The Muse's Vow

Even after the curtain fell, Baek Hyeon-jin couldn't shake the ecstasy that gripped him backstage.

'That's it.'

He had always admired the brilliance that radiated from Director Lee Tae-ryun's work. That was why he had dropped out of a prestigious film school and sought out the director.

Until now, he had believed he was drawn to the way Director Lee Tae-ryun captured the glow emanating from the actors on camera.

Baek Hyeon-jin shook his head.

'No, that wasn't it.'

It wasn't the actors' brilliance.

He had realized it while watching Kim Doyun's performance.

What Baek Hyeon-jin truly wanted was that light. The same light he had witnessed as a child!

No one else seemed particularly bothered that Kim Doyun had deliberately blocked the backlight with his body.

But Baek Hyeon-jin understood.

It had been intentional.

Director Lee Tae-ryun's lighting had been aimed directly at Ha-rang. An intense, beautiful beam. A perfect choice to highlight the naturally radiant Lee Se-rin.

But that light had been too bright. Ha-rang was the kind of person who longed to see Min-woo yet turned her head away because she didn't want him to witness her wretched state.

Shining that light on her had been unbearably cruel.

Actor Kim Doyun had clearly known that. So he had stepped in front of it.

Though he could never reach her because she was his friend's lover, he had still embraced her with nothing but his shadow.

It was such a Sang-cheol way of doing things.

'Actor Kim Doyun did that on the spot, imda.'

In that moment, Baek Hyeon-jin had an epiphany.

What had drawn him in wasn't the actors' brilliance. It was how that brilliance was handled.

Light wasn't merely a tool to make actors shine.

Within the camera frame, light could become another actor.

And Actor Kim Doyun had taught him that.

“Actor Kim Doyun.”

Baek Hyeon-jin made a solemn vow.

The actor who had shown him his ideal. No matter what, he would make Kim Doyun his muse.

To do that, he needed to become the director worthy of him. He needed to create the screenplay worthy of him.

Baek Hyeon-jin smiled.

“That director won't be Lee Tae-ryun. It will be me, imda.”

He framed Kim Doyun with his fingers, turning them into a makeshift camera.

“Just wait a little longer, geumda.”

To Kim Doyun, who was so perfectly matched with light, he would shine his own light upon him.

Baek Hyeon-jin's eyes began to sparkle with newfound talent.

A little earlier than in the original timeline, he had gained the eye that could paint his own mise-en-scène of light.

After hastily exchanging greetings, I escaped into the KBC hallway, leaving behind the cheers and camera flashes.

The live broadcast of Masterpiece Theater had ended successfully.

There had been plenty of complaints about the adaptation, but the final rating came in at 13.5 percent.

The highest viewership in KBC's history for a culture and arts program.

Thanks to that, it seemed I wouldn't face any disciplinary action even if I received a directing award.

'Looks like the adaptation issue didn't cause any major problems either.'

The original author of Flowers Fall had already passed away, leaving only a single daughter as her surviving family.

She had even given her support, saying, “It’s similar to the story my mother was planning before she died,” and expressed gratitude for completing the play.

“Everything worked out one way or another.”

At that moment, a blue window appeared before my eyes.

It was a type of message I had never seen before.

“Completed?”

So once a work was fully finished, it received this kind of final evaluation.

I was secretly looking forward to it.

What? I thought this was supposed to be a reward. Give me back my Sang-cheol!

'Descend?'

Calling Sang-cheol into my body. It was certainly an impressive effect if that was the case.

'But is this actually useful?'

Sang-cheol himself was such an ordinary character that I questioned the effect's practicality.

Thinking that, I scrolled down the window and saw an entry labeled Persona Traits.

'Of course there would be something.'

I knew there had to be some special ability.

It was good.

Good, but a little vague?

'No, that's not right.'

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠depended on how you looked at it. This time it had been Sang-cheol, but depending on what role I took on, didn't that mean I could gain the abilities of the characters I portrayed once the work was completed?

What if I landed the role of Sherlock Holmes? Wouldn't that mean I could gain his genius deductive reasoning as well?

'This is a much more incredible ability than I thought.'

The problem was that it would be difficult to predict what kinds of traits I could acquire.

With that in mind, I continued scrolling down the window.

“Appearance fee, huh.”

I swallowed dryly. This was the first time I was receiving an evaluation for completing a work.

'It's probably too much to hope for ten thousand points right away. Still, I'd be happy if it got as close as possible.'

The moment that thought crossed my mind—

I couldn't believe my eyes.

“Twelve thousand points…?!”

I had done it!

The minimum cutoff line that the highest authority in the Actor Gallery, the par-ttak Runna, had given me. Ten thousand points.

I had clearly surpassed that line.

I pulled out the business card from the genius variety PD Kang Min-ju that I had kept in my pocket.

She had definitely shown interest in me. With this, I might now fall within her casting range.

'Good. This is the best possible start.'

The moment that thought crossed my mind, the blue window began flipping rapidly.

Swish—

Something began organizing itself on the blue window at incredible speed.

'Internet reactions?'

From what I could tell at a glance, it seemed to have gathered online reactions to Flowers Fall and my performance as Sang-cheol from NUTUBE, various community boards, and the like.

As I scrolled further, I came across a strangely familiar way of speaking.

…That speech pattern sounds really familiar.

'Baek Hyeon-jin…? No way.'

No matter how far I scrolled, the posts kept coming.

