Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 268

268. A Restless Dream (2)

Aside from not being able to sleep properly.

Yeon-woo couldn’t help but be amazed by the insane amount of lifespan he’d been accumulating lately.

‘So this is why everyone talks about overseas markets.’

Before, Yeon-woo hadn’t really thought the rate at which he was collecting lifespan was slow.

Think about it.

78 years.

That’s a whopping 28,470 days of negative lifespan.

How could that be filled in just a day or two?

‘Since entering the entertainment industry, I thought the amount of lifespan I was collecting was greater and faster than the lifespan I was consuming each day… but this is something else entirely….’

It’s almost another level.

‘It feels like just yesterday I hit 8 and a half years, and now it’s already 12 years….’

It feels like I’ll hit 13 years soon.

I’ve already burned through 13 years out of 78, so I only need to fill 65 more years.

Looking at it this way, it feels like there’s still a lot left, but….

‘13 years in 2 years.’

Imagine collecting 12 years in less than 2 years.

At this rate, it’s nothing short of an incredibly lucrative deal.

Of course, if I’m not working on a project, I wouldn’t be getting this much.

‘Is this just a kind gesture telling me to work myself to death?’

Still, it’s worth it.

During that one week when episodes 1 and 2 aired.

The lifespan that poured down on Yeon-woo was a whopping 3 years’ worth.

Each episode that ended added a year to his lifespan; it was almost miraculous.

Even after both episodes had finished airing, lifespan continued to accumulate for a week.

Apparently, the rerun ratings were also much better than expected, and the Onflics [a fictional streaming platform] rankings kept staying at the top, so that must be why.

“Divide 15 by 2 and multiply by 3.”

“Huh…?”

Kim Si-hyuk, who had been crumpling his entire body behind Yeon-woo’s chair and frantically tearing into bread without the manager’s knowledge, blinked blankly.

“Ah woo ahng moh ahngeh.”

He looks like a bear, but he acts like a hamster.

He mumbled something, stuffing bread into his cheeks until they were bursting.

Of course, I couldn’t understand a word of it.

“That’s 22.5.”

The answer came from the other side.

“Just so you know, what Si-hyuk said was that he’s bad at math.”

Min Ye-rin said, as calm and cool as ever.

“Did they offer you 300 million over there, perhaps?”

“Pardon?”

Min Ye-rin, sitting calmly in her chair with an expressionless face, dropped a sudden bombshell.

“15 is the number of episodes in our drama… 2 is the number of episodes aired per week. And 3 is a bit ambiguous… but if you think of it as the weekly wage paid per week’s episodes, it wouldn’t be unreasonable.”

Yeon-woo was a little surprised.

Min Ye-rin’s guess was almost more than half true.

But.

“Were you perhaps considering it because they offered 150 million per episode?”

She missed the crucial part.

“You haven’t looked well lately, and you seem to have your mind elsewhere.”

“…Did it show?”

“A little? Most people probably wouldn’t notice. But the director and writer probably know. I noticed it, too.”

Min Ye-rin shrugged and continued.

“So. Did you really get an offer from overseas?”

“No. It’s not that.”

That’s true.

Unlike Min Ye-rin’s misunderstanding, Onflics didn’t offer hundreds of millions to cast him.

To be precise, Yeon-woo was currently experiencing a slight anomaly.

He was already on edge because he kept having strange dreams.

On the one hand, an enormous amount of lifespan was coming in.

It was exactly like they say: good things and bad things come together.

‘If it weren’t for these awful dreams, I wouldn’t have anything to worry about.’

When you think about it, the content of the dreams isn’t much of anything.

It’s just that the feeling is very dirty and unpleasant.

It was the first time he’d had something like this happen since he was a child, being tormented by minor ghosts, so his apprehension was doubled.

‘Yesterday, I heard laughter.’

Laughter erupted sporadically from everywhere, as if something was so enjoyable.

As if it was funny that Yeon-woo was floundering in the middle of a dream, unable to grasp anything.

Listening to that laughter gave him a dirty feeling that he was missing something very important.

‘To think there’s a being capable of invading even my subconscious….’

If that’s true, then the story becomes even more serious.

Why, exactly?

What for?

None of the various questions that came to mind could be guessed at.

“If you know anything, spill it.”

[Kieeeek!]

“There’s no way you wouldn’t know if a great one is coming.”

[Kiaaaak….]

“Let’s share the good stuff. Huh?”

[Save me….]

It wasn’t for nothing that Yeon-woo fully armed himself and beat up stray ghosts rolling around on the streets.

Surprisingly, the lowest-level ghosts are the first to notice when beings with immense power move.

It’s impossible for reason and logic to prevail in the world of the dead.

It would be different if they had properly ascended to the afterlife and followed the process, but those who wander around the nine heavens [a reference to wandering spirits in East Asian mythology] have long since fallen out of the cycle.

Anyway, the point is this.

The opposite of order is chaos.

And in the world of chaos, the strong eat the weak.

The law of the jungle.

Because there is no order, the most intuitive force becomes the measure.

‘Come to think of it, the stray ghosts were fine. If a big shot had appeared, those guys wouldn’t have been left.’

Giggle giggle giggle

Croak croak

Khee hee hee

The laughter that makes you feel dirty just by listening to it echoes in your ears.

Reflexively shaking his head, Yeon-woo was called by a calm voice.

“Yeon-woo. You don’t have to deny it so vehemently. Everyone knows you have the most concerns.”

“Yes…?”

Min Ye-rin spoke in a calm voice, misunderstanding his attempt to shake off the nasty laughter that had tormented him all night.

