Superstar From Age 0
Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Sara Roth was nervously waiting for someone while sipping her coffee. She had already achieved half of the success criteria by casting Seo-jun as the lead actor, and the other half depended on the music.

The door of the cafe opened and a person entered. Sara Roth, who had been anxiously staring at the entrance, sprang to her feet.

“Professor Morton!”

Their eyes met as Benjamin Morton heard his name. He nodded his head in greeting and sat down in front of Sara Roth.

The waiter took their order and left.

“Nice to meet you, Professor Morton. I’m Sara Roth, the film director.”

“Hello. I’m Benjamin Morton.”

There were two people that Sara Roth wanted to work with when she first planned this movie. One was the actor, Seo-jun Lee, and the other was Benjamin Morton, who was sitting here.

Benjamin Morton.

He was a musician who had made a name for himself as a violinist and a composer. He had been active until ten years ago, but he retired due to personal reasons and now he was teaching students at a music college near his home.

He only gave a special lecture once a week, but the number of applicants for the composition and violin departments increased because of him.

Benjamin Morton was not only a skilled violinist, but also a composer whose music moved people’s hearts. His songs were enough to become someone’s life song.

There were even concerts that featured only his songs, and they were sold out every day.

The best feature of Benjamin Morton’s songs, according to people, was ‘emotion’.

It was easy to tell what the performer wanted to express just by listening. And that ‘emotion that the audience could easily feel’ was what Sara Roth needed for her musical movie.

After the greetings and the coffee arrived, Benjamin Morton took a sip and Sara Roth opened her mouth.

“Did you read the synopsis and the script?”

“Yes. I liked them. It was a story that made me think a lot.”

Hmm. Sara Roth suppressed the smile that was about to form on her lips at Benjamin Morton’s soft voice.

It seemed like it would be easier than she thought. Benjamin Morton took another sip of his coffee and opened his mouth.

“Wouldn’t it be better to use some famous classical pieces instead of my songs? There must be some suitable ones.”

“Yes. There might be some, but I need your songs, Professor Morton. I want to deliver vivid emotions to the audience.”

Benjamin Morton paused for a moment at Sara Roth’s words and opened his mouth.

“I have a favor to ask you in exchange for writing my songs.”

“Yes.”

Sara Roth’s eyes sparkled at his half-consenting words. Benjamin Morton held his coffee cup with his thumb and his expression darkened.

“Have you found a violinist to play the protagonist’s part?”

“No. Not yet. If it’s not rude, I’d like to ask you, Professor. Do you know any violinists who can play the role of the protagonist?”

Benjamin Morton sighed in relief.

“That’s what I wanted to ask you. I have a student and I’d like you to give him the part.”

Benjamin Morton’s student!

Sara Roth cheered inwardly. His playing skills would be guaranteed by Benjamin Morton, and she had one more selling point.

“I’d be more than happy to ask you!”

“Thank you. Then I’ll send you the songs as soon as they’re done.”

Sara Roth, who had been nodding her head, suddenly opened her mouth.

“Professor Morton.”

“Yes?”

“Would you mind teaching our actors?”

“Actors, you mean?”

Benjamin Morton tilted his head.

“Yes. We’ll use a stand-in for the playing, but the actors have to shoot the playing scenes. They have to match the timing of the music and the posture, and I’d like you to help them. I’d like to have a two-week intensive lesson before the shooting and your help during the shooting.”

Benjamin Morton thought for a moment and nodded his head.

“Can I bring my student along?”

“Yes. Of course!”

“I see. Okay. Then please contact me when the schedule is set. I have to adjust it with my college lectures.”

“Thank you!”

Sara Roth left with a bright face and Benjamin Morton went back to his home. He left a text message to his damned student and turned off his phone. He was sure he would make a fuss.

***

“Benjamin Morton, the professor?”

Seo-jun looked at the laptop screen with a surprised face. Sara Roth smiled and nodded as if she was waiting for his reaction.

He had learned about various violinists from his teacher, Jeong Isul, while he was learning the violin.

Among them, he also heard about Benjamin Morton. The songs that his teacher played for him were very touching and beautiful.

‘He said he was the professor he respected the most…’

He wondered if his teacher would faint if he heard this story. Seo-jun smiled inwardly.

-Yes. He’ll give you a two-week lesson and help you during the shooting.

“That’s great. But the song came out really fast.”

-I thought it would take longer, too, but it came out faster than I expected. And I didn’t expect such a good song!

Sara Roth was so impressed by the song that the student of Benjamin Morton played that she thought Benjamin Morton had read her mind. She couldn’t imagine that a song that matched her image so well would come out. She was lucky!

“So the song is done?”

-Yeah. All you need to do is practice.

“Are the other actors casted?”

-The first and second auditions are over, and only the final audition is left. Now it’s time for the set to be built and the art team to work hard.

Sara Roth smiled lightly. The production budget was generous, so everyone was working happily.

-The shooting schedule is roughly decided. The other actors have to go to school, and Jun has to go to school too, so we decided to shoot during the summer vacation next year. Of course, you’ll have to come to the US before the summer vacation.

Seo-jun knew that from Andaho. Andaho, Kings Agency, and Whale Studio had discussed the school attendance. For My Way, they filmed in Korea, and used early dismissal and weekends to film, so it didn’t affect the attendance much, but this filming was different.

‘No paid leave.’

The adults and Seo-jun thought so.

Because they had to film in the US, there were many days off, so Andaho went to Masil Elementary School and checked how many days Seo-jun had to attend, and told Kings Agency. After adjusting, the date was roughly decided.

“Yes. I understand. Please contact me when it’s confirmed.”

-Okay. Practice hard!

