Chapter 2 - What Will Happen?
‘What on earth is this?’
Baek Hyeon-woo blinked his eyes.
Unlike the letters that had appeared during the phone call yesterday, these letters didn't disappear and continued to flicker before his eyes.
To be precise, they were floating next to the face of Seo Na-eun, who was inside the elevator.
“Aren't you getting on?”
“Ah, I'm sorry.”
At the sound of Seo Na-eun's voice, Baek Hyeon-woo hurriedly got on the elevator.
Despite the fact that a man she was seeing for the first time was staring intently at her face, Seo Na-eun didn't seem to pay it much mind.
Perhaps it was because she was an idol and was used to the gazes of others.
“……”
Inside the silent elevator, Baek Hyeon-woo once again checked the letters displayed next to Seo Na-eun.
–––––––
[Seo Na-eun]
Vocal: B-
Dance: A-
Visual: B-
Potential: A
Body Condition: 35%
Mental Condition: 45%
– Pain and motor impairment are occurring due to problems with the tibialis anterior, fibularis longus, and brevis muscles in the lower leg.
– Headaches are occurring due to problems with the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles in the head and neck.
– Body Condition is severely lowered.
– Mental Condition is severely lowered.
– A negative correction is being applied to Vocal, Dance, and Visual.
–––––––
At a glance, it looked like a game's stat screen or a status window.
Seeing items like Vocal, Dance, and Visual, it seemed to express her abilities as an idol.
‘Is Potential her latent ability? Body Condition and Mental Condition seem to be her physical and mental states...’
Body Condition is 35%, Mental Condition is 45%.
Assuming 100% is the maximum, it seems her condition is severely lowered, both physically and mentally.
And the cause seemed to be the content written below.
‘There's pain and motor impairment because of the fibularis longus and brevis muscles, and headaches because of the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles...’
The fibularis longus and brevis muscles are muscles located on the outer side of the shin.
They are the main muscles that support the ankle, and if there is a problem with them, it is painful and uncomfortable, as if one has sprained their ankle.
Additionally, the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid are muscles that descend from the back of the head to the neck, and if these muscles are stiff, symptoms in the head area, such as headaches, occur.
‘Putting the leg issue aside, it seems correct that her sternocleidomastoid is tense.’
Seo Na-eun was tilting her head to the right.
If the sternocleidomastoid is stiff, one often ends up tilting their head to one side.
This is because the sternocleidomastoid shortens in length, pulling the head towards the chest.
‘Comparing her to the patients I've experienced so far, it's correct that this person's right sternocleidomastoid is tense.’
When they arrived at the 8th floor, the elevator doors opened, and Seo Na-eun went outside first.
Watching her from behind, Baek Hyeon-woo confirmed one more fact.
Seo Na-eun was walking with a slight limp.
‘Her left ankle is in a bad state. It really means there's a problem with her fibularis longus and brevis muscles too.’
Baek Hyeon-woo couldn't help but shudder.
The unidentified status window that had suddenly started appearing before his eyes was accurately diagnosing Seo Na-eun's physical condition.
‘If her ankle is that bad, her dance skills are bound to decline. And if her headaches are severe, her overall condition is bound to decline, so it will also negatively affect her singing ability and complexion.’
The decline in her Body and Mental Condition, and the negative correction applied to her Vocal, Dance, and Visual... he could understand it all.
‘Why is this phenomenon... no, why did I get this kind of ability?’
Could it be that something really went wrong with his brain during the electrocution accident a month ago?
Medically, it made no sense, but seeing as it was accompanied by a zapping sensation as if he were being electrocuted, he had no choice but to think that way.
‘Moreover, of all things, why an idol's condition...’
Suddenly, he remembered his conversation with Song Won-shik yesterday about entertainment agency managers.
He had felt that zapping sensation back then too as strange letters appeared... could it be related to that?
“Hyeon-woo-ya, what are you doing there?”
Right at that moment.
