Chapter 139
Translator: uly
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: Even If They Bash, I'll Bash (2)
[Yeah. You looked really pissed off.]
"That's not it, but..."
No, actually, thinking about it, I might be a little mad...?
Like, 'What did you do to my precious lifespan supplier?'
Or maybe, 'No matter how weird that guy is, if there's bashing to be done, I'll do it.'
Isn't it natural to get mad if the idiot from my house comes home after getting beaten up outside?
"...Well, they say blood is thicker than water."
[That's why I suspected it. You looked that pissed off, and the guy was barely breathing, cowering in fear—of course I'd think you used some force! It wasn't for nothing!]
"Anyway, I definitely didn't use spiritual power."
[Got it. That's a relief, then.]
"But don't misunderstand."
[What?]
"I wasn't that angry."
[Eh? What's that about all of a sudden?]
"I'm not that mad."
[Suddenly?]
"You have to clear up misunderstandings. I was just a little bothered, that's all."
The Child Spirit, who had been staring at Yeonwoo oddly, blinked in surprise.
[So you're saying that you didn't get mad because our actor was getting trashed over baseless rumors, grab the guy like you were catching a rat, scare the crap out of him, and send him packing?]
"...That sounds awfully specific."
[Uh-huh. Must be your imagination. Anyway, even though you were banned from using spiritual power, you went out of your way to find some other method and handled the cleanup perfectly—not because you were super pissed off. Gotcha...]
The way the words trailed off felt a bit sarcastic, but it was probably just his imagination.
[But hey, do you even know that guy's name?]
"Nope. Why would I care about something like that?"
[...Our Yeonwoo. You're really merciless when it comes to stuff you're not interested in. Really... Come to think of it, our actor might actually be thrilled that you got this worked up for him...]
The latter part was almost a mumble to himself, so Yeonwoo paid it no mind.
'He won't be blabbing about it anywhere.'
There's no way a regular person could handle the presence of a god.
It did bother him that the guy had waited in a private shop with that much malice, but since things had wrapped up like this, he figured it was fortunate enough.
Yeonwoo had no idea at the time.
That line of thinking wouldn't hold up for even a few hours.
*
"Yeah, Mr. Yeonwoo, you really seem to sparkle more and more as time goes on. The shop director even offered you an exclusive contract today. You must really click with that esthetician."
After changing clothes and wrapping up, he climbed back into the van.
Lee Gyu-han, en route to the next schedule at the hair salon, glanced back through the rearview mirror and asked.
"What're you gonna do about the exclusive?"
"I'm planning to accept. It wasn't bad at all. Their skills seemed solid."
There was no reason to turn down someone with all B-grade stats except for one.
"Hmm... You might wanna rethink it..."
But unexpectedly, Lee Gyu-han seemed hesitant.
"Yes?"
The funny part was, [I agree with that!]
The Child Spirit, invisible to Lee Gyu-han, shot his hand up enthusiastically right beside him.
"You're really going for that exclusive?"
"Yes."
"No matter how I look at it, you should really reconsider..."
[...Sigh. Manager, you're so frustrating. Don't even bother. I saw it with my own eyes—what about me? But that guy probably has no clue what he even did.]
"..."
Somehow, it felt unfair.
What had Kwon Sung-hyun said when he recommended the shop?
That the best should go to the best, right?
"Give me a call when you're done. I'll be nearby."
"Got it."
As he entered the hair salon, a staff member who had grown familiar from his previous visits greeted Yeonwoo.
The treatment started right away.
It was the beginning of a three-hour course.
"Starting the nutrient steam injection."
The weird alien-helmet thing you wore on your head was starting to feel familiar now.
It generated hot steam, with all sorts of thick cables dangling from it—he'd freaked out the first time he'd used it.
One thing skin care and hair care had in common was the waiting time.
You had to give enough time for the nutrients to fully penetrate the skin or hair.
Of course, that time was utterly boring for Yeonwoo.
'The nutrient phase is 30 minutes, right?'
After that blatant full-body massage, his eyes were starting to droop.
But then.
"Uh, excuse me. Kang Yeonwoo, right?"
Someone came over and struck up a conversation.
"Oh, nice to see you. I heard from the noonas here that you come by, but this is the first time seeing your face."
When he opened his eyes, a sleek-looking guy was giving him a friendly smile and a greeting.
"Yes. Hello."
"The noonas here talk about you so much every time I come in, so even though it's our first meeting, I feel like I already know you. Haha."
It was a perfectly polite, measured greeting.
But the response came back overflowing.
'Is today some kind of special day?'
Weirdly, things that never happened before were piling up today.
Unlike the skin care shop, this hair salon didn't offer complete privacy.
But up until now, he'd hardly ever run into anyone.
Even if he did, they'd quickly move to another station, or he'd switch processes, so they'd just brush past naturally.
"Seok-hae, you need to head to the other station..."
The staff handling the guy looked troubled as she spoke, but the man called Seok-hae just smiled good-naturedly and waved it off.
"Aw, come on. I've gotta wait like half an hour anyway. Might as well chat with Yeonwoo here—it'll be less boring. Can't I just stay? You can drag the machine over. It's portable, right?"
"You're assigned to the other station, so you should move..."
The guy, who'd been chatting amiably, suddenly hardened his expression.
