The morning’s shoot centered on the heroine. The two newcomers, Qi Huai and Baek Soo-kyung, were mainly there to observe and gain experience, while the male lead, Park Seok-jin, wouldn’t appear until the afternoon due to scheduling issues. This gap unexpectedly gave Qi Huai a chance to strike up a conversation with the story’s main shou.

“You’re a new actor too?” Qi Huai sat down beside Baek Soo-kyung. “Which company are you with?”

Baek Soo-kyung, a little flustered by the attention, answered shyly, “I’m with Woosan Entertainment. My name’s Baek Soo-kyung, I’m 19. And you?”

Qi Huai replied gently, “My name’s Qi Huai, I’m 22, and I don’t have a company yet.”

Baek Soo-kyung looked surprised. “What? No company? Then how can you even film?”

Qi Huai pointed at the director with a smile. “I happened to meet a certain chatty director on the plane. He said there was a role that really suited me, so here I am.”

Baek Soo-kyung’s eyes filled with envy. “That’s amazing…”

If only he had that kind of luck. To become an actor without effort, just like that.

“By Korean rules, you entered the industry earlier than me. Should I call you sunbae?” Qi Huai asked.

Baek Soo-kyung blinked, then laughed. “Technically yes, but forget it, just call me Soo-kyung. I don’t really know anything yet, so I can’t count as a senior. Everyone says you’re a foreigner, right? Your Korean’s really good—your honorifics too.”

Qi Huai lowered his gaze with a smile. “I’m half Chinese, half American. As for honorifics… I got mocked by a certain bad-tempered person, so I made a point of improving.”

Baek Soo-kyung was shocked. “Why be so harsh on a foreigner? Not all Koreans are like that.”

Qi Huai smiled with his eyes. “I know.”

“Hey! Our great demon lord and little Kim Seung-soo, stop chatting and come eat lunch!” Director Ahn Yonghe waved cheerfully. The morning shoot had gone smoothly, so he was in a very good mood.

Lunch was provided by the crew: pork cutlet sandwiches, a small portion of salad, and self-serve options of coffee, sugar-free cola, and Jeju tangerine juice.

Baek Soo-kyung ate with great relish. The sandwich was large, and with the free cola and juice, he might even skip dinner and save a meal’s money.

While eating, he listened to the conversations around him. Soon he overheard Director Ahn quietly asking Qi Huai, “By the way, you’re living over in Gangnam Cheongdam-dong, right? Hotel or rented place?”

Qi Huai answered in a low voice, “I rented a place myself.”

“Oh, I thought you were staying in a hotel,” Ahn replied. “I was going to introduce you to a friend’s place, but since you’ve got housing, that’s fine.”

Their topic quickly shifted. Baek Soo-kyung sneaked a glance at Qi Huai before continuing his sandwich.

Cheongdam-dong, huh? The houses there must be insanely expensive.

The nicest place he’d ever seen was Choi Min-jun’s apartment—one of those high-rise rentals with monthly rent in the millions of won, and deposits in the tens of millions.

But whether it was Cheongdam-dong or luxury high-rises, those were lives utterly out of his reach.

—

At 2:30 in the afternoon, Park Seok-jin finally showed up.

Qi Huai and the system finally laid eyes on this narcissistic pervert who loved to self-admire.

He wore a brown-toned wool sweater layered with a wool coat, paired with high-quality cream-colored trousers. His appearance radiated the mature charm of a 37-year-old man.

Coupled with that flawless smile and gentlemanly manner, he truly lived up to the internet’s nickname for him: “a man with the elegance of a prince.”

Park Seok-jin first apologized to the director and the crew for being late, then folded his hands together politely: “I’m terribly sorry to keep everyone waiting and to make Ms. Cha Go-eun shoot an extra scene. I’ll provide this afternoon’s refreshments—how about red bean bread, banana milkshakes, and Greek yogurt? Please forgive me.”

The heroine Cha Go-eun exclaimed playfully, “Please, Seok-jin sunbae, be late every day! I love Greek yogurt the most!”

Everyone laughed, and Director Ahn chuckled. “Actor Park hasn’t met our two new cast members yet, has he? Come on, meet them. One of them’s even your junior from Woosan Entertainment.”

Park Seok-jin looked over in surprise.

Baek Soo-kyung clenched his fingertips, blushing as he nervously lifted his head.

But perhaps Qi Huai’s face was just too striking. The moment Park Seok-jin turned his head, his gaze locked onto Qi Huai—and didn’t move for a long time.

That face… it was like something crafted by the gods.

“Well? Stunned, right?”

Director Ahn beamed, eager to promote his new muse. “Isn’t it just like the great demon Qingluan walked straight out of a painting? That bewitching beauty, the sheer visual impact—you can’t look away, can you?”

Park Seok-jin finally came back to his senses, his flawless smile returning. “Yes, it’s truly stunning. When you said casting the great demon Qingluan required careful thought, I kept wondering who you would pick. I never imagined such a perfect choice… Is he really my junior at Woosan Entertainment? I had no idea we had such an extraordinary newcomer—what a pity.”

Standing beside Qi Huai, Baek Soo-kyung’s expression stiffened a little at those words, but luckily the director jumped in quickly: “Qi Huai’s still a freelancer for now. If you want him at Woosan, you’d better recommend him to President Yoon soon, hahahaha.”

Only then did Park Seok-jin turn his gaze on Baek Soo-kyung. The boy bowed nervously. “Hello, Seok-jin sunbae. I’m Baek Soo-kyung, newly signed with Woosan Entertainment, 19 years old.”

“I’m so sorry, Soo-kyung,” Park Seok-jin said apologetically. “I just instinctively looked at the person closer to me. I didn’t mean anything else.”

Flustered, Baek Soo-kyung waved his hands. “No need to apologize, sunbae, really.”

Park Seok-jin smiled faintly, but his attention returned once more to Qi Huai. Qi Huai disliked the Korean habit of bowing at every turn. Taking advantage of his foreigner status, he merely gave Park Seok-jin a nod. “Hello, Seok-jin sunbae. I’m Qi Huai, currently a freelance actor, 22 years old.”

Park Seok-jin sighed. “So young. About the same age I was when I entered the industry.”

The system’s eyes bulged like copper bells: [What the hell is this narcissist implying? Is he planning to seduce you already?]

Qi Huai found the system’s take absurd. If age compatibility were enough reason to seduce someone, then Park Seok-jin must’ve seduced all of South Korea by now.

“Quiet on set!”

Director Ahn shouted from behind the camera. “Crew, get in position! Action!”

The afternoon scene revolved around the fox maiden Min’er awakening her past life memories after meeting the great demon Qingluan.

Although much would later be enhanced in post-production, the live shoot required Park Seok-jin (male lead), Cha Go-eun (female lead), Baek Soo-kyung (as the male lead’s past life), and Qi Huai (as the great demon Qingluan) to all be on standby together.

The very first scene was Qingluan’s grand entrance. After much thought, Director Ahn still hoped for an eye-catching debut effect.

So he asked with a warm smile: “Qi Huai… could you take your shirt off?”