Chapter 1
The camera flashes exploded relentlessly, and the pillars of light were trained solely on me.
I walked slowly across the red carpet, then stopped in front of the photo wall. A single, distinct phrase was clearly engraved above my head:
[A Dazzling Night]
Starring: Cha Eun-yeol
"Cha Eun-yeol, look over here!"
"Straight ahead! Smile a little!"
A familiar pose, a practiced smile.
Amidst the downpour of shutter sounds, I calmly met their gazes. Suddenly, a microphone cut through the crowd towards me.
"This is your first leading role. Did you feel any pressure?"
I nodded and answered curtly:
"I was more excited than anything else. I did my best."
Questions immediately followed.
"There were significant delays during filming, weren't there?"
A moment of silence.
Then came the bombshell question:
"We heard there was some friction with the staff... is that true?"
My breath caught in my throat.
The camera flashes faded, the murmurs subsided, and all sound disappeared.
Dozens of lenses were aimed at me, closing in from all sides with no room to escape.
"Actor Cha Eun-yeol?"
A camera stuck right in my face.
My breathing became erratic.
My lips refused to part.
This was the moment I had longed for.
The one moment I had waited for.
Why... why couldn't I say anything?
My mind went blank.
Then—
Gasp—!
I shot up, gasping for air as my eyes flew wide open.
My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would tear through my chest.
No lights, no photo wall, no bustling party—just a dark room.
Under the faint light seeping through a small window, a cold sweat ran down my spine.
It's the same nightmare, repeating again.
Even after all these years, the memory of that day still clung to me relentlessly.
"Hooo..."
I slowly turned my head to look at the trophies lined up on the shelf.
They were covered in dust, their brilliance long gone.
Cheonsang Arts Awards - Best New Actor in a TV Series.
'Back then... what kind of actor was I?'
Successful actors always gain titles.
[Ten-Million-Ticket Actor]
[Prestigious Actor]
[Handsome Actor]
[Charismatic Actor]
Glimmering titles.
So, what's the title I hold now?
[Failed Actor] Cha Eun-yeol
Controversy over 'Gapjil' (abuse of power) on the filming set.
Exposé by a fellow actor.
Canceled advertisement contracts... on the verge of being blacklisted.
Was the 'Gapjil' charge just a simple incident?
These were the first articles that appeared when I searched my name.
But none of it was true.
It was a fabricated story leaked by a rival agency that wanted to keep me in check.
My company issued corrections, and the articles were deleted one by one.
The agency said we should pursue legal action to the end, that we had to prove the truth in court.
But I had no intention of doing so. I chose quiet silence over a direct confrontation.
In a way, I was the one who silently turned my back on everything.
"Hooo..."
The truth is... there was a reason I couldn't speak. I was faltering at the time.
When I stood in front of the camera, silence came to mind before my lines. Instead of building emotion, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was just an 'imitator' forcing himself to perform.
So I remained silent.
The title [Bad Actor] was far more terrifying to me than [Abusive Actor].
I wished no one would notice I was falling apart.
So I stepped back on my own.
Soundlessly, quietly.
And just like that—
The rising star Cha Eun-yeol disappeared.
---
98,000 won.
The moment I checked my bank balance, a deep sigh escaped me.
An amount that was in no way enough to last until the end of the month.
'Haa... seriously.'
I pulled my hood up and rummaged through a box I had thrown on top of the shoe cabinet.
My fingertips grazed the bottom, but they grasped nothing.
Then, finally, I picked one up.
"...It's the last one."
Inside the box was a single remaining cat treat.
I took the small, light package in my hand and gently closed my fist around it.
"Well, let's head out now."
As I was opening the main door of the building, I heard a familiar meow.
Meow—
A cat, shrunken in the corner, caught my eye.
Its fur was matted and coarse, and it was clear from a single glance that it was malnourished.
It was a cat that someone who used to live here had abandoned.
And yet, the little one had never left this spot.
That's why I'd been giving it food whenever I went out. And it seemed to have been waiting for me today, too.
"You were here again?"
It kept hovering around the empty house, as if waiting for its owner who had vanished.
Just like me, unable to let go of past attachments.
I tore open the crinkling plastic wrapper.
The cat must have caught the familiar scent, as it perked its ears slightly and looked at me.
I placed the treat on my palm and carefully offered it.
