“What the heck happened to you…?”
After a moment of silence, Yeonwoo was the first to speak.
[What’s with me?]
The pigeon cooed discontentedly. Its tail feathers were spread wide, and its plumage puffed out, looking very much like it was announcing “I’m mad!”
“Why are you disguised as a chicke— I mean, a pigeon?”
[Since our star woke up and can no longer see me, I had no choice but to borrow a body.]
“Uh… what…?”
Lately, the child spirit (Dongja-ryeong) had been scarce. Even though it loved hanging around Kwon Sunghyun, it had been less clingy than usual. Yeonwoo assumed it had wandered off somewhere, maybe to Yeonwoo’s mother.
“Well, if it went to Mom, that makes sense. After all, it’s more attached to Kang Yeohwa than to me,” he’d thought, assuming the spirit might’ve gone to tattle about recent events. He hadn’t put much thought into it.
But now:
“Dongja-ssi, did you do this for me—appearing as a pigeon?”
[Exactly! Ever since our star woke up, he can’t see me. I was dying not being able to talk to him.]
“But you don’t even have a mouth…”
[Shut up, Kang Yeonwoo.]
“That beak sure is fancy. The color’s different from the pigeons I know.”
[Ahem, I figured you’d have good taste, my star. I took time choosing this body. Pretty neat, right? Not some dull pigeon!]
The “pigeon,” or rather the child spirit, spread its wings and spun once in a proud circle. Truth be told, it did look pretty—unlike the usual drab gray pigeon, it had a white body and soft, feathery down around its chest, plus a short, cute beak. The tuft of feathers sticking up at the back of its head reminded Yeonwoo a bit of curly hair.
But at the end of the day, it was still a pigeon.
“…”
Am I really witnessing this? Yeonwoo felt secondhand embarrassment.
He sighed deeply.
“So, that method you mentioned last time—this is it?”
[Yup. Now that I’ve got a physical form, I can communicate with someone like our star, who has spiritual power. We have a ‘medium’ to talk through.]
What the spirit had done was a technique used by certain shamans: taking a strong ghostly soul, placing it into a host body, and controlling it like an extra limb.
“I thought you hated expending your spiritual energy.”
[Of course I hate it.]
“So why do it?”
[Consider it an investment for my own well-being…?]
“…”
Yeonwoo wondered if Dongja-ryeong sometimes forgot it was a ghost.
“If you were going that route, couldn’t you have possessed something grander? Why a measly pigeon of all things? People summon dragons or divine beasts in other stories—why the random bird?”
[You should be grateful I didn’t show up as Teacher Bah.]
“…”
Imagining the child spirit as a cockroach, vigorously fluttering its wings from a sleek carapace—Yeonwoo’s stomach churned at the mere thought.
“I take it back. I was wrong.”
He apologized from the depths of his heart.
[But what’s all this about ‘our star going to work’? Tell me. I’m curious!]
Now a pigeon, Dongja-ryeong stared intently, its cooing anything but ordinary.
“It’s nothing special. I just scheduled a photoshoot, deciding to do a slow comeback. Except…”
[Except?]
“As you know, my body’s still not at 100%. So I asked Yeonwoo-ssi to come with me, but…”
[But…?]
“He basically said he won’t follow me to work…”
Trailing off, he lowered his eyes, a technique that oozed gentle disappointment. The subtle vibe of dejection from a handsome man at that level made one feel almost criminally guilty.
[Kang Yeonwoo! Take responsibility!]
“What’s that supposed to mean…?”
[Don’t you know the saying? When you save someone from drowning, you have to help them all the way!]
“Huh?”
[We humans have this proverb from our wise ancestors. Don’t ignore it!]
Coo, coo, coo! The white pigeon flapped vigorously and landed on Yeonwoo’s head, pecking gently at his scalp.
With a bird perched on his head, Yeonwoo sighed:
“This is nuts…”
They left the building, and people who saw Yeonwoo edged away uncertainly, but also kept sneaking glances at him.
“Could you get off me?”
[No.]
“Why must you perch on my head?”
[The view is best here.]
“Then leave that body. You don’t need to ride on me.”
[I don’t want to waste any more spiritual power.]
At least Yeonwoo was used to all sorts of stares—he’d had plenty since childhood, so this was nothing new. Besides, he had Kwon Sunghyun with him.
At least they’re not looking at me like I’m insane. I guess the entertainment world is used to ‘eccentric’.
Sharing space with the Kwon Sunghyun, Yeonwoo attracted more curious or friendly looks than disgust or loathing. Maybe people figured anyone brought by that star couldn’t be too weird. Add to that how politely Kwon Sunghyun treated Yeonwoo.
They reached a magnificent building, one entire floor of which was set up like a storage warehouse. It was divided by thin partitions, each containing a unique background or props, with huge lights and reflectors scattered everywhere. Kwon Sunghyun calmly explained:
“This studio’s vibe isn’t too bad, so I thought it’d be good for you to get used to, Yeonwoo.”
“…Right.”
