Chapter 240
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: Making Of
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*Shadowman 3* was making waves not just in Korea, but all over the world. This was thanks to the re-release of the series, which had created a new audience of viewers who were too young ten years ago.
-I didn't get it when I was a kid, but watching it now, it's so good! XD
-Same here. I was only 8, so I couldn't even watch it!
-Seeing it in the theater was amazing.
As the profits for *Shadowman 3* continued to climb, the Marine Company could only let out sighs filled with regret.
In contrast, there were others who were cheering.
"There are so many people...!"
"And so many foreigners."
Lee Miyeon and Park Sunga looked around in astonishment. Gwanghwamun Square, Gwanghwamun Gate, and Gyeongbok Palace were all bustling with people.
Nearby restaurants and convenience stores were packed, and the temporarily opened food trucks were swarming with customers.
The promotional effect of *Shadowman 3* had been a hot topic online, but seeing it in person was truly astounding.
"...Do you think we can see everything today?"
Lee Miyeon glanced around, her eyes wide with exhaustion.
"Oh! A spaceship!"
Park Sunga pointed, and Lee Miyeon’s gaze, along with those of the people around them, followed her finger.
"Whoa...!"
Just as Park Sunga had said, there was a spaceship.
A large building right next to Gwanghwamun Square.
Natra's spaceship was printed and stuck to the windows, perfectly replicating the scene from *Shadowman 3* where it had crashed into the building. Even the shattered glass looked identical to the movie, and sounds of amazed clicks from cameras could be heard all around.
"There's one over there, too!"
Just like in the movie, pictures of spaceships were plastered everywhere.
"Sunga. Look at this!"
Having spotted something, Lee Miyeon gestured to Park Sunga.
What Lee Miyeon had found was an L-shaped structure. It was installed along the right and left sides of the long Gwanghwamun Square. Everyone standing inside it was looking up at the sky.
"If you take a picture from down here, it looks just like the movie!"
Park Sunga tilted her head back like Lee Miyeon.
Wow!
The ceiling was a transparent plastic roof, and small, black spaceships were sparsely attached to it like stickers. It was like glow-in-the-dark stars on a ceiling.
Moreover, since the transparent plastic ceiling reflected the blue sky, you could clearly see the blue sky and white clouds drifting between the black spaceships.
It really looked as if Natra's spaceships were floating in the sky.
"This one here is attacking. There's even smoke."
Not all the spaceships stuck to the ceiling were the same.
There were Jin Natra's ship, Vel Natra's ship, the soldiers' ships, ships being attacked, and even Natra's battleships—a variety of types and conditions.
If you walked slowly while looking up, it truly seemed as if the spaceships were attacking each other in the sky.
Park Sunga and Lee Miyeon spotted Jin Natra's and Vel Natra's ships and quickly raised their phone cameras.
The end of the L-shaped structure was the statue of King Sejong the Great. Next to the statue, a smaller model of the spaceship from the movie was half-buried, just like in the film. The surrounding debris also seemed to be part of the model.
The scene was just like the movie, only smaller, and many people were taking pictures in front of it.
"Let's take one, too!"
After a round of photos, the two headed for Gyeongbok Palace. It was crowded here as well. The two of them lined up at the ticket booth to buy admission tickets.
"Oh. It's William."
"Huh?"
At Lee Miyeon's words, Park Sunga whipped her head around. She thought it might be William—Lee Seojun—but it wasn't.
"...That's a teddy bear."
"It is. William."
Lee Miyeon burst out laughing. Watching the teddy bear disappear into the distance, Park Sunga said with a disappointed look.
"So someone actually managed to buy one. I couldn't get it because it was sold out..."
"They're being sold all over the world. I heard William's sweater and sneakers are selling like crazy, too."
As they chatted, the long line shortened. After buying their tickets and going inside, they saw many people taking pictures everywhere.
"Should we take some pictures, too?"
Lee Miyeon and Park Sunga took out the photos they had prepared from their bags.
There were pictures of the spaceship crashed in the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion pond, the one that fell in the Sojubang royal kitchen, the wormhole above Geunjeongjeon Hall with Jin Natra and the wormhole generator below, the wall Jin Natra had crashed into and destroyed, and more.
They were photos printed from screenshots of the publicly released Korean filming locations.
The strange thing was that they were all cut in half, either vertically or horizontally.
"Let's start with Geunjeongjeon Hall."
"Okay."
Lee Miyeon, holding the camera, raised the vertically split photo of the wormhole and Geunjeongjeon Hall towards the real building. The camera screen showed both the real Geunjeongjeon and the photo.
"We need to back up a bit. The size doesn't match."
Park Sunga carefully guided Lee Miyeon backward. After a few steps, Geunjeongjeon, which had been larger than the photo, shrank until it matched the size in the picture. Lee Miyeon and Park Sunga smiled as the photo and the scenery lined up perfectly.
