Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 244

244. I Want to Know About That (1)

“Hey, I told you, you can’t film here!”

“The prosecutor permitted it, you know? He directly requested cooperation in securing evidentiary materials, so we’re filming.”

“Ah… seriously.”

The PDs [Production Directors] with cameras began to roam around every corner.

The target was none other than the police.

The reason for filming the police instead of the crime scene was this:

“No matter how I think about it, I can’t understand the police acting like that with my common sense. Being this negligent… where was it… I’ve only seen it in movies where the police in towns with salt farms collude with the salt farm owners to send back those who escaped. Turns out, the whole town was in cahoots. Something like that.”

That remark became the trigger.

A narrow local community.

Moreover, the landowner was said to be a native who had lived there for generations.

“Isn’t it strange?”

“It is strange.”

Gulp.

The sound of someone swallowing was loud.

“Then… shall we all do it that way?”

You know without being told.

The staff, who had worked together for many years, knew what to do and how to do it without being told specifically, finding their roles on their own.

‘Like a bulldozer.’

I’ve felt it before, but their execution is truly exceptional.

Watching them, Yeon-woo also began to move in earnest.

And.

“Ah, there’s no such person! Did you come to ask about that? You’ve come to the wrong place.”

Thud!

He was turned away for what felt like the hundredth time.

*

[That’s a lie.]

“Right. It’s a lie.”

[It was obviously the reaction of someone who knows. Right?]

Yeon-woo recalled the moment when the resident, who had greeted him with a bright smile, suddenly hardened his face and slammed the door.

Also, the message on the status window that appeared above the resident’s head.

[Lie]

“I don’t know, I’ve never heard of such a thing. Missing? What missing.”

As the resident said that, the status window that smoothly appeared revealed the truth.

Before he could even ask why they were hiding it, the door slammed shut in his face.

[But it’s surprising? I didn’t expect you to be this proactive. Even underground.]

“Well…”

[Is it because of your lifespan?]

“It’s not necessarily just that…”

[Anyway, you thought well. Yes. The world becomes cleaner when there are no innocent victims. And you collect lifespan quickly. You’re still far from escaping the negative, aren’t you?]

Thankfully, thanks to the people who liked him, he had managed to accumulate several years’ worth of lifespan.

Of course, it was still not enough to fill the 78 years that had gone negative.

“Why are you suddenly talking about lifespan out of nowhere? You never cared about my lifespan, Dongja.”

[When did I ever not care? Who cares about you as much as I do?!]

“I think you keep getting confused, but you’re not a person, you’re a ghost. I’m a person, and you’re a ghost.”

There’s definitely something.

As Yeon-woo narrowed his eyes, Dongja-ryeong awkwardly turned his head away.

If he had a body, he probably would have been sweating.

“Did something happen related to my lifespan?”

[N-no… ?]

“Do you know anything about this system?”

[I don’t know what you’re talking about… ?]

“Should I use the Exorcism Paper before you talk?”

[No! I’ll be affected if you use that!]

“What? You feasted on evil spirits yesterday, how could you be affected?”

Even if they are minor spirits, the number makes a difference.

Isn’t there a saying that many a little makes a mickle [many small amounts can make a large amount] ?

There’s no way Dongja-ryeong, who devoured so many minor spirits, would be affected by a mere Exorcism Paper.

With so much power, he should be able to deflect it or only feel a slight threat.

Where did that power go that he’s being affected?

“You. Where did you go and what did you do?”

[I-I-I don’t know anything~!]

Finding himself at a disadvantage, Dongja-ryeong attempted to escape.

In an instant, he quickly moved backward and disappeared into the air.

“Haa….”

There’s only one reason why Dongja-ryeong would act so obviously.

Kang Yeon-hwa.

His mother.

‘I feel like running over there right now to check….’

The problem is that Kang Yeon-hwa is blocking Yeon-woo’s approach.

He didn’t even know the reason.

However, there was always a reason for Kang Yeon-hwa’s actions.

And he only knew that the reason always led to a valid result.

‘She seems to have become even stronger since retiring….’

She’s not just any shaman from a family of shamans.

Even though Yeon-woo, who didn’t receive a deity, is stronger than any other shaman, he still had to yield to Kang Yeon-hwa.

If Kang Yeon-hwa sincerely blocked his approach, even Yeon-woo couldn’t approach.

Seeing her blocking like that, there must be a reason, so he couldn’t force his way in.

‘I guess the answer is to beat up that Dongja-ryeong?’

That’s probably why he ran away right away.

It must be because he instinctively felt that he would be thoroughly searched if caught.

“I’m going crazy.”

What on earth is happening in a place he doesn’t know?

As he sighed at that thought, an unexpected answer came back.

“Are things not going well for you either?”

Turning around, he saw Min Ye-rin and Kim Si-hyuk standing there with troubled expressions.

“I don’t want to use these words either… but I’m really going crazy. I don’t know why everyone is so closed off.”

That wasn’t what he meant, but Yeon-woo could fully agree with that statement.

That’s because they were conducting an investigation instead of the police who were openly slacking off.

Well.

It wasn’t very professional, and it was just to obtain information about the unidentified corpse.

“But aren’t we going to get quietly erased if we keep doing this? You know, in movies, the people who go around asking questions are the first to get taken care of.”

“Si-hyuk. We’re not in a movie right now. Surely that won’t happen? And who would kidnap and murder a celebrity? It’s not cost-effective.”

As Min Ye-rin explained in a calm tone, Kim Si-hyuk shuddered.

“Could you not say that word? Ugh….”

The guy who was a head taller than Min Ye-rin curled up his large body and trembled.

“What? Kidnap and murder?”

“Please stop with that….”

It was quite a sight to see him curl up and tremble.