“The main photographer is a bit fussy, but the staff are thorough. They’re good about privacy, too.”
“I see.”
“Some studios can turn into a nightmare, but you won’t have to worry here.”
But why’s he explaining all this to me?
It must’ve shown on Yeonwoo’s face, because Kwon Sunghyun let out a short laugh.
“For now, just watch and get comfortable. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Oh, okay.”
He’ll handle what, exactly…?
But more importantly,
Strange, thought Yeonwoo.
He recalled the two fates predicted for him—“shaman or entertainer.” Now, not only had he met the top star, but somehow ended up at this place.
Sure, he was just tagging along with Kwon Sunghyun, but it felt surreal.
*-You have only two paths. A shaman or a performer!
Why was he suddenly recalling his mother’s words…?
“Kwon Sunghyun-ssi, time to start makeup!” someone called.
“Oh, gotta go. Hang tight. There’s plenty of snacks my manager brought from my mom, so eat those while you look around, okay?”
As Kwon Sunghyun walked away, the pigeon on Yeonwoo’s head flapped again.
[You’re gonna watch, right? Right? Riiight?]
“Well…”
After all, I’m already here.
And I’m also collecting lifesp—
Yes, that was it. The reason Yeonwoo was here:
[Harvestable Lifespan: +14 days]
Sparkling above Kwon Sunghyun’s head was a quest message for two whole weeks of lifespan. How could he refuse that?
Not that I’m greedy for it or anything… I swear.
He was just pitying the star’s forlorn puppy-like eyes, plus the child spirit was whining for him to come. That was all.
He was about to start a casual look-around when—
“You walk around with a bird on your head? That’s original. Is it alive?”
A man with neatly combed hair, a slight stoop, and a tired expression glanced curiously at Yeonwoo. Presumably a staff member of this studio.
“Uh, it’s hard to define.”
The pigeon’s body was alive, but it hosted a dead spirit. So was it alive or dead?
“Well, it’s moving, so probably alive. Huh…?”
He and Yeonwoo made eye contact. The man’s previously blank gaze brightened.
“Are you a new actor? A model? An idol?”
Out of nowhere, he asked. Yeonwoo replied:
“No, none of those.”
“Really? A face like yours is too good for a civilian. Are you sure?”
“I’m just a civilian.”
“Strange. You look like you’d work great on camera. Hasn’t anyone ever scouted you?”
The reply came from someone else:
Flap! The white pigeon flapped its wings.
[He sure has! But this guy’s clueless about that stuff, you know…]
Indeed, Yeonwoo had received business cards a few times in the past but always threw them away. He had no interest in “that world”—especially with his mother constantly nagging “Either a shaman or a performer!” He automatically avoided any chance of heading down that path.
Yet here he was, ironically entangled.
“So, that bird is your pet?” the man asked.
“No.”
“Then why’s it on your head?”
“Who knows. It does what it pleases.”
“But it settled down so quickly just now, like it obeys you. You sure it’s not your pet?”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Hmm, I really like your vibe. The mask, the bold style, and that traveling bird. Seriously interesting.”
“But I said it’s not my—”
“All good, I get it.”
He nodded at his own conclusion, then started talking again:
“When I was a kid, I had a dog—she was so cute I wanted to take her to school every day. Once or twice I actually did. Then she grew too big to hide.”
He went on about his golden retriever’s gorgeous fur.
“She was so sweet and smart. Whenever I was sad, she’d lean on me, trying to comfort me. Maybe some think they’re just animals, but to me, she was family.”
He looked off into the distance, eyes wistful.
“Then one day, she vanished. I’d left the gate open a crack, but normally she never wandered off. I thought maybe a dog catcher took her…”
He shrugged:
“But later on, I heard that dogs sometimes leave their owner when they know they’re dying—so the owner won’t see them die. Might not be true, but I like to think so. Better than believing a dog butcher snatched her. So I never got another dog… thinking of her too much.”
“…”
“It’s kind of a painful memory. Actually, she’s why I picked up a camera—started by taking photos of her. If she’d been human, she could’ve been a top model, haha.”
Yeonwoo glanced to the side.
[Yeonwoo, do something about him, quick!]
[Pant, pant!]
Seated beside the man was a large dog, wagging its tail vigorously, big dark eyes fixed on the pigeon. So that was the spirit dog. It gave off a playful aura, panting happily, yet not budging from the man’s side. It was easy to see why he’d said “That dog could pose for pictures.”
“She must’ve been lovely. You said you raised her as a kid?” Yeonwoo asked.
“Yeah, she was sweet and gentle, never once tried to bite. Guess she hid away so I wouldn’t see her at her worst. She really did love me.”
All the while, that loyal dog’s spirit remained glued to him, forever faithful.
“No wonder he’s never been haunted by random ghosts. With such a protective soul, nothing bad could latch onto him.”
“Thanks for understanding. I know it’s a random story, but only people who’ve had pets can relate. Non-pet folks never get it. But you do, obviously—you’ve got an animal with you now, so you get me, right?”
“…”
“So, a question… would you consider modeling?”
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