translation by mourningmoor
<The Glare-Inducing Annoying Guy>
Noah stared blankly at the nine characters displayed on the phone screen.
The glare-inducing annoying guy.
That’s how he saved Kang Ichan’s phone number.
At that moment, Younghoon poked his head in.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
Noah shoved the phone back into his pocket and met Younghoon's gaze with a cold look.
"What’s it to you? Are you going to solve it for me?"
Younghoon gulped and took a step back.
"Sorry."
Noah, who had been watching Younghoon retreat with a frightened face, turned his head back and looked into the mirror.
In the mirror, a face that had become quite familiar now, with well-defined features, looked back with a strange gaze. The only evidence that it was his face was the reddish hue that had seeped into his dark eyes.
Well, anyway, this was now his face, and he was quite pleased with the new face and new body.
"Shall we start now?"
Then, the makeup artist, who had been away for a moment, hurried over and began applying makeup.
"You still haven’t replied until the end?"
"Pardon?"
The makeup artist, startled by Noah’s muttering, quickly pulled the brush away.
With a worried look, as if wondering if they had made any mistake.
"No, it's just that someone is ignoring my messages."
Noah, who gave a slight smile, gestured for the makeup artist to continue. The makeup artist, regaining their smile, immediately started flattering him.
"Who in the world would dare ignore Noah's messages?"
"Someone like that exists."
The only person who could ignore the messages of Noah, the world's top idol.
"The guy who’s blindingly bright."
It was certainly blinding. His nickname, "The Wizard of Light," wasn’t unwarranted. That's why it was so damn annoying.
But, in this world, he was just an insignificant rookie.
"I was thinking of stepping on that brat, but I wonder if there’s a good way to do it."
"Sorry?"
"I need to make sure he knows who’s in charge."
"......"
"First, maybe I’ll ruin whatever he desperately wants."
As Noah’s words continued, the makeup artist’s expression turned pale with shock. The words coming out of his mouth were well beyond dangerous territory for an idol of his caliber, someone who was untouchable by most.
"I’d like to see that guy completely lose it. I’m curious if he’ll still shine, even if he completely goes crazy."
But Noah wasn’t worried.
Even after spilling everything on his mind, he knew how to reset everything back to "0."
"I don’t have the power to completely erase him yet. Oh, and of course, I don’t intend to erase him."
The makeup artist's hands began to tremble.
“He’s the only one in this world who knows about my existence, so it would be a waste to erase him. I’ll just crush his spirit a little, then have fun playing with him.”
Noah, looking at the makeup artist through the mirror, smiled with cold, dark eyes.
"Don't you think so?"
"Yes? Yes. Yes, of course."
If it went any further, the makeup artist might scream, but that would just lead to more annoying steps.
"Youngji."
Noah slowly stood up from his seat. He then looked directly at the makeup artist.
"That's enough makeup for now. How about you look into my eyes for a moment?"
The makeup artist, seemingly entranced, met Noah's gaze.
Staring at the slightly dazed eyes, Noah softly muttered a spell.
The red energy flowing from Noah completely enveloped the makeup artist’s memories.
This world is nice for this reason.
In the other world, the boundary between good and evil was too clear. To those who chose the path of good, he became the "absolute evil," while to those who chose evil, he became an "object of worship." In both worlds, he was a being that could not be approached.
But in this world, the boundary between good and evil is ambiguous, so both sides easily accept him.
Because of that, with just this simple mental magic, he could do many things. He could play fun games.
“Thanks for listening to me.”
“Oh, anytime. Feel free to come for advice. I'm really good at listening.”
Controlled by the memory manipulation, the makeup artist smiled brightly and busied themself with flattering Noah.
Yeah, this is what he liked. Not being worshiped heavily, but lightly treated as a plaything.
"Then, good work."
Noah flashed a bright smile at the makeup artist, who had willingly become his playmate, and then leisurely stepped out of the waiting room.
Immediately, someone who had been touching up another member’s makeup approached Youngji.
"What did you talk about with Noah?"
"Me? Did I talk with Noah?"
For a moment, her mind went blank—nothing came to her.
"Yeah. You said he was asking for advice."
"Oh, right."
Now that she thought about it, she did have quite a long conversation with Noah, didn’t she?
No, wait. Did she just listen to Noah talking?
"But what did we even talk about?"
It was as if her mind had been erased with a rubber eraser—nothing came to her.
* * *
It was almost 7 PM when they arrived at the hospital.
Jaewon’s mother had been admitted in preparation for her surgery tomorrow.
Just a month ago, when they met on the youngest one's birthday, she had looked healthy, but now her face was noticeably worn.
After briefly greeting her in the hospital room, he stepped outside with Gyuhyung to give the mother and son some time alone.
"Jaewon’s aunt said it's stage 2 thyroid cancer. Fortunately, it hasn’t spread, so if she gets the surgery and treatment properly, she should be okay."
It seemed that the person who called Gyuhyung today was Jaewon’s aunt.
