Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 9

009. Modeling (1)

November 9, 2021

“What’s with that look on your face…?” Yeonwoo said, breaking the silence. [What’s wrong with my look?] The pigeon cooed, sounding displeased. Its tail feathers were spread wide, and its puffed-up feathers seemed to be saying, ‘I’m this angry.’ “What’s with the… a pigeon disguised as a chicken?” [You wouldn’t see me after our Actor woke up! So, I had no choice but to conjure up a body.] “Wow…” Dongja-ryeong had been scarce lately. He wasn’t clinging to Kwon Seong-hyun as much as he used to, so Yeonwoo thought he’d gone off somewhere on his own. ‘Did he go to Mom? Hmm. He might. He likes Ms. Kang more than me, anyway.’ Yeonwoo didn’t think much of it, assuming he’d gone to tattle to Ms. Kang about what had been happening.
But.
“Dongja, did you really appear as a pigeon for me?” [That’s right! I felt like thorns were growing in my mouth because I couldn’t talk to our Actor.] “You don’t have a mouth, do you?” [Kang Yeonwoo, be quiet.] “Your beak is very pretty. The color is a bit different from the pigeons I know?” [Ahem. Our Actor has a good eye for aesthetics, as expected. That’s right. It took me a while to choose this body. How is it? Pretty color, right? It’s not your average pigeon.] The pigeon, no, Dongja-ryeong, spread its wings and spun around as if showing off its body. It was pretty. It wasn’t the usual drab gray pigeon, but a white body with soft, fluttering feathers on its chest. The beak was also shorter and more adorable than a regular pigeon. What was even more unique was the short hairs sticking up at the back of its head. It was as if the hair was curled upwards. But still, it was just a pigeon, wasn’t it?
“……” Yeonwoo was filled with self-loathing and misery at the sight. He truly agonized. “You said you had a way last time; was this it?” [Yeah. If I have a physical form like this, I can communicate with people who have spiritual power like our Actor because there’s a medium.] The method Dongja-ryeong used was one used by shamans or sorcerers who control spirits. They would capture a spirit with strong energy and put it into a host’s body to use as a tool.
“Didn’t you hate using your spiritual power?” [Of course, I do.] “Then what’s that?” [An investment for the driving force of my life…?] “……” Doesn’t he sometimes forget he’s a ghost?
“If you were going to do that, you should have appeared as something more impressive. Why a pigeon, of all things? Some people have dragons flying around and divine beasts obeying them, but you had to be a pigeon.” [Be grateful I didn’t appear as Mr. Cockroach.] “……” Yeonwoo’s stomach churned at the terrifying thought of Dongja-ryeong appearing as Mr. Cockroach, twitching his antennae and opening his sleek carapace to spread his wings and take flight. “…I was wrong.” Yeonwoo offered a sincere apology from the bottom of his heart. [But what’s this about Actor working? Tell me too. I’m curious!] The pigeon-turned-Dongja-ryeong’s eyes gleamed intensely. The cooing sound was unusual.
“It’s nothing much. I’m planning to make a slow comeback, so I’ve only scheduled a photoshoot. But…”
[But?]
“As Dongja knows, my body is still incomplete, right? So, I asked Yeonwoo to join me…”
[And?]
“It’s just… Yeonwoo said he wouldn’t come to where I work…” His delivery was perfect as he trailed off, lowered his gentle eyes, and averted his gaze. A subtle atmosphere of slight disappointment and dejection. Seeing the handsome man, who was usually so reverent, react like that made Yeonwoo feel like he had committed a grave sin.
[Kang Yeonwoo! You need to take responsibility!] “What are you talking about now…?” [Don’t you know that if you save someone who’s drowning, you have to give them your baggage too?!] “What?” [It’s in the proverb! You can’t ignore the shining wisdom of our ancient sages!] Coo coo coo! The pigeon fluttered over and landed on Yeonwoo’s head. Then, it closed its beak and started pecking at his head. With a pigeon on his head, Yeonwoo thought, “I’m going crazy…”

