The Cinderella Who Left Her Snacks and Vanished!

What the hell... What even is this...!

He had spent another day pounding the pavement in Hongdae, hunting for a face to cast. Weekends or crowded days would have been better, but the schedule was a vise. Today was the last chance he had.

And then—

Found her! So why—!

The man stared at the girl singing on the street. Her voice? Streets ahead of any ordinary passerby. Expert-level, though? Not quite. He wasn't a specialist himself, but he had sat through enough professionals that his ear knew the difference.

That was when a bespectacled man shoved through the crowd and found him.

"Ah! PD-nim! So this is where you were! What are you doing out here, though? Oh! Street busking! I used to stop and watch all the time back in the day... She's actually pretty good, isn't she?"

"Yeah... she is. And... I found her."

"...Excuse me? Found her? Found what?"

The man pointed a finger at the girl.

"She's the Cinderella I've been looking for."

"The Cinderella you were looking for... Ah! The one who threw her snacks and ran! That was her?"

The moment the man in glasses said the word Cinderella, nearby heads turned.

"Hey! Keep your voice down when you say that!"

"Ack! I—I'm sorry, PD-nim..."

"Don't call me PD-nim out here."

"Yes... Wonseong."

Kang Wonseong.

A veteran drama PD at SBD, the man they called the Hands of God for the way every series he touched exploded into a hit.

His eye was viciously particular. Even when a performer matched a role's image, the slightest mismatch in tone or inflection was enough for him to walk away.

Which was why, with barely a month left until filming began, he was still tearing his hair out over the last remaining supporting part.

"Minho. Look into that girl."

"What? That kind of hassle... I'll do it, of course... I have to, but... I don't know about this."

Directing PD Yoo Minho.

He had seen more actors and celebrities than he could count, and still no one came to mind.

"I've got nothing. A face like that, I'd remember even at a glance. There's no one. And... she looks like a student. Are you sure about this? The remaining role is..."

"Right. An adult part. The kind a baby-faced kid could never cover. But look at that face. Don't you think a little work would do it? No—it definitely will. That's what my gut is telling me."

Yoo Minho lost his words entirely.

Aging a child up, building that effect—every last bit of it landed on the directing team. And here he was, talking as if it were a given they could pull it off.

"Fine, I get that. Did you get permission?"

"Of course... that's what we're going over there to do. Come on. Looks like she's packing up."

Once Kang Wonseong decided something, he did not change course. If he had already settled on it, it was happening.

He was stubborn, a walking public nuisance—and the biggest reason nobody ever refused him was that, so far, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not a single person had.

Yoo Minho followed, already assuming this time would be the same easy yes.

Except—

"Um... I'm sorry. I'd be in school at that time... so I'll have to decline."

Kang Wonseong froze solid at a refusal he had never seen coming.

"....Pffft!"

Yoo Minho could not hold the laugh in.

What is this supposed to be?

Just as the window in front of me claimed, my first busking set had ended in success.

While Yoo Hyemin stepped away to pack up, I opened the Status Window to check the mission—and a strange line of text appeared.

I had never seen anything like it when I looked at my achievements before. Where had this even come from?

I rubbed my eyes as if I were just tired and tapped the Status Window. Another popup unfolded, and a picture bloomed across it.

Is this... a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gacha?

It was the old capsule machine I remembered from the stationery shop as a kid—except there were three of them. From the left: General, Intermediate, Advanced.

In games, you pull items out of these things. Is this the same deal?

I tapped the General machine on the left.

One coin to spin. I happened to have exactly one, so I pulled it immediately.

Clunk. Clunk.

The machine shuddered hard, the handle cranked around, and a capsule rolled out gleaming a deep silver.

Crack.

The capsule split, and whatever was inside burst free.

"Ugh!"

I flinched, squinting against a sudden, blinding light.

What kind of name is that?

I hadn't been hoping for something stylish or cool. What mattered wasn't the wrapper—it was what was inside.

I checked the capsule.

"...You've got to be kidding me."

The curse slipped out before I could stop it. It had been free, so I'd hoped for something usable at least.

I just hadn't expected a skill this good.

And this was only C-rank. How ridiculous were B and A going to be later?

No, wait. Looking closer, there's a hole in it.

It didn't copy the other person's talent for ten minutes. It let me learn it. Which meant I actually had to know what their talent was.

And how am I supposed to check that... I don't know anyone, and as for close friends...

All of Jiwoo's memories had poured into my head, and there still wasn't a single person she had been close to.

School, then the academy, then home, the second the last bell rang. Those three stops, over and over, like a hamster wheel.

That was when—

"Um..."

A shadow fell over my head, and someone spoke.

Figuring it was another person asking for my number, I lifted my face to turn them down.

"...Huh? W-who are you?"

A rough-looking man who could have been in his fifties stood there with the guy in glasses.

