Chapter 53
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Hero or Villain
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This time, they were filming on an outdoor set. Large trees stood around a field of lush green grass.
A neat running track, perfect for a sprint, looped around the set, which was surrounded by green screens.
"Looks like they can build just about anything. Right, Seojun?"
"Dad, it looks just like Central Park."
At his son's words, Lee Minjun looked around again and nodded. It was identical to the Central Park from their first shoot, as if they had replicated it from a photograph.
"But why are there green screens?"
"They're planning to composite the reservoir with CG. It would be a waste of money to build an actual reservoir."
A voice suddenly cut in, startling the two of them.
They turned to see a blonde woman with a bright smile. Minjun and Seojun greeted her warmly.
"Hi, Richel!"
"Hahaha. Hi, Jun! And hello to you."
"Hello."
Richel Hill waved to them. The three sat down on chairs in the actors' waiting area near the outdoor set. Seojun asked a question.
"If the background is supposed to be Central Park, why don't we just film there?"
"Because the whole plot would be leaked. Everyone's dying to know if William is a hero or a villain. What do you think would happen if we just started saying our lines out in the open?"
"Oh, right."
"Mind if I join?"
As he was talking with Richel Hill, another person joined them. It was Evan Block. The three actors and Minjun sat together, chatting pleasantly.
"Evan, you start filming your fight scenes the day after tomorrow, right? Can I come watch?"
"There won't be much to see even if you come. The background, my opponent—it's all just green screens. Besides, I'm not the one actually doing the fighting. A stuntman handles most of it. I just pose for the close-ups and bust shots, wearing a skin-tight suit covered in sensors."
Evan let out a heavy sigh. Everyone laughed. They were all picturing the behind-the-scenes footage of *Shadowman 1* that had been circulating online, showing the pre-CG work.
"Shadowman's attacks are mostly CG, so there's really nothing to see."
"I still want to go!"
"Can I come too?"
"Fine. But shouldn't you be asking the director for permission, not me?"
"Okay! I will!"
Seeing Director Ryan Will walking over, Seojun ran up and asked him. The director gave his permission immediately.
"He said it's okay!"
"...The director really seems to like you, Jun."
"Hee hee hee."
The three of them laughed at Seojun, who didn't bother to deny it. *Why would I? I really like the director, too.*
Minjun took the snacks he'd brought for Seojun out of his bag and shared them with the three actors. Richel, munching on a treat, spoke with a cheerful laugh.
"Speaking of which, I heard you had a blooper? Evan, I've seen you ask for a retake because you weren't satisfied with your own performance, but an actual NG is a surprise."
"Ah, that."
Evan stroked his chin. *Might as well give her a heads-up. We have that scene today, after all.*
"I was just so surprised. Jun's entire aura changed in an instant."
"His aura?"
"It's hard to put into words... You'll know when you see it. You should probably brace yourself."
Taking Evan Block's advice, Richel Hill's eyes darted over to Seojun. The boy, focused on munching the snack his father had given him, tilted his head at her stare.
Director Ryan Will approached the four of them. The two actors headed to the dressing room to change, and Minjun stepped away to take a call from Kim Heesang.
Director Ryan Will sat down in front of Seojun.
"Today's shoot is the most important one."
"I know!"
"This scene will be the turning point."
Director Ryan Will began, his expression serious.
"Whether he becomes a hero or a villain... it all depends on the aura you project."
Seojun gave a solemn nod.
Filming began. Multiple cameras, positioned all around, focused on Seojun and Evan.
Seojun and Evan took their positions. Evan went through his usual routine of light stretches. Seojun tapped his feet on the ground,
[(Good) Baron Cat's Elegant Footsteps has been activated.]
and touched the power resting within his chest.
[(Evil) The Melancholy Scent of a Solitary Flower has been activated.]
Without using a breathing technique, Seojun balanced the dark and light energies flowing from his body.
*Don't be swayed by the two types of mana. Find the center.* He let out a low breath. By now, he was quite adept at controlling their intensity.
"Ready, action!"
A blonde woman came running from the side. It was Belle Natra. Seeing the boy, she narrowed her eyes and raised her voice.
"Where have you been?! I was looking all over for you."
"..."
Belle, who had lived far longer than him, should have known something was wrong. The boy just looked at her silently. Sensing the strangeness, Belle glared at Mac, who was standing behind the child. Mac quickly shook his hands, gesturing his innocence.
Then, Belle spotted the pendant hanging around Mac's neck. Her eyes widened. *That thing. Why does he have that?* Her gaze drifted down toward Mac's feet.
Unable to bear the continued scrutiny, the impatient shadow twitched first. A glint appeared in Belle's eyes.
"You."
Just as Belle was about to speak,
"I was adopted."
