thought of a boy who ascended the throne at a young age, only to die at his uncle's hand.
“Uncle.”
With that single word, the audition room transformed into the royal throne hall. Seojun, dressed in neat clothes, was suddenly wearing the royal dragon robe, and at the end of his gaze, a man with a terrifying aura seemed to stand.
The audition room fell silent.
Grand Prince Suyang, who would later become King Sejo, the one who had thrown the door open with a bang, pressed his lips together.
Perhaps he saw the faces of King Munjong and King Sejong in King Danjong's face. Perhaps he recalled the days he had spent holding his breath, lying low.
Those days were over, and now he could finally stretch his wings.
King Danjong did not avoid that fierce gaze.
The three judges, mesmerized by Seojun's firm gaze, unconsciously turned their heads to where he was looking.
No one was there, yet it felt as if someone was. A beast-like man emanating a tremendous killing intent seemed to be pointing an invisible, gleaming sword at Seojun.
Unyielding in the face of that pressure, King Danjong spoke.
“I am the king ordained by heaven, and you, Uncle, are nothing more than a traitor.”
Grand Prince Suyang shouted.
He was saying something, but his words didn't reach King Danjong's ears. After all, he was still just a child, not yet fifteen. Even when told to display the dignity of a king, these were the only words he could muster.
Because,
King Danjong bit his lip.
the palace and the country had all fallen into his uncle's hands.
The officials who had supported him had all been killed.
“Uncle.”
And yet, King Danjong's eyes still shone.
“All that is right rests with me. Even if you take this throne, Uncle, that fact will not change. The people and our descendants will all know it.”
That sharp truth pierced Grand Prince Suyang, a mere traitor.
“Heaven will not forgive you, Uncle!”
At the young dragon's mighty roar, Grand Prince Suyang roared back.
#