128. A Man You Can't Even Stand to Look At
Rembrary belatedly realized his mistake. He still hadn't answered whether or not he could see ghosts — and in the middle of all that, he had gone and openly watched the ghost slip in and out of the closet.
To anyone watching, he was a person with the Eyes. He stole a glance to the side and, sure enough, Shin Jo-woon was grinning in triumph. He hadn't said it out loud, but the thought See? I knew you could see ghosts was written all over his face.
It stung, but Rembrary quickly straightened his back and protested with all due dignity.
"What of it? Can you not see them yourself?"
Anyone may err. The High Priest was a great and exalted being, but he was still human, and so, once in a very great while, even he made mistakes.
Rembrary berated himself for the slip for a moment, but soon felt better. Being nearly perfect, with the occasional lapse — really, it made him seem all the more endearingly human.
His proud shoulders, however, did not stay squared for even thirty seconds.
"Wait. Are there no cameras in here? What if our entire conversation was recorded?"
"It was rather too private a conversation to broadcast, wasn't it?"
Rembrary nodded hastily.
The premise was that the three kings could never meet, so neither last night's events nor anything happening now would air even if filmed. Still, the fewer people who knew about this, the better.
For all he knew, one of the staff here could be from Nakru.
Fortunately, Shin Jo-woon merely smirked. "There are no cameras. I had them cleared away over there."
Then he pointed somewhere with a finger.
Relieved, Rembrary looked in the direction he indicated — and arched an eyebrow.
On top of a drawer cabinet with a distinctly antique air sat a few conspicuously modern devices, every one of them smashed to pieces.
"You did not clear them away. You smashed them."
"Smashing them counts as clearing them away."
"Are you permitted to smash them?"
"I can afford it."
"Just how rich are you?"
"Rich enough to buy you pizza for the rest of your life, with different toppings every single day."
"Steak would please me as well."
"Steak included."
"I confess I envy you."
"I did tell you to be my pet pig."
"······How would it be, then, if I sent you my devotion as your pet pig, and you sent me only pizza as my master?"
"And your body?"
"I shall care for it well and feed it plenty of pizza."
"Shameless. Did you sell it off when you needed emergency cash?"
"If I sell it off, will you buy me pizza?"
Shin Jo-woon's lips worked uselessly for a moment before he set his jaw and looked away. The instant logic abandoned him, he was clearly pretending to hold back laughter.
Rembrary studied his face carefully.
He had only asked about the money because it came up in conversation. What actually mattered to Rembrary right now was whether Shin Jo-woon posed a danger to him or not.
But with no idea which organization Shin Jo-woon belonged to, it was hard to say anything for certain.
No — at the root of it, he couldn't even tell whether Shin Jo-woon belonged to an organization at all, or simply possessed the ability to see ghosts and nothing more.
After racking his brain, Rembrary finally asked him outright.
"But tell me, Jo-woon. Why did you ask whether I could see ghosts?"
"You just seemed like you could. I felt a certain kinship, too."
"Kinship? Over that?"
"Not many people see ghosts, you know? Anyway, speaking of which — if you have the ability to see them, why go and be an idol at all?"
"Why did you have the ability to see ghosts and yet go found an entertainment agency?"
"Because it makes a lot of money?"
"How mercenary of you."
"And you? Why did you go become an idol?"
"Because it makes a lot of money?"
"······What answer am I even supposed to give you now."
When Rembrary dodged the question, Shin Jo-woon sighed and asked instead, "Fine, say you see them. Then why does the palace maid ghost avoid you?"
Rembrary thought for a moment, then covered with a lie.
"I couldn't say. Ghosts have always kept their distance from me."
"Always?"
"Indeed."
The claim that he'd become an idol out of a desire for money was pure improvisation — he knew nothing of Woo Yeon-woo's dreams — but the answer he had just given wasn't entirely a lie.
Ghosts and evil spirits naturally fled from a High Priest such as him.
Admittedly, the stronger high-ranking demons charged at him all the more eagerly, but weak ghosts and evil spirits wouldn't so much as approach him.
Truthfully, the palace maid ghost's reaction didn't strike Rembrary as strange in the slightest — it was that ox-headed thing from a few days ago whose response had been the genuinely baffling one.
