CHAPTER 5

Chapter 5 — Starting From Zero

On a scorching afternoon, stood quietly in front of a medium-sized blue building.

The company sign above the entrance looked exactly the same as he remembered.

For a moment, Armin simply stared at it silently.

This place…

Was where his career began.

And also the place that nearly destroyed him.

Good memories.

Humiliating memories.

Painful memories.

Everything came rushing back at once.

Armin slowly closed his eyes before opening them again with calm determination.

Then, without hesitation, he walked inside.

—

Earlier that morning, he had received a call directly from one of the agency executives.

After ignoring nearly twenty calls from his manager, it was obvious Lily had already complained first.

The moment Armin entered the company building, several employees looked up curiously.

Some recognized him immediately.

Others only glanced briefly before losing interest.

Because he was just Armin.

A small supporting actor nobody paid much attention to.

“Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked politely.

She seemed new.

Probably someone who joined after his career completely stagnated.

“Yes,” Armin replied calmly. “I’m Armin.”

The receptionist blinked in surprise before hurriedly standing up.

“Oh! Mr. Armin! You… look different today.”

Armin smiled lightly.

“Is that good or bad?”

“Good!” she answered immediately before awkwardly clearing her throat. “Please wait a moment. I’ll inform the boss.”

After a short phone call, she directed him upstairs.

Armin knocked several times before a voice called from inside.

“Come in.”

The moment he entered, he immediately saw two familiar faces.

One was the middle-aged executive sitting calmly on the sofa.

The other—

His manager.

glared at him the second he walked into the room.

As expected.

“Hello,” Armin greeted politely.

“Perfect timing,” the executive said with a smile. “Come sit.”

“Thank you.”

Armin sat down calmly on the single sofa opposite them.

His relaxed attitude visibly surprised both people.

Especially Lily.

Because usually, whenever conflict happened, Armin would become emotional first.

But today…

He looked completely composed.

The executive folded his hands together.

“Lily told me you humiliated her publicly at the studio yesterday.”

Armin tilted his head slightly.

“Did she mention why?”

Lily immediately exploded.

“I already admitted I’ve been overworked lately!” she snapped. “I’m doing my best taking care of everyone! What else do you want from me?”

Armin smiled faintly.

“Is that your best?”

“…What?”

“If I were the company executive,” Armin continued calmly, “I’d reconsider employing someone with such poor management ability.”

Lily’s expression instantly twisted.

“Oh, now you’re criticizing my skills?” she scoffed loudly. “Then what about yours? If you’re so talented, why are you still stuck playing insignificant supporting roles?”

The room became silent.

But instead of getting angry—

Armin almost wanted to laugh.

In his previous life, Lily had never truly supported him.

No acting classes.

No proper networking opportunities.

No decent auditions.

After his first drama failed, she practically abandoned him while pretending otherwise.

And once entered the company…

Things became even worse.

“Is that really something a manager should say to their artist?” Armin asked softly.

The executive frowned slightly before interrupting.

“That’s enough, Armin.”

He sighed tiredly.

“Lily was the one who brought you into this industry. She’s your senior and your benefactor. Don’t speak disrespectfully.”

Armin stared blankly for a moment.

Benefactor?

Was this man serious?

“I already understand the issue,” the executive continued. “Lily gave your magazine schedule to Achi because you were sick. It wasn’t intentional.”

Armin stayed silent.

“So how about this?” the older man suggested pleasantly. “Take one month off. Rest, travel somewhere, clear your head, then come back to work peacefully.”

Then he turned toward Lily.

“And you—take better care of your artist from now on. Don’t let this happen again.”

“Yes, boss,” Lily replied immediately.

“No.”

The single word stunned both of them.

Armin lowered his gaze politely.

“I’m sorry,” he said calmly. “But after everything that happened, I don’t think I can continue working with Lily anymore.”

The atmosphere instantly changed.

The executive frowned deeply.

“So what exactly are you asking for?”

“I’m not asking for another manager,” Armin replied.

“Then?”

“I simply don’t want one.”

Silence.

Even Lily looked shocked.

The executive frowned harder.

“Armin, don’t be childish.”

“I’m serious.”

“How do you expect to survive in this industry without management support?” Lily sneered immediately. “Do you think work magically appears on its own?”

Armin calmly ignored her.

“If having a manager changes nothing,” he said softly, “then I’d rather work independently.”

“You’re still under contract with this company,” the executive warned.

“I know.”

“And without connections, how exactly will you find work?”

