Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 218

218. A Clean Finish (1)

June 6, 2022

Gambling.

The moment I heard that word, my gut feeling flared up intensely once again.

‘I thought he was crazy, but he really is a madman……?’

The missing link was filled.

‘Why was he so obsessed with money, even ruining Min Ye-rin’s reputation……? He’s gambling?’

Gambling.

It’s a word that reeks of something fishy.

‘No wonder there were so many grudges and thoughts attached to him…….’

The moment I heard about gambling, everything started to make sense.

‘It doesn’t seem like ordinary gambling, though.’

The possibility of illegal gambling seemed very high.

‘If that’s the case, the problem won’t just be gambling.’

It’s simple logic.

The reason he needs money so badly that he’s willing to ruin the careers of his agency’s celebrities.

It’s hard to see it as simply for gambling. It’s like slitting the belly of the golden goose [destroying a valuable asset for short-term gain].

‘He must be involved in scams too.’

Perhaps the CEO of A Entertainment is mainly on the scamming side.

Borrowing gambling funds and not paying them back.

Or he may have arranged fraudulent gambling to extract funds from the start.

A method of conspiring with others to designate a scapegoat and fleece them dry.

“Why are you doing this?! Tell me the truth. How much debt do you have?!”

“Hey. Ye-rin, you don’t need to worry about that. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Is ‘taking care of everything’ blocking my future?!

“Someone’s listening. Be quiet.”

“I’ll be quiet if you give me a reason to be quiet! I’ll go back to the company and find out how much debt you have, even if I have to ask around!”

Min Ye-rin declared war in a tone that chilled me to the bone.

Then I heard footsteps,

Bang!

The sound of the door closing echoed loudly in the emergency stairs.

“What a temper. If you had accepted Chairman Park’s offer, I wouldn’t have had to go this far. Acting all high and mighty. Tsk!”

Yeonwoo’s hand, which had been clenched into a fist, tightened.

‘Seriously…… that guy won’t have a peaceful death.’

It was a nonsensical statement, but it wasn’t difficult to understand what the CEO was saying.

It seemed that this man had even forced Min Ye-rin into a sponsorship. [In Korean entertainment, this often refers to a quid pro quo relationship, often involving sexual favors, in exchange for career advancement.]

Not the usual kind of sponsor, but the dirty kind that Yeonwoo had once been misunderstood to be involved in.

‘Really, he’s doing all sorts of things.’

Yeonwoo knew guys like that well.

They pretend to reflect, but they never actually do.

Considering that Min Ye-rin once paid off his debt, he must have pretended to reflect as much as possible.

But what is the situation now?

‘This isn’t Min Ye-rin’s fault. Trusting someone can’t be a sin. Good intentions are always right. If there’s a fault, the responsibility lies with that CEO.’

The CEO continued to complain incessantly.

“I mean, huh? I’m still the company president, but she’s climbing all over me. Really! Is it all about having a pretty face? She’s making a fuss over a few thousand. If she had gone to Chairman Park, would a few thousand have mattered? Huh, geez!”

It was a very one-sided level of criticism.

Just listening to him, it was as if Min Ye-rin had become the worst person in the world.

Then.

♪♬♩♩♬♪

The ringtone filled the stairwell.

“……!”

Yeonwoo and Kim Si-hyuk looked at each other.

‘Is that yours?’

‘Not me!’

As that silent conversation quickly passed between them.

“Oh, yes, Mr. President. I’m on the phone.”

The owner of the ringtone answered the phone.

“Of course. Of course. What kind of crazy thoughts would I have? I can definitely raise the money…… Yes, yes. If you just wait a little longer…… Oh, come on. What kind of escape am I planning? Don’t say such scary things. Haha…… Our relationship hasn’t just been for a day or two, please trust me. I will definitely pay you back on the date you mentioned. Yes, yes.”

I feel like I know without even seeing it.

The CEO, who was so overbearing towards Min Ye-rin, was probably bowing deeply like a foldable phone [deeply and repeatedly].

‘It might be more dangerous than I thought?’

I thought it wasn’t just gambling, but looking at the way the CEO was taking the call, I got a sense of it.

