IUABKM Chapter 02

Chapter 2

“…Hey!”

One by one, my dulled senses began to return.

First came pain—my head throbbed with a splitting ache.

Someone was grabbing me and shaking hard enough to make me nauseous.

“Noona!”

Then came hearing.

A familiar voice.

 One I knew.

“Hey!!!”

My eyes flew open.

Sight returned at last.

‘…Han Taeyang?’

Right in front of me stood my little brother, dressed in a school uniform.

“Whoa, geez. You scared me.”

He peered down at me with that exasperated look of his, his boyish face soft and young.

Almost like----

“A high schooler…?”

"Stop that. You and I both have first period, what the."

He’s twenty-seven.

What the hell is going on?

I blinked in disbelief. Just moments ago, my head had been bleeding—but now all I felt under my skull was the soft cushion of a pillow.

When I touched the spot, there wasn’t a trace of blood. Nothing at all.

“…I’m fine?”

With trembling hands, I checked my forehead and the back of my head again, but it was the same.

As if it had never happened.

“What, are you checking? if you can skip washing your hair again? It’s the first day of the semester, at least try to look presentable….”

I was at a loss for words.

Glancing at his watch, Taeyang grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

“Am I… still drunk?”

“Don’t care. I woke you, so don’t you dare tell Mom I didn’t. I am serious.”

Left alone, I sat up and stared into the mirror on my desk.

“…What the hell?”

It wasn’t just Han Taeyang who had gotten younger.

The reflection staring back at me was… younger, too.

“….”

A dream? I slapped my cheek.

“Agh!!!”

Way too painful for a dream—enough to make my eyes water.

“I… came back?”

Even saying it out loud felt absurd.

“To when I was twenty?”

And then—

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System

>>> Error code 1221 has been completely removed.

The past is being re-executed.

>>> Tutorial♣

 From nameless, unknown actor to beloved national star! 

♣Make the world remember the name no one knew before.

Reborn as an actor unlike any in history.

Reward: Wish Ticket (SSS)

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·

A window popped up right in front of me.

“From unknown… to national star?”

This was getting ridiculous. I hadn’t even processed one thing before another surreal event crashed in—memories from the past flooding my mind in fast-forward.

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘

" Didn't you know, the audition date was changed? What are you talking about. I sent a text."

"Ugh... that's not the right. You didn't study it properly. So unproffesional. This is an attitude problem.”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

The audition I lost because the date had been moved up a week without notice.

The part I did land, only to be cut because I hadn’t gotten the revised script.

The car accident on my very first shoot.

Failure after failure, tragedy after tragedy, flashing past at breakneck speed.

And layered on top—memories of a life opposite mine.

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘

“To the writer and director who entrusted me with such a precious role for my comeback…”

“Acting is always about living someone else’s life, so whether the role is big or small, I give my all…”

“My goal is simply to become… a better actor.”

Do Gyeoul, who received rave reviews right from her comeback role.

Do Gyeoul, who landed endless interviews and CFs thanks to her stellar image.

Do Gyeoul, grinning as she accepted Best Actress at Korea’s most prestigious film awards.

Images of her etched themselves into my mind.

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·

>>> Error code 1221

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·

Do Gyeoul—the nation’s darling, the number one casting choice, the one with so many scripts piled up it would take months to read them all…

“Error code 1221…”

December 21st. Do Gyeoul’s birthday.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The notifications didn’t stop at one—window after window popped up, laying out every single reason my life had gone wrong.

‘It started… that day on the stairs….’

The moment Do Gyeoul shoved me, sending me tumbling down the stairs, the error began.

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·

System

✦✧✦✧

System error.Detected: Relocation of.

Target not found.

Reinitializing target.

>>> Error code 1111

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·

“So that’s why… nothing’s gone right since then.”

And worse—Do Gyeoul, who stole every drop of my luck, had actively worked to erase me. To keep me from showing the world what I could do.

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘

“Yes, Director. It’s me, Gyeoul. About my friend… she’s an amazing actress. If you’d just give her a chance, I’d—.”

