Chapter 132
Translator: uly
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: I Didn't Lie (2)
“Then shut up.”
No matter how much he thought about it, acquiring ventriloquism had been a stroke of genius. Otherwise, he might have exploded internally without saying a word in this situation.
[How do you stop laughing! Ahahaha! Our Yeonwoo... hasn’t even properly done the ‘eo’ sound in ‘love’ once! It’s the biggest laugh I’ve had since dying.]
“Then be quiet.”
[What? I can’t hear you~.]
The Dongja-ryeong cackled mockingly while hopping around in every direction, shouting,
[Our Yeonwoo~ is a lifelong single!]
The voice was so loud that,
“Daddy. What’s a lifelong single?”
The two kids who had been served twin desserts lifted their heads brightly and asked.
“Hmm? Where did you hear that word?”
“Yeah... The pretty oppa said he’s a lifelong single?”
“Hmm?”
Woo Do-gyeom’s eyebrow twitched.
A cold gaze turned toward Yeonwoo.
Naturally, Yeonwoo caught the look as well.
“Shut your damn mouth and stay quiet.”
Ventriloquism leaked out eerily through his gritted teeth.
The problem was that the twins were here of all places.
And Woo Do-gyeom knew about the twins’ special nature.
‘This is driving me insane. Of all people...!’
Not just anyone, but that guy.
“Aha.”
A subtle smile full of meaning slowly bloomed on Woo Do-gyeom’s enigmatic face.
In proportion, Yeonwoo’s expression rotted away.
Of course, the poker face he’d gained from Woo Do-gyeom shone through, preventing him from turning into a total corpse.
‘What is this, giving me poison and then the antidote...?’
Meanwhile, the actors had also heard the problematic word and began murmuring.
They’d grown a bit closer, but they still couldn’t casually pry into private matters with their sky-like investor.
Especially for this film, where Woo Do-gyeom’s stake was so massive it was practically a solo investment.
“Hmm... Ahem... I think I heard ‘lifelong single’...”
“No way our Joo-young could be a lifelong single...”
“We must have... misheard...?”
No one dared ask outright and instead snuck glances at Woo Do-gyeom.
Hoping the meaningfully smiling investor might toss out a hint.
And watching all of it, Yeonwoo thought,
‘Screw it. Whatever.’
And flashed a bright smile.
*
“Eegoo... So that’s what happened...”
“Well, it’s not easy to bring up something with such deep scars. We were thoughtless.”
“Yeonwoo-ssi. Sorry. We were short-sighted. Sure, everyone in this industry has their stories, but we got too carried away.”
A solemn atmosphere.
People at a loss, full of apologies.
Looking at all this, Yeonwoo smiled.
To some, it seemed poignant.
To others, like swallowing sorrow inside.
Smiling, yet the hidden pain felt tangible and vivid.
That pitiful smile.
[Wow. Kang Yeonwoo. This scary kid. Look at him scamming them.]
The Dongja-ryeong chattered above his head, but whatever.
‘Who made me like this!’
The one who’d thrown him into this mess by blabbing unnecessary words was none other than the Dongja-ryeong.
All Yeonwoo had done was stare them straight and say a few words as if he had a backstory.
Plus a smile hinting at something more.
-Sigh... It’s a memory I don’t really want to recall...
With that smile, Yeonwoo began, then paused briefly.
Those first captivated by the smile were completely immersed in that split-second silence.
-It’s... too painful to think back on.
It wasn’t a lie.
Strictly speaking, there wasn’t a single lie in what Yeonwoo said.
He didn’t even have a proper friend, let alone a lover.
He wasn’t one to dwell on it, but he wasn’t broad-minded enough to actively reminisce either.
And “painful” was true too.
Think about it—who would like hearing that word!
Recalling it was a hundred percent painful.
‘Thank goodness I got emotion transfer.’
Emotion transfer.
The newly acquired A-rank additional ability.
It had the limitation that the emotional amplification range varied by affinity level.
But fortunately, after various events, his affinities were maxed out, so the emotion transfer worked perfectly.
‘Smiling on the outside, but sad inside. That aura of deep inner sorrow.’
It sounded like nonsense from the Dongja-ryeong eating naengmyeon without vinegar, but surprisingly, it worked well.
“Whimper... Pretty oppa is sad...?”
“Waaah...”
Even the twins, affected by it, clung tightly to Yeonwoo and wouldn’t let go—which was a bit of a problem.
The twins also had max affinity toward Yeonwoo.
The only one not swept up in the emotion was,
“Hmm...”
Woo Do-gyeom, still wearing that odd smile, lost in thought.
‘So emotional range varies per person, huh.’
It didn’t work on that guy.
“We’re sorry. Aigoo. Ruining this good vibe with such an insensitive remark. Come on, let’s cheers to liven things up!”
Some actors shouted a lead cheer to lift the sunken mood.
The atmosphere slowly revived, and attention on Yeonwoo gradually drifted away.
An implicit apology for touching his wound.
[How can you stab those innocent people in the back!]
“I didn’t lie.”
About what, how, why! He hadn’t explained any of that properly, so no lie.
At best, withholding facts.
[It’s not a lie, but not fully true either!]
“Silence, criminal.”
Yeonwoo said that and looked down at the twins stuck to his sides.
