Chapter 243
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 243
Chapter Title: The Mirror
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After the book discussion ended, Juhui sent the recording file to the other kids' phones. Seojun packed the notebook where he had written down his thoughts during the discussion. Now, all he had to do was organize his notes and the recording, and one of his summer vacation homework assignments would be finished.
“We finished earlier than I thought.”
“That’s because everyone came well-prepared.”
“By the way, what was that about a book concert earlier?”
At Jukyung’s question, all eyes turned to Seojun.
“I was looking at books in a bookstore when an employee from the publishing company asked if I wanted to come see a book concert. It seemed fun, so I went. The timing was a bit awkward for lunch, so I ended up skipping it.”
“Why would they hold a book concert at a time like that?”
It was because the book was on the verge of failure, and they couldn't secure a venue at any other time, but Seojun and his friends didn't know that.
Jaehan, who loved books, had sparkling eyes.
“Who was the author? Is it someone I know?”
“They said this book is her debut.”
Seojun took *[The Mirror]* out of his bag. On the cover, author Choi Daye’s signature was written in black pen. Jaehan quickly took the book and examined it from all angles.
“So she’s a new author. How was the book?”
“It was interesting. I even got an autograph.”
Hearing that Seojun had enjoyed it, the other kids became interested too. While they were looking at the book, Jiho quickly searched for *The Mirror* online.
“There are no reviews on the internet.”
“I guess it’s not that famous.”
“Hmm. But the plot sounds interesting. Seojun, can I borrow the book?”
Jaehan asked, his interest piqued by the summary Jiho showed him.
“Sure.”
He was planning to buy another copy to use for the adaptation anyway, keeping the signed one safe. Besides, he needed to show it to Daho-hyung, who would have to talk to the publisher.
At Seojun’s reply, Jaehan smiled brightly and tucked *[The Mirror]* into his bag.
“So, what should we do now?”
The book discussion, the reason they had gathered, was over, but it felt like a waste to just go home. At Juhui’s words, Jiho raised his hand.
“Let’s go to an escape room. A new one just opened up the street. They said it has a bunch of different themes.”
As if he had already looked it up, the escape room’s website was displayed on Jiho’s phone. Among the various themes, one in particular stood out.
“Uh… this one?”
“Hahaha. What is this?”
“Let’s do this one!”
A zombie-themed escape room game.
Its name was *[Escape]*.
The familiar name made Seojun and his friends burst out laughing.
***
The weekend passed, and it was Monday.
Seojun’s manager, An Daho, arrived at Seojun’s house earlier than he used to during the school semester now that summer vacation had started.
“Daho-hyung. Would you like to read this?”
An Daho, who had just set down a box of scripts as usual, received a book from Seojun.
*[The Mirror]*
*[Author: Choi Daye / Publisher: Hero]*
The signed copy from author Choi Daye had been lent to Jaehan; the one he gave to An Daho was a new one he had bought at the bookstore after parting with his friends.
‘I never imagined there would only be one copy left in stock.’
If the book hadn't been in the warehouse or had been sold in the meantime, he wouldn't have been able to show it to Daho-hyung today.
“What’s with the book?”
While An Daho was looking the book over, Seojun took out the synopses and scripts Daho had brought and placed them on the table.
Smiling with satisfaction at the six scripts, Seojun picked up the one on top and said.
“I signed up for the graduation performance, you know.”
“Right.”
An Daho knew well, as he and Team 2 had also rolled up their sleeves to help Seojun find a work to stage for his graduation performance.
They had diligently searched for everything from works available online to hidden gems in the theater district, and they were still wandering around like ghosts.
“I want to do this one.”
“With this book?”
“Yes. I found it interesting.”
At Seojun’s words, An Daho looked down at the book with complicated feelings.
After Daho and Team 2 had searched so hard, Seojun was the one who found it first. He felt a mix of guilt for failing in his duties as a manager and part of a dedicated agency, and relief that they had finally found something.
“Hold on. I need to call Team 2.”
He had to recall the poor employees who were probably still wandering the theater district in search of a play script that would please Seojun as quickly as possible.
-Yes, Team Leader An.
