Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 013
Chapter Title: Drama Filming Begins! (2)
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The Child Spirit let out a savage wail. It seemed desperate to force him to accept, but...
“You know that in that form, you’re not even remotely threatening, right?”
[Oops...!]
There was no way the sight of a hamster flailing its tiny paws and chittering furiously could be intimidating. In the meantime, it had stuffed its cheeks so full of walnuts that they bulged out comically, now sagging and utterly destroying any last shred of dignity.
“Understood.”
“You really mean it? You’ll help me out, right?”
“Yes.”
This was another opportunity for Yeonwoo as well. Even without the Child Spirit’s prodding or Kwon Sung-hyeon dragging his feet in plea, he would have agreed anyway. It was his first venture back into the industry since the incident with Writer Park.
‘Why would I turn down a chance to properly observe?’
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you’ll win a hundred battles. Now that he’d set his course in this direction, he needed to gauge the overall flow and atmosphere of the industry. Jumping in blind with nothing would just be a recipe for disaster.
[So I get to watch Actor-nim’s shoot?! I get to see Actor-nim filming live?! Is this what they call a dream job come true?! Who said fans can’t break into the industry?!]
Fan... what? For an old ghost steeped in years of death, it sometimes felt more alive than Yeonwoo himself.
“Thank you, Yeonwoo-ssi. Thanks for helping out.”
“No... it’s nothing...”
He stood to gain plenty from this anyway. Of course, Kwon Sung-hyeon, oblivious to that fact, smiled brightly, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“I’ll do even better from now on.”
“......Pardon?”
“Don’t worry, Yeonwoo-ssi. I’ll make sure...”
“......?”
He seemed to mutter something, but it was too quiet to hear.
‘...Probably nothing important.’
What could this guy possibly do for him anyway?
‘Yeah. He’s always been a bit off.’
People who reached the top in any field always had some eccentric quirk. Maybe that very oddity was what propelled them to the summit. Or perhaps they started normal but grew strange from the boredom of power.
Either way, the conclusion was the same: Kwon Sung-hyeon was still out of his mind.
‘I’ll just roll with it.’
After all, this was the guy who was a lifespan vending machine and had even kindly introduced him to a gold vein. It would be a shame to pass up such a free pass just because he was a little weird.
And then.
-Yeonwoo-ssi. The drama’s first shoot date has been set.
The day to mine that gold vein was fast approaching.
***
Yeonwoo was temporarily assigned as an assistant manager.
“The set isn’t really a place for outsiders who aren’t staff to wander in and out... So even though it’s temporary, you’ll need to pose as a manager. Ah, of course, Sung-hyeon said he’d cover all your needs, so you won’t have to do much.”
“Really?”
“Well... Sung-hyeon seems to rely on you a lot, so it’d be great if you could stick around. Haha...”
As the manager laughed those words off, his gaze stayed fixed on Yeonwoo’s shoulder.
[Why does he keep staring? Am I that cute? Even you think I’m cute, right, Yeonwoo?]
“Cut the nonsense.”
“......Pardon?!”
“Ah. Not you, Manager-ssi. I was talking to this guy.”
“Ham... hamster...”
“Yes.”
The manager’s pupils shook wildly left and right as he stared at the round hamster chittering threateningly.
“That... um... okay...”
“Any issues?”
The manager, whose lips had twitched, hurriedly changed the subject.
“Ah... I feel like I should mention this. Most people will behave if you say you’re Sung-hyeon’s manager, but not everyone. The director for this shoot is pretty picky, and the supporting actors are veterans with way more seniority than Sung-hyeon, even if their star power is lower.”
In other words, Kwon Sung-hyeon’s influence wouldn’t work on everyone.
It didn’t matter to Yeonwoo anyway. Piggybacking on Kwon Sung-hyeon to throw his weight around wasn’t his style.
“No worries. I know how to conduct myself. I won’t stir up any needless trouble.”
“Phew. It was embarrassing to even bring it up... Of course, I know you’re not the type to cause problems, but I had to say it once...”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Thank you.”
The manager’s face visibly relaxed, as if a weight had lifted.
“Today’s just the script reading. Luckily, Director Heo is sensitive about these things, so no separate filming today. You can just watch comfortably.”
As he explained, the manager started handling the tray he’d loaded in the back seat. Coffee prepared for first greetings. Stacked neatly in dozens, the car had reeked of it the whole ride.
“Sung-hyeon will arrive separately with his road manager soon. He just texted that they’re close, so you can wait comfortably in the car until then. He even ordered takeout for you to eat while you wait...”
Even for a script reading without filming, Kwon Sung-hyeon was fundamentally a celebrity. For a first meeting, he needed to show some effort. That’s why he’d headed to the salon first.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s go in together. That tray’s too heavy for one person, isn’t it?”
“Ah. It’s okay... I can handle it alone.”
“We’re heading there anyway. Let’s carry it together.”
The manager had kindly offered to let him rest in the van until Kwon Sung-hyeon arrived, but Yeonwoo had no intention of doing so.
The broadcasting station loomed right in front of them.
‘First things first, I should check out my gold vein, right?’
Yeonwoo’s eyes sparkled.
***
‘Heavy.’
That was Yeonwoo’s impression upon stepping into the broadcasting station for the first time.
