Chapter 170
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Lee Seojun Goes to My School!
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[Title: Lee Seojun Goes to My School!]
I'm a third-year in the music department at Yeoul Arts Middle School.
I wanted to go to an arts middle school, so I applied to Yeoul because it has great facilities and support… but since middle school is part of compulsory education, they can't charge tuition. That's why there aren't many arts middle schools (arts high school tuition is crazy expensive, btw ㅠ).
So the competition is fierce, and my rivals are the best of the best from all over the country lol (even the 1st and 2nd place winners from national competitions appliedㅋ). I won't mention my own grades.
Honestly, I didn't think much about Lee Seojun coming here, since that was a story for the acting department. I just figured he'd go somewhere…
Then, in October, two years ago.
The grand premiere! Over the Rainbow!
Professor Benjamin Morton, Jayden Moore, and a Stradivarius! I think I've seen it 10 times!
I was amazed because the music was by Professor Benjamin Morton, amazed because the violin performance was incredible, amazed again because it was a Stradivarius, and then I almost fainted when I found out that it was actually Lee Seojun playing. (He's better than me).
That’s how I got interested in him. I think Lee Seojun would do great even if he switched to majoring in violin lol.
Anyway, today was the entrance ceremony… and it looked like every single first-year parent was there. (My mom and dad asked if parents of current students could go. They’re both fans of Lee Seojun, but of course not lol).
I tried to find him among the first-years in the auditorium, but I couldn't see him. I was telling my friend how strange it was when,
He appeared! On! Stage!
He was the freshman representative lol.
He came out wearing our school uniform… and I never knew our school uniform could look so classy. It looked like his uniform was custom-made, hand-stitched by artisans. (For the record, our school does a group buy for them).
He made this grand entrance, walked confidently to the front, bowed deeply to the principal (every single thing he did was so classy lol), and when he unfolded the oath of admission, it felt like I was watching a speech at some international organization.
The whole place was brightly lit, but it felt like there was a spotlight just on him. He was sparkling all by himself.
And his voice was so good. He said one word, "I swear,"… and it became dead silent lol. It was the first time I wished the oath of admission was longer lol.
And that's how the entrance ceremony ended.
In conclusion,
Lee Seojun is at my school!!
-?? The entrance ceremony ended with the freshman representative's oath?
=OP: There was more after that… but I forgot it all. The only thing I remember from today is Seojun's oath.
=lol I get it lol
-Isn't the Yeoul Arts Middle School uniform pretty? I heard the material is good too?
=OP: Yeah, it is, but Seojun's uniform just looked better. It looked less like a uniform and more like a luxury suit.
-I'm in the art department… and I'm drawing Lee Seojun nowㅋ. His dramas and movies are amazing, but seeing him in person is shocking. He's so handsome. There's just a different vibe about himㅋ. He really was sparkling all by himselfㅋ.
=OP: Just one pic.
=Just one…
=Pls just one…
[Title: Something I heard from a friend in the same class as Lee Seojun]
I heard this from a friend who's in the same class as Lee Seojun, and he sounds incredible.
Apparently, there are 36 performance videos for Yeoul Arts Middle School (not including Seojun's), and he said he watched all of them.
You might think watching 2-minute videos isn't a big deal lol, but the problem is he remembered everything about them. He apparently got all 19 of his classmates right lol.
+He even knew which dramas they were in and what roles they played.
-Wow. So that's what it takes to succeed.
-Even with a long vacation, I'd watch one or two and call it a day lol.
=Right? It's hard enough just to watch them all. But to remember them too? Amazing!
-It's definitely different from elementary school. Stuff like this is already coming out.
=Well, it’d be weird if it didn't. Maybe not for other child actors, but for someone on Seojun's level, every little thing he does will probably get out.
-Isn't the school doing anything?
=Even if they take measures, it'll probably spread quickly.
Reading through the post-entrance ceremony stories popping up everywhere, An Daho checked the news articles.
[Actor Lee Seojun Enrolls in Yeoul Arts Middle School!]
[Lee Seojun Stands as Freshman Representative for Yeoul Arts Middle School!]
[Lee Seojun in a Uniform, Now a Middle Schooler!]
[The Yeoul Arts Middle School Entrance Ceremony in Photos!]
The entrance ceremony was yesterday, but articles were still being published today. There were a lot of comments, too. Not just from Korea, but fans from overseas were also congratulating Seojun on his enrollment.
"Looks like Team 2 will have more work."
