Chapter 305
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 305
Chapter Title: Mydman Beach
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Song Yujeong, enjoying her first break since starting college, stared at her phone with tears welling in her eyes. She was watching a video Im Yena had sent her, titled [Mydman Beach, Whale Rescue in Progress!].
The murmuring of the crowd, the splash of water, and the slightly shaky camera held her captivated.
>Im Yena: ㅠㅠ I hope the rescue team gets here soon ㅠㅠ
Just as Im Yena’s message arrived, the camera panned toward the ocean. On the blue water, a boat with “SEA SAVER” written on it was approaching the shore.
>Im Yena: ???
>Im Yena: It’s Sea Save? That’s one of the places Sprouts donates to.
>Im Yena: For Seojun’s birthday.
With the arrival of the rescue team, Im Yena and Song Yujeong could watch the video with relieved faces and lighter hearts. Song Yujeong relaxed her tense body and sprawled out on the sofa.
>Im Yena: Yeah, everyone did their research before choosing it.
>Im Yena: Speaking of Seojun, it makes me miss him.
>Im Yena: I’ll just watch this and then I have to go.
Just as Im Yena said, Sea Save made a heroic entrance and quickly prepared to guide the whale back into the ocean. But more than the skilled movements of the Sea Save team, one person caught Song Yujeong’s eye.
From the moment Song Yujeong started watching, the man in the black hat had been silently doing his part, staying closest to the whale.
>Im Yena: Yeah.
>Im Yena: lol Can you even see his face with that hat on?
>Im Yena: I think so.
And finally, the whale returned to the sea.
The splash it left behind, like a gesture of thanks, was like a scene from a movie.
The N-tube chat was also flooded with tears of emotion.
The Sea Save team leader’s explanation followed, with a translation appearing in the chat almost immediately. Just as the ‘Whale Rescue Operation’ was about to conclude on a heartwarming note, a man’s heavy scream pierced the air. *Uwaaaah!*
-What?! What’s happening?!
-What’s going on!?
The N-tuber, startled, turned the camera toward the sound. A Black man, his face a mask of shock as if he’d seen a ghost, was yelling at the person next to him. That person seemed bewildered by the sudden outburst.
>Im Yena: Whoa. Are they fighting?
[Thinking about heroes reminded me! That kid from before! The one in the black hat!]
The man’s voice came through clearly. Someone immediately posted a translation.
The black hat? Song Yujeong and Im Yena blinked.
[That was Seojun Lee! Jin Natra! Gray Vainie! Go Joowon!]
This needed no translation.
Like the now-silent beach in the video, the N-tube chat went completely still. Everyone was too stunned to type a single letter.
…!
The familiar names hitting her ears, Song Yujeong clapped a hand over her mouth. She knew there was a reason he had caught her eye.
*But I never imagined it would be Seojun!*
* * *
The Sea Save team and the documentary crew, having heard the situation from the crowd, stood with their jaws agape.
“…Seojun Lee? The one who played Jin Natra in *Shadowman* and won an Academy Award?”
“That’s what I’m saying! Wow. Now that I think about it, I can’t believe I didn’t realize it!”
Susan, who was explaining the situation to the PD, looked at her friends with a flushed face as a thought struck her.
“Come to think of it, I shook hands with Jun earlier!”
“Really? I’m so jealous!”
The PD looked around.
Mydman Beach was buzzing with the unexpected appearance of the superstar. People who had been filming were rewatching their footage, searching for Seojun Lee. Those who had spoken with him were excitedly recounting the experience to their companions.
The PD realized this was a tremendous opportunity.
*That boy was Seojun Lee…*
He remembered the boy Kate had mentioned, the one who told her she had a cut. He had thought there was something impressive about his presence. Just then, a call came from the boat via radio.
-Team Leader! I think we need to head out now.
“…Yeah. Got it. We’re leaving right away.”
At Kate’s words, the murmuring Sea Save team members began to move. Watching them board the boat, the PD, after a moment of consideration, spoke to Kate.
“Team Leader, we’ll conduct some interviews here and then head to the center. We’ll split into two teams, so you don’t have to worry about the filming.”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
After Kate was the last to board, only the PD and the camera director remained on the beach. The boat created a trail of white waves as it moved toward the Sea Saver vessel.
The PD watched the small whale and the boat for a moment before turning to the excited crowd.
“Excuse me, we’d like to ask for an interview.”
* * *
There was no way the broadcast stations would miss a story like this.
While videos of ordinary whale rescues were rare, they existed. But one featuring a Hollywood actor was a first.
“And he left without revealing his identity, just like a real hero!”
Every station and newspaper, without exception, immediately sent reporters to Mydman Beach for interviews and scrambled to acquire and edit the rescue footage. Then, they aired it on the news right away.
* * *
At the Smith house.
Seojun, fresh from a warm shower, widened his eyes at the news playing on the television Jack had left on.
“…It’s already on the news?”
Jack, half-buried in the sofa, replied.
“Yeah. It started right when you went in.”
“Really? It must be crazy in Korea, too.”
“Looks like it.”
Jack, who knew a bit of Korean from having learned it alongside Seojun, handed him his phone.
“Your name is everywhere.”
At Jack’s chuckling words, Seojun sat on the sofa and looked at the phone. The entertainment section of the portal site was completely plastered with ‘Lee Seojun’.
[Actor Lee Seojun Helped in a Whale Rescue Operation?]
[Actor Lee Seojun! Rescues a Whale!]
[Why Was Actor Lee Seojun at Mydman Beach?]
-Wow… my heart almost stopped while watching N-tube.
