Chapter 297
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 297
Chapter Title: The Figure Frenzy
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Seojun walked into the classroom, his bag slung over his shoulder.
The atmosphere was a far cry from the usual boisterous classroom. From students reading their textbooks with tense expressions to those who already looked as if they'd reached enlightenment.
It finally sank in for Seojun that today marked the start of midterms.
'It's completely different from yesterday.'
Yesterday, the class had been so lively you wouldn't have known exams were the next day, but in just twenty-four hours, the students had transformed. After a brief look around the classroom, Seojun greeted his drained friends and took his seat.
Han Jiho, sitting next to him, was already slumped over his desk as if trying to escape reality.
"I don't want to take this test... Why do we even have them?"
"Because we have to get into college?"
As Seojun stated the obvious, a heavy sigh escaped the students' lips. They were high schoolers now, and in three years, they would have to go to college.
"It still feels so far away..."
"Three years will fly by."
At Kim Jookyung's words, the others nodded in agony. After all, three years of middle school had passed in a flash. As freshmen, they had wondered when they would ever graduate, and now they were already high school students.
Park Siyoung, who had been flipping through his textbook, spoke up.
"Besides, for high school entrance exams, we only competed against kids our age. College is different."
For the students aiming to become actors, their number one choice was the Korea National University of Arts.
With its renowned faculty and famous alumni of actors and directors, it was the dream school for any student pursuing a career in the arts.
"There will be people retaking the exam because they're desperate to get into K-Arts, and others who found their dream late and are giving it a shot."
The students nodded at Seojun's words.
There was no age limit for college admission. You never knew what hidden talents a latecomer might possess, making it impossible to gauge the skill level of their competition.
"Come to think of it, Joohee said the sophomores and juniors are studying like crazy. She said it'll probably be tough if people retake the exam and compete with us."
"That's true. We might end up taking the exam with current sophomores and juniors."
That thought made it feel all too real.
"...We'd better work hard."
"Yeah."
Snapping to attention, the students pulled out the textbooks and notes for today's exam and began to review them. Seojun also took out his notebook, which summarized the material for today's test, and started reading.
* * *
"Collect the OMR cards from the back."
At the homeroom teacher's instruction, the students in the back stood up and walked to the front, collecting the OMR cards. After arranging the cards in order of the students' numbers, the teacher spoke.
"You all worked hard for the past three days. Your subject teachers will go over the tests next week, so make sure to bring them. And don't stay out too late today; go straight home."
"Yes, sir!!"
The homeroom teacher shook his head at the students' booming reply. Seeing their beaming faces, it was obvious they planned to have their fun before going home. As the teacher left the classroom, the students broke into cheerful chatter, some comparing their test answers.
"The figures go on sale tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah. They start selling at 10 AM."
Han Jiho asked, and Seojun nodded in response.
Sales would begin in Korea tomorrow at 10 AM, with other countries scheduled to start within two days.
'I hope they sell well.'
The Marine Company and the Mirror Team. And Dad, Heesang Samchon, and the Monster Inc. employees.
Everyone had worked tirelessly to increase the production volume while maintaining quality.
'They all worked so hard, so I hope it pays off.'
Han Jiho grinned.
"It's a good thing they're being released this week. If it were last week, my mom would've forbidden me from going."
"You're going to buy it in person instead of online?"
Seojun tilted his head, and Han Jiho nodded.
"Yeah. Shipping takes a while online, and I'm not the patient type for this stuff."
"I'm going too. Want to go together?"
"Sure."
Han Jiho readily agreed to Kim Jookyung's offer.
Listening to his two friends, Seojun, the model for the figures, scratched his cheek.
"Oh! I want to go too!"
Then other students started joining in.
"Hey! The kids from Class 2 are going too!"
Word had apparently spread to the next classroom already.
"I heard the art department students are going as well."
As the group grew, Seojun's eyes widened and he blinked. It was great that the figures were selling well, and wonderful that people loved the *Shadowman* series, but...
'...When they're like this, it feels kind of embarrassing.'
Still, it didn't seem like they were teasing him.
Kim Jookyung frowned as the crowd grew.
"If we all go to one place, won't some of us not be able to get a figure?"
"Then let's just group up with people who live close to each other."
"That's a good idea."
Watching his friends discuss their plans to buy the *Shadowman* series figures with such serious expressions, Seojun didn't know whether to laugh or not.
"Seojun. You wanna go?"
"Hmm."
'Heesang Samchon said he'd give me a few of each kind, but...'
