Chapter 1: Shades of Truth

[Exposing the Truth About Actor K]

The post on the popular online community was aimed at me. 

The writer, who identified themselves as a victim of school violence, described events I didn’t even remember in great detail, claiming that I was the perpetrator.

[Actor Kim Jae-ha Accused of School Violence]

[School Violence Allegations Against Kim Jae-ha, Agency Silent for 3 Days… The Truth?]

[Actor Kim Jae-ha’s Advertising Penalty Estimated in Hundreds of Millions Due to School Violence Allegations]

Articles popped up immediately, but at the time, I thought the situation would be resolved quickly. 

The only evidence the writer posted was my high school yearbook, and more importantly, I was confident in my innocence. 

I believed that if my agency stepped in, it would be resolved immediately. 

But I was wrong.

“Jae-ha, we believe you, of course we do… But that’s just your side of the story, isn’t it? You’re going to Sweetbird instead of renewing your contract with us, right? At this point, with your contract expiring soon, why should we take such a big risk for an actor who isn’t renewing?”

What the CEO was saying was simple:  they wouldn’t help me if I didn’t renew my contract with their company. 

Although my contract was expiring soon, I was still under their agency, and I mentioned the protection clauses in the contract, demanding appropriate action. 

The CEO then threatened to sue me for damages, claiming that I had damaged my own image.

I contacted Sweetbird, but they expressed their reluctance, saying there was nothing they could do. 

They added that if this situation wasn’t resolved, a full contract would be difficult. 

I said the school violence allegations were false, but all I got in return was:

“I see. I hope it gets resolved.”

That was it. 

There was no one to ask for help, no one to confide in about the situation. 

I thought about posting my side of the story on my personal social media, but the social media accounts managed by the agency were logged out with a notification that the password had been changed just a day after the controversy broke.

As I stood there in despair, the CEO presented me with a renewal contract. 

A contract filled with ridiculous demands from beginning to end. 

“Think carefully, Jae-ha. Who can help you in this situation?”

The thought that this whole thing might be a setup by the agency crossed my mind.

– It’s been 3 days of allegations and today is Friday. Now  it’s time to break the neutral gear

– Wow, you really can’t judge celebrities by their looks… I became a fan after watching “The Bachelor’s Club” but I’m disappointed

– Wait… so who is he…?

– ???? Is he Tae-won’s nephew from 

“Perfect Match” by any chance? Seriously?

– This is why you shouldn’t start your entertainment career from a young age

– I feel like there have been constant rumors about his personality, it’s just blowing up now.

– I told you he seemed off.

As the silence dragged on, the situation started to worsen. 

My phone was about to explode with constant calls and texts. 

Among the dozens of texts and messages piling up, there might have been some that said they believed in me and genuinely wanted to help.

[You thug]

[Why do you live?]

[Jae-ha, you want to be an actor? You should have lived right then lollll]

[Kim Jae-ha, this is a reporter from XX Daily. I’m contacting you about the school violence allegations.]

[Are you feeling wronged? We can help you]

But I couldn’t see them.

“Jae-ha, I’d like an answer by tomorrow. We can’t wait any longer either. Your life depends on it, so think it over until the very end. Okay?”

What snapped me out of my completely shattered mental state was, ironically, the CEO’s ultimatum. 

A voice full of sarcasm, laughter seeping out at the end of his words. 

The dying embers flared up.

Right, how did I get this far?

The reason I became an actor was trivial. 

I became a child actor because I was a bit pretty. 

Everything was difficult and awkward. 

But as time went on, I became more and more ambitious to become a better actor. 

So, I clung to it desperately.

“Unfortunately, we won’t be able to work with you this time, actor Kim Jae-ha.”

“You have to look the other person in the eye when you act! What kind of actor can’t even do the basics!”

Of course, the process wasn’t all rosy. 

But at thirty, I was finally being recognized as an actor and seeing the light.

It was probably an emotion close to spite. 

As if possessed, I made a consultation appointment with a lawyer without thinking.

Anyway, the important thing is that I left the house after being cooped up for three days to meet the lawyer…

“Aaaaaah!”

“Someone’s dying here! Ambulance!”

‘No… it can’t end like this…’

….Was that I died in a traffic accident.

***

Yes, I died. 

I definitely died…

[Congratulations! Kim Jae-ha has been selected as a participant in the Resurrection Project!]

[00:04:57]

What is this message window in front of me, and what is this all-white space? 

And the 5-minute time limit, which I can’t understand, is also bothering me.

“Huh…”

The terrible pain, the increasingly blurred vision, and the ambulance sound in the distance. 

The moment of death was still vivid. 

But what is this situation?

‘Is it all a dream?’

Was my return to the entertainment industry itself a dream? 

When I open my eyes, will it be a shabby basement room? 

The agency that didn’t forget me and signed a contract with me, the drama that I got into as a supporting male lead after wandering around in minor roles for two years and became a hit like a lie, the trap that the agency might have set up before the renewal contract.

“Maybe it’s a good thing.”

If I wake up from the dream, I’ll be able to avoid the agency that will stab me in the back later. 

But if that happens, my comeback will be gone. 

Maybe I won’t be able to act as an actor forever.

‘If all of that was a dream, I’d rather…’

I wish it was a dream that I had when I was a child actor without knowing anything. 

Then at least I could avoid the crap I’ve stepped on while living in the entertainment industry so far. 

