Time Mansour - Chapter 130



Only Noblemtl

Episode 130: Stars Instead of the Moon

“Let’s go since we’ve bought almost everything.”

He hung a black plastic bag on the scooter’s handlebar. The weight of the beer pulled the bag down taut.

On the way home.

A small scooter carries the three of us up a steep hill.

The scooter was going up the hill, its small body tottering.

at last.

Drumroll thump.

The engine stalled.

After Siriu turned the key several times, he started the engine and pulled the handle again.

bang.

The engine stalls again.

“Hey. This won’t work. Someone, come down.”

“This manager is telling me to get off.”

I nudged the director with my elbow.

“I don’t like it. Youngjun is heavier.”

“I don’t know. I’m not even 60. How much does this manager weigh?”

Before I could even finish asking the question, the director’s hand went to my hair.

A palm flying at me like lightning. I barely avoided it by twisting my waist.

As if it wasn’t the end, he lifted his other elbow and threw an elbow in a Muay Thai stance.

I raised my left hand and pushed it away with animal-like reflexes.

Because the battle was so fierce in such a small space.

“···”

The scooter kept rocking from side to side.

“Hey! Stop it. It’s done. Both of you, get off.”

At Siriu’s shout, the two of us got up and stepped on the dirt floor.

This director squints his eyes and blames me.

“It’s because of Youngjun···”

“I’m sorry. I made you step in the mud… You must have only walked on carpets…”

“Oh, boy! Seriously! Stop it!”

This manager flies like a star and dances like a butterfly.

The second round began. I narrowed my strides and raised my guard.

A fierce fist. I avoided the flying hook by stepping.

They were fighting so fiercely.

“Both of you, stop quarrelling and come quickly. Get in now.”

Siriu shouted from the hill.

“No!”

“What a lover’s quarrel!”

Director Lee and I walked up the hill with serious expressions on our faces at a brisk pace.

After that, the scooter kept stopping.

Every time I went up a steep hill the engine would stall, so I got off the scooter and got back on a few more times.

By the time we arrived at the village, it was already dark.

I returned the motorcycle I had borrowed from a local resident and was heading back home.

“What is that?”

I found something a little unusual in the yard next door.

There was a stag beetle attached to a stick made of sugarcane.

At first I thought it was a trap to catch pests, but upon closer inspection it seemed alive.

The horn of the stag beetle, tied with thread, looked like it had been touched by a human hand.

“Why did you tie it up, actually?”

“To keep them from running away.”

“why?”

“I guess I’m just trying to sell it.”

“Are you selling that?”

“huh.”

“A bug?”

“It’s a longicorn beetle. Well, it’s not that expensive. It’s just something for the elders to do.”

“That’s strange. There are people who live like beetles.”

“It’s amazing. We live in a world where we have to pay for things that don’t even exist. Of course, a scarab beetle would sell.”

“Huh? There’s no real thing? What?”

“It’s the same with movie subscriptions or YouTube. No, no. You don’t have to go far. Look at your donation app. Why would people spend money there?”

“Ah! Me again.”

I was about to answer whether that was the same.

moment.

Suddenly.

Something flashed through my mind.

“Yeah. That’s right. That’s right. You could have just sold it.”

I shouted loudly without realizing it.

But this director and Siri looked at me like I was some kind of weirdo.

Whether or not, I looked up at the night sky, rejoicing alone.

therefore.

I figured out a way to get around credit card fees.

**

The sun has set though.

It’s still too early to go to sleep.

so.

We sat at an outdoor table and drank beer while enjoying the moonlight.

After taking a sip of beer.

I told the manager the story that came to mind earlier.

“You’re creating a separate page just to support card fees?”

“yes.”

“It’s just money that goes towards credit card fees, so do you think people will want to donate?”

“I can’t guarantee it, but… you’ll just have to try to find out. There are people in this world who want to be supporting actors rather than the main characters.”

It’s something you can decide after you sell it. If you collect too much money, you can just close the page in the middle, but if you collect too little, then I have no choice but to shoulder the burden.

There are also sponsors who support underprivileged children.

also.

I thought that there might be people who donate money to cover the credit card fees.

While I and Director Lee were talking like that.

Siriu tilted her head and looked at me.

“Why don’t you just deduct the card fee and give it to me? Why do you make things so complicated?”

“Well, that’s okay. The sponsors didn’t donate to pay for card fees. They wanted the money to be delivered in its entirety.”

“That’s a really typical Youngjun-like thought. To take a detour when you could have just taken the straight path.”

The director covered his mouth and laughed.

Well, it may seem that way to other people.

Sending donations after deducting card fees

Receiving separate donations from the beginning under the pretext of credit card fees.

I felt like these two were so different.

As the director said, this might be my way.

“Anyway, I have one less thing to worry about, Youngjun.”

“Yes. Something like that. I don’t know if it will work out well though.”

“Then how are you going to promote it?”

“As the director said, we should try to persuade this CEO. The fan community has a lot of firepower. It would be great if they could really help, but the problem is how to persuade them.”

