It almost felt like I was trying to sell him snake-oil… Still, he swallowed it, so let’s be grateful it worked.
Since he already knew the “ending,” filling in the middle with a few plausible-sounding reasons had been child’s play—and the director had gulped them down without chewing.
My conscience stings a little, but I’m fighting for my life here, so it’s fine.
Whatever the motive, Rowoon’s goal was to help Director Kim; as the saying goes, all roads that get you to Seoul are good roads.
He deliberately let the director’s misunderstanding stand.
How could he possibly explain, “Actually, a celestial being hired me, so I know a bit about you”?
“Rowoon, what do you think? Should I reveal the truth?”
“Let me ask something else first. Why are you hesitating over whether to reveal it or not?”
“T-That’s…”
The director faltered.
Rowoon sensed it at once: the reason he’d just swallowed back was exactly the last key needed to push the quest percentage to 100 %.
He waited—without pressing, calmly.
In moments like this, patience is a virtue.
“…I don’t want that story to be dragged through the mud.”
The director’s lips, clamped shut like a clam shell, finally opened.
“So, what you really want is to keep that memory pristine, right?”
“Mm… yes.”
“And if you make an issue of it, the stolen script will inevitably be dragged out too—that’s why you hesitate.”
“Mm… that’s right.”
His head bobbed weakly; his shoulders slumped.
He must value that friend far more than I thought.
Does the other guy even know?
That his friend is ready to sacrifice an entire career to protect their shared memory?
He does, doesn’t he?
Rowoon flicked his eyes upward—and as if the guilty party’s feet were itching, a chime appeared.
【Starlight (Quest-giver) shakes his head vigorously, insisting he knows nothing!】
Yeah, he knows perfectly well.
Tsk, tsk. Such a half-baked fellow—how can he serve a grand cause like that?
Starlight grumbles, even Cheong-hwa clicks her tongue.
“I didn’t write it myself, but it does hold memories with that friend. I don’t want them smeared.”
To outsiders it might sound bizarre, yet Rowoon somehow understood.
He, too, had once been unable to attach his name to his own work.
Still, I can’t let it end here; my neck is on the line.
And—
【Starlight shakes his head firmly—That’s not it!】
—The quest-giver’s wish was crystal-clear. Rowoon’s path was set.
“Even so, Director—think it through.”
“Hmm? How?”
“That story belongs to the two of you, doesn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
“Can a third party who stole it—someone totally unrelated—produce the same story you and your friend meant to tell?”
“…What?”
“You know better than anyone: what’s typed on the page isn’t everything.”
Even a character described in just two lines of script isn’t limited to those lines.
Take Chae Yujeong. The script merely calls her a frail girl with an illness who encourages the protagonist, yet she contains a far richer back-story.
“The thief only skimmed the words. He doesn’t know why you two wrote that story, what you wanted to say through it. He knows nothing.”
“…”
“Is a story missing its most vital core really your ‘shared memory’? If your friend knew how you’re thinking, wouldn’t he be hurt? If it were me, I’d hate it more if my friend just sat by while some jerk stole our story.”
“…Would he?”
The director, brooding, asked softly.
【Starlight nods vigorously!】
“He would.”
【Starlight clenches his fist, steeling his resolve!】
“I’m sure he hopes you’ll bring the truth to light.”
【Starlight nods again—hard!】
“He says I’m right.”
“Huh?”
“Ah—he agrees, so you don’t have to worry.”
Whew, almost slipped there!
Easy, Scholar Kim. I know your heart, but any further meddling and you’ll break the Rules—and put yourself in danger, Cheong-hwa warned.
By then the director’s face had firmed with resolve.
“You’re right. We’ve come too far to turn back. And even if I stay silent, the other side will drag me in first.”
With Kim’s triumphant return announced, the thief must be frantic; sooner or later that plagiarized film would be exposed.
“In that case, I’d better be the one to reveal everything—cleanly.”
All hesitation vanished; his eyes blazed.
“Thank you, Rowoon. Like you said, what he stole isn’t our story. I was foolish to treat that stolen thing as my friend’s legacy.”
He clasped Rowoon’s hands.
“If not for you, I’d have stayed stuck in the mud, brooding alone—and that would’ve been an insult to you and everyone who made Way Back with me.”
Despite the panda-like dark circles under his eyes, Kim’s gaze shone like a morning star.
Having decided, he began dialing contacts at once.
That night—
【Current quest completion: 91 %】
The stubborn 90 % had finally budged.
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