Chapter: 01
I died.
Shot.
In America.
‘Who was it?’
Which bastard smashed the head of superstar Kim Chanran in a foreign land thousands of miles away? A grudge? Revenge? Did anyone even dare to harbor something like that against me?
I thought it over, then smirked.
Ah… there were quite a lot!’
It couldn’t be helped. I had lived fiercely.
Everything I wanted was up high, and I had nothing.
So I crawled up that brutal thorny path like a madman.
‘Repay kindness as it is given. Repay grudges tenfold.’
Maybe that’s why—I had quite a long history with people who caused trouble.
‘What a pity.’
I wasn’t religious, but I still made the sign of the cross solemnly.
Still, something felt off.
‘This should already be over, though?’
The trash reporters who tried to drag me to hell, the sponsors who took away my work because I refused their dirty offers, the relatives who tried to scam people using my name—I had dealt with all of them long ago.
‘Hmm… so who is it, really?’
And the timing was incredible.
‘Why now?’
Tomorrow, I was supposed to reach the very peak I had always dreamed of. Fame, money, power as an actor—and a position beyond even that.
Why else would I be in America right now? For an awards ceremony.
‘Just one more step.’
Just one step, and I would have reached the pinnacle that had defined my life.
‘And to think I’d get my head blown open and die right before it.’
Looking down at my corpse with my legs bent, I saw shards of glass scattered all around it. It was the wine glass that had held my protein milk.
‘Damn.’
For a moment, I felt incredibly wronged.
‘I should’ve at least eaten tteokbokki.’
To think that was my last meal. Well, I had been managing my body, so it was normal—but still.
With a sigh, I reached out toward my perfectly maintained body.
I couldn’t touch it.
I was really dead.
‘Damn it. The world is big and full of people, but a handsome guy like this isn’t common.’
A sigh escaped me naturally. No matter how I looked at it, that body was now just a corpse.
‘Where’s the grim reaper? Or since this is America, will an English-speaking angel show up? Hmm… how long do I have to stay like this?’
Well, even if something did show up, I wasn’t planning to go quietly.
I stretched calmly. Whether it spoke English or Korean, I had no intention of leaving like this.
‘Would a side headlock even work on an angel?’
I was seriously pondering that when—
Woof, woof—
I heard barking somewhere.
Woof, woof—
The sound was getting closer.
Still sitting, I turned my head slightly. To my surprise, a Welsh Corgi came running toward me, its fluffy tail wagging.
‘Huh?’
The moment I saw it, I knew.
“Jjong?”
The Welsh Corgi slammed into me as if it had been waiting. The impact—heavy like a calf—knocked me straight to the ground.
Then it started licking my face frantically.
My suspicion turned into certainty.
Pant, pant.
That excited barking—I knew it too well.
It really was Jjong.
“Jjong!”
Woof!
As if answering, Jjong barked once and kept washing my face with its tongue.
“It’s been so long!”
I smiled widely and petted the dog like crazy.
Its golden fur and sturdy hind legs felt just like I remembered. The familiar smell of drool made me hug it and roll around.
“Jjong, have you been well?”
Jjong’s fluffy tail thumped against my shoulder. Smiling brightly, I hugged it tightly.
I was starting to understand.
‘They say when a person dies, the dog they raised comes to greet them…’
It seemed Jjong had gone first and had been waiting for me all this time.
‘Good boy. You even came all the way to America to pick me up.’
That must’ve been a long trip.
Holding Jjong, I buried my nose in its fur like I used to. Thankfully, it looked healthy.
‘You were really sick back then.’
I looked at Jjong again. Its joints, its coat—it looked just like when it was at its healthiest.
At the end, it had suffered so much that I worried it might still be in pain even after death. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
“Jjong, did you miss me?”
Woof—
“Me too. I missed you.”
Come to think of it, it was the only being I had ever truly loved.
Suddenly, Jjong lifted its head and ran forward.
“You want me to follow?”
As if urging me, Jjong tapped the ground with its short front paw.
“Alright, alright.”
I was about to follow, but then I froze.
My legs wouldn’t move.
‘Is this really the end?’
The past rushed in.
I was already the most beloved actor in the world. Of course, there wasn’t a single person in Korea who didn’t know my face.
But that success hadn’t come easily.
I had started with nothing. And a crown earned through struggle always demands a price.
Even if you claw your way up to get it.
I climbed.
For the peak, I used every means necessary.
For the sake of tomorrow, I gave up everything.
‘Just one day—just that one day was enough!’
Who was it?
Who shot me?
As I clenched my fists in anger, Jjong barked again.
Woof!
“Ah, Jjong… sorry.”
I muttered quietly.
“I can’t go like this. It’s too unfair. Not like this.”
As I breathed heavily, Jjong came closer again. Then suddenly it jumped up and kicked my knee with its short legs.
I lost my balance for a moment.
“You little boar of a dog…”
“That hurts.”
That habit hadn’t changed.
Sighing, I looked down at Jjong.
“Huh? What’s that?”
Jjong was holding a thin notebook in its mouth.
Still the same, huh.
“I told you not to bring stuff like that. What are you, a goat?”
