Superstar 798

They had to make it happen, yes…

While their hands swiftly secured the event venue, adjusted Seo-jun’s school schedule, and worked around the upcoming New Eclipse timeline, Team 1’s shoulders were weighed down with the crushing burden of the fan signing event.

“The deputy team leader said she had a dream where the Sprouts stormed the company. The Sprout sticks turned into torches.”

Apparently, they were really bright.

At Choi Tae-woo’s comment, Seo-jun, who had been listening in on the fan signing talk, burst out laughing.

“Seo-jun, this is not the time to laugh.”

Seo-jun grinned and asked, seeing how haggard Tae-woo looked,

“What about you, Tae-woo hyung? Any dreams?”

Tae-woo, with a zen-like expression, recalled the dream he still couldn’t forget. Most dreams faded upon waking, but this one had burned itself into his mind—as if telling him never forget.

“…I dreamed I was on a beach, and a handful of sand floated up into the sky in a beam of light. There was a fanfare. Then the rest of the angry sand attacked me, and I got buried right there in the sand…”

BWAHAHA!

Seo-jun slammed the living room table as he laughed, hard.

He could perfectly picture the deputy team leader’s and Tae-woo’s dreams.

‘Only 300?!’

‘Cocoa Entertainment, you must reflect!’

‘Reflect! Reflect!!’

Sprouts wielding their torch-modified Sprout sticks.

‘300?! That’s not even a handful of sand on the beach!!’

‘What about the rest of the sand?!’

Sprouts swarming like a fearsome sandstorm.

And Tae-woo being dragged into the pit of sand, screaming “Spare meeee…”

“Seriously, it’s not funny. Look at this.”

Tae-woo handed over his phone.

It showed a post the team had anonymously uploaded on a popular Sprout community, to gauge public opinion—specifically, the Sprouts’ reactions—before officially announcing the fan signing.

[What do you think would happen if Lee Seo-jun did a fan signing?]
Blue Moon had one recently, so maybe Seo-jun will too since they’re in the same company?
Cap it at, say, 90 people?

– WTF, ninety?! Ninety?!
= A Sprout entered the chat, angry from the first sentence lol
= But I agree. Totally agree.

– You mean 90… thousand.
= We couldn’t even get that many for the fan meeting ㅠㅠ
= Seo-jun oppa’s gonna die ㅠㅠ
= Not even joking, he really might LOL

– Wow. Seo-jun fan signing… just imagining it makes me happy. Even if there’s no chance for me.
= Just imagining it is enough. No chance for me either 222
= There wasn’t even a fan meeting… like I’d get into a 90-person signing 3333

– That’s why we should’ve done it years ago ㅠㅠ
= …There were already a lot of Sprouts back then. (Says a Gen-1 Sprout who never even made it to a fan meeting)
= Ugh… I’ll pray you win the lottery next time.

– But honestly, a fan signing would be great. So many photos would be uploaded.
= I want to go too, but for safety it’d probably be a private event ㅠㅠ
= But if it’s Cocoa, they’d stream it, right? Right?? RIGHT???

– I want to put all kinds of stuff on Seo-jun. Flower crowns, glasses, bunny hats, dog ears, berets… (etc.)
= And rings. (Said with maximum personal intent)
= Endless gift parade from the Sprouts lol
= Somehow, I feel like the Sprouts would coordinate to avoid duplicates through intense debate.

– Wow… this is so nice… until I see the number 90 again and rage hits lol
= WTF 90?! 90?! (Not funny.)

=If you include international Sprouts, isn’t it basically lottery odds?

=Honestly, yeah, that checks out.

“Wait, why 90 people though? Wasn’t it 100?”

“If we post 100, people will figure it’s us. And Blue Moon just did one with 90. So, 90.”

“Ah, got it.”

It was a setup—posing as just another fan speculating that since Blue Moon (also under Cocoa Entertainment) had a fan signing with 90 attendees, Lee Seo-jun might get one too.