The boy's words startled both Mac and Belle, who turned to look at him. He had averted his gaze from Belle and was now staring at the reservoir.
"My siblings all possessed outstanding abilities. I was the only ordinary one."
Belle, who had grown up with the boy, was at a loss. He turned his head to look at Mac.
The once-sparkling eyes were now submerged in darkness.
Mac's brow furrowed. Something was wrong. He felt a strange unease.
Mac's shadow, which had been pretending to be ordinary, twitched.
*Danger. Danger. Danger!*
"The father who adopted me seemed disappointed in me; he never said a word to me. I didn't want to be left behind. I wanted my father's love. So, for my beloved father, I did everything I could, the best I could. But I was of a different race, and the results were never good enough."
The boy—no, *his* eyes glinted with a deadly light.
"But what is this?
Mac gulped at the boy's lowered voice. Belle, fidgeting, sent a signal to someone. He tilted his head.
"My life was here. Look over there."
He pointed to a child holding his parents' hands, laughing happily. Anyone could see they were a happy family.
"I could have lived like that. I had parents here who would have loved me regardless of my abilities. You saw them earlier, didn't you? Asking me to just stay alive, no matter where I was."
He gave a hollow laugh. His birth parents were still waiting for him, still loving him.
Mac felt the aura radiating from him before he could even process the words.
*This is...!*
Mac's flustered expression hardened in an instant. It was an energy he could never forget. His shadow flickered.
"But my father ruined that."
"Natra!"
He laughed at the sound of Mac's voice. Startled, Belle grabbed the boy's shoulder. *How did he know?!*
But the boy's hollow voice stopped her from speaking. Her hand trembled.
"That's right. Natra."
Seojun moved.
[(Evil) The Melancholy Scent of a Solitary Flower has been activated.]
[(Evil) Basic Demonic Breathing has been activated.]
[(Good) Baron Cat's Elegant Footsteps has been deactivated.]
He poured more and more power into the dark energy.
"I am Jin Natra, son of King Natra."
Malice erupted from Jin Natra's body. The chilling energy felt as if it would devour him whole, and Mac took a step back.
Belle unknowingly released her grip on Jin Natra's shoulder. Around them, people exposed to the energy collapsed one by one.
Oblivious to Belle looking around in a panic, Jin Natra tilted his head.
*The man still standing after being exposed to this energy... the man with the flickering shadow.*
"I know who you are."
"Damn it! What are you doing?!"
Mac shouted, seeing the people collapsing around them.
Memories from a year ago flooded his mind. Buildings collapsing under the attack of the Natra fleet. People falling, bleeding. A woman crying over her lost son.
The memory was etched into his heart like a trauma. He clenched his fists hard enough to draw blood. His shadow moved as if in response.
Seeing this, Jin Natra smiled and continued.
"Just like that human said. Mac. No... Shadowman."
"..."
*That's the man who stopped us five years ago?! But that pendant... that shadow...!* Belle's mind was reeling.
Mac stared at Jin Natra with a dazed expression. For a moment, Jin Natra's face—the face of a ten-year-old boy who should have been growing up loved by his parents—twisted in anguish.
"You should have defeated the Natra. And..."
The boy who had lost his happy life with his mother and father shed a single tear, which trickled down his cheek.
"You should have saved me."
"Cut! OK!"
Director Ryan shouted. But no one moved. They could only stare blankly at Seojun.
Back at the memorial, everyone had been stunned by the sudden shift in his aura. They had thought that alone was incredible. But this was different. A performance far beyond that had just unfolded before them.
Seojun quickly deactivated the evil-aligned skills and activated [Basic Elven Breathing]. Then, he waved his right hand.
[(Good) Lesser Angel's Fan - Low Grade has been activated.]
[(Good) Lesser Angel's Fan - Low Grade]
A warm breeze blows.
Has a chance to free targets from status ailments.
Is highly effective against the lowest grades of dark energy.
The warm breeze from Seojun's hand roused the few people who had succumbed to the scent-induced depression, and its gentle touch also snapped the dazed onlookers back to their senses.
Once the lingering dark energy dissipated from the few affected people, Seojun deactivated the ability with a sigh.
The evil-aligned skills were so difficult to use. Finding the right one was hard enough, but dealing with the aftermath was just as troublesome.
*'I'm glad I found a good counter-ability.'*
As long as he had [(Good) Lesser Angel's Fan], he could use the lowest-grade skills without any worries.
Since [(Evil) The Melancholy Scent of a Solitary Flower] used scent as its medium, it wouldn't have much of an effect on the audience watching the movie.
*'Still, that 'aura' will remain.'*
After all, wasn't that what happened with the audition tape Director Ryan Will saw? It had been powerful enough to make him fly from the US to Korea immediately.
