Superstar From Age 0

Translator: MarcTempest

Editor: AgRoseCrystal

Chapter 604

[I was in the same army unit as Lee Seo-jun!!]

[My brother served in the army with Seo-jun!]

[OMG my younger brother’s unit has Lee Seo-jun.]

-What? All of a sudden???

=I don’t know. It’s been trending since a while ago.

-Lee Seo-jun is in the army? For an event? A filming?

-Is it fake??

=22 It must be fake. If Lee Seo-jun went to the army, there would have been a huge fuss before he enlisted.

=33 Yeah, they would have searched everywhere, from live broadcasts, to YouTubers, to foreign media.

=LOL YouTu

=Is that all???

=No, think about it. Even the Hallyu stars who enlist get interviewed by foreign reporters, but an Oscar & Cannes winner?? Have you ever seen an Oscar & Cannes winner go to the army? Have you ever seen an active Hollywood actor go to the army?

=22 In countries without conscription, superstars going to the army??? That would be something.

=R

=‘Hollywood actor goes to the army’ sounds like a web novel titleㅋㅋㅋ

-But, I thought he would go someday… but now??

=No, no. It’s not confirmed yet.

-I don’t think Lee Seo-jun will go to the army. He’ll stall until the law changes and then get an award at a film festival or a ceremony, or win a prize at a violin concours and get exempted.

=Yeah, yeah. That’s not easy either, but Lee Seo-jun has the potential.

-But with such a record of awards, shouldn’t he be exempted from the army? If promoting Korea is a reason for exemption, foreigners may not know the violin concours winners, but they know Lee Seo-jun.

=22 Lee Seo-jun is one of the best in terms of national prestige.

=33 Lee Seo-jun, do you know? No need to askㅋㅋ

=44 If you say you’re Korean, they ask you if you’ve seen Lee Seo-jun over thereㅋㅋㅋㅠㅠI haven’t seen him eitherㅠㅠ

-So did he go to the army or not?

=There are pictures in the posts and it’s him.

=It could be photoshopped.

-In the birthday verification picture posted on Sae-sik-bu-teo, he’s wearing a hat, but his hair is short!

=Wow. Is it because he’s a soldier?

=They said it was for his next work.

=No, that next work was just a rumor among the fans, not official.

=I work in the film industry, and there’s no talk of Lee Seo-jun’s next work.

=22 Same for the broadcasting industry.

=Cocoa didn’t say anything either.

=…Then who got my gratitude-filled Grandzol??

=The army?

=Shit, I was looking forward to his next work and thanked him with all my heart…

-Lee Seo-jun’s enlistment is 200% not true.

=Why???

=If Lee Seo-jun went to the army, they wouldn’t miss the chance to use him for army promotion.

=LOL that’s

=22 Even idols and actors are sent to army promotion videos, right? Lee Seo-jun? Hollywood actor Lee Seo-jun?? Then they would just pile up promotion videos for a year and four months and release them one by one.

=…You don’t think they would do that, do you?

=^^ That’s what the army is.

=ㅋㅋㅋㅋ(Not funny)

-I don’t think so. If I were in the same unit as Lee Seo-jun, I would have told everyone, from family, friends, acquaintances, relatives, to strangers passing by, as soon as I got my first leave.

=22 Every time I drink, I would say, hey! You know what?! I served in the army with Lee Seo-jun! And tell army stories.

=33 I would say a million times that Lee Seo-jun was my junior.

=44 I would say a million times that Lee Seo-jun was my senior.

=I don’t care about army stories, but I want to hear this.

=ㅋㅋㅋM

-But the eyewitness accounts are all similar. They’re all from Baekho unit and the time is either last year or this year.

=That’s true?

-Hey hey hey! There’s an article!

[(Exclusive) Actor Lee Seo-jun, secretly enlisted! Currently serving in the army!]

<It was confirmed that actor Lee Seo-jun (22) secretly enlisted in March last year.

His agency, Cocoa Entertainment, said that he received five weeks of training at the army training center, and then was assigned to his unit, where he has been serving as an active duty soldier until now…(continued)>

“I didn’t think we’d have to release this article now.”

Cocoa Entertainment’s actor Lee Seo-jun dedicated 1st team office.

Everyone nodded at the deputy team leader’s words.

They had prepared a press release in case Lee Seo-jun’s enlistment was revealed before any rumors spread, and it had been over a year since then.

