Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 38

038. This Feels Like Cheating, Even to Me (3)

2021.12.08.

It made sense when I heard it. The people who wrote those posts that Dong Ja-ryeong showed me all harbored bad thoughts. But, in a strange coincidence, they said that watching Yeon-woo’s acting changed their minds. [I think some of the lifespan of those people who would have disappeared if it weren’t for you is coming to you as compensation.] Dozens of years of life that would have been lost to suicide. But by changing their minds and not making the wrong choices, they are giving up a few days to a few months of lifespan as compensation. In a way, it’s like having a part of your lifespan taken away, but it’s not a loss at all. It’s like living a future that wouldn’t have existed otherwise. “Then I understand why my lifespan suddenly surged back then. Compensation for influence…”

It certainly made sense. Yeon-woo was thinking the same thing. [This is the power of media! There was a time when people said that media ruled the modern world, and it wasn’t for nothing! Now it’s even saving your life! How about that! Isn’t it amazing?! TV is the best!] The TV-addicted ghost said. It was quite an unbalanced combination, but Yeon-woo nodded because it was true. At the same time, a thought occurred to him. ‘I’m sure I thought this industry was a gold mine before… but now it feels like what’s buried isn’t gold, but diamonds?’ Influencing others through acting and gaining lifespan as compensation. It sounds simple, but when you think about it, it’s absurd. ‘The viewership rating for episode 8 was 18 percent, right?’ In other words, roughly speaking, it’s like receiving requests from 9 million people at once, without having to go and fulfill each request one by one. Of course, there are households that don’t have TVs, so it’s not an exact number, but that’s roughly the calculation in principle. So this is really… “Amazing.” I just moved along as things flowed, and I’ve come this far. ‘What if I hadn’t come to this industry?’ There was every possibility of that. Starting with Han Su-han, going through the penalty of being an unknown actor, meeting Kwon Seong-hyun, getting the penalty lifted, and then not following this path? I didn’t need to think about it for long. The answer came quickly. ‘I’d still be struggling to find lifespan.’ Could I have found as much lifespan as I have in this industry? ‘Or maybe I would have already died…’ But now I’ve even hit the jackpot of gaining lifespan without having to fulfill requests directly, by acting, no less. It was a strange thing. If I didn’t have a negative lifespan, Yeon-woo would never have set foot in this industry. ‘Is it a coincidence?’ It’s a very coincidental coincidence, but it’s also strange to say it’s not a coincidence. Yeon-woo has chosen options directly at many crossroads, and this is the result. ‘I’d rather believe that some great being made my destiny flow this way…’ But Yeon-woo soon chuckled and shook his head. There’s no way that could be. It’s an excessive speculation. I must be getting paranoid because I’ve hit such a jackpot. “It can’t be helped.” [What?] “They’re feeding me this much, it’s not polite to spit it out.” [Oh, then?] The lizard, who sensed what Yeon-woo was going to say, sparkled its eyes. “From now on, I’m going to have to act properly.” After organizing his thoughts, Yeon-woo came to a conclusion. Now, acting has become a necessity, not an option. To mine a gold mine, you have to go inside the gold mine. If I’ve kept a bit of distance until now, that’s no longer the case. ‘If I’m going to do it, I’ll do it right.’ That was the conclusion Yeon-woo came to.

***

Yeon-woo, who hit an unexpected jackpot called influence. His next move was… “Cut! That was great again, Yeon-woo!”

Nothing special. Just continuing to act. ‘Well, I’m not really in a position to appear anywhere else right now.’ A rookie who has just debuted and hasn’t been verified. It’s risky to exclude appearances carelessly. It means that just because you decide to work hard doesn’t mean everything will go as you wish. Of course, I’ve heard that I’m getting offers because I’ve shown some potential while appearing in the drama… ‘What I want isn’t just any old thing.’ What Yeon-woo wants is not a program focused on sensational interest. After all, lifespan is still being harvested automatically. Now I don’t even need to go out hunting for thoughts separately. Well, I get penalized if I leave alone those who seem like they will have a severely negative impact on the drama. [That’s right. There’s no need to go on those low-level programs that call 10 or 20 guests because it only wastes your image! We’re not broadcasting just to fill the numbers!] Dong Ja-ryeong also agreed with Yeon-woo’s words. [You need to become famous quickly, and going on gossip programs is a waste of time! Instead, just focus on acting like a cow from now on. That way you’ll become famous quickly, and the more famous you become, the greater your influence will be! You know, there’s that anecdote about how, because of a photo of a famous overseas actor smoking, the number of teenagers smoking increased for a while?] Dong Ja-ryeong explained that famous people have that kind of influence, knowingly or unknowingly, even with just one photo. Recognition is fame. Fame leads to influence on the public. ‘Why is he giving useful advice for once?’ I’ve seen him do so many strange things that Dong Ja-ryeong looks different. Dong Ja-ryeong sometimes had an endlessly unpredictable side, but basically, he was a wise ghost who had been around for decades. [And I’m your manager! I know this industry better than you, right?! Actor-nim is busy, so I’m watching over you! We’ve known each other for a long time, so there won’t be any problems with human relationships! I don’t need a salary! Just give me ancestral rites [ceremonial rites honoring deceased ancestors] often! By the way, what I’m craving these days is cheese crust pizza and galbi chicken [Korean BBQ chicken] and…]

