Chapter 23
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Letters and First Words
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0-year-old Superstar Chapter 23
Choi Siyun scrambled to make the formula. Annoyed that his meal was late for the first time, Seojun pouted.
“Here, here. Let’s eat.”
Seojun latched onto the nipple, suckling away. While Brown Black was in a flurry preparing the formula, Seo Eunchan rose from his seat and opened the door.
“Nuna, you’re here? Talk about perfect timing.”
Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun stood there. The couple smiled awkwardly. They, too, thought their timing was a little too perfect.
But the truth was, they had missed their son so much that they had been waiting in the apartment parking lot for an hour.
“We were worried everyone was having a hard time because of Seojun.”
At their strained excuse, the members of Brown Black quickly waved their hands.
“Not at all! Seojun was such a good boy, we had a great time.”
“Ah, please come in!”
“Hello!”
Flustered, they were all rambling. Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun returned the greetings. Seeing that none of them looked tired and were still full of energy, it seemed the 48 hours had gone better than expected.
“Hurry inside. You’re letting the cold air in.”
Seo Eunchan ushered the couple in and closed the door. Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun saw Seojun sitting in the living room.
Seojun’s eyes widened. Mom and Dad! They said they’d give me a present, and Mom and Dad came!
Seojun had completely forgotten about the dolls, snacks, and snow globe the hyungs had shown him.
“Ah-moom-moom!”
He was overjoyed to see his mom and dad after 48 hours. With the bottle dangling from his mouth, Seojun lifted both arms, asking to be held.
Seo Eunhye picked him up, holding the bottle so it was easier for him to drink.
Seo Eunchan noticed Brown Black lingering, reluctant to leave. It would be an imposition on his sister’s family if they stayed too long.
They had to get back to the company to start editing, and Brown Black needed to practice for their debut in a month.
“Alright, let’s pack up and shoot the final scene.”
At Seo Eunchan’s words, the members of Brown Black scattered to pack their things. They’d pack one piece of clothing, then look at Seojun. They’d pack a toy, then look at Seojun again.
“Goodbye, Seojun.”
Perhaps feeling sorry for the sniffling members of Brown Black, Lee Minjun spoke up.
“You should come over again sometime. You’re welcome anytime.”
“……What?”
“Just talk to Eunchan—your manager—and come play again. You’re always welcome.”
*We thought this was goodbye forever, but it’s not?* Brown Black’s expressions went blank. *We can come back?*
“Then again, will you be too busy after you debut?”
“You’re right. It’ll be hard to visit if you’re busy.”
At Lee Minjun and Seo Eunhye’s playful teasing, the members of Brown Black all shook their heads at once. Though their faces were streaked with tears, they wore the brightest smiles of the day.
“No! No matter how busy we get, we’ll definitely come back.”
“If we really can’t make it, we’ll at least call!”
“Video call! A video call!”
“And we’ll send you a present on your birthday!”
Everyone laughed at Brown Black’s bright expressions. Seojun also waved at Brown Black and his uncle as they got on the elevator.
“The hyungs are gone.”
Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun closed the door and came inside. Seo Eunchan would come back later to remove the cameras installed in the house.
“Ooohng.”
‘It’s so quiet.’
The bustling house was now empty. Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun, who hadn't been there, couldn't tell, but Seojun certainly could. The house felt far too big.
“Wow, a Christmas tree.”
“They’re still trainees, aren’t they? How could they afford something like this when they don’t have any money?”
They had heard about decorating a Christmas tree, but Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun were surprised by its size and walked toward it. Cradled in his mother’s arms, Seojun also looked at the tree.
It was adorned with colorful decorations. As Lee Minjun looked around the tree, he spotted a transparent ornament among the decorations.
“What’s this?”
“What is it?”
There were four capsules. Lee Minjun sat on the sofa and opened one. Seo Eunhye sat beside him to watch.
“Seojun.”
Lee Minjun called his son’s name, his voice thick with emotion. Seojun, who was sucking on a pacifier his mother had given him, turned his head at his father’s call.
