Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 279

280. Comeback (1)

August 7, 2022

Well, the system probably wouldn’t make me truly immortal…

‘If this stat became known, it could become quite troublesome.’

Of course, Yeon-woo isn’t so careless as to be easily discovered.

But isn’t there always a possibility?

What if.

In the unlikely event.

If he were unlucky enough to be found out, people might come begging for his lifespan from all directions.

There are quite a few people in the world who crave tomorrow for various reasons.

‘Everyone has a story in their heart.’

Doesn’t everyone have about three thousand won [approximately $2.50 USD] saved up in their heart?

The problem is that Yeon-woo can’t dare to make a value judgment on that.

Whose life is more important, and whose life is less important.

How can a single individual, not even a god, judge this?

‘There’s plenty of room for abuse too.’

A lifespan-squeezing old man… no, he might become a lifespan-spewing machine.

Even though what he obtains is the surplus lifespan of others that might have disappeared anyway.

Still, to live a life where he has to obtain that and offer it to someone else.

Shiver!

He’s usually the type not to bat an eye, but he gets goosebumps.

This is something.

It’s like a new kind of dystopia.

‘Well, it’s not like I’m a saint who’s going to give away my lifespan anyway.’

He needs to take care of himself first, right?

A perfectly reasonable one-time-use stat with only one use.

But there was a disappointing aspect.

‘Still, it’s a shame it’s only once…….’

Since they’re giving it anyway.

What’s wrong with giving it twice?

Yeon-woo sighed, disregarding the thought that completely contradicted his previous one.

‘It would have been great if I had collected about 40 years. Huh?’

If that were the case, the lifespan he passed on to Madam Kang would have been rounded up to 40 years instead of 20.

He wasn’t a saint, but he was a bit of an exception when it came to Madam Kang.

‘I really should have saved up a bit more.’

It’s not like Yeon-woo was lazy and procrastinated while collecting it.

He did his best in his own way.

If he didn’t, he would die anyway.

But now that the situation has turned out like this, only regret remains.

‘……But it’s a bit questionable whether I could have really given it all away…….’

The thought that came to mind after seeing ‘Another Reprieve’.

That was the thought of it being ‘customized’.

In other words, the stat activation itself might have been impossible unless it was a situation similar to that time.

Let’s say Yeon-woo went crazy and hit the jackpot, collecting 50 or 60 years of lifespan in just 2 years, like winning the lottery.

Could he really have given it all away?

‘It feels like there would have been restrictions imposed. Tsk…….’

What if he went crazy and collected 100 or 200 years?

Would the stat have really allowed him to pass on the entire lifespan?

The answer came easily.

‘That would definitely be a restriction.’

The description

[Can burn the user’s lifespan to grant it to others.]

might have had a clause like this attached.

[However, only lifespans within 30 years can be granted.]

Like that kind of phrase.

‘Basically, the system seems friendly but is unfriendly.’

It’s like it’s helping Yeon-woo survive, but there are subtle limitations.

It never gives unconditionally.

For example, like this.

[Enchanting Vocal Cords]

[Improvisational and Splendid Performance]

[Ventriloquism]

All stats that Yeon-woo had used effectively.

He earned a decent amount of lifespan, and he received help in obtaining lifespan.

But these stats had conditions attached.

[The range of effect varies depending on the target’s favorability.]

[The degree increases as understanding of the instrument increases.]

[If the realm is low, there is a chance of being discovered if used for a long time.]

Like this.

‘Anyway, it never gives anything for free.’

It’s familiar now, but honestly, I thought it was a joke at first.

What good are the stats if you have to satisfy several prerequisites to use them?

[Enchanting Vocal Cords] or [Emotional Transference].

All useful stats when acting…….

‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch.’

As if to show this directly, almost all stats have conditions attached.

The intention is clear.

It’s telling him to build favorability.

To build this favorability, he has to work on projects.

And he can’t just do mediocre works half-heartedly as an obligation.

He has to do his best to make the project a success.

Hoo…….

Yeon-woo let out a long sigh.

Even the intention detection, which he thought was omnipotent, was not omnipotent.

[Especially when reading texts made of letters…….]

Is it because it was a stat for studying scripts given by the son of writer Min at the beginning?

At first, there was a decrease in ability unless he was reading a script.

Well. He’s been using it very usefully while upgrading the grade several times.

‘It feels like it’s guiding me in some direction…….’

Yeon-woo frowned slightly, thinking that far.

‘Am I just imagining things?’

No way.

Who would do such elaborate nonsense?

A brief pipe dream came to mind, but he soon shook his head to shake off the thought.

Still, well.

The result wasn’t all that bad.

“Don’t worry about my body and take good care of yours. Thanks to you, I’ll be fine for at least 20 years.”

Madam Kang had said that.

It might sound harsh, but Yeon-woo knows that’s Madam Kang’s way of expressing gratitude.

‘The rest depends on Madam Kang’s original lifespan, though…….’

Madam Kang, who made an equivalent exchange to hold on to Yeon-woo’s life.

But with this, Madam Kang became free from the system.

She will no longer have her lifespan eaten away due to insufficient spiritual power.

‘That’s enough for now.’

It’s enough to be able to rest assured for at least 20 years.

What about after 20 years…….

‘The me of that time will take care of the things of that time.’

Good luck, future me.

When that time comes, something innovative might come up again.

Just like how the [???] item suddenly bloomed into a customized stat that passes on lifespan.

‘Then, what’s left is one thing.’

Yeon-woo glared at the lifespan in one side of his vision.

If he thinks about Madam Kang’s 20 years later, he had to collect lifespan even more fiercely.

He had no intention of dying easily.

Yeon-woo thought that he would somehow liquidate this minus lifespan life.

