Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 124

The Goal of Life (2)

124. The Goal of Life (2)

2022.03.04.

“Ah, Ms. Yeonwoo, I heard this is your first movie? Well… post-editing usually takes some time. Especially movies with a lot of CG [Computer Graphics], almost everything is done with graphics…” It seemed like I had seen filming done against a green screen before. ‘I think I heard that overseas blockbuster movies are filmed that way…?’ The exploits of superhero-like characters that are hard to recreate in the real world, or the appearance of monsters destroying cities, and so on. Things that can’t be seen without CG flashed through my mind. ‘Will I ever do that?’ The drama where I played a grim reaper, and the movie I’m filming now, both hardly used any CG, so it’s a bit unfamiliar. The drama didn’t need separate graphic work due to the nature of the background, and in the case of the movie, there were no scenes specifically assigned to it thanks to Director Ji, who is an analog enthusiast. They’ll take care of the necessary parts with computer graphics, but Director Ji even flew all the way to the outback for the movie shooting. “We’re not going that far, but our director is extremely meticulous and obsessed with visual beauty. He puts a lot of effort into editing, so it takes quite a while. He’s very picky.” The assistant director was beaming as he said that. Leaving work on time had a great power to make even work-weary people smile. If even the gloomy energy seemed to have disappeared, wouldn’t that say it all? “Anyway, it’s not like we’re starving while working because we don’t have money, but the speed is so slow that it really looks like it’ll be released in two years… So, I shamelessly asked Ms. Yeonwoo for a favor. It’s been very effective. I’m glad I listened to Dohee.”
The target of that effect was probably Director Ji. Yeon Dohee’s name reminded me of something. ‘Was it Muse [in Greek mythology, a source of inspiration]?’ I think it was said to be a god who inspires in ancient Greek mythology. At that time, Yeon Dohee vaguely turned the conversation around, so it was hard to understand what she meant. ‘So that’s what it meant.’ She was an existence that made people work hard and tirelessly. An existence that makes you work no matter what. I looked up what it originally meant and found out, but no matter how I look at it, this seems to be far from the dictionary definition. ‘But it’s a bit… scary, isn’t it?’ This is more eerie than being possessed by a workaholic ghost. Isn’t it even worse in that it makes you find work and do it on your own?

“Then, do I just have to stay still?”

“If you’re bored, could you come and see us once in a while…? It would be even better if you could come occasionally when Ms. Yeonwoo doesn’t have any schedule…” Yeonwoo looked back at Director Ji. The bear-like figure, who had looked like a corpse, had already returned to a human appearance and was looking at Yeonwoo with a vibrant face.

“Director. Stop fidgeting with your hands and go to work quickly if you have inspiration. Go quickly. Go quickly.”

“But Yeonwoo…”

“I’ll treat you. Anyway, you’re just going to turn white again if you stay here.”

“It’s okay because Yeonwoo is here…”

“What do you mean it’s okay? I know it’s not okay? If you’ve come to your senses, let’s go to work quickly, work!”

“If I go with that person…”

“Ms. Yeonwoo. Do you have any plans to go somewhere with the investor…?” The assistant director, who was talking to Director Ji, asked. If there’s an investor who would come up in this conversation, it’s only one person.

“No.”

At the sharp answer, the assistant director pushed Director Ji’s back. “Did you hear that? Go to work quickly.”

“Yeonwoo, let’s have a meal together…”

“Ah, go quickly!”

Wiggling and wiggling. Director Ji returned to his seat in the shape of a bear reluctantly turning away from a honey pot. He crammed his body into a chair that was much smaller than his physique, looked at the monitor, and concentrated as if he would be sucked into it soon.

“Phew, that’s a relief. Emergency treatment complete.” The assistant director said that there would be no problem for the time being. ‘I feel like I’m doing something terrible.’ Forcing someone to work. I feel like I should apologize. “Thank you, Ms. Yeonwoo. Thanks to you, the editing will probably be amazing. Even if the director looks like a bear, his fingertips are very delicate. It would be even better if you could come and make him work from time to time. Um… It’s a bit embarrassing for me to say this myself, but even though he looks like that, our director is quite capable. It might be helpful for Ms. Yeonwoo’s career in many ways if you keep in touch with him.” He seemed to be persuading me quite diligently, but at the end, he seemed to have lost his energy.

“Don’t worry. If it’s something that helps the movie, it’s only right for me to help.”

“Oh my gosh. How can you be like this. I heard that Ms. Yeonwoo has a good personality… No, I felt it while filming, but still… You’re really an angel…” The word angel always gives me goosebumps. ‘Well, it’s not a bad thing for me either. It’s good if the movie does well. More than anything…’ The feeling that someone needs him. Director Ji’s direct and immediate reaction wasn’t bad. He knew that he was getting attention from people because there was lifespan harvested from people watching his acting, listening to his songs, and watching his videos. But it was the first time someone had expressed it so openly, so it was amazing. ‘No. Kwon Seonghyun was there.’ A human who wastes lifespan on trivial requests while looking at him. Anyway, Director Ji is a bit different from Kwon Seonghyun. ‘Maybe that’s why I’m slowly getting better.’ Yeonwoo suddenly thought that his wounds might be deeper than he thought, even though he’s become indifferent now.

