Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 004
Chapter Title: One-Day Request
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“Where? Want me to sign something for you?”
“No. That’s fine.”
A razor-sharp, cold reply.
Even so, Jeong Cheol-woo let out a laugh.
“Hahaha. No need to be shy. It’s okay. I get requests like this all the time, so don’t worry and just take it.”
‘All the time, my ass.’
He was an unknown actor. As if he’d get those kinds of requests. Bluffing was listed as one of his specialties, so this guy must be a habitual con artist.
Of course, the grade next to it didn’t make the scam skill seem all that impressive.
“I’d love to take a proof photo together, but given the circumstances... I’m sorry, but we can’t this time.”
“Ah, yes...”
Yeonwoo shook off the hand with an expressionless face.
How long did he have to put up with this?
“It’s really sorry to say this to a fan, but since you like me so much, could you help me out a little?”
Jeong Cheol-woo returned to the main point, drooping his eyebrows as he looked at Yeonwoo.
With his friendly-looking face beaming innocently, he pleaded as if he were truly apologetic.
But.
-Current Favorability: Rock Bottom
-Current Emotional State: Irritation, Anger
The status window never lied.
‘A guy who gets on my nerves this badly... it’s been a while.’
There are people like that.
The kind that make you want to smash through their fake mask and give them a proper screwing over.
At this point, even a one-day request made him want to grant the wish.
It was the moment he accepted the one-day quest he’d dismissed as small fry.
“Hey, you. Seems like you’ve got something to say?”
The target was the soul draped around Jeong Cheol-woo’s neck like a noose.
“...?”
Jeong Cheol-woo blinked in confusion.
“If you can still speak, go ahead. Let’s hear it first.”
“Excuse me...? What are you talking about right now?”
Jeong Cheol-woo glanced back once, then looked at Yeonwoo again, suddenly furrowing his brows.
“Are you an aspiring actor? Want me to check out your acting?”
In that instant, thick irritation flashed in Jeong Cheol-woo’s eyes.
“What a meager imagination... No, it’s not that.”
“Then why are you staring into space and talking to yourself...? If I may be so bold, are you perhaps having hallucinations or hearing voices...?”
“I’m not crazy.”
“Ahaha... I didn’t mean anything rude. You run into all sorts in this industry. Someone like you is hardly noteworthy...”
Yeonwoo ignored Jeong Cheol-woo’s words, staring fixedly at one spot.
[I... Can you... help...?]
The lingering spirit hanging from Jeong Cheol-woo’s neck slowly opened its black mouth.
“Yeah. So, spit it out.”
[Yeonwoo, this guy’s in such bad shape he can barely talk straight.]
“You translate for him then.”
“Excuse me...?”
“Shh.”
Yeonwoo raised a hand to silence Jeong Cheol-woo.
A disbelieving ‘Hah, really’ escaped him, but who cared.
The Child Spirit fluttered over to the lingering spirit and began persuading it.
***
[Jeong Cheol-woo... hit me... money... school... graduate...]
“Yeah, yeah. I get it.”
[Bullying... freedom... impossible... photos... blackmail... money...]
[What? That’s what happened? No way, what kind of new breed of bastard is this?!]
Hearing it straight from the lingering spirit’s mouth, Jeong Cheol-woo turned out to be an even bigger bastard than expected.
Naturally, Yeonwoo’s attitude grew even colder.
“Excuse me, what the hell is going on here...? What about the settlement...?”
“Shut up for a sec. You don’t even know what’s happening right now, do you?”
“What do you...?”
“If you don’t know, then keep your mouth shut and wait. Settlement? Who cares about that? There’s a Grudge Spirit hanging off your back.”
“What? What nonsense is...?”
“Nonsense? You know this guy. Half a head shorter than you, skinny as a rail, big scar on his jaw. Ring any bells?”
Yeonwoo stared at the hazy spirit behind the man and recited its features exactly.
Jeong Cheol-woo’s reaction was immediate.
“H-How do you know Cheol-gyu?!”
