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For the first time in his life, Jung Chanyul saw a ‘ghost’.
He never believed in things like ghosts or spirits—those silly superstitions.
What mattered to him were the pleasures of the present, fleeting moments of joy, and real things like honor built on money.
Isn’t life about valuing what’s in front of you over invisible things?
Luckily, Jung Chanyul’s life was perfect in all three of those ways.
A face to die for, a chiseled body earned through hard work, and a wealthy family to boot.
They say people shouldn’t be judged by what they have, but who actually lives like that? Anyone would admit that if a person even has a great personality, people like him even more.
In an environment where self-esteem couldn’t possibly fall, even the only thing people could criticize—Jung Chanyul’s parachute status at work—wasn’t a problem. In fact, his performance at the company was rather good.
Even those who complained about him being a parachute eventually acknowledged his abilities and now scrambled to get on his good side.
It was in such a situation that he met Lee Haryeong, and after meeting Lee Haryeong, he ended up meeting a ghost he never believed existed.
– Thank you.
That ghost even expressed gratitude to him.
The grotesque figure he saw at first eventually left, looking no different from a normal human.
[Ms. Lee Haryeong… Do ghosts really exist?]
[I thought you only believed what you could see. Didn’t you see it?]
[No.]
Jung Chanyul spoke as he watched the ghost disappear.
[I saw it, and I heard it.]
If ghosts really exist, could you even hear a person’s last words?
He’d purposely lived his life without believing.
But now that he’d truly seen a ghost, he couldn’t help but think that maybe one day, it would appear before him again.
Those cold-hearted people who never even appeared in his dreams—maybe one day, they’d really come back to him.
Since that day, Jung Chanyul requested a transfer to HR Team 4, and, true to his parachute status, his request was accepted in less than a week.
The first day he moved to HR Team 4 to follow Lee Haryeong.
The HR Team 4 office in the annex was filled with a creepy atmosphere and damp air right from the beginning of the corridor.
He’d heard there were employees who opposed the transfer, but it’s odd for anyone not to welcome a talent like him.
Confidently, Jung Chanyul opened the door and entered, when a man’s loud voice rang out.
[Team Leader, he can’t see ghosts at all. Why would you bring someone like that into Team 4?]
[Life doesn’t always go the way you want, you know. And Taek, weren’t you fine with it? You left him alone when sending off the ghost, didn’t you?]
[That was because Ms. Lee Haryeong was there, and since she was the first to see that ghost, I let it go. I never meant to bring him into our team.]
Sheesh.
[I’m already in here… Isn’t this welcome a bit too grand~?]
Jung Chanyul waved his hand with a sly grin.
Seeing that, the Team 4 leader stood up and looked between Choi Taek and Jung Chanyul.
Choi Taek glared at Jung Chanyul, a deep scowl on his face.
Choi Taek strode right up, standing so close to Jung Chanyul their noses could almost touch, and looked down at him.
[Deputy Jung Chanyul, it’s not too late. Put in another transfer request.]
[Hm? Why would I do that? Ah, could it be! Because I’m better-looking than you? More successful than you?]
At that moment, Lee Haryeong arrived, passing the two men guarding the door without a word and going straight to her seat.
Choi Taek glanced at Lee Haryeong, clearly hoping she’d say something, but in the end he turned back to Jung Chanyul.
[You don’t fit in with our team. And don’t you know Team 4 has the worst performance? You won’t get promoted here, you know.]
At Choi Taek’s words, Jung Chanyul let out a short laugh.
Not good for promotion?
[Hey, Assistant Manager Choi Taek. You’re misunderstanding something. I’m not like you.]
Jung Chanyul jabbed a finger into Choi Taek’s chest.
[I’m not someone who needs to build up results to get promoted.]
The confidence in his eyes made it clear what kind of life he’d led.
[I get promoted even if I have nothing. Why? Because that’s just how I was born.]
Wrinkles creased Choi Taek’s brow.
Doesn’t matter.
Jung Chanyul, I’m not someone who has to watch what others think.
[But do you know why I’ve been working so hard until now?]
[Am I supposed to know?]
[Just listen. The reason I worked hard is simple. It gives legitimacy to what I have. I didn’t get these skills or this background through hard work, after all.]
