Superstar 848
by CristaeHearing his friend laugh through the phone, Jack Smith chuckled softly in return.
“That cat is Molly?”
It had taken him a moment to remember, but Jack suddenly recalled that the witch’s cat appeared in the original novel Eclipse, the source material for the film his friend was working on.
—Yeah. There are two more: Lily and Bella.
Seojun answered with a smile from the screen.
The phone must’ve been propped up somewhere—he was using both hands to pet cat Jack, and the way he did it looked completely natural.
—Jack looks exactly like him.
“I’ve seen a few people with the same name, but a cat… That’s a weird feeling.”
—Hahaha.
Seojun laughed again.
“Aren’t you shooting right now?”
Jack Smith, well-versed in his friend’s schedule, asked. Seojun nodded.
—Yeah, but we’re just getting ready.
“Getting ready?”
—Mm-hmm.
Seojun reached out with his right hand and adjusted the phone upward slightly. Now his entire head, from chin to hairline, was visible.
Wait a second.
Jack Smith blinked.
Because sticking up from Seojun’s head were two fluffy ears. Like dog ears.
Was his friend secretly a dog all along?
Well, if it were Seojun, it wouldn’t even be that surprising.
Even if Seojun turned out to be an alien, Jack could easily say, “Ah, I knew it. Makes sense.” That’s the kind of friend Seojun was—their 22-year-long friendship made anything believable.
Before his thoughts could spiral further, New Eclipse popped into his mind.
“Are those wolf ears?”
—Yep. What do you think? Do they look good?
Grinning, Seojun wiggled the wolf ears on his head.
“Yeah. They actually suit you really well. No weirdness at all.”
Was it because this was Hollywood? Or because it was Seojun?
Anyone else might look a bit silly, but Seojun pulled them off effortlessly.
—Really? I haven’t even covered my real ears yet.
“…Oh?”
At Seojun’s comment, Jack finally noticed that Seojun’s human ears were still visible. Which meant… he had four ears in total.
“You looked so natural, I thought that was just how you were.”
—Hah!
Seojun burst out laughing. Jack laughed too.
“So, why’d you call?”
—Just wanted to check how you’re doing.
Jack took a breath.
Just as Jack knew Seojun’s shooting schedule, Seojun also knew about Jack’s baseball games.
“You heard?”
Jack ran a hand through his hair, slightly embarrassed.
—The articles made it obvious.
Jack nodded, remembering the headlines.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
—Is it a slump?
The question everyone else avoided, Seojun asked casually, like it was no big deal. And that made Jack comfortable enough to answer honestly.
“I’m not sure if it’s a slump. I’ve never really had one before, so I can’t tell.”
Jack looked up at the sky. The clear blue sky of LA stretched above.
The Major League regular season had started in early April.
And Jack Smith hadn’t gotten a hit in two games.
It was too early to call it a slump, but some articles were already speculating. Fans and people around him were worried too.
“It’s only been two games, so everyone’s watching to see how today goes. I think today’s game will determine what happens next.”
Seojun listened quietly as Jack spoke.
“I’m training like usual. But if I don’t get a hit again today, I might take a short break and talk with the coaches. Some people do bounce back from slumps that way.”
Their earlier cheerful talk had faded, leaving behind a quiet heaviness.
“…Jun.”
After a pause, Jack asked,
“…I’ll get better soon, right?”
It wasn’t something he could say to just anyone. But with Seojun, he could. Despite being younger, Seojun had always been a reliable, grounding friend—like an older brother.
—I’ll come watch your game today.
“What?”
Jack’s eyes widened at the sudden declaration.
“You’re really coming today?”
—Yeah. I’m already in LA, so it won’t take long to get there.
“What about your shoot?”
—If it goes according to schedule, it’ll wrap before your game ends. I should make it for the second half.
“You’re seriously coming?”
—Yup.
Jack blinked in disbelief. Seojun grinned at him through the screen.
—Jack.
Then Seojun said,
—Meow.
“Huh?”
Both the cat and the human responded at the same time.
Seojun paused, then burst out laughing. Jack couldn’t help laughing too. Cat Jack just blinked, utterly confused.
—Let’s play baseball after the game. Like we used to.
With the mood a bit lighter, Seojun smiled gently.
—It’ll be fun.
After the call, Seojun sat in silence for a moment.
‘What ability should I use?’
Just from the screen, it didn’t seem like Jack was physically injured. So it must’ve been emotional. Depending on the nature of the problem, Seojun had to choose the right ability.
He definitely planned to use Seon-Gi, which had broad applications. But he wanted to add something more tailored to Jack’s current state.
Hmm…
Thinking back through all the life books he had read, Seojun pondered.
