Chapter 131
Translator: uly
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: I Didn't Lie (1)
Various kinds of notifications had popped up so far, but this was a first. ‘Derived ability?’ What the hell was that?
[Yes]
Of course, you always hit yes in situations like this. Yeonwoo moved his finger and pressed firmly into the empty air.
“Huh? Yeonwoo-ssi? Can you hear me? Yeonwoo-ssi, you okay? Was there something there just now? Or were you telling me to look over there? Yeonwoo-ssi?”
The assistant director panicked and flailed about in confusion.
“Ah. Sorry, I lost focus for a second. Can I take a moment to get back into the emotions?”
“Oh, sure! Of course!”
He’d barely had any NG takes up to now, so getting a break was easy.
[What’s wrong? Why’d you suddenly zone out like that? You sick or something?]
The Child Spirit who’d followed him asked.
“Quiet. I think I just hooked a big one.”
That day, Yeonwoo clenched his fist alone in the empty car.
And he had good reason.
[Emotional Transfer][A]
-By gazing into someone’s eyes with heartfelt pathos for an extended time, you can convey your emotions directly to them. The intensity varies based on their favorability toward you.
The new ability was a whopping A-rank, and it couldn’t have been more perfect for what he needed right now.
And there was one more thing.
Learning this ability had revealed a new fact that thrilled Yeonwoo.
‘Abilities don’t always have to come from other people?’
That’s how it had been until now. That’s why he’d been grinding through those requests nonstop.
Unfortunately, though, there weren’t many requests that granted additional abilities.
But now...
‘Derived abilities, huh? So you get new kinds through requests, but sub-skills from existing ones can pop up like this?’
It was an astonishing discovery. The kind that made his breath catch for a moment.
Sure, it had limitations, but so what? The key was that he’d generated an additional ability on his own.
Not from someone else.
‘What triggers it? Emotional Transfer seems to have come from maxing out that intense, pathos-filled gaze over and over. Is repetition the key?’
He couldn’t say for sure yet—none of his other abilities had spawned derived ones. This needed more observation.
Anyway.
That was Yeonwoo’s secret sauce.
No way he could tell anyone.
“By the way, what’s the deal with Director Ji? He’s always been energetic, but I don’t remember him being this intense... Yeonwoo-ssi, you know anything?”
The conversation shifted to Director Ji.
“Hmm... He did talk with the investor last time.”
“That Qing Wang guy? Did they fight or something?”
“No.”
Not exactly. He’d just been provoked one-sidedly. Though Director Ji had kinda walked into it on purpose.
Either way, a fired-up Director Ji throwing himself into the shoot was all good.
Except for one thing.
“I thought they’d had a big fight since he shows up every day, standing there like he’s monitoring us.”
“Yeah...”
“Ugh. Sure, acting in front of investors isn’t new, but having him show up every single shoot and stare us down like that? First time for me.”
The unwanted guest kept showing up—that was the problem.
Yeonwoo let out a long sigh.
Yeah.
He’d run into Woo Do-gyeom again the very next day after their “see you soon.”
He’d been coming to every shoot.
The reason...
“Kids, watch your step. Don’t trip over those cables down there.”
“Yes!”
The two kids had blended right into the set, soaking up all the affection.
Woo Sae-hyeon and Woo Sae-rim’s guardian? Woo Do-gyeom himself.
‘He is the guardian... their actual dad. But isn’t a chairman supposed to be busy? Couldn’t he just send a staffer?’
Why drag his busy self here in person every time?
And there was an extra crazy point.
“Over there!”
“Run faster!”
A ghost who’d forgotten his age, caught up in the whirlwind of the two kids laughing and tearing around the set.
[Why don’t you guys ever get tired?! Can we stop tag already?!]
“Why? It’s fun—let’s keep going!”
“Me too! So fun!”
[Haa... Fun again, huh? Guess this body has no choice but to play along.]
Why the hell had that guy tagged along?
He’d definitely said,
[Ah, I told him not to come. But why’d that guy have to be from the Earth Spirit Lineage? Can’t even scare him like this!]
Who he’d told off and why he wanted to scare him was obvious.
[Ugh. What if our actor scolds me? Argh, he’s so annoying! So annoying!]
The Child Spirit puffed his cheeks and twisted in midair.
[Yeonwoo, aren’t you worried? What if I get in trouble?]
What if? Whatever.
Yeonwoo easily ignored Kwon Sung-hyeon’s little sidekick.
Anyway, that guy was now...
‘Having a blast...’
The three were playing so well together, perfectly matched.
Fine, the twins made sense.
But the Child Spirit? Sure, he looked young, but with his actual age, how was he getting so hyped playing with kids?
“They’re seriously the cutest the more I see them. Don’t even seem like that Qing Wang’s kids.”