Armin smiled slightly.

“I’ll figure something out.”

Honestly…

He already survived the entertainment industry once.

Starting over from zero was terrifying.

But continuing under Lily would be worse.

The executive rubbed his forehead tiredly before finally sighing.

“…Fine.”

Lily immediately brightened.

“If that’s what he wants, then let him struggle alone,” she said mockingly. “Honestly, it’s easier for everyone this way.”

The executive nodded reluctantly.

“The contract itself remains unchanged. We simply remove manager assignment responsibility.”

“No problem,” Armin agreed immediately.

“Good.”

The older man waved his hand dismissively.

“Then this matter ends here.”

Armin stood up politely.

“Thank you.”

After bowing slightly, he turned and walked out of the room without hesitation.

The second the office door closed behind him—

He exhaled deeply.

“…Finally.”

At least Lily was no longer directly controlling him.

That alone already felt worth celebrating.

Unfortunately—

His life was still a disaster.

No manager.

No resources.

Almost no money.

Practically no reputation.

This wasn’t restarting from zero anymore.

It was restarting from negative numbers.

And apparently, luck still wasn’t on his side.

Because the moment Armin exited the building—

He encountered his greatest annoyance downstairs.

“Oh! Armin!”

A cheerful voice called out dramatically.

Armin immediately recognized it.

Achi.

“Hello,” Armin replied flatly before continuing to walk.

That reaction clearly displeased the younger actor.

“I heard about yesterday,” Achi said loudly while catching up beside him. “I’m really sorry. Even though it was one of your very few jobs, it couldn’t be helped.”

Armin continued walking silently.

“Hey!” Achi frowned. “Don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you!”

Hearing the irritation in the other man’s voice, Armin sped up instead.

Why waste energy arguing?

He had more important things to worry about.

“Armin!”

Achi stopped walking completely, grinding his teeth in frustration.

Meanwhile, several nearby employees secretly watched the scene while trying not to laugh.

Seeing Achi basically talking to himself like an idiot was unexpectedly entertaining.

Realizing people were staring, Achi immediately forced an awkward smile and pretended nothing happened.

On the other hand—

Armin continued strolling down the sidewalk peacefully.

Since he hadn’t driven today, he had plenty of time to think quietly.

Unfortunately…

The weather was unbearably hot.

Eventually, he entered a small café nearby and ordered iced coffee before sitting beside the window.

This habit came from his future life.

Watching people.

Studying expressions.

Observing behavior.

Actors needed to understand people.

The cold coffee gradually relaxed his tense mind.

Then suddenly—

Someone across the street caught his attention.

A homeless man sat beside a building entrance, quietly asking passersby for money.

Armin observed him carefully for nearly thirty minutes.

Then slowly—

He smiled.

Interesting.

A few moments later, Armin crossed the street and stopped directly in front of the homeless man.

The man kept his head lowered while holding out an old tin can.

Armin dropped several coins inside.

“Thank you,” the man replied deeply.

Armin crouched down slightly.

“…Your acting improved a lot, Mr. Pawit.”

The homeless man froze instantly.

Gray eyes widened in shock before slowly lifting toward Armin’s face.

“How did you recognize me?”

stared at him in disbelief.

His disguise should have been perfect.

Messy hair.

Dirty clothes.

Even his posture and movements were different.

So how—

“I noticed you from the café,” Armin explained casually. “At first I wasn’t sure.”

Then he pointed lightly toward the actor’s fingernails.

“Too clean.”

Pawit blinked.

“You also move too carefully,” Armin continued. “A real homeless person wouldn’t constantly worry about posture and appearance.”

The older actor stared blankly.

“…That obvious?”

“Only if someone watches carefully.”

Pawit immediately frowned seriously.

“So I really need to lose more weight…”

Armin laughed softly.

“Probably.”

Before he could stand fully, Pawit suddenly grabbed his arm.

“Wait.”

At that exact moment—

Someone nearby screamed.

“Oh my god! That’s Pawit Bowen!”

Both men froze.

Then chaos erupted instantly.

People began turning around.

Phones came out.

Several girls immediately started running toward them excitedly.

Pawit cursed under his breath.

Then suddenly—

He grabbed Armin’s wrist tightly.

“Run!”

“…Huh?”

Before Armin could react, he was already being dragged through the street by a fake homeless man while fans chased after them excitedly.

The former Best Actor sighed dramatically while running.

Honestly…

What kind of ridiculous situation was this?

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