Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 098
Chapter Title: Why Is This Popping Up Now? (1)
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Sensing the shift in Yeonwoo's demeanor, the guide flinched and pulled back.
"For your information, just brushing against that toxic plant makes your skin swell up, and in severe cases, it can cause respiratory distress... You'll know once you touch it. Who's right, me or you."
"Who the hell are you to boss me around?"
"Go ahead and touch it."
The guide's bravado lasted only a moment. Feeling ignored, he scowled and stepped forward, but Yeonwoo's response was the same.
"Hey!"
"Touch it or don't. Your call."
The guide was caught in a bind. Touching it would make it seem like he was backing down to some kid. Not touching it would make it look like he'd been scared off by the kid's words.
But his hesitation didn't last long. Yeonwoo's next words hit a nerve.
"You're the one blabbering without even believing your own bullshit."
Hearing the translator relay the words perfectly, the guide's face twisted.
"Mierda!"
Spitting out the curse, the guide lunged toward the flower and yanked the stem from below the bloom.
"Huh?"
A staffer who'd been filming just in case pulled back the lens.
The layered petals, which had made the flower look so lush, trembled all at once the moment the guide's hand touched them, showering down an enormous cloud of pollen.
"Wh-what the hell? What's going on?"
Pale green pollen piled up thickly on the guide's hand.
And right then.
"Urk? What the—?!"
The guide's panicked voice shot up an octave. His hand clutching the flower ballooned up in seconds—visibly bizarre even from afar.
The reaction didn't stop there.
"Guh... guh-huck!"
He started gasping like he couldn't breathe, dropped the flower, and clutched his throat.
[Tsk tsk. That's only making it worse. What an idiot.]
Adrian, watching it all, clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Guhk...! Guhk!"
The powder on his hand must have smeared to his neck—it swelled up too. The swelling choked his already blocked airway.
His face was turning blue.
[Idiots suffer for it, huh. There's a time and place to be stubborn.]
Same here.
'Can't let him die, though...'
If someone kicked the bucket, the movie was at high risk of falling apart.
"Anyone got water?"
"Y-yeah... here..."
A flustered staffer hurriedly handed over a bottle amid the suddenly dire situation.
Yeonwoo took it, popped the cap, and dumped the whole thing over the guide's head without hesitation.
"Got any more?"
"Y-yes, here..."
Splash!
This time too, he poured it all straight over the guide's head.
He was practically slapping him with a torrent of water.
"Guhk! Blurgh... guh-heuk!"
"Hang in there. This is how you wash off the pollen."
The guide sputtered blankly as the water blasted his face.
Ignoring him, Yeonwoo smacked his face several more times with bottles of water.
"Hah... haah...!"
How much water did he dump?
"Th-that's enough...!"
The guide's breathing finally normalized. He'd been force-fed water on top of getting drenched.
Of course...
[Serves you right. Daring to dismiss Sir Adrian's knowledge as nonsense.]
It was a mess, hardly worth calling a relief.
Yeonwoo turned to the staff, eyeing the guide coughing like a drowned rat.
"Anyone got a towel?"
***
The guide was ultimately booted from the group.
"Absolutely not."
The medical team confirmed his breathing and pulse were back to normal, but Director Ji—contrary to his mild nature—issued a firm eviction.
"Better head to the hospital for a checkup, just in case."
The guide tried making excuses amid the bizarre turn, but Director Ji was unyielding.
His eyes burned fierce, his voice clear and steady.
Watching the guide's retreating back—escorted by a few medics and staff—Director Ji sighed.
"We went in circles forever, and he pulls a stunt like this right at the end. Who knew we'd get stuck with a guide like that."
If it'd been a staffer who'd touched that dangerous flower instead?
Brr!
A chill of horror shook Director Ji's shoulders.
He'd nearly turned a beautiful scene into a precious staffer's nightmare—instead of nailing the shot.
And that wasn't all.
The movie would've been jeopardized, and naturally, it'd have been a huge headache for the investors.
'No wonder he rubbed me the wrong way from the start.'
Zero skills, and he'd nearly tanked the film with bad info.
No exaggeration.
Director Ji inwardly brushed off his lingering anxiety.
Naturally, his gaze toward Yeonwoo softened more than silk.
"Yeonwoo, thank you... We almost had a disaster..."
"No big deal. Gotta step up for stuff like this."
Everything had gone smoothly since Yeonwoo joined the movie.
Even just now, he'd saved them from potential ruin!
The assistant director, who'd been watching, chimed in.
"How'd you even know about that? You shaved ten years off my life."
"Someone knowledgeable about this stuff mentioned it once."
Not a lie.
A survival expert had been right there, spilling every detail.
"No way. You still remembered that? What a memory."
The assistant director marveled, unaware.
He already knew Yeonwoo memorized ever-changing scripts on the spot without a hitch, but this? Mind-blowing.