Yeon Do-hee said, following Yeonwoo’s gaze.
“Don’t seem scared of the camera, look adorable, and the two of them together make such a great shot. Could even turn the rumors real... but I don’t wanna reshoot when we’re almost done.”
Even so, Yeon Do-hee stayed pro to the end, focused on the shoot.
“Cut!”
With the assistant director’s crisp call, the final scene wrapped.
“Good work!”
“Whew! It’s really over!”
The extra shoots had dragged on longer than expected, leaving leads and supporting actors alike utterly drained.
The end of filming felt like rain after a drought.
“Nah, we still got dubbing left.”
“...I’ll worry about that later. Let’s just enjoy the end for now.”
Of course, the end of filming wasn’t the end of everything.
Strictly speaking, it was just the starting line.
“End? This is when the real work starts.”
“Hey now, Yeowon’s mom. That’s not what you think about now.”
The supporting actor playing Shin Yeowon’s dad in the drama said sternly.
“Aigoo, look at this hopeless guy. Always scheming to play without a care! That’s why our Yeowon has it so tough!”
He got an earful right away from the actress playing Shin Yeowon’s mom.
“No, I just... don’t want our Yeowon working nonstop without rest...”
The dad actor’s fake cowering drew laughs from the other actors and staff.
“Gotta work to feed the family quick.”
Yeon Do-hee’s deadpan response warmed the mood even more.
With the last extra shoot officially done, the set buzzed with camaraderie.
The actors playing Yeon Do-hee’s family already felt like one big unit, and staff and performers alike shared a battle-hardened bond.
“I’ve done tons of projects, but none with vibes this good.”
“It’s ’cause Yeowon and Joo-young are so sweet.”
The leads’ chemistry was killer.
“This kind of atmosphere is rare. Makes me wanna give even more.”
Mistakes were so few, there was no tension.
The minor NG takes? With so few total, everyone just laughed them off.
“Yeah. Weak directors let actors run wild—we’ve got none of that.”
“Some kids can’t tell if they’re actors or directors.”
“Ours are good ones, though.”
The actors beamed like proud parents.
Maybe it was the shared grind facing death in the story, but their bond was extra tight.
That closeness carried straight to the casual after-party.
Woo Do-gyeom’s black card shone.
Actors who’d griped about the investor showing up daily—maybe to spy?—changed tunes in a flash.
“Whoa. We knew our investor was generous, but this? Renting the whole restaurant?”
They’d been shocked to end up at a months-long waitlist spot on impulse.
The “simple” after-party heated up fast.
“Ending’s a bit bittersweet. Would’ve been perfect if they ended up together. And the kids really in it? Gold.”
One actor muttered wistfully.
Yeah.
Investor Woo Do-gyeom was right there with them.
“Why’d you follow us here?”
“My kids wanted to come. Seems they like you all.”
“...”
Kids as an excuse? No counter.
The twins, constant during extra shoots as fake marketing, had won over everyone.
Adorable looks and antics? Impossible not to love.
Some even thought, why not actually cast them?
“Not saying anything against our bear director’s script... Just a shame.”
“Nah, I thought the same. That chemistry? Show their future with the kids’ backs as credits roll? Boom—perfect.”
“Yeah. I was chugging kimchi soup dreaming of a happy ending rewriting romance history.”
“Not bad now, but still... They suit each other so well.”
“What if a dating rumor pops?”
“Pfft. No way. Our Joo-young’s like a knife—sharp and straight. Hard to find guys that pure these days.”
“Yeah. That ending kills any scandal. Sigh. Just watching had me tearing up, thought I was in trouble.”
The back-and-forth flowed endlessly.
And it landed on...
“Joo-young. You ever heartbroken like that for real?”
“Huh?”
“How do you act that intense? Dumped bad or something?”
“Yeah, that vibe’s not from mild pain. We’re all tight-lipped—won’t spill.”
“Right. Old news anyway. Not current, yeah?”
The sudden spotlight nearly made him spit his water.
And then...
“Hmm. I’m curious too. About Yeonwoo’s past.”
Woo Do-gyeom, sitting picture-perfect, joined in.
His entry loosened the brief pause.
“Investor knows what’s up.”
Shared curiosity bonds quick.
With him in, no backing off.
“Nothing.”
“Nah, that aura screams real experience.”
“Yeah, we won’t spread rumors. Lips sealed.”
A faint smile tugged Yeonwoo’s lips.
Good thing Poker Face was active.
No, seriously—these people.
Why suddenly dig into weird stuff?
That wasn’t all flustering him.
[Kyahahaha! Dating history! For Yeonwoo! Romance! Ahahaha! What an mismatched combo! Ahahaha!]
A clear ghostly laugh echoed around.
The Child Spirit, floating right above Yeonwoo’s head.