NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 2
“…Me!”
I felt my dulled senses returning one by one.
First was the sense of pain; my head throbbed dully.
Someone grabbed me and shook me violently, making me feel nauseous.
“Noona!”
Then came the second sense, hearing. A familiar voice rang in my ears.
This voice… I was sure I knew it.
“Hey!!!”
I opened my eyes wide. Lastly, my vision returned.
‘…Han Taeyang?’
In front of me stood my younger brother in a school uniform.
“Wow, seriously. You scared me.”
Han Taeyang looked down at me with a pitiful gaze, his face looking soft and youthful.
As if.
“A high school student…?”
“Cut it out. It’s first period soon. What are you doing?”
He’s twenty-seven years old right now. What’s going on?
I blinked blankly. The back of my head, which had been bleeding just moments ago, now rested on a soft pillow.
I reached out to touch it. Not even a trace of blood remained, nothing at all.
“I’m fine…?”
With trembling hands, I touched my forehead and the back of my head, but it was the same.
As if nothing had happened.
“Look at this. Checking your head like that again. It’s the first day back—at least wash up….”
I was momentarily at a loss for words. Han Taeyang checked the time on his wristwatch, grabbed his bag, and left the room.
“Am I… still drunk?”
“I don’t know. I woke you up, so don’t tell Mom I didn’t. I mean it.”
Left alone, I sat up and stared into the mirror on my desk.
“…What is this?”
It wasn’t just Han Taeyang who had grown younger. The reflection of myself in the mirror looked younger too.
“….”
Was this a dream? I raised my hand and slapped my cheek.
“Ah!!!”
But it hurt so much that it couldn’t be a dream. Enough to bring tears to my eyes.
“I… came back?”
Even as I said it, the situation felt absurd.
“To when I was twenty?”
That’s when it happened.
System
*>>> Error code 1221 has been completely removed, and the past is now replaying.
>>> Tutorial
♣ From an unknown actress to a national star! ♣
Let’s make your unknown name resonate far and wide. Reborn as an unparalleled actor in history.
Reward: Wish Ticket (SSS)
A window popped up in front of me.
“From an unknown actress… to a national star?”
The series of surreal events left no room to gather my thoughts. The past, sped up twofold, began rushing through my mind.
“The audition date changed. You didn’t know? What are you talking about? I sent you a message.”
“Ha… That’s not the line. It’s clear you haven’t prepared. It’s an issue with your basic attitude.”
“I’m truly sorry! I’m so sorry!”
There was the time when I missed an audition because it was moved up by a week, and I hadn’t received the text.
Then the time I barely made it, only to be fired for being an actor who didn’t even know the script had changed.
The car accident on my first shoot day.
Countless misfortunes from the past flashed by at lightning speed.
And over them, memories of a Do Gyeoul completely opposite to my own miserable acting career overlapped.
“From my comeback project, I was entrusted with a precious role by the writer and director….”
“Acting is always about living someone else’s life, whether the role is big or small, so I commit fully to every part….”
“My goal is to become a better actor….”
Do Gyeoul, who received rave reviews starting with her comeback.
Do Gyeoul, who dominated interviews and commercials with her positive image.
Do Gyeoul, who beamed brightly while accepting the Grand Prize at Korea’s most prestigious film awards.
The images of Do Gyeoul I had seen were etched vividly into my mind.
>>> Error code 1221
Do Gyeoul, the beloved actor of Korea. The top casting choice. The actress whose stacked scripts would take months just to read.
“Error code 1221….”
December 21st. Do Gyeoul’s birthday.
Ding-! Ding-! Ding-!
The status window didn’t stop with just one notification. The reasons why my life had gone wrong poured out before my eyes.
‘It all started on those stairs….’
The moment Do Gyeoul pushed me and I fell down the stairs, the error occurred.
System
System Error
〈???〉 detected movement.
The target could not be located.
Resetting target.
>>> Error code 1111
“From that day, nothing in my life has gone right….”
On top of that, Do Gyeoul, who had stolen all my luck, actively worked to erase Han Yeoreum from every opportunity to be seen.
“Yes, Director. It’s Gyeoul. About that, I have a friend… who’s really good at acting. If you could use her, I’d—.”
