This barbecue meal filled Baek Soo-kyung with a deep sense of happiness. It had been a long time… no, he had never eaten so many different kinds of meat at once.

After the meal, Choi Min-jun patiently drove the young man, who could be won over with a single barbecue dinner, to his home. Then, he returned to the car, his expression blank, smoking a cigarette as he read through his text messages.

Anonymous: Choi Min-jun, your plan for Yoon Nam-hyuk was so elaborate, yet it still failed. It seems your adaptability isn’t as great as the rumors say, is it?

Choi Min-jun sneered, his eyes narrowed.

Choi Min-jun: Even the most thorough plans can have accidents. What’s more important, the success of a single plan or the long-term goal? You should be able to tell the difference, right? What good would it do you if I were caught? Is there anyone else within Woosan more suitable to work for you?

Anonymous: But that guy is starting to cause trouble for me again!

Choi Min-jun: He only suspects you; he has no concrete evidence, does he? Hasn’t Chairman Yoon turned a blind eye? We already have leverage over most of Woosan Entertainment’s signed artists. Taking down Yoon Nam-hyuk is just a matter of time for you. Why rush?

Anonymous: Hmph… What about Park Seok-jin? He’s Woosan’s most important ace artist. If things failed with Yoon Nam-hyuk, surely you can succeed with Park Seok-jin?

Choi Min-jun smiled.

Choi Min-jun: Don’t worry. This time, I’m very confident.

Anonymous: You were confident about Go Eun-bin before, too. And what was the result? Not only did you not get what you wanted, but the guy also died… Damn it, is the person handling Park Seok-jin a newcomer again this time? Don’t tell me it’s another one of those sentimental, useless types?

Choi Min-jun tilted his head back, blew a smoke ring, and chuckled softly.

Choi Min-jun: Rest assured. Although the kid this time seems very gentle, his desire to win is exceptionally strong. A person filled with such ambition won’t let you down.

Anonymous: He’d better not.

Woosan Entertainment.
New Artist Acting Class.

The dozen or so new artists who had joined Woosan Entertainment at the same time were gathered in the classroom in small groups, resting.

“You’re really amazing, Qi Huai.”

Baek Soo-kyung sat on the floor with Qi Huai, looking at his infuriatingly handsome face with sparkling eyes full of admiration and envy. He sighed, “I wish my acting was as natural as yours!”

The system clutched its heart, crying out: [The protagonist uke’s big eyes are so cute! This old servant’s heart is melting! A protagonist uke this pure who doesn’t get a pure, redemptive 1v1 ending is simply an injustice!]

Qi Huai smiled and handed Baek Soo-kyung a cup of coffee. “Your acting is very good too. Your weak points are probably just due to being young and lacking social experience. When you’ve met too few people and have little experience observing them, you might not know how to put yourself in their shoes when you act. It’s normal, but it’s also easy to make up for. You’re meticulous and diligent; you’ll improve quickly.”

“Really?” Baek Soo-kyung asked, pleasantly surprised.

Qi Huai nodded, sharing his years of mission experience with Baek Soo-kyung. “I don’t have any special techniques, nor do I deliberately think about how I’m going to act. Instead, if I want to become someone, I live their life. I set daily tasks, enter the social circles that character would have, and even set a dream for that character and work towards it. Then, naturally, you become them. Experiencing different lives is very interesting.”

For Qi Huai, whether it was an emperor in an ancient world, a marshal in an interstellar world, or even himself now—a con artist who had obtained the identity of an actor—as long as he wanted to, he could blend in flawlessly.

The only thing he needed to learn now were the camera positions for different shooting styles and the rules of the set.

Baek Soo-kyung thought for a long time, then sighed in realization. “So…”

He looked around and lowered his voice. “So if I want to become a famous actor like Seok-jin sunbae, or even an award-winning actor like Kim Min-kyung sunbae… as long as I set my goal to reach the top of the entertainment industry, with absolute belief, and then work hard to hone my skills day after day like them, I will definitely succeed! Right?”

Qi Huai couldn’t help but smile. “In any case, you must have confidence and work hard. That is one hundred percent the correct ladder to Rome.”

Baek Soo-kyung smiled too. “I know, thank you, Qi Huai. I feel confident again! Fighting!”

The system: [Host oppa… is it really okay to deceive a child like this? Kim Min-kyung’s father is a chief prosecutor, and Park Seok-jin has three rich female sponsors, right?]

Qi Huai’s lips curved. “So what? Aren’t we here to help Baek Soo-kyung too?”

