Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 278

279. Farewell, and (3)

It’s not like I’m shamelessly saying I’ll take someone else’s lifespan without a care.

‘Win-win. If possible, we should aim for results that are mutually beneficial.’

To be honest, I didn’t even care if it would have an impact on foreigners.

But watching Onflix made me think a little differently.

Actually, there were signs.

‘Come to think of it, the YouTube channel I made as a hobby had a pretty good response. The lifespan I harvested from there was quite substantial too.’

I didn’t think deeply about it back then and just moved on.

I was just fascinated by the new composing ability and amazed that it resonated with people.

I should have caught on then…….

‘Tsk.’

It’s a shame.

But oh well.

It’s not too late now either.

Rather, if I had crossed over with half-hearted hope back then, I might have been disappointed.

In a state with no foundation,

‘I hope someone recognizes me!’

I’m not young enough to act like that.

Now that I have some foundation, it’s actually the right time.

Actually, I don’t know if I have a foundation or not because I don’t know much.

But if it gives a year of lifespan in one night,

Isn’t that a pretty good start?

“Look at him. He’s spacing out again. It’s not polite to do that in front of someone.”

Lady Kang, who knew like a ghost that Yeon-woo’s mind had wandered, clicked her tongue.

“It’s okay, Mother. It means he’s thoughtful. I like that Yeon-woo is a thoughtful person. He’s so considerate of others.”

“Isn’t Seong-hyun seeing him too favorably?”

“But it’s true? I’m alive thanks to Yeon-woo.”

Kwon Seong-hyun said with a bright smile.

“If it weren’t for Yeon-woo, wouldn’t I have crossed the river of the underworld [a euphemism for dying] a long time ago?”

That’s a scary thing to hear too.

Lady Kang looked at Kwon Seong-hyun and clicked her tongue once more.

“Short life, my foot. In my eyes, Seong-hyun, you’re destined to live to 120. What’s 120? In my eyes, there’s no end to your lifeline, no end. Now that it’s the era of 100 years, it’s 120 years. If humans die at 120, you’re the talent to live to 150.”

“Does living long make me a talent?”

“Living long is also a talent.”

I don’t know if this is scolding or praising.

But something was a little strange.

“Wait a minute. When did you two start speaking informally [using casual speech]?”

“Did you just notice that now? Look at him. He pretends to be a quick-witted fox, but he’s just a bear.”

“He’s cute.”

Cute…….

Yeon-woo was speechless.

What on earth happened while I was out of it for a moment?

“I agree with that too, Mother. Yeon-woo is still at an age where he should be like that. That’s how he looks his age.”

Even Woo Do-gyeom stood up for Kwon Seong-hyun.

“Do-gyeom, you have children, so you’re very serious.”

Yeon-woo only had question marks floating around.

Serious?

Who?

Woo Do-gyeom?

Lady Kang, noticing Yeon-woo’s dumbfounded expression, clicked her tongue for the third time.

“The kid is still young and doesn’t know much, so you guys should step up and help him.”

After saying that, she turned to Yeon-woo and said this.

“You be good to your friends too.”

“Yes?”

Frie-, what?

Where on earth did she see those two as friends?

I wanted to explain that it wasn’t true, but Lady Kang had already said it once.

That they were benefactors, so treat them well.

That people who think of helping others even while thinking of abandoning their own foundation are very rare.

Lady Kang said that while watching the two of them, who were practically stuck in the hospital room, abandoning their livelihoods.

Yeon-woo felt quite wronged.

‘Isn’t the VIP room a bit much to call a hospital room? It’s already just a home office there?’

At this point, wouldn’t it be closer to surveillance than caregiving?

“I really have to go now.”

Finally, Lady Kang gave her final farewell.

“Go safely.”

“Yeah. You take care of yourself too.”

It was a cool, even cold, farewell.

There was no affection whatsoever.

From the beginning, they weren’t the kind of mother and son who were close and doting on each other.

‘Still, we came back from the dead, isn’t this too bleak?’

Oh well.

It’s not like I want a desperate farewell.

It’s just that I’ve experienced Lady Kang’s chicness after so long that my resistance seems to have disappeared.

‘Well, Lady Kang was the one who answered ‘just because’ to the question of why she saved me.’

Now I know with what heart she answered ‘just because’.

But back then, I was really taken aback.

So much so that I even doubted my ears, wondering if I had misheard.

After calmly finishing the greetings, Lady Kang slowly walked out of the hospital room.

Click.

Even the hand opening the door has no hesitation.

But at the very last moment, just as she was leaving the hospital room.

“Visit home sometimes.”

She let out a quiet word that was unlike Lady Kang.

And then, as if she didn’t expect an answer, she crossed the threshold without hesitation and left straight away.

It was truly a farewell worthy of Lady Kang.

*

“I’ve arranged for someone to escort you home, so you don’t have to worry.”

The first one to speak was Woo Do-gyeom.

“I’ve arranged for a car that has never had a single fatality since its release. So you don’t have to make that face.”

Woo Do-gyeom rattled off the history of the car that was specially brought in.

When I asked if there was such a car, I got a definite answer that there was.

“Even if a truck crashes into it, you’ll be able to walk out unharmed, so don’t worry.”

“No…… a truck shouldn’t be crashing into it in the first place.”

“Now that I hear it, that’s true. I’ll tell them to control the signals.”

And then, before Yeon-woo could say anything, he made a call somewhere.

“It’s me. A car will be passing by there now. Make sure there’s no risk of an accident…….”

Yeon-woo thought.

‘He seems more like a filial son than I do……?’

And seriously pondered.

Whether he was an unfilial son, that kind of worry.

