Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 25

025. Can I Protect You? (1)

November 25, 2021

“Oh? We made eye contact. Ms. Yerin~!” Writer Min waved her hand, but Min Yerin turned her head as if she didn’t hear and walked away. “Ms. Min Yerin brought it?” “Yeah. Ms. Yerin has a lot of pride and is picky in many ways, but I guess she liked you.” “……Pardon?” “Look at the drinks. We all have coffee. But she deliberately bought Yeonwoo something that suits his taste, right?” “……How do you know?” “I heard she deliberately found out from Sung Hyun’s manager?” Was the culprit Kwon Sung Hyun’s manager? “Anyway, Ms. Yerin may seem like that on the outside, but she’s different on the inside, so don’t misunderstand, and be sure to keep that in mind. Got it?” Quite unexpected. “Yeonwoo, who gave you that?” Kwon Sung Hyun came looking for Yeonwoo in the spot where Writer Min had been. He paused when he saw Yeonwoo drinking and made a wary expression. Coincidentally, he also had a mint chocolate drink in his hand. It was also a drink with a famous brand logo on it, but I didn’t know where Min Yerin or Kwon Sung Hyun found this in this rural area. “Ms. Min Yerin gave it to me.” “Ms. Min Yerin did…? How did she know Yeonwoo’s taste?” “I heard Kwon Sung Hyun’s manager told her.” “……My manager. I see.” There was a slight pause in his answer. Besides, somehow… ‘Is that what it looks like to be smiling but pissed off?’ As expected of an actor, his expression is very diverse. Of course, I didn’t know why Kwon Sung Hyun’s mood suddenly turned bad. “I’ll go talk to my manager for a bit. Keep drinking this, too.” “Yes?” How am I supposed to drink two cups? Yeonwoo, who suddenly received two cups, pondered for a moment. ‘Well, the more the better.’ Flowers in both hands, no, mint chocolate in both hands.

***

The filming, which had been suffering from several incidents, resumed. The scene where Min Yerin jumps into the water was changed to around dawn instead of deep dawn. “Even if she’s okay, the people watching aren’t… Ms. Yerin is subtly stubborn… Sigh.” They couldn’t bring themselves to push someone who almost drowned once into the dark dawn again, so they compromised on the dawn just before morning. Before entering the filming, Min Yerin suddenly asked Yeonwoo. “The drink. Which one did you drink?” “Yes?” “I saw Kwon Sung Hyun gave it to you.” “……?” “What did you drink?” She seemed determined to keep asking until I answered. “I drank both.” “……Really? Was it good?” “Yes. Oh, right. Thank you for the drink back then. How did you know my taste?” I drank two cups of the brand drink I used to use most often in this rural area. When I thanked her, Min Yerin turned her head with a sulky look and replied. “It’s only natural that the person receiving it likes it. Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Then, for some reason, she walked to the pond with a satisfied look. ‘What is it?’ Did she come all the way here just to ask that? Even before Yeonwoo was engulfed in doubt, there was another unexpected presence that came to him. [Um… Excuse me… Can you talk to me…?] The face peeking out is familiar. Of course. It was the spirit of that child who was quick to hide behind Writer Min’s skirt.

***

The child who called Writer Min ‘Mom.’ The child who struggled and bickered to drop the thoughts attached to Writer Min. “You have something to say to me?” After removing the thoughts attached to Writer Min a couple of times, the child’s eyes sparkled with admiration every time he saw him. Nevertheless, he still seemed shy and never came out from behind Writer Min’s skirt. But such a child suddenly has something to say? [Yes… Can’t I?] “What’s wrong?” Fortunately, no one was paying attention to this side. “Shooting starts! Ready!” It’s Min Yerin’s scene where she almost drowned yesterday. All the attention was focused on that side, so Yeonwoo could speak comfortably to the child. [Um… Well… Excuse me…] The child wiggled his chubby fingers. ‘It reminds me of Donggaryeong for some reason.’ He looks a few years older than Donggaryeong, but the child’s innocence is still there. “What is it? Is it hard to say?” Naturally, Yeonwoo’s reaction softened. Gaining courage from that, the child who had been hesitating opened his mouth. [Can you protect my mom…?]

