044. Enchanting Voice (1)
“Do not have scary dreams, do not stay up with your eyes open, deep and comfortable, have a happy dream.”
After pausing for half a beat, Yeonwoo continued.
“Sleep well.”
The light that had been on for ON AIR went out.
The broadcast was over.
“Wow, you took it like that? I thought you would be at least a little flustered. You are not offended, right?”
“How could I be?”
Yeonwoo let out a small laugh as he spoke.
I was handed the stage, of course I should be grateful.
The moment a perfect idea occurred to him, Lee Juha laid the stage for him. It was not for Yeonwoo’s sake, but in the end, Yeonwoo took it well.
[Wow, look at Kang Yeonwoo being meticulous. How did you even think of mixing spiritual power into your last line in that short moment?]
Watching, the child spirit clicked his tongue.
It was like a small cheat, but so what?
Still, it is lucky I kept it short. Since it was not face-to-face, but using power on an unspecified crowd, the amount of power used is no joke.
It was only for a brief moment at the end, but the consumption was enormous.
If the effect is good as much as the power that drained out, that would be perfect.
Unless you have a decent amount of power, you cannot load spiritual power onto a true phrase and use it. Compared to a properly formed true word it was nowhere close, but judging by the amount of power consumed, it was practically the same as a true word.
“To be honest, I have insomnia. That is why I did late night radio on purpose, but today, for some reason, I have a feeling, a feeling like I am going to sleep well. Is it because of your last line, Yeonwoo. It feels exactly like that…”
Juha could not say any more.
“You big-bodied bastard!”
Smack!
A rich sound rang out again.
“You were doing so well, why did you cause an accident at the end, an accident!”
“Ah, it went well, so why are you like that, Noona.”
“It is because Yeonwoo is quick on his feet!”
“Wow, look at you taking his side. But I admit it.”
This side and that side are both winning, but the writer caught in the middle is the only one flustered.
“It is fine. Thanks to you, I got to talk a lot, I am only grateful.”
“For someone close with that Kwon Seonghyun, you are more hearty than I expected?”
“Lee Juha, watch your mouth.”
“Come on, Noona, give me a break.”
“I am aging because of you, aging!”
While the writer sighed and went back with the staff to clean up, Juha turned his head.
“But you have been staring this whole time. Do you have something to say to me? I have a grievance with Kwon Seonghyun, not with Kang Yeonwoo, so you can speak comfortably.”
Just as Juha said, Yeonwoo had been staring at Juha the whole time.
More precisely, at his status window.
Enchanting vocal cords.
Is there no way to obtain that?
Setting lifespan aside, the additional stat is really tempting…
So he asked.
“Do you have, well, any wish?”
“Huh? A wish? What wish? A wish like the genie in Aladdin tells you to make?”
“Yes, well. I am not a genie, but I was curious.”
“What, can you do magic or something?”
“Who knows? Maybe I can.”
When Yeonwoo smiled faintly, interest rose in Juha’s face.
“There is something I have been wanting, actually.”
“What is it?”
“Will you grant it?”
“If it is within what is possible.”
It was a fruit too tempting to simply let go, that additional ability. Even more so if it belonged to someone famous as a singer-songwriter.
I harvested an enormous amount of lifespan just from the influence I had while acting, but if influence applies to singing too?
Music is relatively more accessible than media like dramas or films. Video mainly requires hearing and sight, but music only requires ears. Even when your eyes and hands are busy elsewhere, if your ears are open, music naturally comes in.
There was one more reason Yeonwoo coveted Juha’s ability.
Could video and music be added together?
It was the collaboration of video and music.
If the medium that delivers influence increases to two, there is also the possibility of synergy.
If that happens, just how much lifespan would he harvest?
Thump, thump.
Just imagining it made his heartbeat feel faster.
But for that, I need this guy’s ability.
An additional stat was practically a scam. It could raise someone who was completely ignorant in the field to at least a semi-expert level.
“Then…”
Juha, who looked like he was thinking for a moment at Yeonwoo’s words, opened his mouth.
“Want to be friends?”
“Pardon?”
“Do not pretend you did not hear. I said let us be friends.”
And at the same time.
Ding!
A familiar notification sound rang out.
[Harvestable lifespan: +14 days]
It was even two full weeks of lifespan.
No way. Are all the people connected to Kwon Seonghyun like this?
Why does a familiar person’s scent come from a stranger?
“Ah, are you worried it is just empty words? I do not lie, so don’t worry about that.”
He was not worried about that. Since lifespan had already appeared, he knew it was two hundred percent sincere.
“Is it because I do not look desperate? I did ask while pretty nervous, you know. I did not think I would ever ask someone of the same gender while feeling this tense.”
Juha said with a grin.
“Let me explain honestly for a bit. I was really curious who it was that that Kwon Seonghyun was clinging to. And if I got close with that person, I was curious what kind of reaction he would show.”
This is definitely the latter more than the former.
“But while I was hosting the radio, I got interested in you yourself, Yeonwoo. It’s like I get why that guy goes out of his way to protect you. Plus, that last greeting was impressive too.”
“That greeting at the end, it was short but it had a big impact. Like it had sincerity in it. Putting enough power into a moment like that to move people, that is not something ordinary talent can do. And…”
Juha’s eyes sparkled.