***

Slinking away. People who saw Yeonwoo subtly distanced themselves, but they didn’t forget to glance at him. “…Can’t you get down?” [Nope. Can’t.] “Why does it have to be on my head?” [This is the best view.] “Why don’t you just get rid of that body?” [My spiritual power is precious.] The only good thing was that Yeonwoo was used to all kinds of attention. Compared to what he had experienced since he was young, this was nothing. Moreover, Kwon Seong-hyun was with him. ‘At least they don’t look at me like I’m crazy. I heard there are a lot of weirdos in the entertainment industry, and it seems like it’s true…’ Was it because he was with Kwon Seong-hyun? The gazes directed at Yeonwoo had much more favor than rejection or disgust. Kwon Seong-hyun’s attitude toward Yeonwoo was also extremely respectful. Above all.
‘The person that *the* Kwon Seong-hyun brought can’t be a strange person.’ That thought was underlying. ‘He doesn’t seem like staff. Is he Kwon Seong-hyun’s acquaintance?’ Well. In a world where there are celebrities on TV with dog dolls on their shoulders, a bird on someone’s head is nothing. Kwon Seong-hyun calmly introduced the place, where an entire floor of a grand building was decorated like a warehouse. Each space, divided by thin partitions, was decorated with unique backgrounds and props, and large lights and reflectors were scattered around haphazardly. “This studio has a decent atmosphere, so it won’t be too bad for Yeonwoo to adjust to at first.”
“Yes…”
“The writer here is a bit picky, so the staff is reliable. They also take care not to expose your privacy.”
“I see.”
“Some places end up being really dirty if you get the wrong one, but you don’t have to worry about that with this studio.” Why is he telling me this? Kwon Seong-hyun chuckled briefly, as if he could see what Yeonwoo was thinking. “You can just watch and get used to it for now. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Ah, yes.” What is he going to do for me? More than that. ‘It’s amazing.’ One of Yeonwoo’s fates, which was considered the worst or second worst, was to be a celebrity. Not only did he meet Kwon Seong-hyun, who was at the top, but how did he get entangled and end up in a place like this? He just followed Kwon Seong-hyun, but it felt strange. -Your fate has only two paths. Either become a shaman or an entertainer! Why does his mother, Ms. Kang’s, prophecy come to mind?
“Kwon Seong-hyun, let’s start preparing your makeup!”
“Ah. I have to go. Please wait a little longer. My manager said he got a lot of food from my mother, so please eat that while you look around. Okay?” As Kwon Seong-hyun walked away, the Dongja-ryeong on his head flapped its wings. [Are you going to look around? Huh? Huh?]
“Well…” Might as well. ‘I also received a lifespan.’ That’s right. The reason Yeonwoo came here was none other than the notification window that seemed to be sparkling above Kwon Seong-hyun’s head. [Acquirable lifespan: +14 days] It was a request for a whopping two weeks. How could he refuse after seeing that? ‘It’s definitely not because I’m greedy for lifespan.’ Really. It’s just that he looked a little pitiful, like a dog that had been rained on, and Dongja-ryeong was nagging, so he just came along to take a look. That was the moment.
“It’s refreshing to walk around with a bird on your head? Is that bird alive?” A man with his hair neatly combed back looked at Yeonwoo with curiosity. Judging from his small frame, slightly hunched back, and tired look, he seemed to be a staff member at this studio. How did he know that? Because everyone who looked at Yeonwoo with curious eyes all looked similar.
“It’s hard to define.”
Since the dead Dongja-ryeong is inside, is that bird a dead bird? Or is it alive because the bird’s body is alive even though the dead Dongja-ryeong is inside?
“It seems to be alive since it’s moving. Oh…?” The man’s eyes, which had been blankly looking at the pigeon sitting proudly on Yeonwoo’s head, suddenly flashed. “Are you a rookie actor? Model? Idol?” Yeonwoo replied to the sudden question. “None of the above.”
“Hmm? Really? You have a face that’s too good to be a regular person, but really not?” “I’m a regular person.”