‘Now it’s really just lifespan.’

Yeon-woo’s inner Heungseon Daewongun [a prominent political figure from the Joseon Dynasty known for his isolationist policies] cleared his throat.

Even he, who hates overseas, was nodding his head as much as now.

*

The aversion to overseas that he had for decades cannot be easily diminished.

However, Yeon-woo was able to overcome that aversion without difficulty with his desire for lifespan.

Well…… it’s not like he got on a plane right away.

‘I have to finish what I was doing first.’

If you drink water all at once, you’ll get indigestion.

For now, Yeon-woo decided to take an adaptation period while doing the things he had to do step by step.

“Yes? You’re already going to come back? Why?”

The first person to receive the call was PD [Production Director] Gil Sang-jun.

He didn’t understand, floating a million question marks at Yeon-woo’s story that he wanted to come back.

“Yeon-woo. It’s not an opportunity that comes every day. You should rest well now and work hard for the next shoot! If you feel sorry for us, you don’t have to do that.”

After a little while, Gil Sang-jun made a touching voice at Yeon-woo’s words, wondering what he had misunderstood.

“This is…… It’s a bit much to say thanks to you. Anyway, thanks to Yeon-woo, we’re taking a break for a while. In the meantime, Yeon-woo was so busy that he collapsed. It was a matter of who came first, but the schedule was more intense than I thought.”

So he said he reflected hard.

All the staff and actors received a refreshing vacation to heal their bodies and minds at this opportunity.

‘What kind of misunderstanding is this director having……?’

“No. It’s not because it’s hard, it was a personal problem, so don’t worry and you can resume. I’m worried that I’ll lose my touch if I rest for too long.”

“Ah……! Ah, then there’s no choice. Well, if you rest for too long, there’s a bit of that…… Then we should proceed with a generous schedule and resume filming for now.”

Gil Sang-jun said that he had really seen an actor who was so sincere about acting in a long time.

He said that Yeon-woo’s passionate appearance made him burn too.

Of course, Yeon-woo was passionate.

It’s just that the target is lifespan.

‘Well. It’s not like acting is completely secondary. You have to make the best result to create a synergy that brings in lifespan and increases influence.’

Anyway, thanks to that,

“Let’s passionately create as good a result as season 1 again, no, better than season 1!”

Filming was resumed smoothly.

“You really don’t have to rest? You look like a complete skeleton, shouldn’t you rest more?”

The first person to greet him at the filming site was Kim Si-hyuk.

It feels like a big dog is coming and rubbing its body, saying it’s glad to see him.

What should I say. It’s not a luxurious breed…… It’s like a Korean mixed breed that you can often see in the countryside.

I didn’t know I would divide the breeds so meticulously.

Against his will, he had been with Kwon Seong-hyeon for almost a week, so even similar big dogs looked different.

If Kwon Seong-hyeon is a well-raised golden retriever, Kim Si-hyuk is a Korean mixed breed with excellent sociability?

“Yeah. I’m okay. I’ve rested enough.”

At Yeon-woo’s calm answer, the actors slowly approached.

“Still, how about resting a little more like Si-hyuk said? You’ve really lost too much weight like Si-hyuk said…….”

“Ah. The writer will like it. The writer is particularly obsessed with Yeon-woo’s jawline.”

“But Yeon-woo does so much work on the set that it’s hard to tell him to rest more…… Sigh. Our puppy needs to act a little better.”

Gu Jun-wook, who plays the role of the chief, said casually, and Kim Si-hyuk pouted his lips.

“No…… Still, I’ve gotten better than season 1, haven’t I?”

“Yeah. Isn’t it all thanks to Yeon-woo holding on and teaching and coaxing you from the side?”

“He’s doing well these days.”

Kim Si-hyuk’s eyes welled up at Yeon-woo’s words.

“See! I’m just anxious without Yeon-woo! I practice acting so much. I’m working hard even if it’s just because I feel sorry for Yeon-woo.”

“Okay, okay. Our puppy, good job. Work hard.”

“Ah! Don’t pat my butt!”

It seemed that Yeon-woo wasn’t the only one who thought Kim Si-hyuk looked like a Korean mixed breed.

“I’ve rested enough. I feel like my body is itching because I’ve rested for too long.”

Gu Jun-wook, who had been an actor for a long time, smiled warmly at those words.

“There aren’t many young friends who say these things these days, but I’m really happy every time I see Yeon-woo. Of course. With a friend like this, the Korean entertainment industry will develop.”

“He’s too good-natured. Still, take care of your body. Our body is our asset.”

“Yes. Thank you for your words.”

Yeon-woo bowed his head.

‘From now on, it’s really just lifespan, so I can’t waste time.’

Honestly, resting for a week was nothing more than a pretense.

“I’m sorry for causing trouble because I couldn’t manage myself properly. I’ll be careful not to let that happen this time.”

When all the staff and actors gathered.

Yeon-woo formally bowed his waist and apologized.

No matter what, it was true that he had caused trouble on the set because of his personal affairs.

“I’m embarrassed because it’s like I filmed alone…… but I’ve learned a lot from this. I was too late to realize that if my condition isn’t good, it’s better not to film even if I want to film, so I caused trouble.”

These people were comrades who were making a work called Dramatic Tempest together.

It’s not that there are no dramas or movies where the work fails and only the actors survive.

But what Yeon-woo wanted to make was not such a half-baked thing.

Of course, it’s true that it’s difficult because he can’t film and there’s a setback in lifespan harvesting.

What’s as important as lifespan harvesting is these people who are making the work together.

“Yeon-woo…….”

“Oh. I’m embarrassed to hear these words again…….”

The people who heard Yeon-woo’s sincere apology and greeting had touched faces.