Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 36

036. This Feels Like Cheating, Even to Me (1)

2021.12.06.

-I thought I was going to get goosebumps;; Normal people think acting without lines is easier, but that’s totally wrong; Static acting is even harder. Because you have to convey emotions and thoughts with extremely restrained movements;; ㄴThat Grim Reaper, isn’t he the rookie that was on Kwon Seong-hyun’s SNS back then? ㄴLooks like itㅇㅇ His acting is insane. Is he really a rookie? Isn’t he someone who’s been acting somewhere else? ㄴMaybe he’s from musical theatre? His vocalization and stuff are so stable, he might be from musical theatre. ㄴHey~ Our Yeon-woo isn’t from musical theatre~ ㄴWho are you, calling our Yeon-woo ‘our Yeon-woo’ㅡㅡ?? -Seong-hyun-nim’s suit looks amazingㅠㅠ I’m so glad I’m alive to see Seong-hyun-nim acting as a chaebol [conglomerate] heirㅠㅠ If there was a chaebol family like that, I would work like a dog and give them everything ㄴThat doesn’t exist, go back ㄴA chaebol in our country… A chaebol like Seong-hyun-nim… Is that even possible…? ㄴWhy are you saying it so wistfully?; -Do you think this will turn into a love triangle? The chemistry between the male lead and the female lead is crazy, and if you think about the Grim Reaper going to find the female lead, it’s definitely a love triangle no matter how you look at it. ㄴI’m buying Kwon Seong-hyun’s stock ㄴI’m rooting for the Grim Reaper ㄴI need to see the next episode to even choose who to root forㅠㅠㅠ Why is a week made up of WaterWaterWaterWoodWoodWoodㅠㅠ? Even though it’s a drama that just started, the posts popping up everywhere are extraordinary. Especially as the episodes progressed, more and more people fell for the drama and started suffering from it.

“Yeon-woo, did you see this? They’re calling it the ‘Dimago Syndrome’,” Writer Min, who was writing the latter half, said with a haggard but happy face.

“If you’re asking if I’ve seen the article saying that the streets and stores are empty on Wednesday and Thursday evenings because of our drama, yes. I’ve already seen it.”

“Heol. Who did such a bad thing?!”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s supposed to be fun when I tell you!” The person who told him the same thing as Writer Min was none other than Director Heo. -Heoheoheot! Yeon-woo, look at this. It’s a syndrome, a syndrome. I’ve only heard legends about dramas like this in the past, but I never thought it would be our story! The joy of contributing to a work that many people are enthusiastic about and immersed in. That feeling was felt by all the drama team members.

“It’s obviously Director Heo. That guy’s kind of a blabbermouth. So, Yeon-woo. Do you know this?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you know that there are people who are pushing you as the male lead?”

“The male lead… the Grim Reaper?” The next most popular thing after viewers clamoring for the next episode was the ‘coupling’ share. -The male lead is Kim Tae-hoon anyway ㄴWhat kind of novel bullshit is that; It’s obviously the Grim Reaper; ㄴOh, that nameless Grim Reaper? ㄴHe’s going to appear??? -The male lead must be the Grim Reaper ㄴThat’s right! ㄴNo way~ He’s just a supporting character~ Viewers who supported Kim Tae-hoon argued that the original storyline was made that way, and how could Kim Tae-hoon, played by Kwon Seong-hyun, not be the male lead? The Grim Reaper supporters argued, ‘The forbidden love that tries to break even taboos for the sake of the female lead is more attractive!’ and pushed for the replacement of the male lead, saying that the writer was giving him a lot of screen time, so he must be the male lead.

“Ah, there are people who support other pairings, too.” She said that there was a group that wasn’t as big as the two fandoms, but they were steady and the most intense. -Doesn’t it matter? As long as it tastes good. ㄴThat’s right. I also like the way Kwon Seong-hyun and the Grim Reaper fight over the female lead like swans under the surface of the waterㅎㅎㅎ ㄴGood thing + good thing = very good thing♥

“That’s what chemistry is. I created a really amazing character, didn’t I? Seong-hyun and Yeon-woo are acting perfectly, so I’m writing like I’m possessed these days. I’m so tired, but I’m getting so much energy, it’s so much fun.” Yeon-woo looked at the amulet around Writer Min’s neck. ‘She’s wearing it well.’ The ward made of thunderstruck jujube wood that he made for Writer Min’s son was hanging well. It seemed to be doing its job well.

“I’m going to write an even more amazing script, so just wait. Okay?” Writer Min staggered away with a pale face. In any case, like she said, the drama was progressing smoothly. Or, at least, that’s what he thought. -Ting! [Congratulations! You have secured a large amount of lifespan.] [Would you like to harvest the lifespan?] [Yes/No] Until a random notification popped up. *** “……?” A sudden notification. ‘What is this?’ Yeon-woo stared blankly at the window that popped up in front of him. ‘……Why is lifespan suddenly coming up here?’ An unfamiliar notification. He had never seen such a notification before. It was strange that the lifespan acquisition notification had the phrase ‘Congratulations’ attached to it, and it was the first time he had seen the modifier ‘large amount’ attached to it. It even kindly asked whether to harvest it or not.