A sense that he was involved with something incredibly dangerous.

If the CEO of a large entertainment company is groveling, how dangerous of a figure is involved?

‘I should hold off on lightly dealing with it.’

Yeonwoo changed his mind a little.

If he’s involved with really dangerous people, it’s not something that can be solved by just dealing with the CEO.

He received help from Min Ye-rin, so he was going to add a little seasoning and leave the subsequent handling to Min Ye-rin, but it seems he needs to change his approach a bit.

*

“We just, that…….”

It was only after the CEO, who had finished the call, left that Kim Si-hyuk could be freed from Yeonwoo’s hand.

As soon as he was released, Kim Si-hyuk stammered, his eyes, which looked sharp with their upturned corners, wide open.

“Let’s just pretend we didn’t hear anything.”

“Can, can we do that? It looks pretty serious……?”

“I have something in mind, so just stay still for now.”

If Kim Si-hyuk accidentally let something slip, things could go wrong.

“Ugh. Okay. You know better than I do, Yeonwoo…….”

Kim Si-hyuk made a face like he was running out of energy again.

Yeonwoo handed him the dessert he was holding.

“It’s a little melted, but eat this.”

“Wow. Thank you so much.”

The dessert they were holding was none other than mint chocolate ice cream.

To be exact, Kim Si-hyuk had already eaten it all up so quickly that it was just an empty container, and only Yeonwoo was holding it.

“But do you really like that flavor?”

The mint chocolate ice cream was none other than the flavor Yeonwoo had chosen.

Watching Kim Si-hyuk eat three hamburgers the size of two palms each made him feel nauseous.

He didn’t even take a bite of the hamburger, but he didn’t know why he felt sick.

-Mint chocolate? Isn’t that toothpaste flavor?

At first, Kim Si-hyuk also jumped at Yeonwoo’s flavor selection.

Of course, Kim Si-hyuk didn’t have a choice.

It was natural for the person who paid to have the decision-making power.

“Have you even tried it?”

“Uh…… no?”

“Then try it and then talk.”

Yeonwoo was firm.

And with that firmness, he scolded Kim Si-hyuk.

“That’s prejudice.”

Kim Si-hyuk’s eyes widened at Yeonwoo’s words to abandon the common prejudice that mint chocolate always tastes like toothpaste.

“Come to think of it……? Wow……? I’m saying the same thing as the people who have said that I must have been a bully or played around a lot just based on how I look?”

Kim Si-hyuk muttered as if he had realized something.

He looked very shocked.

“That’s right…… It’s foolish to be swayed by other people’s words until you’ve figured it out yourself…….”

Kim Si-hyuk muttered like that,

“Okay. Mint chocolate tastes like toothpaste is a prejudice that people have instilled in me. I have to eat it and judge for myself. Prejudice is so scary. It even interferes with people’s tastes.”

He began to agonize more and more seriously.

‘No. I didn’t mean for you to go that far.’

But anyway, it seems that Kim Si-hyuk will no longer insist that mint chocolate is toothpaste.

‘He said he had to play a gentle role.’

Kim Si-hyuk had said that openly from the first meeting.

He had roughly guessed it with words like image transformation or something.

Another subtle sense of camaraderie.

It seemed that Kim Si-hyuk, in a different way from Yeonwoo, was also drifting apart from people.

Anyway, Yeonwoo forced Kim Si-hyuk to experience mint chocolate ice cream.

And.

“What is this? This taste?”

“Why?”

“It’s delicious?!”

Kim Si-hyuk, who had taken a bite, looked back at Yeonwoo with an expression as if he had experienced a new world.

Looking at that expression, I felt like I should make him shout Eureka [a cry of joy or satisfaction when one finds or discovers something].

It was fortunate that they had received so much ice cream in bowls as big as their heads.

‘I don’t have to throw away the big one.’

In fact, Yeonwoo insisted on the mint chocolate flavor, but he didn’t intend to buy this much.

This was entirely thanks to the happening that occurred at the last ice cream shop they stopped by.

“Oh! Th, there…… Yeon…… no.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Kang, Kang Yeonwoo, right?”

“Yes. Hello.”