“Tell everyone to come back. We’ve found the piece for Seojun’s graduation performance.”
-Huh? Did you find it, Team Leader?
-Wow!! He found it?!
-Team Leader An is on another level! How did he know Seojun’s taste so perfectly!
-Should we have a party tonight?
The boisterous cheers from the Team 2 members on the other end of the phone were loud enough for Seojun to hear. An Daho spoke in a heavy voice.
“...Seojun found it.”
-...Ah, yes. Understood.
Seojun couldn't help but laugh at how the Team 2 members’ voices went from boisterous to silent in an instant. After hanging up, Seojun spoke to An Daho.
“What does it matter who found it?”
“No, it does. This is a matter of pride for a manager and a dedicated team. You have no idea how happy Team 2 was when I recommended *Escape* and *Yeok* and you chose them.”
“Really?”
Well, that’s…
Seojun scratched his cheek in embarrassment and opened his mouth. He felt sorry for Daho-hyung, who was working so hard as his manager, but he still had more to say.
“You know, Daho-hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“I asked the author and the publisher’s employee. The author gave her permission, but the publisher said they need to have a meeting.”
An Daho, who had just sat down and was about to open *[The Mirror]* to read, was left speechless by Seojun’s words, which had snatched away even the task of getting the author’s permission from Team 2.
Looking at Seojun sitting across from him, innocently darting his eyes around, An Daho spoke.
“...Should I be thankful that you didn’t get the publisher’s permission? Are you trying to do Team 2’s job now, too?”
“Hahaha.”
A mix of disappointment and disbelief.
Seojun laughed awkwardly at the emotions evident on An Daho’s face, and eventually, An Daho couldn't help but laugh along.
“So when did you go to the publishing house? And when did you meet the author?”
“I didn’t go to the publishing house.”
Seojun recounted what had happened at the bookstore. Listening to the story while looking back and forth between Seojun and the book, An Daho was genuinely impressed.
‘At this point, it feels like the projects are finding Seojun themselves.’
It was as if the works themselves were seeking out the actor who could make them shine brightest.
“You have some amazing luck. How do you run into people like that?”
“Hahaha.”
Seojun thought so too.
‘It’s a good thing I found that ability in the Library of Life.’
Without [(Good) Dandelion Spore's Connection], he might have just dismissed the person as strange and walked away.
“Still, it’s a relief we found something.”
The image of Seojun worrying that the later they found a play, the less practice time the actors performing with him would have, was still fresh in his mind.
“Now you have to gather actors and pick out stage props and music, right?”
“I plan to start gathering actors as soon as the second semester begins. There aren’t many roles, so I think we can cast it quickly.”
An Daho smiled awkwardly at Seojun’s words.
‘I doubt it’ll be that easy.’
He hadn't told Seojun, but Cocoa Entertainment had received several calls asking what play Seojun would be doing for his graduation performance.
‘Since the first years at Yeoul Arts Middle School only serve as assistants, it must be the parents of second or third years.’
Or it could be staff from an acting academy.
They had heard that Seojun signed up for the graduation performance, but the title of the work hadn't been revealed yet. They must have wanted to study the roles early to secure a spot for their son, daughter, or student.
There were about 80 students in the second and third years of the acting department at Yeoul Arts Middle School. Team 2’s opinion was that at least half of them would likely audition for Seojun’s graduation performance.
‘It’s a bit early to tell him now... I should tell him before the semester starts.’
With that thought, An Daho listened attentively as Seojun, with sparkling eyes, laid out his plans.
“There's no set stage background, props, or music, so we have to choose everything from scratch. I have some ideas for the music that came to me while reading the book, but I’m not sure if they’ll suit a play.”
Except for the fact that it had an original work, this play was like a blank canvas, and Seojun had to decide everything from beginning to end. Having to think about and decide on so many things was both a disadvantage and an advantage.
‘It’ll be tough, but it’ll be fun.’
Just thinking about how he would stage it made Seojun excited.
“Are you going to adapt it yourself?”
Since the original was a novel, it had to be converted into the format of a play script.
