Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Clear Your Schedule This Weekend
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Stone Actors headquarters, third-floor conference room.
After their encounter outside the Fixer from Hell set, Director Son Jung-hu had reached out to the agency and swiftly arranged this meeting.
Impressive decisiveness.
Jung Woo-jin averted his gaze from the director's intense, piercing stare—which felt almost burdensome—and dropped his eyes to the script on the table.
It wasn't finalized yet; no proper bound book, just A4 sheets stapled together.
Inner Beauty
He hadn't delved into the script properly, but with Director Son Jung-hu practically on fire as he pitched the storyline, Woo-jin had a solid grasp of the plot.
In essence, it was about a protagonist who woke up every morning in a completely different body.
True to the director's style, the premise was refreshingly unique.
No tragic twists like reincarnating as a dog or cockroach beyond the grave. Instead, every morning brought a total 180-degree transformation.
The changes weren't random or endless—they followed the days of the week. There were rules.
A total of seven forms.
Monday: an elderly man so frail he could barely see.
Tuesday: a burly giant brimming with vitality.
Wednesday: a man so grotesquely ugly he couldn't bear to look in the mirror.
Thursday: an incredibly sexy woman.
Friday: a withered old lady.
Saturday: a very young high school girl.
And Sunday: a strikingly handsome man who made any celebrity look inadequate by comparison.
The daily hassle of squeezing into ill-fitting clothes was manageable enough with adaptation.
But the real killer was the loneliness.
Aside from a tiny circle of people, the protagonist couldn't connect with anyone. There was no way to explain his ever-shifting appearance, no one who could possibly understand.
So he turned to a solitary pursuit that didn't require human contact.
Writing.
A job he could do entirely alone.
Locked in his room, he poured words onto the page and handed the manuscript to his editor. That alone kept him afloat—his writing had real popularity.
Yet success as an author did nothing to fill the growing void in his heart.
Walking the streets, he'd spot couples flirting sweetly and let out a hollow laugh.
To combat the isolation, he'd head to his usual cocktail bar every Sunday, charm a woman, and indulge in a one-night stand.
But no matter how well they clicked or how clearly she showed interest, he'd always slip away while she slept.
Morning would bring the sight of a disheveled old man in the mirror.
Day by day, the unfillable emptiness swelled within him until, one night at the bar, he met a woman immune to his charms.
She turned out to be a staffer from the publishing house he worked with.
From there, the protagonist fell deeply in love—enough to muster the courage to reveal all his other forms to her.
That was the story.
Director Son Jung-hu leaned in.
"Our protagonist, Hyun-seong, wakes up as an old man, a student, a young guy, and even a seriously sexy woman. That's why I'm asking seven actors to share the role."
"Hm."
"And for you, Jung Woo-jin, I'd love the most impactful part. Just picture it. You wake up one morning... to the most outstanding face in the world. No celebrity could touch it. No woman could tear her eyes away. The kind that makes people gasp on sight."
Pausing to catch his breath, his eyes gleaming, the director raised a finger and continued.
"It'll deliver massive catharsis to the audience. I was planning to fake it with cinematic tricks, but the moment I saw you, Woo-jin... it clicked."
The head of actor management Team 2 and Executive Director Sung Si-hoon both swallowed hard, listening in silence.
The director's face lit up with excitement as he spat the words.
"Ah, this is it! We can nail something beyond even what I imagined! So—"
"......"
"Please, Woo-jin. I'm begging you."
Hard to believe these words came from a hotshot director—to an unknown actor, no less, for a role shared with six others.
In the end, Director Son Jung-hu's proposal wrapped up with a "we'll consider it positively."
Setting aside his supporting role in a major drama, this was still a golden opportunity for an unproven actor amid uncertain drama prospects.
But Baek Hee-jin, ever cautious, had stepped in: with schedules still open, why not wait and see Fixer from Hell's early results before deciding?
