Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 80. Theater Actor
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Find the moon.
Who said that to me?
There was no moon in the sky, but faint moonlight bathed us from all directions.
I hurriedly rummaged through my pockets.
No weapons this time, like last time?
I didn't feel the solid grip of a pistol, but there was another heavy weight.
Sure enough, I pulled the manual from my inner pocket.
The Management Bureau might have unconventional tech, but was it possible for a manual to be waterproof, follow you through repatriation to another world, and even show up in your dreams?
"What the hell is this thing..."
While I flipped through the manual, Song Arin muttered to herself, her face flushed as she fiddled with the back of her dress.
"What's the difference between this and being naked...!"
She swept her hand down her bare back, took a step, and stumbled with a yelp, grabbing my arm.
"What's wrong?"
"...Heels. I'm not used to these things."
She pointed at the heels she was wearing, frowning.
She was clinging to my arm in heels so high they looked lethal if you stepped wrong.
This must be what they call killer heels.
"Hang on... let's get a handle on the situation first."
Still holding my arm, she looked around.
"This is that, right?"
"The theater troupe?"
"Yeah."
She nodded at my words.
"Looks like we've got some fans. VIP audience, maybe."
"Not VIPs—probably two people who want to kill us for ruining their play."
Song Arin sighed and examined the hem of her dress.
"Look at your clothes or mine... doesn't it feel like we've dropped into some romance play?"
My clothes?
Come to think of it, I'd been so focused on her outfit that I hadn't paid much attention to mine.
It was a tuxedo, plain and simple.
I'd assumed it'd be like my usual suits.
"This doesn't suit me at all."
I muttered, fiddling with the hem of the jacket.
"Better than me. Quit grumbling."
"Aren't you glad to be in a dress?"
"You wanna die?"
As I shrugged at her glare,
"Lady Arin!"
A man's voice called from behind.
Song Arin turned slowly, still gripping my arm, muttering fiercely.
"Who the hell calls me 'lady'—"
"I've finally found you!"
He was a blond man with a sleazy vibe.
Pale skin, fancy clothes.
The kind of guy who screamed "noble!" from a mile away extended a hand to her.
"Your fiancé, Karl."
Song Arin eyed him dubiously, then glanced at me.
I got the message.
I looked above his head.
[Name: Karl]
[Age: 22]
[Talent: Theater Actor]
[Specialty: Theater Actor]
[Background: Once an ordinary man, he became utterly immersed in acting after falling in love with theater. To the point where he's forgotten who he even is.]
[Weakness: As long as he survives when the play ends.]
No clue what that meant.
I shook my head at Song Arin, and she sighed in resignation. Then the man called Karl turned to me.
"I can escort Lady Arin, right, Jaeheon?"
"Uh..."
He acted like he knew me inside out, but treated me like dirt.
In this setup, was I her butler or servant?
The thought made my temple throb.
As I pressed my temple, Song Arin—already adapting—responded first.
"...Karl."
"Lady Arin?"
"I'm not feeling well today."
"But it's been ages since the last party!"
"...I know."
She and I exchanged looks.
"The young lady isn't doing so great."
Time to play along.
"Yeah. I want to be alone for a bit."
"...Then I'll wait until you feel better."
"No. Let's part ways today. We'll see each other next time."
Song Arin spoke calmly, her purple eyes gleaming as she stared at him.
His eyes glazed over, he murmured "Yes," and turned to walk away.
"...Hypnosis worked."
"Apparently."
We watched the man walk off.
"How was it? Any info or thoughts?"
"For starters... he's a theater actor too."
"Theater actor?"
Song Arin furrowed her brow.
"So, a bunch of random people got dragged into another play?"
"Not sure, but something's off."
"What?"
"The info's all jumbled."
My eyes registered him as a theater actor named "Karl."
He seemed like an ordinary guy convinced he was Karl, no doubts.
One person wasn't enough to unravel this. The world wasn't that easy.
"We need to be careful."
"About what?"
I rubbed my temple.
"Ever since we got here, my temple's been killing me. Like I'm under constant mental attack."
"You're only mentioning this now?"
Song Arin sounded incredulous, then closed her eyes and focused.
"What are you doing?"
"..."
Ignoring me, she stayed still with eyes shut, then opened them.
"Done."
"Huh?"
"Mental barrier."