“The dongja says he’s bored. Wanna play with him?”
“Whimper... Is that okay?”
“Pretty oppa hyung. Not sad anymore?”
“Yeah. I’m fine, so play with that guy a bit.”
[Kang Yeonwoo! You scary kid! How much more will you torment me!]
“Quit acting. Think I don’t know you’re thrilled? Hide that grin at the corner of your mouth before you talk like that.”
[How did you know?!]
Once the emotional assimilation ended, the kids immediately wriggled like kids do.
As soon as Yeonwoo finished speaking, the twins chased after the fleeing Dongja-ryeong.
Whew...
‘No one should nag me about that anymore...’
“Yeonwoo-ssi...”
...Someone did.
He thought they were gone, but one remained.
“I had no idea... and I cast you...”
Not Woo Do-gyeom, but somehow trickier—Director Ji.
Had he ever seen a big guy like a Jirisan half-moon bear shedding chick-tear drops?
Yeonwoo could confidently say yes.
Director Ji was demonstrating it vividly right before his eyes.
“Here’s some tissue.”
“Sniff... So considerate... Hic...”
It pricked his conscience a bit.
He’d momentarily forgotten the guy with overflowing sensitivity.
‘Emotion transfer isn’t omnipotent.’
Who’d expect this side effect.
Well, the ability description had said as much from the start.
-Affinity level determines the emotional amplification range.
Meaning Yeonwoo couldn’t precisely control which part of the target’s emotions he’d amplify or by how much.
And the result was right there.
Anyway, he needed to soothe him.
I’m fine. It doesn’t bother me.
Yeonwoo looked at Director Ji, pouring those emotions in.
Then.
“Waaah!”
“...?”
Director Ji covered his face with his pot-lid-sized palm and burst into loud sobs.
‘What? I tried to comfort him, why’s he crying more?’
The watching assistant director clicked his tongue.
“Aigoo. Director-ssi’s tear glands exploded again.”
Funny thing was, everyone else was so used to it that only the assistant director paid attention.
The director was bawling, yet the mood didn’t sink.
Of course, Yeonwoo was no exception.
‘Who knew emotional transfer varying by person would manifest like this.’
Or maybe Director Ji was just unusual.
Yeon Do-hee saved the situation.
“Yeonwoo-ssi says he’s fine. Director-ssi. Why apologize? Having that experience is useful for moments like this. For actors like us, it’s all assets, right? Widens our acting range. Right, Yeonwoo-ssi?”
Even Yeon Do-hee looked like she was just saying something as she spoke.
Still, her intent to refresh the mood was clear, so Yeonwoo played along.
“Yeah, well...”
“Right?”
“...Yeah.”
“See? Yeonwoo-ssi agrees. How does our Director Ji cast so perfectly? This movie’s gonna do great. Right?”
The last part was aimed at Yeonwoo.
‘Chime in quick!’
That was Yeon Do-hee’s signal, per Yeonwoo’s read.
“Yes. It’ll do well.”
At least it wouldn’t flop.
Who could deny it with Kwon Sung-hyun, luck incarnate, having picked it himself?
That wasn’t all.
‘I’m new to this world, so not qualified to judge, but...’
Honestly, it felt good.
At minimum, it wouldn’t bomb so hard as to slap another ‘icon of misfortune’ label on Yeon Do-hee.
His instincts rarely missed.
“Rea...lly...?”
“Of course. Good feeling this time. With Yeonwoo-ssi too. No doubting Director-ssi’s skill, right?”
Just a late commercial debut.
Director Ji’s core was rock-solid.
All his prior works had solid box office, and he even had personal fans—that said it all.
“The vibe’s been great so far, so let’s keep it going for the press screening. Of course, we’ll max out buzz beforehand.”
“Right. Director-ssi. Our promo team’s not the old one anymore. It’s the super promo team backed by Cheongwang!”
A staffer nearby thumped his chest, telling them to trust only them.
“Let’s make it a success this time. Got it?”
Yeon Do-hee’s eyes blazed in sync.
“Do... Do-hee-ssi...? Your eyes are a bit scary...”
Director Ji, tears suddenly stopped, looked to Yeonwoo for help.
Yeonwoo quietly shook his head, refusing the invisible plea.
The mood had already shifted.
It started as soothing the director.
But now it was a group united in determination to make the movie succeed.
“Baseball’s real from the bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, right? Movies are from crank-up!”
“Right!”
“Hear hear!”
Agreements popped up everywhere at Yeon Do-hee’s words.
“Let’s do this right! Make it a hit!”
More fired up than anyone, Yeon Do-hee declared.
The staff-packed restaurant echoed with roaring agreement from all sides.
‘And honestly, I want it to succeed too.’
Director Ji’s cow-like teary eyes were pitiful, but...
Yeonwoo subtly ignored and picked up his glass with the others.
“For success!”
“For success!”
The afterparty, which had started leisurely, began to burn with heat.
*
As Yeon Do-hee said, a movie didn’t end with filming.
It was the same during reshoots, and now after reshoots too.
[You heading out for that again today?]
The Dongja-ryeong sprawled in the living room asked.
“Don’t call it ‘that.’ Makes me sound like a freak.”
[It is freaky. You look spaced out doing it.]
“......”