Chapter 1: The Beginning

“Did I do something wrong, Ms. Sua…?”

At the sound of the question, Lee Sua let out a sigh.

Even that simple act was enough to unsettle the other person, but Sua herself remained calm. Her mind was blank, as though she were merely observing yet another routine occurrence.

“I’m not angry at all.”

She had lost count of how many times she’d had to explain this.

[Reincarnation Perks]
[1. Exceptional appearance regardless of gender.]
[2. No family ties. Age set to 20 years old.]

One day, she had been forcibly reincarnated in an unusual way.

She didn’t particularly mind being turned into a woman. In fact, she was grateful for being given an exceptional appearance. But couldn’t they have added a kind expression while they were at it? She was always misunderstood because of it, and it was exhausting.

“Really? You’re sure…?”

“Yes. I’ve always looked like this.”

Sua replied, glancing at a nearby mirror.

Her sharp jawline was as keen as a blade, and her deep-set eyes held a mysterious allure.

Her pale skin and high-bridged nose were features she appreciated, but…

Her eyes.

They were the problem. Too sharp. If she were being generous, she might describe them as cat-like. But in harsher terms, they resembled a snake’s gaze. Even Sua herself couldn’t deny that her face didn’t exude friendliness.

To make matters worse, there was a mole under her left eye. It was currently concealed under foundation, but whenever it was visible, the misunderstandings grew even worse.

“I feel like your tone also sounds a bit angry… Could you just tell me outright? I’ll really fix it…”

“My tone is just like this,” she said.

It wasn’t a lie. She was speaking as kindly as she could.

“Ah… Is it because I sliced the scallions too thickly…?”

“Just go finish your tasks.”

“Ah, yes… Yes!”

But the misunderstanding was not so easily cleared up. Eventually, even the head chef had to step in.

“Sua, this is a place where we work with knives. If you’re standing there looking so intimidating, do you think it’s going to scare the others or not? How many times have we had this conversation already?”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Sua made her decision.

“…I think I’ll resign after all. Thank you for everything.”

She bowed politely.

It wasn’t because the job was difficult or stressful.

[Reincarnation Perks]
[3. Locked.]
[Unlockable upon encountering your destined field of aptitude.]

The third perk of her reincarnation remained inactive, and she had just confirmed that cooking wasn’t her calling.

Upon returning home, Sua meticulously examined the whiteboard in her living room. It was almost as large as the wall, filled with densely written words.

[Swimming], [Golf], [Cooking]…

She drew a big X over “Cooking.”

“Not cooking either. This is driving me crazy.”

The reason she had left her job in the kitchen was simple. From the start, it wasn’t about earning money—it was about discovering her aptitude.

“So, what is my calling, then?”

Sua muttered in a frustrated voice.

Her previous life had probably ended when she was hit by a car. She was certain of it. The last thing she remembered was starting to cross a crosswalk just as the light turned green.

Could this be a gift for the injustice of dying despite following traffic rules? She didn’t understand how it worked, but she had received perks.

[Reincarnation Perks]
[1. Exceptional appearance regardless of gender.]
[2. No family ties. Age set to 20 years old.]

She was very satisfied with both Perk 1 and Perk 2.

…Sure, her features were sharp, but that was a small issue compared to the advantages. Honestly, there had been far more moments when her appearance worked in her favor.

Still, there was a separate reason she was desperately trying to find her calling.

[3. Locked.]
[Unlockable upon encountering your destined field of aptitude.]

“Hey, can’t you just tell me what my calling is…?”

This was the problem.

Since it was called a “perk,” it was clear it held immense potential. The faster it was unlocked, the sooner her life could improve dramatically. But it was still sealed.

“…At least give me a hint.”

She needed to discover her calling to plan her life around these perks. For nearly a year, she had been desperately trying to unlock it.

And this was the result of all her efforts.

Sua glanced at the whiteboard once again.

Baseball, soccer, basketball, gaming, golf, snowboarding, music…

The board was filled with various fields, each one crossed out with an X. It meant she had tried them and confirmed they weren’t her aptitude.

“There’s seriously nothing I haven’t tried.”

Could it be something like immortality, as in a novel or movie? But no, it wasn’t realistic to test that theory through drastic means.

Anyway, over the past year, she had truly done everything she could.

Golf had almost thrown out her back during a swing, and swimming had nearly ended in her drowning. Every time she ambitiously set out to find her calling, she came back utterly humiliated instead.

What was her undiscovered talent?

“Forget it. I’ll just lie down and scroll on my phone today.”

It was then that Sua noticed an ad on her phone.

[This is How I Became an Actor.]
Now accepting participants!
Winner gets cast in a drama by renowned writer Lee Geum-sook.
Special judges on standby.
For more details, click the link.

“…Acting?”

Sua’s head instinctively turned toward the whiteboard.

[Acting]

Coincidentally, acting was the only thing on the board that hadn’t been crossed out yet.

“Acting. Come to think of it, I haven’t tried that yet.”

Should I give it a shot?

No, no way.

