Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 368

“Oh? Ray. Weren’t you going to the van to rest?”

“I went for a bit. I came out to monitor again… but I overheard an interesting story. I hope I’m not intruding, Yeonwoo.”

Raymond smoothly inserted himself between the two.

‘He’s not getting angry.’

Yeonwoo instinctively assessed Raymond’s emotional state.

He hadn’t said anything that would provoke anger.

However, Yeonwoo was well aware of how strong the pride of those considered the best in their field could be.

‘Come to think of it, maybe I’m lucky?’

He recalled the countless celebrities who visited his mother, Madam Kang’s, fortune-telling shrine. [Shrines are often visited for divination or blessings.]

He had often witnessed them taking offense or becoming upset, even when he offered them advice.

‘In the end, they would listen, but they still had to hear things they didn’t want to from me.’

The common thread was that they were all highly successful people.

But the people Yeonwoo had met recently were different.

Actors like Kwon Seonghyun, Min Yerin, Lee Jooha, and Yeon Dohee.

And masters like Paganini, whom he met in Europe, and Trevi, who was unparalleled in the field of music.

Of course, there were also the occasional strange people who were jealous of him.

However, Yeonwoo mused.

Even considering everything, he seemed to be fortunate.

“Can you tell me what you were telling Gabriel earlier?”

Even now, look.

Raymond was looking at Yeonwoo with genuine curiosity.

There wasn’t a hint of sinister emotion or negativity like anger in his gaze.

“Hey, you’re not planning on saying anything harsh to our Yeonwoo, are you?”

Gabriel was, instead, wary of Raymond.

Raymond shrugged and replied.

“Why would I be angry at Yeonwoo? At the hero who might solve this frustrating situation? So, will you tell me, Yeonwoo?”

Looking into Raymond’s eager eyes, Yeonwoo said.

“It’s a subtle difference. The change in expression is subtly faster or slower.”

Raymond’s acting was technically perfect.

However, the timing was slightly off.

‘If I had to quantify it, maybe a difference of 0.1 or 0.2 seconds?’

He was such a skilled actor, and his acting was so deeply ingrained in him.

This subtle sense of incongruity, stemming from the momentary misalignment, would likely go unnoticed by most.

If this scene wasn’t a chaotic one that demanded the portrayal of complex emotions.

“So you’re saying the synchronization is off. Between my expression and my emotions.”

“Something like that.”

If Jonas Ben were an ordinary director.

If he wasn’t so obsessed with perfectly completing the Black series trilogy.

He might have simply overlooked this subtle dissonance.

‘But that subtle and seemingly trivial difference might have created a small crack in the dam.’

The acting of a skilled, top-class actor was that close to perfection.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite perfect.

“Has anything happened between yesterday and today?”

“Hmm?”

Raymond’s posture, as he stroked his chin, froze momentarily.

“Like something happy or unexpected good fortune?”

“How did you know…? Did a paparazzi shot already surface? Oh dear. This is troublesome.”

“Pardon?”

This time, Yeonwoo’s expression was bewildered.

“Nothing’s out yet, why? Did something happen like Yeonwoo said?”

“Really? Then how did you know? Hmm… it’s nothing much, just a personal matter….”

Raymond looked embarrassed by Gabriel’s intervention.

“Well… I got an answer to my proposal yesterday.”

“Oh, my God. Finally? Congratulations, Ray!”

It turned out that his long-time girlfriend had finally accepted Raymond’s proposal after much deliberation.

‘So that’s why his emotional state was like that.’

It was an understandable situation.

“Hoo… After hearing Yeonwoo’s words, I realized I wasn’t professional enough. I thought I was controlling it well, but I didn’t realize it was showing.”

Raymond repeatedly thanked him and went back into the shoot.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was wondering how you knew that. You figured out that subtle difference?”

“If you observe closely, you can naturally draw conclusions.”

“I don’t think so? Even Ray himself didn’t realize it. You don’t know Yeonwoo, but he’s a tough guy. How meticulous is his self-management? And if it was that easy to notice, Jonas would have caught it already. It’s really amazing… What is it, some kind of high-speed camera…?”

Gabriel muttered.

And that afternoon.

The news spread throughout the set that a certain observer had resolved the scene that had been troubling director Jonas and the main actor Raymond in one fell swoop.

*

“Why are you so proud?”

“Why? He’s our friend. Isn’t it natural for me to be proud when my friend does well?”

“Isn’t it time to stop being proud?”

“Why? I’d brag about this every single day if it were me.”

He understands.

But it’s a bit much when it’s been repeated for days.

‘He still seems to be conscious of his surroundings.’

The rumors that follow Gabriel like a tail.

Most of them are rumors that have followed him unintentionally or spread by others.

Other than being a bit prickly, everything else is exaggerated and false.

But the opportunity to explain it was rare.

-I just need to work hard. Then it will disappear on its own. I can’t see anything anymore anyway. I just need to show a definite change.

Gabriel had said that.

It was a commendable thing to say for someone who often complained.

However, Yeonwoo felt the unkind gazes that followed him every time he went to the set.

Naturally, the target was Gabriel.

“Whew. Should I have joined a bit earlier? No, if I had joined any earlier, it would have been terrible. I might not have been able to face Ray. Still, it’s a bit difficult to get used to the set right away.”

