Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 50

050. Big and Beautiful (1)

2021.12.20.

“Whoa, what was that!” Yeon-woo waved his hand. It was a reflexive defense mechanism. But— *ppyajjyak!* A strange sound echoed as something small and round was deflected away. Its identity was revealed when Kwon Seong-hyeon appeared, having heard a short, feeble cry. “Yeon-woo! That’s Dong-ja!” “Huh?” “That’s Dong-ja’s body.” “Ah…” Now that he thought about it, he seemed to have heard something shouting. Was it ‘traitor’? Fortunately, the bird Yeon-woo had swatted away quickly regained consciousness and became extremely sulky. [Hmph, hmph, hmph! That’s so mean!]

“Sorry.”

[How could you hit me?!]

“Well, why did you fly into my face?”

[That’s…! That’s…! You threw me into a flood of foreign languages all alone…!]

Whether ghost or living person, foreigners who didn’t speak the language were scary. “Dong-ja, don’t be too sad. Yeon-woo probably didn’t mean to do it. He was probably flustered and surprised and just forgot about you for a moment.” […Really?]

“That’s probably it.” Kwon Seong-hyeon offered a gentle smile. The bright yellow bird drooped listlessly on his well-shaped palm. What Kwon Seong-hyeon said wasn’t true, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that the Dong-ja spirit was fooled. [Tch. I wasn’t going to introduce him, but if it wasn’t on purpose, I guess I have no choice.] The grumbling Dong-ja spirit let out a long chirp. Then, a pale spirit emerged from the wall. Dark black hair and eyes, a stark contrast to the foreign ghosts scattered around. “Could it be…?” [That’s right! He’s Korean! Ah, since he’s dead, should I say a Korean ghost? He died while working in a strange land, and I suddenly remembered seeing him at the airport yesterday, so I went to find him.] “At the airport?” [He kept failing to board a plane to return home, so he was stuck at the airport.] “Why did you bring someone like that?” [Ahem, ahem. Don’t be surprised?] The small, yellow bird puffed out its chest with its feathers. [He’s good at speaking the language here!] “What?” [Surprising, right? Surprising?! Ahem! This body brought a translator, that’s what I’m saying!] “Oh…” Yeon-woo looked at the shriveled, anchovy-like spirit with a slightly curious gaze. Its head was bowed, its shoulders slumped, and it was so skinny that it looked like a pitiful ghost who hadn’t even received proper ancestral rites [rites performed to honor deceased ancestors]. A translator? *Ssssk-* Yeon-woo’s eyes scanned the anchovy, no, the skinny translator ghost. [How was it? Good job, right?]

“Yes. Very good job.” A smile appeared on Yeon-woo’s lips.

***

The ghost that the Dong-ja spirit had caught was no ordinary ghost. “He was a simultaneous interpreter?” Surprisingly, it was a very capable ghost. He had even graduated from a graduate school of interpretation and translation and had come overseas to build his career. “He speaks French, German, and English? All three languages?” [That’s right, I tell you. I found a great talent! Ahem!]

“Then do you know what they’re saying?” Yeon-woo pointed to the group of foreign ghosts standing to one side. Unlike yesterday, they were keeping their distance from Yeon-woo, seemingly wary of the protective charm. [They said they saw a human who could understand them after a long time and were going to take you to the lord.] “Lord?” [Yes. This is a castle built around the end of the 17th century, and the lord is a nobleman with the title of Count who loved art and supported many painters.] “Why would such a person want me?” [That is… they say it’s presumptuous to ask the reason first.] “…….” How absurd. So that’s what all the bluster was about. Well, there are ghosts like that sometimes. Mostly souls that are old and stuck in their ways, still clinging to the ideologies of their time of death, making them quite annoying to deal with. ‘Most of the old ghosts in our country have modernized, so why are they like this here?’ In Gyeongju, you can often see ghosts dressed in Silla-era clothing [Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea] happily playing alongside buskers. And what about Seoul? When wandering around the four main gates, you sometimes see ghosts wearing gat [traditional Korean hats] peering into passersby’s cell phones and giggling. Of course, there are also groups of ghosts gathering at coffee shops to chat. Anyway, if that’s the case, Yeon-woo only has one answer. ‘Ignore them.’ If they need something, they’ll come looking for me again. ‘There’s no reason for me to bow down first.’ The one who’s desperate digs the well first. Yeon-woo raised his wrist to check the time. It was the perfect time to eat breakfast and head out to gather. “You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you?” “No.”

“Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“They were so enthusiastic about sightseeing today, shouldn’t we replenish our energy beforehand?” Kwon Seong-hyeon nodded. Leaving the whispering ghosts to one side, they went down to the restaurant, where the director and writer greeted them. “Oh, what’s that bird? It’s so pretty.” “It’s a bird I don’t know.” “You’re not raising it?” “How could I bring a pet bird all the way here?” “I guess so. You really are good with animals. Like some kind of Snow White… No, since you’re a man, not a princess but a prince?” The writer, Min, with her rich imagination, was spouting strange things. Yeon-woo pretended not to hear her and looked around the restaurant. ‘No one’s approaching.’ He had only used the protective charm once. But whether the suppressive power of the protective charm had reached this far, none of the ghosts filling the place were approaching. [They’ve only been around for a long time, but they don’t have any power. They can’t even think of approaching.] It was good for Yeon-woo. ‘They’re only numerous, but at this level, I can just ignore them.’ He was flustered at first by the unfamiliar flood of foreign languages, but if they were scared by just one protective charm, there was nothing more to see. [Still, you have to tell me if they say anything weird? If they start acting territorial, it’ll be annoying, so we need to deal with it beforehand.] [Understood.] Yeon-woo lightly ignored the pouring gazes and finished his meal. And.