Shin Jo-woon murmured, watching Rembrary's impassive expression. "So it's innate, then······"
"Innate what, precisely?"
"They say pig blood drives off ghosts."
"Begone, you anchovy."
Why did this man always have to veer sideways in the middle of a conversation?
When Rembrary's brow furrowed at being called a pig yet again, Shin Jo-woon burst out laughing, apparently finding it delightful.
Scowling, Rembrary asked, "And what of you? You can see ghosts as well, so why did you get possessed yesterday?"
"Out of pity. She had so much lingering resentment. I meant to lend her an ear, and got possessed instead."
"Liar."
"She looked like she had a story, plain as day."
"I simply cannot bring myself to believe that you would pity anyone."
"You're saying the same things as always, but hearing them in that lofty register of yours makes them feel oddly fresh."
"Is my speech so refined, then?"
"It comes off even more insufferable, actually."
"······Is that ghost's grievance truly so great, then?"
"That's how it is with most ghosts. You'd know that yourself, wouldn't you?"
Rembrary shook his head. "I have never once heard a ghost's story."
"Really? How is that even possible? If you can see them, don't you usually end up hearing all sorts of tales?"
"As I said — they usually flee from me."
As he muttered it, Rembrary's expression suddenly turned grave. It was the face of a man deep in serious thought.
Seeing that look, Shin Jo-woon asked, "Does it trouble you?" and Rembrary answered in a solemn voice:
"Anchovy, it is you who troubles me. Why have you left that ghost in there?"
"I intend to see her out."
"You mean to keep that ghost at your bedside for a week?"
"Not my bedside."
"Your qi will be sapped to the dregs. I call you anchovy, anchovy, but I have no wish to see you become an actual dried anchovy."
Shin Jo-woon clenched his jaw again, fighting down laughter.
The proper thing in a situation like this was to turn serious and hash it out like adults. But once you got swept up in that bizarre way of speaking, forget a serious discussion — even a straight one became difficult.
There was no time to ask anything more, anyway.
"Your Highness. Your Highness."
Production staff had been calling the two of them repeatedly from outside the door.
When Rembrary and Shin Jo-woon slid open the inner door, the staff member said anxiously, "You need to come out now. This goes against the setting."
Shin Jo-woon's own staff member nodded silently in agreement.
Shin Jo-woon thought, so what if it goes against the setting — but Rembrary, somewhat surprisingly, stepped outside without protest.
Leaving already? As Shin Jo-woon watched him go with a wistful smile, Rembrary turned back and warned him firmly:
"Give my words due consideration."
The moment Rembrary was gone, Shin Jo-woon burst out laughing. "What an obedient child."
Advice, of all things — and directed at him, no less.
As he laughed and rubbed his jaw, the ghost that had taken refuge inside the closet cautiously poked its head out and scanned the room.
Only after confirming that Rembrary was gone did it creep, inch by agonizing inch, out of the closet.
Shin Jo-woon was turning away when he caught sight of it, and asked, "Why did you avoid Yeon-woo earlier?"
[Yeon-woo?]
"The white-haired one you dodged. One of you was saying she wanted the King's favor from him — leaning your head on his shoulder, even. So why avoid him just now?"
The palace maid ghost stood in silence for a while.
But even then, its eyes darted rapidly in every direction.
Shin Jo-woon waited quietly until the ghost spoke again.
After a moment, the ghost fixed its gaze properly on him and said, [That white-haired young master is said to be to Palace Maid No. 4's taste.]
"······I asked why you avoided him, not why you asked him for his favor."
[Ah. I do not know that either, my lord. It was simply... reflexive······]
"Reflexive?"
[Yes. Just······]
A ghost avoiding someone on reflex?
One of Shin Jo-woon's eyebrows slanted upward.
Which meant······
"Was Yeon-woo something like an exorcist, perhaps?"
But the ghost shook its head at once. [That is not it, my lord.]
"?"
[I do not know what he is, but he simply felt... off-putting, my lord.]
"You mean a person who rubs you the wrong way?"
Still, when Shin Jo-woon pressed further, the ghost answered in a flustered mumble. [If I had to put it into words······ he was like the sun······]
"The sun?"