And that man... I had seen him somewhere. Ah!

I shot to my feet, sucking in a breath to shout.

This is the guy who tried to grab me before! I have to run—

I swept the street for anyone who might help. Unfortunately, the moment the busking ended, the crowd had melted away. There was no one.

Still.

"No! I don't want to! Don't do it!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Wai—!"

Both men startled and shoved their hands inside their jackets.

Don't tell me they're pulling weapons...!

I had to run, now—

I twisted around, already planning my escape.

Then—

"This is who I am!"

The voice at my back locked my body for a second. What he was holding wasn't a weapon. It was a business card.

"A... card?"

"That's right. I'm Kang Wonseong, a drama PD at SBD. I came here to cast you."

"Casting... a drama PD?"

I frowned.

No matter how I looked at him, he did not look like a PD. That face could have belonged to a gangster and nobody would have blinked... Was he actually a PD? Anyone could print a business card in five minutes.

I kept my suspicion and asked a few questions anyway.

"Are you really a PD? And why would you want to cast me? I don't even have an agency, and I've never been in a drama."

"That's..."

"Don't worry about it! My eye is sharper than anyone's! Your face, and the singing I just heard—you match the character I've been picturing exactly!"

"Ah... uh... yes. Thank you?"

Kang Wonseong PD flared up out of nowhere.

None of it was what you'd call normal behavior. Beside him, Yoo Minho planted a hand on his forehead and shook his head.

"Jiwoo! We're all packed up, but... huh? Director Kang Wonseong?"

"Hm? Hyemin. Long time no see."

Yoo Hyemin, done packing at last, lit up at the sight of Kang Wonseong PD and greeted him warmly.

"Director? Is he actually a drama PD? That face could pass for a gang boss..."

I darted to Yoo Hyemin's side and hissed it into her ear. She burst out laughing like she'd just heard the best thing all day.

"Hahaha! That's right. He's a real PD. He does look like a gang boss, just like you said—but he's a veteran director better than anyone."

"Ah... I-I'm so sorry!"

I bowed my head.

I didn't think I was some genius at reading people. I had just figured experience was enough to tell the difference.

That had been a mistake.

I already knew it was nearly impossible to take someone's full measure at a first meeting... and I had gotten cocky anyway.

"I'm sorry..."

I had no choice but to apologize again. More precisely, to myself, for doing something that stupid.

"It's fine. This hyung really does look like a gangster. Lucky there was nobody around. If there had been..."

My face went cold at Yoo Minho's words. He was right. If anyone had called it in, we would have been standing here red to the ears.

"All right, all right, enough of that. But Director? What brings you here?"

"To cast someone. Why else would I come?"

"Casting...? Jiwoo? But Jiwoo's an idol trainee."

"...What? No, I'm not."

"Of course she is! That face, that singing, and the acting she showed in front of a crowd! Anyone can see she's born to be an actress! Am I wrong?"

"Uh... that's not it either?"

I'm a VTuber, though?

"Aigoo..."

"Don't look that disappointed."

"How am I supposed to not be disappointed! A kid with a face like that, and she's not an actress, not an idol—she's a VTuber!"

Yoo Minho privately agreed.

VTubing was the kind of thing you could always do later. After the popularity faded. After a failure, when there was nothing else left. Wouldn't that have been fine?

He didn't say any of that out loud, of course. It was just the thought you had when someone owned a face too good to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hide.

"Still, she said no because of school. Nothing we can do about that. And from the sound of it, it's not even an arts high school."

"That's the worse problem! Why isn't it an arts school? Why is she going to a regular one?!"

Kang Wonseong PD bellowed it standing in the middle of the street. A few people gave him odd looks as they passed.

"Hyung. Calm down first. We're out of time. That last slot. Who are you going to pick?"

"Hnn... No. This won't do. You. You got Jiwoo's number, didn't you."

"I did, but... what are you planning?"

"Planning? What do you think I'm planning."

Yoo Minho looked at Kang Wonseong PD's face. Just leaning in with that mug could have taken a few people out. Kids spent entire child-actor auditions crying because of it. Kang Wonseong PD had taken to casting child actors from tape alone.

And a man with that history is saying this? Has he still not learned? How many more kids is he trying to make cry.

Even so, Yoo Minho thought it was a waste too, so he handed over Jiwoo's number without a fight.

"But what are you actually going to do with the number?"

"Have her act, at least once. Then she can give up or not. Either way, we'll know."

"Ah... right. Even if she fits the role perfectly, if she can't act, it's a no."

Yoo Minho nodded and watched from the side as Kang Wonseong PD made the call.

If it comes to it, I'll just knock him out cold.

Once Kang Wonseong PD locked onto something, he charged with no regard for what was in front of him or behind.

"Ah! Jiwoo! Let's do just one job with me right now!"

"..."

I knew this would happen!