Chapter 68
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Jin Natra
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“A DVD?”
Seojun tilted his head, meeting with the president of the Galaxy Center in the conference room.
“Yes. Musicals and plays are often made into DVDs for sale. It would be a shame for us to be the only ones to see it, so we'd like to make a DVD. And a VOD, too.”
*A DVD.*
Seojun was lost in thought. The unique thing about a play was that no two performances were ever the same. The script, stage, and props were identical, but the actors' moods and synergy changed with each show. There were clear differences even during rehearsals. Seojun found this both fun and a little disappointing.
When his hyungs and nunas delivered a flawless performance, he'd think it would be great to film it and make it into a movie.
Then, in the very next rehearsal, if someone burst out laughing and the stage erupted in a sea of laughter, that was also wonderful in its own way.
It truly felt like the stage was alive. The more they practiced and the closer the performance date came, the more he looked forward to the stage they would create with his hyungs and nunas, in front of an audience.
To capture such a performance on video! Seojun nodded repeatedly.
“I'm fine with it, but what about the nunas and hyungs?”
The president smiled brightly at Seojun's question. As soon as the DVD recording was mentioned, the actors and their guardians all agreed without a single objection.
“Everyone agreed.”
“Then I'm okay with it too.”
As Seojun gave his consent, An Daho also nodded. It was clear Cocoa Entertainment would agree since Seojun did, but they still needed to discuss the contract terms and profit sharing.
“Then we'll be in touch soon.”
“We'll be waiting. By the way, we need the name that will go on the pamphlet—your stage name. Have you decided on one?”
The performance was just around the corner. It was time to create the promotional materials and pamphlets to hand out to the audience.
“For the photo, we're planning to use the blue dragon drawing from the last rehearsal. We just need you to decide on a stage name.”
At the president's words, Seojun smiled a little shyly and spoke. His mom, dad, Heesang Samchon, and Chan Samchon had all gathered to discuss his stage name. From the several candidates, Seojun chose the one he liked the most.
“Please make my stage name Jin Natra.”
The president blinked. The name, which sounded like a place name, brought a certain character to mind when associated with Seojun.
“Is that…”
“You know who it is?”
Seojun giggled.
***
From the day the DVD contract was discussed, the stage began to grow more and more spectacular. As if to show the power of a generous budget, devices one might only see on famous foreign stages appeared, and the moving props helped the children's practice become even more perfect.
Choi Soyoung watched the stage, dumbfounded. At the age of fourteen, she had already appeared in six plays, including a musical for children. But she had never seen a stage production with this much effort put into it. Her acting academy friend, Lee Dajin, who had been in two plays with her, felt the same.
“At this rate, I'll get into character automatically.”
“I know, right? But for getting into character, he's the best.”
“You mean Seojun?”
“Seriously, he's amazing. I don't know how he can do that with just his voice.”
Choi Soyoung recalled their rehearsals. The two weeks of scene-by-scene practice had been impressive, but the group rehearsals were the real game-changer.
“Do you need that level of acting skill to make it in Hollywood?”
“Maybe.”
“I'll never make it, then.”
Lee Dajin laughed at Choi Soyoung's weary expression.
“Well, it was pretty amazing. We all made a wish at least once, didn't we?”
“Dajin, you really wanted to make a wish then, didn't you?”
“Yeah!”
Lee Dajin nodded without a moment's hesitation at Choi Soyoung's words. The two giggled at her absurdly honest answer.
***
A few more group rehearsals had passed.
Lee Dajin, who was eating a snack, shot her hand up. She was so curious she couldn't stand it anymore.
Her friend Choi Soyoung's acting was the same as usual in other scenes, but whenever the blue dragon appeared, her performance transformed into something truly magnificent.
As if she were genuinely making a desperate wish. And the blue dragon, as if responding, exuded an incredible aura. Watching that scene made you feel like the blue dragon would really grant your wish.
Just like how you might make a wish at a temple or a church even if you don't follow the religion or have your doubts, Lee Dajin wanted to make a wish to the great blue dragon.
