Superstar From Age 0
Chapter 119

Chapter 119

“I still can’t believe it.”

“Me neither.”

The violin students of LA Music Academy gathered in the cafeteria and stared at their phones.

Two days ago, the truth came out that the violin boy was Seo-jun Lee, and Whale Studios started to release information about the movie [Over the Rainbow].

Besides Seo-jun Lee, there were other names that caught the students’ eyes more than anyone else. They were Benjamin Morton and Jason Moore, who participated as consultants.

“Professor Morton was involved too?”

“I had no idea. That’s why he didn’t do the surprise lecture.”

Benjamin Morton taught a special class once a week at LA Music Academy, but sometimes he would stop by the school and give an extra lecture regardless of the scheduled time. The students called it the surprise lecture, and thanks to that, they would come to school even on days without classes.

“I thought he went on a vacation for the summer break.”

“Me too. Or maybe he was helping Jason Moore with his solo concert.”

“Did you get a ticket for the concert?”

“No. The venue was the biggest hall in LA, and it sold out in the early evening.”

“As expected, Jason Moore. He’s Professor Morton’s disciple, and he gets love calls from famous orchestras. I’ve seen him a lot on videos, but I want to hear him live.”

“This time, he’ll use that violin again, right?”

Choi Yoo Sung’s words made everyone’s eyes sparkle.

“The Stradivarius that Professor Morton used when he was active!”

“It’s so romantic that the master’s violin is passed on to his disciple, isn’t it?”

“I prefer Stradivarius over Guarneri.”

As Choi Yoo Sung and his friends chatted, Natalie ran over from afar. She stopped right in front of the table, her face red from running out of breath.

They all looked at her with curious faces.

“What’s going on?”

“They’re filming at the Brad Hall…”

She gasped for air and quickly got to the point. The Brad Hall was the largest hall at LA Music Academy.

It was where the undergraduates held their concerts, and famous orchestras had performed there as guests.

“Filming? What filming?”

“…Over the Rainbow!”

She whispered lowly, wary of the crowded cafeteria. Choi Yoo Sung and his friends felt like they were struck by lightning and perked up their ears. Natalie continued swiftly.

“They’re filming Over the Rainbow. What do you think it means that they’re filming at the Brad Hall? It means that Seo-jun Lee, the main character of the movie, might show up. And there’s a high chance that he’ll play the violin in the scene.”

“But what does the filming have to do with us?”

“Let’s go see him after they finish filming!”

She caught her breath and pointed to one side. It was the direction of the Gudo Museum. Come to think of it, there seemed to be more people heading that way than usual. Natalie opened her mouth.

“They’re recruiting extras to play the audience in front of the Gudo Museum.”

“…?”

“I already did it. It’s first come, first served!”

Natalie’s words hit their brains like a hammer. First come, first served! Choi Yoo Sung and his friends jumped up and ran to where Natalie pointed.

“We’re trying to gather a diverse group of people… but it’s already over.”

“Already?”

“They somehow found out and came on their own.”

The Whale Studios PR team employee said with a smile. LA Music Academy’s Brad Hall waiting room. Seo-jun Lee, dressed in a black suit, asked.

“Will everyone who applied come? What if they can’t make it because they’re busy or something?”

“That might happen, but I heard the audience seats will only be shown for a very brief moment on the screen. It won’t be noticeable. If not, we can just recruit some passing students. This is a college, after all. Well, Jun. Rest well until the performance.”

The PR team employee left and An Da Ho handed Seo-jun a drink. Seo-jun took a sip of the orange juice and smiled.

“It feels more like a concert than a filming. Da Ho hyung.”

“Right. Are you nervous?”

“No. I think it will be fun. It’s a different field, but there are so many people who came to see me that they filled up the audience seats. I’m really excited.”

Knock- Knock-

An Da Ho got up at the sound of knocking and opened the door slightly to check the visitor. There was a bodyguard, but he checked every time, which showed that his nerves were on edge as more people came in.

“It’s bigger than I thought.”

“Jason!”

“It’s going to be a great performance.”

“Professor Benjamin!”

The visitors were Benjamin Morton and Jason Moore. Seo-jun jumped up and greeted the two people who were dressed casually as if they came to watch a concert rather than a movie filming.

Benjamin and Jason were surprised by Seo-jun’s outfit. His hair was neatly combed back without a single strand out of place, and the black tuxedo that he had hardly worn before suited him very well.

“You look like a real violinist in that outfit.”

“Do I look good?”

“Yes. Much better than I expected.”

Seo-jun chuckled at Benjamin and Jason’s compliments.

“Is this the violin you’re going to play?”

“Yes. It sounds really good.”

Jason Moore silently examined the violin. Even if he paid a lot of money and got a good violin, anyone would hesitate to lend it to an eleven-year-old kid who would play it.

This must be the best violin that Sara Roth and Whale Studios could get.

“How about this?”

Jason Moore put the bag he was holding on the table. Seo-jun and An Da Ho wondered what it was and watched Jason Moore open the bag.

It looked like an ordinary bag that he casually carried, but it was a violin case.

Benjamin Morton frowned.

“You’re carrying it around in that bag?”

“Master was too precious with it. That makes it more likely to be targeted.”

“Are you being too harsh?”

“It’s the words of an experienced person.”

The kid who had stolen Benjamin Morton’s violin once said with a smirk. He thought there was money in it because he was so careful with it, but it was just a violin. The disappointment he felt then.

