Kim Woojin nodded at me and headed towards the control line.
It meant he would go check it out.
I took a deep breath to calm myself, while also preparing to draw my sword at any moment.
The staff asked the director if they should stop filming.
“It’s a shot without sound, so it’s fine. Drone ready? Drone shot, go!”
Undeterred by the commotion, the director gave the signal to start filming.
It seemed he was worried that if time was delayed, more people would gather, making control difficult.
In response to the signal, I gave a slight smile, raising the corners of my lips.
The drone slowly approached me, capturing the entire Gwanghwamun scenery in a full shot.
Soon, the wind from the drone, which had come close to my face, slightly ruffled my hair.
– WEEEEE
The loud drone sound drowned out the noise from the control line.
I wondered if Kim Woojin had returned.
However, even after the drone filming ended and they were taking tight shots of my full body and face with a regular camera, Kim Woojin did not return.
‘Baek Mungi, tell Brother Jang Ha-un to go check over there.’
Since Jang Ha-un kept calling me “younger brother,” I decided to call him “older brother” too. And Lee Geon as “younger brother.”
{The two spirits are already next to Kim Woojin. They say they don’t know who it is and need to see them up close.}
“Cut! Lee Young-ssi, what’s wrong? Did something get in your eye?”
I must have frowned without realizing it.
“I’m sorry!”
“Are you okay? Let’s just do one more take and then go to the next outfit.”
“Yes!”
They must be unhappy that someone who wasn’t very famous like me was doing this kind of shoot.
But there was nothing I could do about their dissatisfaction.
“They say flies are the first to swarm around good food. The more famous you become, Lee Young-ssi, the more things like this will happen.”
“Did I disrupt the filming? I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize. It’s not like I didn’t expect it. When you film in a public place like today, things like this happen once or twice, so don’t worry about it.”
The director’s unique way of speaking, switching between formal and informal, made me wonder if it was a sign of friendliness, so I acted friendly as well.
Because things like this would continue to happen in the future.
The director might even witness the moment I catch an evil spirit.
I wonder if he would be very surprised.
As I was going to change clothes to prepare for the second shoot, Baek Mungi called me in a low voice.
{Among those causing a disturbance, there was one who was at stage 1.}
As expected. Whenever it was rumored that I was filming, evil spirits would always come looking for me.
But…
“Was”? Why the past tense?
Four people had gathered.
Jang Ha-un became suspicious when one of them separated from the group and went around the control line, so he followed him.
“I had heard that extreme fans sometimes sneak onto filming sets, but this person was empty-handed and had his face fully exposed. It was strange, so I approached him and felt a faint, sinister energy.”
Jang Ha-un, in a state of transparency, approached the person and saw a thought clinging to his shoulder like a black stain.
“A black stain the size of a child’s palm was moving on his shoulder. It was hideous to look at. So I waved my hand at it once, and it immediately disappeared.”
The person collapsed to the ground, and the support team immediately transported him to a nearby hospital.
“I went there after the person collapsed, but the sword didn’t react, so the evil spirit must have already disappeared.
The support team asked him after he regained consciousness on the way to the hospital, but he doesn’t even know he went to Gwanghwamun. It matches the testimonies of stage 1 perpetrators who have no memory.”
“So, Older Brother Jang Ha-un can get rid of stage 1 evil spirits with just a wave of his hand?”
At my words, Jang Ha-un’s shoulders rose about an inch.
His shoulders were going to dislocate.
Jang Ha-un and Lee Geon were spirits who had stayed in places with spiritual power for a long time, so it seemed they could easily chase away weak evil spirits.
This was very good information.
Also, it became clear that evil spirits would attach themselves to anyone and come looking for me.
Was there a bounty on my head among the evil spirits?
Still, I didn’t have to blindly search for evil spirits like I did in Ichon-dong, so the feeling of helplessness was lessened.
And since I learned how to easily subdue stage 1 evil spirits, I gained more than I lost this time.
But our CEO was furious. The CEO protested to the Cultural Heritage Administration, and the Cultural Heritage Administration reported those people to the police for obstruction of official duties.
“The support team has decided to increase the number of people being protected. CEO Choi, the director, and even the CAKE members. A member with a Samin Sword will be assigned to each member.”
“It is a good method, as evil spirits may try to attach themselves to those near the master.”
“We can refuse to be protected.”
“Even if a member refuses, we will protect them, even if we have to infiltrate. Protecting the people around Song Lee Young-ssi from evil spirits is also an important mission of the support team.”
If an evil spirit took one of the members hostage and demanded something from me, would I obediently comply with the demand?
Hmm… CAKE wouldn’t be CAKE without even one member, so I would have no choice but to comply.
“Does the master, who worries about the health of those possessed by evil spirits, think she would abandon her colleagues?”
“Huh? No, I didn’t say that.”
Kim Woojin was dumbfounded and gave an irrelevant answer to Baek Mungi.
Yes, that’s about it.
I would worry about their mouth twisting, and if they were injured to the point of bleeding, I would think I should take them to the hospital.
Everyone would do that much for anyone.
And I had to maintain our CAKE.
* * *
[Japanese Imperial Family, Regrets Any Inconvenience During Invitation Process]
Opposition party lawmakers held a press conference led by the party leader, saying that the nation’s dignity had fallen due to the Japanese diplomatic discourtesy incident.
They argued that the Japanese Imperial Family should apologize for this diplomatic rudeness.
The Blue House did not give a different response to this, but several ruling party lawmakers, presidential candidates, and people called political hopefuls began to add their own comments.
