Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 201

201. Interview with a Monster (1)

May 20, 2022

“It’s been a while since someone wanted to meet that crazy bastard.”

After going through a strict and time-consuming process, Yeonwoo was finally allowed inside.

‘The air is different here.’

The guard who was walking ahead turned to look at Yeonwoo and asked.

“What do you need that guy for?”

“I need him for a role I’m playing.”

“Actors these days have to do things like that? Wow… that’s not an easy job… I thought you just had to act. Nothing is easy. But you’ll be successful. You’re so young, yet you have the passion to come all the way here.”

It seemed like he was misunderstanding something, but it would probably be okay.

There was a look of pity in his eyes, but Yeonwoo tried to ignore it.

It would be stranger to correct the misunderstanding here.

“Originally, ordinary people aren’t allowed to visit. Sometimes, seemingly normal crazy people come… claiming to be fans or something. I mean, how can anyone be a fan of such a terrible person? Isn’t that right? To worship a murderer when there’s nothing to admire. And the number of letters they send is unbelievable. I thought it couldn’t go on like this, so I banned it altogether.”

Yeonwoo seemed to have heard something about that.

That some famous murderers and criminals overseas actually cultivate fans.

That admiration and fear for things they can’t do themselves can turn into worship.

‘The world is wide, and there are many crazy people.’

Of course, Yeonwoo couldn’t understand that mindset.

[This old man is giving away way too much TMI [Too Much Information]? Was he bored? Well, I guess he needs a change of pace since he’s only around criminals.]

The long-lived ghost wearing a colorful traditional Korean jacket [Hanbok] spoke in English.

It was a sight that Yeonwoo could never get used to.

Unaware that he was carrying such a child spirit on his head, the guard continued.

“The fact that he agreed to the meeting without hesitation means he’s definitely up to something. I’m sure you’ll take care of it, but… I’m saying this because you’re young enough to be my son. That bastard is not right in the head.”

He shuddered, calling him a vile and cunning guy.

“He won’t be of much help. That guy is a psycho, a psycho. You can’t reason with him. He’s so full of himself….”

“It’s okay. Thank you for your concern.”

Yeonwoo smiled gently.

It was a smile that anyone would find likable.

The guard’s concern for Yeonwoo was,

[Truth]

Because it was.

The guard, seeing Yeonwoo’s smile, cleared his throat.

“Okay, then. Ahem. Please wait here for a moment. He’ll be here soon.”

And then.

“So, you’re the one?”

Sooner than expected, the other party arrived.

“The actor who came to see me, you mean.”

*

[Ugh. Disgusting.]

The child spirit was the first to react.

Yeonwoo agreed with that.

‘I can’t even see his face properly?’

What was entering the visiting room was not a person.

That’s not a metaphorical comparison.

Because a mass of black, acrid fog, completely covered in darkness, was moving and entering.

[If it were a normal human, they would have already died and fallen over from that. Ugh.]

‘Well, that’s because he’s not a normal human.’

If he looked like a being other than human, his soul should have already been sucked away by the evil entities.

But who was the other party?

If he was a human who would commit the sin of murder while trembling and suffering from attaching so many grudges and thoughts, he would never have committed the sin of murder itself.

When Yeonwoo enhanced his vision, he could finally see the man’s appearance.

‘He looks ordinary….’

He didn’t look particularly demonic.

Just an ordinary impression that you could easily pass by anywhere.

If he didn’t know, if Yeonwoo didn’t have spiritual sight,

He probably would have just thought he was a common, ordinary person and moved on.

There was no sign of a murderer’s madness anywhere.

At least, not yet.

“Hmm. You’re quite handsome.”

The man chuckled lightly behind the thick window.

“I heard you needed me? You’re a famous actor. I’m glad I can be of help.”

The man’s tone was quite ordinary.

It was as if they had met at a normal cafe, not in prison.

“But… is a drama being made about me?”

“That’s not it.”

“It’s not?”

“No.”

“Why?”

Why, you ask.

Isn’t it common sense that it doesn’t make sense?

But the other party was not a human who understood common sense.

‘His eyes are completely insane.’

Yeonwoo didn’t miss the momentary glint.

Regardless,

Yeonwoo answered nonchalantly.

“As I said before, I’m here to do an interview to use for character research.”

“You can find that everywhere. You’re not the only one who’s come to interview me.”

[Interest Decreasing]

A window popped up in front of him.

It showed the man’s inner thoughts through intention detection.

“Why don’t you go read something? Most of it is there. If you’ve come all the way here just for an interview, you’re probably not a very successful actor.”

The man had now completely turned to indifference.

Even the posture he had taken, leaning towards Yeonwoo and showing interest, had changed.

The man leaned back and gestured to the guard.

It looked like he was about to get up and leave, regardless of the visiting hours.

However.

“I’m not interested in those interviews.”

The man’s body faltered at that moment.

“After all, interviews in the media are just fabricated. The reason I came all the way here is to hear the unedited story.”

From several experiences, Yeonwoo had greatly lost faith in the media.