They were likely already checking all the eyewitness accounts of Seojun, looking for rumors, and requesting corrections on completely unrelated articles.
‘Though there probably won't be any major incidents.’
Seojun had gotten through six years of elementary school without any trouble. An Daho figured that if he did well in elementary school, which had more students, middle school should be even better. Still, he planned to do everything he could.
Putting his phone down, An Daho said to Seojun.
"The school said they'd be careful, but it'll be hard to block everything completely. Still, as long as nothing special happens, there probably won't be much of a reaction."
"Right?"
Seojun nodded at An Daho's words.
He had only made a strong first impression yesterday because it was their first meeting; normally, he planned on not emitting any mana at all. If he did that, the other kids would hopefully see him as a friend, not a celebrity, just like in elementary school.
‘Although they probably won't get used to me as quickly as the friends I spent six years with. Hmm. Should I engrave an ability onto the school building?’
Seojun was lost in thought.
It wasn't a top-tier ability, so it wouldn't be able to completely shut people up, but the combination of his ordinary self and the ability should be able to suppress most of the urge to talk about him to others or post about him online.
‘How big was the school building again?’
Since it was so well-equipped, Yeoul Arts Middle School was also large. It would be difficult to cover the entire thing, so he would probably have to engrave the ability only in the places the first-years frequented.
‘That way, it’ll also have a mana supply.’
Seojun wracked his brain, trying to remember if any of the books he'd read contained such an ability. Even a suitable ability couldn't be engraved onto a wall unless it had the [Creation] tag.
‘I'll probably have to find one in the newly opened library…’
Just thinking about how long it would take to find the right ability was daunting.
‘Search… I need a search function.’
Why didn't his past lives—the great archmage, archangel, and archdemon with all their incredible powers—create a search function? With a sad face, Seojun cursed his past selves, whom he couldn't even remember.
"Seojun! Time for a wardrobe change!"
"Okay!"
At the staff member's call, Seojun stopped his train of thought and stood up. He decided to leave future problems to the future Seojun and enjoy the shoot for now.
As he watched Seojun happily leave his seat, a thought suddenly occurred to An Daho.
‘I wonder if Seojun will hit puberty soon?’
These days, many kids went through puberty in their later years of elementary school, but Seojun, who was no different than usual, didn't seem to have reached that stage yet.
An Daho sat in his chair, watching Seojun get his makeup done, and searched for "puberty" on his phone.
The storm and stress period, physical changes, emotional changes, cognitive changes, egocentrism, and so on. A series of terms he vaguely understood popped up.
‘I guess the most important thing is… emotions?’
Irritability, rebellion, friends, conflict, growth.
‘Seojun being irritable, rebellious, and getting into fights…’
Having only ever seen the bright and cheerful Seojun, An Daho found it hard to imagine. Still, he felt he should discuss it with Seojun's parents and come up with a plan to handle it.
Having already experienced a storm and stress period destructive enough to annihilate a world or two across his many past lives, Seojun was blissfully unaware of An Daho's concerns as he hummed and read his script.
***
As the weather warmed up, the outdoor shoots that had been postponed were scheduled one after another. Today, they were scheduled to film King Danjong's and King Sejo's coronation ceremonies. Since both ceremonies took place at Geunjeongjeon Hall, they decided to film them on the same day.
The first scene to be filmed was Danjong's coronation.
"Ready, action!"
The ceremony began outside the mortuary hall where King Munjong's body lay. The officials and royal family members, dressed in mourning clothes, and Lee Hongwi, who had taken off his own mourning clothes and put on the king's grand ceremonial robes, bowed to King Munjong's body.
The Master of Ceremonies, having offered incense, called out.
"Prostrate. Rise. Stand straight."
Following his commands, Lee Hongwi prostrated himself, then rose and straightened his back. Grand Prince Suyang and other members of the royal family, along with officials like Kim Jongseo, also paid their respects in the same manner.
After the funeral-like rites were completed, Lee Hongwi, the royal family, and all the civil and military officials moved to Geunjeongjeon Hall for the actual coronation ceremony.
Just like in the coronation of King Sejong during the filming of *Naeuiwon*, the civil and military officials and the royal family stood in neat rows in the courtyard of Geunjeongjeon Hall.
"Please ascend the throne."
The Master of Ceremonies said, prostrating himself.
With a dark expression, Lee Hongwi looked at the throne his grandfather and father had once ascended. The pressure, different from that in the council hall, made him want to step back, but he held it in.
