CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2 — Back to the Beginning

The loud ringing of a phone abruptly dragged someone awake.

Curled beneath thin blankets, slowly opened his eyes, confusion filling his light-brown gaze.

The ceiling above him looked painfully familiar.

So did the faded walls.

The cramped apartment.

The old wooden cabinet near the window.

His breathing faltered.

“…What?”

A sharp headache throbbed through his skull as fragments of memory flooded his mind.

The award ceremony.

Charlie.

Blood.

Darkness.

Wasn’t he supposed to be dead?

The phone stopped ringing for several seconds before starting again insistently.

Still dazed, Armin reached toward the bedside table and grabbed the device.

The moment he saw the phone, his expression froze.

It was an old model.

A phone he hadn’t used in decades.

Slowly, his gaze dropped toward his own hands.

Smooth skin.

No wrinkles.

No signs of aging.

His pupils trembled violently.

“…Impossible.”

The ringing continued.

Almost mechanically, Armin answered the call.

“Yes?”

A harsh irritated voice exploded from the other side immediately.

“Took you long enough to answer. I thought you died in that room already! What’s wrong with this flu of yours? Can you come to the shoot tomorrow or not? It’s the final scene, don’t make everyone suffer because of you.”

Armin went completely silent.

He recognized that voice instantly.

His first manager.

The man who had nearly destroyed his acting career before it even began.

The same person who once tried to force him into becoming an investor’s plaything just to secure resources.

The same person who abandoned him the moment he stopped being profitable.

Armin’s eyes gradually turned cold.

“What shoot?”

“What shoot? Are you stupid from the fever now?” the man snapped impatiently. “Throne of Power! Read your damn script and show up before ten tomorrow morning. I’m busy, so don’t create problems for me again.”

Armin lowered his gaze quietly.

“Understood.”

Then he ended the call calmly.

No anger.

No argument.

No pleading.

The manager stared at his disconnected phone in shock.

Because for the first time…

Armin hadn’t complained.

—

For nearly an hour, Armin sat motionless on the edge of the bed.

Trying to process reality.

He had really returned.

Returned to the past.

Returned to when he was still young.

Returned to before everything was ruined.

A bitter smile slowly appeared on his lips.

“Am I dreaming…?”

No answer came.

Only silence filled the tiny apartment.

Eventually, Armin exhaled softly and rubbed his face.

Whether this was a dream, a miracle, or punishment from fate…

He would accept it.

This time—

He would live differently.

Slowly, memories from this period resurfaced.

This was the beginning of his downfall.

Back then, despite his exceptional looks, his acting had been terrible.

Wooden.

Awkward.

Emotionless.

After appearing in a youth drama years ago, viewers mocked him endlessly online.

A handsome vase.

A walking wooden plank.

Painful to watch.

Because of that reputation, he could only receive tiny supporting roles afterward.

His agency completely gave up on him.

They invested in younger actors with better talent while tossing him aside to struggle alone.

Most of the roles he received barely lasted a few episodes before dying.

Ironically…

Compared to the future betrayal and death waiting ahead of him, this period now seemed almost peaceful.

Armin stood up and looked around the apartment.

The room was disastrously messy.

Clothes were piled everywhere.

Instant noodle cups littered the table.

And buried beneath several sauce-stained takeout boxes was the script for Throne of Power.

He sighed helplessly before picking it up.

“This really was my dark age…”

Sitting down quietly, he began reading the script carefully.

The role wasn’t large.

He played the Fifth Prince—the younger brother of the male lead.

A tragic character who rushed forward during battle to block an arrow for his brother before dying dramatically after delivering several emotional lines.

In the past, this kind of scene had been incredibly difficult for him.

But now?

For someone who had already won Best Actor…

This was nothing.

Even so, Armin didn’t relax.

For the next several hours, he repeatedly practiced every line in front of the mirror.

Expressions.

Tone.

Breathing.

Emotion.

Again and again.

Only after completely understanding the character did he finally stop.

By then, the sky outside had already darkened.

Armin glanced around the filthy apartment once more.

His eyebrows twitched.

“…No wonder nobody wanted to visit me.”

