Chapter 178
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Graduation Performances
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Although *Yeok* (Reverse) had been released, stirring up all of Korea, Seojun was living an ordinary school life. Aside from the occasional pitying glances from students he passed in the hallways, his life was no different from how it had been in April and May after filming had wrapped up.
Fourth period, math class, ended, and it was time for lunch.
Jookyung and Joohee giggled as they headed to the cafeteria. Seojun and Jaehan couldn't help but laugh too.
It was already the third time. Students who looked like third-year seniors couldn't take their pitying eyes off Seojun. Among them, one student was even rubbing their arms as if they had gotten goosebumps.
As the third-years moved away, Jookyung spoke up.
“Looks like everyone’s seen the movie. Their reactions are all so similar.”
“I know, right? Seeing Seojun must remind them of the movie. They either feel sorry for him or get scared thinking about the last scene.”
Joohee nodded.
“I saw the Moviegoer review, too. I was so surprised when the historical drama suddenly turned into a horror film. I never imagined it could be interpreted that way. I went to see it again after the review came out, and I was on edge from the very beginning.”
“They say the Moviegoer review even has English subtitles, and it’s causing a stir overseas.”
Seojun nodded at Jaehan's words. He had heard about that too.
Many comments expressed surprise that the short scene, which they had thought was just an introduction to the palace, held such a deep meaning—from *pihwi* to the Annals of Prince Nosan and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. Some people even said they felt like they were studying Korean history while watching Seojun Lee's work.
“If nothing else, the eras of Grand Prince Seongnyeong and King Danjong will be really famous overseas now.”
“*Yeok* Plus+ was fun too.”
“Oh, I saw that too.”
Arriving at the cafeteria, Seojun and his friends got in line behind the other students. Since the student body was small, they knew the kids in front of them and exchanged light greetings. The second and third-years inside the cafeteria kept glancing at Seojun, but the first-years seemed quite used to him by now.
As Seojun scanned the cafeteria, something caught his eye. A symbol, invisible to everyone else, shimmered on one of the cafeteria walls.
‘Good thing I carved one in the cafeteria too.’
Once a day. The cafeteria was one of the places he had to visit when he came to school. Moreover, unlike other places, it was where he ate with the second and third-years, making it even more necessary. Seojun smiled with satisfaction as he checked the remaining mana in the symbol.
‘I’ll have to recharge it today.’
Seojun emitted his divine energy to replenish the mana, then tuned back into his friends' conversation. They were in the middle of talking about *Yeok*+.
“They researched everything from the Annals of King Munjong, the Annals of Prince Nosan, to the Annals of King Sejo. They even looked into unofficial histories, legends, and folk tales. It was fascinating.”
“Wasn’t it great how they edited and showed scenes from *Yeok*? The interesting parts were edited so well that it made me want to see the movie again, though.”
“Right. It was such a tease.”
The kids giggled.
“Speaking of which, the history teacher said we’re learning about the Gyeyujeongnan next class… It’s going to be interesting…”
“Even if we have a test, I think I’ll get all the questions about King Danjong right.”
“Me too.”
Even the kids standing in front of and behind Seojun nodded in agreement with Jookyung.
The line shortened, and it was soon Seojun and his friends' turn. Food was piled onto Seojun's tray one item at a time. Today's lunch menu was Toowoomba pasta, wedge fries, salad, soybean paste soup, and pork neck steak. There was also rice, and for dessert, a carton of apple juice.
The delicious-looking menu, something you'd expect to see at a restaurant, made the kids' eyes sparkle.
“Our school is the best!”
The kids sat down at an empty table and picked up their spoons and chopsticks. They reached for their favorite dishes first. Seojun took a spoonful of the soybean paste soup and drank the broth. The well-seasoned soup was perfect for his palate.
“Ah, this is delicious!”
“The pasta is delicious too!”
