The More Traits, the Better

The more traits you have, the better.

In the next scene, Kim Jinwoo seized Kang Shin-hye by the hand and dragged her somewhere deserted.

"W-wait... let go of me!"

To last as an actress for the long haul, you needed stamina like tempered steel. Kang Shin-hye had not skipped a single day of training, and still she could not wrench herself free of Kim Jinwoo's grip. He had built the same singing-and-dancing endurance she had — and on top of that, the raw strength that came with being a man.

"Ah... that hurts..."

"That bastard... how dare he touch her hand!"

Beside them, Kang Sora reached for the top of Kim Jinwoo's head — then pulled her hand back, her face twisted with frustration.

"Just now..."

Kim Jinwoo whipped around and stared into empty air. Could he see her? Kang Sora swallowed, startled.

"Just my imagination?"

"Phew... I've run into the occasional human with a sharp sixth sense, but I never thought he'd pick up on my power."

While Kang Sora let out a breath of relief, Kim Jinwoo shoved Kang Shin-hye against the wall.

"Kyaa! Wh-what do you think you're doing?!"

"Kang Shin-hye. What the hell are you?"

"What I am...? What are you even talking about—"

Bang! Kim Jinwoo kicked the desk beside them. The violence was enough to make anyone watching wince — and Kim Eun-joo knew that perfectly well. Early on, Kim Jinwoo was the kind of man who thought only of himself and ruthlessly shoved aside anyone who got in his way.

"Don't change the subject. What are you? Why... why do I keep seeing that person standing next to you?"

"Th-that person...? Who?"

The camera closed in on Kim Jinwoo's face and pulled the audience straight into what he was feeling. Rage, fear, and longing all lived in that expression. Kang Shin-hye had spent enough years performing to read every flicker of it.

Why... why that look...

To get out of this, she had to calm him down first. If word got out that Kang Shin-hye could see ghosts, the tabloids and the journalists who lived for a cheap headline would write God only knew what. It had to stay buried. And the man standing in front of her was Kim Jinwoo, whose pride scraped the sky so high it was almost funny.

"That's..."

"Stop it! Don't you dare lay a hand on our Shin-hye!"

In that instant, a sinister chill swept the room, and objects flew from every side, burying Kim Jinwoo.

"Wh-what the—aaagh!"

"Now! Run!"

"But—"

While Kim Jinwoo lay pinned under the debris, Kang Sora stretched out her hand. Kang Shin-hye saw that offered hand — and froze. A hazy memory flickered through her mind.

"What are you doing?!"

Kang Shin-hye turned and looked at Kim Jinwoo, crushed beneath the pile. He's not going to die under there, is he? So much junk had stacked on top of him that any viewer would have thought the same thing.

"No. If we leave him like that, he might actually die. I have to help him."

"This is not the time! That man just—"

"Enough! If you're not going to help, then stay out of it!"

Kang Sora's body locked in place at Kang Shin-hye's shout. They pulled Kim Jinwoo out safely, and he was rushed to the ER. Afterward, silence settled between the two of them. Kang Shin-hye wanted to say thank you, but the words would not come. Kang Sora could not bring herself to step any closer, either. This was the limit between a human and a ghost.

Staring at the distance they still could not close, Kang Shin-hye murmured,

"I thought we'd gotten a lot closer this past month."

It had not been her imagination. Unlike those first days, when she had been wary and afraid, they had started practicing songs together at some point, and the gap between them had narrowed.

"Haa... Fine. I guess I have to be the one to reach out first."

Kang Sora muttered to herself, drifted over to Kang Shin-hye, and held out her hand.

"Here. Generous me will make up first."

"Make... up? Ngh...?!"

A single memory surfaced in Kang Shin-hye's mind.

A hand had been offered just like this. But the face was gone.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah—no, I... Yeah. Let's make up."

Kang Shin-hye took Kang Sora's hand, and the space between them closed once more.

"Hey, Jiwoo-chan? What's that talisman?"

"Ah... that. It comes up later."

The talisman kept showing up throughout the episode. It had even appeared right at the start, and people were dying to know what it meant.

Viewer comments were flooding in in real ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time. I already knew the answer from the script, of course.

"Tell meee~ I'm so curious~"

Kang Hoyeon smacked Tsuki — who was clinging to my back — right between the shoulder blades.

"Be quiet. And Jiwoo can't say anything anyway, both for the sake of the fun and to keep from spoiling it. That's in the contract."

"Tch... Fine!"

Tsuki folded her arms and pouted, but her eyes never left the TV.

Meanwhile the clock kept running, and the scenes kept changing.

