Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 102

The God-Given Top Star 102 Thoughtform Hunting (1)

102. Thoughtform Hunting (1)

2022.02.10.

“…….” It’s so familiar now that it’s not even surprising. I tossed a spark into the pre-dug pit, and it slowly caught onto the dry vines and branches. The staff quickly gathered around the pit. “Ugh…….” “I feel like I can finally breathe.” “Stranded in the 21st century. This is ridiculous…….” The staff, huddled together without complaining about the cramped space, looked like refugees. Fortunately, no one seemed seriously ill, which was a relief. Adrian, however, had a slightly different assessment. [At least four.]
“……?”
[At least four or more would have developed high fevers. Fortunately, the measures were taken quickly, so they’ll recover. ] He could tell just by looking? Noticing Yeon-woo’s gaze, Adrian stroked his chin and said, [I’m not a doctor, but it’s not difficult to tell who’s on the verge of collapse. Forcibly dragging those who are failing behind also significantly hinders the overall survival.] It was a professional survival expert’s cold, pragmatic opinion.
“…….”
Why did I suddenly feel like I didn’t waste my mana? It had been a long time since I felt this eerie premonition. Yeon-woo’s instructions followed immediately. “Stylist.”
“Yes? Me?” At Yeon-woo’s call, the stylist raised her head sharply. “Could you bring out the oil you have?”
“Oil……?”
“Cleansing oil.”
“Ah……!”

Cleansing oil. One of the types of cosmetics used to remove makeup. Now, it would be a crucial tool to help revive the fire. “Here!” Even with a ‘natural’ style, celebrities’ makeup is bound to be thick. The only way to bring out the features under the intense lighting is makeup. ‘Of course, people like Kwon Seong-hyeon are a different story…….’ But even an actor like Kwon Seong-hyeon uses it when necessary. The atmosphere changes quickly with just one eyeliner stroke or a bit of shading – that’s the magic of makeup. It’s a way to maximize attractiveness. The important thing is that removing makeup is as important as applying it. If you don’t remove it carefully, you’ll get skin problems. For celebrities, whose bodies are their assets, cleansing was as important as makeup. Perhaps that’s why the cleansing products the stylists brought out were quite numerous. From cleansing cream to cleansing wipes, cleansing balm, cleansing water, cleansing oil, and so on. Among them, Yeon-woo picked up only the cleansing oil. There was quite a bit of it.
[Two 1000ML bottles and three 500ML bottles. That’s more than enough to use as tinder. By the way, people these days don’t carry hatchets, but they carry oil. How strange…….] Adrian muttered as he watched. Oil. More precisely, cleansing oil, was Yeon-woo’s idea. ‘If you pour oil on it when the embers are dying, it’ll be perfect to revive it.’ How well could modern people, who have never properly started a fire, revive the embers? We had gathered enough sawdust and firewood to keep the fire going, but you can never be too prepared. Especially if four people are in a precarious situation, it’s better to be thoroughly prepared. ‘It’ll be a problem if something happens when I’m not here…… This should be enough.’ The stylist from Yeon-woo’s agency, the staff from Yeon Do-hee’s side, the staff from the drama department, and the staff from other agencies all brought out what they had, and there was a lot of usable oil.
“If the embers are faltering or if it doesn’t seem to catch on new firewood, sprinkle a little bit. It’ll help.”
“I didn’t even think of cleansing oil. Wow…… Yeon-woo, did you complete some kind of survival program?”
“It just came to me. By the way, do you have any clothes with you?”
“Ah! That’s right!” The costume team, including the stylists, jumped up. “The rest will be at the base camp, and we only brought a little bit here.”
The clothes they had gathered were more than just a little bit. The outer part was wet from the rain, but the inside was still dry.
“Are we going to burn this too?”
“No. We’re not going to burn this.”
“Yes? Then what?”
“We need to change.”
“Ah, Yeon-woo……?”
“Not me, you guys. It’s better to change into dry clothes than to keep wearing wet clothes even if you start a fire. It’ll be less cold to take off your clothes now, so change now.”
“Um…… then what about Yeon-woo? Aren’t you going to change?”
“I’m going outside anyway.” At those words, the staff were horrified.
“You’re going out?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Yeon-woo, that’s dangerous. Don’t do that and just stay here until the rain stops!” Voices of protest erupted from everywhere at the thought of him going into the pouring rain. Yeon-woo shook his head. “We don’t know when the rain will stop, so I think we should try to get a signal first. I’m going to go up to see if the signal might work up there.”
“Still, isn’t it too dangerous to go alone? What if you get lost?”
“That won’t happen.” Because I have a living, no, even in death, a quick-witted navigation system. “Instead of that, it’s safer to stay here together…….”
“If Yeon-woo gets hurt, our movie is completely ruined…….” Even Director Ji frowned and tried to stop him. “It’s a big risk to our movie if something happens to you all too. Please let me help you.” When Yeon-woo said that, everyone suddenly shut their mouths. Then, after a while, “……Ugh. How can he say things so flutteringly…….”
“I didn’t flutter. I didn’t flutter.”
“Ah, hyung [older brother/male friend]. Just say you fluttered.”
“I heard Yeon-woo is good at manipulating people, but it’s true.”
“This is real, real.” Sighs and murmurs burst out from everywhere. [Hmm. Good. That’s effective silencing.] Even Adrian was nodding.
“……?” I don’t know what the situation is, but everyone seemed to have lost their energy. When Yeon-woo said he was going out, instead of stopping him, everyone cheered him on. “Come back safe!”
“Yeon-woo will take care of it, but still be careful. Okay?” Such kind farewells were repeated for several days. That’s because the rain didn’t stop. Fortunately, “Seriously…… If it weren’t for Yeon-woo, we would have all starved to death.”
“I agree. Died of hunger or froze to death.”
“When else would I live eating tree nuts, frogs, and grass? This is all experience.”
“Now that I think about it, I was prepared for caterpillars, but I’m glad there aren’t any.” The atmosphere inside the cave wasn’t entirely desperate. The actors and staff helped each other and worked hard to survive. ‘They’ll become very close when they go back.’ The camaraderie of having shared life and death would be very valuable. They don’t know, but [Hmph. Caterpillars that live in the trees above are a little more nutritious than frogs. Are you really sure about that?] There were caterpillars, one of the jokes that went around in a not-so-bad atmosphere. Of course, “Let’s leave that out.” Yeon-woo, who was serious, immediately excluded it. “There’s plenty of other food besides that.” Is it really necessary to fill up on that when there are plenty of good protein sources……? Anyway, Yeon-woo diligently supported dozens of people for several days. For several days, there was a persistent feeling that kept following him. Adrian followed Yeon-woo out of the cave in the pouring rain.
[It’s still strange. I don’t know how long it’s been since it poured like this. It should have stopped by now. It’s very strange to see it as natural.] Adrian muttered, saying that it was extremely rare for it to rain like this without stopping, even if there was a rainy season.
“It can’t help but be strange.”
[Yes?]
“This isn’t natural.” For the past few days, Yeon-woo, who had sensed the gaze that had been secretly following him, walked without hesitation. Even though Adrian wasn’t guiding him from the front as he had been, he didn’t get lost. It was natural. Yeon-woo’s destination was very clear now.
[What do you mean?]
“I said it’s not a natural occurrence. This is a situation that someone intentionally created.”
[Created? This rain?] When we were stranded, there was a feeling that bothered me right from that moment. Like it was coming, like it wasn’t. A very subtle sensation that seemed to be slowly testing the waters. It was ambiguous at first, but after spending several days based in one place, Yeon-woo was able to be sure. “It seems like they’re using their heads.”