“I want to make a wish too!”
“What?”
Director Park Jisu asked, confused by Lee Dajin's sudden outburst. *Oops.* Realizing she had spoken her thoughts aloud, Lee Dajin quickly tacked on an explanation.
“Seojun's acting is so realistic, I'm curious what it would feel like to act with him! Soyoung's skills have improved a lot too!”
At her words, the other children raised their hands one by one, and the guardians gave Lee Dajin a silent round of applause.
Director Park Jisu looked at Seojun, who was eating pizza. Seojun, who had been munching away happily, looked up as he heard his name.
Honestly, Director Park Jisu had also been impressed by Choi Soyoung's acting, how she truly became a child who believed in the blue dragon in that scene.
*'But in the scenes before that, her acting is just at her usual level. If Seojun's performance can elevate even Soyoung's acting, what would happen if he acted with the other kids?'*
Director Park Jisu put down his pizza slice and looked at Seojun, who was watching him, and the other children with sparkling eyes, then asked Seojun.
“What do you think, Seojun?”
“It's fine.”
Seojun replied and then looked at the other children. *Hmm. There are fifteen of them, and if I exclude Soyoung nuna, that's fourteen. Doing it fourteen times is too much.*
Checking his remaining divine energy, Seojun, who was adept at mental division, asked back.
“Can we do it in groups of four?”
“Yeah!”
“Go ahead.”
Everyone nodded. Soon, the stage was set. The blue dragon appeared on stage. It was the prop the stage director had poured the most effort into and completed first, yet it was still being modified. A blue dragon model that looked like it had been taken straight out of an amusement park parade.
Its long whiskers stretched to both ends of the stage, and its large, sharp eyes looked down upon the stage and the audience.
Its long, undulating body appeared on the screen like a wave.
The stage darkened, and Seojun, standing behind a panel, picked up the microphone. Then, he pressed the switch the stage director had painstakingly crafted.
*Blink.*
The blue dragon's eyes closed and opened.
“Ever since that day, the children's skills seem to have really improved.”
“Well, it's limited to this play, though.”
“Experiences like this build a foundation.”
The guardians and academy staff chatted quietly. As the academy staff member said, the children became much better at immersing themselves in their roles, but only in this play. They moved not like actors, but like residents living in a real fairy tale.
“When I asked how they could do it, they said the blue dragon feels so real that, at least on stage, it feels like they're living in a world where it exists.”
“My kid was staring at the prop box the other day.”
“The prop box?”
“Yes. The pieces of the Yeouiju that the main character collects were inside.”
“Ah, I think I get it.”
“Yeah. They said it feels like if they took it and made a wish, it would really come true. They were wondering if they should try.”
“Kids do tend to have a hard time distinguishing reality from imagination sometimes.”
“To be honest…”
Someone laughed shyly.
The guardians had grown close while discussing how to maintain secrecy and taking turns buying snacks.
“Even I find myself making a wish along with Soyoung when she does during group rehearsals.”
“Well, the blue dragon god does have an incredible presence.”
The guardians' conversation eventually reached the president's ears through an employee. Once again, the president's eyes lit up.
***
“Hey. Are we really watching this?”
“It was the cheapest. Let's go to a PC bang with the money we have left.”
“Seriously, this is embarrassing.”
At Kim Soohan's words, his friend rubbed his face in frustration. They had a summer vacation assignment to watch a play or a musical. The school provided a subsidy, so they could watch a reasonably priced performance for free.
“Still, we're high schoolers now. Isn't a children's play a bit much?”
“Everything else was sold out. We should just watch it quickly and go have fun with no worries.”
He had a point, but his friend sighed again.
“You know you have to write a report on this, right?”
“I know. I'll just write something like 'I rediscovered my inner child.' It's not a well-known play, so the teacher won't know the ticket price.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
They were already in front of the Galaxy Center, so it was too late to turn back. Kim Soohan and his friend went inside.
“…Is this really a children's play?”
