Chapter 34
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: The Child Shaman
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After leaving the movie theater, Choi Daeman searched for "Shadowman William" on his phone. It seemed everyone else had searched for it too, as it appeared in the auto-complete suggestions.
[Shadowman William]
[Shadowman William child actor]
[Shadowman William Lee Seojun]
He saw the letters flash by.
Lee Seojun.
In a flash, the image of that adorable baby from long ago struck him like lightning. Choi Daeman's mouth fell open without him realizing it.
"Lee Seojun? Lee Seojun!?"
Choi Daeman's finger tapped the search button.
The profile page.
On the profile page, which displayed the most famous person with that name, a photo of a brightly smiling child appeared.
He was clearly bigger than when he'd seen him four years ago, but his bright eyes and distinct features were the same.
"It really is Seojun!?"
It was Lee Seojun, who had filmed the Elephant Formula commercial with him.
Goosebumps rose on his skin. He had thought he was a genius, but he'd expected him to start acting when he was a bit older. He never imagined he would go to America and appear in a Marine Company film so soon.
"A true genius."
Choi Daeman went into a nearby cafe, ordered an iced Americano, and took a seat. Then, he started surfing the internet for information about *Shadowman* and Lee Seojun.
The internet was flooded with stories about what had happened over the past month—not just the Elephant Formula commercial, but also *48 Hours with Brown Black and Jun*, which Choi Daeman had watched because Seojun was in it, and of course, *Shadowman*.
WNET, striking while the iron was hot, was rebroadcasting the show under the new title, *48 Hours with Hollywood Child Actor Lee Seojun!*
There were also countless clickbait articles with headlines like 'Youngest Korean Hollywood Child Actor!' and 'The Korean Chosen by Marine Company!'
There were some malicious comments like, 'He's just an extra,' but there were also many comments praising him.
After diligently scrolling through the screen, Choi Daeman finally made a call.
"Ah, it's been a while, Team Leader Kang Sora."
The call was to Team Leader Kang Sora of the Elephant Company.
* * *
"That's why I wanted to meet and tell you in person."
Seojun sipped his orange juice through a straw. Ugh, sour. He shook his head, and Team Leader Kang Sora, sitting across from him, chuckled lightly.
"If that's the law, there's nothing we can do."
"We're very sorry."
Seo Eunhye waved her hand. The law had been decided, so there was nothing Team Leader Kang Sora could do.
They sent gifts every Lunar New Year and Chuseok, and even on Seojun's birthday. The fact that she had come in person to explain was more than enough.
"So, does this mean there won't be any more formula commercials at all?"
"No. I'm sure others will find loopholes. But we're planning to stop advertising altogether."
"I see."
Formula commercials were now banned. An international regulation prohibiting formula ads was established in over 120 countries that were members of the WHO, not just in Korea. It was to prevent the overuse of formula. Because of this, the formula commercial Seojun had filmed was also coming to an end.
That wasn't the only reason. As technology advanced, there was a huge difference in TV picture quality.
The ad had been effective, but it was completely unsuitable for future customers other than the parents of infants. Airing a commercial filmed four years ago for four straight years was an incredible feat in itself.
To break the somber mood, Kang Sora spoke up.
"Oh, I saw Seojun's movie. He was amazing."
"Seojun loves acting. I've been thinking about sending him to an acting academy lately."
Team Leader Kang Sora's eyes darted around.
"An acting academy? If Seojun, who's already filmed a Marine Company movie, goes to an acting academy..."
It would cause an uproar. Banners would be hung on the academy's walls, and the director would appear on television, promoting the school using Seojun's name.
Other things would happen too, and most of them wouldn't be good.
As Team Leader Kang Sora trailed off, Seo Eunhye, guessing her concerns, gave a bitter smile.
"That's why I'm worried. Acting isn't something you do alone. His father and I don't know anything about acting, and all we can do is awkwardly act as his scene partner."
