He unlocked the door, and the sight that greeted him made his eye twitch.
Faint black smoke was still drifting from the direction of the kitchen. It wasn't thick, but it was acrid.
It had been hours, and the smoke hadn't even cleared yet.
If the landlord didn't come knocking, it would be a miracle.
If this wasn't a rundown part of Koreatown, the fire department probably would have been called already.
Lee So-yeon was flailing around with a wet towel, trying to fan away the smoke. There were smudges of soot on her face.
"Oppa! You're back!"
Seeing him, she looked like she'd seen a savior.
"I just wanted to try cooking without the oven, but the oil pan... it just ignited itself!"
Cassius walked over and peered into the pot. Inside was a carbonized object that was no longer recognizable as food. Oil splatters and sauce were everywhere on the stovetop.
"You call this 'ignited itself'?"
Cassius pointed at the still-smoking pan. "It looks like Godzilla stomped on it."
Lee So-yeon pouted, looking at him with puppy-dog eyes.
Cassius shook his head helplessly and rolled up his sleeves. "Move over. Time for damage control."
First, he turned off the gas, opened every window for ventilation, and dumped the offending pan into the sink to soak.
Watching from the side, Lee So-yeon suddenly noticed a faint red mark on the back of Cassius's hand. It looked like a scratch.
"Oppa, what happened to your hand?"
Cassius looked down. It was from when he subdued the pickpocket earlier; the kid's nail must have caught him.
"Nothing. Ran into a blind rat on the bus. Took care of it."
Lee So-yeon nodded, not really understanding but not questioning it further. Her attention went back to the disastrous kitchen.
"So what do we eat tonight?"
Cassius looked at the wreckage, then at Lee So-yeon's innocent face. He felt tired.
"Takeout," he decided rationally. "Asian food! Until I thoroughly disinfect this kitchen, you are banned from coming within ten feet of the stove!"
Takeout boxes were piled on the coffee table. The remnants of Kung Pao Chicken and Mapo Tofu were still warm.
Cassius and Lee So-yeon slumped on the sofa, enjoying the lazy satisfaction of a full stomach.
"Oppa~"
Lee So-yeon poked at the last piece of chicken with her chopsticks, suddenly remembering something.
"A senior at school is shooting his graduation thesis film. I read the script; it's pretty interesting. Indie crime drama."
Cassius grunted in acknowledgment, not paying much attention.
Student films usually meant zero pay, janky equipment, and infinite enthusiasm.
"They're stuck right now!"
Lee So-yeon continued.
"They need an Asian male actor. Not a huge role, but key. A street informant with some fighting skills. Just two or three scenes, maybe two or three days of shooting. Their budget is tight, probably just gas money and lunch..."
"I think you'd be perfect. Want to check it out? You're free for the next few days anyway!"
Cassius wanted to refuse.
Going from a legitimate union production back to a student film felt like a downgrade.
But then he thought about it. He was idle anyway. Going back to his alma mater to see what the kids were playing with might be fun. And who knows? Maybe he could pick up some attribute orbs.
Student crews were amateur, but that pure creative passion often dropped unique attributes.
"Alright," he nodded. "When?"
"Tomorrow! Tomorrow afternoon they're rehearsing blocking in the film school building!"
Lee So-yeon perked up instantly. "I'll take you! I'll tell the senior!"
The next afternoon.
Cassius followed Lee So-yeon back onto the USC campus.
The familiar red brick buildings, students sunbathing on the lawn discussing scripts—it all felt nostalgic.
A year ago, he was one of them, holding unrealistic dreams, listening to professors lecture on Hitchcock's montage theory.
Now his identity had shifted from student to actor—albeit a bottom-tier one.
The rehearsal was in a small practice room.
The director was a white senior named Mark with a beard and fanatical eyes. Seeing Cassius, he shook his hand enthusiastically.
"Lee told me! You're a union actor! That's awesome! Can't believe our little project got someone with experience!"
"Heard you're working on other productions too!"
Cassius felt a bit embarrassed by the enthusiasm. "Just small supporting roles."
The script was simple.
Cassius's character, "Jay," was an Asian informant hustling downtown, providing key clues to the protagonist.
There was a scene where he gets cornered in an alley by the villains and has to quickly take down two goons to escape.
When Mark explained the plot and blocking, he was full of idealistic concepts, but when it came to specific movements, he was clueless.
"And then Jay, you just... um... coolly take them down! Yes! Fast! Stylish!"
Watching Mark gesture abstractly in the air, Cassius sighed internally.
He spoke up proactively. "Mark, I just wrapped an action movie recently, got some experience. For this fight, maybe we can do this..."
Based on the narrow alley setting in the script and combining his absorbed [Spatial Awareness] and [Combat Reaction], he designed a few simple, effective moves:
Using the wall to bounce off, quick elbow strikes, low leg sweeps. The goal was rapid disengagement, not a prolonged brawl.
He demonstrated as he spoke. His movements were clean, carrying the ruthlessness and efficiency of a street fight—completely different from the "Kung Fu dance" Mark had imagined.
Mark and the other students stared, dumbfounded.
"Whoa!"
Mark's eyes lit up. "Cool! So cool! That's it! That's way more badass than what I thought! Cass, let's do it your way!"
[Presence Attribute: Credibility +1]
A grey attribute orb dropped from Cassius himself and was instantly absorbed!
For the rest of the rehearsal, Cassius became the de facto fight choreographer.
He taught the two students playing the goons how to react to hits and how to fall realistically without getting hurt.
He controlled his force and angles precisely to ensure safety.
During the focused rehearsals and demonstrations, scattered grey attribute orbs dropped from himself and the students who were learning intently:
[Physicality Attribute: Teaching +1]
[Rhythm Attribute: Cooperation +1]
All +1s, but a nice variety.
At the end of rehearsal, Mark shook Cassius's hand excitedly.
"Cass! You're amazing! Not just an actor, but an action designer!"
Walking back to the apartment, Lee So-yeon was buzzing.
"See? Oppa, you're super professional now! The seniors were all impressed!"
Cassius smiled but didn't say anything.
Returning to school felt different this time.
Before, he came to input. Now, he was outputting.
Seeing the longing and slight confusion about the industry in those students' eyes, he saw his past self.
"By the way!"
Lee So-yeon added.
"Mark said even though there's no money, when they finish post and send it to film festivals, they'll definitely credit you properly. It counts as exposure."
Cassius nodded.
He wasn't counting on exposure for now.
But this experience confirmed two things:
His combat ability had genuinely improved and could be applied to actual creative work.
And even on a free student set, as long as he put his heart into it, he could harvest attributes.
Not a bad haul!