It seemed hesitant for a moment, but soon began to gobble up the food.
I watched it silently.
"Sorry. This might be the last time."
The words slipped out before I realized it.
The cat paid me no mind, continuing to munch, but I knew.
I couldn't promise that I'd be able to give it another treat until I could earn money again.
"...When I make a lot of money later, I'll buy you something tastier."
At my words, the cat stopped eating and stared at me intently.
"What, do you understand me?"
Its yellow eyes gleamed deep and steady, as if trying to convey something to me.
In that moment—
"Nya-choo!"
The cat suddenly sneezed right in my face.
"Agh! You little brat! Is this how you repay kindness?"
My eyes stung so badly I couldn't open them for a while.
When I finally managed to open my eyes—
The cat was gone. Not even a trace of it having been there a moment ago.
I rubbed my eyes and muttered:
"Hah... today's a total mess."
I left the cat treat wrapper lying there and headed for the convenience store I usually frequented.
The automatic door of the convenience store slid open, and the familiar fluorescent light flooded my vision.
I walked in with my usual steps.
"Hooo—"
The familiar, distinct smell of convenience stores.
The rhythmic hum of the refrigerators.
My gaze naturally fell on the part-time employee standing at the counter.
Park Ji-eun.
The daughter of the store owner, and someone I'd known for two years as a regular customer to her as an employee.
We'd make small talk and exchange light jokes, but the relationship never went beyond that.
"Oh? Eun-yeol oppa! Welcome!"
"Oh... yeah, hi... huh?"
In that moment—
I stopped in my tracks.
Above Ji-eun's head.
Something seemed to be shimmering faintly.
'What's that...? Is the lighting a little strong?'
I narrowed my eyes, trying to get a better look at the faint object.
The air above her head seemed to tremble slightly, probably because of the fluorescent lights.
Like a mirage, I guess.
I gently rubbed my temples.
'Did something get in my eye when that cat sneezed on me...?
I let out a light sigh and started walking towards the aisles as I had originally planned.
But something was strange.
The air itself felt suspiciously unfamiliar.
Taking another step inside, I scanned my surroundings. There were small cameras fixed in the gaps between the shelves.
In that moment—
I held my breath.
My chest slowly tightened, and a cold chill spread to my fingertips.
A cold sweat formed on the back of my neck.
'Cameras...?
I instinctively turned my head, avoiding their gaze.
But in the corner of my vision, I caught the glint of more lenses, one after another.
Along one of the walls were lights and reflectors.
On the floor, masking tape for positioning.
Neatly arranged monitors, and prop boxes that looked like they had just been opened.
The preparations for filming were in full swing.
My mind went blank.
My heart began to race for no reason.
The cameras weren't filming me, but I was caught in the illusion that every single lens was aimed directly at me.
An involuntary fear that had developed since that day.
Camera phobia.
My body reacted to the mere word "camera."
My fingertips went numb, and my vision blurred.
"Haaa...."
I closed my eyes and took a slow breath.
'It's okay. They're not filming me right now.... They're just passing through....'
I kept repeating it to myself, but my pounding heart refused to calm down.
The 'Gapjil' misunderstanding.
Hitting a wall in my acting.
The memory still made me shrink.
Just then, Park Ji-eun looked at me from the counter.
"Oppa, what's wrong? Is there a problem?"
I flinched and looked away.
"...Ah, no. Nothing."
My voice came out drier than I intended.
I quickly composed myself and turned my head towards Park Ji-eun.
"Are they... filming something here?"
I asked in a casual tone, as if nothing was wrong. But the palms of my hands had already become clammy with sweat.
"Ah, oppa. They're shooting a commercial today."
"Not a drama?"
"No, not a drama. I heard it's an ad for some product?"
I scanned the inside of the store again.
To shoot a commercial, the products being promoted would usually be placed front and center, but it seemed they were trying to maintain a realistic convenience store appearance here.
The lenses were still, but I could still feel a camera watching me from somewhere behind my back.
I rubbed my fingertips without realizing it.
"Hooo...."
This is why I couldn't come back for the past five years.
After the controversy broke out and I took a break, the pressure of acting became heavier.
'If I had been a better actor, none of this would have happened.'
That thought gnawed at my mind relentlessly.
Since then, an unknown fear would wash over me whenever I faced a camera, and eventually, I couldn't act anymore.