Long sentences had to be divided into stage directions and dialogue, the novel's story had to be changed and condensed to better suit a play, unnecessary parts had to be cut, and everything had to be arranged to fit the stage.
Seojun nodded at An Daho’s question.
“Yes. I was thinking of trying it myself during summer vacation.”
“Summer vacation, huh. Seems like you have plenty of time.”
“I’ve read a lot of scripts, and there’s an original work, so it should be easier than creating something from scratch. I have a lot of people I can ask for advice, too.”
There were directors and writers. If need be, he could even ask the Baram Theater Company.
“Alright. Let’s read it first.”
“Okay.”
While An Daho slowly read *[The Mirror]*, Seojun went through the six scripts.
‘Hmm.’
Now that he was thinking about directing a stage play, Seojun’s perspective on reading scripts changed.
These were scripts he would have normally closed quickly due to uninteresting plots or jarring dialogue here and there, but now his eyes were drawn more to the directing of each scene than the story itself.
‘Wouldn’t this be better than that?’
Seojun picked up a pen and drew a long line across the first page of the script.
With all the movies and dramas he had seen, the scenes formed in his head just from reading the script.
He changed a full shot to a close-up, concealed a character's intense emotional expression, and vaguely hinted at the culprit's identity instead of clearly revealing it.
After revising about fifteen pages like this, Seojun read it from the beginning and curled his lips into a smirk.
‘It’s a mess.’
Looking at it again, it was such a mess that he could only laugh. It felt like he had scribbled all over a perfectly fine, albeit not perfect, painting.
‘Well, I guess this was bound to happen… I didn't even think about the story and just crammed in directing choices that seemed to fit each scene.’
Seojun smiled wryly at the relentless, intense directing, which lacked any sense of pacing and completely disregarded the audience. He then looked down at the script with a serious gaze again.
‘Where should I even start?’
Tapping a few spots on the script with the tip of his pen, Seojun soon rested his chin on his hand and spun the pen around. The fact that every director emphasized different things made his decision even harder.
“Hmm.”
“Not going as you planned?”
An Daho, who had been keeping an eye on what Seojun was doing even while reading the book, asked with a smile.
With all the works and scripts he had seen, Seojun probably had a rough idea of what to do, but applying it immediately would be difficult.
Seojun scratched his cheek and grinned.
“Well, I didn't expect it to work out in a single day.”
“Right. Take your time. You have plenty of it.”
“Okay.”
Seojun put his pen to the script again and started scribbling something. He spun his pen, his mind seemingly in a jumble. He flipped through a few pages, then returned to the first page before his head shot up.
Come to think of it, this was a movie script, not a play script.
The directing for a movie—where you shoot from the right, from the left, in a full shot, in a close-up, and then edit it all together—was bound to be different from a play, which unfolds from beginning to end on a single stage in front of a seated audience.
“Daho-hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“The play scripts you’ve shown me so far?”
“Yeah. They’re in the company warehouse.”
An Daho nodded at Seojun’s question.
They had collected more than a few play scripts in their search for the graduation performance piece. Except for a few that Seojun liked, all of them were in the Cocoa Entertainment warehouse.
“Could you bring those to me?”
“All of them?”
“No. Just the ones based on novels.”
“Okay. Got it.”
While An Daho contacted Team 2, Seojun went to his room and looked through the scripts on his bookshelf. It was the shelf where he kept scripts from movies, dramas, and plays that he found interesting and cool. From among them, Seojun pulled out the scripts of plays whose stage direction he had liked.
By analyzing how play scripts based on novels were adapted, and by studying the scripts of his favorite plays to see what kind of directing worked, he should be able to do a good job of adapting *[The Mirror]*.
Seojun’s eyes sparkled as he picked out the play scripts one by one. This play was going to be really fun, too.
Four days later.
After considering secondary rights and related laws, the positive and negative effects of an N-tube release, and the promotional benefits the play would bring to the book, Cocoa Entertainment’s Lee Seojun Dedicated Team 2 was able to draft a contract.
Only after the rough draft of the contract was ready did Lee Seojun’s manager, An Daho, contact Kim Hyungwon, an employee at Hero, the publisher of *[The Mirror]*.