Strangely enough, there was someone who recognized him even though it wasn’t a filming or fan meeting.

“What flavor would you like……?”

The employee, with red cheeks, asked Yeonwoo,

“Mint chocolate, please.”

“As expected, a mint chocolate fanatic…….”

The employee, who muttered that, suddenly took out a large container and started filling it up.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t order that much.”

When Yeonwoo said in embarrassment, the employee smiled and gave a thumbs up.

“It’s okay. I’m also a mint chocolate lover!”

“……?”

I don’t know what’s okay, but.

It was ambiguous to refuse when they were giving it away so generously.

He firmly refused the offer to just take it and made sure to pay for it.

Aren’t they people who are grateful just for existing, so getting it for free is unethical no matter how you think about it?

“Th, thank you……!”

“I’m the one who’s grateful.”

He diligently drew autographs and took pictures together.

He didn’t even know that it would spread widely on the community as a heartwarming episode,

[Who said that fans can’t meet their idolsㅠㅠ I’m sharing my story of meeting our Yeonwoo in personㅠㅠㅠ]

In any case, it was an ending where everyone was happy.

First of all, Kim Si-hyuk was happy that there was a lot of it.

Yeonwoo was satisfied with the long-awaited mint chocolate.

The employee who met Yeonwoo and had a certification shot [proof of meeting a celebrity] and a hug was also satisfied.

Therefore.

The result is that they had two tubs of ice cream as big as their heads.

‘Should I throw it away if Kim Si-hyuk says he can’t eat it……?’

Just as he was worrying about that, Kim Si-hyuk took a bite and his eyes widened.

It was very fortunate.

“Okay. I’m glad it’s delicious. Eat a lot. Just in case, you don’t have to force yourself to eat it.”

“Ah, of course! No matter how much I eat, I don’t have the talent to eat something I don’t like deliciously, you know?”

He seemed to be picky about food again.

The incident happened just as they were returning with a tub of ice cream in their arms.

“I’m eating it because it’s delicious. It’s really delicious. The minty taste sweeps away the oiliness and makes it very clean?”

“That’s good.”

“I feel like my world has expanded as much as mint chocolate today.”

It was a tremendous compliment.

Looking at him squatting on the stairwell and scraping off the second tub, I wondered why I even asked.

“Anyway, you stay still.”

“Ung Ung.”

“I told you not to talk while eating. And don’t tell your manager.”

“Woong.”

Kim Si-hyuk’s head nodded greatly.

‘The more I see him, the more he seems like a good guy.’

It’s rare to find someone who is so consistent in their words and actions.

Moreover, he’s even happy that mint chocolate is delicious, so that’s even more so.

‘His brain seems innocent, but he has an eye for recognizing things.’

The second friend he had acquired by force was a better person than he thought.

“But what are you going to do? It sounds dangerous just listening to it…… Aren’t you becoming dangerous too? What if something big happens?”

“There’s no way that would happen. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.”

No matter how dangerous the people involved are, he was confident that he could get himself out of it.

‘But I don’t know what will happen in this case.’

If not only the CEO but also the people behind him are fundamentally dealt with, Min Ye-rin will suffer forever.

And.

“Hey, you passing by.”

That’s also why Yeonwoo is doing this now.

Yeonwoo’s appearance now was very different from usual.

“What is that?”

He was wearing a crazy person’s cloth-like hanbok [traditional Korean clothing] and his hair was disheveled.

He also added some magic to interfere with recognition.

In any way, he looked like an excellent peddler.

Or he would look like a crazy person.

“Boss. We’ll take care of it.”

When the loan shark, who was about to get into the car, frowned, the burly underlings distorted their menacing faces and approached Yeonwoo.

If they had eyes, they wouldn’t dare to touch them in such a dangerous atmosphere.

When they approached Yeonwoo, thinking that crazy people were a little different.

“Haven’t you been having restless dreams lately?”

“Wait.”

The loan shark stopped the menacing guys who were approaching.

“Even if you look in the mirror, it won’t feel like you’re looking in the mirror. For example…… you might see something you shouldn’t see……?”

The loan shark, who had half his body in the car, came out again instead of going in.

“Who are you?”