“That won’t be hard. I really like Youngjun. My brother···”

He stopped talking and looked at me with an “Oh no” expression.

On the other hand, Siri looked at the director with his eyes wide open and his mouth open.

‘I can’t handle this.’

He said it himself. I couldn’t say anything on his behalf.

Still, I kept thinking about whether there was anything I could change the subject from.

“Wait a minute. Your brother? CEO Ive? Your real brother?”

Siriu’s reply was a little faster.

My turn has passed.

There’s no choice.

My gaze also couldn’t help but turn towards this director.

“Ah… that’s right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it. I just didn’t feel like talking about it.”

“Really? That Ive? The Ive I know?”

I kept asking the same question over and over again. When the director scratched his head and nodded, Siriu turned her head and looked at me.

“I see what’s going on. Is that right? Is it something I shouldn’t know about?”

“That··· I don’t really know.

I tried to accommodate her because I thought she didn’t want to, but honestly, I didn’t know why she was trying to hide it.

Is there really a secret that can’t be told? I thought that as I looked at the director.

“Oh my. There must be some great reason. I didn’t say anything because of Youngjun.”

The director glared at me with a bewildered expression.

**

“Because Youngjun kept teasing me for being rich… I thought it would be better to just not say anything.”

“Really… is that really the reason?”

“Then what other reason could there be? If other people find out, Youngjun will be excited and play with him more.”

I never thought about it. That was the only reason I didn’t say anything.

I had time to reflect on the director’s words.

I didn’t think he cared much, so I teased him casually. But I guess he felt bad inside.

I’ll have to be more careful next time.

Thinking like that.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, but I’m sorry.”

I raised my hands.

The beer foamed as the cans hit the air.

“Okay, I’ll show my kindness. I’ll accept your apology.”

The manager laughs and wipes his mouth with a tissue.

I wanted it to end warmly, like flowing bubbles.

“Hey. It’s no fun if you take it like this.”

Sirius struck the target.

He didn’t have that kind of image at first either.

I don’t know if it’s because of me or this manager.

The child became more and more strange due to the influence of those around him.

“It’s not fun. What’s not fun? It’s so fun right now.”

“That’s right. When I think about it, it’s not really fun.”

In response to my words, this director answered instead of Siriu.

He looked at me with a mischievous expression on his lips.

“Then, as an apology, please give me just one gift.”

“A gift? What is it? Do you need anything?”

“The moon. You said that before. Youngjun, you said you picked the moon.”

The director smiled and pointed to the night sky with his finger.

Oh, what should I say now?

I think you’re trying to tease me.

No way. I’m pretty good at this kind of thing.

“I used to pick them occasionally, but now that I’m older, the moon is a bit difficult. I think I’ll be able to pick stars, though.”

At this manager’s words, we started bargaining.

“What kind of weird stuff are you talking about again? How do you pick stars?”

“There is a way to do everything.”

“Hey. What’s the method? Then follow it. Just take a look.”

Director Lee shook his head and did not believe what I said.

“Okay. Just wait.”

Ignoring the director’s reaction, he rolled up his sleeves.

I looked around for something to hold in my hand. I happened to see a hoe, so I grabbed it.

‘It seemed like there were a lot of them here.’

I walked to a place with no back, raised my head and looked up at the night sky.

After a while, I discovered starlight floating in the sky.

“Ugh.”

He swung the net while jumping. He drew a large semicircle in the air with one arm. The net caught the light.

“Okay. I got it.”

After shouting loudly, he carefully grabbed the net and returned to the table.

So let’s turn the light on in the garden.

The manager looked at me with a bright smile.

“Wow! Is this a firefly?”

“Yes. Is this your first time seeing it?”

Siri looked at us like we were country bumpkins.

“I was wondering what it was, and I caught it. There are quite a few here. Sometimes they come into the room and stuff.”

“That’s right. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you too.”

There were a lot of them, but they were hard to see unless you looked closely. They were especially hard to see in places where there were a lot of them.

“I saw it for the first time. When on earth did you see fireflies, Youngjun? Are we from the same era as me?”

As soon as I heard that, the word Gangnam, where the director lived, got stuck in my throat.

Gulp.

He took a sip of beer and swallowed the long sentence. Then he opened his mouth again.

“Sometimes when I was young. It’s been a really long time since I’ve seen it.”

“There was one in Seoul too. I didn’t know. Youngjun is about the same age as me, but if you look closely, he seems like a really old person… Huh? What is it? What is that smell?”

The director stopped talking and sniffed. His nostrils suddenly flared.

ah.

right.

I forgot.

A magical insect that glows.

Plus, it was slow and easy to catch.

Surprisingly, the kids didn’t catch it very well.

because.

“Isn’t this Youngjun?”

Because the smell was terrible.

“It’s not me. It’s the smell of fireflies. They usually smell bad… No. I told you it wasn’t me. Don’t look at me like that.”

This manager playfully blocks his nose and looks at me.

Siriu also smiles and follows the same movements.

“No, I said. It wasn’t me.”

Swing both hands in the air, left and right.

I sent a signal to the children living on a distant, unknown planet to express my grievances.