Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 46

046. The Life of a Star? (1)

2021.12.16.

“Uh… Uh-oh?”
“Yeonwoo won’t be joining your agency, so stop worrying about it.”
“Wow. That’s harsh. Kicking a friend like that?”
“Friend? Who? You?” Lee Juha clicked his tongue at the curt reply.
“Aww, geez. Telling me to stop, huh? Your personality seems to have gotten even worse.” Muttering, Lee Juha casually paired Kwon Seonghyun with an unflattering word. However, the fact that he didn’t elaborate suggested he knew where to draw the line. “Since you don’t have an agency, you probably don’t have a manager either. Yesterday, Kwon’s manager followed us, so I just assumed you two were with the same company. How do I contact you then? Ah, Yeonwoo, you can just KakaoTalk [a popular Korean messaging app] me directly.” With that, Lee Juha quickly made his escape. “Alright, I’m off?! Contact me on KakaoTalk! Oh, you don’t have to appear on the show, just KakaoTalk me if you’re bored!” Just like when he arrived, Lee Juha vanished in an instant.

“Yeonwoo-ssi,” Kwon Seonghyun called out to Yeonwoo. “I recommend blocking that birdbrain… I mean, that guy. He’s not a bad person, but he can be a bit of a nuisance. He’s the type to bother you a lot.”

“Yes, well…” He definitely almost called him a ‘birdbrain’ just now, didn’t he?

“Actually, I was a little surprised. I listened to the broadcast yesterday too. So I expected something, but I didn’t think he’d come barging in the very next day.”

“Yes. I was surprised too.” Logically, who would barge into the house of someone they just met the very next day?

“Still, it might not be so bad to know him. If that music-obsessed guy says that much… if you’re thinking of going that route, he could be helpful.”

“Is that so?” Come to think of it, the ‘Enchanting Voice’ stat was obtained from Lee Juha. To use that ability more freely and skillfully, learning from the original source might be beneficial. Kwon Seonghyun watched Yeonwoo nod.

“It’s great that Yeonwoo-ssi is gaining recognition, but…” He added with a slightly weary voice, “It’s a little upsetting that they keep sticking strange labels on you…”

But that was only for a moment. Kwon Seonghyun, quickly recovering from his fatigue, spoke to Yeonwoo as usual. “The reward vacation schedule has been finalized. They contacted me to confirm if it’s okay.”

Since he didn’t have an agency or a manager, it seemed the contact went to Kwon Seonghyun’s manager, as it had been. “You could have just told me over the phone.” Or sent the manager. There was no need for the highly sought-after Kwon Seonghyun to come all the way here.

“I also needed to pick something up from Yeonwoo-ssi.”

“…?”

“I need Yeonwoo-ssi’s passport.” Kwon Seonghyun finally revealed the reason he had come to Yeonwoo’s house in the morning. A sudden uninvited guest named Lee Juha had appeared, preventing him from getting to the main point. Yeonwoo asked back, “Why do you need my passport?”

“Well, it’s needed for booking accommodations and plane tickets, isn’t it?”

“Ah.” That’s right. Come to think of it, they said the reward vacation was going overseas. ‘Where was it again? Europe, I think…?’ It was good that the drama did well and they were receiving a reward. But there was a problem. “I don’t have one.”

“Pardon?”

“A passport. I don’t have one.”

“You… don’t have a passport?”

“Yes…” How could he have one? In reality, Yeonwoo had never been overseas. If he hadn’t even been to Jeju Island [a popular vacation island in South Korea], that said it all, didn’t it? It wasn’t like he was rejecting foreign countries like Heungseon Daewongun [a Korean politician known for his isolationist policies in the 19th century], but that’s how it ended up. “Um… it’s possible not to have one… It’s okay. It can happen…” Kwon Seonghyun said calmly. “Fortunately, there’s still some time before departure. We can get one made right away. What’s Yeonwoo-ssi’s schedule like today?”

“Nothing special…”

“Then let’s get moving right away. You probably don’t have a photo for it, do you?”

“How did you know?” Even his resident registration card was made with a photo taken from a booth in the subway station. Of course, he didn’t know where that photo was either. Kwon Seonghyun said, “I had a feeling,” and immediately got up from his seat, urging Yeonwoo. “Let’s hurry. Today might be a short day.”

***

The place Kwon Seonghyun took Yeonwoo to was a familiar studio. “Yeonwoo-ssi!” As if he had been contacted, a familiar person greeted Yeonwoo with a fuss. “It’s been so long! I enjoyed the drama so much! I never expected Yeonwoo-ssi to appear like that. Oh my, your face is glowing… I’m so glad I caught Yeonwoo-ssi first, otherwise…” The person who first offered Yeonwoo a modeling job. And the person who gave Yeonwoo the ‘Framing’ ability. It was the famous photographer, Park Daeil. Woof woof!

[Oh my, Mung-ie. It’s been a long time, huh? You seem to remember me? Oh, you good boy. You recognized me even though I don’t have a pigeon this time. Good boy, good boy!] Beside Park, Mung-ie, still his guardian angel, wagged his tail and smiled brightly. “Your photos are the most popular. I think they turned out so artistically… So many people wanted to buy them that it was hard to refuse. I sent you an invitation, but I thought you were busy after seeing you on the drama. It’s a shame, but I’ll send you an invitation to the next exhibition, so please come then. By the way, where’s that pigeon today?”

“It’s gone.”