She said Jaewon’s mother had strictly told her not to contact them, but she just couldn’t stand by and do nothing, so she called anyway. After all, a child should at least come see their parent when they’re undergoing surgery.
“She was crying, saying things like, ‘Do you know how your mother raised you?’ Honestly, I couldn’t handle it.”
“Is cancer really that scary of a disease?”
As soon as the youngest heard his mother’s diagnosis, he burst into tears. It must really be a terrifying disease.
"It is scary. If she doesn’t get the surgery or proper treatment, she could die."
"Jaewon must be in a lot of pain."
The more he tried to push her away, the more affectionate he actually felt toward his mother.
Looking back toward the hospital, he recalled the youngest sobbing like a child, clinging to his mother’s neck. He acted all grown up, but in the end, he was still just a kid.
And then—
"Ichannie-hyung."
The youngest, eyes swollen from crying, had approached without him noticing.
"Why did you come down? You should be with your mom."
Gyuhyung scolded him, and Jaewon sniffled, quietly tugging at the hem of my shirt. His nose was red—he must have cried a lot.
"Mom wants to talk to you, hyung."
That’s good. I wanted to see her face too.
"Alright. I’ll head up."
I placed a hand on top of Jaewon’s head and patted it a few times before turning to Gyuhyung.
"Hyung, buy Jaewon some cocoa or something. I’ll be back soon."
* * *
When I went up to the hospital room, a woman who introduced herself as Jae-won's aunt was waiting in the hallway. Her nose and eyes were red—she must have cried just as much.
As I was about to step into the room, she grabbed me.
"Boy."
"……?"
"If the surgery goes well, and she gets proper treatment, she can survive, you know?"
Gripping my hand tightly, her large eyes brimmed with tears as she spoke.
"So please, can you tell her to stay strong? Tell her not to act like her life is already over just because it’s only stage 2 cancer."
"I will."
Reassuring her not to worry, I lightly tapped the back of her hand before stepping into the hospital room.
Jaewon's mother, leaning against the headrest of the hospital bed, gave me a gentle smile. Then, she gestured toward the chair beside the bed, signaling me to sit.
"Ichan-gun, thank you for bringing Jaewon today."
The moment I sat down, she got straight to the point.
"I've noticed that no matter what anyone else says, Jaewon always listens to Ichan-gun. He seems to like you a lot, too."
After receiving her cancer diagnosis and before seeing Jaewon's face again, she must have thought long and hard. She couldn't leave him with his father, who was starting a new life, so who could she entrust her son's well-being to?
Somehow, I came to mind, and now that we'd met, she seemed intent on bringing it up.
"So, what I wanted to say is… if something goes wrong during my surgery, please take care of Jaewon—"
"Ma’am."
But I had no intention of becoming part of such a tearful drama. And, of course, I had no way of taking responsibility for that kid’s future.
It had become a bit tricky to escape, but my ultimate goal was still to get away from these noisy kids.
Of course, that didn’t mean I couldn’t be a little bit of hope for them.
"Do you know what Jaewon calls me?"
"W-What… does he call you?"
“A jujube tree struck by lightning.”
"…Huh?"
Your clueless son only sees this great being as nothing more than a mere tree.
"Actually, I was struck by lightning not long ago. My heart even stopped for a moment, but I miraculously survived."
But maybe that kind of belief is what makes me protect these kids. What makes me get involved in all this troublesome business.
"Since then, I’ve been known as a symbol of good luck."
She looked visibly flustered at my words, yet she didn’t seem entirely disbelieving.
"Can I… hold your hand for a moment?"
At that, Jaewon’s mother gave a small nod and carefully extended her hand. It was a small hand, starting to show the passage of time.
I gently took both of her hands in mine and quietly summoned my magic.
Thanks to absorbing a high amount of mana during the summer concert just a while ago, it was much easier to stir up my power.
"Whenever Jaewon feels down, twists his ankle during practice, wants to cry, needs courage, or wants to make a wish… he touches me."
"……?"
"It’s nothing serious, so don’t worry too much."
I smiled as if joking, and Jaewon’s mother let out a silent laugh as well.
"And like magic, the pain disappears, the mood lifts, and the mind finds peace. In the end, things turn out the way you believe they will."
By now, the magic for stability, healing, and recovery was already flowing into her. I could feel her energy returning almost immediately.
"Since you've held my hand, the energy of the lightning-struck jujube tree has now been passed to you, Mother. Now, all that's left is for you to have a successful surgery."
Jaewon’s mother, now looking noticeably more at ease, gave a nod.
"It will hurt much less, and you'll recover much faster. You will absolutely get through this."
At that, her eyes turned red, welling up with tears.
"I promise."
"Thank you."
No need to thank me. It’s just that your son, just a little bit.
Yeah, it's just a little gift because you're a little bit lovely.
I may not be able to take responsibility for your son's future, as you wish, but I can at least relieve him of some of the weight he's carrying in life right now.
So, now, let's try to find a little more courage. Okay?