Chapter 1 : I am a living actor (1)

“Chaemin-ssi, this might be a sensitive question, but… at one point, you were caught up in what’s often referred to as the ‘bad acting controversy,’ right? 

I personally found it memorable when you said, ‘Acting is my dream, and I really want to become a great actor.’ 

But now, you’ve finally become a recognized and accomplished actor. 

How does it feel to have achieved your dream?”

I laughed at the interviewer’s question.

“Ah…”

How does it feel to achieve my dream?

To be honest, I don’t feel much of anything.

Because, from the start, that dream wasn’t even mine.

“But…”

What you’re seeing right now is Yoo Chaemin, but in reality, it’s not the real Yoo Chaemin—just some random guy who ended up in his body.

But of course, I couldn’t explain it like that.

The moment I said those words, “Yoo Chaemin” would be dragged through every portal site and social media platform all over again.

Actually, before that, my agency would probably send me for a psych evaluation.

Sure, possession and reincarnation might be trendy keywords these days, but it’s not the kind of thing you can joke about, let alone say seriously.

“How it feels to achieve my dream, huh…”

I could’ve just said something generic, like I usually do, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out.

Maybe it’s because I never dreamed of acting, never once wished to be a great actor.

Even before I was possessed, I used to say all kinds of pretty words without hesitation—but this one line, I just couldn’t bring myself to say.

“Chaemin-ssi?”

As the silence dragged on, the interviewer called my name curiously.

I took a sip of water for no reason, then tightly shut my eyes before opening them again.

“I think… it’s a bit early to say I’ve achieved my dream. I still have a long way to go…”

Yeah. 

I’ve still got a long way to go.

I still have a mountain of points to collect before I can buy that damn “resignation ticket.”

“But I’m happy. I’ll keep working hard, so I hope you’ll continue to watch over me.”

There was no need to ramble on. 

I gave a sensible, well-mannered answer while wearing an expression as if my heart were full.

The interviewer nodded and jotted down my response.

Watching that, I let out a small sigh inwardly.

Forget dreams or whatever.

If I had to describe it, I guess I’m more of a livelihood actor.

I’m literally doing this job just to survive.

“How did my life end up like this…”

Actually, I already knew the answer very well.

It was because of a certain choice I made.

Something that some people might even call karma.

***

I died.

It was my own decision, so I had no regrets.

I simply hoped to sleep forever like that.

But then… “Why am I alive?”

I definitely died, and yet—I was alive.

Even without me consciously doing anything, I could breathe on my own, blink on my own.

I could clearly feel that I had a fully functional body.

And I wasn’t in the home where I had chosen to end my life—I was somewhere unfamiliar.

“Where am I?”

The place where I opened my eyes was a fairly nice officetel.

Which meant no one had miraculously found me and taken me to a hospital.

“Ha…”

The absurdity of the situation made me let out a dry laugh, but then my throat began to sting.

As if that were some kind of trigger, my whole body suddenly flushed hot, and my vision began to spin.

“Ugh…!”

My head slammed down onto the floor uncontrollably.

With a dull thud came a light pain.

From the spot that hurt, a cool sensation began to spread through my body.

Almost like it was trying to put out the burning sensation I was feeling.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced.

[Hello, new employees of Karma Corp’s Korea Branch.]

A banner fluttered from the ceiling, and a man stood at the podium, reciting the name of an unfamiliar company.

He wore a traditional hanbok-style outfit that resembled a modernized suit and a black gat (traditional Korean hat).

Despite his youthful face, his voice carried an inexplicable sense of pressure—and blatant annoyance.

“……”

The place where I first opened my eyes after choosing death wasn’t here. 

It was a spacious auditorium.

There were many unfamiliar faces besides mine. 

Most of them looked just as confused as I was.

Seeing us, the man on the podium said:

[Many of you are probably wondering why you’re here. Or why you’ve suddenly become new employees. Sigh… It’s because you—no, all of you—chose death yourselves. You are sinners.]

The crowd stirred at his words. 

But the man paid no mind and continued.

It was clear: listen if you want, don’t if you don’t. 

But if you don’t, that’s your problem.

To summarize what he said: Originally, as sinners, we were supposed to be punished. 

But out of mercy, we were being given a second chance—to redeem ourselves through work.

From now on, we would be employees of Karma Corp, and we were to diligently earn Karma Points.

[Then you—you all—can be forgiven. In simple terms… you can resign.]

Is this some new kind of cult?

That was the thought I had after hearing the man’s speech. 

But that thought didn’t last long.

The realization that my attempt at death had failed filled me with despair.

I wanted nothing more than to run away right then. 

But my body wouldn’t move.

After the man left the podium, someone who seemed like a host stepped up. 

