Chapter 203: Worry Sharing Meeting (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 203: Worry Sharing Meeting (3)
“What do you mean you can't see his face?”
The MC asked the question. Everyone on set held their breath, focusing intently on the Fortune Teller.
“I’m saying this isn't the fate of someone who should be alive. It’s a mystery to me, too. I honestly thought he was a ghost.”
A hellish silence, heavier than mere quiet, descended upon the room.
What exactly is the problem?
Is it because I traveled back in time? Does your fate get tangled if you live life twice?
If I had known something like this would happen, I would have checked my daily horoscopes more diligently. I regretted it bitterly.
If I couldn't fix this now, my entire segment would be cut from the broadcast.
I had even signed a contract to play the 『MISSION』 music video during the ending, but a broadcast where the person in question doesn't even appear? How novel. It was enough to make me weep.
Since I couldn't afford to give up on the broadcast points, I gritted my teeth and stepped in to salvage the situation.
“I was injured pretty badly when I was young. Could it be because of that?”
“Was that so?”
“Yes. I don’t know much about fortune-telling, but I wondered if that might be a possibility…!”
The Fortune Teller’s eyes narrowed as she listened to me.
Please, Ma'am. I beg of you. Just let this one slide.
I need those broadcast points. I’m sorry for being so materialistic. Please, just this once…!
“That could be it.”
As if she had read my inner thoughts, the Fortune Teller pulled me back from the clutches of a total edit. I briefly reflected on my past self, who had babbled about ancestral spirits to Jeong Seong-bin just to escape a momentary crisis.
“Even aside from that, your lot in life is miserably devoid of luck. If the lady earlier was a flower that took root in the wrong mud, this gentleman here is a candle. One look tells me he’s the type to melt his own body away just to benefit others his whole life.”
“Me?”
“You think your work is going reasonably well, don't you? You feel like the results are better than your efforts, and that you’ve been lucky?”
The Fortune Teller posed the question to me.
I nodded. Not only because I had to react for the broadcast, but because it was actually close to what I usually thought.
“That’s your delusion. You’re the type of person who, if you tripped backward, would break your nose and your ribs at the same time.”
The Fortune Teller rested her chin on her hand. I felt our gazes slowly locking.
“But because your legs are fine, you’re the type to just keep going, thinking, ‘Ah, it doesn’t hurt to walk! What a relief!’ You’re just like a candle that burns until its base is completely melted away.”
“I’m scared you might just drop dead somewhere. You might not care, but I do.”
Kang Gi-yeon’s words echoed in my ears. The two voices overlapped, making my head spin.
“You know the wax left over after a candle is used? If you look at it, it’s all melted, and not a trace of its original form remains. After warming others' bodies and lighting others' eyes, nothing is left of the candle itself.”
I wanted to look away from her gaze. For some unknown reason, my chest felt tight.
It was Ha Seo-myeong who broke the heavy atmosphere.
“I-wol really puts in a lot of effort. He’s the most diligent person I know. He even memorizes his co-stars' lines so he won't make a mistake with the timing.”
“Oh, is it just as the Fortune Teller says?”
“Absolutely. There’s a difference in filming time between lead and supporting roles, but if you include waiting time, the gap isn't actually that huge. Yet, I-wol is always looking out for everyone else. And on top of that, he’s balancing idol activities. You were preparing for a comeback while filming ‘In-My-Office,’ right?”
“You shouldn't push yourself like that just because you're young, I-wol! You'll ruin your health!”
Listening to the conversation between Ha Seo-myeong and the MC, I felt like I could breathe again.
“Ja-han, you say something too! You two were practically attached at the hip on set!”
Ha Seo-myeong slapped Gu Ja-han on the back with a loud thwack.
It was a high-level indirect jab. She was telling him that since he had tormented the kid so much on set, he should at least act like a proper senior now.
Gu Ja-han glanced at Ha Seo-myeong before opening his mouth.
“…He probably read the script more than any of us. The PD adored him because he’d been bringing some kind of analysis notebook since the auditions.”
“So I-wol is quite the perfectionist?”
“I’m not that meticulous. I just try my best to prepare what I can on my end. It’s embarrassing.”
“He’s very polite, too. It’s not just that he’s respectful to his seniors; he’s just kind to everyone around him. I think it’s his nature.”
“Oh, come on, Ja-han. Do you really think that happens just by nature? It’s all because I-wol puts in the effort.”
As if Gu Ja-han’s praise wasn't enough, Ha Seo-myeong made sure to add one more word.
The Fortune Teller wrote a few characters on a piece of paper with a brush and then spoke.
“So, keep people around you. Just because you have a match and a candlestick doesn't mean you're ready. You need someone to light the fire and blow it out when the time comes. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I’ll take that to heart.”
“Take it to heart, my foot. It’s obvious you’ll let it go in one ear and out the other. Listen when others speak. Don't just open your ears for work; open them in your personal relationships, too.”
The Fortune Teller gave a short, incredulous laugh. Shamans are scary. I couldn't even dream of giving her lip.
After that, the Fortune Teller flipped through her books for a while before changing the subject.
“Since I can't see anything for you, I don't have much to tell you. I’ll listen to your worries instead.”