Not the coffee trays weighing down his hands.
The air itself was heavy.
His sharp eyes gleamed as he scanned his surroundings.
The long-awaited gold vein was right before him.
Yet his expression remained utterly blank.
‘This is weird. The air feels so heavy, but I’m not seeing much.’
The moment he entered, a thick mass pressed in.
Air didn’t have weight, but that only applied to ordinary people.
‘As expected of a broadcasting station? But there’s not much visible.’
Fewer stray spirits met his eyes than expected.
The yin energy floating in the air was no joke.
Even for a place teeming with desires...
[Whoa. The vibe here is insane...]
Chit-chit!
The Child Spirit in his shirt pocket sensed the yin energy and poked its head out.
[Even worse than a decent graveyard?]
Its eyes sparkled like someone eyeing a feast.
It made sense. For a dead soul like the Child Spirit, a place thick with yin energy was a match made in heaven.
“See? I’m not the only one feeling it, right?”
[Yeah. I’d only heard ‘broadcasting station’ before, but seeing is believing. Now I get why this is a hot spot.]
To put it simply, this place was like Hongdae or Myeongdong in Seoul for ghosts.
[But for a place like this, there aren’t many visible, huh?]
The hamster craned its neck, peering left and right.
[Did they all go out? With this much yin, at least half should be swarming.]
It was a cycle of sorts.
A hub of raw, negative desires.
Negative energy naturally gathered there.
Ghosts flocked like insects to sap, drawn by that energy.
The more they came, the thicker the yin grew.
Yin called ghosts, ghosts thickened yin, and yin called more ghosts in a loop.
‘But the ghosts themselves aren’t showing up?’
This was undoubtedly a gold mine brimming with treasure.
Yeonwoo’s instincts were spot on.
No wonder his mother, Lady Kang, had nagged him to become a shaman in her place.
That sparked a hypothesis.
“Not small fry, but the big ones have gathered.”
[Oh, right! That could be it! If heavyweights have staked claim, it explains the vibe.]
The Child Spirit nodded at Yeonwoo’s words.
“Or they’ve eaten the small ones.”
[Feels like a trap luring in prey?]
“Well, not sure if I’m right, but it seems plausible.”
[Or maybe there’s another hot spot with even denser yin, and they’ve all gone there!]
“Or some human’s leading around a grudge spirit.”
[Yeah. If there are several like that, it’d explain why so few are visible despite the energy.]
Whichever hypothesis held, it was still a gold vein.
If they’d grown by devouring lesser ghosts, they’d carry grudges or desires to match.
He’d chosen the lesser evil of entertainer fate over shaman doom, but whatever.
‘If I can harvest lifespan, I’ll take it all first and sort it out later.’
Survival came first!
A place where ghosts gathered on their own without him hunting? That was a literal gold mine.
And ghosts attached to people? Moving gold veins.
‘Yeah. Picky eating’s bad, they say.’
Living’s the best—always fresh, always thrilling!
[But Yeonwoo.]
“Yeah?”
[You’re not about to go hunting right now, are you?]
The subject was omitted, but both knew exactly what it meant.
“I am.”
[I knew it! No! Not now!]
“Ah, why not?”
[How can you miss Actor-nim’s monumental comeback drama script reading?! I want to see it! Let me see it! Please!]
Chzzzzzzt! Chit-chit! Chit!
The hamster, half-dangling from his pocket, went berserk.
“Um... that hamster... it’s really okay, right?”
The manager ahead turned back.
This manager had some guts himself. Most people got creeped out by one-sided chatter.
“They’ll know you as Sung-hyeon’s assistant manager, so no one will say much, but the industry looks free-spirited from outside—internally, it’s pretty conservative... Wouldn’t want to cause you trouble...”
“No rabies or anything, so don’t worry. It won’t bite. I’ll keep it quiet, obviously.”
Yeonwoo calmly reassured the manager.
‘Gotta make a good impression—no reason to stir trouble.’
With Kwon Sung-hyeon around, the Child Spirit—whom he loathed—would behave without being told. It looked like a rat... no, a child, but it was an ancient ghost.
“Phew. I worried over nothing, huh? Of course you’d handle it fine. Maybe I’m just worn out lately... Keeps worrying me.”
A living person hanging around the dead wouldn’t stay unaffected. Not a naturally strong-aura celeb like Kwon Sung-hyeon, but a regular guy like the manager.
“Yeonwoo-ssi!”
No sooner had he thought that than a voice called him.
‘This guy’s no saint either. Fiercer than a tiger. Hm?’
Yeonwoo narrowed his eyes at the approaching man.
[Gasp. Yeonwoo, I’m about to suffocate. Quick, mouth-to-mouth...!]
Already handsome, but after a pro stylist’s touch, he gleamed even brighter.
‘Totally different from usual? Top star effect?’
His role was a cold chaebol heir, so the styling matched: sleek and intellectual. The sharply tailored three-piece suit hugged Kwon Sung-hyeon’s frame perfectly.
‘All sponsored, right?’
He recalled Kwon Sung-hyeon’s exclusive stylist bragging about it. A haughty luxury brand that never did sponsorships had eagerly offered for this drama.
Kwon Sung-hyeon’s aura had leveled up accordingly.