* [When you say ‘they’…… are you talking about those guys?!] Adrian asked back in shock. “It seems like they didn’t want to miss a delicious meal.”
[Surely……? Those guys are afraid of me, though……?]
“It seems like their appetite took precedence over their fear.” Thoughtforms created by the fall of a divine being. When Adrian blocked Yeon-woo, they were frightened and avoided him, but…… ‘Still, they were once divine beings, right?’ In front of dozens of ‘meals,’ fear would have evaporated in an instant. However, there was still reluctance, so they must have used their heads. Swaaaaa-. This crazy rain was probably the method they came up with by squeezing their brains. -Those guys become endlessly cunning when they want something.
-How?
-They bewitch humans and devour them. Whether they devour them directly or bewitch them by parasitizing something and borrowing its power. Do you know how the three ghosts attached to the tiger devour humans? There was a time when Madam Kang told me as if she was telling an old story.
-They call humans. They even call the names of people they knew when they were alive. The person whose name is called is bewitched by the familiar voice and goes outside, only to be eaten by the tiger. Do you understand, Yeon-woo? The greed of things that are not alive is endless. Ordinary water ghosts also reach out their hands above the water and lure people into the water. But what if that ghost was actually a slightly greater being? ‘It’s possible to pull off this kind of trick.’ They wouldn’t have the power to change nature, of course. But since they were once divine beings, they might be able to hold onto what happened a little longer. They used their heads well. ‘Heavy rain.’ They were probably planning to catch and eat the people who were scattered to avoid the rain.
[So, this rain…… you’re saying those guys made it rain?]
“To be precise, those guys didn’t make it rain. They’re just encouraging it and holding it in place so it doesn’t leave.” The result is the same, but the order is different.
[It’s a hunt.] Adrian quickly realized. He realized that they would eat the people who were wandering around in the rain without anyone knowing. There was one more reason why he was able to realize it right away.
[Come to think of it, something similar happened 50 years ago…….] 50 years ago. It was the time when Adrian died.