"Yeah!"
Buying them himself sounded like it would be fun.
* * *
Saturday.
The release day for the *Shadowman* series figures.
"Hello, everyone! This is The Moviegoer!"
-Oh. Did you go to buy the figures?
-Looks like it. It's almost opening time.
-Seeing how close you are to the front, you must have gotten there early!
"Yes. I've been waiting since dawn! I thought I'd be the very first, but someone was already here before me."
The Moviegoer laughed and panned the camera behind him.
He filmed in a way that didn't show people's faces but made it clear that there was a large crowd.
"A lot of people showed up after I got here. There are students who came with their friends, and some couples, too. Of course, there are plenty of people who came alone. The line is growing even as I speak."
The cheerful voices of students who seemed to have come with friends could be heard. One student was even wearing a black hat with a slime badge, a popular item from Monster Inc.
-I think I should head out soon.
-They said there'd be plenty of stock, but... the line is longer than I thought.
-This is making me nervous ;;; I'd better leave now!
"The viewer count is dropping. I guess some of you are heading out now. For those who are still here, are you already in line?"
-yep, already in line haha V
-lol me too lol
-I came alone and was wondering what to do until opening, so thanks for the live stream.
"Well then, shall we kill some time until the doors open?"
Time flew by as he chatted about various things. All the while, the line continued to grow.
"It's 10 AM. I'll finally get to see them in person!"
-Can you film inside?
-I bought mine online, so I'm curious haha
-Show us the inside!!
"Yes. I'll ask an employee. Please wait a moment."
The sound cut out, and the camera pointed down. The Moviegoer went to ask an employee who was outside checking the line. The employee nodded. The camera moved back up, and the sound returned.
"They said filming is fine. Just not of the other customers. That's a given! Alright, I'm going in!"
To prevent the store from getting too crowded, the Monster Inc. staff let in a certain number of customers at a time. The first group of customers entered, looking around the store's interior with sounds of awe.
The Monster Inc. offline store was completely decorated in a *Shadowman* theme.
Figures were placed in display cases decorated in chronological order of the movies, from *Shadowman 1* to *3*, and other official merchandise was also on display.
"In this display case, we have the Shadowman from *Shadowman 1* and the new William figure. Seeing it in person is bringing tears to my eyes. Our William...!"
-The teddy bear T_T
-William T_T He's so cute T_T
-His cheeks are pink T_T The paint job is amazing.
In addition, the posters and pictures on the walls were all newly created for this figure release event, sparking people's desire to own them.
"I've never seen this poster before, but I want it! Oh, this one is new too?! It'd be faster to find something I recognize."
-Are the posters not for sale?
-+1 Sell the posters too T_T
-Huh? What's that figure in the center?
"The center?"
The comment drew The Moviegoer's gaze to the central display case. He didn't know why he hadn't noticed it sooner. The other people who had entered with him were also staring at the display case with sparkling eyes.
"This is...!"
The Moviegoer's camera focused on the figure.
"Isn't this the one Seojun got as a gift? The one from his N-tube unboxing video."
A customer asked, and a Monster Inc. employee replied with a smile.
"Yes, that's correct. We've borrowed it from actor Lee Seojun for a short time. A total of six figures are on display, one in each of our stores from number 1 to 6."
"I see."
Following the employee's explanation, The Moviegoer looked at the figure in the central display case again. The size and quality spoke volumes about the care that had gone into its creation.
It depicted the fallen Jin Natra under a pile of rocks, perfectly recreating the walls and grounds of Gyeongbok Palace.
But what caught the eye most was the shadow engulfing everything. Everyone could only marvel at the overwhelming expression. The black shadow looked as if it could burst out of the display case at any moment.
"...This one isn't for sale, is it?"
"No. Unfortunately, there are no plans to sell it."
At the employee's words, the customers nodded with disappointed faces and moved on to buy their figures.
"It seems they were able to borrow it because actor Lee Seojun is a major shareholder of Monster Inc. It looks even more amazing in person than it did in the N-tube video."
-As expected of a major shareholder of Monster Inc.
-lol Monster Inc. knows what they're doing lol
-I want to see them all, but store 3 is in Busan and store 4 is in Daejeon lol
-Stores 5 and 6 are also lol outside of Seoul lol
"Hmm. I suppose there's no helping it."
After a moment of contemplation that lasted maybe a second, The Moviegoer smiled brightly.
"Shall I go on a cross-country trip?"
