Chapter 729

“I apologize for the inconvenience today.”

That’s how Seo-jun ended up spending the day in Kirk Lawrence’s waiting room.

The fairly large waiting room was spacious enough for the two actors and their staff.

Besides, there were separate dressing rooms and costume rooms, and today’s shooting was outdoors, so the actors spent more time waiting outside than in the waiting room.

“Make yourself comfortable, Lee.”

Kirk Lawrence said, and Seo-jun chuckled.

He was an actor collector (?) with a dark desire to befriend Kirk Lawrence, now that things had turned out this way. He didn’t intend to, but he had a secret weapon.

“Let’s call each other by our first names, since we’ll be shooting together from now on. You can call me Jun.”

Seo-jun reached out his hand, and Kirk Lawrence hesitated for a moment before nodding and shaking it.

“Okay. Please call me Kirk, Jun.”

“And speak casually, too!”

“I’ll try… gradually.”

Kirk Lawrence answered, avoiding Seo-jun’s sparkling eyes. He thought this much distance was enough for a co-worker he might not see again after the movie [Shadow and Knight].

But Seo-jun thought, ‘The beginning is half the battle!’

“Sure. Take your time!”

The people in the waiting room smiled at the friendly atmosphere. It was better for the shooting if the actors got along well, even though they played the roles of a villain and a hero.

“Well, we’ll go get ready for the shooting.”

Jonathan, the director, the assistant director, and the staff left the waiting room, and Seo-jun and Kirk Lawrence sat down a little apart, awkwardly.

“Kirk, do you want a cookie?”

Am I the only one who feels awkward?

Kirk Lawrence blinked at the sight of Seo-jun offering him a cookie. Seo-jun smiled brightly and explained the cookies enthusiastically.

“This one is chocolate flavored, and this one has almonds in it, so it has a nice texture. If you like a soft taste, I recommend this cookie.”

Wow. They are so diverse.

While Kirk Lawrence was hesitating, the people in the waiting room also had cookies in their hands.

“Oh, this is delicious!”

“Right?”

“Where do you buy these? I have to get some on my way home.”

“I made them myself.”

…What?

Kirk Lawrence and his staff froze. Seo-jun and Choi Tae Woo looked calm, unlike them.

“…You made them yourself, Jun?”

“Yes. I had a day off, and I had some spare time, so I tried making them.”

Kirk Lawrence bit into the almond cookie he chose.

‘This is made by an actor?’

It tasted good enough to sell in a store. No, it was better than most store-bought cookies.

The others seemed to think the same, as they exclaimed and ate the cookies.

They were doubly surprised by the cookies made by a superstar, and they were delicious.

“Do you make cookies often, Jun?”

Kirk Lawrence asked without realizing it.

At that question, Seo-jun, who had been thinking ‘The best way to lure them in is with food!’, looked up at the sky and smiled. It was a somewhat detached smile.

“…Anything is fun when it’s exam time.”

It was late April, when the blooming flowers fell.

He was Lee Seo-jun, a college student with midterm exams coming up.

***

“You’re a college student?”

“Yes. I’m taking online classes right now.”

The conversation with Kirk Lawrence, which started with the secret weapon ‘cookies’, went quite well.

“You’re diligent. You don’t need to learn any more with your acting skills, Jun…”

He had only shot a very short scene with him, but Seo-jun Lee’s acting skills seemed to be enough without any more learning, from what he had seen so far. 

He was the actor who won an Oscar at the age of 12, and the first to win the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival.

“I find it fun to hear stories about actors who act in different styles from me, or to learn about acting and shooting.”

Seo-jun Lee’s face shone with passion, and Kirk Lawrence nodded. But he didn’t sympathize or agree with Seo-jun Lee’s passion.

‘It’s just a job, isn’t it?’

He did his job as much as he could, and it was enough if he made money.

‘Passion…’

It was a very distant story for Kirk Lawrence, who became an actor by chance.

***

“Ready, action!”

“…Why here of all places?”

William, who got out of the black car, blinked at the place in front of him.

A place where white lace fabrics fluttered in the wind, and colorful flowers that he couldn’t tell if they were artificial or real decorated beautifully. 

It looked like any moment, the bell on the church spire would ring, and the happy bride and groom would appear to the applause of the invited guests.

An outdoor wedding venue.

Central Park was huge.

It was bigger than the country ‘Monaco’.

But why did First choose this place among the many places in Central Park?

“To increase the success rate of the plan a little bit.”

The First agent who came to pick up William answered in a stiff voice to his question.

Hmm.

He had a stern expression that didn’t seem to answer any more questions.

‘He must be nervous because it’s a battle soon.’

William looked at the First agent for a moment.

The First agent, who had a radio in his ear, was wearing a black uniform that was good for mobility, and had weapons all over his body. 

Guns and daggers, of course, and he seemed to have a few small weapons for emergencies inside his uniform.

He didn’t look closely, but just glanced at him, and the weapons seemed to say ‘I’m here.’ It was something he couldn’t have imagined a few days ago.

‘Why is that?’

The First agent, who seemed to notice William’s gaze, started to get nervous, and William turned his head.

‘Is this also because of the ‘inheritance’?’

He wondered how the superheroes in the news or online videos could react so quickly, and now he seemed to know.