“The hyungs left you a letter.”
“Eung?”
“Wow, really? When did they have time to write them?”
At Seo Eunhye’s urging, Lee Minjun slowly read the letters. Just from the letters alone, they could tell how much fun Brown Black had had with Seojun, and Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun couldn't help but smile.
After reading all four letters, Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun decided to frame them. They picked out the prettiest album in the house and carefully placed the letters inside.
That evening, when Seo Eunchan came to collect the cameras, he found Brown Black’s letters in the frame and shouted.
“Hey, if you had something this good, you should have filmed it! Those guys!”
Seo Eunhye tried to say something, but Seo Eunchan, not listening, swiftly dismantled all the cameras in the house and rushed back to the dorm.
Seo Eunhye clenched her fist as she watched her younger brother leave without a backward glance. She’d have to smack him one when he came back later.
“Seojun talked! Ask him to send the recordings later!”
In the living room, Lee Minjun, grinning from ear to ear, was lifting Seojun high up in the air.
“Say Dada. Seojun! Dada!”
“Dada?”
Seo Eunhye quickly closed the door and ran over.
“Seojun. Mama. Say Mama.”
“Mama?”
Lee Seojun, 8 months old, had said Mama and Dada.
***
Seojun hugged each of Kim Heesang’s monster dolls, which were now back in the house.
The Skeleton Lich King doll. A slime. A dragon. An orc. A twin-headed ogre. A troll. A werewolf in wolf form, and so on. He hugged each one preciously.
Playing with Brown Black, and the excitement of filming, had made him feel like a real baby.
On top of that, out of consideration for his parents, he had barely touched the doppelgänger bear doll, the only one that remained.
‘I was getting confused.’
Was the baby me, or was the current me, me? Feeling conflicted, Seojun hugged the dragon doll tightly. At this moment, he felt he could even forgive the dragon doll.
Before the Library of Life was created, he remembered all his past lives, which had nearly led to a collapse of his ego.
He was treated as a strange monster, his tendencies of good and evil became mixed, and he was sometimes punished as a heretic.
Through immense effort, Seojun had created the library. The library was a sanctuary that sealed away his past lives, preventing them from influencing the next.
All of Seojun’s past memories were transformed into books. That way, his memories were altered to feel like something he had ‘read in a book.’ Though, they did occasionally influence his personality.
‘Just letting my guard down and playing for a bit is enough to get lost in a baby’s instincts.’
Seojun squeezed the dragon doll tightly.
When he fell asleep, he would head to the Library of Life. There, his memories became clearer and his reason stronger.
That was why Seojun, who couldn’t even speak a month ago, was now able to form words inside the library.
The monster dolls were a crucial tether to his current self.
‘Well, they’re also my taste.’
Seojun let out a little ‘ehehe’ laugh.
***
Seo Eunchan sent all the footage from the past few days to Seo Eunhye.
Seojun had talked! He should have been there to see it! After kicking himself for missing it, Seo Eunchan got Seo Eunhye’s permission and watched the recorded footage with Brown Black at their dorm. They all burst into tears, moved by the moment.
After gushing about Seojun’s cuteness, he returned to the company to start editing.
Kim Sooryun, the PR team leader and younger sister of Ms. Kim Hwaryun, was there to help with the editing.
“...That’s a lot of videos.”
“Hahaha. I’m counting on you.”
“Well, if the company does well, I do well.”
Kim Sooryun rolled up her sleeves. Multiple video clips appeared on the monitor screen. Seo Eunchan took out a stack of papers. It was a rough storyboard he had created during the shoot with Brown Black, outlining how he wanted the videos structured.
“Let’s start by editing the first meeting. Please put stickers over the baby’s parents’ faces…”
“Okay…”
Seo Eunchan sat next to Kim Sooryun and slowly explained the editing direction. Kim Sooryun chuckled to herself as she edited the videos.
“This is pretty funny.”
“I know, I couldn’t stop laughing.”
-Uh oh, Seojun’s scrunching up his face.
-Is he okay? Is he hurt?