“You don’t have to hide it. The director and writer, and everyone else, have a general idea. Honestly, they won’t be too disappointed if you tell them. No, actually, they should be grateful to you.”

A well-made drama is often judged by subtle details.

Solid settings and in-depth narratives.

From how well each role suits the actors to how perfectly the small pieces and clues that make up the world in the drama complete a single world.

All of these are very important elements in completing a drama.

However, having all the conditions does not automatically guarantee the name of a well-made drama.

“It has to be memorable.”

Song Jin-joo once said that.

“What’s the point of making it well and filming it beautifully? If viewers aren’t curious and don’t remember it, it’s just a pretty useless thing.”

She added this.

“Why do you think they keep making 막장 [makjang – Korean dramas known for their outrageous and often absurd plotlines] dramas even though they know they’ll get criticized? It’s because 막드 is so addictive with MSG that you can’t stop watching it. It’s completely 막장, but you keep thinking about it, and you’re curious about what’s next. You can’t stop watching.”

So, a well-made drama must have one more thing.

Some element that can be remembered in the minds of the public.

It could be a story.

It could be a well-produced OST [original soundtrack].

It could be an actor who is acting.

“Of course, just because it’s memorable doesn’t mean it’s a well-made drama, but at least it has to have those conditions to even show its face.”

In that respect, Dramatic Tempest can already be considered a success.

Hasn’t the viewership proved that it holds people tightly with its unique story?

It was only natural that the small fire that had been ignited grew larger as Yeon-woo’s box office power, which he himself didn’t know, was added to it.

“You don’t have to feel sorry at all.”

Min Ye-rin said once again, emphasizing in a firm voice.

“If the director or writer is disappointed in you, that’s just them being shameless. So, you don’t have to worry and just decide what you want to do.”

Whatever choice you make, I understand.

Min Ye-rin’s face had that expression.

‘No. Wait. What misunderstanding are we having right now?’

It seems like our conversations are very off.

“Senior. How can someone who worries alone until their face is ruined like that talk easily? They’ll just worry on their own again.”

Even a babbling puppy joined in.

And then.

“Do you know what kind of person he is? He’s the kind of person who even stays up all night because of worries! To keep his loyalty to us! Teetering between practicality and friendship! He even has nightmares while staying up all night!”

Suddenly, he shouted in an agitated voice.

But the person who was listening to those words was just bewildered.

“……?”

What?

Stay up all night because of worry?

Loyalty?

Between practicality and friendship……?

Completely unfamiliar words are exchanged.

“Kim Si-hyuk. I told you not to say that, right?”

“Oh, you can stop hiding it now. We know everything. We know everything.”

What do you know?

Yeon-woo barely suppressed the words that had sprung up to his throat.

“Yes. Yeon-woo. Si-hyuk is right. An amount of more than 100 million per episode is difficult to receive even in Korea. If an opportunity comes, you should take it.”

“Right? Ha, I would have taken it right away if it were me. That guy is too nice….”

“You do take care of the people around you too well. It’s your nature, so it can’t be helped, but….”

“Still, he’s too pure! I would have left for overseas right away if I were him!”

“You’re not Si-hyuk.”

“……Senior. You’re too cold.”

“I don’t have the knack for sweet talk.”

“Yes…….”

The dog, who was only big, drooped his ears at the calm and cold voice.

“That’s not it.”

Yeon-woo felt the need to correct the misunderstanding at this point.

He struck first before the words that he didn’t have to hide it anymore came out again.

“I won’t deny that I’ve become interested in the overseas market.”

“Ah, I knew it…….”

“No. Money is not the issue.”

“Huh? Then what are you interested in?”

Lifespan.

To be more precise, the fact that the world market where he could harvest that lifespan was so wide was surprisingly shocking.

‘It was a whopping 22 and a half years.’

Roughly 23 years of lifespan.

That was the expected lifespan that Yeon-woo could harvest, assuming that the drama maintained its current quality and response.

Even more lifespan could be expected if there was a spurt at the end and the concentration increased.

‘If it’s 23 years of lifespan for one season of a drama… in theory, six or seven projects would be enough.’

There would be many variables, but that was the simple calculation.

‘This is already the case just from a domestic work being exported. What if I go abroad and film a project myself?’

What if he were to film a project targeting the world market?

How much lifespan would come in?

Yeon-woo was curious about that.

But he couldn’t answer that it was because of his lifespan.

Yeon-woo calmly continued, looking at the two pairs of eyes looking at him.

“I’m just amazed that my acting resonated with people in various countries around the world. The amount of money doesn’t matter. Where am I going? I have to film Season 2 right away.”

That’s the truth, without any lies.

There were hidden facts that he didn’t say.

But somehow, Kim Si-hyuk and Min Ye-rin’s expressions were subtle at how they misunderstood these words again.

“Wow…… Senior. Did you hear that? He’s a born actor.”

“……I’m ashamed of myself for thinking about money first.”

No.

Excuse me……?

To make matters worse, Kil Sang-jun, whose eyes were somehow reddened, appeared.

“We’re really okay with it…… We can’t keep you by our side because of our greed, so we have to let you go someday. But honestly, I’m so happy to hear those words.”

“…….”

Yeon-woo sensed it.

That no words would work on the people here.

“Sigh…….”

Yeon-woo let out a long sigh.

Kil Sang-jun, interpreting it somehow, came over and patted him on the shoulder.

“As much as you’ve decided to stay, we’ll make Season 2 the best. Thank you for trusting us.”

Kil Sang-jun’s tearful eyes.

And the warm atmosphere of the staff looking at this place.

On top of that, the pleased and touched expressions of Kim Si-hyuk and Min Ye-rin, and the other actors.

“…….”

Yeon-woo’s sigh deepened.