"What? You saying I can't stay here 'cause I'm a nobody?"
"That's not it..."
"Then I'll stay here. That cool, right?"
Before the staff could respond, he cut her off with a grin and urged her on.
Just like that, Yeonwoo ended up with a chatty neighbor.
[He talks a lot...]
Even the Child Spirit, listening in, muttered in exasperation.
The timer was set for 30 minutes.
But before even that ran out, Yeonwoo had learned a fair bit about the guy who'd plopped down next to him out of nowhere.
The man's name was Kim Seok-hae.
He thought it sounded tacky, so he was considering a stage name lately.
He'd debuted as a high-fashion show model, but feeling his age and limits lately, he'd switched to commercial modeling.
Even that wasn't cutting it, so now he was poking around acting.
"Isn't it tragic? I never thought my life would get this messed up. Why else would I go to a fortune teller?"
Even without much reaction from Yeonwoo, Kim Seok-hae just kept rambling on.
To an outsider, it might look like they were old pals—he had insane affability.
'People come in all types.'
The world is wide; plenty of folks dump their TMI on total strangers.
But Yeonwoo started sensing something off when Kim Seok-hae's complaints started veering into strange territory.
"That's just how this industry is, they say. What can I say—it's tough to succeed without connections. I thought it was just modeling, but acting's even worse."
High-fashion models needed to catch a designer's eye, Kim Seok-hae went on.
He even spilled how he'd flattered countless designers just to keep his career afloat.
Yeonwoo wasn't particularly interested, so it went in one ear and out the other.
'If only I could close my eyes for a bit... This guy's annoying...'
Oblivious to Yeonwoo's apathy, Kim Seok-hae rambled on for a while.
Then, suddenly, he leaned in slyly toward Yeonwoo.
The motion knocked off the alien helmet around his head, but he didn't seem to care as he asked.
"So, how'd you land it?"
"...?"
The subject was omitted.
Reading Yeonwoo's expression somehow, Kim Seok-hae smirked subtly.
"You know. You met him, right? Word's spreading like wildfire."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, you know. That thing."
He had no clue what "that" was.
As Yeonwoo kept a questioning look on his face, Kim Seok-hae whispered conspiratorially.
"You hooked a big fish, they say."
"Yes?"
"Not just one, but two. How'd you reel 'em in so perfectly?"
"...Yes?"
"Come on, no need to play dumb. Everyone who knows, knows. It's not like it'll wear out if you spill. Tell me."
"What do you mean 'everyone who knows'?"
A bad feeling was creeping in.
Whatever this was, it sure wasn't welcome.
Sure enough.
"It's kinda iffy saying this word here, but."
Kim Seok-hae hesitated a moment, then spat it out.
"Sponsor. Sponsor."
Why did his ominous hunch always hit the mark?
And topped off with a sleazy grin like "You know exactly what I mean."
'I'm losing my mind. What the hell is today?'
What demon possessed these people to spew nonsense at him back-to-back?
Oblivious to Yeonwoo's thoughts, Kim Seok-hae kept yapping.
"Sigh. I heard you just debuted, but you're way too good at playing innocent. Makes sense how you snagged such big fish, though."
He wasn't playing innocent.
He genuinely had no idea, so his reaction was natural.
"It's kinda awkward asking a stranger, but... you seem well-connected, Mr. Yeonwoo. Think you could hook me up too? No need for heavyweights like Kwon Sung-hyun or Cheongwang—just an intro, and I can handle the rest."
He smiled like a nice guy, but the naked desire behind it was crystal clear.
It made his ears rot.
'Kwon Sung-hyun? Why's that guy popping up here too?'
Kwon Sung-hyun was having a busy day.
At the aesthetic shop, he'd turned into someone trying to use Yeonwoo to get to Cheongwang; now at the hair salon, he was suddenly Yeonwoo's shadowy backer.
'What the hell rumors are flying around?'
Strange stories were circulating in places he didn't know about.
Yeonwoo's expression naturally hardened.
Misreading it, Kim Seok-hae quickly added.
"No, no, I have principles—I wouldn't poach your sponsors, so don't worry. I just wanna grab my own line."
His smiling face looked obsequious.
"Let me ask one thing."
"Sigh, why bother asking something so obvious? Just ask already."
Yeonwoo eyed the slimy Kim Seok-hae and spoke.
"You said everyone in the know already knows about this rumor?"
"Uh... Yeah?"
A question mark popped up on Kim Seok-hae's face.
*Why's he asking that?*
"Word is, it's spreading far and wide."
"Yeah...?"
Yeonwoo parroted back exactly what he'd said, and Kim Seok-hae replied.
The awkward look on his face deepened.
Kim Seok-hae had approached all friendly and chummy, flattering him to snag some scraps.
But the plan started creaking the moment Kang Yeonwoo's reactions fell flat.
'A rookie should be easy to sweet-talk...'
Progress was slower than expected.
Most rookies who blew up right out the gate were cocky, clueless about the industry's bitter side, and full of holes...
'What? Why's the pressure suddenly...'
Kim Seok-hae's obsequious grin slowly stiffened.
Strangely, it accelerated in pace the thicker Yeonwoo's smile grew.
"Tell me more about this rumor. In detail."
Something was going wrong.
Warning alarms blared in Kim Seok-hae's head.
Too late to realize it now.