The alarm rang, and Leon groaned as he reached out to turn it off. Blinking up at the ceiling, he let out a sigh.

  “What a weird dream…”

  He dragged himself out of bed and started getting ready to meet up with his cousin. As he stepped into the living room, his eyes landed on the script from yesterday—the same one with the strange black ink pulsing in the corner.

  His breath hitched.

  “It’s real…”

  His hand trembled as he hesitated, reaching toward the script. Before he could touch it, a sudden knock at the door startled him.

  Leon shook off the unease and went to open it. Standing outside was Park Dae-Hyun, arms crossed impatiently.

  “Come on, let’s go. We’re gonna be late.”

  “Huh? Oh… yeah, right,” Leon mumbled, still distracted.

  He cast one last glance at the script before stepping outside. They got into the car, and as Dae-Hyun started driving, he gave Leon a quick once-over.

  “Hey… is it just me, or do you look a little different?”

  Leon frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “I dunno… you seem… I don’t know, sharper? More refined? Honestly, the only reason I considered getting you into acting was because you looked a bit above average. I thought you could at least model for some ads if you couldn’t land any real roles. But now… you look better.”

  “Uh… thanks?” Leon replied, unsure if that was a compliment or just an observation. “Anyway, where are we going?”

  “To make you look like an actor,” Dae-Hyun smirked. “I set up appointments for a haircut, new clothes, a portfolio shoot, the works. Meanwhile, my team’s already looking for ad gigs for you.”

  Leon looked surprised. “Ads?”

  “Don’t look so nervous. They’re just small ones.”

  “So… is this your big plan to make me seem like a real actor?”

  “Yep. Being an actor doesn’t just mean starring in movies or getting lead roles. Even appearing in small ad campaigns counts. As long as you’re in front of a camera, you’re technically an actor. Sure, getting minor support roles in dramas would make it more convincing, but even if you don’t land those, just being in ads will work. No pressure.”

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  Leon narrowed his eyes. “Then why did you make such a big deal about me needing to act in a drama?”

  Dae-Hyun chuckled. “It's because I needed someone who’d actually go to auditions. I asked a few other people I trust, but they all turned me down. Of course, if I had told them all they had to do was model for some ads, they probably would’ve agreed—but they also wouldn’t have tried auditioning for actual roles.”

  “…Because you want to build connections,” Leon realized.

  Dae-Hyun shot him a surprised look before laughing. “Yeah, exactly. The entertainment industry is all about connections. Going to auditions puts you in the right places with the right people. That's why it would be great even if you manage to get small roles.”

  Leon thought for a moment before speaking again.

  “So… is that also why you lied about not getting me an acting coach? You wanted to see if I’d back out?”

  Dae-Hyun smirked. “Half right. I wanted to see if you’d reject the offer, but I also needed to gauge your acting skills first before deciding. If you’re complete trash, I’ll just train you a bit without bringing in a coach until you get decent. But if you’re at least decent, I’ll find a reliable acting coach who’ll keep quiet and not spread rumors about your skills, since I don't want my reputation to go any lower.”

  Leon let out a slow breath, taking it all in.

  “So it's okay if I don't manage to get the role you sent me yesterday.”

  Dae-Hyun grinned. “It's okay if you don't get it. I'm not expecting you to be good at acting in two weeks. But I do want you to try to participate in it to give me an excuse to build a connection over there. I'm thinking that in two weeks of practice, you should be at least decent in acting for that small role since it's an easy one.”

  Leon felt relieved from the pressure, but he began remembering what he experienced that night.

  "By the way, did you manage to read the script?"

  A flash of memory rushes Leon's mind as he remembers being shot.

  "Uh... Yeah..."

  "Did you like the script? I was proud when I got this easy role for my actor back then, since acting scare and brave is one of the easiest things to do." Hyun said as he concentrated and looked for a parking spot.

  "Yeah, I like it... But about the script"

  "We're here, we'll talk about the script later we're running late."

  The car stopped as he parked. They both rushed out of the car as Leon and Dae-Hyun entered the salon.

  Dae-Hyun begins apologizing to the hairstylist. The hairstylist didn't mind as he began preparing Leon. He sat down and looked in front of the mirror surprised.

  He felt that he looked a bit more different than usual. He couldn't exactly point where but he felt he looked slightly physically different. The whole time his hair was being cut and trimmed all he could think of was why he looked a bit different.

  'Could my ability be related to this? It might not be as simple as experiencing that world'

  After the hairstylist finished he looked better than before. As he turned around he found Dae-Hyun talking to someone. When his cousin saw Leon he began walking towards him.

  "You're starting to look more like an actor. Anyways this person will be coming with us to help pick up some clothes for you. I don't know much about fashion but she does."

  "Hello I'm Seo Yuna, I'm going to be in charge of your daily attire."

  "I gave her your phone number so every time you come to work she will send you what clothes to wear so you can always look good. With that being said let's go shopping."

  The three of them went into the car as they drove to the mall. They began picking all types of clothes to the point that Leon wondered if it was too much. After the shopping was done most of the car was full of clothes and shoes.

  Dae-Hyun then began driving to a photo studio he rented out. As they arrived Seo Yuna began getting some clothes from the car for Leon to use for the photo shoot.

  "Wear this for the photo shot after that I will give you different types of clothes."

  His cousin began rushing him to get ready as they went inside the building. Leon changed to many different styles of clothes as they took different type of pictures from different angles.

  By the time the photo shot was finished, Leon was exhausted. As he got into the car he was dead tired. Dae-Hyun began driving as he first left Seo Yuna at her house. After that, they went to Leon's house. Leon tiredly grabbed the clothes he bought inside his house.

  After he and his cousin finally put all the stuff they bought inside. His cousin began talking about what they were going to do next later on.

  "You can rest up tomorrow it's going to be a while to find a good ad for you to model in. Even though you are a temporary actor, I'm going to do my best to make you succeed as an actor so my agency can get a better reputation. So expect tiring days like these."

  Leon could only tiredly give a thumbs up as he was lying down on the floor.

  "Well, I'll see you tomorrow to see your acting skills."

  'Oh yeah, should I tell him about my ability?'

  As Leon thought about that his cousin had already left. Leon only lay there thinking about his ability.

  'I probably shouldn't tell anyone about my ability yet, until I fully understand it. Maybe I shouldn't even tell anyone so they don't accidentally expose me and force me to report to the government.'

  He thought about all the cases where awakened individuals had reported their abilities to the government. While some powers weren't dangerous, there was one thing every single one of them had in common. He recalled their words in interviews, a chilling pattern in their testimonies.

  "They treat me like a prisoner."