“That guy may be a bit of a scoundrel, but he’ll make sure your mother gets in safely, so don’t worry.”

Kwon Seong-hyun also chimed in.

“I have a question.”

“Yes.”

“When did you two get so close?”

Lady Kang has seen all sorts of humans wearing human skin and committing all sorts of terrible acts.

There were more than a few greedy people who came to the shrine just to satisfy their own desires and get ahead.

She had seen such people her whole life.

It was no wonder that she suffered from distrust and contempt of humans.

Lady Kang’s cynical, chic, and cool personality may have been because of that.

Well, there’s a good chance it’s just her innate personality.

Anyway, the point is this.

“I’m her son, but I know that Lady Kang isn’t the type to open her heart easily…….”

Lady Kang doesn’t give her side to just anyone.

Even if they were regulars who followed Lady Kang everywhere and brought her money.

Or even if they were goddaughters who served and followed Lady Kang with utmost devotion.

Lady Kang was quite stingy in giving her side.

She definitely was…….

“She was kind, though?”

Kwon Seong-hyun gave the answer furthest from the truth.

“She treated me kindly.”

The words he added with a smile were even more absurd.

“She has a cool personality and a deep heart. Yeon-woo must have taken after his mother.”

“Yes……?”

Are we talking about the same person?

“I’ve taken care of it thoroughly, as you said.”

Woo Do-gyeom opened the door and came in just in time.

Okay. Whatever…….

Let’s say Kwon Seong-hyun pleased Lady Kang.

In fact, there would be few people who dislike someone who is suave, handsome, and the same inside and out.

But Woo Do-gyeom wasn’t.

“I appreciate you taking care of it…….”

“Why? Doesn’t it suit me?”

“Yes, well…….”

To be honest, yes.

It felt like Woo Do-gyeom would be better suited to being crooked no matter who it was.

Having only seen him acting like there was nothing above him, the current attitude he had towards Lady Kang was rather strange.

“I’m a little disappointed that you were looking at me that way.”

The man, who didn’t seem disappointed at all, curved his eyes coolly.

“She’s a respectable person. Of course, I have no choice but to be polite to such a person. She raised you so wonderfully.”

Yes?

It was such a perfectly logical answer that I didn’t expect it.

Regardless, Woo Do-gyeom continued nonchalantly.

“She knows a lot about children too. She was the first to recognize that Sae-rim and Sae-hyun have divine powers, just like you did. We decided to get help later.”

Certainly, it might be better for Woo Sae-rim and Woo Sae-hyun to be looked after by Lady Kang.

Unlike Yeon-woo, who was a quack, Lady Kang was a proper and excellent shaman who had raised many spirit disciples.

“By the way, there are times when you look your age.”

“Yes?”

The answer came from the other side.

“You get soft in front of your mother.”

“Where on earth……?”

“I don’t know. Your 말투 [manner of speaking]?”

“Was I like that?”

“Yes. Look. You’re doing it now too.”

The stiff 말투 that didn’t suit my age was a kind of defense mechanism that Yeon-woo had built up.

It was as if trying not to be caught doing anything wrong by anyone since I was young had become ingrained in my body.

I hadn’t really been aware of it…….

‘What is it. Why do I feel like I’ve become such a bad guy?’

Lady Kang had already emphasized several times that I should get along, that they were friends, that they were benefactors.

Yeon-woo felt somehow sorry.

Well, it’s not like I was going to apologize.

Fortunately, the two didn’t badger Yeon-woo any further.

Because they had their own businesses to attend to, no matter what.

Still, they seemed to be staying until Yeon-woo was discharged from the hospital, so they moved to another room and started taking care of their business.

And Yeon-woo…….

‘Still, I should check it out once.’

I brought up the status window that I had been putting off.

*

[Another Respite][SSS]

Yeon-woo stared at the status window floating in front of him.

Back then, I was too busy using it to even think about looking into it.

After regaining consciousness, I was just too busy worrying about the lifespan that had become 0.

‘I’m finally checking it out now.’

It was the stat that appeared after upgrading the system and disappearing the [???] item.

I was curious about what it was that it couldn’t be clicked and had no explanation.

[???]

I had even thought that it might be hiding a very big secret.

‘Anyway, the big secret was a secret. Such a stat.’

It doesn’t matter since the business is over.

Still, it’s a meritorious stat that saved Lady Kang, so shouldn’t I check it out at least out of courtesy?

‘No matter how I think about it, the SSS grade doesn’t feel real.’

Not S grade, not SS grade, but a whopping SSS grade.

Back then, I didn’t even have time to be surprised, so I roughly admired it and put it away.

Looking at it again like this, the alphabet of the SSS grade is quite threatening. It doesn’t feel real either.

But on the contrary, wouldn’t it have been impossible to transfer lifespan without the SSS grade?

‘Let’s see…….’

Yeon-woo’s fingertips lightly tapped the air.

An explanation unfolded in front of his eyes, where only the name of the stat was floating.

[Another Respite][SSS]

-Even if the user’s lifespan is completely exhausted, they can postpone death once without dying.

The user’s lifespan can be burned and granted to others.

However, it can only be used once, so choose carefully.

Remaining uses: 0

“It’s customized?”

Admiration came out on its own.

It was as if a really timely stat had popped out just when it was needed.

As if someone had arranged it.

‘Surely no one really arranged it.’

For some reason, I remember the dream I had when I collapsed after giving lifespan.

It was a really disgusting dog dream…….

Anyway.

“It’s disposable…….”

Yeon-woo stared intently at the item that said ‘Remaining uses’.

It’s not like the number 0 will change to 1, though.

In fact, it would be a problem if it changed.

Isn’t this practically immortal if used incorrectly?