Superstar From Age 0
Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Today was the day to film the scene where Grand Prince Seongnyeong and Chungnyeong Daegun were playing with bows and arrows.

Heo Yuseon, the medical officer, was on standby in case the two princes got hurt and needed immediate treatment.

While waiting for the set to be ready, Park Dohoon and Seo-jun sat on chairs and waited.

They felt good to be outside after filming only on the set. The weather had warmed up and the sun was pleasantly warm. Seo-jun hummed a tune and rummaged through his bag.

“Hyung. Do you want some of this?”

Seo-jun offered Park Dohoon a snack from his bag. It was chocolate that he had made with his mom and dad. The chocolate was wrapped a bit clumsily. Park Dohoon reached out his hand.

“Thanks.”

Seo-jun also unwrapped one and put it in his mouth. The sweet chocolate made him feel even better. Park Dohoon smiled too.

Park Dohoon seemed to have let his guard down a little.

‘No, maybe he’s more relaxed.’

Seo-jun looked at Park Dohoon with a smile. Usually, he was so focused on the script that he didn’t pay attention to anything else. But when he was with him, he had some time to catch his breath.

He had watched Park Dohoon’s filming for a while and he thought he was a perfectionist. He wasn’t as meticulous as Evan Block, who calculated every eyebrow movement, but he wondered if he would become like that when he got older.

‘They’re similar, but the difference is more important.’

Evan Block was confident. He was confident that his calculated acting was perfect. Even when he checked the monitor after finishing his acting, he looked for ‘a better direction’, not thinking that his acting was wrong.

That might be wrong, but it was different. Seo-jun just nodded along to Evan Block’s explanation.

But now he thought he understood.

Park Dohoon’s brief relaxation was gone. He flipped through the script. His script was filled with various action directions, like Evan Block’s. There were post-its stuck all over and traces of various colored pens.

Park Dohoon read the script for today’s scene nervously.

Park Dohoon lacked confidence. He couldn’t acknowledge his own great acting. Even though everyone said it was okay, he tried hard to find ‘the wrong part’. And he fixed it and acted again. The re-filmed scene was good.

‘It’s the same process and the same result as Evan, but it’s so different.’

Park Dohoon had a weak faith in his acting. He was different from the self-assured Evan Block. He was always anxious, reading the script, acting, and sighing again. He felt like he was being chased by something.

“Dohoon hyung. You’re good at acting.”

“Yeah?”

If it was Ryan, the director, or Swallen, or Evan Block, they might have given him some good advice and feedback.

No matter how much he thought about it, Seo-jun couldn’t think of any advice to give Park Dohoon. His many past lives didn’t help much. He had lived too instinctively for such delicate worries.

‘Besides, if it’s advice, Uncle Jongho and Hyung Jiseok must have given him a lot.’

So Seo-jun praised Park Dohoon every time he met him. Praise makes even a whale dance.

Today’s filming was good in this way, good in that way, and he showered him with praise. Park Dohoon’s anxious face relaxed a bit.

Hoo, Park Dohoon sighed and opened his mouth.

“I’m a child actor, you know.”

“I see.”

Unlike Seo-jun, who nodded his head, Lee Jiseok, who had quietly approached to surprise the two actors, was startled and looked at Park Dohoon.

“My face changed a lot from when I was young, so there are quite a few people who don’t recognize me. But if you look closely, you can still see it.”

Park Dohoon continued after eating the chocolate that Seo-jun gave him.

“When I was young, I played the role of Jeongwoo, a child actor. It was a historical drama.”

“Oh. I know. That. I saw it.”

“Back then, there was no child actor like me, or maybe the other actors didn’t act well, or maybe the character of Jeongwoo suited me very well. There must have been many reasons, but I did really well. But I didn’t do well in the roles I played after that.”

Lee Jiseok joined the conversation.

“That’s just what you think. Dohoon did well. It’s hard for a kid with no acting experience to play a character with a completely different image. Considering that, you did very well. …The problem is that the movie flopped.”

Seo-jun shook his head at the movie title. He hadn’t seen the movie. Park Dohoon smiled quietly at Lee Jiseok’s words. Many people had worked hard for him.