And he'd even solved it perfectly.
"Still, kinda worried. Lucky it was something you knew this time, but who knows what else is out there... Gotta find a new guide too. Sigh..."
"Assistant Director. Got the drone footage handy?"
"Hm? Why?"
"Figured it might help find the way."
"What? For real? Then hell yeah, check it out! Hang on!"
The assistant director fetched the device right away.
The aerial footage unfurled beautifully.
"You can find the path with this?"
"Yeah, sorta..."
Of course not.
But...
[Hmm. So it was this way. That quack. Wasting time like this just to get here?]
Adrian was here—more reliable than any GPS.
"Think I got it."
"What?! Seriously?"
"Yeah. I've got a good sense of direction."
With the guide gone first...
They needed another to reach Director Ji's desired spot.
Problem was the wait time.
Shooting had buffer days, and it was the investor's private land, so schedule was fine, but...
[Not going back down, right? You said up from here? Yes? Down? Damn it! Let me guide. Please let me guide.]
Adrian was the issue.
He'd barely latched onto Yeonwoo as his lifeline, counting days to escape.
The schedule seemed tangled because of that guide.
Yeonwoo's business done meant leaving the island, so Adrian's voice brimmed with zeal.
"Still, isn't it risky? What if there's more poison ivy or whatever..."
[Just avoid that, and nothing else to watch for.]
Compared to Amazon jungles, this was paradise.
[That plant's safe with water.]
Water-soluble or whatever...
"We've come this far without issues, so should be fine."
"True, but..."
"Going back would suck too."
"Yeah. Might need a new spot anyway."
"I'll guide. Let's go check it out."
"Hmm... You sure...?"
Director Ji looked tempted.
Short deliberation, quick decision.
He'd yielded to the desire for even more stunning footage.
And...
"Whoa. We actually made it?"
"Wow... How'd you spot the path from that? I stared and stared—zero clue."
They reached the desired spot in no time.
Staff astonishment peaked.
Unlike the hours of circling earlier, following Yeonwoo's lead got them there fast.
Spot-on from the footage. Director Ji and the staff's admiring gazes turned to Yeonwoo.
But Yeonwoo had no attention for it.
Something bizarre happened the instant they arrived.
-Ding!
[You have perfectly fulfilled the deceased's request!]
[Congratulations! You have acquired an additional acquirable ability point as a reward.]
[Reward: Mountain Path Reading [B+]]
"...?"
The translucent status window floated before his eyes.
'Why is this popping up now?'
Deceased's request? Reward?
Yeonwoo's eyes flicked to Adrian.
-Acquirable additional ability points: ?
'What the. Still question marks on the additional ones?'
No clue why "Mountain Path Reading" dropped here.
And...
[Yes. This is how quick it should've been. What a detour.]
Adrian hadn't vanished.
He stood smugly beside Yeonwoo, nodding to himself.
So damn unhelpful, this system.
What, does spelling it out kill you?
'Tough luck for me.'
No choice.
Yeonwoo sighed.
"Alright, we're way behind from wandering—let's hustle! Lights first, then this angle with that backdrop. Adjust accordingly!"
Under Director Ji's orders, the assistant director's excited voice boomed behind the beautiful cascading waterfall.
Filming finally began.
***
Splash!
The cheerful sound of slicing water, droplets sparkling as they caught the sunlight.
Beneath the blazing sun, the young man holding the flapping fish exuded cool vitality and vibrant energy.
The woman ahead widened her eyes in delighted surprise at the youth with the wriggling fish.
But even that joy soon crinkled her eyes into a happy smile.
This cinematic scene was...
"Cut! Perfect...! Absolutely... perfect!"
An actual movie scene.
Director Ji's satisfied voice rang out from monitoring.
And...
-Ding!
[You have perfectly fulfilled the deceased's request!]
[Congratulations! You have acquired an additional acquirable ability point as a reward.]
[Reward: Fish Catching [A]]
A cheery alert popped up before Yeonwoo's eyes.
These random ability pickups had grown familiar lately.
[Grabbing them that smoothly? Benefactor's got nimble hands too.]
Adrian chuckled beside him, watching Yeonwoo.
[Handy for food if shipwrecked near water with fish around.]
A proud smile lit his face—at least no starving by water now.
'...Like I'm getting shipwrecked in modern society.'
He needed useful skills.
But nope—vague ones no one knew where to use.
Same these past few days.
True to his survival expert title, Adrian's random drops were all niche.
Useful in Amazon wilds, sure...
But Yeonwoo lived amid skyscrapers and machines.
His family was a tad distant from modern science, but still.
"Director Ji's totally hooked. No reshoots needed. See him looping that monitor? Means it's a total hit."
The assistant director whispered after glancing at Director Ji endlessly rewinding.
"Yeonwoo, how'd you think to fish there? I was agonizing over cutting that scene, and you revive it like this!"