Gabriel’s role is, after all, a cameo.

A cameo isn’t even a minor role; it’s just a brief appearance.

Of course, the scenes allocated for the cameo were quite long, but still…

Anyway, I could feel Gabriel’s determination to do his best.

The problem is,

“Can I do well?”

“Whew. What should I do? What if I keep getting NGs [no-good takes] like Ray did last time?”

“Black. Seeing your handsome face distort like that is so refreshing… No, that’s not the feeling!”

As the scenes he was to appear in drew closer, Gabriel became increasingly anxious.

[Wouldn’t hitting him on the back of the head knock him out?]

The Dongja Spirit, who had been sleeping more often since entering the cat’s body, said that.

That’s how much Gabriel practiced his acting in the studio, all the time.

[Do you know what he was like last time?! He gave me Churu [a creamy cat treat] and waved it around!]

It was when Gabriel was practicing an action scene.

The instinct-driven fat cat was doing acrobatics along with him, trying to eat the Churu being waved around…

[Yeonwoo, why don’t you help him!]

‘This role is important, indeed.’

This role will probably be a very significant turning point.

Whether Gabriel takes a step forward or sits down.

‘And whether my mission here is a failure or not will be determined.’

[Mission failure results in a decrease in all stats. 70 percent reduction in total lifespan.]

The first mission, ‘Help the underprivileged!’ is one thing, but the probability of failing the second linked mission will increase.

The key to success is the success of the OST [original soundtrack] Yeonwoo is making, but…

‘The linked mission is bothering me?’

It means I can’t think of Gabriel as completely separate.

“At this rate, I might ruin everything. What should I do? What should I do?”

Gabriel’s anxiety grew worse day by day.

[You should soothe him! Today, he acted like he was going to pull out all my fur!]

The Dongja Spirit, who had prepared to purr, thinking he was going to be petted, shouted that.

Recently, he had reacted sharply to the Black filming staff who were trying to act nonchalant.

‘I can’t leave him like this.’

Pulling himself together is something Yeonwoo can’t do for him.

Deciding how to move forward is solely Gabriel’s responsibility.

I can give advice, but I can’t decide his mindset for him.

That’s why.

“Yes. Please contact them. I will accept.”

Yeonwoo picked up the phone and said that to the person on the other end.

*

“A public service announcement?”

“Yes.”

“Suddenly? No, if it’s you, Yeonwoo, it’s definitely possible.”

Gabriel, who had already memorized all the scenes, which weren’t even ten, still didn’t let go of the script.

He hadn’t slept properly at night, his eyes bloodshot, and he kept muttering his lines.

Such Gabriel blinked as if he had woken up from a long sleep at Yeonwoo’s words.

*

“No matter how I think about it, it’s not a place for me. You, Yeonwoo, are more than qualified, but… Me appearing? In a public service announcement, of all things?”

“Didn’t we already finish talking about this?”

“Still, it’s a bit much for me to step up…?”

“Have I ever been wrong?”

“…No?”

“Then give up now.”

Not long ago.

Yeonwoo received a call through his agency.

It was thanks to telling them not to reject any matters after Raymond’s incident and to let him know first.

-A public service announcement?

-Yes. The scale is quite large. It’s a public service announcement that fourteen states are jointly creating. It seems that ‘Dream Walker,’ which Yeonwoo released last time, had quite a reaction among teenagers. So they’re trying to approach it that way.

Since it was a meaningful endeavor, it was naturally okay.

However, Yeonwoo included one more person here.

“Very good! Actually, I was a little worried… Rather, it’s very good for highlighting our theme!”

The project’s staff members, who had gathered for the concept meeting, shone their eyes.

“That’s right. Gabriel is also a victim. This is an opportunity to completely shed that stigma! It will be a great hope for the children.”

A large-scale project in which as many as fourteen states participated.

This project was none other than a public service announcement campaign for children and teenagers.

“’Dream Walker’ is having a very positive impact on children. Statistics have recently been released showing that incidents in public schools have significantly decreased. It is already widely known that the number of reports received by 911 has decreased.”

“We plan to drive a wedge here. Once again, borrowing the influence of the media.”

The project will deal with issues of teenagers narrowly.

Broadly, the official explained that it would deal with social problems extensively.

“Isn’t that exactly your story?”

“Huh…?”

“Prejudice, stigma, stereotypes, gossip. Victim. Isn’t it the perfect opportunity to clear up misunderstandings?”

“It is, but…”

“You’re giving strength to teenagers who have similar concerns as you.”

A school called a small society.

It touches on all the problems and concerns that exist within it and presents a vision of not losing hope.

A story that could easily sound like stale and formulaic nagging.

“But we’re going to approach it with a slightly different perception. It’s a public service announcement, but we’re going to approach it like a documentary. We will use real people as models to induce deeper empathy. Instead of just talking about pie-in-the-sky, we will deliver a more direct message concretely through real people.”

In short, it’s an advertisement with a story.

It’s not just a few dozen seconds of story that goes out briefly on the media.

“It will definitely be a great help to many children.”

Yeonwoo thought so too.

And it would help Gabriel too.

But…

‘Somehow, things related to the linked mission are pouring in…’

It’s just my imagination, right?