“Oh. So his name was Cheol-gyu.”
“...!”
He hadn’t known yet. Thanks for the info.
The status window had one drawback: it only activated upon contact with the target.
Dead or alive, the condition was the same for all.
“Did you know Cheol-gyu is stuck to you?”
Jeong Cheol-woo’s face twisted for a split second.
But he quickly regained his composure, revealing his sleazy true face once more.
“Ahaha. Come to think of it, you’ve been weird from the start. Who sent you? Picked up some dumb rumor and here to fish for dirt? Woo Cheol-gyu? No idea where you heard that name, but he was just some immature kid I hung out with a few times when we were young. Haven’t seen him since we grew up.”
Lies.
[No... that’s not...]
“Yeah, yeah. That bastard’s lying, right? I know. Don’t worry.]
As if they hadn’t met?
‘Does he think Grudge Spirits become that way for no reason?’
The dead ascending to the afterlife is the natural order.
Grudge Spirits defy that order. Naturally, they have fitting reasons.
“I didn’t want to say this much, but you’re being used right now. So many places have been dying to screw me over since forever. I’ve stayed quiet without a single scandal, so they’re stirring shit up. Don’t get used and make things awkward between us...”
Yeonwoo let another stream of nonsense flow past his ears.
Instead, he asked the Child Spirit.
“Done talking to him?”
“What the hell’s over there? Is this guy actually insane?”
[Yeah. I get the gist. Just tell you what he wants, right?]
“Hey, are you listening to me? Hey!”
[What he wants is...]
And shortly after.
“Urk! Ack!”
Jeong Cheol-woo, dangling from Yeonwoo’s grip, twisted in midair.
“Is this really it? Just grabbing the collar?”
[That’s what he says. Sigh. How’d such a gentle soul end up as a would-be Grudge Spirit?]
Woo Cheol-gyu’s wish as a prospective Grudge Spirit was very modest.
“Doesn’t want to hit him a few times? Or break a limb? Nothing like that?”
“You son of a...! Gack! Urgh!”
“You’re too noisy. Shut it.”
“Eurk!”
Jeong Cheol-woo, throat constricted, stuck out his tongue and gagged.
“I’m... gonna... die... ack...!”
Being an entertainer, he even had makeup on, so the tears streaming from his eyes were black.
Yellowish foundation dripped down his cheeks and jaw.
[Satisfied... enough... stop...]
[Aigoo! Aigoo! How can you be satisfied with this? At least beat him till the grudge fades!]
[That hurts...]
[Yeonwoo! He says it’s enough, let go!]
The nosy Child Spirit shouted impatiently.
At the same time,
-Ding!
[You have successfully harvested lifespan.]
[Harvested Lifespan: 1 day]
The quest completion notification appeared.
Normally, he’d release Jeong Cheol-woo and head back.
But Yeonwoo had no intention of ending it there.
Thud!
“Urk!”
The moment Yeonwoo let go, Jeong Cheol-woo tumbled pathetically to the floor.
Face smeared with all sorts of fluids, he clutched his throat and gasped.
“You... you...! Fuck! You think you’ll get away with this?! Do you know whose throat you just grabbed?! I’ll crush you. I’ll kill you for sure! I’ll find who hired you and make you pay for every bit of...!”
“Won’t happen. If it comes out you killed someone, you’re done for. How do you plan to kill me then?”
“What bullshit...?”
“You know it’s not bullshit better than anyone. You’re not gonna pretend you don’t remember, right? Your friend Woo Cheol-gyu, whose leg you stomped till it snapped, leaving him lame as a sequela.”
Yeonwoo stared straight into his eyes.
Then, syllable by syllable, he said.
“You killed him.”
***
After that, it was simple.
Using a talisman to briefly open Jeong Cheol-woo’s spirit eyes was easy.
“Ch-Cheol... Ch-Cheol... Cheol-gyu...”
Jeong Cheol-woo, who’d been ranting about hidden cameras, turned corpse-white.
