Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 8

008. A Clue to the Solution (1)

2021.11.08.

‘Hoo… What an unfriendly system. Couldn’t it just tell me everything outright?’ Just how high and mighty does this system think it is? [***This item cannot be opened at this time.] [***Detailed information about this person is hidden.] If you’re going to give me information, just give it all at once; this feels like you’re just testing the waters. I’m also curious about the ‘additional stats that can be harvested’ that were mentioned before. ‘Could it be… something I get from the other person’s skills?’ That’s a plausible hypothesis. Yeon-woo’s gaze turned to Kwon Seong-hyun. Kwon Seong-hyun, who always had someone else peel his fruit for him, was clumsily peeling an apple with a knife. Noticing Yeon-woo’s gaze, he smiled innocently again. ‘Still, that guy has some pretty impressive skills.’ Just from a quick glance, he had more than five skills. And the grades next to them were ridiculously high. I think all but one were S-grade. That’s quite a contrast to the C-grade skill of that no-name actor, Jung something. ‘Since he’s a top actor, it would be good to get his skills, right?’ I don’t know what effects they have, but they look good for now. Kwon Seong-hyun, unaware that Yeon-woo was lost in thought, smiled brightly and held out a plate of apples. “Yeon-woo, have some. They’re very delicious.”

A three-year-old could peel better than this. Yeon-woo accepted the offering, unsure if Kwon Seong-hyun was trying to peel the skin off or just leave the core. At the same time… -Ding! [You have successfully harvested lifespan.] [Lifespan harvested: 2 days] Yeon-woo thought again. This guy… He’s not normal, but I need to watch him a little longer.

***

It was the second day since Kwon Seong-hyun woke up.

-Yeon-woo, are you free for a moment? The call he had been waiting for finally came. “Yes. Did you find Jung Cheol-woo?”

-Indeed. Just as you said, he’s a real piece of garbage. After receiving the penalty, Yeon-woo had borrowed Han Soo-han’s connections to investigate Jung Cheol-woo, the cause of the penalty. The results were in. -That guy… He’s been making a dirty living in the entertainment industry. The rumors about him are terrible, and he has so many enemies that it wasn’t hard to find him. He’s a very bad guy. Do you know where I found him?

“Where is he?”

-At a members-only club. Incredibly, he’s been selling Seong-hyun’s name.

“Seong-hyun? You mean Kwon Seong-hyun?”

-Yes, that’s right. At the same time, a scene flashed through Yeon-woo’s mind. -People recognize me a lot because I look like Kwon Seong-hyun. Jung Cheol-woo had said that with a sly grin like an ugly toad. ‘This guy is completely insane.’ -He seems to have injured his arm. He’s been hanging around the club for the past four days, claiming that his comeback is delayed due to the injury. Four days. That was exactly when Yeon-woo received the penalty. Could this be a coincidence?

“I think there’s more to it than that.”

-Indeed. He’s been impersonating Seong-hyun and doing terrible things. Han Soo-han avoided going into detail, but Yeon-woo could guess what he had been doing. He was probably taking advantage of the dimly lit environment. ‘He’s probably just doing trashy things, as expected.’ Using Kwon Seong-hyun’s name. The more trashy things Jung Cheol-woo did while impersonating Kwon Seong-hyun, the more the victims who didn’t know he was a fraud would blame Kwon Seong-hyun. -There have been rumors circulating in the stock market about Seong-hyun lately. Very dirty and unpleasant rumors… I thought it was strange that Seong-hyun, who has always lived a righteous and virtuous life, would be associated with such things. I understand why you specifically asked me to look into him. You already knew about this, didn’t you? Hmm? -I’m always relying on you. You told me on purpose, didn’t you? Because it would be a big shock to Seong-hyun’s parents. Your thoughtfulness is always amazing. That must be the perspective of someone who sees the bigger picture. Hmm. This old man is misunderstanding something.

-Thanks to you, we can stop those dirty rumors before they spread further. It only takes a moment for an image to fall, but even if it’s based on a misunderstanding, it takes a lot of time and effort to restore it. It would have been a really big deal for Seong-hyun, who is a celebrity. You prevented that.

“……No, that’s not it……”

-Oh, don’t be so modest. You saved not only Seong-hyun but also my friend’s family. If Seong-hyun were hurt, my friend would have been hurt too. He’s already a sensitive child. I’m telling you again, I owe you a great debt. If it weren’t for you, something terrible could have happened without us knowing. Han Soo-han’s calm and sincere voice conveyed deep gratitude. ‘Ah, this old man. He’s misunderstanding again.’ Does he have some kind of strange filter on his eyes? He’s not going to listen even if I tell him it’s not true. ‘I’ll just let him misunderstand.’ -If you don’t mind, can I handle that guy? Jung Cheol-woo, who gave me the penalty. His usefulness disappeared completely when I met Kwon Seong-hyun. Even the wrong path has been corrected.

“You can do whatever you want with him.”

-Thank you. I’ll make sure that what you told me doesn’t go to waste, and I’ll take care of it properly. Han Soo-han started grinding his teeth, so Jung Cheol-woo would soon live a life more painful than death. Sure enough, a few days later, Jung Cheol-woo’s name and photo were plastered all over various portal sites. [Actor J Impersonated Famous Top Star K.] [J Commits Fraud, Victims Number in the Dozens.] [J Arrested Today on Charges of Drug Trafficking and Fraud.] [Actor J, Who Impersonated Famous Celebrity K, Sued for Defamation.] [Interview with J’s Classmate – ‘J Was Known as a Delinquent Since Childhood.’] [Uncovering the Truth About J’s Past, Stained with School Violence.]

