That place is basically just a storeroom.
Located in the far corner of the second floor, the so-called “study” was more like a dusty storeroom filled with all sorts of random junk.
Given that these celestial beings were offering him a hint, Rowoon had half expected something precious or extraordinary. But if this place was basically a storeroom, it didn’t seem promising at all.
[Starlight #51 clasps their hands, looking at you with a pleading sparkle in their eyes!]
Sure, Rowoon’s countdown was already at D-6.
But still…
“…Well, all right. They’re asking me so earnestly. I’m already here—what’s one more room to check?”
He felt a pang of sympathy for these lofty beings who were practically begging him. After all, there was a time when he, too, had desperately hoped someone would help him, though nobody ever did.
“…Okay, I’ll give it a look, so please don’t be so anxious.”
The reason he’d gotten his second chance was that they had helped Cheong-Hwa in the first place. Even a magpie repays its debts; searching one more room was no big deal.
He had only six days left, but he tried to see it as having six whole days left instead.
Then, suddenly:
[Some of the Starlights are moved by your kindheartedness!]
[Most of the Starlights confirm that you’ve made the right choice!]
[Some of the Starlights are…]
Rowoon, feeling a bit self-conscious, pushed open the door to the study.
Inside, it was every bit the disaster zone he remembered. Despite its spaciousness, it was crammed with miscellaneous items, piled up haphazardly.
Huge fitness machines that belonged in a gym, random couches shoved here and there for no apparent reason, shopping bags littered across the floor, plus boxes plastered with luxury brand logos.
It didn’t look like the kind of place you’d find something that could save his life.
“I guess it’s unlikely I’ll find anything here, but I did promise to look…”
He resigned himself to searching, not really expecting to discover anything.
What good could come of wandering around this room—?
“…Huh?”
Rowoon stopped in his tracks.
He’d spotted a stack of old papers stuffed in the far corner. If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, there was a faint glow emanating from between the sheets of paper.
“Light…?”
Yes, they were glowing. Sheets of paper that literally gave off light.
[Starlight #51 nods vigorously at you!]
[Starlight #51 gives you a big thumbs-up!]
[Starlight #51 puffs out their chest with pride!]
A rapid stream of messages told him this was the correct find.
Rowoon mumbled in disbelief, “Wow… so it actually worked?”
Those glowing papers turned out to be a thin booklet.
“A script?”
Below a temporary title on the cover, there was a name that rang familiar. He didn’t have time to figure out whose it was; as soon as Rowoon reached out to read more closely—
“…!”
The script flared with a sudden burst of light.
That wasn’t all.
Ding!
A cheerful sound echoed in his ears, followed by a system window popping up as if to confirm he had found the right answer.
[A request has arrived for you!]
[Do you accept this request?]
That alone was surprising enough, but there was more.
[Time limit: 6 days]
Exactly the same as the countdown.
He’d half expected that.
But then—
[Caution! Failure to complete the request within the time limit will result in a penalty!]
He hadn’t seen that coming.
A penalty? That’s definitely ominous…
More ominous, even, than the D-day countdown.
Rowoon took a deep breath and carefully read the system’s next line:
[Do you accept this request?]
This is just like a video game the youngest member of my old group used to play…
A “quest” that the player is forced to undertake. Why did this situation remind him of that?
Sure enough:
[Caution! Failure to complete the request within the time limit will result in a penalty!]
From that single line, it was already clear there’d be serious consequences if he blew it off.
Meanwhile:
[Request: You Are Not Wrong]
[Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Rescue the man drowning in guilt!]
[Reward: ????]
The wording made Rowoon pause.
So I have to help someone?
But the request didn’t specify exactly who.
Rowoon looked down at the glowing script in his hands.
“Is it telling me to help whoever wrote this?”
There had to be a reason those Starlights guided him to pick up this script. He ventured a guess.
[Starlight (Requester) bobs their head vigorously in agreement!]
He’d guessed right.
Somehow, the name “Starlight #51” changed to “Starlight (Requester).”
Rowoon ran his eyes over the script’s cover:
[Guiro (Working Title)]
[Screenplay/Director: Kim Seong-ha]
Kim Seong-ha.
That name definitely sounded familiar.
Ah, so that’s why…
There was a time when everyone joked that any blockbuster on the big screen had to be Kim Seong-ha’s work. He was a star director in Korean cinema, famous for repeatedly hitting ten-million-ticket sales without relying on Hollywood blockbusters.
…But that’s in the past.
Kim Seong-ha, once a sure bet for box-office success, had eventually been consumed by a devastating scandal, which ruined his career.
Rowoon recalled it was something industry-related, so the backlash was especially harsh. He had practically been blacklisted and then forgotten.
The higher you rise, the harder you fall.
Kim Seong-ha had once soared, but now he’d long since vanished from the public’s memory.
…That kind of hits close to home.