A middle-aged woman who had come out into the hallway recognized Baek Hyeon-woo and spoke to him.
It was Baek Hyeon-woo's aunt, Baek Yeon-ah, the CEO of Haram Entertainment.
But...
–––––––
[Baek Yeon-ah]
Vocal: A-
Dance: E
Visual: C-
Potential: F
Body Condition: 60%
Mental Condition: 45%
– Headaches are occurring due to problems with the suboccipital muscles in the head and neck.
– Body Condition is slightly lowered.
– Mental Condition is severely lowered.
– A negative correction is being applied to Vocal and Visual.
–––––––
Next to Baek Yeon-ah's head as well, the same kind of status window as Newstarz's Seo Na-eun was being displayed.
* * *
“Sigh, the company is a complete mess right now. Because the general manager screwed up the project and ran off, everything has gone wrong. The managers all fled and a bunch of employees quit, so the company is at a point where it can't even function properly, you know?”
In the CEO's office, Baek Yeon-ah vented her frustrations.
However, Baek Hyeon-woo couldn't properly register Baek Yeon-ah's words.
This was because he had to observe the status window floating next to Baek Yeon-ah's head.
‘To think that a status window appears for my aunt too...’
Why did a status window appear for Baek Yeon-ah as well?
The answer could likely be found in Baek Yeon-ah's career history.
‘My aunt used to be active as a singer in the past. I wonder if the status window appears for anyone who was active in the entertainment industry, even if they're not a current singer.’
About twenty years ago, Baek Yeon-ah was a popular singer with an innocent and delicate image who had a large fanbase.
She gained popularity with her outstanding vocal talent and striking beauty, and since she even had songwriting skills, she composed most of her own songs.
After getting older, she transitioned to being a producer and built up a track record, and based on that record, she went independent and established Haram Entertainment.
‘Putting Dance and Visual aside, her Vocal is even higher than Seo Na-eun's.’
Looking at Vocal alone, Seo Na-eun is a B-, while Baek Yeon-ah is an A-.
Even though a long time had passed since she stopped her activities as a singer, she possessed singing skills that surpassed a current idol's.
‘But I wonder if my aunt's physical condition is also very poor.’
According to the status window, it says that headaches are occurring due to a problem with her suboccipital muscles in the head and neck.
The suboccipital muscles are attached to the back of the head, and if these muscles are tense, you get a pulling sensation in the back of your neck as your head begins to hurt all over.
‘Her Mental Condition is even worse than Seo Na-eun's, who I saw earlier. It's probably because of company matters, but the headaches must have had an effect too.’
Even while Baek Hyeon-woo was thinking such thoughts, Baek Yeon-ah was rattling on about how difficult the company's situation was.
Seeing her vent like that to her nephew who came to help out, it seemed like she had really been bottling up a lot.
“Aunt.”
Baek Hyeon-woo felt sorry for his aunt.
Even before becoming a physical therapist, Baek Hyeon-woo had the kind of personality where he wanted to help people in pain one way or another.
“Doesn't your head hurt?”
“My head?”
Hearing Baek Hyeon-woo's words, Baek Yeon-ah placed a hand on the back of her head.
“How did you know? The back of my neck has been feeling tight these days.”
“Shall I give you some treatment?”
“Treatment?”
Baek Yeon-ah blinked.
“Weren't you doing physical therapy? Don't you need one of those machines that give off electricity?”
“Physical therapy isn't just about that kind of thing.”
Physical therapy doesn't just refer to electrotherapy like ICT.
It encompasses treatment methods that utilize physical means such as heat, light, water, air, and gravity.
Applying physical stimulation with a person's hands is also a proper form of physical therapy.
“Let me massage the back of your head a bit.”
“Ah, you know how to do acupressure too?”
“It's similar.”
“Then do it for me. The back of my neck is so sore...”
On the CEO office chair, Baek Yeon-ah turned her head and showed him the back of it.