Sua quickly shook her head.

“Come on, I could just try acting at a class. Why go for an audition?”

Even as she thought that, her mind was racing.

“…But what if acting really is my aptitude?”

Honestly, this wasn’t the first time Sua had felt this kind of hope. How many times had she confidently pursued something, thinking *this must be it,* only to end up crying under her blanket in frustration?

Still.

But…

That kind of worry was soon crushed by an even bigger sense of anticipation.

“What if I become a star in one shot…?”

Yeah, mistakes are just part of being human.

So, let’s just make one more mistake.

Kicking the blanket in frustration one more time wouldn’t make much difference, would it?

There was no point in thinking further. Her hand had already clicked the application button.

—

A week later.

The day of the “This Is How I Became an Actor” audition.

The audition was being held in an entire exhibition hall, rented out exclusively for the event. As soon as Sua arrived, she started debating whether she should just turn around and go home.

“Why did I even apply? Seriously, why?”

She hated crowded places.

But the sheer number of people in the hall was overwhelming. Staff members with “[STAFF]” written on their backs bustled around, and occasionally, high-end filming equipment was being transported. It was suffocating.

It would’ve been nice to have a friend here.

Sua was alone. There was no friend to help her pass the time while waiting or ease her nerves. Well, it didn’t matter much.

She had her phone, after all.

With an event of this size, it was only natural that related online communities would pop up. Sure enough, there was already a gallery called *“This Is How I Became an Actor.”*

—

[Title: Wow, there are so many people.]
[Did this really need to be such a huge event?]
– Of course, it’s a drama by Lee Geum-sook.
– Her work is life-changing.
– And this is just day one—there are two more days of this.

—

[Title: Special Judge Seo Yeon-joo Is Here?!]
[I froze up as soon as I saw her. Couldn’t act at all.]
– This has to be bait.
– No way. Seo Yeon-joo is way too busy for this.
– There’s no chance they got a top-tier actor like her to show up.

—

Sua’s hand froze for a moment.

“Seo Yeon-joo?”

Like the comments suggested, she was sure it couldn’t be true. But if it was, it was huge news. Seo Yeon-joo was so famous that her face regularly appeared in commercials across all media.

It was then that a new post popped up.

—

[Title: OMG Just Saw the Most Gorgeous Woman Ever.]

[Wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, absolutely stunning.]

– Stop writing creepily and just ask for her number.
– I couldn’t. She looks like she’d have a fierce personality.
– Wait, I think I saw her too. She has a beauty mark under her eye, right?
– What’s wrong with you guys, being this weird in a group?
– It’s not weird—it’s just that once you see her, you can’t forget her.

Black T-shirt, jeans. Could it be me?

No way. Sua brushed off the thought.

—

[Title: Hey, Be Careful How You Act.]
[This audition is funded by a variety show production. Every part is being recorded and will be aired later in a documentary-style program. If you don’t want to get demon-edited, watch yourselves.]

– OMG, I almost screwed up big time.
– Should I refrain from smoking too?
– This was mentioned in the announcements already, wasn’t it?
– So many people don’t bother reading notices. LOL.

Honestly, that made Sua flinch a little. She hadn’t read the notices either. Why would she? She was just here to confirm her aptitude; reading all that felt unnecessary.

Focusing on the posts helped time pass quickly. At last, a staff member called out a familiar name.

“Is Lee Sua here? Lee Sua!”

“Yes, I’m here.”

Sua stood up immediately and followed the instructions silently. She was led down a hallway to a spacious waiting room.

The staff member asked again, “You’re Lee Sua, right?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry, but we’ll need to check your ID for confirmation.”

As Sua handed over her ID, a small thought crossed her mind. They didn’t seem apologetic when checking others’ IDs earlier—was it just me?

After verifying her identity, the staff handed her an envelope.

“This is the script you’ll be performing today. Please don’t open it yet. Your reaction to seeing the script will also be recorded for the judges later, so you’ll check it on the spot in front of them.”

“Understood.”

Sua nodded quietly.

How transparent.

There was probably a hidden camera in the waiting room. If Sua were tempted to sneak a peek at the script to practice beforehand…

“Wait, what’s this? A contestant opening the script early?”

…She could already imagine some dramatic narration like that being broadcasted.

No way. She refused to let that happen.

But just then, the envelope slipped from her hand, and the script fell to the floor. It wasn’t even sealed, likely designed to tempt contestants into opening it.

Thankfully, the staff had seen her drop it, saving her from potential misunderstandings.

Picking up the script, Sua remarked, “…The envelope isn’t even sealed. That’s odd.”

And then it happened.

The moment her fingertips touched the script—

*Shooooooo—*

A dizzying sensation overtook her, and something flashed in her mind.

—

[You have encountered your aptitude.]
[Your aptitude: Acting.]
[Unlocking your third privilege.]
[3. “Time to Act” unlocked.]
[Activating “Time to Act.”]

—

“…What? Time for what?”

The moment she muttered those words, the entire scenery around her transformed.

—

To be continued…