-I knew you'd say that lol
-He didn't even hesitate lol
-This is less shocking than his overseas trips lol
"As it happens, I have no schedule today or tomorrow. I'll just buy my figures, drop them off at home, and hit the road! I'll be live-streaming, so please recommend some good local restaurants!"
-Leave Busan to me! I'll tell you all the local hotspots!
-If I go to a good restaurant, will I meet The Moviegoer?
-A sudden fan meeting? lolol
"Haha. That's true. Well then, shall I buy my figures now?"
The Moviegoer, who had been filming the interior without being disruptive, headed to the sales counter to purchase his figures. For each figure purchased, you could choose one of the posters that had been hanging on the wall. The Moviegoer beamed as he bought all the figures and all the posters, carefully placing them in a paper bag marked with the Monster Inc. logo.
"I'll do a review of the figures in a few days. Now, let's get this nationwide tour started!"
As The Moviegoer exited the store, his hands full of paper bags containing the figures, a group of students chattering happily passed by him.
"We're finally going in."
"There are so many people! They must all be Shadowman fans."
Seojun, wearing a black hat with a slime badge pinned to it, smiled contentedly at his friends' words. It warmed his heart to see so many people still loving the *Shadowman* series even after it had ended.
After waiting, Seojun and his friends finally entered the store, their eyes sparkling.
One section was decorated like the interior of Natra's spaceship, while another resembled Central Park. It was the first time Seojun had seen it decorated like this, and he found it fascinating.
As they looked around the splendidly decorated store, Han Jiho pointed to the figure in the center and nudged Seojun's side. He didn't say Seojun's name, lest others notice.
"This is that gift you received, right?"
"Yeah."
"But why aren't they selling this one? Couldn't they just sell it at a higher price?"
"They said it was rejected because the focus is more on the shadow than on Jin Natra. Plus, see that part? The shadow covering the sky. It's more fragile than it looks, so there's a high risk of it breaking during shipping. It'd be a disaster if you opened the box and the shadow was broken in half."
Han Jiho and the others nodded repeatedly at Seojun's explanation. It would be a huge disappointment to receive a broken figure after so much anticipation.
After admiring the central figure to their hearts' content, Seojun and his friends headed to the sales counter to buy their own. Four employees were standing side by side, so the line of customers moved quickly.
Seojun and his friends got in line. Standing in the middle of his friends, Seojun fell into deep thought.
'Heesang Samchon said he'd give me a few of each kind, so maybe I should just buy the William from *Shadowman 1*...'
He felt that if he bought other figures too, it would reduce the number available for others, so Seojun decided to buy just one.
He chose the William figure from *Shadowman 1* because it was from the very first scene he had ever filmed, making it special to him.
Suddenly curious about which figures his friends would buy, Seojun asked Han Jiho, who was in front of him.
"Jiho, what are you getting?"
"All of them."
Seojun burst out laughing at Han Jiho's serious expression as he answered without a hint of hesitation.
* * *
[The World Today) Shadowman Series Figures Selling Like Hotcakes!]
[Monster Inc. Exhibiting High-Quality Figures Across All 6 Stores!]
[Monster Inc., "Six Figures to Be Exhibited Overseas!"]
[Waited Since Dawn! My First Time Buying a Figure! Stories from the Buyers!]
[Shadowman Series Figures Selling Out Everywhere!]
-Heard they sold a ton overseas too.
=+1 I also waited in line to buy one.
=A lot of stores sold out early ;;;
-My bank account is completely empty this May. But I got a poster, so I'm happy haha
=Didn't expect them to give out posters haha
-But the quality of the figure Lee Seojun got as a gift is on another level.
=+1 I wish they'd sell it. But they said there are no plans T_T
=Even if they did, it would probably be expensive and first-come, first-served, so I doubt I could get one haha
-The Moviegoer went to Busan to film the figure lolol
=His drive is as crazy as ever ;;;
=The Busan figure is from the post-credits scene. The one where Jin Natra forcibly inherits Tul Natra's shadow.
=The vibe was insane in the unboxing video, but seeing it in person is even better. (from Busan)
=They probably can't sell that one because it's too big. It includes the bed and the wall haha
-They said there'd be plenty of stock, so I took my time, but they were all sold out T_T Everything is sold out online too T_T
=Honestly, even I thought there were a lot of buyers ;;; It seems like there were quite a few people buying a figure for the first time.
=+1 It's because of the new customer base. We probably could have bought one normally.
-There are 100% resellers too.
=+1 Damn resellers...