Superstar From Age 0

A cable TV variety show set.

The show, which consisted of obscure idols and a moderately successful comedian MC, was quietly waiting for its end due to low ratings.

While the celebrities were filming, the managers from various agencies gathered outside, smoking cigarettes or drinking coffee and chatting.

The topic was naturally the recent job posting from Cocoa Entertainment.

It was not a special recruitment since there were frequent job changes in the entertainment industry, and Cocoa Entertainment also occasionally hired new staff, but there was a lot to talk about because of the company's reputation.

“I heard Cocoa Entertainment has good benefits…”

A manager from a very small agency that only gave 5,000 won for lunch said, unable to take his eyes off his phone screen. The 5,000 won was raised from 4,500 won last year.

“Their celebrities are also nice.”

A manager who was in charge of the most famous comedian on the show sighed.

He was cast as the sole MC of the show, but he was showing his temper because the ratings were lower than the national anthem.

“Can you believe he wants to quit when there's not much time left until the end? I'm so tired of trying to stop him…”

He puffed out smoke and exhaled heavily.

If he quit during the broadcast as the sole MC, he would surely get a bad reputation for being irresponsible and lose his future jobs, but the comedian he was in charge of was not the type to think and act that way.

He just did whatever he wanted and made others suffer.

‘Especially me!’

The manager held his throbbing head and sighed deeply, wondering how much he would have to endure until the end of the program.

“Ah… I want to quit if it wasn't for the money. Really.”

“It doesn't matter how nice they are. As long as they're popular, they’ll do well.”

“I wish ours were popular. They’re not popular and they have bad personalities.”

They continued to gossip about their celebrities.

“And the company's name value is undeniable.”

“Right. My company doesn't have any famous celebrities, so even if I explain, people ask me if it's a scam or if it really exists, but Cocoa Entertainment is just Lee Seo-jun's agency. That's game over.”

They exchanged various stories and became quiet for a moment.

“So. You're all applying, right?”

“It's not hard to send a resume.”

They all nodded.

And then they thought, ‘But I'm better than these guys.’

And smiled inwardly.

They had never worked with famous celebrities, but they had endured in this harsh entertainment industry for a long time.

‘If only they gave me Lee Seo-jun…!’

He was now twenty years old, so he would be easy to handle, and he could pay back twice or three times to the broadcasting station staff who had been bossing him around.

And if he could make some connections in Hollywood…!

All the managers here smirked.

“The filming is over!”

A staff member shouted in front of the set, interrupting their daydreams.

The managers who were drinking bowls of soup got up one by one and walked slowly back to the set.

The staff members who saw them shook their heads.

“The celebrities are celebrities, but the managers are also arrogant.”

“Right. How can there be no manager who monitors them?”

Even if it was a failed program, if they left a good impression on the PD and writer who belonged to the broadcasting station, it would help them when they made another program, but as soon as the filming started, they all went outside and came back when it was over.

“There was one before, right? He always monitored and took care of his idol during breaks…”

Among those who were sloppy, there was one man who remembered being diligent.

“He got fired. He stole money from the company. It was all over the news.”

The staff who were nodding their heads that he was a good person who helped with their work were shocked by his words.

“Wow. I didn't think he was that kind of person… But how is that possible? He's not an office worker who stays in the company all the time, he's a manager who goes around outside.”

“It's a small agency. It's probably possible because they run things in a rough way.”

“True. This place is where all kinds of things happen.”

It was not uncommon for a co-worker to run away with the investment money, so it was not surprising that a manager embezzled the company's money. It was probably a common story that no one cared about.

“But he seemed like a nice person…”

The staff felt a bit of confusion and betrayal, as if they had become friends with the manager who helped them with their work.

“Let's just go in and sort things out.”

“Yeah.”

The staff nodded at the colleague's words, with a dejected expression on their face.

Maybe it was because the entertainment industry was full of people who appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye, but they quickly shook off their small friendship and betrayal and followed their colleague.

***

The first semester started on Friday, the day after the entrance ceremony.

The first class on Friday was a required course for acting majors, a two-hour lecture from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Not all acting major freshmen took the same lecture, but they were divided into A and B with the same lecture name.

Seo-jun and his friends were in class A, and Kim Haun, Jung Bo-ram, and other former Mirinae Arts High School students were in class B.

“But I only see freshmen here?”

Han Jinho looked around. There were only freshmen he had seen on OT day in the classroom.

“Didn't you read the syllabus?”

“I did. But I forgot right after I registered for the course.”

Yang Ju-hee smiled at Han Jinho's confident attitude and explained.

The other kids also perked up their ears.

“This course is for freshmen only. It's like a basic course for college adaptation. So you can't retake it and the grades are pass or fail. They say almost everyone passes though.”

“I see.”

“The professors also change every few weeks, so you can get to know the styles of the acting professors. You can also change your advisor to a professor who suits you later.”

The kids nodded at Yang Ju-hee's explanation.

“It seems like it would be better not to skip or be late for this class.”

“But the class time is 10 o’clock, so I don't think I’ll be late.”

“Right. I woke up really leisurely this morning and still had time left.”

The college students who were late for the 1 p.m. class would shake their heads if they heard them.

“I had a general education class at 1st period, and I almost died.”

Kim Joo-kyung slumped on her chair and the kids laughed.

“The seniors told you not to take 1st period classes.”

Seo-jun said, and Kim Joo-kyung replied with a half-resigned expression.

“I wanted to take that general education class, but it was at 1st period. But I'm thinking of changing it. The registration correction period is until next week, and I'm exhausted even though I didn't have class today.”