Seojun and his friends happily devoured their lunch. Perhaps because the food was tasty and they were at an age where they could chew rocks, they finished their meal in no time.
The kids cleared their empty trays and left the cafeteria with their apple juice.
“That was delicious again today.”
“I know. The school lunches are so good.”
Joohee and Jookyung drank their apple juice dessert with satisfied expressions. Seojun and Jaehan also nodded as they drank their juice.
“The lunches at Maesil Elementary were good, but it’s even better here.”
“My elementary school’s lunches weren’t that great.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They weren’t bad, just ordinary. The side dishes were always pretty much the same.”
As they walked and listened to Jaehan talk about the lunches at his old elementary school, the Yeoul Arts Middle School bulletin board, posted on every floor, caught their eyes.
[Yeoul Arts Middle School Bulletin Board]
It was a place for posting notices about volunteer activities, events, club promotions, and other miscellaneous items. While the bulletin boards in elementary school were a place where only teachers could post, the boards at Yeoul Arts were filled mostly with notices put up by students.
Standing in front of the bulletin board, Seojun and his friends' eyes lit up.
“There’s a lot posted today, huh?”
“Yeah. There was hardly anything last week…”
Up until last Friday, there had only been announcements from teachers and posters for off-campus events, but today, Monday, the board was covered in papers.
Crisp new sheets of paper caught Seojun's eye. They were recently posted announcements. Some were colorfully decorated, others neatly written in black ink. Just by looking at the notices, he could see the personalities of the students who had posted them.
The posted notices all had one word in common: 'Graduation'.
“Looks like the third-years are preparing for their graduation performance.”
*Sluuurp.* Seojun, who had been sucking on his apple juice, also scanned the board.
‘A graduation performance…’
The third-years at Yeoul Arts Middle School held a performance in Yeoul Hall the day before graduation for the entire student body and invited guests. The music department would hold a concert, the art department an exhibition, and the acting department would put on a play.
Of course, it was fine not to participate in the graduation performance. But considering it would be uploaded to the [Yeoul Arts Middle School] N-tube channel, which had a considerable number of subscribers, doing the performance was better for one's future.
‘I heard some people even get cast after being seen in the graduation performance.’
It would also be a great thing to write about in their personal statements when applying to arts high schools.
Savoring the sweet apple taste lingering in his mouth, Seojun read through the notices one by one. This was a graduation performance he might be doing himself when he became a third-year. *What kinds of performances are there?* As he rolled his eyes over the board, he heard his friends talking.
“Besides, our school is getting the most attention these days, right? Both in Korea and overseas.”
“It’s all thanks to Seojun. People who saw the movie also watched his practical exam videos, and that led them to watch other students' videos too. I heard some kids are even getting comments in English.”
“I got an English comment on my video.”
“Really? That’s amazing!”
The kids' faces lit up at Jaehan's words. As Seojun and the others applauded, Jaehan smiled shyly.
“That’s why there are more graduation performances than usual, they say.”
“I see.”
Seojun nodded, listening to Joohee.
“I heard the third-years in the art department are using a lot of acting students as models for their graduation projects, too.”
“Well, they are more expressive.”
There were notices from the art department on the board as well.
‘Come to think of it, someone asked me to be a model at the entrance ceremony.’
Since he hadn't heard anything since, he figured it must have just been a passing comment. It was a carefree thought that would have made the third-year art students, who were agonizing over when to ask him because of his movie filming, burst into tears.
“The acting seniors are recruiting a lot of students from other departments, too.”
“They recruit from the art department to help decorate the stage backgrounds or make props, and from the music department to get music for their plays.”
“It seems so professional.”
“I wonder if we’ll be able to do it?”
Joohee answered Jaehan's question. As the class president, she was often called here and there, so she heard a lot of things.
“First-years can join as assistants, but only from the second semester. That’s why the teachers haven’t told us about it yet. Usually, you watch how it’s done as a first-year, prepare a short performance in your second year, and then do a proper graduation performance in your third year. It usually takes about six months to prepare, but some seniors spend over a year on it.”
