Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 11

011. Additional Stats

2021.11.11.

“It just reminded me of Mung and you. If Mung were alive, I’d film it myself, but Mung isn’t here… But the perfect subject I wanted appeared here like a gift. I’m so glad Yeon-woo agreed!” Photographer Park hurriedly set up a schedule, afraid Yeon-woo might change his mind. “Is tomorrow okay? Or the day after tomorrow?” He wanted to strike while the iron was hot. The shooting date was set for the very next day.

***

Taking pictures wasn’t a big deal. It was just that the lights were a bit too hot, and the loud shutter sound and the flashing strobe lights were a bit annoying.

[We’re not going to get spirit photography, are we?] The child spirit wearing a pigeon’s body was worried, but the results weren’t bad.

[Ha. Me, filming. Me, a model. If I had been born at the right time, I would have been amazing!] But all that’s being photographed is a pigeon.

“My eyes are accurate as always! Such connection!” Photographer Park ordered Yeon-woo to connect with the pigeon throughout the shoot. Connection. It wasn’t difficult. It was obvious. The pigeon that Photographer Park mistook for Yeon-woo’s pet had a human soul inside. Moreover, this pigeon even provided a service of directly listening to and performing Photographer Park’s requests. It would be strange if the results weren’t good.

“Yeon-woo, is this really your first time taking pictures? How can you be so natural? You’re not afraid of the camera, and your gaze is nothing like an amateur. You’re better than debuted kids,” Photographer Park exclaimed in admiration.

‘It’s nothing.’ Handling gazes is something I’ve always done. If you pretend not to see things you shouldn’t see for about 20 years, you naturally learn how to handle gazes.

“How is it? Is it okay?” Kwon Seong-hyun, who was watching, asked.

“It’s less of a big deal than I thought.”

“Didn’t you hear what Photographer Park said? He said Yeon-woo is better than the rookies.”

“Isn’t that just lip service?”

“Well. Photographer Park isn’t the type to do that… If he says that, you can believe it’s real.”

[Actor! What about me?! How was I?!] Flap flap!

The child spirit, who had been sitting proudly on Yeon-woo’s shoulder, showing off his photo pride, flew to Kwon Seong-hyun.

“Of course, Dong-ja did well too.”

[Really? I did well?]

“The photographer must have been impressed. I guarantee the photographer has never seen such an elegant pigeon like Dong-ja. I guarantee it.”

[As expected, our actor knows how to see things. You have no idea how hard I worked to choose this body!]

Kwon Seong-hyun followed Yeon-woo so confidently, and the reason was quite a spectacle.

-Yeon-woo, you may not know, but celebrities need managers. You never know what might happen.

Before coming here, Kwon Seong-hyun said that in a serious voice. Not knowing that Kwon Seong-hyun’s manager was watching with a dumbfounded look next to him.

-Anyway, for that reason, I decided to follow Yeon-woo.

-Yes?

-It’s Yeon-woo’s first shoot, so of course I have to follow.

As the story flowed strangely, Kwon Seong-hyun’s manager, who had the title of real manager, intervened.

-What is he talking about? Hey. If you follow, the set will be paralyzed. It’s also rude to Yeon-woo. Yeon-woo should be the main one, but if you go, it’s putting the cart before the horse! I’d rather go.

But strangely, the reaction was cold.

-Why would hyung [older brother/male friend] go?

-……Huh?

-You said you needed a manager? Then it’s 당연히 [dangyeonhi – of course/naturally] better for me, who has experience as a manager, to go.

The manager’s words were common sense. But.

-I found Yeon-woo, so it’s right for me to take care of him, hyung.

Why does it feel like the temperature is dropping even though he’s smiling?

-And Photographer Park said he’s doing a personal project, so he’s pushing out the staff and working alone. So, I know what you’re worried about, but that won’t happen.

-Ah……. Is that so……? Then isn’t there no need for a manager?

-Sometimes the photographer goes too far, so it’s better for me to go to stop him. Hyung can’t even talk to the photographer. The photographer hates hyung.

-That’s true……. I don’t know why the photographer hates me so much. Then it would be better for you to go. Anyway, that’s how Kwon Seong-hyun came to follow Yeon-woo.