“Oh… I’m sorry…” Park covered his mouth at Yeonwoo’s concise answer. “It’s okay. That guy went peacefully…” It was too peaceful, that was the problem. As soon as the child spirit left his body, he looked like he didn’t know why he was here, cooed once, and then nonchalantly spread his wings and flew away. He seemed to have eaten and lived so well that flying looked a little difficult, but…

“Yeah, right… It’s best to close your eyes peacefully without pain. Was it a street pigeon? They say street animals usually go quickly…” Park, who had completely misunderstood, tried his best to comfort Yeonwoo. Yeonwoo didn’t bother to correct the misunderstanding. How could he explain that the ghost inside him had left, the animal had regained its senses, and returned to where it belonged? “Um… yeah. So, you came to take a photo for your ID…?” Kwon Seonghyun nodded at the pitiful attempt to change the subject. “No, why a passport photo all of a sudden, not a profile picture? Did I mishear you when you said profile picture?”

“It’s a passport photo.”

“Really? Why?”

The eyes that turned to Yeonwoo seemed to ask that. ‘So what if you don’t have a passport?’ The Heungseon Daewongun living and breathing inside him was about to awaken. “You can take profile pictures anytime…! I’d rather take a photo for a passport that I’ll use for 10 years!” It felt like a random string of words. Taking the ID photo proceeded quickly. Thanks to the fact that it didn’t require any additional skills like facial expression acting or framing. “That’s right. Look straight ahead. Don’t close your eyes. Lower your chin a little. You know everything without me having to say it!” With the heavy sound of the shutter, the work was finished. After waiting a little, the assistant photographer came out with the printed photos. Kwon Seonghyun, who received it, smiled gently and urged Yeonwoo again. “Okay. Let’s go to the district office now.” Receiving Park’s farewell, the car with the two people moved quickly again. “The date might be a little tight. I would have applied sooner if I had known in advance.”

“I don’t think you needed to come with me…”

“No way. Who’s going to receive the reward if the main actor like Yeonwoo-ssi doesn’t go? And I’m quite looking forward to this trip too.” Kwon Seonghyun’s sleek car smoothly parked in the parking lot. “Use this.”

“What is it?” What Kwon Seonghyun handed over was a pair of dark sunglasses. “There might be people who recognize you now, so it’s always good to be careful.” Yeonwoo, who appeared in a drama that recorded over 40 percent viewership. However, his lifespan was also coming in well on its own, and he hadn’t had much reason to go outside because of the drama filming. ‘There’s no one to meet…’ If he had friends or acquaintances, it might be different. Since all his life was going well on its own without having to go outside, there was no reason to go out. So Kwon Seonghyun’s words didn’t really make sense. However. ‘Well, it doesn’t hurt to listen.’ One of the things Yeonwoo learned was that Kwon Seonghyun was more professional than anyone else when it came to work. If he was like a screwball big dog usually, Kwon Seonghyun related to work was a reliable presence. ‘But… it feels kind of useless?’ Despite being a weekday afternoon, there were surprisingly many people inside the district office. As soon as he entered the district office, Yeonwoo felt the bustling atmosphere. [Sunglasses don’t seem to be very effective…? Well, there’s no way a top star like our actor can be hidden by just a pair of sunglasses.] Whether people noticed him or not, Kwon Seonghyun took Yeonwoo to the Civil Affairs and Passport Division.

“P, p, p, please fill out the documents here…” The clerk, whose pupils were shaking, guided them to the documents. There were many parts to fill out. ‘What’s the English spelling of my name?’ Is it real that I’m stuck from the beginning? Yeonwoo, who carefully filled out all the documents with a serious face, sighed. “Hoo… I thought I could just go on a trip. There’s a lot you need even to go on a trip.”

“Fortunately, in the case of Europe, you don’t need to issue a separate visa, so it’s a bit better. For the US, like Guam or Hawaii, you need to issue a visa… Fortunately, these days it’s been replaced by an electronic visa, but in the past, you even needed an interview.”

“A visa…?” He didn’t know what it was, but he knew it was a headache. Kwon Seonghyun, seeing Yeonwoo’s expression, smiled briefly. “Usually, the agency handles these things on behalf of you. That’s why there’s an agency, to handle those things for you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. It’s quite convenient.”

“Hmm…” Hearing those words, he somehow understood. “In the case of passports, if you prepare a power of attorney in advance, you don’t even have to come to the district office.”

“That’s good.”

“Right?” Kwon Seonghyun smiled brightly. “They take care of everything from schedule to the smallest details, so you don’t have to worry about anything. They also send stylists and makeup artists, so it’s easy to focus on acting. In my case, I just look at all the movie synopses and drama scripts, but other actors filter them out first, so you can receive relatively verified works with less risk.” Kwon Seonghyun’s eyes, which had been quietly explaining, suddenly sank heavily. “But thinking about it, it’s a bit of a shame. A stylist… I think I can just do it like I’ve been doing so far. I don’t think we need to hire a road manager separately… I was going to take a break for a while anyway…?” That’s strange. He clearly said he had been resting for too long before starting the drama and needed to work, but now he’s saying he’s going to take a break again? It’s strange, but that wasn’t what was important to Yeonwoo. “I’ll think positively about the agency.”

“I don’t think you need to…”

“No. Kwon Seonghyun’s explanation was very helpful.” He must have taken it too lightly. ‘I don’t necessarily have to go on a trip, but if this was an overseas shoot…’ It’s a simple matter of common sense, but sometimes you can’t think of it. ‘Kwon Seonghyun’s manager was quite helpful when going to and from the set.’ Due to the nature of filming, the times of going and coming were often irregular. There were cases where afternoon filming continued until dawn. And yesterday’s radio appearance didn’t end until dawn either, did it? ‘It would definitely be convenient to have one.’