‘I can see them clearly, so I have to react.’

William clenched and unclenched his hand, feeling depressed by the thought that this amazing sensation was a trace of Shadowman. But now was not the time to feel depressed.

“You’ll hear the news that the villain has appeared through this radio.”

“Yes.”

William plugged the radio that the First agent gave him into his ear. He heard Taylor’s voice, the director.

-Can you hear me, William?

“Yes. I can hear you well.”

“William?”

Huh?

It seemed that Taylor, the director, didn’t hear William’s answer, as he called out his name.

“To answer, you have to press this button.”

“Oh, right!”

The First agent showed him the radio in his ear and pointed out the button. William, who had accidentally answered in the air, quickly pressed the button and replied.

“William? Can you hear me?”

“Yes, I can hear you well!”

William’s face turned a little red.

The First agent looked at him with a strange expression, then hardened his face again. William, who was talking to Taylor, didn’t notice.

“The plan will proceed as I told you before.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“When the villain moves to his destination, evacuate with the agent immediately.”

“Yes.”

After Taylor confirmed the plan once more, he ended the contact. William let go of the radio button and sighed.

He didn’t know why, but the villain came to Central Park every two days.

If he followed his habit, he would come to Central Park today as well.

William looked up at the sky.

The white clouds and the blue sky were mixed, and the weather looked very nice.

But if he looked inside, there were dozens of First fighter jets on standby, activating their stealth function.

It was the same for Central Park.

From the places the villain went to every time he came to Central Park, to the people who looked like ordinary citizens near this outdoor wedding venue, they were all First agents.

Suddenly, he became curious.

“Hey, where is the place the villain goes to every two days?”

There were many places in Central Park.

A lake, a zoo, a music hall, a baseball stadium, a theater, a playground, an amusement park, a memorial hall, etc.

Which of those places did the villain frequent so much?

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Ah, yes…”

William scratched his cheek awkwardly at the stiff answer of the First agent.

Hmm. It must be classified.

He couldn’t help it, he shrugged and crouched down, getting closer to the ground. The sun was so bright that William’s shadow was dark.

In that dark shadow, Jay and Partner appeared.

Jay and Partner, who had the most important role today, looked as relaxed as usual. 

Their appearance made William, who was a little nervous, smile slightly. But he soon became depressed.

“Partner, you should be with Shadowman…”

William patted Partner with a regretful expression, and Jay comforted Partner as well. Partner showed a cheerful look, as if he was okay. William’s heart became more heavy. He was a shadow that resembled his master.

That lasted for a moment.

-Jeff McKay. He’s here.

The voice that came through the radio made First, as well as William, who was playing with the shadows, tense up and stand up from their seats.

Jeff McKay.

The name of the villain who was eroded by the space parasitic creature, Arodo.

-William! Get ready.

“Yes!”

William answered Taylor’s communication.

“Jay, Partner. Let’s get ready.”

The two shadows that protruded from William’s dark shadow nodded.

Meanwhile, under Taylor’s command, the fighter jets in the sky and the combat agents on the ground prepared for battle. The First agent who was going to evacuate William also headed for the car.

-Jeff McKay. He’s out.

-William. Now!

At Taylor’s signal, William controlled the shadow instead of answering.

The shadow that darkened under the sun dyed William’s surroundings like a spreading wave. And soon, it stretched out to several places like branches. Black lines were drawn on the white wedding venue floor.

“Jay! Partner!”

At William’s shout, Jay and Partner exerted their strength.

Then, black pillars sprouted from the places where the shadow branches overlapped. 

They were long and black pillars, as if they were in some kind of temple.

Soon, the tops of the pillars were connected by black shadows like a net. 

It was the same as what William had witnessed at the baseball stadium.

The power he had received from Shadowman was showing up here.

Hah hah-

William, who used such a huge power for the first time, breathed out.

Thanks to the power he had inherited from Shadowman, he still had plenty of energy, but it was hard to control.

It was like playing with a small stream and then controlling a rough sea.

There had to be a big difference.

As William calmed down, he heard the First agent’s scream through the radio.

-Jeff McKay! Shadow detected! Moving now…!

Bang!!

A loud noise and a ding- bell sound rang out.

A black-green tentacle that flew from the right sky pierced the church spire like an arrow. And the tentacle was taut, as if it was going to pull something on the other side.

-He came like this…! William! Avoid it!

“Lee! We have to go now!”

“Yes!”

As William was about to run to the car at the agent’s scream, the tentacle that was stuck in the spire shrank. Something on the other side was pulled by the recoil.

William saw a black-green lump coming fast from the right sky.

-Attack!

—!!

As Taylor shouted, the First fighter jets began their attack.

But the black-green lump flew faster than their attacks and crashed into the front of the church with a kwaang! sound.

The ground sank in with a huge impact, and dust rose.

The stage where the officiant and the bride and groom would have stood collapsed, and the white fabrics swayed in the rough wind. 

The petals of the decorated flowers flew in all directions, and the tables and chairs were overturned.

-All agents, standby.

The surroundings became quiet at Taylor’s words.

Soon, the dust settled slowly.

And something appeared from within.

“Jeff McKay…”

William looked at the man who was covered with black-green slime up to his upper body, unlike what he had seen on the screen.