In the end, the Blue House mobilized the diplomatic line to ask the Japanese government or the Imperial Family for an apology, and after several rounds of coordination, the Japanese Imperial Family issued a statement with brief content.
“They begged and pleaded for an apology and only got one line.”
Yoon Dae-han of the Cultural Heritage Administration said cynically.
“Do you know what Japan asked for in the process? They want a Four Tiger Sword as a gift. That sacred object! I knew this would happen.”
He said that it would be nice to receive a good sword as a gift from Korea for the Emperor’s birthday, and that if it was the famous shining Four Tiger Sword these days, it would be a gift befitting the Emperor’s status and they would be happy to receive it.
“Honestly, I was expecting just an exhibition of the Four Tiger Sword. But this far exceeds my expectations. No, they’re asking for it? Hahaha.”
Yoon Dae-han seemed truly dumbfounded and laughed to himself like a crazy person.
And this process was being repeated for the third time.
I think he’s under a lot of stress from work, so should I find him a good counseling center?
“The President also thought that public opinion would worsen if he took it out of the country, so he immediately drew a line and said it couldn’t be done. Or maybe he wanted to keep it as his own achievement.”
And he said that there was a well-made Four Tiger Sword that didn’t shine, so he asked the professor who had made the Three In Swords with his students to get one of the Four Tiger Swords he had made a few years ago.
“That professor must not have wanted to just give it away because he’s been called everywhere and his name has become known these days thanks to the sacred object. He said he wouldn’t give it because it was going to Japan, but they got it by promising him a Cultural Medal.”
“A Cultural Medal for one line of apology?”
I felt the difficulty of politics anew.
“That’s how precious sacred objects are. Even I, who see them often, am fascinated by the sacred object’s mystery and beauty every time I see it, so how much more would those who have only seen it in videos want to see it in person?
Moreover, if they know that the sacred object is a practical Four Tiger Sword that eliminates evil spirits, everyone will go crazy. If they could see it in person, the leaders of each country would line up to enter the country on their private jets.”
Hey, that seems a bit too much. What’s wrong with him today?
“Is something wrong today?”
“…Ah, is it obvious?”
Yoon Dae-han said awkwardly.
“Actually, the silver and jadeite that will be used for the Four Tiger Sword keychains have arrived, and I thought it would be good if Song Lee Young-ssi could take the sacred object and infuse some mysterious energy into it.”
Mysterious energy? I have that kind of ability.
“I was worried about whether it would be okay to ask because it’s too superstitious. But even in Catholicism, priests bless objects.”
Is that so? I grew up in an orphanage run by nuns, but I don’t know much about that.
“It may not have any effect, but I was wondering if I should ask anyway.”
“Are you going to film it?”
Kim Woojin asked Yoon Dae-han.
“Yes, I’m going to put it in a video introducing the production process. Wouldn’t it be possible to further highlight that it’s related to sacred objects?”
“Song Lee Young-ssi is an idol and actress, so it seems like it would be bad if her image became too shamanistic.”
I exclaimed inwardly at Kim Woojin’s words.
Wow, he’s really like a manager now.
Suppressing my proud heart, I suggested a filming concept to Yoon Dae-han.
It would be troublesome if he made me pretend to shoot energy from my hands.
“How about filming a scene where I compare the hilt and blade of the Four Tiger Sword with the materials? Actually, I don’t know how to put in mysterious energy, or even if it’s possible.”
“Ah, that’s great! As expected of a celebrity, you know right away how the broadcast flow should proceed.”
Yoon Dae-han was still more excited than usual.
The Japanese Imperial Family’s request for the Four Tiger Sword seemed to have further heightened Yoon Dae-han’s pride.
It was a relief that someone like this was managing cultural assets at the Cultural Heritage Administration.
* * *
The mysterious power was exerted by Lee Geon, not me.
Lee Geon drew an invisible talisman and infused the space itself where the materials were with the power to ward off evil spirits.
Lee Geon had been worried that he might have that power after Jang Ha-un eliminated the stage 1 evil spirit, but today he seemed as excited as a fish in water.
“It seems my usefulness lies in this area.”
Lee Geon made a large, transparent talisman, writing something invisible on the wall.
I couldn’t see it.
“I can’t see it either.”
It was a relief that Kim Woojin was with me.
“I have created a barrier with the talisman that prevents evil spirits from invading. Also, the energy of the Four Tiger Sword in the talisman will slowly permeate the silver and jadeite.”
A barrier. I’ve only seen that in comics.
“The effect of warding off evil spirits will be even better.”
“That is correct.”
Since we were making and selling keychains anyway, it would be good if the effect of not being possessed by evil spirits was certain.
So I also took out the Four Tiger Sword and swung it around for no reason.
I didn’t know how to use talismans like Lee Geon, and I didn’t know how to infuse good energy, so I just pretended.
If I knew how, I would have gotten that energy first.
The scene showing the silver, jadeite, and Four Tiger Sword in one frame, which would be included in the promotional video, was filmed
very briefly. Yoon Dae-han took longer to prepare, such as wearing gloves and laying down a red cloth, saying that the sacred object would be damaged.
“Luxury goods must be treated like luxury goods.”
Luxury goods reminded me of when the stylist teacher put jewels all over my neck and chest and told me not to drop them when I danced, and when she told me to sweat less because it was a luxury suit.
Of course, I couldn’t grant either of those requests.
The choreography was intense, and the necklace fell off just 20 seconds into the stage.
Moreover, how could I not sweat when I’m originally a sweaty person?
I sweat just breathing on stage.
The stylist teacher complained that it had become difficult to get luxury sponsorships after that.
But it couldn’t be helped.
I couldn’t slack off on stage just to get luxury sponsorships.