“Well, some might get suspicious, but posts like this are everywhere. It’ll just seem like another pilgrimage thread.”

Seo-jun nodded as Choi Tae-woo explained and continued reading through the comments.

Most were either weeping “there’s no way I’ll get in ㅠㅠ” or clutching their necks in shock at the ninety cap.

Hmm…

Seo-jun hadn’t really given the headcount much thought before, but seeing this, he suddenly felt a pang of regret—as the leader(?) of this pack.

“Tae-woo hyung.”

“Yeah?”

Seo-jun smiled slyly.

“What if we do a fan meeting too?”

……!

At Seo-jun’s bold and breezy suggestion, Choi Tae-woo was left speechless, jaw slightly ajar.

---

“…And so, we’re also planning a fan meeting.”

Even though their workload had suddenly increased, the Lee Seo-jun-dedicated Team 1 looked more relieved than overwhelmed.

“At least the Sprouts won’t storm the building.”

“Seriously.”

As if they were all thinking the same thing, the team chuckled quietly together. Then one staffer raised a hand.

“Will Seo-jun be okay physically? Between the fan signing, fan meeting, and prepping his next project… it’s a lot.”

“It’ll be winter break soon, so he says it’s fine. Plus, he’s not planning to go all-out like the last fan meeting.”

At Tae-woo’s words, everyone nodded, recalling the spectacular fan meeting from earlier this year.

“It really was amazing.”

Seeing characters no longer on screen perform as adults with musical instruments had left quite the impression on Team 1 too.

Tae-woo smiled.

“There will still be performances, but he wants a more relaxed atmosphere this time.”

“But since it’s Seo-jun, I’m sure he’ll prepare with everything he’s got.”

The whole team smiled at the comment. They all knew how much Seo-jun valued his fans.

“Alright, I’ll reach out about the New Eclipse schedule.”

“I’ll start looking for a fan meeting venue.”

“Should we release the fan signing and fan meeting announcements together?”

With new tasks added, manager Choi Tae-woo and Team 1 got to work in high gear.

---

Los Angeles, New Age headquarters.

With the male lead for New Eclipse cast, production moved from New York to Hollywood and began full prep.

“Team Lead, Kings Agency just asked about Seo-jun Lee’s shoot schedule. How should we respond?”

“Tell them we’re sticking to the original timeline—and we can work around his schedule anytime.”

Seo-jun Lee had been the first to sign on for New Eclipse.

Not to mention, he was a box-office juggernaut. Offering some flexibility was the least they could do. Frankly, even if filming were delayed by months, New Age was ready to wait.

“What about the other actors?”

“Once word got out about Seo-jun Lee joining, we started getting calls—even from those who hadn’t received casting offers yet.”

Of course, that was New Age’s doing.

Since the contracts were already signed, there were no legal issues.

The New Eclipse casting manager skimmed the confirmed actors list.

All these stars moving just because of one name?

‘No… not just one.’

Whether in Korea or the U.S., he was a superstar with a flawless filmography. Not one flop.

‘Soon New Eclipse will be part of that list too.’

The manager smiled proudly.

At the very top of the casting list, the name SEOJUN LEE practically glowed.

---

Weeknight evening.

Some were watching dramas. Others were eating dinner. Some were studying. Some were still at work.

And then, a bomb dropped on [From Sprout].

[(Notice) Regarding Actor Lee Seo-jun’s Fan Signing Event]

“FAN SIGNING?!”

The moment the notification hit, Song Yoo-jung screamed as she reflexively checked her phone. She immediately messaged Im Yena and opened her laptop. The drama she’d been watching—right in the middle of its climax—was now completely forgotten.

The next morning.

‘Isn’t this the climax part of the episode? Why did the ratings suddenly drop?’

‘Well… Actor Lee Seo-jun…’

‘Ah…’

No one at the broadcast station saw this coming, clutching their foreheads in despair.

“Yena! Did you see the announcement?!”