They wondered if it would be revealed when he came out of the training center, or when he got his first leave, or when he became a private, or when he posted a birthday verification picture. They were monitoring the internet reaction, but

“Who would have thought it would be revealed two months before his discharge…”

It was as if a bomb had exploded, and posts and comments were pouring in, and not only the 1st team office, but also other actor team offices, and even the singer team offices that had nothing to do with it, were ringing with phone calls and personal cell phones. Looking at the current situation, it was amazing that the secret had been kept until now.

“You don’t think Seo-jun’s willpower… had an effect, do you?”

“Hey. No matter how amazing the actor’s willpower is, he’s in the army. He has to stay there 24 hours a day.”

Everyone agreed with that, but they moved their eyes and hands busily, checking the posts, comments, and articles that came up.

“They must have kept it a secret well in the army.”

“It seems too well, though.”

The 1st team, who didn’t think for a second that the army side didn’t know either, started their work in earnest, answering the confirmation calls from everywhere.

***

[Cocoa Entertainment, “Actor Lee Seo-jun enlisted in March last year and is currently serving in the army.”]

[Actor Lee Seo-jun, his silence was not a break, but an army hiatus!]

[Actor Lee Seo-jun’s side, “The birthday verification picture was taken when he came out on leave.”]

[Cocoa Entertainment’s side, “He is currently serving in the army without any problems, diligently.”]

-Is this for real???

=22 Is this real???

=33 Is this real???

-Why don’t I believe it even when Cocoa says it?

=I know;;; It’s unbelievable;;;

-March last year? That long ago? It’s been over a year??

=No, listen. March last year was before Fire came out, right??

=No wonder… he didn’t come to the Korean Independent Film Festival.

=Right. Lee Seo-jun wouldn’t miss a film festival…

=22 There was no interview related to Hwarang Mindeulle either.

-Was Lee Seo-jun on a break? He seemed the same as usual. He was active on the internet and mentioned on TV shows.

=LOL In April, he was the talk of the town with ‘Fire’, an independent film festival, and ‘Working Man!’ He was the talk of the town again in August with the release of ‘Fire’. And in winter, he was indirectly the talk of the town with ‘Dandelion’ LOL

=He only did one work and he was mentioned all year long. That’s the class of Lee Seo-jun LOL

-I thought there were no sightings of him for a year, but it wasn’t because of his agency… He was really gone.

=LOL I know right LOL

=LOL He was really gone LOL

-I told him to rest well during his break… But it was a military hiatus T_T

=T_T How much did he suffer in the military T_T Or how much did he suffer T_T (I was worried about how he would survive as a private/first class, but he’s already a sergeant;;;)

=22 When Lee Seo-jun went to the military, I thought I had to wait for a year and four months T_T But now he’s discharged in two months;; (Shocked)

=33 How should I say this… My worries and waiting passed by at the speed of light.

=44 I wonder if that’s why he enlisted secretly T_T

=55 Seo-jun T_T T_T

-It was touching that he came out on vacation on his birthday T_T

=Even in the military, our Seo-jun didn’t forget the birthday letters T_T

-He said he was fine, so he must be fine.

=22 He’s no less than a new recruit LOL

=33 We trust you! Director Ahn! Team 1!

[Hollywood star, Lee Seo-jun currently serving in the military!]

[Foreign media outlets, reveal actor Lee Seo-jun’s military service!]

[#SeoJunLee #SEOJUNLEE #ServingInTheMilitary, SNS real-time search flooded!]

-The current situation of the new recruits.

=New recruit: Seo-jun is in the military T_T What if he gets hurt T_T Be careful and come back T_T

Cocoa Entertainment: Actor Lee Seo-jun, will be discharged in two months.

New recruit: What?? Already??

=Ordinary people: What?? Already??

=LOL The ordinary people too LOL

=I mean LOL I thought he wouldn’t go, but he’s already a sergeant LOL

=22 While everyone was saying he would go or not, he just enlisted LOL LOL LOL

=33 Really, he waited until the law was made, got exempted by the concours, got the US citizenship, went late, all kinds of rumors came out, but he was already serving in the military LOL LOL LOL

=Now no one can touch Seo-jun LOL LOL

-How are Seo-jun’s foreign fans?

=Foreign fan: WHAT???

=The fans who know the conscription system are like ‘He already went?? It’s been a year already?’ And the fans who don’t know the conscription system are like ‘Military?? He’s not acting anymore?’

=LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

-I’m curious about Seo-jun’s military life.

=22 I wonder why it was revealed now. They must have kept it a secret very well.

=33 Are there no discharged soldiers from the White Tiger Unit? Or someone who came out on vacation.

=There are more than 400 people there. They’ll come out soon.

-The news is out LOL LOL LOL

=LOL It’s worth it LOL

=It’s spectacular since this morning LOL The exclusive article came out and the whole world is in chaos LOL

=But I would be curious too if a Hollywood actor went to the military LOL

=22 Frank Sinatra in the military…!

=LOL LOL LOL LOL

-But strangely, there’s no official statement from the military. It’s all from Cocoa Entertainment.

=22 Isn’t that the place that should be the first to announce that Seo-jun is serving?

=33 Why are you acting so strange???]

***

No matter what anyone says, the place that would want to scream ‘What???’ the most would be the military.

Among them, the White Tiger Unit where actor Seo-jun belonged was the eye of the storm.

The unit commander who passed on the contacts from all over the place to the officers looked at the sergeant in front of him. 

‘No, was he actor Seo-jun?’

“First of all… Do you want to sit down?”

“No, thank you. I’m fine.”

“I’m not fine…”

The unit commander who looked sick as he spoke with Seo-jun, who had built a rapport with the officers through various things, smiled faintly and said.

“Then, excuse me.”

As always, he sat down in his seat with a diligent look. The unit commander washed his face with his hands and recalled his memory.

He didn’t care much about him like the other soldiers when he was just assigned to the unit as a private, so his memory was vague, but he remembered him clearly from the time he met him afterwards. He was a precious soldier who was in charge of the care for the soldiers of interest.

‘White Tiger! First class! Seo-jun!’

He remembered the scene where he saluted vividly. That was… actor Seo-jun.

‘No, why didn’t I know. It comes to my mind so clearly?’

It was a ghostly thing.

His head felt clear.

Before calling Sergeant Seo-jun, the unit commander and the officers checked the military data while saying ‘That can’t be…’. From the data when he transferred from the training center to the White Tiger Unit to the data when he was promoted. They checked everything.

But it was Seo-jun.

Actor Seo-jun.

The unit commander washed his face again.

The situation at the Military Manpower Administration or the Ministry of National Defense would be similar.

‘No, it would be more urgent there.’

Wasn’t it the place where they planned to use him for various promotional videos and military events by placing him as a promotional soldier when Seo-jun enlisted? But the actor they were waiting for had enlisted last year and had only a month and a half left until his discharge.

They couldn’t help but be flustered.

“Sergeant. Outside… You were an actor?”

“Yes. I was.”

“…Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Whatever I did outside, I’m just a soldier in the military.”

It was the correct answer.

Wasn’t it like that from the training center?

‘Whatever you did outside, you are just one soldier in the military!’

“And it would be weird for me to say that I’m actor Seo-jun myself.”

“…Yeah. We’re the idiots for not recognizing you. No, how can the whole unit not recognize you. There are more than 400 people…”

From the actor’s point of view, wasn’t it a situation where he would think ‘…Was I not that famous?’?

The unit commander felt sorry for some reason and looked at Sergeant Seo-jun who was smiling brightly.

‘What should I say.’

He felt like he was still the diligent, kind, and reliable Sergeant Seo-jun as he was before, even though he found out that he was a superstar who received love calls from Hollywood. It was like how a friend would feel like a friend to him even if he became a star (although he would be surprised).

Yeah, well. He’s just a soldier in the military.

‘What can I do, the time has already passed a lot.’

The unit commander who felt relieved asked.

“What do you want to do from now on, sergeant?”

“I have to live as I have been. Training and serving on duty.”

The sergeant who answered with a bright smile made the unit commander laugh.

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”

Well, there might be some people from the Military Manpower Administration or the Ministry of National Defense who would say something because they didn’t recognize actor Seo-jun, but they didn’t recognize him either. No, rather, they placed ‘actor Seo-jun’ as an active soldier instead of a promotional soldier, so he served as a ‘normal’ active soldier.

‘If you asked for support, I would have sent you.’

‘Yeah. That’s it. I’m not wrong.’

The unit commander shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth.

“Sergeant.”

“Yes.”

“Can you give me one autograph before you go?”

“Ha ha. Sure.”