Enduring the gazes of the officials behind him, Lee Hongwi climbed the stairs. He was about to become the true king.
‘Grandfather, Father, Mother. Please help me.’
Praying fervently, Lee Hongwi took a step forward. With one step, he offered a prayer; with the next, he carried his fear, slowly advancing.
With Lee Hongwi's movements, the beads of the ceremonial crown on his head chimed softly. Reaching the top, Lee Hongwi let out a breath, turned, and looked down at the courtyard of Geunjeongjeon Hall.
*Thump.*
At the sight of the officials, the pressure was so immense that Lee Hongwi's heart plummeted. The weight of looking down from above was beyond anything he had imagined. It felt as if the air had been knocked out of him.
Forcing his stiff legs to move, Lee Hongwi sat on the throne, straightened his back, and placed his trembling hands on his knees. He knew well that this was not a place where he could shrink back because of his youth. Recalling the dignity of his grandfather and father, Lee Hongwi composed his expression.
[The Wings of the Fallen Avian King (Good) activates.]
Seojun didn't use much of his aura. Not yet. The Lee Hongwi of this moment was merely imitating the images of King Sejong and King Munjong.
[The grade of [The Wings of the Fallen Avian King (Good) - Intermediate] is temporarily lowered.]
[The Wings of the Fallen Avian King (Low-grade) activates.]
This "temporary grade adjustment" had become possible after he was able to use intermediate-grade abilities.
Until now, an ability wouldn't activate if he had less mana than required, but ever since opening the intermediate-grade library, he could adjust the grade of an ability according to the amount of mana he had.
‘Of course, I can't raise the grade… but this is still a huge help.’
Tiny, sparrow-like wings sprouted from Seojun's back and fluttered. A kingly aura, like a gentle breeze, flowed from the wings and enveloped him.
A faint royal presence emanated from Lee Hongwi, who sat on the throne. The presence rode the wind and spread throughout Geunjeongjeon Hall.
The actor playing the Herald, the first to feel that slender dignity, shouted.
"Sanho!"
The royal family and the officials placed their left hands over their right, joined them, and touched them to their foreheads. Then, in one voice, they shouted loudly.
"Cheonse!"
The thunderous cry, loud enough to shake Geunjeongjeon Hall, made not only the actors on set but also the staff and directors tremble.
Once again, the Herald, fully immersed in his role, cried out.
"Sanho!!"
Whatever their inner thoughts, Grand Prince Suyang and Kim Jongseo paid their respects to the king who had ascended the throne. The civil and military officials, each with their own different thoughts, shouted loudly, so very loudly.
"Cheoncheonse!!"
The resounding cry echoed through the set.
"Cut, okay!"
With so many people to film, they had expected an NG or two, but it was over in a single take. There were still close-up and bust shots left, but it seemed like those would be finished quickly, too. Director Woo Jeonghan, gauging the filming time, asked his assistant director.
"Tell the wardrobe team to get Sejo's ceremonial robes ready."
"Yes! I'm on it!"
Sensing that they might get to leave early today as well, the assistant director excitedly ran towards the wardrobe team's area.
***
"Ready, action!"
Grand Prince Suyang, dressed in the grand ceremonial robes, stepped out of the royal palanquin and strode purposefully towards the throne.
Unlike Lee Hongwi, who had moved slowly with a trembling heart, his stride was confident and unhesitating, without a hint of fear.
Grand Prince Suyang's steps clearly showed his will to lead Joseon into the future and his satisfaction at finally claiming this seat.
Everyone held their breath at the atmosphere surrounding Grand Prince Suyang, a stark contrast to Lee Hongwi's coronation. Seojun mentally applauded Lee Jiseok for his magnificent performance.
As Grand Prince Suyang sat on the throne, the Herald shouted.
"Sanho!"
The royal family and the officials placed their left hands over their right, joined them, and touched them to their foreheads. And just as they had three years ago at the young king's coronation, they shouted.
"Cheonse!"
Again, the Herald cried out.
"Sanho!!"
A storm of blood had passed, and the young king emeritus was still in the palace. The officials gathered here could guess how it would end.
The meritorious subjects of the rebellion, which they called a "quelling of disorder," looked to the sky and smiled.
The loyal subjects who had lost their king to treason kept their mouths shut and their heads bowed.
"Cheoncheonse!!"
Amidst the great cry,
There he was, the man who had ultimately defied heaven.
He was King Sejo.