Superstar 830
by Cristae“All done, Jun?”
As Seo-jun came downstairs after uploading his thank-you letter and proof shots on [From Sprout], Rachel Hill—who had arrived earlier than planned—peeked out and called to him.
“Yes. I’m all done.”
“Then let’s play a board game! Evan’s been the only one winning. Jonathan’s been dead last the whole time.”
“Hahaha.”
Evan Block, sitting across from Rachel on the couch, chuckled as he shook the two dice in his hand, and next to him, Jonathan Will let out a dramatic cry.
“These dice are rigged… How do I keep rolling only 1s and 2s…?”
Evan explained with a smile as Seo-jun sat beside Rachel.
“Strangely, whenever Jonathan rolls, he never gets matching numbers. If you roll two 1s, you get another turn.”
“Really?”
Seo-jun’s eyes widened.
They were just regular dice, so no way they were rigged. It’s not like they were in a casino.
‘Then it’s purely Jonathan’s luck…’
Seo-jun looked at him with pity, and Jonathan returned the gaze with the most pitiful expression imaginable.
“Jun. Team up with me.”
With Jun’s luck, they could probably go from last place to first in no time.
“Can I?”
Seo-jun looked to Rachel and Evan for confirmation.
“Just this round. We’ll go back to solo after that.”
“Got it!”
As Evan and Rachel agreed with smiles, Jonathan stretched both arms up in celebration like he’d already won.
And so, the game resumed.
“Jun! Your turn!”
Jonathan, excited, handed Seo-jun the two dice. Seo-jun smiled and tossed them onto the table.
Clatter.
The dice rolled and came to a stop.
“Woooo! A six and a five!”
“Jonathan’s never rolled numbers this high before.”
“As expected from Jun!”
“Hahaha.”
Jonathan raised his arms again in triumph and quickly moved his piece forward. They still had a long way to go to catch up to Evan and Rachel, but it felt like a turning point.
“Comebacks are the most thrilling!”
“You’re really hyped, Jonathan.”
Rachel’s comment made both Evan and Seo-jun laugh.
“But what about Director Ryan?”
“Uncle had another appointment, so he’s coming for dinner.”
At Jonathan’s words, Seo-jun let out a sigh.
“I should’ve invited everyone earlier…”
Evan asked with a low chuckle,
“Jun, did you really forget?”
“Yes. I knew my birthday was coming up, but…”
You know that feeling?
Like when you know you have an exam soon, and you’ve even made a study plan—but then you realize the exam is actually tomorrow?
“That’s exactly how it felt. I was shocked. Where did the time go?”
The three burst into laughter while Seo-jun pouted.
“You guys could’ve said something. Asked if I wasn’t going to throw a party.”
“We didn’t want to distract you while you were prepping for filming. We didn’t think you’d actually forget.”
“Exactly.”
Evan and Jonathan chuckled.
“If we’d known, we’d have thrown you a surprise party.”
Rachel said with a laugh, and Seo-jun replied,
“Grace said the same thing.”
“Really? She and I would get along great!”
Clatter.
Rachel happily rolled the dice.
“Grace is the little witch from the Halloween party, right? The author of Eclipse’s younger sister.”
“Yes, that’s her.”
Though the three had met Charlie before during the Shadowman 3 shoot in France, they’d never met Grace. They’d heard about her plenty, though.
“She’s coming to the party today, so I’ll introduce you.”
At that, Jonathan blinked.
“Wait, didn’t she live in New York?”
“She came to LA with the author.”
“To LA? For what?”
Even if she was the author’s sister and the inspiration for the female lead in Eclipse, she was technically an outsider.
The three tilted their heads, curious, and Seo-jun smiled as he answered.
“She’s here as a consultant.”
“Consultant?”
“Yes.”
Seo-jun rolled the dice and elaborated.
“Eclipse flopped once, right? I think that really stuck with the author.”
“Understandable.”
The actors and director nodded.
Having your precious work ruined by others leaves a mark. Especially since the author wasn’t involved at all during the production of Flopclipse.
It must’ve left scars, not just regrets.
“So this time, the author’s reviewing everything—from sets to props to actors.”
The contract with New Age reflected that level of control.
‘But what if it turns out awful again?’
Before coming to LA, Laura Welton had that very fear.
Waves of anxiety unearthed buried trauma she didn’t even know she had.
Thump-thump.
Her heart pounded with unease.
New Age had been great so far. The director and writer were trustworthy.
‘But still…’
What if it started going wrong now?
What if the set was underwhelming?
What if the costumes and props didn’t match her vision?
What if she clashed with the director or producers?
‘…What if I pushed for all this and I was wrong?’
All these worries swirled in her mind.
‘Sis, are you packed?’
Then appeared her younger sister—Grace Welton.
Probably the only person who knew and loved Eclipse almost as much as Laura.