Seo Eunhye glanced at Seojun, who was sipping his orange juice while watching a documentary about movies on his phone, and continued.
"I wish he had a friend to act with or a teacher who knows acting well."
"I see."
"Besides, Seojun has been receiving scripts, but I don't know which ones are any good."
Once Seojun's connection to Brown Black became known, offers began pouring in to their manager, Seo Eunchan. It was amazing how many companies in the world made commercials.
On top of that, many screenplays and synopses were coming in from the drama and film industries.
Unable to distinguish the good from the bad, they were rejecting everything. Seojun also seemed to dislike the scripts, as he kept shaking his head.
Just then.
*Bzzzt, bzzzt-*
Feeling the vibration from her handbag, Kang Sora picked up her bag and stood.
"Excuse me for a moment."
"Please, take your time."
After taking the call in a corner of the cafe, Kang Sora returned to the table with a peculiar expression.
"Seojun's mother."
"Yes?"
"Um... do you remember the director from the commercial shoot?"
"Yes, I remember him."
Seo Eunhye and Seojun nodded. It was the first commercial shoot of his life. Every single moment was memorable. They remembered the kind director who had called Seojun a genius and given them his number, saying he would help in any small way he could.
"Director Choi Daeman says he'd really like to meet. What should I do?"
"The director? Why all of a sudden?"
"He's directing a movie and asked if you would just take a look at the script."
Kang Sora spoke cautiously. According to the internet, he was already a famous child actor receiving scripts from Hollywood. She wasn't sure if it was appropriate to even bring this up.
"I'll look at it!"
"We're reading almost all the scripts we get, so it's fine."
At the word "script," Seojun's hand shot up.
Perhaps because his bright, silent smile in *Shadowman* had left such a strong impression, or perhaps because they didn't trust the line delivery of a six-year-old, almost all the scripts sent to Seo Eunchan were for roles that just involved standing still and smiling. What was that? How boring. So he had rejected them all.
Seo Eunhye nodded as well. It wasn't a reckless request to star in a movie using their past connection; it was just a request to read the script and decide. They could at least do that. Besides, it was a director they had a connection with. She felt more inclined to consider it than offers from strangers.
"Then, should I give you the director's number? Or should I receive it by email and forward it to you?"
"Could you give me his number, please?"
The slip of paper with Director Choi Daeman's number, which she had carefully saved four years ago for Seojun's future, was still tucked away in her notebook.
But it could have changed in four years, so Seo Eunhye entered the number Kang Sora gave her into her phone.
Seo Eunhye first texted Choi Daeman to ask when he was available to talk. She wanted to be on the call when Lee Minjun and Seojun were both present. Choi Daeman replied that any time was fine.
After dinner, the whole family gathered around the phone. Seo Eunhye made the call.
"Oh, a mystery movie."
Seojun and Lee Minjun watched their mom talk to Director Choi Daeman.
"It's a mystery movie."
"Mystery?"
Seojun and his dad searched for mystery genre movies together. There were more genres than he expected. There were movies with ghosts, ones with superpowers, and even detective stories.
"Horror movies are included too. If it's a horror movie, will you be playing a ghost? Do you think you can do it, Seojun?"
"Yeah! Am I a ghost?"
"It's possible. There have been Japanese movies with child ghosts. Or... if it's a detective movie, maybe you're the victim?"
"Victim?"
"Hmm. Someone who gets hurt by the bad guy?"
Looking at the search results, the two of them eagerly discussed the possible roles he might play. The genre was so broad that there were many potential roles for Seojun.
"What role would Seojun be playing?"
Choi Daeman answered Seo Eunhye's question. After hearing the answer, Seo Eunhye managed a polite goodbye with an ambiguous expression and quietly put down her phone.
Lee Minjun and Seojun, curious about the call with Director Choi Daeman, hovered in front of Seo Eunhye. Seo Eunhye looked half-dazed.
