Superstar 845
by CristaeA short while ago.
Before filming began, Seojun was reviewing his script one last time.
Sitting in his chair and studying the script, Seojun looked utterly serious. As always, the staff either stepped out of the waiting room or remained quiet.
There are dogs like that.
Dogs that suddenly fall ill once they find a home.
Their owner thinks they’ve done something wrong, but that’s not it.
The dogs simply realized something.
That it’s okay to be sick when they’re with this owner—no, with this family.
‘Wolves are even more so.’
Wolves are wild animals.
Like other wild creatures, they don’t show weakness easily.
If they became a burden during travel or hunts, they might be cast out of the pack. And if they wandered around showing weakness, they could become prey themselves.
Until the day they take their last breath—
Wolves stand tall and show only strength.
Theo the werewolf was the same.
He had been alone since birth, with no place to truly belong. He endured, held back, faked it, and never showed anything outwardly.
‘He probably thought he’d live like that forever.’
But then he met someone who said, “You can stay here.”
Theo could clearly feel the sincerity in those words.
And so he let his guard down.
That relief made him release the tight thread of tension, and the pain he hadn’t even noticed under that constant strain came rushing in. Maybe the loneliness that had built up since birth was finally expressing itself through pain.
But it was okay to be in pain.
Because the witch and the cat wouldn’t abandon him.
‘Hmm.’
Seojun, who had been fully immersed in “Theo,” snapped back.
He sensed someone approaching from beyond the waiting room door.
“They’re ready to start filming, Seojun.”
“Yes.”
At Choi Taewoo’s words, Seojun closed his script and stood up.
“Nothing hurts, right?”
As they left the waiting room and headed to the set, Choi Taewoo asked. Seojun smiled and replied,
“No. I’m healthy.”
“Good to hear.”
Choi Taewoo nodded, reassured.
Seojun’s sick acting was so convincing that, if he didn’t check beforehand, he’d probably rush onto the set in the middle of a take.
Guessing what Choi Taewoo was thinking, Seojun glanced toward director Wilma and Hailey Rosie, who were both smiling at him, then hesitated.
“Hyung. Should I tell the director and Hailey beforehand too?”
“Yeah, probably for the best.”
If the director and co-star knew, they wouldn’t be startled during the shoot.
Seojun nodded in agreement.
‘He said it’s just acting even if he looks seriously ill, but still…’
Director Wilma stared at Seojun on the monitor with a shocked expression.
Lying sideways on the couch, Seojun—or rather, “Theo”—was sweating profusely with a flushed face, his labored breathing almost radiating heat.
She knew the sweat drops had been sprayed on by the staff. She knew the redness and heat were effects Seojun created. She even knew he was so good at playing sick that he got health checkups every year.
But still, he looked genuinely sick.
Even though she had been warned ahead of time, Wilma flinched from surprise. The staff who hadn’t been told must’ve been even more shocked.
“Shouldn’t we call an ambulance, Director?”
The assistant director, who had stepped out briefly earlier, looked anxiously between the set, Seojun’s manager Choi Taewoo, and Director Wilma.
But Wilma shook her head.
“This scene is almost done.”
“O-Okay…”
The assistant director looked stunned by Wilma’s reaction.
She had always been so attentive to the actors—it was strange to see her so composed.
With the staff growing more concerned, filming continued.
It wasn’t just the staff. Bella the cat, who was acting alongside Seojun, also looked alarmed and paced around. Though Seojun had used his ability to communicate it to her, she didn’t seem to fully understand.
Meow!
With “Molly’s” cry (to be dubbed later), “Claire” came running from the kitchen—Hailey Rosie, despite being informed in advance, couldn’t fully hide her concern.
“Theo!”
“Claire’s” outburst, half genuine and half performance, immediately got an “okay” signal.
And the moment the shout of “Okay! Cut!” rang out—
Seojun was perfectly fine again.
Huh?
The staff who had been worried blinked in disbelief as Seojun’s healthy complexion returned. Even Bella, mouth agape, stared at Seojun, who looked completely normal again.
Ha ha.
Seojun laughed and scooped up the frozen-stiff Bella in his arms.
Through [(Gift of Cat’s Whiskers)], Bella’s thoughts flooded in: “Weren’t you sick? You were! You had a fever??”
“Wow… I really thought you were sick. I even felt the heat,” Hailey Rosie said.
Seojun stroked Bella, who still looked dazed.
“I’m really good at playing sick.”
“That’s an understatement. I almost called an ambulance.”
“Haha. That’s why I used to get health checkups when I was younger. People got so worried. I still get them.”
“I believe it.”
Hailey nodded at Seojun’s words.
Hearing the actors talk, the staff were stunned.
‘Wait, that was acting?’
‘Honestly, I’d believe it more if someone said he’s acting now. He looked actually sick before…’
‘What if he is sick but pushing through to keep filming?’
The staff all stared at Seojun with worried eyes, not quite believing what they were seeing.
