Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 33

033. Real-Life Encounter Review

2021.12.03.

Of course, Kwon Seong-hyun smiles a lot as a celebrity. But this genuinely heartfelt smile seemed like it was the first time in a very long while. That was surprising enough, but what was even more surprising was the person he was smiling at: Yeon-woo.

-I told you, you don’t have to eat it! It was prepared by Kwon Seong-hyun’s fans, so Kwon Seong-hyun should eat a lot. It’s none other than Kwon Seong-hyun. But the person in question’s reaction was indifferent.

-No! This is definitely for all the staff!

-That’s right! They make a really delicious mint chocolate Frappuccino. You should definitely try it!

The Vice President 1, who used to argue that mint chocolate was nothing more than toothpaste that shouldn’t exist in this world and that it was an insult to the tongue, was now emphasizing how ‘delicious’ it was and even recommending it.

-It’s okay. You don’t have to make me eat it…

-Yeon-woo. Won’t you please try it?

That’s when the staff first saw it. They had the illusion that two large ears were flapping above Kwon Seong-hyun’s head, and a tail wagging back and forth. No matter how they looked at it, that attitude was like a puppy waiting for its owner’s command. ‘Has Seong-hyun mastered acting so much that he’s now a master of animal acting too?!’

-Haaah… Yeon-woo glanced at somewhere above Kwon Seong-hyun’s head for a moment, then reluctantly accepted the mint chocolate Frappuccino.

-You two… you must be really close. Vice President 2 said this, seeing a sight that could never be seen in a business relationship.

-Really? Do Yeon-woo and I look close? Kwon Seong-hyun asked back with a bright smile. Later, Vice President 2 would say that she almost had arrhythmia at this moment.

-Yes. Very! Vice President 2, who had barely survived a life-or-death crisis, answered energetically, and Kwon Seong-hyun said.

-Wow, that’s a relief. At least it looks that way.

-…Why?

-Ah, it’s just that I think I’m the only one who likes Yeon-woo too much.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Yeon-woo.

-Don’t overdo it, don’t overdo it. Isn’t it because you can’t do it moderately that I’m sanctioning you?

-How can I be ‘moderate’? It’s Yeon-woo, of all people.

Seeing that, the three of them could only say one thing.

-Wow… you two are really close.

It was the first time Kwon Seong-hyun had so openly shown friendliness to someone, and it was also the first time someone had told Kwon Seong-hyun off without hesitation.

Kwon Seong-hyun has many good people around him, but there were also a truckload of people clinging to him, hoping for some crumbs. But.

‘Chairman… what’s going on here…?’

‘Hmm. The vibe isn’t what we expected?’

‘Something felt strange from the beginning. From Director Heo to the staff…’

Having watched him for a long time, they could communicate with just their eyes without saying a word. Moreover, Kwon Seong-hyun’s praise, no, adulation of Yeon-woo was not the end of it.

-You’re helping Seong-hyun with his acting?

-I’m not helping, I’m just showing him.

-Isn’t that the same thing?

-No. A chicness as if cutting with a knife.

-Yeon-woo always refuses whatever I ask him to do, you know? Whether it’s having a meal or going somewhere together…

-Isn’t it because there are strange people around?

-They’re people who would be helpful to know. I deliberately selected and carefully chose them.

-I don’t need that. Yeon-woo shrugged his shoulders, not caring as if he didn’t need such things. Every gesture of his showed that he was genuinely annoyed and bothered. But if Kwon Seong-hyun seemed really disappointed,

-Don’t you still know that Kwon Seong-hyun only needs Kwon Seong-hyun, without those kinds of people?

He also had the skill to cheer Kwon Seong-hyun up from time to time. It was only natural. Kwon Seong-hyun was a very excellent source of life force. On top of that, his special skills exceeded five fingers, which was a huge jackpot. ‘If we upset such a great leech… no, a great person, we’re the ones who will be in trouble.’ But listening to everything Kwon Seong-hyun said was another matter. After all, Kwon Seong-hyun was so eager to give away his lifespan, and the lifespan he gained from dealing with thoughts on the set was also quite substantial. ‘I have no choice. I’ll just have to coax him and use him.’ However, the problem was that Yeon-woo’s words didn’t sound that way to other people.

