That's So Lucky!

While Jiwoo was in the middle of a shoot, a small war was breaking out inside the JO Entertainment office.

"So you want to use our actress."

"That's right. As we said before, we'd like to use Lee Jiwoo as our model. We were told you'd be waiting on a positive answer, but we never heard back, so we came in person."

CEO Jo Kyuhyun clutched his head at the sight of the unannounced visitors. He would have loved to brush them off, but he'd never imagined Burger Wang would show up at the door themselves. He put on the biggest smile he could manage and faced his guests.

"I'm sorry. With everything going on lately, it completely slipped my mind. Lee Jiwoo is certainly interested, of course, but she's been so busy jumping ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into a new project..."

"Oh, I understand. Still, a little heads-up wouldn't have hurt, would it? Well, we're the ones who want to use her, and Lee Jiwoo's standing these days is no joke, is it? Naturally, we're the ones who wait."

Ugh. Jo Kyuhyun broke into a cold sweat as the Burger Wang representative seized on every word.

Whether to take a commercial or not was, in the end, the actor's choice. If the contract ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were unfair, or if it conflicted with a competitor, the agency would shut it down first. Otherwise, the actor decided for herself. For Jiwoo, who hadn't shot anything besides the game ad, this was undeniably an offer too attractive to refuse out of hand.

But.

I've been so busy lately I completely forgot about it.

She'd been cast as the replacement lead in a drama, she had a film starting in the fall, and on top of that there was all the groundwork for the VTuber idol project launching this summer. Twenty-four hours in a day weren't enough. She'd need a clone technique—two bodies. No, ten.

We haven't even found a composer yet.

Having started as an idol agency, finding a choreographer wasn't hard. They already had one on staff. The real problem was the composer. After putting out feelers, they'd barely managed to get in touch with one person. Nothing was confirmed.

"What's on your mind?"

"Ah... haha. I was just thinking about Lee Jiwoo's schedule. If Burger Wang can work around it, we'd be happy to proceed anytime."

"Of course we'll accommodate her schedule. However..."

The Burger Wang representative leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. Jo Kyuhyun was startled by an attitude that had no business in a negotiation.

"We've already waited quite a while, haven't we? So how about we tweak the terms a little?"

"By 'terms,' do you mean cutting the fee?"

"No? We won't touch the money. Instead..."

The representative tapped one clause on the document.

"We'd like to revise this part a little. What do you think?"

"This part..."

Jo Kyuhyun's brow furrowed as he read the clause.

Jiwoo streamed on social media from time to time—about once a week. For a VTuber idol, that wasn't a lot. Streamers went live as many as seven times a week, or at least three or four. The problem was the contract term. Burger Wang wanted Jiwoo for a full year. Unless you were a veteran actor, commercials rarely ran longer than three months. A year sat uneasily with him.

Don't tell me they figured it out.

Rumors that JO Entertainment was preparing a VTuber idol group were already widespread. They'd kept the members under wraps, so that part hadn't surfaced yet—but whispers that Jiwoo might be one of those members were already circulating ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quietly through the industry.

Is there a spy inside?

He couldn't be sure yet. Maybe he should poke around a little.

"If it's about streaming, would it be enough to eat one without covering the Burger Wang logo once a week? Regardless of who's on camera?"

"That's not it. The contract says the brand has to be exposed. And Lee Jiwoo's streams aren't limited to social media, are they?"

"..."

Jo Kyuhyun stayed silent, watching the smiling representative. The lack of reaction only deepened the man's smile.

"Hey, Kyuhyun. Let's just be honest. The rumors are already out there."

"..."

The reason he couldn't just throw out this unannounced Burger Wang visitor: the man was an old acquaintance. And not just any acquaintance—someone Jo Kyuhyun owed a massive favor. He was the one who'd helped Jo Kyuhyun found JO Entertainment and become a CEO in the first place.

"I helped you before. Help me out this time. The higher-ups are breathing down my neck to get this contract done. I'm asking you."

"...You don't exactly sound like someone asking a favor. Haa. Fine. I'll ask."

"Then ask right now!"

Jo Kyuhyun checked the time. The shoot wasn't over yet. So he called Kang Ho-yeon, the manager who would still be on set.

"Yes... mm. Understood. The shoot should wrap soon, so I'll ask her then."

Kang Ho-yeon hung up. The caller had been CEO Jo Kyuhyun.