They said our “seniors” would now give us a brief orientation and training about our jobs.

That’s when I realized we were already standing in groups—even me.

Unlike the man on the podium, someone in a black suit approached me. 

He appeared to be the senior assigned to train us.

He made deliberate eye contact with the members of our group and spoke to each one. 

Strangely, I couldn’t hear anything he said to them.

Eventually, he stood in front of me.

[Ah. You look pretty upset about not being able to die. Don’t worry. You’re definitely dead.]

The so-called senior motioned with his eyes to look down—as if telling me to check for myself.

I couldn’t move my body, but I could shift my gaze. 

So I slowly looked down.

And I saw it—my body, faintly translucent.

“Ugh…”

The moment the memory ended, the pain that had wrapped around my whole body vanished.

I pushed myself off the floor.

It felt awkward, like I hadn’t walked in a very long time. 

But that sensation soon faded.

The bathroom… here it is.

I stepped inside and looked in the mirror.

Reflected there wasn’t the face I knew. 

It was the face of a stranger.

Suddenly, I remembered the cheerful voice of the senior who had explained the job.

“Living as someone else—that’s what your job is. In modern terms… possession, perhaps?”

I lifted my hand, and the man in the mirror lifted his hand too.

I scowled, and the man scowled back.

I held my breath, and before long, I felt breathless and dizzy.

“This is insane…”

I really was inside someone else’s body.

Disgusting.

So that place I woke up in—was that the afterlife? 

Is that why everyone was dressed in black?

What kind of messed-up system is this?

I already knew life was unfair and shitty.

But this? 

Even after death? 

Just because I chose to end it myself?

Do you know how… how I died?

Living as someone else is supposed to be a job? 

And if I do it well, I get forgiveness?

What a sick joke.

I instinctively opened the towel cabinet.

There was an automatic razor above the sink, but I looked anyway—just in case.

Inside the cabinet were several disposable razors, still wrapped.

They felt like leftover giveaways from some trip that no one bothered to throw out.

I grabbed one and started running cold water into the bathtub.

As it slowly filled, my heart began to pound heavily in my chest.

Why?

Why did it feel like I was doing something forbidden?

And then—

Rrrrrr—

“Ah!”

The sudden sound of a phone ringing made me collapse on the spot.

The disposable razor slipped from my sweaty hand.

“Haah… haah…”

Finally, I could breathe properly, like I’d just surfaced from underwater. 

But my heart was still pounding violently.

Only then did I realize what emotion had been weighing down on me.

It was fear—the fear of not wanting to die.

“Why? Why the hell…?”

Rrrrrr—

The phone rang again, as if urging me.

Before I knew it, my body moved on its own. 

I turned off the shower and stumbled out of the bathroom as if fleeing.

The phone was on the kitchen table. 

I answered it without even checking the caller ID.

“Hel… Hello?”

[Hey, Chaemin! Where the hell are you?! Why aren’t you downstairs? Didn’t I tell you to be at the parking lot by pickup time?!]

A heated voice burst out from the other end. 

At the same time, I heard a monotone voice announcing, “Elevator arriving.”

Then came the heavy thuds of someone walking fast. 

The sound that had been only on the phone was now coming from right outside the door.

It all happened in an instant.

Someone unlocked the front door and came inside.

A man—short, but heavily built—grabbed my arm and started dragging me out.

“W-Wait! Where are we going?!”

I shouted at the back of his head. 

He came to a sudden stop and slowly turned to look at me.

“What? Are you seriously crazy? Did you forget you have a drama shoot today?”

Drama shoot.

That word hit me like a bolt of lightning.

And then, something appeared before my eyes.

[A new quest has arrived!]

[Arrive at the drama set and successfully complete the filming assigned to ‘Yoo Chaemin’.

Deadline: Until today’s shoot ends.

Reward: 100 Karma, ???

On failure: -300 Karma or one-way trip to Hell]

“Hell…?”

[Quest has begun.]

[Failure to meet partial quest objectives within 2 hours will be considered refusal. Penalty will be applied.]

[Penalty: One-way trip to Hell]

[1:59:57]

“……”

This… This was blackmail.

Only now did it truly hit me that something was terribly wrong.

This other person’s life had been thrust upon me.

And it wasn’t just my job—it was my punishment.

***

I moved like a puppet, following the man’s lead.

The mysterious floating screen still hovered in front of my eyes, the countdown ticking down relentlessly.

I couldn’t think. 

I couldn’t try to understand.

It was like my brain had shut down.

[0:31:42]

[Partial quest objectives completed.]

[Quest fail-safes deactivated.]

[Complete the quest within the allotted time.]

Could I even hope to understand this in the first place?

Only after the countdown disappeared did my thoughts slowly start moving again.