Seeing this, Baek Hyeon-woo approached Baek Yeon-ah and pulled her head to his chest.
“Oh my, what do you think you're doing right now?”
“Your head needs to be held steady.”
After holding Baek Yeon-ah's head steady as if hugging it, Baek Hyeon-woo began to touch the area around the back of her head with his right hand.
Feeling the grain of the muscles beneath the skin.
‘Is this it?’
He felt a part that was tautly tensed like a stretched rubber band.
It was the suboccipital muscles, hardened deep inside the back of the head.
These suboccipital muscles are attached to the occipital region of the skull, so if these muscles are stiff, the back of the neck is bound to feel tight.
A therapeutic massage needs to be performed here.
“It might hurt a little.”
“Ack…!”
Baek Hyeon-woo began to apply pressure to the suboccipital muscles using his fingertips.
It wasn't just simple pressing; he moved his fingertips in a direction perpendicular to the muscle fibers, creating friction.
At that, Baek Yeon-ah immediately let out a scream.
“Agh, agh, aaagh…!”
“Does it hurt a lot? Should I go a little gentler?”
“Ah, no, it's fine…!”
Baek Yeon-ah raised her voice with her eyes squeezed shut.
“It feels so refreshing right now! It feels like my head is clearing up!”
That would be why.
If you strongly press the suboccipital muscles on the back of the head while holding it steady like this, you feel a refreshing sensation as if your entire head is being cleared out.
The suboccipital muscles, located between the nape of the neck and the back of the head, are an area that stiffens easily.
When the suboccipital muscles become rigid, not only does the back of the neck feel tight, but the entire head feels stuffy because it also puts pressure on the nerves and blood vessels passing through the back of the head.
Since he was stimulating those suboccipital muscles with precise hand movements... a pleasure as if piercing through the entire head was being felt.
“Keep doing that!”
“Got it.”
Answering as such, Baek Hyeon-woo examined Baek Yeon-ah's status window.
Surprisingly, Baek Yeon-ah's status window was continuously changing in real time.
‘Her condition keeps going up.’
[*Body Condition: 61%], [*Body Condition: 62%], [*Body Condition: 63%], [*Body Condition: 64%]... The numbers were changing in real time.
Even her Mental Condition was gradually rising from 45%.
‘To think that I can confirm the effects of the treatment with numbers like this...’
Of course, he shouldn't get distracted by checking the status window and neglect the treatment.
Baek Hyeon-woo used the fingertip sensitivity he had honed over the years to accurately stimulate the suboccipital muscles hidden in the back of her head.
“I think this should be enough.”
Judging that she had been treated sufficiently, Baek Hyeon-woo removed his hands from the back of Baek Yeon-ah's head.
Coincidentally, the condition stats had also stopped changing.
“How do you feel?”
“Wow…”
Baek Yeon-ah moved her head this way and that in amazement.
“It's so refreshing! If you're this good at acupressure, you should have said so sooner!”
Smiling broadly, Baek Yeon-ah patted Baek Hyeon-woo's back.
She must have been in such a good mood that she didn't control her strength properly, to the point that his back hurt.
But Baek Hyeon-woo was not in a situation to worry about that.
This was because his gaze was captivated by Baek Yeon-ah's status window.
–––––––
[Baek Yeon-ah]
Vocal: A
Dance: E
Visual: C
Potential: F
– Body Condition: 85%
– Mental Condition: 60%
– Mental Condition is slightly lowered.
–––––––
The condition stats had improved, and the sentence stating that headaches were occurring due to a problem with the suboccipital muscles in the head and neck had also disappeared.
But that wasn't all.
As the sentence stating that a negative correction was being applied to Vocal and Visual disappeared... Vocal had risen from A- to A, and Visual had risen from C- to C.
‘My aunt already retired a long time ago, so it's not very meaningful, but if it were a currently active singer...’
If he were to treat Seo Na-eun, who he had passed by earlier, what would happen?
Baek Hyeon-woo became curious about that.