Jung Chanyul spread his arms wide and thumped his chest. Choi Taek frowned at that arrogant display.
[Now that someone as humble as me is on Team 4, won’t our results improve? Choi Taek, aren’t you working hard because you want to get promoted?]
Choi Taek snapped his head to the side.
His tone was already brimming with dissatisfaction.
[Team 4’s results aren’t something you can just fix, Deputy Jung.]
[Besides seeing ghosts, there’s something else we need—budget, right? Now that I’m on Team 4, what’s stopping us? Choi Taek, if you have something, use it. No need to make life hard for each other just because we’re uncomfortable. We’re coworkers, not friends, right? Shouldn’t you be trying to get on my good side instead? Why are you so conscious of me?]
Choi Taek’s eyes narrowed like a snake’s.
A suspicious look.
Jung Chanyul was so used to looks like that, he found them almost amusing now.
[I don’t see what you gain from acting like this, Deputy Jung.]
[Right. What could I possibly gain? Ah! There’s one thing.]
Jung Chanyul, raising the wrist with his luxury watch, snapped his fingers and grinned slyly.
[And what’s that?]
The team leader, who had been eavesdropping, also leaned his head to the side.
With a wide smile, Jung Chanyul lifted one leg and shot a finger-gun at Lee Haryeong.
[Lee Haryeong’s heart?]
[…….]
Tadadadak.
Even Jung Chanyul’s “love bullet” got no reaction from Lee Haryeong, and Choi Taek just patted him on the shoulder with a mocking smile.
[Looks like there’s something even Jung Chanyul can’t get in this world.]
* * *
“Cut!! O~~~~kay!”
The moment the shoot ended, laughter broke out all over the set.
“Ah~ Jeon Yeohu, you’re amazing! You did so well, I have nothing to nitpick!”
“Thank you.”
“Now, if we just do one more close-up focusing on Lee Haryeong’s expression from the knee up, we should be good.”
The director couldn’t help but marvel at Jeon Yeohu’s acting.
Jeon Yeohu’s final bit in this scene was practically ad-libbed.
The script simply had the line “Lee Haryeong’s heart?” with brackets, and inside the brackets, it just said to freely express feelings for Lee Haryeong.
That could have been a lot of pressure for a rookie actor, but he pulled off the ending perfectly.
Depending on the acting, Choi Taek and Jung Chanyul’s conversation could have ended on a heavy note, but Jung Chanyul was never a heavy character. Even with a serious topic, he always managed to turn it light.
That love bullet ad-lib was exactly the kind of thing Jung Chanyul would do.
As laughter filled the set, Choi Geonhyeong quietly watched Jeon Yeohu.
In a drama, main and supporting roles are somewhat separated, but that’s just for the overall story.
Every scene has its own star.
But Choi Geonhyeong believed that as the lead, he should never feel overshadowed in any scene.
If he ever did, he thought it would be by a senior with much more experience, never by a rookie.
But…
His heart was pounding from something he’d never experienced before.
‘This is… fun.’
The next scene to be shot would be Jung Chanyul comically fleeing from a ghost, and Choi Geonhyeong and Lee Haryeong rescuing him.
How ridiculous would Jung Chanyul’s expression be as he ran?
How would the rescue scene with himself and Lee Haryeong be staged?
What kind of expressions would be captured?
He’d never felt so alive while acting before.
He loved acting, sure, but it was just that—he loved acting.
He was never really used to the camera and all the staff watching.
Every shoot was nerve-wracking. He couldn’t just speak freely for fear of a slip of the tongue, nor could he show his true feelings. Like the time he’d unfairly judged Jeon Yeohu…
That’s why—
Acting was the one time he could joke, get angry, or be sad without any burden. Choi Geonhyeong felt a sense of freedom from that, but today, even when not acting, he found himself smiling.
It’s fun.
The acting, and this set.
Just then, Sun Jiyun approached Choi Geonhyeong after finishing her shoot and whispered.
“Sunbae, if it’s funny, just laugh instead of covering your face. I’m tired of people calling you the Choi Geonhyeong Robot at every set.”
At Sun Jiyun’s nagging, Choi Geonhyeong fiddled with his face.
He stroked his chin and said,
“Am I really that much of a robot?”
