Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 016
Chapter Title: Manager or Actor? (1)
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No one who wasn’t an actor would pay any attention to the manager. Yeonwoo’s hand moved freely across the memo pad. To anyone watching, it would look like he was just jotting down ordinary notes with a pen.
But what happened next was anything but ordinary.
Fsssh….
The paper under his palm turned to ash in an instant, retaining its shape. With a light shake, the black ashes dissolved into the air like smoke.
‘Let’s start with one.’
Yeonwoo snapped his fingers.
Then.
[Kieeek!]
One of the obsessive thoughts swelling up around Min Writer’s shoulders and head like it was devouring her twisted its body and let out a grotesque screech.
[Uh, uhh?]
The effect was immediate. The lump of obsessive thought that even a child couldn’t budge no matter how hard she tried had caught fire right there on the spot.
There were no flashy blazing flames. Instead, silent but utterly unquenchable ghostflames took their place, steadily incinerating the target.
The small hole burned into its massive body gradually widened until, finally,
[Kieeek……!]
The obsessive thought clinging to Min Writer let out one last death rattle and vanished completely.
And at the same moment.
-Ding!
[You have successfully harvested lifespan.]
[Harvested Lifespan: 27 days]
Nearly a full month’s worth in one go.
‘Now that’s more like it.’
A satisfied smile crept onto his lips.
[Whoa……?]
The massive obsessive thought the child had been struggling to dislodge without any real success had disappeared without even putting up a proper fight. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at Yeonwoo in dazed awe, like she was looking at someone truly amazing.
“Hating it at first, but your skills are as sharp as ever? Your control over the exorcism talisman feels even more precise than before.”
When life was on the line, everything changed.
“That kid’s looking at you like you’re a total hero. She must think you’re amazing.”
Yeonwoo chuckled.
Unsure how to take his laugh, the child quickly ducked behind Min Writer again.
And then….
‘Hm?’
His eyes met Min Writer’s.
Directly.
He didn’t know how long she’d been staring, but her wide eyes fixed on him didn’t bode well.
‘I don’t remember sensing any spirits around her….’
Min Writer was probably feeling lighter in her shoulders and head right about now. Obsessive thoughts strong enough to affect humans didn’t just gnaw at the mind—they influenced the body too. The exhaustion and weariness he’d first sensed in her were gone now that the oppressive force had lifted.
‘Well, she won’t connect it to me anyway.’
Of course not. Who in their right mind would think someone could handle an obsessive thought that easily right here?
No. Most people wouldn’t even accept the existence of obsessive thoughts in the first place.
Even if someone did believe, they’d never imagine it being exorcised at lightspeed.
Sure enough, Min Writer soon looked away.
But Yeonwoo felt another piercing gaze.
‘Why’s that guy staring like that?’
The owner of those burning eyes was Lee Deokchun, the one with the outdated name and memorable bad acting.
***
One week after the first script reading.
“Shooting starts now! Scene one, take two!”
The drama’s official first shoot began.
A staff member’s booming voice rang out, followed by the sharp clap of the slate.
With dozens of eyes on him, Kwon Seonghyeon moved.
“I’m sick of it.”
His cold tone dripped with venom.
It was his first scene, crossing paths with ghosts that didn’t even faze his character.
“Seonghyeon acts so well, right?”
“Yeah, well….”
“It’s not just because he’s my actor. There’s no one as great as him. The tension hits hard right from his intro scene.”
“It does.”
He’d felt it during the script reading, but Kwon Seonghyeon definitely had some kind of aura.
“Seonghyeon’s parts will probably have almost no NGs, so they’ll go quick, but the overall shoot will still take a while. He said you can rest in the waiting room if you’re tired. Want me to take you there?”
“No, I’m fine. Watching is fun. I’ll rest later.”
Drama shoots didn’t follow a fixed schedule. They shifted fluidly based on the actors’ conditions, surrounding circumstances, location setups, props, and all sorts of other factors.
A scene could wrap in minutes or drag on forever.
That meant actors and staff alike often got worn out.
He appreciated the manager’s consideration. It wasn’t normal for an assistant manager with no actors to manage to lounge in an empty waiting room.
But.
‘Where am I supposed to go without my rice bowl?’
It was unnecessary for Yeonwoo.
“Then watch comfortably. I’ll step out to take a call….”
As the manager slipped away, Yeonwoo scanned the set.
[They’ve grown even more since last time?]
“Shooting’s in full swing now, so yeah.”
[True. Plenty of people hate seeing others succeed. Look at those sticky curse clumps already, on the first day. Ugh, gross.]
Crackle!
As the Child Spirit said, the obsessive thoughts had multiplied bigger and more splendidly over the week.