But soon enough, everyone realized their concern was unnecessary.
The next scene took place in the small room on the first floor—Theo’s room.
After Seojun lay down in bed under the covers, staff sprayed water droplets on his face and exposed skin. They also slightly dampened the parts of his clothes that peeked out, to simulate sweat.
Once preparations were done and the staff left,
“Ready,”
Director Wilma raised her voice once she saw Seojun close his eyes.
“Action!”
[(Gift of Red Slime Core activates.)]
A burning heat enveloped Theo’s entire body. Cold sweat began to form.
It felt like his head was tightening, like his body was vibrating. No, maybe it was his head that was vibrating. His mind felt hazy. He didn’t know if he was awake or dreaming.
With pain came memories of the past.
Days filled with pain, depression, anxiety, and loneliness.
Days so repetitive they blurred together like dust, impossible to tell if they were from yesterday or today.
Theo had lived a life like that.
His face twisted in agony. Or rather—it looked resigned and sorrowful. He had grown so used to pain, he no longer resisted. He just accepted it.
Then, a twitch in his brow.
He remembered the day he took his first step in a new direction.
Theo never intended to sink forever into that endless swamp. He simply waited for the right time—to fully realize the hope buried deep within his heart.
Sometimes, he felt overwhelmed, but he never let go of the faint thread in his grasp.
And finally, that day came.
He heard footsteps running. Someone was chasing him.
Though the pain was immense, breaking free from those people brought a satisfying sense of freedom.
His face, which had momentarily brightened, darkened again.
Even though he escaped death and found freedom, he couldn’t find the witch.
That made the days even more unbearable.
Then, another vivid memory resurfaced.
The day he bumped into someone.
A faint smell of a witch, drifting alongside an apology.
He couldn’t help but smile.
Theo followed her scent and found her home. He even met her cat.
He should’ve been happy. But when the cat told him to leave, he lost control and picked a fight. It had been a stupid mistake, considering how hard it had been to find her.
Their first meeting had been terrible.
He was so relieved to have found her, he forgot how bad things were between witches and werewolves.
Staring at the closed door, Theo realized: this won’t work.
He tried to picture the witch’s face.
She was still young.
And young people respond well to sympathy.
Rain fell.
It felt like even the sky was helping him.
To look more pitiful, he didn’t wear his hood and just stood in the rain. Of course, he wasn’t sure if the witch would feel sorry for a werewolf.
‘I didn’t expect it to work this easily.’
He acted as pitifully as he could and was let into the witch’s home. So he tried to keep his head down and gain sympathy. The kind witch even gave him a room.
‘I’ll have to warn her to be more cautious.’
Her saying no payment was needed only made Theo more nervous.
No one in his life had ever done something for him without expecting something in return. He’d rather offer fur, blood, claws—anything.
He felt like he could be kicked out at any moment.
So he searched for ways to be useful. If he worked, maybe she wouldn’t send him away.
He didn’t fight her cat, either. It was her precious pet—fighting it would definitely get him kicked out.
He didn’t step outside. He was afraid he wouldn’t be let back in.
He even hid the pain from his wounds. If he looked sick, they’d see him as a burden.
Claire had said she’d help break the curse.
‘She’s kind.’
But Theo still couldn’t fully trust her.
No one in his life had ever responded to his trust.
Anxiety and fear overwhelmed him.
And at the same time, the warmth of the house seeped in.
The meals with others, Claire’s cheerful laughter over small things, even Molly’s bossy attitude—it wasn’t bad.
‘No… I liked it.’
Maybe that’s why he lowered himself even more. Because he wanted to stay.
Even Molly’s attitude was fine. He was willing to do anything Claire didn’t even ask for.
And Claire noticed that.
“You can stay.”
A kind witch indeed.
‘I should apologize.’
He should admit to his scheming, too.
Somehow, he felt like she might hit him—but not kick him out. No, he believed that.
Lying in bed—
Theo’s face looked peaceful.
The sweat and flushed cheeks were gone. His breathing had stabilized.
Theo’s eyelids twitched.
He’d been sick plenty of times before, but never had he woken up feeling this comfortable.
‘…Wait, my chest feels heavy?’
Feeling a bit suffocated, Theo opened his eyes.
“Theo!”
“Theo!”
His eyes widened in surprise.
He wasn’t alone. His vision was filled with Claire and Molly’s faces—filled with concern and relief.
“You should’ve said something if you were sick!”
So that’s what the weight was—Molly the black cat was sitting on his chest. Now she was pressing down hard with both front paws.
“Molly. He might pass out again if you keep doing that.”
Claire. So kind…
“If you get better, I’ll hit you.”
Mm. Mmm.
Unable to find the words, Theo suddenly burst out laughing.
“Wait—why are you laughing? Why!?”
“Theo.”
Even with the witch and cat glaring at him, Theo couldn’t stop laughing.
Would they ever know?
That this was the first time he had ever laughed like this.
That he even teared up a little without meaning to—
Theo laughed with all his heart.