[Yes. Too bright and hot and dazzling a light... too hard to even look at······]
"Ah. So he's a man you can't even stand to look at."
[My lord, you drift ever further from the meaning I am trying to convey.]
It's been a while since I recorded a video diary, so it feels a little awkward. As you all know — and since it'll be airing soon······ ah. Cathy just walked past and told me part of it already aired. I'll have to check that later.
Anyway, I finished the week of filming, and now I've gotten my phone and self-cam back.
Right now, I came straight back to the dorm and I'm recording this video diary before even eating dinner.
I told the members I had so much to say to them that I'd film the video diary first. That was a lie. The truth is, after eating a royal feast, the thought of going back to rabbit food turns my stomach, so I came here.
Hmm. Still, I did come back from the shoot, so I should talk about it, right? Yeah, I suppose so.
Honestly, I had high hopes for this filming.
Spending a week as a king. Sounds comfortable, doesn't it?
But the world I lived in······ wait. Correction. Please edit this part out.
The king I had imagined and the king the PD imagined were apparently different.
The king in my head was someone who clutched all the power in his two hands and wielded it as he pleased.
But once I actually got there, it was this isn't allowed, that isn't allowed, you mustn't do this, you mustn't do that······. Um, weren't you supposed to be a king?
I don't know whether freedom was restricted because there were three kings, or whether my idea of a king simply didn't match this place's values.
Whew. I tried to vent my complaints, but being so careful with my words made it hard to even complain properly. Let's just let this one go.
I was lying down to sleep when a text came from Shin Jo-woon.
When I was staying at the palace it was uncomfortable and I wanted out as fast as possible, but now that I'm out, I sort of miss it.
He was fishing for my agreement too, so I left him on read.
I don't really miss it yet.
Maybe it's the changed bed, but sleep just won't come.
Maybe it's like Shin Jo-woon said — now that I'm out, I miss it after all.
So I grabbed my phone and self-cam, and I'm out on the veranda now.
Oh, that reminds me — I don't know if this will make the broadcast, but during filming for A Week in a Time Machine, Shin Jo-woon and Jang Tae-ri got into a fight once.
I think it was around day four? That's what I remember.
It's pretty funny that two people who, by the setting, can never meet ended up fighting. But they met just fine and fought just fine.
Why they fought······ watch the broadcast. I don't know. They wouldn't tell me.
Anyway, after the two of them fought, Shin Jo-woon came to me and said Jang Tae-ri was being underhanded, and Jang Tae-ri came to me and said Shin Jo-woon was being petty.
They wouldn't even tell me why they fought, but they badmouth each other to me. Honestly, the two of them looked exactly the same to me. Besides, don't "underhanded" and "petty" mean pretty much the same thing?
Regardless, both of them kept demanding my agreement, so I fairly and impartially agreed with both.
Shin Jo-woon became the petty one and Jang Tae-ri became the underhanded one, but in the end they both walked away satisfied. That's what counts.
Oh, and as far as I know, they've made up by now.
Time to sleep. Once the sun's up I have to go back to the agency building. Can't afford to be tired.
Taein is a bad guy. A genuinely, truly bad guy.
He—
"Yeon-woo! Cut the self-cam!"
The person who barged in while I was recording earlier and shouted at me was Jong-woo hyung.
It's mind-boggling — he somehow knew I was talking about Taein, chased me down, and snatched the camera right out of my hands.
Then he made me promise never to talk about it again. I'm upset.
Of course, I have the camera back now. Hence, I am recording my video diary.
But I'm still upset.
Taein's the one who swapped out my Joseon-era vocabulary study list without permission and tried to make me look like an idiot — and I'm not allowed to tell anyone else about it? Isn't that just way too unfair?
I mean, sure, Jong-woo hyung scolded Taein thoroughly. But that was Jong-woo hyung scolding him, not me, so it doesn't really make me feel any better.
I want to tell everyone what Taein did, but I can't, and it's suffocating.
Was it around six? A text came from Shin Jo-woon.
I didn't reply. Not because he called me a pig.
I held off because there was something I wanted to test.
And right now, I'm going to test it.
······Shin Jo-woon. Are you watching this right now, by any chance?
PD? Are you sitting next to Shin Jo-woon?
— End of Chapter 128 —