But that’s a futile thought. 

There’s no way that’s possible.

‘…It’s unfair.’

I was overwhelmed with a sense of injustice.

Acting. 

It was the only thing I wanted to do well, and the only thing I wanted everyone to recognize that I was good at. 

So much so that I had the foolish dream of going back to the beginning and starting over.

“It’s not like I can turn back time…”

I regretted saying it. 

The habit of talking to myself, which I had developed from living alone for too long, popped out again. 

I tried hard to fix it after my comeback because I was worried about being criticized for it. 

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now.

[Is that what you want?]

I automatically turned my head to the sudden deep voice. 

A man was standing in the direction of the sound. 

A pretty handsome one, no, a beautiful man. 

I’ve seen so many people who are known for their looks while living in the entertainment industry, but this man was on a different level.

Unusually black hair and skin so white it was almost transparent. 

Beautiful and delicate features as if drawn with a brush. 

And he was quite tall, so I had to look up slightly. 

But it’s not just that he’s tall. 

His shoulders are broad, and his arms and legs are nicely long…

‘It’s like an artist putting a lot of effort into creating a work of art.’

[What are you looking at?]

“Ah…!”

Oh no, I was unconsciously staring at the man as if I was appraising him.

“I’m sorry.”

It would be rude to compliment his appearance out of the blue, so it was better to keep my mouth shut. 

As I bowed my head and apologized, the man’s eyes, which had been glaring at me fiercely, seemed to soften a bit.

He sighed softly and began to say things I couldn’t understand.

[There’s no time, so I hope you understand everything at once. You have been chosen as a participant in the ‘Resurrection Project’ hosted by the Transcendental Realm. As you can guess from the word ‘resurrection,’ you will be given a chance to live again and live a new life.]

“What is that…”

Transcendental Realm, Resurrection Project, new life. 

Words I couldn’t understand filled my head.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re talking about at all.”

The man’s eyes, which were silently staring at me, were extremely dry. 

The combination of a face that seemed to have had all emotions removed and a shockingly beautiful face made him seem like something more than human. 

A god or a being comparable to a god.

[You are dead.]

My heart sank at the words, which were like a kind of sentence.

“That’s…”

I know. 

I was in a traffic accident and died on the spot. 

But…

I unconsciously touched my face and arms. 

I could feel the sensation of skin on my fingertips.

[Put your hand on your heart.]

The man said in a voice that still had no emotion in it. 

Following his words, I put my palm on the chest area where my heart was located.

I can’t feel it. 

I pressed my palm down even harder, but I couldn’t feel my heartbeat. 

I felt like I was getting cold from head to toe.

[You died and came here to the Transcendental Realm, and you are now in a soul state. The feeling of physical sensation is just an illusion caused by the fact that you have not fully accepted your death.]

I felt my complicated mind slowly organizing itself as my thoughts followed the man’s words. 

I’m dead. 

And I’ve been chosen as a participant in something called the Resurrection Project. 

I will be given a chance to live a new life. 

But then what?

“Is that it?”

[What?]

“There’s no way you’d revive a dead person for free…”

The man looked a little surprised, as if he didn’t expect that, but he soon returned to his indifferent face.

[Yes. There are conditions. You are not the only participant in this project. Among the souls who have died and crossed over to the Transcendental Realm, those who have strong unfulfilled desires. The gods have chosen one person from each of them.]

“Project…?”

[Yes, project. This project is a competition between those participants. The time limit is 2 years. The one soul who best fulfills their desires within that time will have the chance to continue living the life they have been given again.]

“So if you don’t become that one person… Do you die again?”

The man answered firmly, as if it were an obvious question.

[Yes.]

“What about the right to refuse to participate?”

[What?]

The man’s face, which had been calm, wavered. 

Then he distorted his face and grabbed my neck in an instant.

“Cough…!”

[How dare you…]

His eyes, which had contained nothing, blazed with anger. 

He said he was a proxy for the gods, but was his loyalty that great? 

I tried to get away, but the man’s hand didn’t budge. 

I was not only running out of breath, but my vision was starting to blur. 

I’m already dead, but why is the pain so clear!

Then, there was a crackling sound around the man’s hand that was grabbing my neck, and he quickly withdrew his hand. 

His pale hand was stained black as if it had been contaminated, but soon returned to its original color.

“Cough, cough… Hey! How can you grab my neck out of nowhere!” 

[There is no right to refuse. As long as you are dead and exist in this Transcendental Realm as a mere human soul.]

The man, who I thought would be furious, said coldly. 

I was worried about his reaction, but more important was the man’s statement that there was no right to refuse.

‘The Transcendental Realm seems to mean the afterlife that people often talk about… Here, the gods are the powerful, and the souls who have died and come here are just ordinary humans.’

My head was a mess. 

This… something that would only come out in a fantasy novel is real. 

If it were me in the past, I would have dismissed it as a dream, but maybe it’s because the moment of death was so clear. 

It was difficult to deny and ignore the fact that I was dead.

I died without being able to say a word about the school violence allegations that were clearly false.

What will people say about my death?

– Wow, the school violence perpetrator died well

– Looks like they got what they deserved lololololol

– Usually, I’d say it’s a shame and feel sorry for them… but since they’re a school violence perpetrator, it feels like karma.

– Suicide? Was it really an accident? Did they run away to hell because they couldn’t handle it?

I won’t receive even a little bit of sympathy.