‘Well, anyway, it’s convenient to have someone I know.’ Just in time, Photographer Park called Yeon-woo.

“Yeon-woo! Come and check the photos!” As Yeon-woo approached, Photographer Park moved the monitor with an excited face. “They came out so well. They all came out well. I don’t know what to choose. How can this be? It’s totally amazing, amazing.”

“They all look similar to me.”

“No. This one has a slightly overexposed value, and this one has a bit more contrast. This one has a slightly different angle. Doesn’t this one have a slightly more intense gaze? Now, let’s take a big look.”

Photographer Park zoomed in on the photo on the monitor.

“Look closely. How big is the subtle difference! Most of the time, you can tell the difference between a usable photo and one that isn’t because of this small difference. But this work is really all amazing. Every single one is amazing.”

Photographer Park flipped through the photos like a madman, repeatedly exclaiming in admiration. He buried his head in the monitor as if he was completely sucked into it.

“How is it? Photographer Park is good, right?”

“Yes, well… more than I thought.”

“More?”

“It’s kind of amazing.”

It was really amazing. It was more unexpected than I had thought, considering that I had been jumping up and down saying I didn’t like it just by listening to my mother, Kang Yeo-sa.

‘I thought all celebrities were just doing ridiculous clowning…’ Since I was forced into fate, I deliberately didn’t pay attention to this side. I just vaguely thought ‘I don’t like it’ and only looked at it negatively.

But.

‘It’s not as bad as I thought.’ I don’t know much about photography, so I can’t say anything, but I think I vaguely know what kind of feeling Photographer Park is trying to convey. It was so strange that he produced such results with just one photo, even with him and Dong-ja, who are beginners.

This is more like… a feeling closer to art than clowning.

And just in time.

-Ting!

The notification I had been waiting for popped up.

[You have successfully harvested lifespan.]

[Lifespan harvested: 15 days]

-Ting!

[Measuring the achievement of the request.]

[You have perfectly fulfilled the client’s request!]

[Congratulations! Acquire additional stats that can be acquired as a reward.]

[Reward: Frame Composition [A]]

‘That’s right!’ Yeon-woo looked at the status window that appeared in front of him with a satisfied face.

‘Shall we take a look?’ The first additional stat I got. Yeon-woo lightly touched the sparkling window in front of him. The window in front of him changed and information appeared.

[Frame Composition] [A]

-The ability to compose the screen, which is the most basic of photography. You will be able to place and utilize the elements that can obtain the best results in the right place. When holding the camera directly, the most optimal composition and environment that can be drawn from the subject is automatically set and can be used. When becoming a subject, you will be able to perfectly understand the photographer’s intentions and bring out the best in the surrounding environment to obtain the best results.

“Hmm…?” Yeon-woo’s eyes widened. This is more amazing than I thought.

‘It’s one ability, but it can be used in two fields?’ The way the skill is applied varies depending on which field you apply the ability to.

‘It’s a scam.’ After taking pictures, I think I know how much more of a scam this stat is. The ability to get the best results! Isn’t that the sound of being able to directly reproduce the shock I felt when I saw Photographer Park’s photos? Even in the two fields of being a model and being a photographer. If you are a person who takes pictures, or if you are a model or celebrity who is photographed, there is no doubt that you will covet this ability. Especially in a world where results raise your name and value.

‘I just got it because it’s an additional stat. This is a more scam skill than I thought…?’ It’s a skill I got with great effort. It’s a waste to just let it die. Then there is only one answer: don’t let it die. It’s a matter of stepping into the industry where you can continue to use this skill.

‘The second worst is better than the worst, right?’ That’s what I thought every time I heard my mother, Kang Yeo-sa. I hate both shamans and artists, but if I had to choose one, I would choose the second worst rather than the worst.

And now.

‘I didn’t know I would get my foot in the door like this.’ The scales began to tip little by little. The fact that there were things that had been attracting Yeon-woo’s attention since earlier, although he had put them off for a while because of this ‘frame composition,’ also played a part in it.

A famous studio that Photographer Park had borrowed for this work. It was just a barren space with only filming equipment at first glance.

