Legendary Superstar

Money… Money… Money… 

It was the only reason why Minjae was slaving his way tonight. 

"Next," 

Minjae rang up another customer, his hands moving on autopilot as he scanned each item. It wasn't even a day, but he was here, standing behind a convenience store counter, working as if he was a slave. 

Fortunately, since he got Minjae's memory, he was able to manage well. It was just weird since he wasn't really used to doing these kinds of jobs.

He didn't even get the chance to check any news regarding his death. The system just had to remind him about his work a few seconds after spilling all the information.

"The total is 29,000 won" 

The customer quickly took some money out of his pocket and paid Minjae before taking the plastic bag and speeding his way outside. 

Wasn't it ironic?

He used to be idolized by millions of fans, yet now, he was just another average worker that people don't have an interest in. 

"Good evening. Is this all?" Still, Minjae smiled as he greeted the next customer on the line. This was his first time actually working, so he still got some patience and excitement left. 

"Yes, that's all." the customer answered without sparing a glance at Minjae.

Most of the customers were like that. Currently, they were glancing at the building across the street that was barely visible through the store window. 

The building across the street was where his previous body was — his wake. If anyone would have told him a few hours ago that he'd be watching his own memorial service from a convenience store, he would have laughed in disbelief.

It was also the reason why there was a long line. 

Fans across the country, especially visited just to say goodbye to him. He found it heartwarming a few hours ago, but not at the moment when he was suffering with continuous work.

"Did you hear about Juwon?" a voice drifted over from the snack aisle, just across the counter. Two customers, both young women, were talking in hushed voices.

"It's so tragic... And they still don't know who did it!"

Minjae's hand froze for a second as he scanned an item before a loud beep from the register jolted him back to the present. 

"The total will be 8,500." Minjae's jaw clenched as he forced himself to smile in front of the customer. They were obviously talking about him.

Somehow, he was uncomfortable hearing gossip about his death. 

"Here. Keep the change." The customer gave Minjae a 10,000 bill before getting her items and leaving. 

"My idol is kind... It just doesn't make sense." Another customer chimed in as they waited in line.

"I know right? Once the culprit is known, I'll really come to the police station myself and kill that man!"

"Tsk. Tsk. Once the culprit is known, we should burn the whole jail in fire and torture the guy! How dare he kill my beloved idol?" 

"I agree! Imma kick his balls continuously that he would beg to die instead!" 

"But still… The police haven't found any clues. Maybe we should hire a private investigator ourselves. If the fan clubs decide to do that, I'll donate some money even if I'm poor. 

Minjae didn't know if he would be thankful or be scared of what his fans were talking about right now. 

However, one sentence lingered in his ears. 

"So there was still no culprit behind my death?' Minjae's chest tightened. It was his first time hearing about it. 

It felt… off. 

If he'd died in an accident, the culprit should have been arrested by now since there were a lot of witnesses at the scene. On top of that, he was a top star. His death was one thing and catching the culprit was surely another big thing for the police. 

However, no one was arrested. 

Was it a mysterious hit-and-run? 

Or was the driver just too scared that he was hiding now?

Questions started appearing one by one. Just thinking about it makes his head ache.

As far as he knew, he had no enemies nor had disputes with others. He might be surrounded by fake friends and unloving family, but they surely wouldn't dare bring harm to him… right? 

'Ahh… fuck. I'll get back to my thoughts. Lemme just finish this line first, before it finishes me.' 

Minjae clenched his jaw before greeting another customer. He was currently doing his very best to keep his shit together. He forced himself to focus on the work in front of him, determined to finish the line as soon as possible. 

He couldn't afford to slow down because more customers were coming and also, he got slightly scared of his fans' thoughts. 

'Ahhh! Please save me from this suffering.' 

"Thank you for buying. Next, please," Minjae kindly muttered despite his inner cries. He even managed to smile as he greeted the next customer. 

That routine continued until the line started to thin, and after a few hours, the rush finally died down. When the last customer left, Minjae leaned back against the counter, pulling out his nearly ancient phone.

"Ha…" The screen of his phone lagged with each swipe. Each opening of an app takes him 10 seconds to load. What's more, the side of his screen almost looked like a mosaic because of the cracked glass.

With his curiosity still about the topic earlier, he fumbled on XYZ app. It was an app where people could tweet to share their thoughts. When he checked the trending list, his name was still number one. 

Minjae clicked on it. When it loaded, multiple news articles about him and his own death showed up. 

[The Biggest Star, Park Juwon's Death Still a Mystery—No Leads on the Culprit Yet?]

"I already knew that there's still no suspect, but even leads?" Minjae muttered, his brows furrowing as he skimmed through the article. 

It reported everything he wanted to know. 

His body was struck by a van identical to what he owned. Despite the incident being in a public area, no suspects had emerged because the van immediately drove off the crime scene.

The police chased the van. However, the driver was still able to run off. The morning after his death, the police found the van in a neighbouring city, already burned. Because of that no evidence had been recovered. 

With the fans' anger, the police could only assure the people that they were "pursuing all angles,". However, there was still no improvement. No one had been brought in for questioning, even once. 

In disbelief, 'Did I get killed by a sorcerer or something?' he chuckled sarcastically. 

Minjae's fingers drummed on the counter as he stared at his phone, his mind racing. 

Who could have wanted him gone? And more importantly—why?

Before he could dig deeper, his phone buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts. It was a message notification that he could barely read because of the crack of his screen. 

'I swear I need to buy a new phone or I'd die because of this screen. But it's a message from Recruiter Roach…' With curiosity in his mind, he quickly clicked on it to read the content of the message. 

Recruiter Roach, based on his memory, was his friend. She was working in a movie studio and would always tell Minjae information like this, hence her name on his phone.

[Recruiter Roach:] Minjae-ssi~! Are you up for another gig? A new big film wants an extra but since it's a high-class movie, they're opening auditions. Lemme quickly forward you the details.

'A gig?' Minjae's eyes glimmered in hope. With the message, he had forgotten what he was thinking about.

[Recruiter Roach:] Role: Robber in an upcoming thriller drama. The audition is in 4 days. Wear light clothes. Pay is good for extra so good luck! Don't forget to treat me to a meal if you get the role!

"A… robber?" Minjae nearly laughed out loud as he read the message. It felt absurd going from being the lead actor in high-profile dramas to a small-time robber.

But then again, it was a role. Beggars couldn't be choosers, and it was a chance to start somewhere, even if it was small.

"Alright, then," Minjae murmured as he typed in a reply. 

"Let's show them a world-class robber."