‘All that is my lifespan, huh?’
He couldn’t stop his lips from curving up.
“Total jackpot for me.”
[If you put it that way, it’s not all bad…. Kinda kills the humanity, though. How many twisted people out there wish for others’ downfall if they balloon like this in just a week?]
“Why do you care about humanity?”
[Why? What do you mean why! Can’t I have a little humanity?!]
The hamster in his pocket squeaked furiously.
Yeonwoo paused.
‘Lately she keeps forgetting she’s a ghost. Nah, must be my imagination….’
Pat pat.
He stroked the hamster’s soft head with his fingertip.
“You can’t see from inside that animal body, but it’s not all curses.”
[Then what?]
“About half are desires.”
[That many people trying to leech off our actor’s project?!]
“Like you said, it’s Kwon Seonghyeon. For every jealous type envious of others’ success, there’s one trying to ride the coattails without lifting a finger.”
Either way, they were all the same to Yeonwoo: obsessive thoughts.
Just gold nuggets scattered on the floor for the picking.
“Cut!”
A loud voice echoed across the set.
[Oh? NG already? No way—our actor called it?]
The director rushed over to Kwon Seonghyeon.
“Seonghyeon, that was great just now. Something wrong?”
“Sorry. I don’t think I prepared enough.”
Kwon Seonghyeon bowed politely.
“What are you talking about? You, unprepared? Where’s an actor who shoots without NGs like you? That was just a few takes. Child’s play. Emotions still settling in early on…?”
Director Heo glanced at Kwon Seonghyeon cautiously.
He was hypersensitive and picky with bad actors, but endlessly lenient with those who nailed their roles.
Kwon Seonghyeon was the prime example.
“No.”
“Then what’s the issue? Can you tell me?”
“Sorry, but could you give me a moment…?”
“Oh, yeah! Of course! Everyone, take five!”
It hadn’t even been an hour since shooting started.
Yet he called for a break without hesitation.
[Weird. Our actor’s famous for one-takes, no NGs. Off day today?]
“Who knows.”
Whether Kwon Seonghyeon was on form or not didn’t matter to Yeonwoo.
As long as the lifespan kept flowing like a fountain.
But then.
[Yeonwoo, actor’s coming this way.]
“What?”
Yeonwoo’s head whipped around as he eyed the biggest, most beautiful one.
Sure enough, Kwon Seonghyeon—dressed to the nines like a chaebol heir—was striding over.
‘No, why here?!’
The already imposing man, now wrapped in his drama character’s vibe, exuded an aura that could make anyone kneel just by looking.
And he was heading straight for Yeonwoo.
“Yeonwoo-ssi. Got a minute?”
[Of course! What’s up, actor? You look off.]
Before Yeonwoo could refuse, the Child Spirit jumped in.
“What is it?”
Let’s hear it.
As Yeonwoo spoke, the chaebol aura faded, replaced by the usual dog-like guy who slowly opened his mouth.
“My acting isn’t coming out right.”
“Pardon?”
“I practiced a lot and got a feel for the role, but something’s missing.”
“……?”
Why tell me?
‘A guy with more acting skills than fingers on his hands complaining about this?!’
It was like Michael Jordan asking a random kid how to dunk. Or Noam Chomsky quizzing on the alphabet. Or Cha Bum dunking tips.
Utter nonsense.
“If I’m acting, I want it perfect.”
“What’s that got to do with me…?”
“That attitude ignoring ghosts completely. I’m curious about it.”
***
This guy really was weird.
Their first meeting had been offbeat, and now it felt even stranger.
“So you want me to teach you acting? For real?”
“No one but you can do it.”
Kwon Seonghyeon was dead serious.
“Normally, image training would suffice. But not this time. I believe your guidance will make my acting perfect.”
“…….”
“It’s different from just ignoring people. I looked it up—souls appear in all sorts of forms. Grotesque and terrifying, or creepy ones. I want to know more about the emotions of someone who ignores that world completely.”
He wanted better acting. Perfect acting.
As the Child Spirit said, it was Kwon Seonghyeon’s greed and drive for improvement.
‘Impressive. That’s what makes him a top star?’
At the peak, he could be arrogant, but Kwon Seonghyeon showed none of that.
He had pride in his skills, sure.
But bowed his head to an acting novice for his ideal performance.
‘Hmm. Why not try teaching him?’
His words hit Yeonwoo’s past square on.
Unpleasant memories, but a top actor asking for help? Why not.
“Never taught anyone, so no guarantees. Never consciously analyzed my own attitude either.”
“Oh….”
His shoulders slumped, taking it as rejection.
“But I could show you how I usually handle things.”