“You barely show any emotion unless you’re acting. Even AIs have more facial expressions than you these days.”
“Hmm…”
“Naturally? Hm? Smile naturally~? You’re actually smiling better today!”
“Yeah. Smile.”
When Sun Jiyun forced a smile, Choi Geonhyeong gave a small laugh, too.
He was still afraid of all the cameras and attention, but today, it felt like he could smile even off set.
* * *
“Uwaaaaah-!!!”
I’d done CG shoots a few times in my past life.
Even in the early 20XXs, thanks to OTT’s massive budgets, I got used to acting like I saw things that weren’t really there.
But not now.
Because, damn it, this isn’t acting.
[Uwaaaah!! Hey! Hey! Choi Taek! Hey! Lee Haryeong! Hurry up and deal with it!]
[Ugh, why is that guy so loud?]
[He doesn’t even realize who’s the reason he’s here, right, Lee Haryeong?]
[I know it’s because of me!]
[Then who’s going to take responsibility for this brat?]
[I said I know that too!]
Boom—!
There are no ghosts. This is just a drama!
Where did it all go wrong?
* * *
About 30 minutes earlier.
It was during a break in rehearsal.
Bored, I opened my status window and started browsing the bulletin board. As usual, it was full of trivial stuff, but one question caught my eye.
[Title: So when can you actually buy the Holy Sword from the shop?]
I’m an Imperial Knight. It’s a world with wizards, heroes, and demon kings. After regressing, I checked the shop, but the Holy Sword is locked. Has anyone unlocked it yet?
â”” Do you have levels or ranks?
â”” Yes, I do. Not levels, but my stats are B-rank.
â”” If you don’t have levels, check the Holy Sword’s description. It should say what unlocks it.
â”” Oh! You’re right! Thank you!
â”” No problem! Good luck today ^^
â”” I don’t even have the Holy Sword…
â”” If your world doesn’t have a Demon King, you don’t get it.
â”” Seriously?
â”” At least that’s how it’s been so far.
Looking closer, it seemed there were more regressors using system shops than I thought.
‘A shop, huh. Well, in a game-like system like this, a shop is a given.’
Then why don’t I have a shop?
People like me, without a shop, usually…
‘They at least get something as a quest reward.’
But in my case, I refused the main quest, so all I have is this Reverse Quest, with the system constantly getting in my way.
“So does that mean the shop’s out of reach for me?”
The moment I said that, my status window immediately popped up a message.
[No! The is always working for the convenience of all regressors.]
[In other words, the shop is also open to those doing Reverse Quests.]
[However, the Reverse Shop has fewer items, and the selection is usually random.]
“So I can still use it? Why are you only telling me now?”
[You never asked.]
…
Ha.
[Would you like to use it?]
“Yeah.”
As soon as I answered, the status window spun around me in a circle.
The status window itself became the shop’s display shelf.
But there was only one item on display.
[Currently, the Reverse Shop has 1 available item. As a first-time buyer, the item is free.]
[The item’s name is .]
[This is the perfect item for those on actor-exclusive quests, and it’s also a best-seller in the main quest shop!!]
Such aggressive salesmanship was suspicious.
The system claimed it was hindering me on the Reverse Quest, yet now it was giving me an item for free?
Can I even trust the system?
But, trust aside, with a name like , there wasn’t really any reason to refuse.
If it were something like the Hero’s Sword or a pendant used by the Demon King, I wouldn’t have bothered even if it was free.
Besides, if it’s free, it’s only polite to try it at least once.
“Alright, I’ll buy it.”
As I muttered, a movie ticket popped out from the system window.
[Best Performance One-Time Coupon.]
[This item is single-use, allowing you to deliver your best performance one time.]
[Available for: 10 seconds… 9 seconds… 8 seconds…]
I knew it.
So it’s free, but the usage period is limited?
At that moment, a staff member announced that shooting was resuming.
“I’ll use it now.”
[The Best Performance Coupon has been used and is now consumed.]
[Your best performance will be shown in the following scene: Episode 4, Scene 13. Jung Chanyul running away from a ghost.]
* * *
So the coupon I used was for…!
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
Nobody told me they’d show me a monster that huge—drooling green saliva and oozing blue blood, charging at me like that.
“Save meeeee!”