‘This shitty system…….’ It’s the epitome of unkindness. ‘Is it good? Or bad? Would it hurt to tell me a little?’ He couldn’t just assume it would only give him good things, remembering the first penalty he received before. Who knew if he would get screwed over if he pressed ‘Yes’ without knowing anything? Moreover. -Ting! The notification didn’t end there. ‘There’s more?!’ As soon as he thought that, another window popped up in front of him. [Available features have been updated.] [Batch Lifespan Auto-Harvest can be executed.] [Would you like to execute the Batch Lifespan Auto-Harvest feature?] [Yes/No]

“……?” What is this again? Batch Lifespan Auto-Harvest? ‘Just from the name, it feels like something is……?’ He felt a tingling sensation down his spine. He had a hunch. ‘A large amount of lifespan and automatic lifespan harvesting……?’ With the modifier ‘batch’ attached, not just a one-time thing. If you only look at the large amount of lifespan, it could very well be a poisoned apple. Just think of that minor actor whose name he barely remembers. He was definitely someone who had lifespan and used the system to fulfill requests and harvest lifespan, but. ‘The result was a bust. So, even if I ignore the first notification, the second notification is…….’ Automatic harvesting. Doesn’t it strongly imply that you don’t have to do anything yourself?! “Hoo…….” Yeon-woo didn’t rashly press the sparkling ‘Yes’ button. He just pondered. “It’s either all or nothing.” The meaning of the word ‘automatic’ is clear. You can figure it out if you think about it a little. “Either I get free lifespan without any cost, or it will use ‘automatic’ as an excuse to make some other demand…….” It was fortunate that there was no one around. Coincidentally, Dongja-ryeong had also been taken away by Kwon Seong-hyun, was staggering around, and disappeared somewhere. Otherwise, he would have been caught looking at the air like a madman and being embarrassed by himself. There’s a limit to how much you can pretend to be on the phone. He had a feeling that the people on set were starting to notice Yeon-woo’s specialness one by one anyway. If he got caught in this state……. ‘It might be adding fuel to the fire.’ What’s fortunate is that there are so many unique people in this industry that there’s no atmosphere of outright ostracism? However……. -Yeon-woo, my lease expires next month, do you have time? If you’re okay with it, can you go to the real estate agency with me…? -Things haven’t been going well lately, and I went to a fortune teller who said I had some kind of evil spirit attached to me. But it seems like a scam, so it’s hard to believe… What do you think of me, Yeon-woo? Is there any problem? -Ah, Yeon-woo. It’s nothing much. Do you know how to name people? My nephew was born this time……. It’s a little concerning that it’s developing in a strange direction? It’s kind of nice that they’re not wary of him, but……. ‘Maybe it would be better if they were wary…….’ Yeon-woo rubbed his tired face with his hands, suddenly reminded of something. People were subtly asking questions that you would only ask at a fortune teller’s……. It’s not a completely wrong choice since it’s his major, but. ‘I ran away because I didn’t want to do that, but why am I doing that here?’ Anyway, that’s not the important thing. “Should I do it or not?” The button in front of him sparkled and shone. It was as if it was taunting him, saying, ‘Can you even press me?’ Yeon-woo’s finger moved slowly. ‘Well, there’s Kwon Seong-hyun, who’s a lifespan vending machine, and there are plenty of clumps of thoughts anyway.’ If he hadn’t been here, he definitely wouldn’t have made such a rash decision. But this is the entertainment industry, a world more difficult than the jungle of the survival of the fittest. It creates thoughts that didn’t exist and gathers all kinds of evil spirits following all kinds of desires, even if you’re just sitting still. In other words, there are plenty of blind lifespans around him. All Yeon-woo has to do is harvest the lifespan like picking up fallen ears of grain. ‘It’ll be annoying to collect the ones that flew away again, but well, I have a backup plan, so it’ll be okay.’ His thoughts were organized. Yeon-woo’s finger, which had been hovering in the air for a moment, moved again. And when he pressed the sparkling ‘Yes’ button. “……!” Yeon-woo saw it. Yes. This was what a jackpot was. Kang Yeon-woo. 23 years old. A man who boasted a ‘sense’ that had never been wrong. *** ‘Crazy.’ Yeon-woo’s first reaction to the jackpot was surprisingly ordinary. Why, isn’t there a case like that? When a person faces an unexpected situation, they sometimes can’t grasp reality for a moment. Yeon-woo’s case was exactly that. “Wow……. This feels like cheating, even to me.” He finally spat out after a long time. Yeon-woo’s gaze was busily moving up and down in the air. That’s because the status windows filled the air with loud noises.

[You have successfully harvested lifespan.] [Lifespan harvested: 2 days] [You have successfully harvested lifespan.] [Lifespan harvested: 11 days] [You have successfully harvested lifespan.] [Lifespan harvested: 8 days] [Successfully…….] [Harvested…….] The numbers that were going up like crazy while ringing were enormous. From single-digit numbers to numbers exceeding double digits. There was only one, but there was even a three-digit number included. And. When the notification that seemed to go up endlessly finally came to an end. -Ting! Yeon-woo had no choice but to lose his words once again. [Batch Lifespan Auto-Harvest has been completed.] [Lifespan automatically harvested: 265 days] 265 days. A number that is exactly 100 days short of a year. Suddenly, almost a year’s worth of lifespan came in. “What on earth is going on……?” The result was so bewildering that he even doubted it. Clearly, his gut was screaming that it was a jackpot, but Yeon-woo knew. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. “Surely they’re not going to give it and then take it away……. No, there’s a possibility of that. Maybe they’re setting the stage to make me more frustrated like last time.” A jackpot is good, but this jackpot is so huge that it’s hard to believe. “First of all……. I’ll have to wait and see.” Whether this jackpot will continue to be a jackpot until the end. Or whether it will be a bust disguised as a jackpot. Time will naturally tell. Yeon-woo decided to wait and see for now. And over the next few days. [You have successfully harvested lifespan.] [Lifespan harvested: 4 days] [You have successfully harvested lifespan…….] There was no lifespan bomb like the first time. But it still came in intermittently, albeit sporadically. Finally, Yeon-woo was able to come to a conclusion. This was a jackpot. A very big one.