Chapter 1

In a simply yet exquisitely decorated bachelor apartment, the faint ringing of a phone echoed from the bedroom.

On the pale apricot-colored bed, a young woman’s face was almost entirely buried beneath the covers, only her long black hair disheveled and drooping outside. Seemingly finally roused by the ringing, her slender, fair hand groped for the phone, instinctively answering and placing it to her ear.

“Xiyu, you’re not still in bed, are you? Didn’t you see the message I sent last night? There’s a script reading this afternoon, don’t forget…”

“Remember to stop by the makeup room first. I’ve booked your appointment and sent you the address.”

The girl mumbled a sleepy agreement and hung up. Silence settled over the bedroom as if the previous moment had been a mere illusion.

Three minutes later, the woman who had just drifted back to sleep suddenly sat up, rubbing her head, still dizzy from a hangover.

A childish voice echoed in her mind, “I thought you’d fallen asleep again.”

Yin Xiyu shook her head, habitually surveying her surroundings. She was unflustered by the voice in her head and replied in a familiar tone, “Hiss… why does this body still have a penchant for heavy drinking? That’s hardly healthy…”

She was a quick-travel operative for the Time-Space Administration Bureau, belonging to the “Dream Fulfillment” department. Since joining, she had traversed countless worlds of all sizes. The tasks in this department generally involved two objectives: first, to fulfill the desires of the host body; second, to find the “fated person” in the small world who was most compatible with the host and win them over. This “winning over” wasn’t necessarily romantic—it could mean becoming a close friend or a family-like figure, which equally counted as completing the mission.

Perhaps because Yin Xiyu was once a lonely single before joining the bureau, her romantic prospects had blossomed to the fullest since starting these missions. No matter her initial intentions, every world’s strategy inevitably veered toward romance. Eventually, she stopped resisting; after all, completing the mission was what mattered most.

The voice in her head belonged to a system bound to every quick-travel operative, assisting them in understanding their situation upon arrival and serving as a liaison to headquarters. Unauthorized contact with headquarters was forbidden unless a serious problem arose.

Yin Xiyu threw off her covers and stepped onto the soft bedside rug, bouncing slightly with excitement. Her reaction was understandable—she had just returned from a bloody apocalypse world, and experiencing such peaceful and comfortable living conditions was simply uplifting.

System Xiao U understood her feelings perfectly. Though just a disembodied system, it was nearly sickened by the endless carnage it had witnessed. Moreover, it was still a baby in voice and demeanor.

Despite having existed for an unknown length of time, Xiao U’s voice retained its childlike softness, shamelessly adorable.

Yin Xiyu stood in the bathroom, examining herself closely in the mirror. The girl in the reflection appeared to be in her twenties, tall and fair-skinned with a healthy yet alluring figure—curvy and mature—yet her face was pure and sweet, especially her almond-shaped eyes, which made her look several years younger. Growing accustomed to this body’s appearance, she awkwardly identified the various bottles and jars on the vanity.

Only then did Yin Xiyu realize the gentle female voice from the earlier phone call was clearly not speaking Chinese.

“Am I in Korea now?”

Xiao U responded with two cute “Mm-mms,” sounding a bit proud: “You just noticed? At the end of the last world, you said you were too tired, so I specially transferred you to the Korean branch. No more cultivation realms or apocalypse worlds here. How’s that? Impressive, right?”

Yin Xiyu brushed her teeth slowly, giving a half-hearted nod. After rinsing her mouth, she suddenly asked, “Can the branches be switched like this? There won’t be any zombie horror worlds later, right?”

It was hardly surprising she asked—having been bound to Xiao U for so long, she knew exactly what he was capable of.

Just as she spoke, Xiao U’s voice sounded a bit guilty: “Ah… there really aren’t any horror worlds, but…”

“But what?”

“It’s just that the world group in the Korean branch was nearly ruined by another quick-travel operative, so now it’s our turn.”

Different countries managed different clusters of worlds, each overseen by their respective branches.

Yin Xiyu paused mid-pour, eyes wide with surprise. “Ruined? What kind of trouble could wreck an entire world cluster?”

Xiao U sighed, his once babyish voice now tinged with a humorous air of exasperated adulthood.

“It all started because when the higher-ups assigned staff, they accidentally sent a fanatic idol fan to the Korean branch. You see, unlike other countries, the Korean branch has no dangerous worlds, but due to their unique culture, almost every fated person in each small world is connected to the entertainment industry. This new recruit not only chased idols but was very open-hearted. On her first mission, she didn’t just pursue her fated person but charmed everyone across all worlds…”

“Pff… cough, cough, cough.”

Yin Xiyu quickly put down the glass, blushing, her mouth twitching as she muttered, “Hmm… that junior really is… something else.”

Raising fish in quick-travel worlds—she had to admit, this was impressive. Now it made sense why she’d been transferred to the Korean branch.

“So… we’re here to clean up the mess.”

Xiao U, now a bit embarrassed to take credit, began flattering her instead: “Of course, it’s because your mission success rate is so high that they entrusted you with this major problem.”

Though flattering, it was also true. The Time-Space Administration Bureau was full of talent, yet Yin Xiyu’s success rate consistently outpaced all others, thanks to her own abilities.