“The actors and the director who starred in the movie heard a lot of, um, bad things. I was one of them. After that, I developed an obsession. To be more perfect, to fit better. I analyzed the character in detail and paid attention to every fingertip and toe.”

Kim Jongho, who had co-starred with Park Dohoon, didn’t just watch the actor fall apart. He introduced him to various actors and gave him various experiences. Lee Jiseok also met Park Dohoon through Kim Jongho’s introduction.

Park Dohoon’s acting was cool. Seo-jun remembered the solemn look of King Sejong at the coronation ceremony.

He recalled King Sejong at the funeral. He was so well suited that Choi Minseong, the PD, and So Eunjin, the writer, sent him a love call.

Park Dohoon held the script in one hand and still looked nervous. But when he went into filming, he looked fine as if nothing had happened.

But was that really fine?

Lee Jiseok’s face was also uneasy, as if he had the same thought as Seo-jun. It was a pity that he couldn’t acknowledge his own acting that everyone recognized.

“This is the first time I’ve told this story to someone else. I feel comfortable when I’m with Seo-jun.”

Seo-jun felt a sense of responsibility at Park Dohoon’s words. He felt like he had to take care of his hyung who was more than ten years older than him. Why?

“Let’s start filming!”

There was no time to get lost in thought as the filming began.

The staff left the set and Seo-jun took a breath and tapped the wall twice with his finger.

[(Seon)The Young Lion King’s Dignity is activated.]

***

As the filming of The Royal Physician continued, Seo-jun’s praises poured out. Bak Do-hoon felt confident with Seo-jun’s compliments, but soon he had doubts.

He felt bitter when he said he was doing too well. Was he really praising me because I was good? Or, was he lying for me?

Today, after school, Seo-jun waved his hand. Bak Do-hoon also waved back.

It’s been a month since the filming of The Royal Physician started. Do-hoon, who used to be curt, now waved his hand. Seo-jun smiled brightly as he realized the difference.

He felt more of that thought when he saw Seo-jun smiling brightly. Would Seo-jun praise him even if he couldn’t act well? Bak Do-hoon entered the filming with a rebellious attitude like a teenager.

“Cut! NG!”

Everyone moved at the voice of Choi PD. NG once was not a big deal. Everyone prepared for a re-shoot without much thought. Choi Min-sung PD, who saw Bak Do-hoon coming out of the set, casually said.

“Um. Do-hoon. Can you be more natural? It seemed a bit exaggerated before.”

“Ah, yes. I got it.”

Everyone didn’t care much, but Bak Do-hoon snapped out of it at that reaction. He screamed inside and washed his face. He wasn’t a child who caused trouble to get attention from his parents.

He felt Seo-jun’s gaze pouring from behind. He wanted to ignore it, but his feet were heading towards Seo-jun.

Seo-jun wondered. Should he always praise an actor who has a hard past? But the filming before was really, really, bad. He could see that Do-hoon didn’t do it properly.

“…”

Silence flowed between the two. Seo-jun wondered whether to praise or not, and Bak Do-hoon was upset. Why, why did he become restless waiting for the words of a ten-year-old kid?

“Do-hoon.”

“Huh?”

“Do it properly in the next filming.”

“…Okay. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry to me. It’s the filming staff who are having a hard time. It would be different if it was a mistake, but you did it on purpose before.”

He had nothing to say to that. Bak Do-hoon, who was deflated by Seo-jun’s words, filmed again and got OK at once. And he decided to treat the filming staff.

“You did well in the second one.”

Seo-jun opened his mouth while eating the pork belly that Bak Do-hoon grilled. Bak Do-hoon smiled at Seo-jun, who didn’t stop praising him. An-da-ho left the seat for a while, and there were only two people at Seo-jun and Bak Do-hoon’s table.

He realized today that Seo-jun’s praises were not lies. Seo-jun really praised Bak Do-hoon because he was good.

Then Bak Do-hoon told the story he had hidden for three weeks. Seo-jun was surprised and looked at Bak Do-hoon.

“Did you keep watching that?”

“Yes. I asked Choi PD to see if there was anything I could learn from it. I’m careful not to leak it.”