"So they filmed it from here!"
"Ugh. Hurry up and take the picture."
At Park Sunga's urging, Lee Miyeon aligned the Geunjeongjeon in the photo with the one in the background as if fitting together a puzzle. Making sure the edge of the roof and the steps on the ground weren't misaligned, she snapped a photo.
The left side of the picture was the real Geunjeongjeon Hall, while the right side showed the wormhole generator, Jin Natra standing next to it, and Geunjeongjeon with the wormhole floating in the sky.
It had been a good idea to choose a scene where Jin Natra was standing on the left. Lee Miyeon and Park Sunga's eyes sparkled as they looked at the cool location-verification photo.
"Let's go take pictures at the other spots!"
"Yeah!"
* * *
[Title: Went to Gyeongbok Palace! (*Shadowman 3* filming location!)]
Heard these verification shots are trending, so I did it!
(Reality: Statue of King Sejong / Movie: Spaceship crashed next to it.jpg)
(Reality: Building / Movie: Spaceship crashed in the building.jpg)
(Bottom Geunjeongjeon / Top Wormhole.jpg)
(Reality: Gyeonghoeru Pavilion / Movie: Spaceship crashed in the pond.jpg)
(Reality: Wall / Movie: Jin Natra under the collapsed wall.jpg)
There are more besides these!
-Don't know who started it, but a lot of people are taking pictures like this.
-I'm going to take some too!
-But there aren't many scenes you can screenshot because of copyrightㅠ
-People have started doing this in France and Central Park, too. (link)
-It's so cool that we can take verification shots like this. I love that they filmed in Koreaㅎ
=But now I want to go to France and Central Park too ㅋㅋ
* * *
[Gwanghwamun Square, Gyeongbok Palace See a Surge in Tourists!]
[The *Shadowman 3* Effect? Foreign Tourists Increase Over Three Weeks!]
[William's Teddy Bear! Sweater! Sneakers! All Sold Out!]
-The number of tourists at Gwanghwamun Square and Gyeongbok Palace has skyrocketed.
=^^ The city of Seoul even approved food trucks.
=The blue barbecue food truck is delicious.
=thx thx
-They didn't just fly over right after seeing the movie, did they?
=Maybe they came since they were already in Korea?
=Whatever the reason, Gwanghwamun Square and Gyeongbok Palace are hitting the jackpot ㅋㅋ
-The teddy bear!! I want to buy a William, too!
=I want the sweater. But it was sold out, so I bought a similar one.
=But it's summer?
=I can wear it in the winter!
-*Shadowman 3* is no joke ㅎ
[Marine Company to Upload *Shadowman 3* Making-Of Film Today at 8 PM!]
[*Shadowman 3* Making-Of Film, From the Opening Ritual to the Post-Credits Scene!]
-Ahhhh! A making-of film! It's gonna be so fun.
-I saw the opening ritual video, but there's a post-credits scene part too!
-I was so curious how they filmed the post-credits scene!
=^^ I didn't think they could make it with just CG.
* * *
"Oh! It's up."
8 PM.
Seojun and his parents sat in front of the television. The title [*Shadowman 3* Making-Of Film] appeared on the TV screen, which they had already connected to N-tube.
-It's starting!
It wasn't just Seojun and his parents; everyone who loved the *Shadowman* series was watching the making-of film on their laptops and phones. Even those who hadn't made it home yet watched it on the bus or the subway.
The previously released opening ritual scene passed, and the video showed the sets where *Shadowman* was filmed. Everyone marveled at the elaborately constructed underground temple, the Natra royal palace, the spaceship, and the Geunjeongjeon Hall set.
-It's a copy-paste. It looks exactly like the real Geunjeongjeon.
-They really built all of this.
-The scale of Hollywood...
People who saw the green chroma key ball on the central altar of the ancient temple wondered what it was. Afterward, a short clip showed Seojun acting without CG, followed by the version with CG effects.
-No way, was that the Time Stone? That green ball?!
-He managed to act like that with just that?
-...He gets into character so well.
The video also showed Seojun and the other actors reading their scripts and waving at the camera, as well as the staff focused on filming. It also showed the stuntmen's rehearsal, where they were sent flying by Jin Natra's attack.
And then,
the screen went black, and the caption [9 Years Ago] appeared.
-Ooooh!
-Is it finally coming out?!
Seo Eunhye, who was eating a Korean melon, had sparkling eyes.
"Nine years ago, that was when you were filming *Shadowman 2*, right, Seojun?"
"Yeah. We did some additional filming back then."
That day, after all the filming for *Shadowman 2* had wrapped up, when Director Ryan Will, Evan Block, Richel Hill, and Melissa Walton had gathered to shoot. It was a secret shoot, with only a very small number of staff present.
"The actors and staff took turns filming that."
"Really?"