“You put Cheol-gyu on the railing, didn’t you?”
“Y-Yes...”
“You already knew he couldn’t use his leg properly.”
“Y-Yes...”
“So it was intentional, right?”
“...Yes.”
With the ghost shedding bloody tears right there, Jeong Cheol-woo stammered out a confession, unable to lie.
“Okay. Recording complete.”
That seemed to satisfy Woo Cheol-gyu, as he faded away smoothly.
[Aigoo. That softie! His grudge cleared with just a collar grab and a confession, and off he goes!]
“Is it... over?”
Jeong Cheol-woo sighed in relief as the bloody-tear ghost vanished before his eyes.
But.
Crack!
“Aaack!”
With the sound of breaking bone, Jeong Cheol-woo’s wrist twisted grotesquely underfoot.
“Cheol-gyu was too nice for that, but I’m not.”
He wasn’t some hero of justice, but couldn’t an average person vent a bit of disgust at human trash?
“Don’t go flapping your mouth about this. Remember what I said. If you stir shit up, it’ll be a hassle for both of us. Got it? Unless you want your unknown actor career to end here, forget today happened and live quietly. Okay?”
“Y-Yes, got it...!”
Yeonwoo left Jeong Cheol-woo rolling pathetically on the ground without a second glance and returned to his officetel.
He’d harvested the lifespan; no desire to see that mess anymore.
“Tired. Mental energy’s running low.”
Like a game where HP was fine but MP was depleted.
Who’d have thought the big fish he hooked while hunting would be such human scum.
[No, you did great! Our Yeonwoo did perfect. Lifespan? We’ll earn more. Right?]
“You’re not the one losing lifespan, so you say that...”
[N-No! I said good deeds always come back eventually, right?! You soothed a pitiful grudge spirit, so good fortune’s bound to come your way!]
“Yeah, sure. Hope so.”
He wasn’t really expecting anything.
Today was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, comparing Woo Cheol-gyu’s form to his childhood self.
Not like he was after some reward.
But.
-Ding!
[You have chosen the wrong path.]
[A penalty has been incurred.]
[Lifespan reduced due to penalty.]
[Remaining Grace Period: 23 days]
He hadn’t expected a screw-over instead of fortune.
***
“...?”
What the hell was this?
Penalty? What penalty?
“Wrong path? What is this, a navigation app? What path?!”
He glared at the absurd notification, but the glowing text didn’t change.
28 days.
Should’ve been 47 days left.
But thanks to the sudden penalty, it plummeted to 28.
Like a craftsman’s masterpiece ruined, half the lifespan Yeonwoo had painstakingly gathered day by day vanished.
“Whew... Calm down. Think this through, Kang Yeonwoo.”
Half his lifespan gone, but no point raging blindly.
“Path. Path...”
The system said ‘wrong path.’
Meaning it deviated from the system’s intended direction.
‘I thought just harvesting lifespan was enough, but apparently not.’
No penalty on Han Suhwan’s quest, so what remained was...
“That bastard Jeong Cheol-woo...”
Already dredging up old memories and twice as infuriating human trash, Jeong Cheol-woo.
He’d seemed off from the start, but who knew he’d land such a blow.
‘Guess you can’t just pick up anything and chow down.’
If so, his actions were restricted.
‘Or maybe there’s no choice but to move in the direction the system wants...’
He still couldn’t get a read on it.
What was clear: that bastard’s penalty cost him half his lifespan.
“Driving me crazy.”
How to fill it back up? Scary to pick up scraps again and go negative.
Just then.
Vrrr! Vrrr!
His phone vibrated wildly.
“Hm? It’s that old man.”
Touching the screen brought a deep voice.
-Yeonwoo, how’ve you been? Ah, probably not well. Sorry about that. That place too cramped? A penthouse in some apartment just opened up, under remodel now. Wait a bit longer.
“No, no. That’s fine.”
Yeonwoo cut off the overly generous offer.
“But what’s up?”
-By any chance... do you have time? Could you meet someone for me if it’s okay?