Bak Do-hoon took out a phone from the deep part of his bag. In it was a video of the scene where Seong-nyeong Daegun and Heo Yu-seon met for the first time. It was a video that had been filmed three weeks ago.

“At first, I felt guilty for not being able to act like that, but as I watched it, my mind relaxed. It felt like a support.”

“Support?”

“Yes. I realized it now, but back then I didn’t listen to anyone. Jong-ho uncle’s words and Ji-seok’s words. They said I was cool and did well, but it didn’t seem sincere. I just thought I had to do better, I had to do well.”

Seo-jun listened to Bak Do-hoon’s words. Bak Do-hoon felt his attitude and continued to talk comfortably.

“But as I kept watching the video, I relied on Seong-nyeong Daegun in the video. He was just smiling, but I felt the atmosphere and unknowingly confided in him. It’s amazing, right? I also felt that feeling sometimes when Seo-jun was filming, and it made me feel comfortable.”

Seo-jun also wondered why he felt a sense of responsibility for Bak Do-hoon. Hmm. He thought he knew now. Why he felt a slight sense of responsibility when he saw Do-hoon.

‘It’s because of the ability.’

It was because of the influence of [(Sun) The Young Lion King’s Dignity]. Ordinary people would feel only the dignity of a prince as Seo-jun intended, but Bak Do-hoon, who had a weak mind, had a greater effect.

‘And he must have seen it a lot, not once or twice, since he’s a perfectionist.’

“Hyung, how often did you watch it?”

“Seo-jun’s acting was so cool. I really wanted to learn from it,”

Bak Do-hoon said the reason first and answered with embarrassment.

“I watched it whenever I had time.”

“Wow.”

With one word, Bak Do-hoon became a member of the pack that Seo-jun ruled.

Bak Do-hoon, a member of the pack, leaned on Seo-jun, and Seo-jun, the king of the pack, had a responsibility to look after him.

‘I didn’t think [(Sun) The Young Lion King’s Dignity] would have this effect.’

It wasn’t even written on the notification window.

It seemed that coincidence and coincidence met and had an effect. What kind of weak-minded person would watch Seo-jun’s video whenever he had a chance, and keep listening to Seo-jun’s praises?

“That was the start.”

A weak-minded person needed someone to rely on. Bak Do-hoon couldn’t find such a person. That’s why he pushed himself more.

Then [(Sun) The Young Lion King’s Dignity] had a big impact on Bak Do-hoon. When something unknown happened, he relied on Seong-nyeong Daegun’s dignity that overwhelmed him, like looking for a god.

Seo-jun’s praises, which poured out every time he met Bak Do-hoon, also had a great effect. As a child’s best compliment is from his parents, there was nothing more powerful than the compliment of the being he relied on.

Seo-jun’s praise became rain for Bak Do-hoon’s dry heart. Thanks to the rain, Bak Do-hoon found some room and his acting improved. With improved acting, Bak Do-hoon was able to find some confidence.

“Now I can hear Jong-ho uncle and Ji-seok’s words.”

He was still anxious now. But he saw hope. He thought he knew a little bit what it meant to trust his acting.

Seo-jun smiled brightly at Bak Do-hoon’s relaxed face.

“It’s good!”

“I think so too.”

Seo-jun and Bak Do-hoon, the ‘Young Lion King’s Pack’ created by the two, would not last long.

Because, when Bak Do-hoon’s mental strength became stronger, he would naturally get out of the effect of dignity he felt from Seo-jun.

“I really appreciate it. Seo-jun.”

Bak Do-hoon would never forget the kid who came to his filming site and praised him for weeks. Seo-jun smiled brightly at Bak Do-hoon’s sincerity.

[(Sun) The Young Lion King’s Dignity has changed.]

The roaring lion pattern on the back of his hand sparkled.

[(Sun) The Young Lion King’s Dignity-Low]

You became the king of lions at a young age.

Among the many abilities, only dignity has increased to lead the pack.

You can create a pack when the conditions are met. (1/1)

The pack’s abilities increase.

Condition: Weak mental strength, more than 30 meetings, more than 10 praises

Activation: Tap twice with your finger