At Lee Minjun's words, who had been there at the time, Seo Eunhye's gaze turned to the television.
The screen filled with the image of 7-year-old Seojun and Evan Block, and Richel Hill's voice could be heard from behind the camera.
"Jun. You know this shoot is a secret, right?"
"I know!"
The little Seojun on screen beamed, his eyes twinkling. Seeing her adorable son after so long, Seo Eunhye smiled unknowingly and said,
"That's the face he makes, right? The one where he's happy because there's a new shoot even though filming was supposed to be over."
*Is my face that easy to read?*
Seojun rubbed his cheek a couple of times with his palm and nodded.
"Yeah. I was really happy."
"You haven't changed at all, Seojun."
Seojun and his parents burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, Seojun's fans were slamming their fists on the floor at the sight of the chubby-cheeked 7-year-old Seojun. They had expected to see 7-year-old Seojun, but he was far cuter than they had imagined.
-7-year-old Seojun! So cute!!
-This is where I die...!
-Marine Company, to leave us a video like this! Thank you. An overwhelming thank you!
The camera seemed to be fixed in place, showing Seojun and the two actors sitting at a table, eating sandwiches and drinking juice. Fans swooned again at the sight of Seojun happily munching away.
"Who do you think the actor for Tul Natra will be?"
"I don't know. Who do you want it to be, Jun?"
"Swalin Anum!"
Evan Block and Richel Hill burst out laughing at Seojun's sparkling-eyed response, which came without a moment's hesitation.
-Gasp. So this is why it was Swalin Anum?
-It's probably not just because of Seojun, but I'm glad it turned out the way he wanted!
-Seojun is so cute...!
Melissa Walton, who played William's mother, also appeared and greeted Seojun and the two actors. After chatting, Seojun, Evan Block, and Melissa Walton went to change their clothes.
The first to appear was Seojun, who looked shorter than Jin Natra in *Shadowman 2* because he was wearing flat sneakers. Everyone gasped at the sight of Seojun wearing the sweater, pants, and sneakers from *Shadowman 3*.
-I had a feeling, but the ending was really decided back then!
-To keep quiet for 9 years... the staff are amazing.
-Director Ryan is amazing for planning something like this.
Soon, Evan Block appeared, dressed as Mac.
"You've gotten smaller. Jin Natra was this tall."
"Because I'm William now!"
Evan Block, dressed as Mac, and Seojun, dressed as William, chatted and laughed. Richel Hill joined in, bursting into laughter.
-Ugh. On the outside, it's Shadowman, Vel Natra, and Williamㅠ
-A three-shot like this...!
-All three of them have to be happyㅠㅠ!
The *Shadowman 3* making-of film ended with the heartwarming sight of the three affectionate actors, which brought a smile to everyone's face. Comments instantly flooded the black screen.
-No...! Show us more...!
-Show us more of cute Seojun!
As if hearing the viewers' wishes, the screen lit up again.
The camera angle showed Seojun, who had changed his clothes as if the shoot was over. He was seen tilting his head in confusion at the camera pointed at him.
Soon, Richel Hill's playful voice was heard.
"Jun. Anything you want to say to the future audience?"
Seojun, who had been blinking at Richel Hill's question, broke into a shy grin. Seojun's fans clutched their hearts at his sparkling aura.
"I hope everyone enjoys *Shadowman 3*."
"Anything else?"
At Richel Hill's question, Seojun paused to think, shyly darting his eyes around before his cheeks flushed and he spoke softly with a smile.
"Um... I'm curious if I'm still working a lot."
The 16-year-old Seojun watching the 7-year-old on screen smiled gently.
Back then, he had only filmed *Shadowman 1*, *The Devil*, and *Shadowman 2*, so he had wondered if he would still be working hard as an actor in the future.
*'Because being an actor means you can't work even if you want to, if there aren't any suitable roles.'*
Besides, it was only after *Shadowman 2* was released that he received his first-ever award, started being called a superstar, and held a fan meeting.
The young Seojun in the making-of film had yet to experience any of that.
*'Don't worry.'*
16-year-old Seojun's gaze drifted to the trophy case displayed in a corner of the living room. Seeing the gleaming trophies made him feel proud of himself, and he smiled faintly.
*'I'm doing well.'*
Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun also smiled warmly, looking back and forth between the young Seojun on the screen and the grown-up Seojun beside them.
"And if I film other movies, I hope you'll enjoy those too!"
Seeing little Seojun's sparkling eyes as he spoke with his hands clenched tightly, his fans felt a surge of emotion and teared up.
-ㅠㅠYou are filming a lot!
-Though we wish you'd do even moreㅠㅠ
-You're winning awards and doing great.
-Back then, he probably never even dreamed of an Oscar.
=^^ He probably didn't know he'd become such a superstar.
-Our Seojun is so amazingㅠ He really grew up well!
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