“It is…”
For a children's play, there were a lot of adults. There was a group that seemed to have come together, and many families as well. Half children, half adults. The friend blinked and then nodded.
“It's a play with only kids, so their families and friends must have come to watch.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
“Well, it's better than it being just the two of us awkwardly.”
Among the audience, one group stood out. It was a group of only adults, with not a single child.
Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun held pamphlets. Kim Heesang and Seo Eunchan were also there, and Seojun's grandparents had come to see their grandson's first play.
“I think this is Seojun.”
Underneath a well-drawn dragon, it said 'Jin Natra / Age 8'. While everyone was focused on the pamphlet, Seo Eunchan looked around.
“Hey, there are more people here than I expected.”
“They seem to be from the acting academies, President.”
An Daho appeared out of nowhere. *Gasp!* Startled, Seo Eunchan clutched his chest. *My heart almost stopped!*
Ignoring her brother, Seo Eunhye asked.
“Acting academies?”
“It seems they told a few people that Seojun would be performing.”
An Daho's gaze shifted to the people who looked like academy directors and instructors. Their subtle expressions, as if they were itching to speak, showed they knew who was performing. They were all glancing at each other, keeping their mouths shut as if practicing asceticism.
The choice was between capitalizing on Lee Seojun's name value or becoming prey for reporters. The former was the obvious choice.
“Fortunately, they seem to have heeded the advice. There have been no articles or rumors. It looks like the children they brought with them don't know either.”
The children they had brought to show them Seojun's acting looked bored, unaware of the situation. Some were just staring at their phones.
He could overhear them saying things like, "Do we really have to come watch just because a student from our academy is in it? It wasn't like this back in my day."
Seo Eunchan, having finally calmed his racing heart, asked.
“That should be fine, right?”
“Yes, President.”
“Daho. How's Seojun?”
Lee Minjun, who had greeted An Daho that morning as he headed to the Galaxy Center with Seojun, asked the question, and An Daho pointed inside.
“He said he needs to focus from now on and asked to be left alone as much as possible.”
“I see.”
“I heard they're making a DVD of this. When will it be for sale?”
To the grandmother, who wanted to own a copy of her grandson's stage performance, An Daho replied.
“They've decided to sell a recording of the best of the eight performances. So it will probably be sold after the play's run is over.”
“There are still two months left.”
Lee Minjun and Seo Eunhye counted on their fingers, thinking of people to gift the DVD to. They had to send it to the Brown Black guys, and to the US as well.
[The play 'Spring' will begin shortly. We ask all audience members to please take their seats.]
Along with the announcement, a staff member opened the theater doors wide.
People holding a child's hand in one hand and a pamphlet in the other made their way into the theater.
They had expected only family and acquaintances on the first day, and the large auditorium was only sparsely filled.
The only audience members here who weren't connected to the actors were the two male students who had come for their homework assignment.
Unlike the actors' parents, who looked at the empty seats with disappointment, the children seemed a little nervous at the news that people were filling the seats that had been completely empty during rehearsals.
The children, who had been laughing and chatting energetically just moments before, fell silent. Director Park Jisu clapped his hands as usual to draw their attention.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes!”
the children, dressed in well-finished hanboks, replied.
With the pouring budget, there had been changes to the children's costumes as well. When they first planned this play, they had just hoped for it to end decently, but at some point, they began striving to make it feel like a 'real' story.
“Alright, should we do a cheer?”
At Director Park's words, the lead actress, Choi Soyoung, extended her hand. Seojun and the other children gathered in a circle and placed their hands on top of hers.
A staff member filmed the smiling faces of Seojun and the children one by one. It was for the making-of film that would be included in the DVD.
“Spring!”
“Spring!”
“Fighting!!”
An electrifying shiver ran up from their toes. The show was about to begin.
Seojun, holding the turned-off microphone, looked around. Everyone's faces were flushed with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. But no one looked worried.
Seojun smiled at the sight. He knew, and the other children knew as well, just how incredible the stage and the production they had created were.
“Alright, let's begin!”
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