I was nursing a whisky on ice while seated at a booth. A woman's haunting melody echoed through the bar, but I wasn't aware of it.
My mind was occupied by what the system had told me. 131 days until I shuffled off the moral coil.
The system in my head wasn't too forthcoming with the details of how I would die. It just stated that fate had decided I would pass away in 131 days, and the how didn't really matter to it.
My system naturally explained how it could save me, but I had already scheduled a visit with the doctor for next week.
My issues were if my MRI was negative how could I believe the rest of the health report? I mean, I have a voice in my head.
I downed my whiskey and signaled to the nearby waitress to get me another.
I was surprised when the bar's owner, Ya Haru, handed me my next glass of whiskey. She was a former singer who only had one single hit. She had been able to set up several singing engagements, signings, and even TV show appearances on the back of that one hit wonder. After twenty-five years in the business, she was able to buy this bar, The Aviary.
The Aviary was quickly rising to prominence in Seoul's music scene due to Yu Haru's aptitude for identifying musicians.
I grabbed the glass of whiskey and took a sip.
"Work?" Ya Haru asked me.
I shook my head.
"A stuntman I knew died on set." I stated.
This wasn't a lie. I knew a stuntman who passed away two days ago though he wasn't the cause of my current melancholy.
Mentoring At-Risk Celebs System…
I discovered that alcohol really helps block out its voice.
I looked at Ya Haru.
She was in her fifties. I don't know what products she was using, but her beauty was still hanging in there. The wrinkles on her neck and crow's feet at the corner of her eyes were signs of its unavoidable decline.
Twenty-five years of effort and her career was the answer to a trivia question.
I rested the cool glass of whiskey against my temple and looked out to the stage where a young girl with a guitar was singing. My mind drifting back to the stuntman.
"Do you miss it?" I asked Ya Haru.
She looked at the stage and nodded.
I nodded as well and downed my drink.
We are specters. The dream we pursued has long forgotten us, yet we still cling to its edges because there is nowhere else for us to go.
Ya Hura's eyes returned to me.
"What was the stuntman's name?" She asked me.
"Fred Richards."
"Did you know him well?"
I shook my head.
"He was just an acquaintance."
Yu Hura and I talked for a while until I had drunk enough for she insisted that I phone a taxi. It was one in the morning when I managed to stumble my way back into my apartment.
[Host, wake up! Un (Eve) Yoon's situation is urgent!]
I groaned in agony as the blaring voice ripped through my head.
Shut up!
[But host, the Un (Eve) Yoon's situation is urgent.]
Just let me wake up first.
While I was drunk, I could easily ignore the voice, but this hangover exposed the flaws in the strategy.
Opening my eyes, my studio apartment came into view.
I sighed.
When I signed the lease for this apartment, I was still following my mother's lessons about fiscal spending. This apartment had only 300 square feet of floor space, which represented what my current income could afford without depleting my nest egg.
I dragged my ass out of bed and walked over to my refrigerator. Opening it, I grabbed an orange juice cartoon. I twisted open the cap and gulped down a few mouthfuls. I resealed the cartoon and returned it to the fridge.
I looked around my tiny flat. My exercise equipment was the only piece of furniture outside of the bed, fridge, small stove, sink, TV, and a desk with a laptop.
I had kept up my fitness routine from my acting days, but I didn't feel in the mood to do my morning workout.
What so urgent about Eve?
My system sounded relieved as it said.
[Host, I'll show you, her status.]
A HUD came into view, and information about Eve started to surface as blue letters and numbers were written in the air.
[Mentorship Target: Un (Eve) Yoon's]
[Age: 20]
[Talent Potential/Type: Elite/Budding Superstar]
[Celeb Statis: Trainee]
[Company: SYG Entertainment]
[Number of Potential Scandals: 7]
[Scandal Severity/Imminence: Severe/Imminent, Severe/Improbable, Moderate/Immi…
[Possible Causes of Scandal by %: Rim Young 95%, Alan Thomas 4%....]
[Level of Respect for Host: 3%]
[Please select any portion of the Targets Status for further detail.]
I frowned.
Why am I a possible cause of scandal?
The system sheepishly replied.
[You had oral sex with her.]
Yep, that makes sense.
I rubbed my brow in an attempt to wake up my groggy mind.
What happens to me if Eve does have a major scandal?
[You will only lose any opportunity to receive rewards from Miss Eve in the future as you haven't earned enough respect from her to qualify for rewards.]
How much respect do I need for rewards?
[10%]
How do I raise respect?
[Level of Respect, gauges the willingness of the mentee to follow the host's leadership, so it's percentage can be raised by numerous methods.]
Oh, my chances of making it to the end of the year just improved. It should be possible for me to raise Eve's Level of Respect thanks to the recording I had.
My system seemed to read my thoughts.
[The Mentoring At-Risk Celebs System's primary objective is, of course, to assist potential mentees in advancing their celebrity careers by enhancing their abilities, locating opportunities for them to shine, and eliminating potential scandals. This system advises trying to strengthen your relationship with mentees by elevating their opinion of you through constructive endeavors in order to reap the richest rewards possible.]
I'll take that under advisement.
That girl blackmailed me first. In my efforts to aid her career and sustain my life, I wouldn't hesitate to return the favor.
How many Membership Targets are there?
[There are forty-one candidates, but only seven of them have the talent to sustain long careers, and of those seven, only two--Un (Eve) Yoon and Jang Hyo--possess elite talent.]
Jang Hyo, that dreary quiet girl possesses elite talent?
[Host, would you like me to show you Jang Hyo's status page?]
I shook my head that would've to wait.
What exactly does "Severe/Imminent" entail in reference to Eve's impending scandal?
[You can read in more detail on the status page. But to save time, I'll tell you that Severe refers to a scandal that's career-ending, and Imminent means that the scandal will happen within two weeks. The exact timing of the scandal is impossible to predict.]
Suddenly feeling the same sense of urgency as my system, I headed for my bathroom.
I still didn't trust what my system was telling me, but I had already planned on informing my acquaintance about Rim Young, the producer of Lunar. I couldn't let him be blindsided since I owed him for helping me land this job, and I needed to keep it.
I took a quick shower before retrieving my razor from the medicine cabinet. I closed the cabinet and peered into its mirror.
Straight black hair, high cheekbones, sunken brown eyes, and a pale skin tone When I was young, many referred to my looks as haunting, but as I aged, those words shifted to eerie. My five o'clock shadow only added to my somber appearance.
The lean muscles of my upper body rippled as I shook the shaving cream can. My chest would rival the ripped physique of a young man if it weren't for the wrinkles that are beginning to show.
I quickly dressed after shaving and flagged down a taxi.