It was a supporting role I’d barely secured. Do Gyeoul made a single phone call to cut me out and put someone else in my place. And not just once.
“Yes, Senior Hyeong. I went with the girl you mentioned. No need to thank me. The acting video you sent was decent.”
Do Gyeoul used the excuse of helping Hyeong Chang-wook discover theater rookies to get her hands on practice videos of unknown actors.
“What about having them rehearse with my script next time? To interpret it and analyze. No, no~. I just enjoy helping out.”
Among those videos was mine. Or more accurately….
“Please make Yeoreum’s video a bit longer. You know it’s a secret that I’m doing this, right? She’s so prideful. Imagine what she’d do if she found out her peer was giving her advice.”
Do Gyeoul’s computer was filled with countless videos of my acting.
[Han Yeoreum Folder] (407)
>[Theater / Will the Wind Blow? Han Yeoreum Lead Monologue Scene]
>[Drama / State ONE Han Yeoreum Supporting Role Line Collection]
>[Movie / Bad Guys Always Get Caught 1st Audition]
From mock auditions I had submitted to clips recorded at Hyeong Chang-wook’s theater company, hundreds of videos had ended up in Do Gyeoul’s hands.
“Ah, so this is how she handles emotional transitions… Han Yeoreum, haha… her interpretations are always so peculiar.”
My acting was being collected by Do Gyeoul.
And my performances…
“Gyeoul! What’s with this scene? The interpretation is different from last time?”
“Did it work?”
“Not just work—it was amazing. How did your skills improve so much in just a few days?!”
…became Do Gyeoul’s own.
Even misfortunes, like a car accident, turned into Do Gyeoul’s blessings.
“It’s amazing. The collision was pretty bad, but I only ended up with bruises.”
“Haha… I guess I’m just lucky.”
Do Gyeoul’s face appeared amidst the endless status windows before me.
Her past, riddled with stealing my life, luck, and roles, played out chaotically.
“…It was all Do Gyeoul.”
The moment I realized this, the status window gleamed even brighter, as if urging me to look again.
Let’s make your unknown name resonate far and wide.
Reborn as an unparalleled actor in history.
Suddenly, everything became clear. This was an opportunity.
“Alright…”
A second chance given to me by the heavens.
“I’ll make myself known from now on.”
Without Do Gyeoul interfering. With the luck and talent that she stole from me.
I smiled at my reflection in the mirror.
I was fortunate. I’d returned to this exact moment.
“There’s no better time to debut than now.”
Starting from the bottom and being recognized honorably? That “actor’s obsession”?
‘It’s cured now.’
No longer would I cling to a textbook debut as I did in my past life.
I already knew a new route.
‘A faster, more certain path.’
It was an era where the lines between celebrities and actors were blurred, and acting had become a stage open to anyone.
[HOT/ ‘Endless’ darling leader Joo Ye challenges her first acting role as a loving chaebol’s youngest daughter?]
Articles like these were everywhere. Idols transitioning to acting was no longer strange. And now, it wasn’t just idols.
[HOT/ Z1 shines with luxury charisma, delivers sharp hand hearts like a true stuntman.]
Appearing on variety shows,
[HOT/ No more ‘Likes’… Ryu Mog-wa greets fans as an actor, leaving her influencer days behind.]
Even influencers with large followings were diving into acting.
‘Not only that…’
The acting market itself was evolving beyond screens to reach closer to the public.
“Uploading web dramas to Intube, posting one-minute content on Tintok….”
OTT platforms weren’t just acquiring streaming rights for movies and dramas but were now producing their own.
“It’s a world where anyone can act.”
Especially if you’re famous.
I would work relentlessly. I’d stop at nothing.
To become famous. To act. To make sure everyone remembered my name.
“And I’ll take back everything Do Gyeoul stole.”
I bit my lower lip. The roles I should have had, the awards I should have won, and the life I should have lived.
“I’ll put it all back in its rightful place.”
Ding-!
「Mission: Capture Everyone’s Attention」
Keyword: First Stage
Take your first step as a star! Stand out among passionate newcomers eager to act.
Success Condition
[Gain recognition from an individual with a focus grade of B or higher.]
Rewards
[Increased Popularity]
[Random Skill Draw Ticket]
As if cheering for my resolve, the first mission appeared.