Korean entertainment: I can steal the luck of celebrities with bad records.

The next morning at 9 a.m., Lin Puzhi arrived at Murakami half an hour early.

There were no customers in the shop. He pushed open the glass door; the wind chimes tinkled, but the proprietress wasn't there. Only Donggua lay on the counter, lazily glancing at him before closing his eyes again.

"Where's your mom?" Lin Puzhi stroked Donggua's cat head.

Winter melon ignored him.

Lin Puzhi found a seat by the window and took out his phone to browse. The online discussion about "Will it snow for Christmas?" was still going on, and his search volume had tripled since last week. Many people were asking "Who is the young Che Kang-jin?", and some even dug up a photo of him working at a coffee shop before—it was unclear who took the photo, and the quality was blurry, but it was still recognizable as him.

Lin Puzhi swiped a few times, and was about to put down his phone when the doorbell rang.

He raised his head.

There was a person standing at the door.

He wore a burgundy Lolita dress with a full skirt and lace trim that extended from the neckline to the cuffs. A black satin ribbon bow was tied at his waist, the knot perfectly symmetrical. Black stockings encased his slender calves, and on his feet were round-toed Mary Jane shoes, each adorned with a small bow.

His hair was black, long enough to reach his waist, with slightly curled ends, and adorned with a pearl hair clip. His makeup was exquisite, with a clear base, slightly upturned eyeliner, and mauve lip gloss.

Exquisite and beautiful.

Seeing that he didn't recognize the person who came, Lin Puzhi lowered his head and continued playing on his phone.

But he took the initiative to sit opposite Lin Puzhi.

Lin Puzhi was guessing that the other party might be attracted to his good looks and had come to ask for his contact information, but he didn't expect that when the other party opened his mouth, it was a man's voice.

"Hello, Mr. Lin Puzhi, this is a nice meeting. I'm Cui Hao, your manager," he said.

The voice was low and deep, but the pronunciation was very clear, with a deliberate gentleness.

Lin Puzhi stood up: "It's me. You're... Manager Cui?!"

The reason they stood up wasn't out of fear of his identity as an agent, but out of fear that he would exploit that identity.

He didn't want to sleep next to a man.

"It's me," he said, walking over and extending his hand. "The agent for your father's personal studio. We contacted each other on the phone before."

Hello!

Lin Puzhi couldn't help but use honorifics.

"Please sit down," Lin Puzhi said. "What would you like to drink?"

"Iced Americano, please."

Lin Puzhi turned and went to the bar.

With no one at the bar, Lin Puzhi turned on the coffee machine himself.

"You'll do it yourself?" Cui Hao sat by the window, his hands folded on the table, his posture elegant.

"The boss's wife isn't here," Lin Puzhi said while grinding soybeans. "I learned how to do it when I was working part-time."

"Have you worked at this store before?"

"Hmm. Two months."

Cui Hao glanced around the store, his gaze lingering for a second on the Haruki Murakami bookshelf: "The environment is nice, and the proprietress has good taste."

Lin Puzhi brought over a cup of coffee and placed it in front of him.

"Thank you." Cui Hao took a sip of his drink, then took out a document from his handbag—which was also in Lolita style—a rabbit-bear, a very cute doll-like bag.

"Two things," he said, his tone becoming more formal. "First, this is the salary for the crew of 'Will It Snow for Christmas?'"

He pushed an envelope towards him. Lin Puzhi opened it and glanced at it. It contained a stack of Korean won banknotes, more than he had expected.

"Secondly, regarding the next scene."

Lin Puzhi put down the envelope and listened attentively.

"There aren't any good projects right now," Cui Hao said bluntly. "I've asked around at a few places for you, but either the roles aren't suitable or the schedules don't match. Casting for TV dramas usually starts two or three months in advance. Your entry into 'Will It Snow for Christmas?' is a special case. Your father knows people on the investors' side, and the role of Han Zhiyong just happened to be undecided, even though you later played the high school version of Che Kang-jin."

Lin Puzhi nodded. He had long known that he didn't have the resources to get into productions through connections.

"However, there is a cameo role." Choi Ho pulled a piece of paper from the file. "It's an SBS Monday-Tuesday drama, 'Oh My Lady,' starring Chae Rim and Choi Siwon. You'll have a cameo role as an idol, with few scenes, probably just a few minutes."

"A few minutes?"

"It's a scene, probably a little over five minutes long." Choi Ho looked at his expression. "I don't know it's much, but you're a newcomer, so your resources probably won't be great. The lead actor in this drama, Choi Siwon, is a member of Super Junior, so he already has a fan base. If you show your face, it will help increase your popularity."

Lin Puzhi thought for a moment: "When will we film?"

"I'll send you the exact time on my phone. The filming location is Ilsan, Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province."

"No interview required?"

"A cameo role isn't necessary. SM Entertainment will send a few idols over to make cameo appearances like you."

"it is good."

The business is over.

Cui Hao closed the file, picked up his coffee, and took another sip. He drank his coffee with elegance, his little finger slightly raised, as if he were attending an afternoon tea party.

It would be even better if such an elegant movement wasn't done by a man.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Cui Hao put down his cup, a slight smile on his lips. "You've been staring at me the whole time."

Lin Puzhi was momentarily speechless.

"No... I am..."

"Just curious?" Cui Hao finished his sentence for him. He looked down at his skirt, then looked up again. "I like wearing women's clothes. I've liked it since I was little, but my gender identity is male, and my sexual orientation is female."

He spoke calmly, as if saying, "The weather is nice today."

Lin Puzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"You don't need to say anything," Cui Hao smiled. "Most people are like this when they first meet me, you'll get used to it."

"May I ask you a question?" Lin Puzhi organized his thoughts, "When you go to a public restroom, do you use the men's or women's room? Do you know how to...?"

Standing at the urinal in the men's restroom, lifting her skirt, like a scene from the Japanese anime "Keep Being an Older Brother".

"The third restroom, or go home to use it," Cui Hao replied nonchalantly.

"I see! But what if..."

The two were chatting happily when the wind chimes at the entrance of the coffee shop rang.

Lin Puzhi turned his head and saw the proprietress push the door open and come in. She was wearing a beige coat, a light gray scarf, and carrying two bags in her hands.

One bag contains cat food, and the other contains some desserts.

"You're back." Lin Puzhi stood up.

"Don't talk like you're an old married couple."

The proprietress replied while taking off her coat.

However, when she saw Cui Hao sitting by the window, she paused in taking off her clothes.

But Lin Puzhi didn't notice; he asked, "Why is no one minding the shop today?"

"There's usually no one around at this time, so I figured I'd just go grab some food and be right back."

"And who is this?" she asked, placing the dessert on the counter in a flat tone.