“I see.”
“But second and third-years have exams, so it’s hard to rush the preparations. That’s why they start during summer vacation and practice throughout the second semester, while recruiting first-years to assist them.”
“So that’s why they’re only recruiting second and third-years right now.”
Nodding at Joohee’s explanation, Seojun read each notice on the board. From one-person plays where a single actor stood on stage, to two-person dialogues, to plays with multiple actors. Various productions were looking for participants. Of course, they were all for second and third-years only.
“I should keep an eye on these and find one to join in the second semester.”
“I’ll take pictures and send them to you later.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Jookyung stopped Jaehan, who was about to jot down notes, and took out her phone.
Some schools would confiscate students' phones. However, Yeoul Arts Middle School, where phones were highly utilized for things like recording one's acting, capturing a sudden musical idea, or filming a great scene, didn't restrict phone usage as long as it wasn't at an inappropriate time.
“Jaehan. Can you hold the paper steady?”
“Okay.”
Jaehan held the paper so it would be captured clearly by the camera, and Jookyung held up her phone. While the shutter sounds clicked away, Seojun and Joohee talked.
“But wouldn’t it be easier to post this on the school website? Why do they put it on the bulletin board?”
Joohee shrugged at Seojun's question.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure either.”
“It’s because finding audition notices is part of an actor’s job.”
An unfamiliar voice suddenly cut in. Seojun and his friends turned their heads toward the voice.
Standing behind them was a female student who looked like an upperclassman.
The female student, who had intended to answer the question from the first-years huddled together like chicks in front of the board, saw their faces and her heart dropped.
It was Lee Seojun.
‘Oh my god!’
Oh. Lee Seojun. It's Lee Seojun!
She suppressed her trembling heart and spoke in a mature manner. It was a performance worthy of a third-year acting student at Yeoul Arts.
“Hello.”
“H-Hello?”
The kids awkwardly greeted the unfamiliar senior.
“Could you move aside for a moment?”
“Oh, yes.”
Jaehan and Jookyung shuffled to the side. The female student took down a sheet of paper from the board.
?
Question marks appeared above the kids' heads.
The female student smiled at the bewildered expressions of her underclassmen and said.
“This one’s closed.”
The kids' eyes widened.
“……Already?!”
“Yep. Most teams started recruiting this week, but our team started last week. And the recruitment period just ended.”
The recruitment period on the notice the senior showed them was, just as she said, until before lunch today. The kids blinked.
“It’s real.”
Seeing the surprised looks on her underclassmen's faces, the female student struggled to keep her composure.
She couldn't stop her eyes from drifting toward the superstar, Lee Seojun. She had seen him in passing sometimes, but this was the first time she had seen him this close. And she was even talking to him.
‘I have to brag to the others!’
The female student suppressed her urge to run back to her classroom and brag to her friends, and spoke gently.
“Checking audition notices frequently is part of an actor’s job. If you just space out, you’ll miss out on all the good roles and good projects. Besides the graduation performances, our school also posts audition notices for outside projects that are age-appropriate. Sometimes things get missed, so you have to be quick on your feet.”
Seojun was impressed. It seemed the school played a role similar to Team 2. For kids without managers or agencies, checking the school bulletin board for audition notices would be much easier than scouring the internet.
The other kids, realizing this, were also impressed.
“I see!”
“It’s a good idea to check the bulletin board at least once a week. Of course, except for special cases, first-years can only do outside activities starting from the second semester. The teachers will explain it in more detail then.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Receiving their thanks, the third-year senior practically flew back to her classroom. Watching her quickly disappear, Jookyung spoke up.
“She’s a nice senior, isn’t she?”
“Yeah. I should tell the other kids too.”
The kids nodded at the class president Joohee's words. Seojun had noticed the senior's twitching expression, but he pretended not to and agreed with Jookyung.
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