The bureau’s mission ratings were known only to the high-ups, but the operatives generally received results from SSS to a passing C level. Yin Xiyu’s average rating was above SS, a fact envied by many. Only Xiao U knew that while talent played a part, her success owed much to her hard work.

After all, each time she fully immersed herself in the host’s persona and completed the mission flawlessly, she out-performed many who slacked off.

Having understood the situation, Yin Xiyu carefully chose her outfit in the closet, then grabbed her phone and purse before heading out. On the way to the makeup room, she began reviewing the world’s details.

Her silver sports car made a flashy appearance at the intersection. Though it had been a while since she’d driven, she was bold, and with the memories merged into this body—originally a car enthusiast—she felt no pressure behind the wheel.

This body’s father was a famous university professor; her mother, a dancer. The family had emigrated overseas before her birth, so she was born and raised in the United States. Raised in a wealthy and harmonious family, her personality was sunny and lively. At 23, this year, she had somehow developed a dream to return to Korea and become an actress. Her parents were open-minded, and after a family meeting, they agreed she could pursue her dream alone in Korea. They even asked friends to arrange a reputable agency for her, which was Management Soop—the agency representing stars like Gong Yoo, Jun Do-yeon, and Jung Yu-mi.

Of course, Yin Xiyu knew this acting dream was the wish she had been assigned to fulfill this time.

The makeup room was located in the bustling Cheongdam-dong district of Gangnam. The building’s exterior was sleek and minimalist, mainly black and gray. Carrying her bag, Yin Xiyu entered, her bare-faced purity already adorned with a sweet smile and curved almond eyes.

The receptionist froze for a moment upon seeing such a beautiful face but quickly recovered. “Hello, are you Yin Xiyu, who made an appointment with Director Kim?”

She asked with a friendly smile—understandably so, since the only special guest scheduled at this hour was a new actress. And the woman before her, with such looks and figure, hardly seemed an ordinary civilian.

Yin Xiyu nodded softly.

Following the receptionist inside, she curiously surveyed the makeup room, which felt novel to her. From her memories, she knew that Korea’s star-making industry was highly developed. To meet the needs of idols and actors, there were countless makeup salons of various sizes throughout Seoul.

The makeup artist was the renowned Director Kim of the salon. After a brief greeting, Yin Xiyu obediently sat before the mirror. While getting her makeup done, she pulled out the script from her bag. Although the original owner of this body had apparently read it many times, this was her first time seeing it. Regardless, she wanted to prepare; attitude was paramount.

Acting might be challenging for others but was not much of a hurdle for Yin Xiyu. Besides memories of previous entertainment-centered worlds, her work as a quick-travel operative was akin to acting itself.

Only… she took it more to heart.

The makeup for the script reading was light and simple, and given her natural features, as Director Kim said, “Just a bit of BB cream will do.” After bidding farewell to the enthusiastic salon staff, Yin Xiyu drove to the script reading location.

Before stepping out of the car, she reviewed the crew’s details thoroughly. Success or failure is in the details, and she always approached her missions with 120% seriousness. Her agent, Lim Hye-jin, had secured her debut role in the tvN drama “Crash Landing on Love,” starring Hyun Bin and Son Yejin—both esteemed and popular senior actors with solid reputations and strong fanbases. The script was fresh and engaging, minimizing the risk of failure.

Yin Xiyu’s role was the second female lead, Seo Dan—the fiancée of the male lead and a cellist who had returned from studying abroad. Though the fiancée, her character wasn’t the typical malicious antagonist but instead had a charming romance with the second male lead, making her quite likable.

That Lim Hye-jin could get her this role spoke volumes about her competence and discernment as an agent.

The script reading was a novel experience for Yin Xiyu. The other actors were all a bit older but were humble and approachable. Her constant bright smile even softened the usually stern director’s expression.

The session lasted over three hours. At its conclusion, Yin Xiyu, unabashed, sidled up to the female lead, Son Yejin, and sweetly asked if she could exchange contact information. While relationships among actresses were often sensitive, Son Yejin found it hard to feel anything but warmth toward this younger, not-yet-debuted junior, especially since despite her height, Yin Xiyu’s face had an inexplicable adorable charm—a classic case of endearing contrast.

Son Yejin smiled and happily exchanged contacts with her.

Hyun Bin, having noticed the interaction, paused expectantly, waiting for the junior to approach him as well. But after Yin Xiyu got Son Yejin’s KakaoTalk contact, she sweetly said goodbye and politely bowed before leaving.

She left???

Hyun Bin was momentarily stunned, exchanging an amused glance with Son Yejin and awkwardly scratching his nose.

Oblivious to the behind-the-scenes dynamics, Yin Xiyu’s thoughts were simple: she had researched beforehand, Son Yejin was a senior worth befriending and respecting, so building a good relationship was natural. Not that she didn’t appreciate Hyun Bin, but in the entertainment world, it was wiser to keep some distance from the opposite sex, especially when their star power differed greatly.

After the reading, Yin Xiyu messaged Lim Hye-jin to report on the day’s progress. After some thought in the car, she pulled out her phone to set a navigation route to a supermarket. Before leaving that morning, she had noticed that the fridge was nearly empty except for drinks and alcohol. The previous owner couldn’t cook, but she could.

She had never shopped at a Korean supermarket before and was excited as she started the engine of her sports car. However, just as she was about to drive off, a new message popped up on her phone screen.

SD: [Want to have dinner together?]