"Unnie, we just wrapped, and they said there's another shoot after sunset. We're supposed to rest until then... What was the call about?"

She came over just as I finished shooting. Her expression didn't look great. Had something gone wrong?

"Nothing major. Apparently a Burger Wang rep showed up at the office. Probably that commercial we talked about before. Interested?"

"Hmm... Burger Wang... is it the new menu?"

"Probably? I didn't get the details either. Hold on."

Kang Ho-yeon tapped at her phone. A moment later, my phone buzzed in my pocket. A message.

"Here's a copy of the contract. Take a look."

"Okay."

I opened the file she'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sent and went through the contract carefully. Naturally, it was a commercial for Burger Wang's new menu. Specifically, the Cheese Cube Steak Burger.

Cube steak with gooey cheese poured over it, all in a burger...

This was a can't-eat-it-won't-stop-me GO!

"I'll do it! No, I want to do it! A Cheese Cube Steak Burger... *slurp*."

How was I already drooling? I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and checked the commercial concept. It was the same tough look I'd used for the game ad: a scenario where I smashed through the limits of a burger the way I'd smashed a keyboard with my fist.

Not bad.

If I went with the domestic, self-sacrificing image of Kang Sora from Ghost Singer, the ad wouldn't land at all. Kang Sora had gotten famous partly because of my acting, sure, but mostly because of that tearful performance in episode four that made even the audience cry. I didn't want to make people sad in a commercial, too.

"But Jiwoo, will you be okay?"

"Huh? Okay with what?"

Kang Ho-yeon suddenly said something odd.

"You're shooting every day, then going back to the company for dance and vocal practice, and studying for exams late into the night. If you add a commercial on top of that, you're actually going to collapse."

"Ah...."

She was worried about my body. If this were the old me, I'd have collapsed long ago.

I opened my Status Window.

The same brutal shooting schedule every day, VTuber idol prep late into the evening, and exam studying until dawn had pushed my Stamina all the way up to F+. On top of that, there was the effect of the title I'd recently acquired.

It wasn't just that my stamina didn't drop. The more I acted, the more I could feel stamina building up. It might have been my imagination—the numbers on the Status Window didn't actually change. Still, on set, I was practically invincible.

Wait. What if I study here?

Would my stamina not drop? It was worth testing. I went to the car and pulled out my exam study notes.

"What's that for..."

"Ah... we've got some time, so I figured I'd get a head start on studying. Exams aren't far off."

"Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"

"Hehe... I'll pace myself, so don't worry too much."

"If you say so... But if anything goes wrong, you're stopping immediately. Got it?"

I sat in the chair they'd set out and started looking at exam problems instead of the script. One by one, the actors around me started taking notice.

What's she doing? That doesn't look like a script...

Right, she's a student. Impressive. She's studying even here?

Fulfilling her duties as an actress and as a student... I can see why people like her. I feel like I could fall for her without even realizing it.

She was the youngest actor on set, and even as the lead she never slacked off. That unshaken, hardworking sight did something to everyone watching.

We can't lose to that.

They gave up their break and threw themselves into acting practice.

"What's going on here?"

Oh Hye-jung had only stepped out to the restroom. She came back to find leads and supporting actors alike staring holes through their scripts, muttering to themselves, and was briefly thrown.

"Ah, Hye-jung. This isn't the time. Look over there."

Where the unit director was looking, Jiwoo sat studying.

"That doesn't look like a script... What is it?"

"What else? Schoolwork. Exam season's coming up, right?"

"She's studying even here?"

Was she seriously trying to catch both rabbits—acting and school? If so, one body wouldn't be enough.

Was Jiwoo's stamina really that good?

Oh Hye-jung herself had once tried to juggle school and acting, and failed.

Well... if it's Jiwoo...

There was nothing to criticize about her acting. Whatever she chose to do was her call. She didn't want to lose.

"Oppa. Bring me my script."

"You're going to practice?"

"Obviously. I can't be the only one falling behind."

And so another actor's performance was pulled up a notch. Meanwhile, Jiwoo—

"Ohh... amazing."

Not even ten minutes into studying, her stamina was draining like crazy. Her vision blurred. She was on the verge of collapsing.

Then she picked up the script she'd set beside her chair and started practicing her lines. The stamina that had been plunging shot back up, and her blurry vision snapped into focus.

"Ohh..."

It wasn't the infinite studying stamina she'd hoped for on set. But this wasn't bad either. She could study and practice acting at the same time.

This was totally—