“That’s strange. You look perfect for the camera? Has anyone ever recommended it to you?” Someone else answered. Flap flap! The white pigeon flapped its wings. [Of course, they have! But he’s terrible at that kind of thing, ugh…]
He had received business cards from time to time, but he threw them all away as soon as he received them. It was obvious. -A shaman or an entertainer! His mother, Ms. Kang, had said that so much that it was like a callus on his ear. Naturally, he avoided those who tried to hand him a business card, trying to get him to work with them somehow. He had no intention of going in that direction anyway. …But now it’s all twisted.
“Is that a bird you’re raising?” The man asked.
“No.”
“Huh…? Then why is it on your head?” “I don’t know. It’s probably just its own mind.”
“It calmed down right away when I made a fuss earlier, so you’re really not raising it?” “No.”
“It listens to its owner so well, so you must be raising it?” “No.”
“Hmm. I like the character. I like the mask, and it’s very unique. It’s also quite refreshing to come with a pet bird.”
“No, I’m not raising it!”
“It’s okay. I understand.” The man nodded to himself and suddenly started talking to himself. “I used to have a puppy when I was young? It was so pretty that I wanted to take it to school every day? I even took it once. But it grew up too fast, so it became difficult to hide it.”
The dog the man raised was a beautiful dog with golden fur, a Golden Retriever. “I don’t know how gentle and smart it was. When I was sad, it would stick to me and try to comfort me? Others might think it’s just a beast, but it was my family.” The man with sad eyes looked into the distance. “But one day, it suddenly disappeared. I left the front door slightly open, and it went out through that gap… It was a dog that wouldn’t go out even if I left the door open. So, at first, I thought a dog butcher had taken it.”
The man shrugged and continued. “I found out later. They say dogs disappear from their owners when they’re about to die. Maybe that’s why it disappeared. It didn’t want to show me its dying 모습 [Korean: appearance]. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I decided to think that way. I thought it went to a place I didn’t know and crossed the rainbow bridge in peace. It’s better than a dog butcher taking it, right? Anyway, I haven’t raised a dog since then. It reminds me of it.”
“……”
“It’s a bit of a painful story for me, so I’ve forgotten about it until now, but seeing that bird reminds me of it. It was the reason I started taking pictures. I started doing this because I took pictures of it. I remember. It was a dog that knew how to take pictures. If it were human, it would probably be a top model.” Yeonwoo looked down for a moment. [Yeonwoo! Do something about him!] [Huff huff huff!]
A large dog was sitting right next to the man, wagging its tail. So. ‘That’s the one.’ Mischief filled its dark, gentle eyes. Its mouth was open and smiling, and it seemed cheerful. Its eyes couldn’t be taken off Dongja-ryeong, but it didn’t seem to want to leave its owner’s side, and it was clinging to the man with dignity, wagging its tail. The posture was so upright and neat that he could understand the man’s words that ‘he knew how to take pictures.’

“It must have been very pretty. You said it was a dog you raised when you were young?” “Yes. It was a very pretty and kind child. It was so gentle that it didn’t even know how to bite.”
“I think it hid because it didn’t want to show you its ugly side. People always want to show only the good side to the people they love. That guy must have really liked and loved you.” The puppy he raised when he was young is still by his side, still clinging to him with unwavering heart. ‘This person would never have a 잡귀 붙다 [Korean: be possessed by an evil spirit].’ With such a loyal and devoted companion attached to him, there’s no way that could happen. That dog would have been protecting the man like a guardian spirit until now.
“Thank you for understanding. I said it out of the blue, but people who raise pets can communicate. People who haven’t raised animals can’t understand me at all? But look now. People who raise animals understand each other. They empathize as if they can see it. Right? So, that’s why…” The man suddenly brought up another random story. “Would you like to be a model?”