‘No matter how I look at it, that’s not the attitude of a rookie?’

‘Look at that push and pull. His taming skills are no joke.’

‘To push and pull Seong-hyun like that, of all people, he’s definitely got potential…’

Perhaps because of that, the staff’s minds didn’t easily return until Yeon-woo and Kwon Seong-hyun returned with their hands full of mint chocolate Frappuccinos.

“Ugh. I’m still not all there.”

“I thought I was going to faint. I thought I had barely gotten used to Seong-hyun…”

“With just Seong-hyun, I could at least withstand it because I had some immunity. But with one more added, ugh…”

“Two people were a bit too much. Right?”

It is often said that celebrities have a halo when you see them in person. This is because there is a world of difference between seeing them on TV and seeing them in person. Kwon Seong-hyun is one of the top celebrities who boasts such a presence. However, even with eyes that had been raised by seeing Kwon Seong-hyun, Yeon-woo looked different.

“I knew it from the moment you two went off giggling.”

“The chairman was even more proactive than us.”

“What else could I do when someone even more extreme than when we first encountered Seong-hyun appeared?”

“We felt the same way.”

The three of them sighed simultaneously.

“Anyway. I knew it from the moment I saw the picture, you know? He didn’t fade even in the picture, and I was so surprised when I saw him walking over earlier. He’s even more amazing in person, seriously.”

“His personality didn’t seem bad either.”

“Rather than bad, he seemed a bit indifferent. It was the first time I saw Seong-hyun act like that.”

“…But he definitely didn’t seem like he was clinging to Seong-hyun to take advantage of him, right?”

“Chairman, I think it’s more accurate to say that Seong-hyun is clinging to him?”

“That’s right. Far from taking advantage of him… he seemed a bit annoyed.”

“…Chairman, did you feel that way too?”

“Did you too?”

“…”

Everyone nodded. The afterimage of the puppy they saw was still vivid.

“Still, Seong-hyun seemed a bit happy, right?”

“Yeah. It really didn’t feel like business. It had that feeling of close friends.”

“That’s right. That’s why I like it even more. It’s difficult for someone like Seong-hyun to have people around him. But it’s a relief that he has one more person like that.”

Once again, everyone nodded.

“Anyway, it doesn’t seem like he’s taking advantage of him.”

“Rather, it seems like Seong-hyun is eager to do something for him… Seong-hyun’s personality is so kind, but he’s not a pushover, so seeing him act like that, it’s definitely not for exploitative purposes.”

“Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that we discovered a rookie?”

“Right? But he seems even closer than the attitude you’d show to a rookie.”

“Maybe he really is a close younger brother.”

Vice President 2 said.

“Then… there’s nothing to worry about?”

A moment of silence flowed. And.

“I’m in favor.”

“Me too.”

They all blurted out the same words as if pouring them out at the same time. The three executives exchanged glances.

“He’s clearly a promising talent, and judging by how much effort Seong-hyun is putting in, I think he’ll hit it big soon. His visuals are excellent, and his character doesn’t seem that bad. He doesn’t seem like the type to change easily even if he becomes famous.”

Vice President 1 said.

“Seong-hyun said that he’ll be releasing a making film soon. He said that if we watch it, we’ll know what he means. So there’s no need to worry about his acting skills either. There’s no reason for Seong-hyun to say something meaningless.”

Vice President 2 said.

“We need to pave a flowery path for Seong-hyun’s journey. Everyone knows that, right?”

At the chairman’s words, the two vice presidents nodded.

“Seong-hyun’s will is our will. Besides, all three of us are in favor. Then we’ll do it ‘that way’?”

The chairman finished his words as if confirming it.

“We can’t let anyone else steal Seong-hyun’s pick.”