He hung up the phone and Seo-jun printed the sheet music. He had improved his ability to read sheet music while learning the violin for a few months.

Along with Seo-jun’s gaze, the fingers with the violin pattern on them moved along the notes on the sheet music.

“Wow.”

Seo-jun exclaimed as he read the sheet music.

The calm performance surged and shone brilliantly at the end. He felt like he had become a real violinist as he practiced hard for a few months.

He wanted to play this song. His hands were itching as he fiddled with the violin case.

“Seo-jun, let’s eat!”

“Okay!”

But it was time to eat dinner.

‘I’ll have to play it tomorrow.’

He swallowed a sigh of regret and got up from his seat to eat dinner.

“This is Professor Morton’s song?!”

“Yes. He helped us with our movie.”

“Hollywood class is different!”

Jung Isul’s eyes sparkled. Her favorite song to play on the violin was Benjamin Morton’s song.

Jung Isul read the sheet music down. She had seen sheet music all her life, so she read the song faster than Seo-jun.

It was a really cool song, just as Seo-jun felt, calm and intense and shining at the end.

Jung Isul came to her senses as she imagined herself playing. This was not a song for her to play, but for Seo-jun.

“Is this what you’re going to play?”

“Yes. You just have to match the hand movements and the timing of using the bow. The real performance will be done by a violinist.”

“I see. Okay. Let’s do it.”

Seo-jun, who had put the violin on his chin, called Jung Isul.

“But, teacher.”

“Yes?”

“If we practice well, let’s practice for real. So we can play it.”

Jung Isul nodded at Seo-jun’s words. Seo-jun was really good at playing the violin, even though he had only been taught for a few months.

He learned quickly and didn’t forget what he was taught. Jung Isul was amazed and exhausted by Seo-jun’s changing appearance every day.

He was incomparable to the other kids she had tutored. He was so fast at improving his skills that she wondered if Seo-jun and Choi Suhee had tricked her.

But Jung Isul soon shook her head. If she searched the internet a little, she would find stories about Seo-jun’s talent.

[Title: Playing soccer with actor Lee Seo-jun!]

My friend is a promising soccer player and he called me to play soccer on the weekend, but he said he had a prior engagement. So I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was playing soccer with his younger friend. So I said let’s play together. He said OK and we gathered the soccer club kids and went to the school playground, and Lee Seo-jun was there. At first, no one recognized himㅋㅋ It was so out of the blueㅋㅋ Why are you here?

Anyway, the director who was in the soccer club room because of work was surprised and ran out, and the soccer club kids who got the call also ran overㅋㅋ But we didn’t tell anyone outside, so there weren’t many peopleㅋ We got autographs and took pictures and played a game and it was funㅋ

—He said I could post this.

-Choiㅁㅁ thx! I didn’t expect to see Lee Seo-jun!! I got an autograph too!!

-I played a game with Lee Seo-jun! He was really good.

Choiㅁㅁ : He’s better than ㅁㅅㅋㅋ

<……I admit, he’s better than me, a middle school third grader, even though he’s a fourth grader. Acting, soccer, what can’t he do?

-Choiㅁㅁ : Nothingㅋ

-Did you see the director asking him if he wanted to play soccer as a hobby?

-ㅋㅋ Seo-jun was funny tooㅋㅋ He said he would think about it if he made a soccer movieㅋㅋ

-There’s only Choi Si Hyuk who’s close to Seo-jun among soccer players. They appeared in a cameo together.

-Middle school third grader Choi Si Hyuk, tells his friend that Seo-jun is better!

=Friend who played with Seo-jun, agrees!

-The director asking him if he wanted to play soccer as a hobbyㅋㅋ

-A soccer movieㅋㅋ Is it a sequel to the movieㅋㅋ

-ㅋㅋAs expected, he’s recommended to the national team for whatever he doesㅋ

Seo-jun’s talent was not only in violin. Soccer, horse riding, taekwondo. He had amazing talent that crossed fields.

It seemed like the sky had poured out various talents when creating the person named Seo-jun.

Jung Isul, who had given up early, opened her mouth.

“Let’s try what we practiced last time first.”

“Okay!”

Seo-jun lifted the bow. He pressed the violin strings hard with his fingers and pulled the bow. The violin patterns on the tips of his fingers sparkled.

[(Line) Violin Dream Fairy’s Basic Lesson is activated.]

[(Line) Violin Dream Fairy’s Basic Lesson-Low Level]

The violin dream fairy finds a child with great talent.

Your understanding of the violin increases.

Your finger movements become easier.

Your sense of pitch and rhythm improves.

The dream fairy, who teaches the child in the child’s dream as a dream fairy, leaves the content learned in the dream in the child’s subconscious, and helps a lot when the child plays the violin.

There was a similar fairy who made him feel ‘I got inspiration in my dream!’ as a composition dream fairy.

In a word, it was an ability to learn the violin more easily. It was an ability that suited Seo-jun, who had to learn the violin.

‘I flipped through six bookshelves.’

Seo-jun smiled bitterly and moved the bow.

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Spring. First movement.

A cheerful violin sound was heard. The lesson that was supposed to practice only the posture became a serious violin lesson.

Jung Isul saw the beautiful violin sound and Seo-jun’s precise movements. Seo-jun was focused on the music, playing with a serious expression.

Who would think that this kid had only learned for a few months? He had grown so much, even though he only had a few songs to learn.

‘He’s fast at understanding and learning. If he learns the violin properly from the beginning, he’ll be amazing.’

Jung Isul regretted the dazzling talent.

‘He would do well if he learned… But he won’t, right?’

Jung Isul had to give up, knowing that Seo-jun was learning the violin because of the movie.