"Come out! Get out here! I heard everything! There's a ghost in here, isn't there?!"

Freshly discharged, Kim Jinwoo was thrashing at empty air. In his hand was a talisman identical to the one Kang Shin-hye had brought back.

"How did he get that talisman?!"

"That's dangerous... You stay here. I'll go check."

"No. You're a ghost — if that talisman touches you, it's dangerous. I'll go instead—"

They both insisted on going, and their eyes met.

"Nngh...?!"

Whether by chance or fate, another hazy memory washed over Kang Shin-hye — a little clearer than the last.

You... who are you, really...

"I'll go."

"W-wait!"

Kang Shin-hye caught Kang Sora by the hand.

"We don't have time to stand around. The sooner we deal with this, the easier it'll be for you too."

"I..."

Kang Shin-hye glanced around. A broom caught her eye, and an idea clicked into place.

"I've... got a good idea!"

The moment Kang Sora heard the word idea, she broke into a huge grin and nodded.

"Great. Then I'll go first!"

The plan: Kang Sora would go first and mess with Kim Jinwoo. Then Kang Shin-hye would make a heroic entrance. Once the two of them clashed, Kang Sora would slip away in the chaos. It was the kind of plot you'd call third-rate acting — but Kang Sora was delighted anyway.

"Come at me, you ghost!"

The two of them collided, and episode two ended there.

And then—

"Wh-what even was that?! Pffhahaha!"

Tsuki burst out laughing at the ridiculous turn. I almost laughed myself — other than that, it had come out well.

Kang Sora's identity leaked out in little pieces, and a romance between Kim Jinwoo and Kang Shin-hye began from the smallest of sparks. Of course, this was only the beginning. There was a long way still to go. Kang Sora was nothing more than the person who tied those two together. Their feelings would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not be confirmed until the next ghost.

"Jiwoo-chan!"

"Hm?"

"Jiwoo-chan isn't just amazing at singing — your acting is super duper amazing too!"

Tsuki thrust both hands at me, thumbs up as wide as they would go.

"I wasn't the only one who did well. Every actor, every staff member, and the director all did their part."

Carried the whole thing by myself? I was not dumb enough to think that. Even finishing a single job meant it passed through countless hands before it became something complete.

"Still, I think Jiwoo did the best, though?"

Kang Hoyeon muttered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it with a perfectly serious face, while CEO Jo Kyuhyun was busy taking one ringing phone call after another. Neither of them needed to say it — the smiles were already written on their faces.

Everyone's reacting well, huh?

At this rate, I was starting to look forward to episode two's ratings too.

Until yesterday, the articles had all been asking who the new actress was — who I was. Today, they were all about my acting.

It's all thanks to the System, though.

I opened the System for the first time in a while.

My abilities had grown a lot. I still did not know the exact conditions for growth, but I had practiced and pushed every day, and at some point the numbers had climbed. The two that stood out most were Acting and Stamina.

Acting had started at a mere C — ordinary-person level. Now it was B. I could actually deliver a skilled performance. And if I stacked my traits on top of that, my estimate was that I could push it to at least A-rank.

If that math were wrong, I never would have been cast in the drama in the first place.

Next was Stamina. It had started at 1, and after about three months it had finally hit 99. And just now, an achievement had dropped me one extra point.

"Hoo..."

With a trembling hand, I clicked the one point into Stamina.

Notifications filled my vision until I could barely see. The one I needed to check was the new trait. It had been about a month since the last one. I was excited to see what I would get.

And then...

Inbox?

I had never seen that phrase before. Until now, I had gotten traits from gacha pulls or from doing specific things.

So you can get them this way too?

I tapped the empty air to open the messages.

"...What? Why isn't anything happening?"

Maybe it wasn't a tap?

"Check messages."

"Open messages."

I tried a few more times, but the inbox would not open... Wait.

It won't open?

I muttered under my breath.

"Open the messages."

A chime sounded, and unopened letters labeled Inbox waited in front of my eyes.

Both messages were related to Stamina. I checked the first one first. I had never seen a message like this, and the word curse sat wrong with me.

Confirm.

"Ahh..."

Now I understood. Why my Stamina had been 1 when I first opened my eyes. It was because of this curse. If I had known ahead of time, I never would have done something as stupid as raising Stamina through exercise. But regret would not change the past, so I decided not to dwell on it and opened the next message.

This was today's highlight.

What kind of trait would it be? Something related to singing? Or acting? Whatever came out, it was a win. The more, the merrier. The more traits, the merrier. The more traits you have, the better.

Alright... what trait is it going to be...

I wiped a thread of drool off my sleeve before I even realized it was there.

Confirm.