…No, maybe not. Anyway, the advice at that time was quite useful. [Why do our actor-nim and other actors stick to the concept of mystery? To reduce image consumption. From the moment you are exposed to the public, your image begins to be consumed.] There’s no need to roll around from the bottom. After all, the opportunity was right in front of me. “The filming is going smoothly and the viewership rating is already over 40 percent. I’m having a very happy time these days!” As the filming was nearing its end, Director Heo’s face was beaming all day long. The viewership rating, which started in the 10 percent range, was now approaching the final episode and was madly racing towards 50 percent, surpassing 40 percent. Some were already buzzing, saying that a terrestrial drama might get a viewership rating of over 50 percent for the first time in a long time. As much as the viewers, all kinds of internet communities and SNS were also in an uproar. “Is it going smoothly? The filming? That’s strange. I must be seeing a different filming set than you. Is Director Heo the only one having fun? You’re smiling so much that your face will be frozen like that.” Writer Min, who was almost a corpse from writing the last episode, muttered gloomily. In fact, Writer Min hadn’t slept more than 2 hours a day, but the reason she appeared on the set was simple. -I can’t write unless I see the actors in person! In particular, Writer Min never missed a filming schedule that Yeon-woo appeared in. “Oops. I shouldn’t be happy in front of Writer Min, right.” “I can hear everything you’re saying?” “…Haha! It’s all because Writer Min wrote the script so well! Isn’t that right, guys? It’s all thanks to Writer Min’s hard work!” The lighting director and the rookie writers, who received Director Heo’s urgent wink, nodded quickly. “Of course. The viewership rating wouldn’t have been this high without the writer’s script!” “People are praising you a lot! Min Soo-ji, the writer you can trust!” “Oh my, our writer is so diligent and has such a good personality.” “That’s right. It would be really easy to film a drama if there were only people like the writer! Where else is there a writer who sends the script so diligently first! I heard that other places are filming with live scripts, using faxes and KakaoTalk to transmit the script in real time! We didn’t have any of that!” Writer Min’s eyes, which had dark circles under her chin and looked half-dead, slyly sparkled. “Hmm. Really? Am I that great?” “Oh, of course. Why are you asking something so obvious!” “Is it that obvious?” “Yes!” “Yeon-woo, do you think so too?” Suddenly, the spark flew to Yeon-woo. The desperate eyes of the people surrounding Writer Min reached Yeon-woo. “I think it’s good.” “Really? Then that’s a relief… I think I’m going to get a lot of hate for this, what should I do?” Writer Min held a notebook and shook it weakly. “Gasp. Writer-nim. Did you finish the last episode?!” “Ooh! Finally…! I was worried that it wouldn’t work out!” “Oh! Writer Min! Really? Did you finish the last episode?!” Writer Min sighed deeply as she looked at the people around her who were sparkling their eyes. “Guys, you shouldn’t be happy. We might all get hate after this goes out.” “Why would we get hate? It’s Min Writer, not someone else.” “…Are you really asking because you don’t know? It’s because of our Grim Reaper-nim!” Yeon-woo, who was the Grim Reaper, shrugged his shoulders. “Yeon-woo. Just say one word. If Yeon-woo says one word, I’ll close my eyes and overturn the script. How about it? Huh?” “Just proceed as it is?” “Aaaaaah…” Writer Min made a desperate sound. “How much hate will I get if I kill the Grim Reaper… I might really live to be 200 years old?!” That’s right. The reason why Writer Min is worried was because of Yeon-woo’s character, the Grim Reaper.

-Something about the flow is uneasy. I wonder if the Grim Reaper will die at the end?
ㄴWhat scary things are you saying lol; How can a Grim Reaper who is already dead die lol;;;
ㄴThat’s right, that can’t be, it shouldn’t be, the male lead can’t die!
ㄴNo, the male lead is not a Grim Reaper~
ㄴIsn’t he? Our male lead is a Grim Reaper?!

-In the last episode, it was hinted that the female lead’s body is still alive. Is that real?
ㄴThere was a hint from the beginning. When the list of the dead first came out, there was only one person’s share that was wrong?
ㄴSo from the beginning, only one person was dead.
ㄴIs this real? The list was one person?
ㄴㅇㅇ. (Screenshot)
ㄴ헐……. It’s real. Then is Yeo-jin really still alive??
ㄴIsn’t it highly likely? Tae-hoon went to the hospital last time and found Yeo-jin’s momㅠㅠ

-I thought about it after reading the comment above, if So-yeon’s soul is not a dead soul but a living soul, then it means that the owner of So-yeon’s body is dead?? But if So-yeon’s soul is alive, how do you separate it from the body? You have to put it back into the original body?? But according to the explanation that came out before, taking out the soul of a living person is the same as killing a person??
ㄴThat’s why so many people are sad that the Grim Reaper is dying… Killing a living person is a big sin, so the soul is destroyed…
ㄴAh, is that so? Crazy;;;;

-Looking for a brave person to catch Min Soo-ji writer (1/100)
ㄴMe (2/100)
ㄴMe!!!! (3/100)
ㄴ…….
ㄴI can’t lose our Grim Reaperㅠㅠ I can’t send him even if I dieㅠㅠㅠ (99/100)

In the 16th episode that aired the day before yesterday, Kim Tae-hoon accidentally finds a middle-aged woman who looks similar to So Yeo-jin in the hospital. And he followed her without thinking, and saw an unexpected scene.