I never imagined the day would come when I'd see the internet flooded with my own name.

I skimmed through the similar comments, and soon a list of NUTUBE videos appeared.

Since these channels delivered news faster than traditional outlets, quite a few videos had already been uploaded.

The one with the highest views was from a famous film critic's channel.

'I used to watch him often before the regression.'

I never thought the day would come when I would appear in this person's NUTUBE thumbnail.

With anticipation, I pressed play.

On the screen, a middle-aged critic adjusted his glasses and began to speak.

“I originally had no plans to review this Masterpiece Theater production, but while watching it with my children, I hurriedly turned on the live stream.”

“Flowers Fall. Beyond a simple love story, it captures the wall of talent and the gap between dreams and reality. Actor Kim Chan-uk's portrayal of Min-woo offered a fresh interpretation centered on the keyword 'fear.'”

It was true that Kim Chan-uk's acting this time deserved praise.

“However, what truly surprised me today was the supporting character Sang-cheol. The courage to overlay such a bold interpretation onto an already completed work. This kind of direction is impossible unless the director has complete faith in the actor's abilities.”

The critic paused for a moment, shaking his head in admiration.

“I never expected Director Lee Tae-ryun of all people to attempt something so radical. I'm genuinely curious about the actor who played Sang-cheol. I heard he's still a rookie. But I can say with confidence that this was absolutely not the performance of a rookie.”

I paused the video for a moment. My heart was pounding.

I couldn't even count how many times I had watched this channel in my previous life. From my days as an acting aspirant to the years I spent bouncing between bit parts.

This person's reviews had never been wrong.

And now that person was reviewing my acting.

'Absolutely not the performance of a rookie.'

Of course not. It was twenty years… no, twenty years and one month. I was hardly a rookie.

I barely held back the laughter that threatened to spill out and resumed the video.

“And that concludes this work analysis. Please like and subscribe—”

What? It was already over?

It was a little disappointing, but the praise was so overwhelming that I felt embarrassed.

With a wide smile, I manipulated the blue window.

'I can't skip the reactions from the teachers in the Actor Gallery either.'

The moment that thought crossed my mind, someone called out to me.

“Kim Doyun.”

Huh?

Inside the office of Go Yun-hui, the director of Cheongram Entertainment, Lee Se-rin's agency.

Go Yun-hui let out a sigh of admiration.

“That guy is the real deal.”

Only now did Director Go fully understand ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what Lee Se-rin had been trying to tell her. She had wanted to show her this actor.

“You said he was definitely a rookie, right?”

It was hard to believe. Had he been hiding his skills all this time at that age?

He must have been a child actor. Otherwise, it simply didn't make sense!

“What was his name again?”

One of Director Go's subordinates flipped through some documents and answered.

“Yes, it's… Kim Doyun.”

“Kim Doyun…”

An unfamiliar name. Had he changed it? Or perhaps he was a returnee from overseas?

“He does have a bit of a Hollywood vibe. His style is too refined to be purely Korean.”

The subordinate tilted his head.

“Huh? No matter how I look at it, that doesn't seem right…”

“What would you know!”

“I-I'm sorry!”

Whichever it was, it was clear he wasn't a true rookie. Director Go smiled.

'You might be able to fool the gods, but you can't fool my eyes.'

Director Go looked at her subordinate and shouted.

“Print out two copies of the contract right now. Put down a signing bonus of thirty million won.”

“What?! Thirty million won…”

It wasn't hard to understand her subordinate's reaction.

Cheongram was the top entertainment company in the acting industry. Their actor care, training, and casting power operated on a completely different level from other agencies.

For a rookie actor, Cheongram was the place people wanted to join even without a signing bonus, even if it meant accepting a lower revenue split.

That was why a thirty million won signing bonus far exceeded company regulations and was astronomically higher than the industry average.

'That's only within the bounds of common sense, though.'

The rookie actor before Director Go's eyes was someone who surpassed common sense.

An actor like that didn't need casting power. His acting ability itself was his casting power, and anyone who recognized that talent would obviously want him.

If he spent just a few years under her wing, the results would undoubtedly be outstanding.

“Manager Kim. Do you know how I got to where I am?”

Her subordinate answered as if it were obvious.

“Of course I do. Every single actor you cast becomes a star.”

“Exactly.”

From a small office to occupying an entire twelve-story building as their headquarters. There wasn't a single actor at Cheongram who hadn't passed through Director Go's discerning eye.

She was one of the founding contributors to the company's success.

“I have a feeling about this one. The strongest I've ever had.”

Though her subordinate found it hard to understand, he nodded.

“If you're saying that, Director Go, then…”

“This was his debut broadcast, right? Even if he's a true rookie, it means he hasn't signed with any Korean agency yet, correct?”

“Y-yes, that would be the case?”

Director Go clenched her fist tightly. She absolutely could not let him slip away.

“Contact him the moment the performance ends. Find out his contact information.”

As she spoke, Director Go suddenly snapped her fingers as if a brilliant idea had occurred to her.

“Never mind. Let's just head straight to KBC. Get the car ready.”

She grumbled to herself inwardly.

'That damn girl Se-rin. If she knew about someone like this, she should have given me more details!'

Go Yun-hui felt a burning thirst in her throat.

The moment the broadcast ended, a bloody battle for him would begin. Anyone with eyes like hers would have surely recognized Kim Doyun.

Therefore—

She had to secure this monstrous rookie before someone else snatched him away.