That supporting role I had clawed to win—Do Gyeoul cut me out with a single phone call, slipping someone else in. Again and again.

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘

“Yeah, Senior, I cast the one you mentioned. Thanks, really. After seeing her audition tape, I can see why.”

Under the guise of helping Director Hyung Chang-uk discover new talent, she got her hands on countless practice videos from struggling actors.

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘

“How about having them run through a scene from my script next time? Let them interpret it, see what they do. What? No, no—I just like helping out.”

Among them were my clips. Or more precisely…

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘

“Make Yeoreum’s video a little longer, okay? And you know this is a secret, right? Her pride’s huge—if she knew her peer was coaching her, imagine her reaction.”

Do Gyeoul’s computer was filled with my acting footage.

[Han Yeoreum Folder] (407)

• [Play / Will the Wind Blow? Han Yeoreum Lead Monologue]

• [Drama / National ONE Han Yeoreum Supporting Lines Compilation]

• [Film / Catch the Bad Bastard 1st Audition]

Every audition tape, every practice clip filmed at Changwook’s troupe. Hundreds. All in her grip.

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘

“So this is how she handles emotion… interesting. Honestly, Han Yeoreum—pfft, her interpretations are bizarre.”

She collected my performances—

—and made them hers.

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘

“Gyeoul! What’s with your delivery this scene? It’s different from last time!”

“Did it work?”

“Work? It’s incredible! How did you improve this much in just a few days—!”

Even my accidents became her lucky breaks.

𓈒⟡₊⋆∘

“It’s strange. The collision was pretty bad, but she walked away with just bruises.”“Haha… I guess I’m just lucky.”

Window after window filled my vision, all showing Do Gyeoul’s face—her stealing my life, my luck, my roles.

“…It was all her.”

As soon as I realized it, the windows glowed brighter, as if urging me to see more.

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·

Let the world know your name.

Be reborn as an actor the likes of which history has never seen.

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·

Suddenly, it was clear—this was a chance.

“Yeah…”

A second chance, given to me by the heavens.

“This time, I’ll make sure the world knows me.”

Without her interference. With the luck and skill, she had stolen from me.

I smiled at my reflection.

I was lucky—to have returned at this exact moment.

“There’s no better time to debut than now.”

That stubborn desire to start from the bottom and earn recognition honestly?

‘Consider it cured.’

I didn’t have to cling to the “proper” debut route anymore.

I already knew a faster, surer way.

In an era where the line between celebrity and actor had blurred, the stage was open to anyone.

✦✧✦✧

[HOT / “Endless” sweetheart leader Joo Ye, now trying her role as a chaebol’s youngest daughter?]

I remembered countless headlines like that. Idols becoming actors was no longer strange.

And it wasn’t just idols anymore—

✦✧✦✧

[HOT / Z1’s luxury charisma shines, delivers a perfectly crisp heart like the pro stuntman he is]

Even variety show regulars—

✦✧✦✧

[HOT / No more “likes”… Influencer Ryu Mogwa now greets fans as an actor]

Influencers with huge followings were breaking into acting.

And not just that…

The acting market itself was moving beyond screens, reaching the public more directly.

“From uploading web dramas on Intube, to posting one-minute clips on Tintok….”

OTT platforms weren’t just buying rights to movies and dramas anymore—they were producing them.

“It’s a world where anyone can act.”

Especially if you’re already known.

I’d work myself to the bone—by any means necessary—

To become famous. To act. To make sure everyone knew my name.

“I’ll take back everything Do Gyeoul stole from me.”

I bit my lower lip.

The roles that should’ve been mine. The awards. The life I should have lived.

“I’ll set it all right again.”

Ding!

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·

Mission: Captivate Everyone’s Gaze

Keyword: First StageThe first step of a star! Stand out among the passionate new students full of dreams for acting.

Success Condition:

Recognized by someone with Concentration rating B or higher.

Reward:

Increase in Fame

Random Skill Ticket

· ✦•·····················•✦•·····················•✦·

As if cheering on my resolve, my first mission appeared.