“Everyone’s here, right? Let’s move!” The first day of vacation was about to begin.

***

“This building is a cathedral built in the representative Gothic style of Austria. Construction began as early as 1147, and after being completely destroyed by a fire, it was rebuilt, then renovated due to the change of the royal family, and destroyed by war before being restored again, making it a building with an unfortunate history. This St. Stephen’s Cathedral, so symbolic that it is called the ‘Soul of Vienna’…”

The local guide was passionately fulfilling his duty. But unfortunately, almost no one was listening. “What a beautiful building! It’ll be a pictorial even if you just stand and take a picture.” “We made the right choice to come to Eastern Europe. The atmosphere is amazing.” “That’s right. England or France aren’t bad, but they feel a bit cliché. So many people go there.” “Eastern Europe is trending these days. There was a travel program about Eastern Europe that was a big hit before.” “Ah, that one? I enjoyed watching that too. The number of travel programs increased dramatically after that show.” The staff were busy chatting among themselves, and [Why do these kids look so hideous? What’s with the spandex pants and curly wig?] said the strangest ghost, who had borrowed the body of a bird despite being a spirit. “Still, they’re not approaching.” As he thought, he was right. When he lightly emitted spiritual power, they couldn’t even think of approaching within a certain range and only hesitated. But the change occurred when they entered another tourist attraction. “This is Schönbrunn Palace, built in the 17th century, and is considered one of the most beautiful palaces in Europe, along with the Palace of Versailles in France. This is also where the famous Mozart played the piano. Now, shall we go inside and see why it is considered one of the most beautiful palaces?”

The interior of the palace, with its rows of splendid chandeliers, boasted an overwhelming beauty. The corridors lined with gilded sculptures reflected the light of the chandeliers, boasting dazzling splendor. Each painting hanging on the wall, each piece of furniture in each room, was nothing short of luxurious and antique. But unfortunately, Yeon-woo’s interest was not in the beautiful interior that was almost too precious to look at. “This place is a concert hall, and as you can see, it is divided into several floors. It is known that Mozart played here.” When they arrived at the place called the concert hall, Yeon-woo noticed that everything was quiet. ‘The ghosts that were swarming everywhere else as if there was a ball going on are not here…?’ The large concert hall, large enough to accommodate over a hundred people, as the guide explained, was empty. “There’s really everything here? What’s with a concert hall inside a house…?” “Well, it was used as a villa by the long and powerful Habsburg family. The more splendid and beautiful the castle, the more the owner’s power is revealed.” The guide answered as the staff looked around and asked. “But did Mozart really play here?” “Mozart traveled to perform from a young age. He visited Schönbrunn Palace and showed off his piano skills in front of the Queen. That’s why there’s a piano there.” “Could that be the piano that Mozart played?” “Probably not. Such a precious piano wouldn’t be here. It’s probably a modern piano. It’s not Mozart’s piano, but it’s still quite expensive. They sometimes invite famous musicians to hold small concerts.” The guide pointed to the grand piano with a smooth, mirror-like surface and a lid open to one side. Everyone’s eyes turned to the piano standing proudly on one side of the stage. Yeon-woo’s gaze was also directed at the piano. But it wasn’t because he was surprised to hear the explanation of the great man of the past. Rather… ‘What is that?’ The ghost standing proudly in front of the huge grand piano was staring straight at Yeon-woo. And with a lifespan on its head.

***

[Yeon-woo. That guy doesn’t seem ordinary…? He seems to have quite a bit of spiritual power.] It was said that an old ghost recognizes an old ghost. The first to react was the Dong-ja spirit. The yellow bird, buried in Yeon-woo’s hood, poked its head out. “Is there something there, Dong-ja?” [Yeah. There’s a ghost wearing spandex and a white curly wig, and he looks pretty strong. But he’s staring intently at Yeon-woo?]

“Is it a bad thing?” [Hmm. I’m not sure. I don’t feel any malice…]

Dong-ja spirit’s words that it didn’t seem ordinary. Yeon-woo also agreed with that. It was evident from the fact that it was not avoiding Yeon-woo’s gaze, which was subtly emitting spiritual power, but rather staring straight at it. But what was more important was. ‘There are beings with lifespans even in foreign countries?’ A moment of realization struck Yeon-woo’s head. ‘Right. Nowhere does it say that obtaining a lifespan is limited to domestic.’ It was a terribly unfriendly system. There was no way it would kindly inform him of such a thing. Because of that, Yeon-woo had also taken it for granted that lifespans could only be obtained domestically. No. More precisely. ‘I hadn’t even thought about the foreign side.’ His vision was too narrow. Yeon-woo closed his eyes for a moment at the rush of realization. The brief regret that he hadn’t known this fact until now disappeared, leaving behind… ‘…Jackpot?’ The range in which lifespans could be harvested had expanded not only domestically but also overseas. If the population of Korea is roughly 50 million, the population of the world is roughly 7.7 billion. An enormous gap that cannot even be compared. ‘I don’t even need to go to 7.7 billion. If I can get lifespans from half of that, about 3.5 billion…’ Wouldn’t that fill up dozens of years in an instant?