The only one who had shared in the anger of Flopclipse.
The only one Laura could speak her mind to.
And the only one who could say, “No, sis. That’s not it,” when needed.
‘Come with me.’
‘Huh?’
‘To LA. Let’s go together, Grace!’
‘…What?’
“So that’s how she ended up here.”
Seo-jun said, and Jonathan—Director Ryan Will’s nephew—nodded.
“Yeah. When you see things the same way, family is the easiest to talk to. I say stuff to my uncle I couldn’t say to anyone else. He gives me brutally honest feedback.”
So honest it hurt sometimes.
Jonathan gazed into the void with a resigned look while the others chuckled.
“So she’s working. Is she doing okay?”
“She says it’s exhausting.”
That caught Evan mid-dice-roll, and Rachel and Jonathan blinked.
…The consultant was exhausted?
Did that mean New Eclipse was a mess?
Seo-jun saw their alarmed faces and continued in a serious tone.
“New Age is doing such a great job that the author won’t stop praising them. Grace says listening to it all day makes her ears bleed.”
A moment of silence.
“Jun! You!”
“We thought something was seriously wrong!”
“Yeah, no way you’d be partying if it was a disaster.”
Ahahaha!
The three cracked up while Seo-jun laughed with a mischievous smile.
As party time drew near, guests began arriving at Seo-jun’s home one by one.
“Welcome!”
At the front door—decorated with colorful lights—Seo-jun, dressed casually, smiled brightly and greeted each guest.
“Happy birthday, Jun!”
“Here’s your gift!”
Former co-stars, directors, industry friends, the New Eclipse team, Jack Smith, and other friends made up today’s guest list.
“Welcome, Grace. Welcome, Laura.”
“Happy birthday, Jun! Whoa! There are so many people! Didn’t you say you invited them just yesterday?”
Grace looked around the bustling house in awe.
It was hard to believe it was a last-minute invite. Then again, he was a superstar. Many of the guests were recognizable names, too.
“Yeah. Some of them knew it was my birthday and had already cleared their schedules.”
Jack Smith and his friends even joked that if he hadn’t invited them, they would’ve crashed the party anyway.
‘…I’m never forgetting again.’
Seo-jun swore silently.
“But how did you pull all this off? It doesn’t look like a one-day plan.”
As she walked inside with Seo-jun, Grace marveled at the tastefully decorated living room and backyard.
Cozy, warm—like a quiet camping retreat. Not some loud rager, but a true celebration with friends.
“The food looks amazing too.”
The buffet spread looked delicious.
Sure, money could do anything, but this didn’t feel like a rushed event. It felt thoughtful.
“Taewoo hyung and the company prepared it.”
Seo-jun scratched his cheek.
“Before we came to the U.S., they asked how I wanted to spend my birthday. I said I’d like a quiet dinner with friends. I guess they’ve been preparing since then.”
That explained the quality.
Ahh.
Grace nodded.
“So everyone was serious about your birthday—except you.”
“Urgh…!”
Critical hit.
Seo-jun rubbed his face and muttered,
“I’ll never forget again…”
Nearby, guests laughed while exchanging greetings.
“Jun’s human after all.”
“Right? He’s usually so precise with everything.”
“…Let’s not talk about training. This is a party.”
Dan Kendrick’s remark made the New Eclipse cast all nod in agreement.
Just then, a new voice chimed in.
“Jun makes you train hard, doesn’t he?”
They turned to see a man with a knowing look in his eyes. One they recognized—Shadow & Night director Jonathan Will.
They recalled hearing he and Seo-jun had worked on the synopsis together—and argued a lot.
“…Pfft!”
They’d just met, but it felt like kinship.
“Shall we talk over there?”
“Yes, let’s.”
Laughing, the New Eclipse actors and the Shadow & Night director moved to chat about tonight’s star—Seo-jun Lee. Why they picked a corner of the room, no one knew.
“Are they plotting a coup?”
“Maybe.”
Rachel’s quip made Evan laugh.
“But Jun would still win.”
Their lament-turned-chat would surely end with:
“Jun trains harder than all of us.”
“Hard work pays off—and it’s fun too.”
“Plus, the results speak for themselves!”
Eventually: “Let’s all work hard too!”
Seo-jun Lee was the kind of person you wanted to keep working with, no matter how hard it got.
And now—
Those about to discover his “terrifying charm” had arrived.
“Welcome, Director Wilma.”
“Happy birthday, Jun. You know her, right? She’s playing the female lead in our film.”
At Director Wilma’s introduction, the woman beside her stepped forward and offered a hand.
“Hello, Lee. I’m Hailey Lodge. Happy birthday.”
“Nice to meet you, Lodge. Thanks for coming today.”
Seo-jun smiled warmly as he shook Hailey Lodge’s hand.
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