Three exhausting hours later, the apartment was finally clean.

Armin collapsed onto the floor tiredly and stared at the ceiling.

The clock showed nearly five in the evening.

He hadn’t eaten anything all day.

“No wonder I’m starving…”

Dragging himself up, he headed toward the bathroom.

As warm water poured over him, Armin stared silently at his younger body.

Even though it was technically his own…

It still felt unfamiliar.

Youthful.

Healthy.

Full of life.

Then his gaze landed on his hairstyle in the mirror.

Silence.

“…What the hell is this?”

Bright brown dyed hair covered half his forehead in an aggressively trendy style popular during that time.

Armin suddenly wanted to die again.

“So this was my fashion sense back then…”

After showering, he searched through the closet and nearly suffered another emotional attack from his old clothes.

Eventually, he settled on simple black jeans and a plain white t-shirt before checking his wallet.

The amount of money inside was pitiful.

Barely enough for a week.

Being a struggling actor really had been miserable.

After eating a cheap meal near his apartment, Armin followed a familiar road from memory.

The small hair salon looked exactly the same as before.

The moment he entered, the female hairdresser looked up brightly.

“Oh! Armin! Long time no see! What brings you here today?”

Seeing the familiar face again after so many years made warmth spread faintly through his chest.

“Hello, P.”

“Hm? Why are you smiling so emotionally? Don’t tell me you fell in love.”

Armin laughed softly.

“I came for a haircut.”

The hairdresser blinked in surprise.

“You don’t like your current style anymore? It’s trendy right now.”

“I want to dye it back black,” Armin said calmly while pointing toward an old poster on the wall. “And cut it shorter. Something like that.”

“…Really? Won’t it look too boring?”

“I trust your skills.”

Then he smiled.

A genuinely dazzling smile.

The hairdresser froze dramatically before clutching her chest.

“Oh my god. Armin, don’t smile like that suddenly! You nearly killed me!”

Armin laughed helplessly.

Two hours later—

The hairdresser stared proudly at her finished masterpiece.

Black hair now framed Armin’s sharp features perfectly, making him look elegant, clean, and unexpectedly mature.

Even Armin himself paused slightly after seeing the reflection.

This felt more like him.

“You’re ridiculously handsome,” the hairdresser declared seriously. “You were handsome before too, but now you look like a completely different person.”

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Did heartbreak suddenly make you evolve?”

Armin nearly choked laughing.

“Maybe.”

“No, seriously. You look like someone who’s about to become super famous.”

The former Best Actor smiled quietly at those words.

“Then please continue supporting me in the future.”

—

The next morning.

The filming set of Throne of Power buzzed with activity.

The moment Armin arrived, countless people turned to stare.

“…Who’s that?”

“Wait—that’s Armin?”

“He changed his hair?”

“Why does he suddenly look so handsome?”

Ignoring the whispers around him, Armin calmly walked toward the makeup room.

Even the hairstylist looked shocked.

“Armin! Your new look is much better!”

Armin smiled lightly.

“This is my final scene. Even if I die, at least let me die handsomely.”

The makeup artists burst into laughter immediately.

Usually, Armin was quiet and distant.

Seeing him joke so naturally surprised everyone.

“Don’t worry,” one of the older makeup artists said proudly. “We’ll definitely make you the most handsome corpse here.”

“Thank you.”

Soon, the assistant director approached.

“Armin, ready?”

“Yes.”

The assistant director sighed tiredly.

“This scene will be difficult to reshoot, so let’s try to finish within five takes.”

Five takes.

That had basically become Armin’s average because of his terrible acting.

“Understood,” Armin replied calmly.

Nearby, , the male lead of the series, walked over and patted his shoulder casually.

“Don’t waste everyone’s time today, okay?”

“I’ll do my best.”

Tiwa paused briefly.

Something about Armin felt strangely different today.

More confident.

More composed.

More… dangerous.

But before he could think further, filming preparations began.

Armin closed his eyes briefly while reviewing the scene in his mind.

This was no longer the beginning of his downfall.

This…

Was the beginning of his return.

When he opened his eyes again, determination burned fiercely within them.

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