‘It wasn’t a violin to use the word ‘just’.’

Jason Moore opened the bag. Benjamin frowned at the case that opened too easily.

Despite his master’s expression, Jason opened the lid wide. Inside, there was a violin and a bow.

Seo-jun and An Da Ho looked at the brown violin that was quietly sitting inside.

To the eyes of the two ordinary people, it was just an expensive-looking violin, but Seo-jun’s abilities stirred.

He felt something inside the violin. He realized that this was not an ordinary violin.

Jason Moore opened his mouth proudly. The ignorant little thief had no idea how much the violin was worth.

“It’s a Stradivarius.”

“Wow!”

Stradivarius.

One of the three great violins of the violin world, worth at least billions.

At least billions… An Da Ho swallowed his saliva.

He looked at the bag, the violin case, that Jason Moore was carrying around. He felt a chill in his heart as he saw him swinging it around casually, even though he wasn’t the owner.

Seo-jun had heard from his teacher, Jung Ee Seul, about the violin she wanted to play. The Stradivarius that she couldn’t even imagine because of its terrifying price.

“It’s super expensive, right?”

“I got it from my master. I don’t know the exact price, but. So, what do you want to do? Do you want to play with this?”

“Can I?”

“Yes.”

Jason and Benjamin nodded at Seo-jun’s question. Seo-jun, the natural-born actor, wouldn’t hold a concert. But the two of them were curious about the melody that Seo-jun and Gray would play with the Stradivarius.

Seo-jun’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the Stradivarius.

***

“But…”

Choi Yoo Sung, who sat in his assigned seat, suddenly wondered if his outfit was okay.

“Concerts usually have a dress code, right? And this is a movie filming where every costume has a meaning. Is it okay to wear this?”

Jeans and a T-shirt. He felt like he came to the wrong place and suddenly became anxious. Natalie patted Choi Yoo Sung’s shoulder.

“It’s okay. There aren’t many people wearing suits.”

As Natalie said, there weren’t many people wearing suits in the wide and spacious audience seats. It didn’t seem like they only gathered students, but there were people of various ages.

There were chattering children, the couple who owned the pizza place he often went to, couples with children, and people who looked like patients. Their outfits were neat, but they were colorful.

“It looks more like a light show than a violin concert.”

“Whale Studios will take care of it. We just have to enjoy the violin performance.”

“But it’s a bit weird to see the concert before the movie. I signed a confidentiality agreement, but I might blurt it out after drinking.”

“You might. I’m fine. I’m more curious about how this concert scene will be used.”

As the people were filled with anticipation, the filming crew became busy. Sara Roth, the director, checked the background in the camera and the status of the microphones installed here and there.

She wanted to convey the liveliness as it was, even though she would do post-recording. There was no trouble, but the filming time was approaching.

Emily, the assistant director, called Seo-jun from the waiting room. Benjamin Morton and Jason Moore headed to the VIP seats, and An Da Ho carried the bag and followed Seo-jun, looking at the brown violin in Seo-jun’s hand with anxious eyes.

Whether he knew about his anxiety or not, Seo-jun, who was excited, headed to Sara Roth, the director.

“Jun. Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

Sara Roth smiled at Seo-jun’s answer.

“That’s the VIP seat, and Catherine and Paul are there. Your parents are also there, can you see them?”

“Dad came too?”

He said he might not be able to come, but luckily he was able to. Mom and dad, who were whispering to each other, looked like they were on a date.

Professor Benjamin and Jason. Huh? In the back seat, there were the sister and brother who lent him the violin when he was busking.

They looked like they were about to faint as they sat in the front seat.

“Good. Then let’s start filming.”

“Yes!”

Why are they like that? He wondered, but at Sara Roth’s words, Seo-jun got ready for filming.

Seo-jun stood alone on the stage hidden by the curtain and exhaled.

This filming would end Gray’s life. Unless there was a sequel, no one would know Gray’s future. But Gray, who was going to perform at this solo concert, would be happier and more overwhelmed than anyone else.

Seo-jun decided to do his best as ‘Gray’.

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

[(Line) Goblin Violinist’s Melody is activated.]

[(Line) Elf’s Basic Breathing is activated.]

Gray Bani, the genius violinist, rested his chin on the Stradivarius.

The audience seats darkened a little, and the curtain slowly opened. The spotlight shone on the stage and the boy in a black suit appeared.

There were shouts of Jin Natra! Seo-jun Lee! from all over the audience seats. Especially from the children’s side, there were many voices looking for Cheong Ryong-nim.

“Is this okay?”

“Right. The sound is all going in, right?”

“What are we going to do?”

Unlike the worried audience, Seo-jun smiled softly and moved his bow to make the first sound.

This time, as he acted as Gray, he played [Violin Performance No. 1 of Dream Fairy, Goblin, and Gray], which would be registered as ‘Gray’s Violin Performance No. 1’.

The Stradivarius conveyed Gray’s heart as he played it into the melody.

As the soft yet vivid violin sound was heard, the audience seats became quieter.

Gray’s presence shone the most when he played the violin.

Whether it was the effect of the spotlight or the aura that emanated from Gray, Gray Bani, who stood on the stage, sparkled.

His eyes lightly closed, his graceful performance, and the melody that shook his body.

For some reason, the people who watched Gray’s busking felt like Gray had grown up a lot.

The short performance ended and applause erupted. Gray nodded lightly and lifted his bow again.