As Seojun was checking his mana levels, he heard Jonathan's voice.
"Let's get ready for the next take!"
At his call, everyone returned to their positions.
Seojun wiped away his tear and went to get his makeup touched up. Richel limply sank to the grassy ground.
She swept back her golden hair, which glittered in the sun, and spoke with a dazed expression.
"If you hadn't warned me, I would have messed up the take. And if I'd caused a blooper during a performance like that, I don't think the director would ever have let me live it down."
Evan Block, sitting across from her, laughed at her words. He was sure that when Richel Hill had let go of Seojun's shoulder, it hadn't been acting—it had been real.
"I almost messed up myself."
"? But you've already been through it once, haven't you?"
Evan Block rubbed the back of his neck. Even under the bright sun, a chill remained there, and he couldn't forget the cold sweat that had trickled down his back.
"His eyes were different. During the memorial scene, I wasn't looking him in the eye."
Evan Block recalled Seojun's dark eyes. The pupils that had once looked so kind had transformed, first with pain, then finally with resentment. The stark transition had almost made him forget his lines. And the aura that matched those eyes...
"And..."
Evan Block glanced at the spot where he'd been standing during the take. It felt as if the scent still lingered in the air.
A damp scent had drifted from somewhere, and with it, a sudden, overwhelming wave of melancholy.
The very emotions Jin Natra must have been feeling had crashed over Evan Block.
Sorrow. Resentment. Melancholy. Agony.
*If I take even one step back, I'll be devoured.*
With that thought, Evan Block channeled that melancholy, transforming it into the emotions stemming from Mac's own trauma.
It wasn't easy, but he did his best to at least appear that way on the surface. It was the first time he had ever acted so improvisationally, without any plan. It was a completely different feeling.
*'It's fine now that the scent is gone... but was that smell just my imagination?'*
As he thought about the new analysis he would have to write in his notebook on Seojun Lee, Evan Block let out a hollow laugh.
"Really. He's a completely different actor every time I see him."
"Is he that different?"
"Just wait until they film the close-up. It's going to be insane."
And he was right.
First, the camera director filming the close-up, James Landon, was left speechless.
So was Director Ryan Will, who was watching the monitor. And so was Richel Hill, who, despite hesitating for fear of being scolded, couldn't tear her eyes from the screen. Even a few of the staff members behind them, who were pretending not to watch, were captivated.
They were all overwhelmed, not just by the gradual, chilling shift in his gaze, but by the sheer resentment pouring from the boy's small frame.
The damp scent and the melancholy that clung to their ankles made it hard to breathe. The depressing aroma seemed to clog every pore.
*Breathing? How do you do that again? Like this?*
Unlike everyone else, who was lost in Jin Natra's emotions, Seojun himself was perfectly calm.
He had given his all to the performance, and when the call to "cut" didn't come, he simply deactivated his skills and waved his right hand to activate [(Good) Lesser Angel's Fan].
With his job done, he just stood there, blankly enjoying the sunshine. The sun felt nice. It wasn't too cold or too hot, just pleasantly warm.
As the damp scent faded, Director Ryan Will was the first to snap out of it and yell.
"Cut! OK!"
Only then did everyone else come to their senses, rubbing their arms. *Wow, that was incredible. I've never seen anything like it.* They all stared in amazement at Seojun Lee, who was just standing there looking around.
"Looking at him now, he doesn't seem any different from other kids..."
"He's tall for his age."
"And handsome."
"But above all, his acting is on another level."
The staff members nodded in agreement. At a gesture from Director Ryan Will, Seojun went over to the monitor. His own face appeared on the large screen. Seeing the transformation in his expression that he couldn't see himself, Seojun let out a gasp of admiration. Looking at it now,
"Wow, I'm really good."
"Yes, you are. You're incredible."
Director Ryan Will roughly ruffled Seojun's hair. Evan Block and Richel Hill followed suit, patting his now-messy hair. Seojun giggled.
Jonathan checked the schedule in his hand and called out.
"That's a wrap for today! Great work, everyone!"
Minjun, who had been standing too far away to see the monitor, broke into a wide smile at the announcement and called out to his son.
"Seojun, Mom's on the phone!"
"Really?!"
Seojun's face lit up as he ran to his dad.
James Landon watched as Seojun took a carton of orange juice from Minjun and started a video call with his mom. Seeing no trace of the malice-radiating Jin Natra from moments before, he let out a dry laugh.
"Now I understand why he went through hell for eight months."
He had been shocked when Jonathan called to say Director Ryan Will, after agonizing over the script rewrite, had set the new draft on fire. Now, he finally understood why. Director Ryan Will smiled.
"You can't call yourself a director if you let an actor like that get away."
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