“Oh, Teacher Gu is coming too. Judging by his expression, it doesn’t seem to be going well….”

Gu Jun-wook and his manager, who came closer, shook their heads.

“It’s not working. It’s not working. I’m embarrassed to say this at my age, but I’m somewhat well-received, you know? My image is good among people of similar age, so I don’t usually get treated badly… but it’s not working here.”

Even Gu Jun-wook, who had confidently stepped forward, declared his surrender.

The reason why the actors also remained with the production team instead of going back to Seoul was precisely this.

The recognition that they were somewhat well-known.

They thought that it might reduce the residents’ resistance.

Moreover, they were reluctant to leave the production team, who had become almost like family after experiencing all sorts of things together.

Their plan was to use their fame to obtain useful information or testimonies.

Unfortunately, it was thwarted in less than a day.

“In my opinion, everyone here is in cahoots. Look at how they’re all clamming up like shells.”

“The resistance was no joke either. Are they really all connected?”

“In dramas and movies, it’s exactly the kind of situation. We’re in reality, which is a bit different, though.”

“The police are in cahoots, and even if the prosecutor moves directly, they’ll face more resistance than us. We’re not getting through. Tsk… if we go back like this, it won’t sit well with me….”

Their clumsy investigation, which was about to leave a bad taste, found a breakthrough in an unexpected place.

“I’m sorry. We don’t allow outside visitors… but…?”

The voice that was about to refuse without even opening the door trailed off.

Following that, an exclamation of astonishment returned.

The door opened right away.

As if welcoming them.

“Wait. Just a moment. Huh? Heok [Gasp]? Heok [Gasp]? Yeon, is that really you? Our Yeon-woo…?”

Looking at the widening eyes, Yeon-woo smiled softly.

Finally found it.

The clue that had been tightly hidden.

“Hello. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

*

One village failed, but fortunately, they had other villages left.

Not just one, but three more.

“Heok [Gasp]. Oh my gosh. What’s going on? Why is our Yeon-woo here? Our Yeon-woo in this rural backwater…! Our Yeon-woo…!”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Of course! Of course! A humble person in a precious place… no! A precious person in a humble place… please come in!”

Yeon-woo smiled brightly and accepted the invitation.

[Tsk tsk. The lamb has been caught. How pitiful….]

Dongja-ryeong, who had somehow followed along, slyly poked his head out.

‘I’ll deal with you later.’

Yeon-woo ignored Dongja-ryeong and quietly stared at the other person.

The eyes of the person who received Yeon-woo’s gaze gradually changed hazily.

“What’s your name?”

“Seo Woo-jung.”

“Yes. Seo Woo-jung. The reason I came here is to ask you a few things.”

“Yes. Ask me anything. I’ll answer everything.”

[How does she know what he’s going to ask?]

Dongja-ryeong chimed in from the side.

It seemed like he was taking advantage of the fact that it was difficult to respond right now.

Of course.

[Aaaagh! This is cheating!]

Yeon-woo had other means besides conversation.

“…?”

Yeon-woo smiled brightly at Seo Woo-jung, who was bewildered by Yeon-woo suddenly grabbing at the air.

“There was a fly for a moment.”

[Why am I a fly! Let me go! Let me go!]

Dongja-ryeong, who was grabbed by the scruff of his neck, struggled.

I told you not to loiter in front of me.

After waving his hand and throwing him far away, Yeon-woo once again made eye contact with Seo Woo-jung.

‘Abilities are meant to be used.’

Eyes filled with sorrow, an A-grade ability.

As he quietly stared using that ability, Seo Woo-jung’s eyes shook greatly.

It was a clear agitation.

Until then, there was no timing to use the ability even if he wanted to.

Moreover, the ‘captivating vocal cords that are hard to escape once heard’ had a penalty attached.

That is, ‘depending on the listener’s favorability….’

The basic premise was that there had to be underlying favorability.

There was a power to make even unfavorable opponents develop favorability through continuous exposure, but.

It was almost impossible to build favorability in the short moments of being turned away.

Even shaking hearts with ‘eyes filled with sorrow’ was only for a brief moment.

‘The resistance is considerable.’

The eyes that seemed to be captivated for a moment immediately changed when the story of the missing person came up.

But Seo Woo-jung was different.

From the beginning, she didn’t hide her favorability towards Yeon-woo.

“Have you ever heard of a missing person in this area?”

“A missing… case?”

“Yes. Even if it’s not in this town, stories from nearby villages are fine.”

“Ah….”

Seo Woo-jung’s eyes shook once again.

Because they had shaken hands, he could tell that she was struggling.

“That….”

Muttering, muttering.

She opened her mouth to speak several times, then closed it again repeatedly.

Then, as if she had made up her mind, she tightly closed her eyes and nodded.

“It feels like it would be a big deal if I knew, but it seems like it’s going to be known anyway… to be honest, I don’t have much affection for this town… and my family is always subtly ostracized….”

Word by word.

With each word she spoke, the resistance that remained in Seo Woo-jung gradually faded away.

It was an excellent result created by the synergy between Yeon-woo and his ability.

Fortunately, Seo Woo-jung also seemed to have some antipathy towards this narrow local community.

“They always just say we’re one family in the same town, but honestly, my family has always been on the outside. It’s not like we’re complete strangers, and my grandfather is a native here. But since my dad went to another region and came back, they treat us like outsiders. They pretend to be friendly and always come into our garden and steal everything. They collect money for something and always leave us out. They act so childishly… I hated that, so I escaped this town altogether.”

She said she’s currently on leave from school and just came down for a while.

“But I know everything about this town and the surrounding area. The town is small, so I know most of the rumors. So. What is it that our Yeon-woo is curious about?”

Seo Woo-jung asked with a slightly nervous look.

It was the question that Yeon-woo had been waiting for.