Chapter 140
Translator: uly
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Ability Stat Applications (1)
“Damn, this is driving me nuts.”
There’s no smoke without fire, or so they say.
The rumors I shook out of Kim Seok-hae came in all sorts of versions. I’d heard one at the aesthetic shop, and there were slightly different ones too. But the one thing they all had in common was Woo Do-gyeom right at the center of it.
“Should I kill this bastard or let him live?”
[What the hell is this guy saying?! No killing, absolutely not!]
“Ah, I’m just saying, just saying.]
It was irritating enough that part of me wanted to kill him. Of course, that would just pile up bad karma, and a guy like Woo Do-gyeom wouldn’t go quietly to the afterlife even after death. He’d probably stick to me 24/7, harassing me wherever I went, convinced he was in the right. Just thinking about it gave me chills.
Woo Do-gyeom. He was definitely the problem.
‘Ever since that guy showed up, nothing but headaches.’
Putting together all the testimonies and my own thoughts led to one inevitable conclusion.
I got why he was stirring up trouble on purpose.
‘Though he’d never see it that way himself.’
The surface reason was obvious: repaying a favor.
‘Should’ve just demanded money upfront and called it quits?’
Honestly, I felt wronged. Extremely wronged!
‘If I’d actually demanded something, I wouldn’t feel this hard done by.’
All I’d done was hold Woo Do-gyeom back at a reasonable level. Sure, that had caused him to escalate things big time.
But regrets always come too late.
If I’d just meekly gone along with whatever he threw at me, saying “Yes, sir” like a good boy, maybe none of this would’ve happened.
But.
‘Why the hell should I?’
The problem was, I didn’t want to.
[Why the hell is that guy like that?]
“He seems to think he’s repaying a debt or something...”
[Repaying? Reee-paying? If that’s repaying, I’ve killed a few people by now.]
“...That bad?”
Even Dongja-ryeong thought it was some weird-ass way of repaying a favor.
[Here’s my take, from a ghost who’s lived through life and watched all sorts of dramas, movies, and media... He’s that type.]
“What type?”
Dongja-ryeong put on a pretty serious face. Setting aside whether a ghost could claim to have “lived” a life, it was worth hearing out...
[You know, the type who goes, “You’re the first one to ever slap my cheek!”]
...Nope.
“Whew...”
I let out a long sigh, and Dongja-ryeong spat as he urged me to hear more.
[It sounds lame when I put it into words, but it’s true! How sheltered must a guy like that be, with everyone around him just kissing his ass? Then you show up, Yeonwoo! Someone who won’t do what he wants!]
“...And?”
[And what? You know how these stories go! Of course he got interested in you! With your personality, you wouldn’t just take whatever he dishes out. You must’ve pushed back every time. You two are total opposites, right?]
“...”
Dongja-ryeong was spot on.
[Kang Yeonwoo, stubborn as ever, would’ve insisted on paying him back somehow. You never just take what’s given.]
That too.
[You could stand to accept it gracefully once in a while, but that’s your issue. You can’t just take people’s goodwill at face value. I get the environment shaped you that way, but not everything in the world is give-and-take, you know?]
What the hell? We were getting along fine, and now he’s picking a fight?
“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
[No reason. Just hit me that it’s true. You need to learn to accept kindness, Yeonwoo. Time to let go of the past.]
“Let go? How do you let go?”
That was the world I’d lived in.
“You know damn well nothing comes free.”
[True. But Yeonwoo, sometimes the world doesn’t work that way.]
Either way, this kid was spouting wisdom beyond his years.
[You’re not a kid anymore. You’ve grown a lot. Sure, there’s that lifespan thing, but anyway. Point is, you don’t have to walk on eggshells, double-checking every exchange anymore.]
“...”
[It’s simple, really. If you’d just accepted his ‘repayment’ nonsense, he’d probably have gotten bored and backed off quick.]
“You want me to trust a shady bastard like that and just take it?”
[...Fair.]
Dongja-ryeong nodded. Then he snapped to and shook his head wildly.
[No, wait! Why’d it go there again?!]
“You’re right, though. If I just take whatever from that guy, I might end up gutted before I know it.”
[Yeah...]
“I get what you’re saying. Don’t be burdened by kindness.”
[Right...?]
“It’s the total opposite of the world I knew, so it feels weird, but I’ll get used to it...”
[Yeah, habits like that don’t change overnight.]
“And honestly, I haven’t been that closed off. Dongja, I’m not that dense.”
[R-Really...?]
“Yeah.”
I sighed. Seeing him scratch his head deflated my will to argue.
There was one reason I couldn’t push back harder on Dongja-ryeong.
‘...Come to think of it, I’ve had similar thoughts.’
Should I be glad we were on the same wavelength, or lament that we even thought alike?
Either way, Dongja-ryeong was right.
Not taking handouts like everyone else seemed to pique Woo Do-gyeom’s interest.