-…He’s fine.
Hearing Ms. Kim Hwaryun’s voice from off-camera, the expressions vanished from Brown Black’s faces. Park Seojin said.
-…He pooped.
-Oh…….
Brown Black took on their first diaper change. No matter how cute a baby was… poop was another story. Even Brown Black, who had come fully prepared, almost despaired. Still, Park Seojin, who had studied hard, rolled up his sleeves.
-…!
As Park Seojin changed the diaper, the other members’ faces turned various shades of green.
After neatly disposing of the diaper, Park Seojin said with a look of serene resignation.
-…Judging by the color, it’s a very healthy poop.
“Let’s cut this part.”
At Seo Eunchan’s words, Kim Sooryun tilted her head.
“It’s their first time changing a diaper. Isn’t this pretty good? Their reactions are great, and they did a good job.”
“Ah, I just think Seojun might find it a bit embarrassing when he’s older.”
At that moment, Seo Eunchan was more Seojun’s uncle than Brown Black’s manager. He stroked his chin as he spoke, having become extra meticulous for the sake of his nephew's future.
“Kids these days are sensitive about the smallest things. Besides, these videos might be around for his entire life… I don’t mind other things, but stuff like poop… that’s a little…”
“Ah… I get it.”
Kim Sooryun understood the uncle’s heart and nodded.
“And I’d like you to edit about two more videos.”
“What kind?”
“For ‘[Brown Black and Jun’s 48 Hours],’ I’d like you to focus more on Jun than on Brown Black. Jun’s fans will be watching it more than Brown Black’s fans. And this is the storyboard for a video that will only be uploaded to the company channel.”
Seo Eunchan handed her another piece of paper. Kim Sooryun took it and read it.
“A song?”
“Yes.”
Seo Eunchan played one of the video files. It was footage of Brown Black singing on the first night.
Kim Sooryun’s eyes widened. It was a song she had heard many times before, but this was completely different.
“There’s this video and another one of them singing and dancing at the playground. I’d like to edit those separately and upload them. Only to our company’s account.”
[Brown Black and Jun’s 48 Hours] was scheduled to be uploaded to Jun’s account. And below it, there would be a link to Cocoa Entertainment’s N-tube channel.
“If people watch the 48-hour video and become interested in Brown Black, they’ll visit our company channel. Then they’ll definitely watch these two videos.”
Seo Eunchan believed these two videos would be the foundation for Brown Black’s success. Kim Sooryun, who had been bobbing her head to Brown Black’s song, smiled.
“Sounds good. I understand.”
“For now, please edit two 15-minute episodes to be uploaded this week. Oh, and please edit out the part in the playground video where a civilian man appears.”
“Got it. It’s been a while since I had something to do.”
Although she was the PR team leader, Kim Sooryun’s eyes gleamed. She had been just killing time since there were no artists to promote.
Because the company was new and Brown Black hadn’t debuted yet, any materials she sent to reporters were ignored.
The best she could do was upload introductory videos to Cocoa Entertainment’s homepage and N-tube channel.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Just leave anything and everything to me.”
“Haha. Will do.”
The next day, while relaxing at home, Kim Sooryun made a trailer for [Brown Black and Jun’s 48 Hours] with the footage Seo Eunchan sent.
>Sorry. I forgot to ask for this first.
>Just add some simple subtitles!
“He really took ‘leave anything to me’ seriously, didn’t he?!”
Kim Sooryun grumbled but had no choice but to diligently work on the trailer. That was because her older sister, Kim Hwaryun, who had grown fond of Seojun during the shoot, was looking over her shoulder and meddling.
Kim Sooryun sat at her computer and quietly moved her hands, feeling guilty for making her sister spend her vacation on the shoot. *Even though she got paid for it!*
“No, make the subtitle color cuter!”
“I’m telling you, it looks messy!”
“Isn’t there a color that’s cuter but still neat? Didn’t you even go to art school?”
“This is why I can’t stand science majors!”
Kim Sooryun gritted her teeth at her overly demanding client.
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