Because he had seen many times how the essence of an event could be blurred or distorted depending on how it was fabricated and reported, even when it was the same event.

Not to mention the countless speculations.

As a serial killer, there was every possibility that the fear was exaggerated.

‘But that’s not what I want.’

Before breathing in the last breath.

He came all the way here for a more vivid character.

He would decide what to take and what to discard himself.

“Really? So, you’re saying you need my raw testimony, not edited or fabricated stories?”

The man’s half-lifted buttocks stuck back to the chair.

Then, he pulled the chair forward and leaned in.

“What should I tell you first? Just tell me. I’ll tell you everything.”

A smile appeared on the man’s face.

*

[How long do I have to listen to this? My ears are going to rot.]

“I don’t know.”

The man had already been talking for several hours.

He had heard that there was a limit to visiting hours.

He didn’t know what Udo-gyeom had done, but unfortunately, the man’s words didn’t stop.

‘He’s a typical narcissist. He has a very strong sense of self-love.’

The man expressed all his actions as if they were artistic endeavors.

Even the act of murder was not focused on the victim, but on how the perpetrator, the man, felt in that situation.

“The last one was a bit annoying. Because I was a bit famous at that time. Everyone was so impressed with my work that they were talking about me on the news and everything. It’s hard when you have a lot of followers. The life of a celebrity is tiring.”

The man chuckled as if he were a superstar.

“Actually, it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for that bug on that day. Of course, that guy deserved to die. Those guys are like cockroaches that keep coming out even if you get rid of them… Hmm. It rained that day. And I happened to forget my gloves that day. But that bug recognized me….”

The man explained how he killed the other person.

How he disposed of the body and how he cleaned up neatly.

But he was very disappointed that he was caught because he was unlucky.

“I created the world… and it’s all going to be useless. I tried my best to find someone like me through interviews and everything… But, huh? I didn’t get anything. I didn’t get anything. They even packaged my noble goal in a strange way. They called it indiscriminate crime against the socially disadvantaged. How can they call those bugs ‘disadvantaged’…? Isn’t it natural for a strong person like me to get rid of those bugs? There’s also a saying that the winner takes all. Isn’t that right?”

The man looked at Yeonwoo as if he was hearing something really strange and asked.

[Yeonwoo, that guy’s eyes are completely gone? And his speech has gotten shorter?]

“Yeah. His eyes are gone.”

He was so engrossed in his own story that he didn’t notice anything strange even when Yeonwoo was talking to the child spirit using ventriloquism.

The man, who was muttering and lost in his own world, suddenly changed at that moment.

“But you appeared. Without any manipulation or distortion. You’re saying you want to hear my pure and truthful story.”

The man’s eyes twisted strangely.

“You came to see me for acting? No, no… shall I guess?”

Before he knew it, the man had brought his head very close to the partition.

Then, he whispered to Yeonwoo as if he were telling a secret.

“I think you’re the same kind of person as me.”

[What nonsense is he talking about?]

The reaction came out immediately.

[Yeonwoo. What the hell is he talking about? Did he just say that you and he are the same?]

Ignoring the child spirit’s indignation, Yeonwoo fixed his gaze on the man and asked.

“Why do you think so?”

“I can recognize them all. People of the same kind as me. Otherwise, why would you bother to come and hear my true story? Using the excuse of acting.”

“Excuse?”

“Yeah. Excuse. You can just tell me honestly. You came because you agree with me, right? Don’t you hate bugs too? Right?”

“…….”

Yeonwoo didn’t answer.

But the man, as if he had already come to a conclusion, excitedly raved with madness.

“I was different. I was on a different level from those guys. But for a brief moment… they treated me like those bugs, saying that the moment before I ascended was similar to theirs!”

Clang!

The man’s words became intense.

His actions also became intense, and the handcuffs on his wrist made an unpleasant metallic noise.

Yeonwoo recalled one fact that he had looked into before coming here.

“Come to think of it, you had an unhappy school life.”

As the man said, many media outlets had already covered him.

Not only the press but also several investigative agencies had analyzed the man.

“Lost both parents and raised by grandparents. Was on basic livelihood security [government assistance]. Entered school but couldn’t adapt. Allegedly there was school violence. The perpetrators were not punished and it ended. Was forced to transfer schools.”

Yeonwoo recited the facts written in the man’s file indifferently.

Word by word.

The man’s shoulders twitched each time he spoke.

As if someone was poking him deeply with a needle.

“…….”

The man stared at Yeonwoo silently.

Regardless,

Yeonwoo listed the facts in his memory in a nonchalant voice.

“Couldn’t adapt there either. Was exposed to school violence. After becoming an adult, he worked as a day laborer. Was listed as a credit delinquent. After working as a day laborer, he began committing murders using abandoned construction sites.”

It was the conclusion reached by the profiler who analyzed the man.

And now.

That result came to Yeonwoo’s mind very clearly.

Overlapping with the man’s words that he and he were similar.

The corners of his mouth twisted.

“What part of me is similar to you?”

Yeonwoo growled.