The first wish he made to the system was to obtain a prototype for an advanced social product. Now, that product had already attracted the interest of the founder of the largest overseas NFT trading platform, OpenWorld. As long as the investment was settled, his funds would start to flow.

“Maybe in just over a month, I can help Baek Soo-kyung pay off his debt. Once the funds are more abundant, we can establish our own entertainment company, invest in films and variety shows, and handle artist marketing. Helping Baek Soo-kyung achieve his dream is just a matter of time.”

Qi Huai spoke unhurriedly. “Once he’s paid off his debt and gained money, fame, and many fans, Baek Soo-kyung will be completely independent. Those who want to do whatever they please with him will have to pay a price… Helping the protagonist uke achieve a pure, redemptive 1v1 ending might not be as difficult as it seems.”

As long as Baek Soo-kyung waited patiently for a month.

The system: [That makes sense… But what about your own debt, Host oppa?]

The expensive watch and Armani suit were worth over one hundred million won.

Qi Huai fell silent for a moment, then cleaned his ear. “…I’m working on it.”

That bit of money had almost completely drained the original body’s savings, forcing Qi Huai to live in a small rooftop apartment far from the company.

Even then, it wasn’t paid off, and the interest was compounding. It forced Qi Huai to use a passport as collateral. Luckily, the original body had many passports~

Perhaps because Qi Huai’s smile was so gentle while he was lost in thought, Baek Soo-kyung couldn’t help but lower his head and blush.

To be honest, he had a very good impression of Qi Huai.

The other didn’t have the intimidating emotional fluctuations and elite forcefulness of Min-jun hyung, nor did he have the strange rumors and insurmountable senior status of Park sunbae.

On the contrary, even though everyone said Qi Huai was the descendant of a wealthy Chinese-American family, with a noble aura and a profound background, he was the easiest person to get along with and the most gentle and patient person Baek Soo-kyung had met since entering the entertainment industry.

There was a several-year age gap between them, and while they might not become the closest of friends, it would be nice to be a little closer, right?

“Um, Qi Huai, can I add you on IG and KKT?” Baek Soo-kyung asked, his ears turning red with nervousness.

“Uh…”

The original body’s IG was just a place to show off wealth—luxury cars, famous wines, and expensive watches were all there. Qi Huai had almost forgotten about that.

Baek Soo-kyung was visibly disappointed, the light in his eyes dimming. “I can’t?”

The system shrieked: [Aaaah! Say yes, say yes! Say yes to this doll!]

Qi Huai sighed helplessly. “I have a lot of photos on my IG. Can you keep it a secret for me?”

Baek Soo-kyung nodded in confusion, but as soon as he added Qi Huai on IG, he couldn’t help but cover his mouth. “Ah, what a beautiful car!”

Qi Huai: “Mm… it’s not mine. A friend lent it to me to take a picture.”

If Baek Soo-kyung wanted to look, he could. Qi Huai had no intention of hiding too much from him.

After all, in a month or so, owning these luxury cars and watches would be no difficult task for Qi Huai. For now, he considered it a small bait before he officially began to support Baek Soo-kyung.

Baek Soo-kyung covered his mouth and chuckled. “I’ll keep it a secret.”

He really is from a rich family, he thought.

“Who is that person?”

Outside the door, Yoon Nam-hyuk was staring expressionlessly into the acting classroom. Beside him, Assistant Yoo Ji-hoon glanced through the window. “Oh, that’s Qi Huai. He’s the one from the hotel last time…”

“I’m asking about the one next to him,” Yoon Nam-hyuk frowned.

Assistant Yoo quickly replied, “That’s also a new artist, named Baek Soo-kyung. He has the same manager as Qi Huai.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk: “Choi Min-jun?”

Assistant Yoo: “Yes.”

Yoon Nam-hyuk: “Are they close?”

Assistant Yoo: “Huh?”

The scope of “they” was too broad. Assistant Yoo wasn’t sure if Yoon Nam-hyuk was asking about Qi Huai and Choi Min-jun, Qi Huai and Baek Soo-kyung, Choi Min-jun and Baek Soo-kyung, or all three of them…

Yoon Nam-hyuk grew impatient. “I mean Qi Huai and Baek Soo-kyung. Are they close?”

Assistant Yoo was even more bewildered. “Uh… I’m not too sure about that. But since they have the same manager and are laughing and talking in acting class, it seems their relationship is quite good… I guess?”

Yoon Nam-hyuk stood there watching for a moment, then left with a cold snort.

Sunshine Boy.