Even just recognizing the name left a bitter taste in Rowoon’s mouth.
[Starlight (Requester) waits anxiously for your decision!]
That was why Rowoon decided to accept that grim-looking quest, despite its unfriendly instructions and ominous warnings.
“Ugh… guess I’ve got no choice.”
Lee Rowoon tapped [Yes] to accept.
He understood what it meant to desperately need help. He couldn’t turn away.
[Gaaah! Where in the world do you find a scam contract like this?!]
“W-Well, I felt a bit sorry for him and… y’know…”
[You’re too soft-hearted—how do you plan to survive in this harsh world?!]
Not long after Rowoon accepted the quest, the long-napping Cheong-Hwa woke up.
[…? Huh? Why are there so many of these higher beings watching?]
The moment he blinked awake, he mumbled that, and when Rowoon told him everything that had happened, he promptly blew his top.
[What the heck are they thinking?!]
First, there was the news about the countdown, then the appearance of these “observers” offering hints, and finally the request he’d accepted.
Cheong-Hwa erupted in a tirade against the unknown parties involved.
Though he didn’t name names, Rowoon caught plenty of strong insults: stuffy old codgers, codgerly geezers with zero flexibility, shameless extortionists, etc.
“It’s really okay. Didn’t you say I had to do this anyway?” Rowoon tried to calm him.
[Yes, but… aren’t you angry at all?]
“Well… there’s no such thing as a free lunch, right?”
He’d known from the start there’d be a price to pay for coming back to life.
From what Cheong-Hwa explained:
[In short, you were fated not to die yet. But since it looked like you would, I borrowed power from others, so now you owe them.]
Basically, a debt.
The price of a life.
—So, what’s the countdown for then?
Cheong-Hwa answered:
—That countdown represents the time you have to repay your debt.
“So if I’ve got to repay it anyway, better to just accept and get it over with, right?”
[Hmph. I suppose so. I just didn’t think they’d push you so fast. But it’s not necessarily all bad. Think about it: those beings are basically your lifeline. They’re high-ranking, so they have plenty to offer in exchange for your work.]
So there would be rewards for fulfilling this “price.”
Is that allowed? It’s good for me, but…
[Of course! They can’t just use you for free!]
“But I owe them, don’t I?”
[True, but they also gain a lot simply by forcing this debt on you. The rest is fair compensation.]
“Huh?”
[You’re effectively their ‘legal channel’ for influencing events in the mortal world. I mentioned it before: They can’t just interfere openly. Even if they have power, it’s useless if they can’t use it.]
In other words, Rowoon himself was a critical go-between for those high entities.
[Anyway, without you, they’d be in trouble, too. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Naturally, the party who stands to gain—them—has to offer more.]
Somehow, that felt reassuring but also a bit strange.
When was the last time I had someone back me up like this?
He usually heard things like:
“Rowoon, you need to be understanding.”
“They must have their reasons.”
“You heard what happened, so just put up with it.”
Even when it was clearly someone else’s fault, he was always told to grin and bear it.
But Cheong-Hwa was different.
[Don’t ever let those old fogeys think they can use you for free! They’ve got some nerve—someone’s in dire need, and they swoop in asking for a deal? Tch!]
He might sound cranky and old-fashioned, but he was on Rowoon’s side.
They’d only met twice, yet somehow Rowoon felt the solid warmth of having someone in his corner.
Not only that—
Come to think of it, Cheong-Hwa saved me. Sure, I have to pay off the debt, but he never explained exactly why he saved me.
There was another thing Rowoon had picked up on, though Cheong-Hwa seemed to avoid mentioning it.
From the way he talks, if I die, he dies too. He bound his own fate to mine but hasn’t said much about it.
He didn’t know the reason. But one thing was clear: Cheong-Hwa didn’t want Rowoon to die.
For some reason, he was firmly on Rowoon’s side.
[Why are you smiling all of a sudden? Did you lose your mind?]
“No, it’s just—”
[Just what, then?]
“I was thinking how reassuring it is to have you around, Cheong-Hwa. Suddenly I feel a lot safer.”
He couldn’t remember the last time someone gave him such unconditional concern. That alone was enough reason to say it.
[Y-you…! You’re the same as always—back then and now—so…!]
The water droplet started splashing droplets everywhere, as if overwhelmed by emotion.
[A-anyway! From now on, just trust me. I’ll handle everything! If it weren’t for me tinkering with this system, you’d probably be hearing ominous gibberish in your dreams right now!]
He boasted that he’d fixed up the system, so Rowoon shouldn’t worry.
Just then—
[D-5]
The countdown ticked down another number. He had five days left.
Time to refocus on the quest.
Rowoon fixed his gaze on the script in his hands.
“So I accepted the quest. Now what exactly am I supposed to do?”
He had five days left.
[Request: You Are Not Wrong]
He needed to resolve this vague, cryptic quest within that time.
Leave a Reply