That was the agency's stance. Personally, though, Woo-jin was sold on the role.
A part he could embody better than anyone.
A brief appearance could pack a massive punch, especially in an era proven by countless viral clips from mere seconds of screen time.
For instance, Hashimoto Kanna earned her "Millennium Idol" nickname in Korea from just one photo.
And I...
Knock knock.
Found myself summoned to the CEO's office on the seventh floor of Stone Actors headquarters.
"Come in."
A small but crisp voice answered. I pushed open the door.
Baek Hee-jin, who had been peering down at something while seated, removed her glasses and rose.
"Hmmm..."
She let out a sticky, drawn-out hum and beckoned me over.
A signal to sit on the sofa.
Click-clack.
Baek Hee-jin wore a glaring red dress.
How to put it? She always evoked that "Dongtan mom fashion" vibe.
Tight enough to show her navel, the red fabric gleamed subtly, casting sharp shadows along her curves.
Her violently voluptuous breasts strained against the dress, a tattoo peeking from one side—a coiled snake.
A bold side slit revealed long legs stretching down to high heels.
Honestly, it was less "Dongtan mom" and more straight-up red-light district attire.
Yet she exuded an undeniable aura. Lewd body and all.
Click-clacking over, she crossed her legs on the sofa. I took the seat opposite.
⤷ 1st Condition: Receive an 'invitation' from 'Baek Hee-jin'.
⤷ 2nd Condition: Fulfill the 1st condition first.
The conditions to covet Baek Hee-jin's talent remained unchanged.
Simply put: receive her "invitation."
I'd planned to hold off until the drama ratings dropped, but with Director Son Jung-hu's casting offer overlapping, I couldn't shake a spark of hope that I might earn her approval.
She spoke first, arms crossed to accentuate her cleavage.
"You... you're something else, aren't you? What on earth did you pull on that set to drag that stubborn freak Son Jung-hu all the way here, no matter how many favors we called in? Hmmm..."
To stay in character, I replied in a firm, nonchalant tone.
"What else is an actor supposed to do on set besides act? I just did my job."
"......"
Her bewitching eyes bored into me like daggers. A beat later...
"Last time, you wouldn't even say what you wanted. Is that just how you are? Fine. Guess I'll have to make the offer myself."
She pulled out her smartphone, checked something briefly, then turned to me.
"Clear your schedule this weekend. You're coming somewhere with me."
"......"
Her loaded words nearly made me blurt out a question.
Where to? Was this her "invitation"?
'Bingo.'
⤷ 1st Condition: Receive an 'invitation' from 'Baek Hee-jin'. (Complete)
⤷ 2nd Condition: Refuse 'Baek Hee-jin's' 'gift'.
I had no clue why it phrased conditions in such cryptic terms, but naturally, I planned to accept.
"Sounds good."
I accepted the invitation from the seductive serpent.
Gyeonggi Province, Ilsan.
The address Baek Hee-jin sent led to a villa tucked away in a remote corner of Ilsan.
Per her instructions to come alone, I'd left Manager Jin-woo at home to rest and rented a car to drive myself.
The villa door stood wide open, as if welcoming me in.
The parking lot held a darkly tinted van and a sleek luxury import.
I parked haphazardly beside the van, got out, and scoped the exterior.
The place was spacious and impeccably maintained, but the large windows were designed to be opaque from outside.
Impossible to see what went on inside.
"Hm..."
A fleeting bad vibe crossed my mind.
'No way her "gift" is a shiv, right?'
But I had my ace.
I walked slowly to the entrance and pressed the doorbell firmly. A raucous chime erupted.
Bzzz, bzzz, bzzzzz!
Moments later, without a word, the door clicked open.
One final deep breath.
What I trusted was Baek Hee-jin's subordination level hitting 60% soon. Refuse whatever this "gift" was, and it'd jump to 60% on the spot. She wouldn't be able to harm me then.
So.
I stepped inside.