=22 I was wiping my tears after the heartwarming ending, and then suddenly they just dried up lol
=333 I was watching the video thinking, ‘Live a long life, little whale,’ and then bam, Lee Seojun lol
-The people there seemed genuinely shocked.
=The first guy to realize it practically grabbed his friend by the collar lol
=But I would’ve been shocked too. You go to the beach for fun, and suddenly a whale shows up. You’re frantically carrying buckets to save it, and it turns out the guy next to you is Lee Seojun lol
=The guy next to you is Lee Seojun lol
=I’d be surprised if he was just standing there lol but they even talked and didn’t realize lol
-Why Lee Seojun all of a sudden? Isn’t he in the US?
=Look at this. (link)
=…?? He rescued a whale in America?!
“Hmm. The company must be in an uproar.”
Seojun scratched his cheek.
He had tried to be discreet, but he must have failed to hide himself completely while focusing on channeling his vital energy into the whale.
“Jun, your interview is on.”
At Jack’s words, Seojun’s eyes turned to the television.
Mydman Beach, where he had been just forty minutes ago, appeared on the screen.
In the video, a California resident, a little boy, and his parents were being interviewed, their faces flushed with excitement. They were familiar faces.
“Jun was the first one to see the whale and run over.”
“I gave him a towel!”
Next up was the Black man.
“At first, I just thought he was a regular guy, but his whole vibe started to change. I thought he looked familiar, but… my God! It was Jun! I’ve watched *Escape* so many times, how did I not recognize him!”
A caption reading [Tom/The first person to recognize Seojun Lee] made Seojun and Jack burst out laughing.
“As you can see in the video, we wouldn’t have been able to move so systematically if it weren’t for Seojun Lee. Creating shade for the whale, covering it with towels, and forming a human chain to douse it with water from buckets.”
“His stamina seemed incredible, too. I honestly never saw him take a break.”
Susan and her friends were also interviewed.
“They’re all such grateful people.”
“Yeah, they are.”
He might be getting the spotlight because he was the most famous, but everyone there that day had been a brilliant hero.
-Do you have anything you’d like to say to Seojun Lee?
“I do! Jun! The whale is going to the Sea Save center!”
Susan said with a smile on the screen. Seojun listened intently to her voice.
“The Sea Save center is open to the public, so you can even take a tour! I really hope you get to see the whale!”
* * *
The phones ringing off the hook in the office had the employees of Cocoa Entertainment’s Team 2 letting out hollow laughs.
“Wow… this is on a whole other level this time.”
“We told him to go to America and have a nice, relaxing time, and he ends up becoming a global topic, starting with the US news.”
The scale of a superstar was truly different.
An Daho, watching his team chuckle as they answered calls and sent emails, picked up his ringing cell phone.
It was a call from Kings Agency.
* * *
The next day, after the storm of a day had passed.
A call came from An Daho in Korea.
The message had been relayed from the ABS broadcasting station to Kings Agency, and from Kings Agency to An Daho.
“A documentary?”
-Yeah. They’ll be filming the whale you rescued until it can return to the ocean.
“Hmm.”
Seojun tilted his head.
“But weren’t they already filming a documentary? Is it okay for me to suddenly appear in it?”
-That’s why they’re considering releasing this as a separate documentary. They’d make two: the original one and the one with you.
For Sea Save, it was a great promotional opportunity either way, and for the ABS station, all that mattered was ratings and buzz.
-Besides, Sea Save is one of the places your fans donate to on your birthday.
“Ah. Now that you mention it, I remember seeing that.”
Sea Save, one of the organizations his Sprouts donated to every year on his birthday.
Seojun was lost in thought.
It was a sudden offer, but it seemed like a good one.
Like Susan said, he wanted to see the whale he helped rescue return to the sea, and he was curious to see what the Sea Save center, where his fans donated, was like.
*The fans would probably be proud to see the center they donated to on video, too.*
It also seemed like it would be fun to try filming a documentary, a genre different from movies or dramas.
“Daho-hyung. I’ll do it. The documentary.”
-Alright. I’ll let them know right away. But they said the whale’s condition isn’t too bad, so they want to start filming tomorrow. It won’t be an all-day shoot, though, so it should be fine.
“Okay.”
He had no plans for the next few days anyway.
With Seojun’s consent, An Daho and Kings Agency sprang into action. The ABS station, which would be producing the documentary, also released an article.
[Actor Lee Seojun Decides to Film a Documentary in the US!]
[The Story of the Hero Who Saved a Whale Continues!]
[ABS Special Documentary! Starring Actor Seojun Lee!]
-!! Seojun’s filming a documentary?
-Honestly, how could they not film this?
=222 I feel like you could make a movie out of this material lol
=Nah, it’s too short for that. A documentary seems just right.
-Seojun’s ability to blend in is incredible. No one ever recognizes him lol
=Just look at Walking Man lol
-I usually find documentaries boring.
=22 But I think I have to watch this one.
-What does Sea Save do?
* * *
“Whoa. Team Leader! Social media is filled with nothing but our center and Seojun Lee!”
The Sea Save team members’ eyes went wide at the sudden appearance of a Hollywood star and the ensuing public reaction.
“I thought that even with a Hollywood star, people wouldn’t be that interested in an environmental story like this…”
“And the donations are pouring in like crazy.”
They were flooding in like rain, especially from Korea. The team members swallowed hard as they watched the donation amount climb in real-time.
“…This is kind of a lot of pressure.”
“Tell me about it.”
The Sea Save team grew curious about what kind of person this star, who was loved so dearly by his fans, would be like.
And the next day.
“Hello. I’m Seojun Lee.”
The Hollywood star, Seojun Lee, appeared at the Sea Save center.
#