"What's wrong?"
"Mom, what's my role?"
"Isn't it a ghost? You said it's a mystery movie."
Was it that surprising? Seo Eunhye, who had been looking Seojun up and down, finally spoke.
"A shaman."
"...What?"
In response to Lee Minjun's questioning tone, Seo Eunhye repeated herself.
"The role of a child shaman who exorcises ghosts."
A shaman?
"What's a shaman?"
Seojun tugged on the hands of his parents, who were looking at him with complicated expressions, murmuring "A shaman? A child shaman?"
Lee Seojun, age six. In this life, he had never seen a shaman on television, in the newspaper, or in a storybook. In fact, he had never even heard the word "shaman" before.
Seo Eunhye printed out the script she received from Choi Daeman. It wasn't the full script, just the pages with Seojun's scenes. She also printed a file containing Choi Daeman's background story for the child shaman character.
"Do shamans wear clothes like this?"
"Yeah. They're colorful, right?"
"Why?"
"...Well? Dad doesn't know either."
Meanwhile, Lee Minjun explained to Seojun what a shaman was. When he searched for images of shamans, the results were filled with pictures of people in colorful, extravagant clothes with their arms spread wide. Seojun frowned as he looked at the photos.
"What are they doing here?"
"That's..."
Unable to say, 'They're performing a ritual on sharp blades,' Lee Minjun quickly scrolled to the next picture.
"You won't be doing this, Seojun."
He knew without even looking at the script. Who would make a six-year-old do something like that?
The next picture was no less intense. It was a blurry photo, filled with afterimages, as if it had captured a shaman with disheveled hair dancing wildly. Lee Minjun sighed.
"Is this dancing?"
"This... is a ritual."
"A ritual?"
"It's a way to drive out evil spirits that have entered a person's body. A dance to make all the bad things go away."
Lee Minjun explained as best he could. Seojun blinked.
"How do you become a shaman?"
"A very powerful god enters the shaman's body. The shaman borrows that power to tell fortunes."
"If something enters your body, isn't it an evil spirit?"
"...Help!"
Lee Minjun raised a white flag. Teasing his dad was fun. Seojun giggled. He didn't know the word 'shaman,' but after listening to his dad, he had a rough idea of what it was. So, it was like a priest or a clergyman. Or maybe an archangel.
"Alright, Seojun. Shall we read the script?"
"Okay!"
As they all sat on the sofa, Seo Eunhye slowly read the script aloud. The child shaman's part wasn't long, but it was a very important role.
Seo Eunhye's calm voice, like she was reading a bedtime story, came to a stop. She asked Seojun, who had been listening intently.
"What do you think? Do you want to do it?"
"Yeah!"
Seojun nodded. Unlike the other scripts, this one had lines, and he wasn't just smiling blankly. Plus, it was in what could be called the climax of the movie.
"Okay. I'll call the director then."
Seo Eunhye picked up her phone and made the call. The recipient was Director Choi Daeman.
Seojun handed the printed A4 sheets of the script to his dad, who was sitting next to him. Then he climbed onto Lee Minjun's lap, who had taken the papers in surprise.
"What's this?"
"Read it with me. I have to memorize my lines!"
Lee Minjun's eyes widened, then he smiled and patted Seojun's head.
"Practicing already? Alright. Dad will help you."
Seojun leaned his back against Lee Minjun's stomach and looked at the script his dad was holding. He skipped the scene numbers and background descriptions at the beginning, reading only the parts he needed to know, like the stage directions and dialogue.
"Suhyuk knocks on the door. No other sound can be heard. Aft..."
"After several knocks."
"After several knocks, the door creaks open and a young child appears. Suhyuk, is this where the skill...?"
"Skillful."
"skillful shaman is supposed to be..."
Lee Minjun helped him with the difficult words or those with complex final consonants. Seojun slowly read through the script.
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