[Woo woo woo woo…….]

[Eueoeoeo…….]

The view Yeon-woo was seeing was completely different.

I had forgotten for a moment. The entertainment business, such as actors, singers, idols, and models, is inevitably a structure where desires can gather. In entertainment, all kinds of interests are more nakedly intertwined than in other places. Moreover, what about the people who are trying to enter the entertainment industry?

‘It’s not for nothing that Kang Yeo-sa recommended this side.’ The story that the horoscope of a celebrity is similar to the fate of a shaman. Haven’t you heard of it often? Even though the floor is already full of raw desires, what if people with stronger energy than ordinary people gather there?

‘An environment where there are bound to be a lot of 잡귀 [japgwi – miscellaneous spirits/minor ghosts] is completed.’ In a word, this was nothing more than a predetermined bonanza. Even those 잡귀 [japgwi – miscellaneous spirits/minor ghosts] had lifespans on their heads. They are only a few days’ worth of lifespan, at most a week, but if the number is large, the story changes. This was nothing more than a gold mine.

‘I can’t help it.’ This is at the level of sticking a funnel in your mouth and pouring in all sorts of reasons.

“Photographer, can I look around here for a moment?”

“Huh? Ah, sure. Yeon-woo’s work is all done, so it doesn’t matter. But are you interested? Working wasn’t as bad as you thought, right?”

“Yes, well. Oh, and can I use the camera for a moment?”

“Huh? Yeon-woo was also interested in cameras? You can’t use mine, but if you look in the bag over there, there are some for sub use, so you can use those. Don’t drop it because it’s expensive. Oh, and don’t take it outside. There are acting academies and practice rooms on the upper and lower floors, so it’s annoying if you run into them with a camera.”

Anyway, Yeon-woo’s interest was not in the outside but in the inside.

‘Why are there so many 잡귀 [japgwi – miscellaneous spirits/minor ghosts]? It turns out it was a building related to that?’ It was good for Yeon-woo.

‘If there are this many 잡귀 [japgwi – miscellaneous spirits/minor ghosts] in a building with just a few photos and academies, how many amazing guys are there in broadcasting stations?’

‘This is really…’ A smile appeared on Yeon-woo’s lips. Is this what it means to have an infinitely springing cornucopia? He wasn’t just smiling happily at the bonanza. Click! Click! Click!

[You have successfully harvested lifespan.]

[Successfully harvested lifespan…….]

[Successfully…….]

Every time he moved freely inside the building, notifications of accumulated lifespans rang cheerfully. Along with the sound of strobe lights popping, numerous notification windows flashed by.

‘Since they’re feeding me like this, it’s only polite to accept it.’ The requirements of the 붙은 잡귀 [buteun japgwi – attached miscellaneous spirits/minor ghosts] were simple. They wanted to be famous. It’s an abstract wish, but it wasn’t difficult to grant.

‘All I have to do is make them feel famous, right?’ They’re already dead, so they can’t actually become famous. The bitter wish that only scraps remained was lightly offset by receiving a flash alone.

[Ah ah ah……. I finally have a profile picture…….]

[It was my wish to stand on the photo wall, but finally…….]

[I really wanted to take professional photos without blinking while receiving a flash of light, and finally…….]

It’s easy. It’s so easy, but it’s only a few days’ worth of lifespan.

“Were you really interested in photography? What were you taking so hard? Can I take a look?” As soon as I turned off the camera, Photographer Park quickly took the camera.

“Huh……. Are you perhaps someone who used to take pictures?” Photographer Park, with wide eyes, turned to look at Yeon-woo.

“No. It’s my first time taking pictures.”

“But you took these pictures? Oh my god.” The photos looked pretty plausible even to Yeon-woo. The background and composition were in harmony, giving off the feeling that they would appear in a magazine pictorial.

“Wow. You know how to use light. I’ve never seen anyone use light like this. Is it instinct? The composition is also fresh. It looks like a completely different place,” Photographer Park muttered, sticking out his tongue.

“It would have felt perfect if there was a person standing right in the middle.”

There was a person. It’s just that it wasn’t a living person.