So much so, he didn’t even realize he was still petting cat Jack.
‘If he were wearing a suit, he’d totally look like a mafia boss.’
Watching Seojun stroke a black cat in the shadows of his chair, Taewoo thought to himself.
Though those wolf ears on his head would have to go first.
Actually… maybe some people would like the wolf ears even more.
‘Should I suggest a photoshoot later?’
It might be fun to post something for the New Eclipse release.
While the actor and manager each thought their own thoughts, there was a knock at the door.
The special effects artist, who had taken a short break, returned to continue styling Seojun’s wolf ears and hiding them with his hair.
“I’ll continue now.”
“Okay.”
Seojun looked forward.
In the large mirror, he could see the artist’s hands quickly adjusting his right ear, tucking it under his hair. He felt the slight pressure as it flattened.
“Does it hurt, Jun?”
“Nope, it’s fine. Oh, I brought cookies today. Did you try one?”
The artist nodded enthusiastically while still working.
“Of course I did! They were so good. I came in early today just to get one.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The moment I saw the post on social media, I rushed to get ready. There weren’t many, so I kept praying one would be left!”
Her earnest expression made Seojun smile warmly.
Cat Jack had left to shoot with Team B, and Seojun, now fully styled, headed to the set.
The scene was set in the Witch’s Forest, but they weren’t filming in a real forest.
‘It’s outdoors, but…’
It was just a wide grassy area surrounded by green chroma key walls.
Feeling the breeze, Seojun walked toward the set.
He could hear the passing staff whispering as they looked at him—mostly at his wolf ears.
“Wow… they did such a good job.”
“Right? I thought it would look fake, but it looks really natural.”
“I actually thought CG would be better, but this is great.”
This was Seojun’s first time wearing the wolf ears on set. Maybe that’s why everyone was reacting so strongly.
“You really pull them off, Jun!”
Director Wilma said with similar awe, circling Seojun with a beaming smile, inspecting him from head to toe.
“Haha. Thank you.”
Seojun looked around.
But Haley Rosie, who usually matched the director’s energy, was nowhere to be seen.
“Director, where’s Haley?”
“Oh, over there. She’s preparing to get in character.”
Director Wilma pointed to the side of the set. Haley Rosie was crouched down in costume.
Preparing to get in character?
Curious, Seojun tilted his head and approached her.
“What are you doing, Haley?”
He crouched beside her. Haley slowly turned her head, holding something in both hands.
“Seojun…”
Seojun’s eyes widened.
Her bright energy from earlier had been completely replaced by a gloomy aura.
“Is something wrong?”
“Look at this.”
Haley held up what she was clutching—an oversized green ball, slightly bigger than a basketball.
What is that?
Seojun thought for a moment, then let out a soft “Ah.”
“This is supposed to be me?”
“Yep.”
Haley replied with a resigned expression.
“This is you, pre-CG.”
Specifically, it was the four-legged wolf version of Theo.
Seojun examined the green ball. He touched it. The smooth, glossy texture made him smile.
“Hahaha.”
“This isn’t funny.”
Haley sighed deeply.
“I have to act while looking at this. Molly was small, so it was okay. But your wolf form is huge.”
“Right.”
Seojun nodded.
According to the setting, the wolf’s face was supposed to be at a height Haley had to look up to—and its body was massive.
“I’m supposed to look up like there’s a huge wolf in front of me, but how am I supposed to do that while staring at this tiny ball?”
She sighed again and lifted the green ball.
“Look at this too.”
Attached to the ball was a long rod, likely for a crew member to use to mimic wolf Theo’s movements.
The thought of someone waving that ball on a stick made Haley dizzy.
“They’ll hold it and move it like this… How am I supposed to get into character?”
She had braced herself for lots of chroma key work, but this was tougher than expected.
“You’ll do great, Haley. You’ve practiced a lot.”
Even with Seojun’s encouragement, Haley sighed once more.
A little while later.
Filming began. It was Haley Rosie’s solo scene.
“Ready,”
Seojun sat in the waiting area, watching.
He could feel a few staff sneaking glances at his wolf ears, but he didn’t mind.
“Action!”
The Witch’s Forest.
Claire stepped out of her two-story home and stood on the grass, staring at the creature before her.
No—not a creature that appeared suddenly.
It was Theo, who had been walking ahead of her just moments ago, now transformed.
Claire’s eyes widened as she looked up.
A massive wolf.
First, she saw a black nose bigger than her fist. Following its shine upward, a pair of green—no, yellow—no, green eyes…
“I’m sorry!”
Before Director Wilma could even call cut, Haley Rosie blurted out a panicked apology with a stifled scream.