Legendary Superstar

After walking away, Minjae returned to his new home — a modest apartment. Fortunately, no one noticed him, and he was able to return in one piece. Still, even after making a decision, his heart remained heavy. 

"So… what do I do now?" Minjae uttered to himself as he jumped on his bed, laying flat, and staring at the ceiling. 

His bed was rather smaller than what he was used to, but oddly enough, it was comfortable. 

"Oh right, the script and my money…" Minjae immediately took everything he had kept in his shirt and laid them down except the cash. 

"Let's see how much I got," Minjae started counting all the bills in his hands. He was serious about it, knowing that the body he inhabited seemed to be in a dire situation. 

"2 million won? I wonder how long this will take me," Minjae pressed his lips together before taking a deep sigh. It was only a month's worth of salary.

He was used to luxury for most of his life, but he also started at the bottom though, that would be 2 decades ago.

Still, maybe living frugally in a few months would be doable. He just needs to be wise with his spending for the moment.

As Minjae gazed around his surrounding, he immediately noticed the difference. There was no grand decorations, no awards, and no expensive furniture. The place only contained the basic needs of someone who looked like he was barely making ends meet.

"System," he murmured as he sat on the side of the bed. 

[Yes, Host?] 

The system quickly answered his call, its tone was polite.

Minjae took a deep breath, glancing around the small space that now belonged to him. 

"I'm ready to start over. Can I have this body's memory? I guess that will be normal, right? Unless you want me to look as if I had amnesia or something." 

[Understood, Host. The System will now synchronize your memories with the body you now inhabit. Please relax for a moment.]

As the System's word ended, Minjae felt a tingling sensation sweeping over him. A seconds after, a flood of memories surged into his mind. It was overwhelming.

Minjae recalled his memories from childhood to adulthood.

Minjae grew up in an orphanage, with no memories of his parents. When he reached the age of 9, he secretly left the orphanage to find his parents. Yet, what awaited him instead was the harsh reality of life. 

Minjae couldn't do anything without money. He strayed away in the streets, begging for scrap food or money from different people. It was his only means of survival each day. 

Thankfully, a kind old woman took pity on him. The woman brought him home, fed him food, and gave him warm clothes. He was able to live normally. That day, he was also able to open a television where a drama starring Juwon was showing. 

That was the first time Minjae was able to dream. He studied and worked hard for it. He wanted to become an actor.

However...

Unfortunate strikes once again just a few years later when he thought everything was becoming fine. 

The old woman, whom he considered his saviour, died due to old age. He had no choice but to leave when the old woman's sons started claiming the house, threatening to sue him if he stayed further. 

He was just thankful that the old woman gave him a few hundred thousand won before her death. Maybe she was scared that he'd be homeless again after, thus giving him some money to start a life.

But that's just a little money. 

To survive, Minjae worked tirelessly, sometimes pulling double shifts at a convenience store just to get by. At that time, Juwon was the only reason Minjae was pushing forward. 

Minjae wanted to be Juwon. He wanted to be good at acting. He wanted to be rich. He wanted to survive in this harsh world. He saw how dedicated Minjae was to his dreams, even if the world barely noticed him. 

In fortunate times, he would get some roles, slipping in and out as an extra in films and drama. Sometimes he barely had 5 seconds of screen time, but he was passionate about all the roles he got. 

But it was never enough. 

Minjae wasn't that good at acting.

He was also poor.

He was barely surviving. 

Then, one day, he decided to give up on everything. 

When the news of Juwon's death surfaced on the internet, Minjae, who only got the courage and inspiration to continue living in this hard life from him, became lifeless. The reality of life took a toll on him, resulting in a decision that he would later regret.

Still, in the last seconds of his life, Minjae only wished for Juwon's happiness. He was more than a devoted fan to his idol. 

As the memories settled, Minjae's heart ached with a newfound respect for the young man whose life he now held. 

"This man… he really worked hard," Minjae murmured, a hint of admiration lingered in his voice. "Even if he was mostly unnoticed, he gave everything for his dreams."

He had so much respect for this man. 

Looking back, he realized that he wasn't able to fully return the support and love he had gotten from his fans. It may be too late now, but at least, he wanted to make his life more memorable and worthy this time. 

"My dear fan…" Minjae clenched his fists. The determination in his heart was slowly intensifying as he recalled those memories. 

"I'll honor your dream. I'll work hard to achieve what you couldn't. I'll make you a star, one the world has yet to see… I'll make you shine brighter than I ever did." 

Despite his determined promises, Minjae still wondered how he could make this happen when he was also just nothing. 

That was when the system spoke again, filling in details that he didn't know. 

[The System acknowledges the Host's decision and will provide support accordingly.]

[Currently, only talents related to Acting are unlocked, but new fields, such as Singing or Dancing, will become available if the Host chooses to pursue them. The System recommends focusing on one field initially to gain mastery faster.]

[To develop each talent, experience points (EXP) are required. With sufficient EXP, a talent level will increase, and once three levels are completed, the talent's grade will also advance. The Grades available are as follows:]

Grades:

- Beginner

- Novice

- Intermediate

- Expert

- Master

"Experience points? Levels? Grades?" Minjae frowned at the sudden terms. 

[Exactly, Host. Each level requires 50,000 EXP. Since a grade requires 3 levels, you'd need 150,000 EXP to advance from one grade to the next. Take note that each real-life application or practice session will yield EXP based on its difficulty.]

Minjae absorbed the information carefully. He understood that he'd have to earn his skills through practical practice. This wasn't going to be easy, but, oh well, in the acting field, who would have better experience than him?

It was fair, and perhaps it was exactly what Minjae wanted. 

[Additionally, the System will sometimes give missions. Completing these will grant rewards that will aid the Host on his goal.]

"What are the rewards?" Minjae questioned out of curiosity.

[The reward can range from special opportunities, enhanced talents, money, or access to resources.]

"So, I have a cheat?" Minjae's forehead creased. 

[You could say that, Host. Just think of me as a helper for Minjae's dreams.] 

"I see... Well, that's good." 

[To begin, this is your 'Status Page' host. This will appear every time you say the word.] 

- - - - -

Name: Nam Minjae

Age: 22

Acting: Intermediate (1/3) 

Screenwriting: Beginner (1/3)

Directing: Beginner (1/3)

- - - - -

"I see..."

When the text in front of him disappeared, Minjae stood up, feeling a new surge of energy. He walked around his small apartment before stopping at a mirror in his bathroom. 

"This body is quite frail… I need to at least build some muscles in the right place." Minjae thought as he stared at his own reflection. 

"I also need to get a haircut and shop for some clothes. The clothes that I'm wearing right now look okay but they're obviously old. Also, my hair is quite dry, but at least my face is a little bit decent."

Even though a normal person wouldn't find anything wrong with his complexion, Minjae's standard as an A-list actor was incomparably higher. 

However, even after mentally taking notes of all the things he had to change about himself, there was a bigger problem that he had to resolve first. 

Money.