That night, everyone parted with burning eyes. A new post was uploaded to Kwon Seong-hyun’s fan page. [New Face (feat. by Seong-hyun’s Insta) Real-Life Encounter Review.jyp]

A quiet but powerful move. It was the beginning of a story that would be talked about for a long time.

***

After being cast as the Grim Reaper, the filming that had been postponed due to Lee Deok-chun’s terrible acting was busily resumed. There were newly added scenes, and there were scenes that had to be reshot. Because of this, the cast and staff were all busy from morning.

“Yeon-woo, have you seen this?”

Kwon Seong-hyun approached Yeon-woo, who had been caught and was getting his makeup done as soon as he arrived.

“…What is it?”

“This. It’s a post on my fan page.”

He smiled brightly and held out his phone. Yeon-woo reflexively took it and scanned the screen, his body stiffening.

“…”

[New Face (feat. by Seong-hyun’s Insta) Real-Life Encounter Review.jyp]

…What is this again?

“What is this?”

“Try reading it.”

Kwon Seong-hyun still smiled brightly. ‘I have an uneasy feeling…’ It was just a single post, but he didn’t know why he felt so uneasy. Yeon-woo moved his reluctant fingers and touched the screen.

[New Face (feat. by Seong-hyun’s Insta) Real-Life Encounter Review.jyp] [This is the staff. On X month X day, yesterday, we visited the ‘Dimago’ filming set with a coffee truck support. We ask for your understanding that the title is written in informal language to convey a more realistic feeling. Without further ado, let’s get to the review. (photo) (photo) (photo) Do you see it? Seong-hyun’s Insta photo that shocked us. Wasn’t there a lot of talk about whether that photo was manipulated, photoshopped, synthesized, or brainwashed? But our staff! To quell such doubts, we took pictures for our fellow fans. You may want to take a deep breath. That’s right. The photo that was uploaded to Seong-hyun’s Insta was not fake.]

“…”

Yeon-woo, who had seen that far, turned the phone over. No. Why is my picture there? Come to think of it, he remembered the three people who called themselves a fan club taking pictures diligently yesterday.

-It’s good to do this much for the fans. Let’s take a picture together, Yeon-woo. [Available lifespan: +7 days]

If it weren’t for the lifespan that appeared above his head, he wouldn’t have even thought about taking pictures. Besides, he also had this thought. ‘Anyway, my face will be taken with a camera and spread all over the place, so what does it matter.’ It’s not like he had any particular aversion to it or anything. If he had, he wouldn’t have even taken the camera test or anything like that from the beginning. So he took a few pictures to get some free lifespan…

‘I never imagined it would be used like this…’

He couldn’t even imagine it.

“It’s all praise, right? I told you there wouldn’t be a problem.”

Come to think of it, Kwon Seong-hyun and Min Writer had said that yesterday’s meeting was a ‘testing ground.’

“My people, my fans, are quite picky. But look. There’s no one saying anything bad about Yeon-woo.”

“…”

That was true. If he had to choose between like and dislike, what was expressed in the article was an emotion closer to ‘like.’ However, there were a lot of words that Yeon-woo found difficult to understand, such as having to praise him, calling him a golden talent, and having to nurture him well. ‘No, why are those people nurturing me? I’m going to grow on my own?’ Besides, [Fellow fans. Especially given his friendship with Seong-hyun, we trust Seong-hyun’s judgment. We, the staff, dare to say that we can invest in this growing sprout with peace of mind!]

What does investing mean? Are they going to sell my eyeballs? Just thinking about it made him shudder. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like it was Kwon Seong-hyun’s fault.

“…”

Naturally, Yeon-woo’s brow furrowed. Of course,

“Don’t frown! Your face is so pale that I applied it thinly, but if you frown like that, it’ll clump up. Cameras these days are so good. Since you have such a good-looking face, it should come out even better, not worse,” he was immediately scolded by the makeup staff who was helping with the Grim Reaper makeup.

“So… did you deliberately take me out there yesterday?”

“Yes. I was sure you would fall for Yeon-woo [that the fans would fall for you]. My prediction was correct. And I also wanted to let Yeon-woo know.”

“Know what?”

“The conviction I have.”