*

“But what about the investor?” Apart from Director Ji’s poor condition, the subtle atmosphere in the filming set and studio was still there.

“Ah… that’s… um… that’s…”

“Is that human here?” Yeonwoo asked the assistant director, who was stammering.

“Gasp. How did you know?” The assistant director, who had been choosing his words, jumped in surprise. Wouldn’t it be foolish not to know that all the clues had come out to this extent?

“The atmosphere is a bit strange… and I don’t think the assistant director would bring up Woo Dogyeom’s name for no reason.”

“Ms. Yeonwoo is right. Can you come here for a second…?” The assistant director led me to one side of the filming set. There were a lot of people gathered in a place that should have been empty since most of the filming was over. Not only that.

“…?” What is that fancy buffet? The problem was that the strange atmosphere in the studio started right there.

“Ms. Yeonwoo… I’m really embarrassed, sorry, and apologetic to even say this to Ms. Yeonwoo…”

“Yes. Tell me.” The assistant director chose his words unusually, perhaps because he felt sorry for asking twice. The funny thing is, -Ting! [Harvestable lifespan: +1 day] The fact that a request popped up in the meantime. It’s only for one day. ‘I shouldn’t just think of it as just one day and move on. What on earth is it that he’s making a request with his lifespan on the line?’ Of course, he wouldn’t even know that he made a request. But the fact that a request popped up means that he’s under a lot of pressure from deep within his subconscious and needs help. Why. There’s also this saying. [My today that I carelessly passed by is someone’s tomorrow that they desperately wanted.] Yeonwoo fully agreed with this statement. He almost died in one shot because all his lifespans turned negative! In some ways, it’s just one day of lifespan. But in another way, it’s that one day of lifespan that holds endless possibilities. Moreover, if you divide a day into hours or even minutes, the desperation becomes even more palpable. [If I had left just 10 minutes earlier, I wouldn’t have been late and had to write a letter of apology!] [If I had arrived at the bathroom just 1 minute earlier… I could have protected my human dignity!] [If I had been just a few seconds later, I would have been hit by a car. The timing was crazy.] That was naturally the same range that applied to Yeonwoo as well. That’s why he harvests even a speck of lifespan and cherishes it so much. ‘I have to collect them one by one, cherish them, and quickly liquidate the minus.’ What is the biggest reason he jumped into the entertainment industry? Wasn’t it because of the walking lifespans? It’s not necessarily the case now. Multiple lifespan automatic harvesting function. A function that divides a very small amount of the lifespan that would have been wasted from those who were moved by Yeonwoo as a reward for help. In other words, this was a kind of reaction. It was a very direct and pure form of favor and gratitude that no one had ever received. ‘Still, there’s a long way to go…’ Yeonwoo’s initial minus lifespan was 28,470 days. That’s a long time of 78 years. Fortunately, the minus figure has decreased a little thanks to the walking lifespans named Thoughts and the multiple lifespan automatic harvesting function. At best… about… two and a half years…?

“I think you’ll think it’s very strange to hear this… um…”

“I’ll listen and then think about it, so please speak comfortably.” This side is already an expert when it comes to strange things. No matter how strange it is, wouldn’t it be worse than a ghost walking on its two arms while standing upside down and spitting blood? Wouldn’t it be worse than a ghost who keeps throwing himself in the same place over and over again, repeating it thousands and thousands of times without getting tired of it? There’s no way that someone here would confess, ‘Actually, I can see ghosts too!’ If there was, I would have already known.

“So… um… that’s…” [Harvestable lifespan: +1 day] The status window above the assistant director is still floating. I said that there is no such thing as a wasted lifespan, even for a day. This day must be just as important to the client. So, if he’s making a request with that lifespan on the line.

“So… you really shouldn’t think it’s strange. Okay?”

“Yes. I won’t.”

“Phew. I’m not usually the kind of person who says these strange things…” The assistant director barely managed to speak, hesitating several times. With a very earnest look in his eyes.

“Please, save us…!”

* Did I hear something wrong? ‘…They don’t look like they’re about to die right away.’ There are no grim reapers lurking around even if I look around the filming set. The assistant director’s complexion is good… not good, but anyway, it wasn’t so bad that he was about to fall over and die right away. Rather, what should I say, ‘He looks like a plump animal that’s fattened up and ready to hibernate…?’

Of course, his eyes were sunken and his expression wasn’t very good, probably because he was stressed. The best way to check is to ask again.

“Did I hear you wrong by any chance?”

“No. If you’re talking about me saying to save us, then you heard it right.”

“If you’re not feeling well, you should go to the hospital right away…”

“No, no. Ms. Yeonwoo. It’s not like that. If it was like that, I wouldn’t have said this to Ms. Yeonwoo!”

“Then what…?”

“Do you see that over there?” The assistant director’s hand pointed to one place. It was that fancy buffet I saw earlier.