“It has been so long since I got inspiration from a person. Don’t look at me like I am some weird guy though. Looking at you, Kang Yeonwoo, it feels like something will come to me, but it will not. Inspiration sometimes comes like that, like it is about to come but it does not, and it makes you ache.”
He added that he did not mean anything bad, so do not misunderstand.
“So, to put it simply.”
Juha said.
“If you like someone, you want to get close, right. So let us be friends. Keeping me as a friend is not a bad deal, you know?”
“I am not sorry, but I do not particularly feel I want to be that familiar with you.”
The only thing he was interested in was that side’s special ability.
“Huh? Did you just say you are not sorry? Wow, a direct rejection.”
Juha clutched his chest as if hurt. But rather than feeling sorry, seeing such a big guy do that just felt awkward.
Special ability, or add one more strange guy.
A dilemma for the ages.
The thought did not last long.
Right. Even if you cannot eat, go.
If there is an ability, should you not take it first? All the more if it is the ability of someone renowned as a genius.
“Fine.”
Yeonwoo said in a solemn voice.
This was only a great step forward for even more lifespan.
“Let us do it. Friends.”
“…So. Why are you here?”
“You did not know? I made friends with Yeonwoo.”
“…Yeonwoo?”
“Yeah. I am on casual terms with Yeonwoo now. Wahaha.”
Kwon Seonghyun, showing the skill of saying murderous things with a smiling face, and Lee Juha, smiling as he scraped at people’s insides. They said themselves that they did not get along, and truly, it lived up to its name.
No, it is all fine, but why are you doing this in my house?
The luxurious officetel looked endlessly cramped once long, big men were added.
Ah. So that is why Elder Han offered to find me a new place.
He realized belatedly.
“You forced it, didn’t you? As always, you only think about yourself and not others.”
“Speak correctly. I got permission from Yeonwoo yesterday. We decided to be friends. Today is day one.”
“If you are truly friends, why is it obvious that Yeonwoo is bothered by you.”
Kwon Seonghyun’s eyes have grown old.
You kept staying saying that, and you lost the eye for people. Tsk, tsk.
Is this really the kind of bickering twenty-five-year-old men would have?
It was childish, petty quarreling, and the funny thing was that the not even funny provocation worked on Kwon Seonghyun.
No. More than that, yesterday he praised Kwon Seonghyun in front of me, saying he had a good eye, did he not?
As if none of that happened, Juha casually scraped at Sunghyun’s nerves.
Watching them, Yeonwoo recalled dawn yesterday.
Let us do it, friends.
The moment he said that,
[Congratulations! As a reward, you acquire an additional acquirable stat.]
[Reward: Enchanting vocal cords] [A]
The very notification Yeonwoo wanted appeared.
[Enchanting vocal cords] [A]
- Enchants the other party with an attractive voice. Depending on the atmosphere, intention, or mindset when speaking, the effect may be amplified or reduced. Depending on the listener’s affection level, the category in which the enchantment applies will differ.
This is it.
Yeonwoo looked at the words floating before his eyes with satisfaction and praised himself.
It was worth attaching one more annoying fish poop.
Even now, he thought he got this well. It felt like enduring the annoyance paid off a hundred times over.
If used well, it was an ability that could exert power not inferior to a true word.
Especially the line that the scope of enchantment changes depending on affection level.
That was the killing point.
If I build recognition, and use it when affection is maximized, what would happen?
He could not even imagine how great the effect would be.
Surely I am not going to become some cult leader…
It was an ability that could be endlessly dangerous if abused, but of course he had no intention of using it that way. It was hard enough just living after gaining life, so what bad deeds?
Anyway, it was an ability with boundless applications.
If he mixed in spiritual power too…
Should I just go and pin on a gold badge while I am at it?
Even if he tried to calculate, he could not even guess how enormous the amplification would be.
He did not know, but it felt like he could run an election campaign properly.
“Yeonwoo asked me first if I had a wish, did you have something like that?”
“Sorry, but I met Yeonwoo first. Yeonwoo and I share a very special memory that others could never experience even if they died and came back.”
There was a time Yeonwoo saved Kwon Seonghyun, who was in a living spirit state, and put him back into his body before he died.
It was a very special memory that others could never experience even if they died and came back.
First, becoming a living spirit was hard, and returning safely after leaving your body for a long time was almost unheard of.
But saying it like that is not humanly fair.
If someone heard it, they would misunderstand badly.
And the level of their conversation absolutely did not sound like influential celebrities.
It sounded like elementary school lower grade conversation.
“What. What is that?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“Damn. I had a special experience with Yeonwoo too.”
“What.”
Kwon Sueonghyun snapped his head toward Yeonwoo.
A handsome face, to the point he had the nickname that God sculpted him, stared straight at Yeonwoo.
But…
No, why is his gaze like that again?
Those eyes that looked like he had been betrayed, what does that mean?
As if he were not an actor excellent at expressing emotion, his deep well-like eyes were spilling layered sorrowful feelings.
Yeonwoo felt a little wronged.
What did I do wrong?
Yeonwoo decided to cut in here.
“Lee Juha.”
“Hyung.”
Juha tossed the word out.
“…?”
“You have to call me hyung, Yeonwoo. Who calls a friend Mr. Whoever? Call me hyung.”
This felt unfamiliar.
“…Anyway, when did we have a special experience?”
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