Another person who had 1st period class today, Jeon Seong-min, also slumped on his chair.

“Why is that? I used to attend 1st period classes well in high school, but it's strangely hard…”

“Right. It's amazing.”

The effect of 1st period was great. Kim Joo-kyung and Jeon Seong-min laughed tiredly with exhausted faces.

“But do you think this class won't have any lectures either?”

“Do you think they’ll just call attendance and end it?”

“Then we can just play until lunchtime. The ones who have afternoon classes can attend them and the ones who don't can keep playing. We’re meeting again tonight anyway.”

A gathering of freshmen only.

It was thanks to Yang Ju-hee's charisma that she was able to get along with everyone. She had already found a place to meet, which was impressive considering that yesterday was the entrance ceremony.

“There's an escape room cafe nearby.”

“Let's go there!”

Han Jinho said excitedly.

As they were chatting for a while, the classroom door opened and the professor who was in charge of the first lecture came in.

“Nice to meet you all.”

The professor smiled softly as he looked around at the 19 acting freshmen sitting in the classroom.

“This course is a required course for freshmen in their first semester, so there's no reason to change your registration, so I’ll start the class from today. Professor Park will teach class B, so you don't have to feel unfair.”

The freshmen who thought they would just greet him and end it quickly became gloomy at the professor's words. Seo-jun and his friends chuckled at their expressions.

***

“He really filled up the whole two hours…”

To be precise, it was 50 minutes, 50 minutes, so it was an hour and 40 minutes, but it felt like two hours.

They felt more drained than in high school classes and moved out of the classroom with a groan.

“Let's go eat lunch. What time do you have afternoon classes?”

“I have one at 1 o’clock.”

The kids widened their eyes at Seo-jun's words.

“We have to hurry then. What do you want to eat?”

“How about the place that Director Ryan visited?”

“I heard there are a lot of people there from morning. There are reporters too.”

“Then we can't go there.”

The kids who were always serious about eating listed the menus they wanted to eat. Their tastes were diverse and there were various restaurants outside the school gate, so the menus they mentioned were also diverse.

Then, seo-jun's phone rang.

Seo-jun tilted his head as he checked his phone.

Seo Eun-chan.

It was Eun-chan uncle.

“Hello? Uncle?”

‘What could uncle possibly want to talk to me about…?’

If it was about work, Da Ho hyung would handle it, and if it was about Eun-su, Eun-su would call him directly since she got a phone (a very sturdy kids phone) when she entered elementary school last year. She would say, “Seo-jun oppa! Come to our house tomorrow! You have to come!”

Seo-jun smiled as he remembered Eun-su's face in the photo that Seo Eun-chan sent him, waiting for Seo-jun at the front door since dawn.

“Seo-jun. Are you free to talk right now?”

“Yeah. I'm on my way to eat lunch with my friends.”

The friends gave him some space as Seo-jun answered the call. Then they resumed their serious discussion about what to eat for lunch. They were so passionate that they could go on a debate show and not lose.

“Do you have time after class today?”

“Today?”

Seo-jun rolled his eyes.

“I have a gathering with my classmates today… But I’ll go if it's urgent. I only have one general education class in the afternoon, so I think it’ll end soon.”

The gathering with his classmates was in the evening, so he had plenty of free time in between.

‘…They probably won't have class during the registration correction period, right?’

If they did have class, he would have to move a bit quickly.

“No, it's not that urgent…”

Seo Eun-chan hesitated and dragged his words.

“How about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is fine.”

He wasn't active, so Seo Eun-chan, who was his boss, would know that he had no schedule, and he had no other plans either.

‘I was planning to go to the company next week anyway.’

He was worried about Da Ho hyung, who looked a bit strange according to his parents’ words last night, so he was going to ask the team 2 staffs about Da Ho hyung's work casually.

Seo Eun-chan sighed heavily at Seo-jun's cheerful answer. He felt like Seo Eun-chan was nervous for some reason.

“Then let's meet at the company tomorrow. It won't take that long. Well, maybe it will take a while… Or maybe it will end sooner than expected… No. It might take longer?”

Seo-jun tilted his head at Seo Eun-chan's wavering words and shrugged his shoulders.

“Okay. I’ll go tomorrow.”

“Alright. Seo-jun. Enjoy your lunch.”

“You too, uncle.”

As soon as the call ended, han Jinho asked.

“What did he say? Did you get a schedule?”

“No, it didn't seem like that.”

Seo-jun scratched his cheek.

‘But it's strange.’

Seo Eun-chan knew that Seo-jun usually visited the company once a week, but he couldn't wait for that period and called him directly.

It seemed like a rather urgent matter.

‘But he postponed the appointment until tomorrow, so it doesn't seem that urgent either…’

Hmm. He couldn't tell if it was urgent or not.

He picked up his phone again after thinking for a moment.

The person who was most reliable at times like this was his manager, An Da Ho.

“Guys. I’ll text him for a sec.”

“Take your time. Take your time.”

“We’re still fighting over jjimdak and dakgalbi right now, so it might take a while.”

“I vote for jjimdak.”

“Ju-hee. Seo-jun said jjimdak too.”

At Kang Jae-han's words, Yang Ju-hee, who was on jjimdak's side, giggled and fought against the dakgalbi side.

“…Seo-jun?”

“Seo-jun?”

“Excuse me? Actor Lee Seo-jun?”

Even though his friends waved their hands in front of him, seo-jun just stared blankly at his phone.

‘Did they… fight?’

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