"It's temporary," she added, looking at me.
"So, what do we do?"
"...Change the genre again?"
"How? We know nothing about this story."
"Fair point."
A Midsummer Night's Dream.
The name sounded romantic, but if it wasn't, that'd be a problem too.
If our chaos matched the script, we'd just be playing into it.
No turning back now—we had to proceed cautiously. No guarantee of respawning on death yet.
"Guess we play along for now."
"That's what I think."
She nodded.
"So, how do we play along?"
"Fit the roles."
She looked at me as she said it.
"Look at me."
"..."
I stared at Song Arin.
Her long dress shimmered in the moonlight, her slender arms and hands glowing pale, flaunting their beauty.
Her usual sulky face was calm, meeting my eyes steadily, her updo neat and composed.
"...Well?"
"You're pretty."
She froze at my words.
"..."
"What?"
"...Idiot, that's not what I—"
She finally thawed and spoke.
"What do you see about me?"
"...Oh."
That was embarrassing.
I cleared my throat and looked above her head.
[Name: Song Arin]
[Age: 21]
[Talent: Hypnosis]
[Specialty: -]
[Background: She's tamed her prickly personality a lot. There's one person she doesn't like, but she thinks this is good enough and lives her days diligently.]
[Weakness: Betray her. Deny everything she's done, tell her all her efforts were pointless.]
"...Nothing special."
I averted my eyes from the weakness and looked back at her.
"Good. So how do we advance the story?"
"First things first, let's sort it out."
I squatted, picked up a stick, and started scribbling on the ground.
"Setting's a standard romance fantasy... right? Medieval era?"
"Seems like it. They didn't bring a romance script just 'cause we solved the last one with romance and pissed them off, did they?"
"I think they did. Anyway, you're the lady here, and I'm the butler... right?"
"Probably. That Karl guy was polite to me but talked down to you."
"Good. So what's the goal?"
"Good question... Should've followed that Karl guy."
As we pooled info, muttering, heavy footsteps approached.
I looked back. A middle-aged man with a scruffy beard stood there.
Unlike our outfits, he was in full modern clothes.
"...What? Where am I?"
He muttered, scanning around.
Then our eyes met.
"Hey! What the hell is this place!"
Song Arin and I exchanged quick glances. She stood, waving her hands soothingly.
"Calm down, sir. You've been caught in an anomaly—"
"Where am I! I was just walking!"
He panicked, eyes wide, yelling. Song Arin stayed cool and gentle, soothing him.
Totally different from her usual snappy self.
"Sir, please listen."
"She's right. We're here to help."
I backed her up and checked above his head.
[Name: Park Sanggwon]
[Age: 52]
[Talent: X]
[Specialty: X]
[Background: Caught on his way home from work, he's somehow ended up in this world--------------------]
The background glitched, and he clutched his head, screaming.
"Aaagh! Aaaagh! Aaaaagh!!!!"
"Sir! Sir!"
Song Arin widened her eyes, trying to calm him.
I helped soothe him while watching the panel—and gasped.
His body was changing.
*Crack...*
Bones twisted, hair sheared off on its own.
Beard exploded wildly, his modern clothes morphing magically into medieval garb.
"Gaaah! Gaaaaah!!!"
He screamed in agony. Song Arin glared at him, eyes flashing, then recoiled like she'd been repelled.
"What the—"
She winced, clutching her brow like she'd taken a mental hit, staring at him.
I kept my eyes on his panel.
[Background: -------He is Song Arin's father. He's completely forgotten what he was before.]
[Weakness: As long as he survives when the play ends.]
The panel rewrote itself, new text overlaying his existence.
The horrific sounds stopped, and he collapsed to his knees like he'd passed out.
"...Sir?"
Song Arin called cautiously. He lifted his head and looked at her.
His eyes brimmed with paternal warmth. She flinched at it for a moment,
"...Arin, my girl. I came to find you."
She froze.
Ignoring her, he turned to me.
"Jaeheon, good work looking after Arin today."
I checked above his head.
[Name: Count]
[Age: 52]
[Talent: Theater Actor]
[Specialty: Theater Actor]
[Background: He is Song Arin's father. He's completely forgotten what he was before.]
[Weakness: As long as he survives when the play ends.]
He kept his kindly smile as he spoke to us, speechless.
"What are you standing around for? Let's head home."