Dong Ja-ryeong, who was watching TV, clicked his tongue. [Isn’t that the guy who annoyed me back then? That sea anemone who was delusional enough to think he looked like our actor. I knew he would do something like this, tsk tsk. He looked exactly like a con artist!]

It was Jung Cheol-woo who had messed with Kwon Seong-hyun. Jung Cheol-woo’s case was enough to make society noisy for a while. In the process, Jung Cheol-woo’s past actions were also exposed in detail. All sorts of testimonies and eyewitness accounts followed. It was revealed that he had been selling Kwon Seong-hyun’s name for a long time, and once again, public opinion was sympathetic to Kwon Seong-hyun, the biggest victim. Thanks to this, Kwon Seong-hyun enjoyed the effect of increasing his name value and reputation without doing anything. Although he himself didn’t seem very interested. And that night… -Ding! Yeon-woo heard the familiar notification sound. [You have successfully completed the hidden mission perfectly.] [The penalty is completely lifted by completing the mission.] The answer wasn’t Jung Cheol-woo. The answer was Kwon Seong-hyun.

***

[All lifespan that was reduced due to the penalty has been restored.] [Additional lifespan is granted for perfectly completing the hidden mission.] As the penalty was lifted, Yeon-woo was able to recover all the lifespan that had been reduced. He even got an additional bonus lifespan. ‘I had a feeling, but Kwon Seong-hyun was really the key point.’ Unlike the first release, this time it was even labeled as ‘perfectly.’ Yeon-woo glanced at Kwon Seong-hyun, who was cheerfully smiling and enthusiastically butchering fruit. It was as if a ghost who couldn’t feed fruit to others in his past life had possessed him; Kwon Seong-hyun was desperate to feed Yeon-woo something. If I don’t eat that, he’ll probably offer his lifespan again. As if on cue, a system window appeared above Kwon Seong-hyun’s head. [Harvestable lifespan: +3 days] In other words, this means: -Please, won’t you eat this? ‘Seriously, why is this guy so eager to give things away?’ Ugh, this guy… Fine. What can I do if he wants to give it to me? I have to accept it if he wants to give it to me. Yeon-woo nonchalantly reached out and poked the mushy peach that had been handled so much while being peeled. Then… -Ding! [You have successfully harvested lifespan.] [Lifespan harvested: 2 days] Already, the lifespan that Yeon-woo had forcibly received from Kwon Seong-hyun was close to a month. It’s easier and more convenient to obtain than most requests. [Yeon-woo, stop taking our actor’s lifespan! What if our actor dies young!] Only Dong Ja-ryeong was worried. “What can I do when he wants to give it to me? And that guy is destined to live a long life. A very long life.” To be exact, it’s just mixing the person’s power and energy to roughly estimate it, but who cares? In Yeon-woo’s view, Kwon Seong-hyun was destined to live to 120 years old. Even if I take 20 years from that, he’ll still live to 100, so I don’t feel bad about receiving the lifespan he’s giving away so generously. “Wow… Yeon-woo, you’re really multi-talented. Can you also read palms?”

“……I’m not a fortune teller, though?”

“Ah, that’s right. Was it? I was just so amazed.” Kwon Seong-hyun nodded with a bright smile. “By the way, it’s been so boring lately, right?”

“Well……”

“It’ll get a little better starting tomorrow. I was planning to rest a little longer, but it seems like it’s time to make a comeback. There are people who are worried about me, so I’m going to start to let them know I’m alive. My agency also said the same thing, and it seems like Yeon-woo is bored too.” As Kwon Seong-hyun said, the public’s concern for him was enormous. As Jung Cheol-woo’s case was revealed, it became known that the reason Kwon Seong-hyun had been out of the public eye was because he had been hospitalized for a long time due to an accident. It was covered extensively by various media outlets, and it was a huge mess online as well. -There’s a rumor that Kwon Seong-hyun has an incurable disease, is this real? -He’s almost brain dead? That’s why there’s been no news for months. -Is Kwon Seong-hyun dead? ㄴOur Seong-hyun is not dead. He’s fine. He’s being discharged soon. ㄴThe agency posted a statement. All the rumors about incurable diseases and brain death are false. -Seriously, why is our Seong-hyun being harmed because of some Z-level sea anemone;; -Seong-hyun oppa, please come back safelyㅠㅠㅠ I’m waiting for you…….

It has calmed down a bit now, but it’s a fire that could reignite at any time. Yeon-woo also strongly agrees with resuming activities to let people know that he’s still alive. Yeon-woo nodded. “That’s good. Have a good trip.” Kwon Seong-hyun blinked his eyes, which were lined with long eyelashes, as if he was puzzled. “Yeon-woo, you’re coming too, right?”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes?” The two’s eyes met. Yeon-woo, who was staring blankly at each other, felt something was wrong. “Why would I go to where Kwon Seong-hyun works?”

“Weren’t you moving with me? That’s what I understood.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes?”

“……?”

“……?” As the two were about to stare blankly at each other again, a voice interjected. [What is this I hear? Our actor is going to work?] Flap flap!

“Huh……?” The two’s heads turned to one side. To be exact, to the window where warm spring breeze was blowing in. [Our actor is making a comeback! That’s awesome!] The owner of the voice shouted again as if he was in a good mood. With that, flap flap! The sound of loud flapping was heard again. “……Dong Ja?”

“Mr. Dong Ja…… is that you?” The person, no, the creature that received the two’s gazes confidently shouted. [That’s right! I’m Dong Ja!]