“Pardon?”
“You don't have anything you're curious about anyway. Since you already know what's ahead. Everyone here, make sure to stick close to this gentleman. He’s not the type to do anything that would result in a loss.”
At this point, nothing the Fortune Teller knew surprised me anymore. I was starting to suspect that the System was actually a type of ancestral spirit she could communicate with.
More importantly, she was adding credibility to the ‘Future-seeing Idol Kim I-wol’ rumors. It looked like my name would be circulating in sports communities again for a while.
“But you do have worries, don't you? There’s no way you don't. Even if you think you're lucky, you have the type of personality that carries anxiety and worry on your shoulders.”
Is this a private counseling session for me? For a moment, I was almost tempted.
“Your fate doesn't suggest you'll have much luck with children. But ‘children’ doesn't always mean biological ones. You said you're an idol? Things like albums can also fall under the category of child luck.”
“I can't have bad luck with that…!”
“Are the people you work with much younger than you?”
Mentally, they might not be my nephews, but they’re definitely like younger cousins with a significant age gap. But surely they aren't included in my ‘child luck,’ right?
“Yes, you’ll be having quite a headache because of them lately.”
It’s true. Dammit.
“I’m sorry for using the expression ‘before I died’ while talking to a living person, but please understand it’s to make it easier to explain. You, sir, had no luck with people before you died. If Ha Seo-myeong lived in a mud pit, you were dropped alone in a desert. How can a person live there? They can't.”
The Fortune Teller showed me a paper covered in Hanja. She gave a few more explanations, but I didn't quite understand them.
What stuck in my mind was what came next.
“After a person dies, they have to go to the River of the Underworld. But you went to the sea. You’ve come to the place where the desert and the sea meet. Right now, people are trying to pull you onto a boat so you can leave together.”
“Should I get on that boat?”
“Of course. Why? Do you want to live in the desert forever?”
“It’s not that, but…”
“Those people will keep waiting in the scorching sun to persuade you. They aren't the type to let go easily. And because you have a weak heart, you’re worried that the boat might sink if you get on, or that those people are suffering because of you, aren't you?”
“How did you know?”
“How could I not, when you're a man made of nothing but worries and stubbornness? Go and prostrate yourself, apologize for making them wait, and do as your friends want. Just try taking the helm. They’ll all listen to you just fine.”
The Fortune Teller gave a small smirk.
She was right. Those guys had never once ignored my words.
The filming ended after we finished a segment using virtual profiles for Ji Seong-in and Seon Gu-an to check their compatibility.
While the real versions didn't get along at all, the future of the new couple from My Asset Management was said to be a smooth road. It was a compatibility reading that suited the program's ending perfectly.
While the production crew was packing up their equipment, someone tapped me on the back.
I turned around to find the Fortune Teller standing there.
When I asked what was the matter, she looked intently at my face and spoke.
“Don't think of your origin as a candle.”
“Pardon?”
Wasn't the reading finished?
“You’re still young, so I thought you might not have fully understood what I meant.”
“Ah, thank you!”
“Don't raise your voice.”
The Fortune Teller pulled my shoulder down. Then, she whispered into my ear.
“Don't obsess over what is visible; focus on the essence. Your destiny is to burn, not to become ash.”
Don't forget. You are the flame.
With those final words, the Fortune Teller went into her room and closed the door. The thick scent of incense lingered at the tip of my nose.
‘I guess the fact that I regressed can show up in unexpected places.’
I had learned something new. I’d have to be careful with this kind of content in the future.
Shouldn't the System handle this kind of thing smoothly in the first place? The recruitment system is a total mess. How are they going to take in new employees like this?
…No, it’s better if I remain the sole employee rather than having someone else go through this.
“I-wol, what are you thinking about so deeply?”
The manager asked during a break at a red light. I must have been staring into space for quite a while.
“I was just reviewing today’s shoot. Are the kids all at the company?”
“Yeah. They should be finalizing the fan chant right now. We decided to film the fan chant video and wrap up once you arrive.”
“They must have worked hard.”
By the time I changed clothes and filmed the video a few times, it would be the middle of the night. Kang Gi-yeon would likely be asleep by the time I got to the dorm.
‘How should I bring it up?’
Choi Je-ho and Lee Cheong-hyeon said it was largely my fault, and the Fortune Teller told me to prostrate myself, so I did need to apologize.
But Kang Gi-yeon wasn't soft like Jeong Seong-bin. Jeong Seong-bin would be horrified and forgive me if I just knelt, but Kang Gi-yeon was likely to push me away with a cold expression, saying this wasn't the kind of apology he wanted.
As I was racking my brain, I saw the sign for a large bookstore in the distance.
“Manager, could I stop by that bookstore for a moment?”
“The bookstore? To buy a book? Tell me what you want, and I’ll park the car and go get it for you.”
Thankfully, the manager offered to help with a non-work-related task.
But this was something I had to do myself. Because it was a task to seek forgiveness for my original sin.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll go myself!”
I shouted with grim determination. And as soon as the manager parked the car in the underground parking lot of the building where the bookstore was located, I grabbed my hat and mask and ran toward the bookstore entrance.