Peninsula: I can steal the luck of disgraced celebrities

"How do we choose?" Cui Hao asked Lin Zhixun.

He took off his glasses, pulled a velvet cloth from his pocket, and slowly wiped the lenses.

This is his habitual action when he is thinking.

After wiping his lenses, he put on his glasses, glanced at the five scripts, and then pointed to the urban romance drama.

"I suggest you take this role. One of the screenwriters is Kim Young-hyun, who wrote 'Dae Jang Geum,' and she also graduated from Yonsei University. If you can build a good relationship with her, you might get the lead role in her next project."

"Then, if she happens to write another blockbuster like 'Dae Jang Geum,' you'll be a star overnight."

Cui Hao then pointed to the villainous supporting character in that workplace drama.

"Second choice: the screenwriter is a newcomer, but I read the first few episodes and the script is well-written. Moreover, the screenwriter wrote a handwritten invitation—this kind of thing is not common in the industry."

"This shows that she really saw a certain quality in you. Although your role is small, you've acted in four films, so you're not a newcomer anymore. You should understand that whether a character is outstanding or not has nothing to do with the amount of screen time."

Cui Hao analyzed the five roles for Lin Zhixun from all aspects, including the market, works, connections, and positioning.

It can be said that every angle has been taken into account.

Lin Zhixun fell into thought.

Cui Hao's analysis was as professional as ever; he should trust Cui Hao.

This guy, who can walk around Apgujeong dressed in women's clothing without batting an eye, has a professional eye for choosing scripts that far exceeds his appearance.

Actually, Lin Chih-hsun also wanted to use his memories from his past life to choose a blockbuster film.

But he hadn't watched many Korean dramas in his previous life, and apart from a few wildly popular ones, he didn't recognize many.

For example, he had never heard of "Dae Jang Geum".

His fingers hovered above the five scripts, moving from left to right and then from right to left, never touching them.

He thought of the [Strong Luck] skill in the system.

Oh right, I also have [Strong Luck]! Although using it brings bad luck, this time it's just choosing a scenario, it won't even take a minute.

In short, the advantage is mine!

He leaned back in the booth and closed his eyes briefly.

"System, use forced entry."

[Beep! Strong Luck skill activated, deducting 1 point of Good Deeds Value per minute.]

When Lin Zhixun opened his eyes, Cui Hao was still analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of several scripts.

His fingers lifted up uncontrollably.

But it wasn't due to any supernatural force; it was more like a sudden, clear intuition, like the answer automatically surfaced after a fog in the brain was blown away by the wind.

He picked up the script for "Dream High" and opened it.

The first page is a story synopsis: In a fictional Qilin Art High School, a group of teenagers with musical dreams support each other and pursue their dreams in a highly competitive environment.

Seeing that Lin Zhixun seemed interested in the drama, Cui Hao shared some gossip:

"It is said that this drama was rushed into production to compete with MBC's 'Golden Branches and Jade Leaves' in terms of ratings, and it plans to differentiate itself by using a youth inspirational theme and a young cast."

"yes."

Lin Chih-hsun closed the script.

He tapped his fingers lightly twice on the cover, then looked up at Cui Hao.

"Go for this interview."

"Have you thought it through?"

"I've thought it through."

Ha Joo-hee glanced over from the bar counter.

Her gaze passed over the coffee machine and landed on the cover of the script in Lin Zhixun's hand, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

"Then you need to take good care of your skin these next few days. The cast of this drama is probably full of handsome men and beautiful women. If the male lead doesn't have a convincing face, the ratings won't be able to hold up."

"A handsome Seoul guy, unafraid of challenges!"

……

When Lin Chih-hsun came out of the Murakami Cafe, it was still early.

The morning breeze of November swept through the streets. He zipped up his coat, tucked the script of "Dream High" under his arm, and headed toward the subway station.

But he did not enter the station.

He stood in front of the automatic ticket machine for a moment, then turned and walked to another bus stop.

Buses slowly make their way through the streets of Seoul in the early morning.

Lin Chih-hsun sat in the back row by the window, the script on his lap, the light from outside sweeping across the cover in segments.

After driving for about forty minutes, the buildings outside the window became shorter and sparser, and the faint smell of coal smoke from underfloor heating wafted through the air.

We've arrived at the outskirts of the city where the Starlight Welfare Home is located.

When the car door opened, a gust of cold wind blew in, carrying the smell of hay and old brick walls.

He got out of the car and walked up the path covered with gravel.

Dean Cui was grading the children's homework in her office; it was the homework she had assigned.

When she saw Lin Zhixun push the door open and come in, she was initially pleasantly surprised, but then her gaze fell on the brown paper envelope in his hand, and her expression immediately turned into a helpless "here we go again" look.

"You just transferred money last time."

"Last month was last month. This payment is for the 'Sungkyunkwan Scandal' filming fee; the heating pipes need to be replaced."

Lin Zhixun placed the envelope on his desk.

"Don't push me away. Even if you do, I'll still let you in secretly. You know what I'm doing."

Dean Cui took off his reading glasses, rubbed his nose, remained silent for a moment, and then accepted the money.

"The children were watching cartoons in the activity room, but I didn't show them any tearjerkers this time."

Lin Zhixun smiled, surprised that Dean Cui still remembered his casual remark from last time.

The activity room is located at the end of the second-floor corridor.

Winter came early this year, and the hospital laid out electric blankets in advance. Several children wrapped themselves in blankets and huddled together to watch cartoons. The TV was playing "Tom and Jerry" at a very low volume.

A volunteer auntie was knitting next to him. When she looked up and saw Lin Zhixun, she recognized him, smiled and nodded, and didn't say anything.

Lin Chih-hsun leaned against the door frame of the activity room for a while, then turned around and went downstairs.

He didn't come back with any particular purpose. He just got paid and had money, so he came to the orphanage to donate money and accumulate good deeds points.

It's like completing a cycle.

Earn money by acting, donate money to accumulate good deeds points, use good deeds points to grab roles, and earn money by acting again...

As he walked to the end of the first-floor corridor, sunlight streamed in through the glass window of the security door, casting a white glow on the floor.

A hand reached out from around the corner of the corridor and precisely grabbed his wrist.

Then, Jang Nara emerged from the shadows, sunlight falling on her face and dividing her expression into two halves, one bright and one dark.

"Lim Ji-hoon, let's talk," Jang Nara said.

Lin Zhixun was somewhat surprised, not expecting to run into Jang Nara again at the orphanage.

It always happens so coincidentally.

"When did you go back to Korea? Weren't you still filming in China?"

"I just got off the plane yesterday. I was going to catch up on my sleep today, but Dean Cui called me and said you were here today, so I rushed over."

"...There's no need for you to make a special trip just for me," Lin Zhixun laughed. "I just finished filming 'Sungkyunkwan Scandal,' and I haven't even auditioned for my next project yet."

"We can schedule a time to meet."

"No," Jang Nara's cute eyebrows furrowed into a V-shape, "Dean Choi told me that your problem is very serious."

"Lim Ji-hoon, are you planning to die tomorrow?"

Jang Nara's tone was more serious than ever before.