Of course I’d thought that.
I’d tried to control it, avoiding stimulation as much as possible...
‘But what can you do when it just doesn’t sit right?’
It was physiological, instinctual.
This was the best compromise I could manage.
And even that was causing all this hassle. How could I not be pissed?!
-Don’t go blabbing your mouth anywhere else. Got it?
-Y-Yes, sir...
I’d overheard someone mocking him for biting off more than he could chew. The guy who’d approached me rudely, thinking we could buddy up, was now cowed. I threatened him once more for good measure.
-Unverified rumors spreading further would be trouble for both of us, right?
-Y-Yes, it would.
Doing this kind of veiled threat twice in one day left me with a weird sense of reality crashing down.
‘But think about it—this is ridiculous.’
I was using stats gained from Woo Do-gyeom to quash the messes he’d stirred up.
Talk about irony.
“Sponsor... Just the word pisses me off...”
It might’ve started innocently, but in the industry, it was long twisted into something dirty. Even I, not long in the game, knew how trashy it sounded under the table.
[Guys who say “You’re the first to slap my cheek” are usually bad news.]
“You admit it?”
[Admit what?]
“That I’m the one getting screwed here.”
[Ah...]
“He’s the one who started it, so why am I paying the price?”
There was more.
“All my efforts because of him ended up benefiting him. Isn’t this a total mugging?”
Every drop of sweat poured in felt erased by that one word “sponsor.” You know what sucks? All those hard-earned achievements of mine turning into his credit, thanks to one word. That was a major sore point.
“Still pisses me off thinking about it...”
The premiere was right around the corner. Meaning official release wasn’t far off either.
[Yeonwoo? Your eyes are getting scary. Yeonwoo...?]
I felt the need to sort this out fast.
I grabbed my phone decisively.
[Yeonwoo? Yeonwoo?!]
Dongja-ryeong chattered in alarm beside me, but I tuned him out.
One thing mattered now.
-[Yeonwoo? Calling me directly. Must be something big. What’s up?]
“I need to meet you. Now.”
Right away.
Deal with the source of this mess.
*
“Hmm. Rumors like that going around?”
Woo Do-gyeom tilted his head and murmured lowly.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
His fingertips drummed steadily on the table.
“Yes. Made my day so refreshing.”
Across from him, I lifted the cup the burly server had brought and slurped it down as I shot back.
“Hearing you’re pleased makes me happy too.”
“...Excuse me. That was sarcasm.”
“Same here.”
His eyes curved thinly, brimming with interest.
“But... aren’t you busy?”
“When you call, I come running.”
“I didn’t mean right this second.”
“My benefactor is too modest. He rarely voices what he wants. So this is a rare chance for me.”
Don’t chairmen of companies have packed schedules? I hadn’t seen him look busy since that first time I was practically kidnapped.
Not my concern, though.
“Still, booking out a whole cafe on short notice is too much.”
Slurp.
“Misunderstanding.”
“Huh?”
“I didn’t book it. I bought it.”
“What?!”
“They say the mint choco drinks here are famous.”
“...”
As Woo Do-gyeom said, the mint choco latte was rich and delicious.
But it also left a bitter taste.
And there was one reason this delicious mint choco tasted bitter.
“You insisted on meeting in person—what could be more important? This much makes talking easier, no? Plus, it’s famous for the mint choco you like, so I picked it on purpose. Didn’t expect to use my new acquisition so soon.”
The famous, tasty mint choco felt bitter because of the guy in front of me gleefully throwing money around.
My head suddenly throbbed, and I pressed my forehead.
“That’s exactly the problem. It’s over the top.”
“Over the top? Who decides that?”
Tap. Tap.
Woo Do-gyeom’s fingertips drummed the table again.
“My children’s lives are priceless. I wouldn’t trade them for a country. In other words, you saved something invaluable.”
Like saving two countries?
He added that bit. Sort of made sense, sort of didn’t.
It felt odd that this cold, emotionless weirdo cherished his kids so much.
An overlapping shadow flickered in my mind.
Like... Lady Kang, my mother.
“Well, that’s your standard, so I can’t argue. But it creates those words, and that’s unpleasant.”
“Those words? Ah, sponsor.”
Asking despite knowing made him annoying.
Tap. Tap.
As if pondering, Woo Do-gyeom drummed his fingers, then spoke.
“Yeah. There were guys spouting that crap.”
“You knew?!”
“Gossip like that reaches me inevitably.”
“And you didn’t correct it?”
“Didn’t see the need.”
It wasn’t true anyway, so no point stepping in to fix it, he added.
“If people know for sure who’s behind you, won’t that benefit you?”
“No. Absolutely not.”
I thought: This guy is fundamentally off from normal people.
My serious reply made Woo Do-gyeom’s eyes narrow slightly.
A gesture of incomprehension.
“If it bothers you that much, make it real.”
“...What the hell are you saying?”