***

“Mom? You mean Writer Min Suji?” [Yes…] “Is there something wrong with your mom?” As if that question touched something, the child’s eyes became tearful. [Bad guys keep bothering my mom. They even appear in my mom’s dreams… It’s hard, so my mom cries a lot.] Sobbing, sobbing. The child finally burst into tears. Yeonwoo, who was immune to children crying, was flustered. [Yeonwoo?! What are you doing?!] “Play with this instead.” They say kids like cute things. Hamsters are cute. What’s inside isn’t cute, but anyway, the outer packaging is cute. Yeonwoo, who completed the miraculous three-stage logic, took out the Donggaryeong from his chest pocket without hesitation and handed it to the child. [Hamster…] [I’m not a hamster! I’m the great Donggaryeong…!] [Hamster…!] [I’m not!] [Hamster!] [Hey… Listen to me…] He can’t touch it, but the child’s expression brightened as if it was amazing and cute just to look at. In proportion to that, Donggaryeong’s expression crumpled. Unfortunately, it wasn’t well revealed on the hamster’s face. Just cute, I guess? ‘Phew, I’m relieved.’ A few things Yeonwoo is weak at. The best of them is people of that age who remind him of his mother, Kang Yeonhwa, and the relationships that stem from there. That is, the problem between parents and children. “…You want me to get rid of the thoughts?” [Is that black and sticky thing called a thought? It keeps appearing even if I get rid of it…] “You got rid of it?” [I used to be able to get rid of it, but these days it’s too hard. No matter how hard I try, the bad guys don’t disappear.] As he spoke, he was overwhelmed with sorrow and sobbed again. “Here. Hold this and talk.” [Gasp… It’s squishy…!] [Yeonwoo! What are you doing! Aigugu! A young ghost is killing this old ghost!] The child, who felt the touch after using his spiritual power to materialize it, exclaimed. ‘Do your best like this, Donggaryeong. You won’t die, because you’re already dead. By the way… If he could get rid of it in the past, that means that guy also had divine power.’ He also had quite a lot of power, so even after death, his spirit could maintain its purity and deal with thoughts. But that means in other words… ‘Is that why he died so early?’ I know it well because it’s a similar situation. Yeonwoo wouldn’t have been able to live safely through his childhood if it hadn’t been for his mother, Kang Yeonhwa. “……” Inevitably, I get involved, with his childhood self and his mother. The story of the past always involves pain. Yeonwoo pressed his forehead with his finger and said. “Thoughts don’t disappear just by getting rid of them once. They keep being created.” [Then my mom will keep hurting…?] the child asked. [Hyung [older brother/term of endearment for a male] is very strong and cool, so can’t you make my mom not hurt?] “It’s not that there’s no way, but it’s not just me; your mom’s will is also needed.” [I’ll tell my mom!] “…But why do you need my help? If you need spiritual power, I can share some.” Spiritual power is not like lifespan. It would be better for the child to handle it as he has been until now than for Yeonwoo to step in. He’s willing to give it to the child to some extent, but the child shook his head. [No. I… I have to leave soon. My time is up.] He remained with the heart of worrying about his mother, but the time allotted to the child was up to here. There are such souls. Unlike the earthbound spirits or vengeful spirits who remained on earth like in the case of that child, it is a case where they remained with ‘permission.’ To put it simply, it’s like welfare that is given to talented people desired in the afterlife? [So I want to ask Hyung to protect my mom. My mom said there’s no such thing as a free lunch, so can I give you this?] And at that moment.

-Tring!

[You have received a proposal.]

[Additional acquirable stat: Understanding Intentions [B+]]

[Would you like to accept the proposal?]

[Yes/No]

“……?” An unexpected notification popped up.

***

I’m dazed. ‘You can be offered additional stats?’ I have no idea how this damn system works. ‘In this day and age, where is there a system without a manual?’ But this system didn’t have a manual. Not only is there no manual, even this system is activated on its own. Well, if it wasn’t, I might have died, so there’s room for consideration. ‘Come to think of it, Kwon Sung Hyun also floats his lifespan and makes requests, so what’s to stop him from making a deal with additional stats as bait?’ Just as Kwon Sung Hyun is special, it is highly likely that that child is also a special case. ‘……Let’s not think too deeply. It’s a headache.’ Yeonwoo gave up thinking. He has no hobby of wasting his energy on things he doesn’t know. [Do you not like it…?] The child asked carefully, wondering what he thought of the lack of an answer. [I learned it hard from my mom… My mom told me I was a genius…] The depressed child was rubbing the hamster more violently. [Let me go! I’m innocent! Set me free…!] No one paid attention to Donggaryeong’s cry. [This is really good… My mom told me I was a genius? She said I was very smart. She told me I had to go to the gifted class, that a great writer would come out… This is really, really good… My mom also told me I was a fortune teller… How do you know so well just by reading it…] The child was working hard to express the advantages as if a medicine peddler was selling medicine. Yeonwoo crossed his arms and looked at the notification window still floating in front of him.

[Would you like to accept the proposal?]

[Yes/No]

“As I said, it’s hard for me alone. If your mom doesn’t have the will, no matter how hard I try, it’s useless.” At the hopeful words, the child’s head perked up. [I’ll tell you!] “It’s not a problem to tell you. The important thing is to believe.” [I’ll believe it! My mom knows too. I know because of me.] I immediately understand what it means. Since he was a child with divine power, there’s no way his parents wouldn’t know that there was a difference from ordinary people. “…Okay. I’ll help you. But you have to explain it. Got it?” [Yes! Good! Thank you, Hyung!]

-Tring!

[You have accepted the proposal.]

[YesO/No] The notification window that I didn’t even press disappeared smoothly.

***

[Are you really going to help?] “Well, I promised.” [I’m really weak in those things… That’s why you got into an accident while saving a child.] Sigh. Donggaryeong, who sighed unlike a hamster, muttered. [But how are you going to help? You can’t always stick with Min Suji.] “Of course not.” [Then?] “I’m going to write a talisman. That way I don’t have to stick to it.” [A talisman to prevent thoughts would be quite difficult?] “I can’t help it. I have to do as much as I received.” The item that the child offered as a condition of the deal was more surprising than Yeonwoo thought.

[Understanding Intentions] [B+]

-An ability that makes you understand the other person’s inner thoughts a little better. It is especially specialized in reading texts made up of letters, so the ability is further maximized. You can grasp the content intended by the writer when writing, and you can estimate the purpose, direction, and emotions at the time of writing. However, if it is through a medium other than letters, the ability will be degraded. ‘This is a complete scam ability?’ It was an ability that the child could confidently offer. Writer Min, who has excellent abilities, directly praised him as a ‘genius,’ and it was true.