As if annoyed, Jjong headbutted my leg again. Wobbling from the familiar pain, I examined the notebook.
It was covered in drool and bite marks.
‘Whose is this?’
aHow was I supposed to return it? Did it even have an owner?
There was no name on the cover.
I opened it. Honestly, I expected it to be empty, but—
‘Huh?’
Something was written inside.
<This body is the starting point.>
What kind of nonsense was that?
I turned my head and looked at Jjong.
“What did you bring me?”
Woof—
It barked loudly and stared at me.
“Why?”
Then suddenly—
Jjong turned around and ran off without looking back.
“Jjong?!”
I shouted the words I’d said countless times while walking it.
“Stop! Come here!”
But Jjong didn’t listen.
I tried to run after it—
‘Huh?’
Something pulled me.
The ground beneath my feet gave way, and my vision turned black.
I couldn’t see anything.
No matter how hard I blinked, the darkness only deepened.
Woof—
Jjong’s barking echoed from far away.
‘I need to catch Jjong… quickly…’
That was my last thought.
“Jjong?”
I sprang up.
I had to catch it, so I pushed myself off the ground—
But something felt strange.
Looking down, my hand was sticky.
‘Huh?’
“What… blood?”
It had already half dried.
I slowly looked around.
A rundown shopping complex corridor came into view.
‘An abandoned building?’
The smell hit me before the sight.
A musty scent of dust filled my nose.
Looking down—
Broken glass and blood were scattered everywhere.
Did gangsters fight here or something?
‘Why did I wake up here?’
Then—
A splitting headache struck.
Foreign memories forced their way into my brain.
“Ugh!”
I clutched my head and rolled on the ground.
‘Damn it… what is this?!’
My vision spun. My breathing quickened.
But what I couldn’t endure were those pathetic memories flooding in.
‘Oh Chanran. 15 years old.’
Different surname, same name.
But the person in these memories—
‘All he does is eat and shit.’
He had no talents, no interests, no goals, no dreams.
The only thing he had going for him was that his family was rich.
‘Well… that’s something, I guess…’
But a week ago, his parents left.
‘His mother to America. His father to a hotel.’
He tried contacting them, but both had changed their numbers.
‘He even went to his father’s company… and got kicked out.’
One day, he was abandoned by both parents—who were very much alive.
‘This is insane. Is that even possible?’
After that, nothing interesting.
Neglect.
He left home, wandered around, and got beaten to a pulp by thugs at a PC café.
“The last thing… he hit a mirror and passed out.”
And that’s when I—Kim Chanran—woke up in Oh Chanran’s body.
I checked the back of my head first.
Clumps of blood-stuck hair came off in my hand.
Then a thought crossed my mind.
‘That’s where I got shot…’
I pressed the wound, then shook my head.
‘No point thinking about things without answers.’
I moved my limbs.
My fingers twitched. My toes curled.
‘Nothing special… but it feels good.’
When I got shot, the worst part was losing control of my body.
Thankfully, nothing seemed paralyzed.
I took a deep breath.
So… I really became Oh Chanran?
‘“This body is mine now”—no, that’s not it.’
A curse slipped out.
“Damn it! Where did my handsome face and my Forbes-selected hot body go?!”
I touched this body all over.
Skinny, no muscles—but long proportions.
Not bad.
But—
“Ugly.”
Searching Oh Chanran’s memories, there wasn’t a single moment he was considered handsome.
I didn’t know why I ended up in this body, but one thing was certain—
‘No way.’
I can’t live in a body that isn’t handsome.
I don’t know how to live like that.
Absolutely not.
I picked up a shard of glass.
‘Can I reset this somehow?’
Then I saw my reflection.
I narrowed my eyes and studied the jawline.
‘Huh… not bad?’
Usually, if the lower face is decent, the overall structure is good.
I tilted my head, but messy hair blocked my features.
No way.
Crash—
I threw the glass down and pushed the hair back.
And then—
I froze.
“…Wow.”
I was genuinely shocked.
‘High nose bridge… and that jawline into the lips is insane.’
Blinking, I checked the eyes.
Big, monolid eyes—extremely attractive.
“Damn it.”
Oh Chanran, are you crazy?
You hid this face?
‘This… this is the most ideal face I’ve ever seen.’
Eyes, nose, lips.
The spacing, the shape, the structure—
It was insane.
‘And the skin is good too.’
Even through dried blood, the skin felt clear and smooth.
I had to admit it.
“There exists a face more handsome than Kim Chanran, a galaxy-level star…?”
I had never seen anyone better-looking than me.
‘Good. Since it’s come to this, I’ll check everything.’
I smiled, frowned, tested expressions.
The muscles hurt from lack of use.
It was fine.
‘I can train that.’
I tested my voice.
“Unique New York, unique New York—ugh! Red leather, yellow leather—ack!”
I bit my tongue three times.
‘Has he never spoken? His tongue and vocal cords are a mess.’
I’d have to retrain from scratch.
Still, the voice wasn’t bad.
‘Good.’
Now for the final check.
The most important one.
‘If this checks out… this body is mine.’
I looked around—
And quietly lifted my pants.