So, it wasn't that I didn't have a chance to come back.
Something was weighing me down, making it impossible to stand in front of a camera and hindering my acting.
"But where did all the staff go?"
I cut off my train of thought and continued speaking. I was used to suppressing these feelings out of habit.
"They just finished setting up and went out. I think they're on a short break."
"Really? Then I should eat quickly and go."
I said that nonchalantly and headed for the display shelves.
I picked up the premium salmon salad. Large chunks of salmon, fresh vegetables, and a glossy dressing.
5,900 won.
My fingertips stopped.
My bank account balance came to mind.
I quietly put down the salmon salad and picked up the tuna salad next to it.
1,600 won.
Unimpressive contents, dry tuna flakes, and a meager drizzle of dressing.
Still, it would fill my stomach.
I went to the counter and held out my card. Ji-eun scanned the barcode with a practiced hand and asked:
"Oppa, aren't you filming anything these days?"
I hesitated for a moment, then shrugged.
"Yeah, well. That's how it is."
Park Ji-eun seemed to be waiting for a longer answer, but I didn't elaborate, and she didn't press further.
After scanning the item and completing the payment, Park Ji-eun handed me the bag and said:
"Oppa, take this."
What she handed me was a small triangle kimbap.
"What's this?"
"Heh, a service from the owner's daughter. It's going to be disposed of in an hour anyway. Oh, wait!"
She smiled innocently, peeled the barcode off the triangle kimbap, and handed it to me.
I looked at the barcode-less kimbap and gave a slight nod.
Park Ji-eun giggled and said:
"Enjoy it."
Without another word, I headed for the exit.
In that moment—
"What!? What are we supposed to do if the supporting actor bails!!"
The door of the convenience store burst open, and a man whose voice was filled with urgency rushed in.
"We've finished all the preparations, what are you talking about?"
The situation was familiar, and I instinctively looked up. The man who had shouted seemed to be an assistant director.
Beads of sweat covered his face as he hastily adjusted the headset in his hand, talking back and forth with the staff inside.
"We were in contact until just a little while ago! Why did he suddenly disappear?"
"His agency can't confirm either. He's not in the waiting room, and his phone is off."
A staff member replied with a flustered expression. The assistant director frowned and took out his phone.
"This is going to drive me crazy... Today is the scene where the main character acts with the convenience store part-timer. If the actor playing the part-timer doesn't show up, we can't shoot at all!"
The assistant director sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead in frustration.
I watched them blankly.
'Ah, so that's why they weren't controlling the entrance.'
It's something that happens on set from time to time.
If one person bails, the entire shooting schedule gets thrown into chaos.
And that was exactly the situation right now.
"Isn't there anyone who can act a little?"
"Should we try calling an extra agency?"
"Hey! The main actor will be here in ten minutes! We need to shoot this quickly and leave, do we have time for that!?"
Tension filled the air between the staff.
The cameras were already on standby.
The reflectors were set up, and the director sat in front of the monitor, seeming to contemplate how to handle the situation.
The fact that the supporting actor hadn't shown up was escalating into a bigger and bigger problem among the staff.
In that moment—
The assistant director gestured with his chin towards the counter.
"Excuse me, miss! Do you think you could help us out?"
Park Ji-eun, who was scanning barcodes at the counter, looked up in alarm.
"Huh?! Me?! Oh, um... well...!"
The assistant director waved his hands in denial, his expression urgent.
"It's just a scene where you check someone out at the counter, it's not hard! You just have to say a couple of simple lines! Please, just this once!"
Park Ji-eun's face grew paler and paler.
"Oh, no! I can't do that! I've never acted before...!"
Breaking out in a cold sweat, Park Ji-eun fidgeted nervously.
Her gaze fell on me.
In that moment—
'What is that...?
Something that was shimmering like a mirage above her head gradually took shape, and in an instant, it turned into clear text.
[Convenience Store Expert Park Ji-eun]
I froze in place.
'What is this...?
Below the letters floating in the air, a small window opened, and a short description appeared.
Title Copy Condition: She wants to escape this situation. State that you will take on the role of the part-timer instead of her.
Upon Title Copy: You will acquire the knowledge and behaviors related to the title.
My mind reeled at the completely incomprehensible scene.
'A title? Copy? What in the world...?
---
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