– Not yet! Just opened my laptop!

“Me too!”

Putting her phone on speaker, Song Yoo-jung quickly logged into [From Sprout] on her laptop, eyes shining. A jolt ran from her toes to her scalp like a lightning strike.

“Oh my gosh! This is insane! A fan signing?!”

– Right?! I thought I misread it as a fan meeting or something!!

Im Yena sounded just as breathless.

“Okay. Yena. We need to stay calm.”

– Yeah. Breathe… Hoooooo—THIS IS CRAZY!!

So much for calm.

Crazy! Crazy! CRAZY!!

They were so excited, any attempt to speak would probably end in shouting that word.

Already, they were imagining meeting Seo-jun at the fan signing, talking to him, receiving his autograph, handing him a gift…

Though, realistically, they’d probably freeze the moment they saw him smile.

Even saying their name properly would be a miracle.

– Hooooo……

Im Yena, a Sprout since elementary school and lucky enough to attend all past fan meetings, was still panting nervously—this would be her first fan signing.

– I can’t miss this one…!

“Exactly!”

With shaking hearts, the two clicked on the post.

[(Notice) Regarding Actor Lee Seo-jun’s Fan Signing Event]

Yoo-jung and Yena, who’d been hyperventilating, went utterly still. Silence fell.

Then, at the exact same moment, they both screamed.

“…Three hundred people!?”

– …Three hundred people!?

Like Yoo-jung and Yena, Sprouts across the nation began flooding the comment section with their collective heartbreak.

– Three hundred? 300? 300? Three. Hundred?!

= This Sprout is broken.

= I get it though. 300… I have no chance. No chance at all ㅠㅠ

– Seriously, how many Sprouts are in Korea alone… and only 300?

= Right?! And if you count international Sprouts too… dizzy

– And Seo-jun’s signing alone the whole time? Even 100 per day over three days is a lotㅠㅠ

= 22 His arms and stamina… will he even survive?ㅠㅠ

= I know, I know… but I also know I won’t be in that 300 ㅠㅠㅠ

– Honestly, thank goodness it’s a lottery. If it were first-come-first-serve, Cocoa would’ve imploded.

= I kinda want to explode it anywayㅠㅠ

= Sameㅠㅠ Even one fan signing a week wouldn’t be enough.

= But then Seo-jun would actually dieㅠㅠ

– Even overseas Sprouts are in chaos lolol

= The competition’s gonna be brutal hahaha

= Maybe I won’t be able to go because of flight + lodging? (Happy delusion mode)

=?What do you mean? Me. U.S. Sprout. I’m going. To Korea.

=Dammit lolㅠㅠㅠ

Thirty minutes later.

Like giving medicine after poison, another announcement appeared.

[(Notice) Regarding Actor Lee Seo-jun’s Fan Meeting Event]

– …Excuse me??

= …Wait, what???

= …What is happening??

– You’re telling me there’s going to be a fan signing AND a fan meeting??

= This is insane… What’s going on???

– Whoa. It’s happening over two days.

= And so many more peopleㅠㅠ

= Seeing the fan meeting headcount after the 300 from the signing… it’s too goodㅠㅠ It’s so good butㅠㅠ I probably still won’t get in.

= It’s hilarious how even when they do this for us, we still can’t go lol (not funny)

= 22 I just… feel like I’m not gonna make itㅠㅠ It’s a vibe.

– Oh. The fan meeting is a lottery too.

= Does this mean even I, Queen of Bad Luck, can goooo!?

= It’s in the hands of the heavens nowㅠ (prayer mode)

= Starting my 108 bows today.

= Gonna place purified water every dawn and pray.

– This is my lifelong wish. Just once, please. Godㅠ Buddhaㅠ Seo-jun-ahㅠㅠ

= Why Seo-jun tho lol

= He feels like a baby angel who’d actually grant itㅠㅠ

= LOL Seo-jun-ahㅠ (praying with you)