Prologue
In the beginning, [God] made several living things and allowed them to roam the world he created. Out of all of them, he especially loved humans, who were made in his image. Their superior intelligence and unrivalled abilities allowed them to dominate every part of the world for quite some time, creating diverse cultures and societies. It made [God] proud.
One day, [God] suddenly wondered how much further humans would develop, and how they would change the world and other dimensions. Hence, he ordered twelve children to be born from his own flesh and blood to help humans and observe how far they would go.
The twelve children understood their father's will, travelling across the world and between dimensions to impart all kinds of knowledge to humans. At the same time, they stimulated human desires and instigated several conflicts.
However, only one of them was skeptical about their mission. He taught art to humans under his Heavenly Father's orders, but he was doubtful of the meaning behind it.
"Humans are uncivilized, ignorant and greedy. To them, art is nothing but a luxury beyond their means," the son said.
"However, my son, unlike you, who are perfect from the beginning, humans are constantly evolving. Aren't you curious how they might grow if you show them the way?" [God] replied.
"I am not curious. Regardless, humans are lowly and foolish. They are a species that knows nothing about progress," the son insisted.
It was [God]'s command to further develop their insignificant level, but his son, who loved beauty and abstract art, shuddered at the sight of the humans' barbaric and ugly nature. Even though [God] tried to persuade and pacify him, and harshly rebuked him, his heart did not waver. In the end, it incurred the wrath of [God].
"Very well. If that is what you truly think, live a thousand lives without any divine power and authority in the world of the humans whom you despise so much. Become one of those very same humans, and yet prove you are different from them. If you manage to accomplish anything in the human world without any power, while not having a single memory of being my child, I will acknowledge your will."
Thus, [God] cast his son into the human world, in the hope that he would feel something over the course of a thousand lives. However, as he was well aware of his son's personality, [God] did not have high expectations. It was apparent that if he did not do something about it, his son would gain nothing and it would be a complete waste of time.
Living a thousand times in a human body is probably just like a game to that child…
[God] thought. He decided to come up with a contingency plan and requested help.
His twin daughters continued their older brother's duties and taught art to humans. However, they soon lost interest in the work, as it was not their duty to begin with, and neglected art. Therefore, at some point, humans had to learn and master art by themselves.
Chapter 1
One day, out of the blue, he changed overnight. It was not his personality or appearance that changed drastically. 23 year-old Chae Woo-Jin, who had been discharged from the military for two months, woke up one morning and remembered all of his past lives—all 999 of them. It was rather strange waking up to that revelation in the morning, despite the fact that nothing else had changed.
His previous lives had existed across nine realms, and he had lived diverse lives with no distinctions of gender or status. He had not only been reborn as a human being; he had been reincarnated as different types of species, including animals. However, he was not confused by the chaos and remnants of his past memories, and neither was his identity shaken. Oddly enough, he kept his cool, as he could separate himself from his previous lives.
Of course, it would be a lie to say that this miraculous revelation was not terrifying. It had been several hours since he woke up, but his hands were still shaking and he still could not calm himself down. He pinched his cheeks a number of times to check if this was just a dream. His legs were trembling so much that it was hard for him to walk when he got out of bed, to the point that he almost had to crawl.
However, apart from his body's reaction, as time passed by, he managed to pull himself together and became more calm and collected. It was as though a folder that contained 999 systematically organized videos occupied a part of his brain. That was an accurate description of his current state. Despite the large number, remembering all the contents of the videos did not overload his mental capacity. If he tried to recall a few of his previous lives, he was able to remember the details, as if he were playing a video.
Initially, he was taken aback, but eventually, he became more and more convinced that these were his past lives, and not dramas or movies. Watching videos of someone else's life, like how one watched a drama or movie, did not make those clips an actual memory of one's own life.
In the same vein, watching foreign movies did not allow one to learn a foreign language overnight. However, it was different when it came to remembering details from his previous lives. He was able to read, speak, and write the languages of the countries he had lived in, just by recalling them. He also knew how to use instruments he had never played before, and his drawing skills had significantly improved, even though he had never learned how to draw.
Is this some sort of commemorative event for my thousandth life?
In the midst of this uneasy and terrifying situation that had left him in a daze, a strange thought crossed Chae Woo-Jin's mind. If he had lived a thousand lives, would everyone else have had the same experience as him? Was there a rule dictating that whatever happened to him could not happen to other people?
Whatever.
Woo-Jin, who had been trying to draw on a scratch pad, put down his pencil and lay back down on his bed.
Is this why I wanted to become a celebrity so badly?
Looking back at his past memories, Chae Woo-Jin eventually let out a laugh. In most of his previous lives, he had been involved in the arts. When he had been born into a wealthy family as a noble, he had been unable to fulfill his desire due to his family's opposition. However, at that time, he had lived his life supporting and loving the arts. Apart from that, he had spent his other lives singing, painting, acting, and writing plays.
But it was only on Earth that I struggled to see such light in my life.
In other realms, there were times he had ended up enjoying his life as a successful artist, but oddly, that had never been the case on Earth. Of course, there had been a number of his identities from his previous lives that were so well-known, even kindergarteners had heard of their names.
However, they had suffered extreme poverty and contempt when they were still alive, and were not acknowledged in their lifetimes. They were never properly appreciated because they were too ahead of their time. Most of them had only received recognition in death, or some time after that.
What was the point then?! I already died. What's the point of getting recognition only after death…?
Of course, there were many more artists who had been buried in the flow of time, far from receiving recognition even in death. The same was true for several of Chae Woo-Jin's previous lives, who had left no mark in history. In fact, he had lived far more such lives than successful ones. He had always been held captive by regrets and delusions in many of his past lives.
When I wasn't an artist, I was rather successful.
In lives where he had not been an artist, he had always become a rather successful and recognized individual, be it as a noble, a merchant, or various other professions. Considering this, he was bound to develop a strange sense of pride. He had tried so hard, so why had people not known of him? Of course, it was meaningless to find the answer only in death.
This is my thousandth life, and I hope things will be a little different this time. So is my goal in this life to be famous, at least while I'm still alive?
He speculated that perhaps this was the reason he had remembered all 999 of his past lives. In other words, his soul's strongest desire had made this miracle happen. He comforted himself, wondering if he had suffered any injustices. Fortunately, for a long time, his goal in life had been to succeed as a celebrity; thus, his purpose in life did not change much.
The first thing that greeted Chae Woo-Jin when he left his room after reaffirming his goal in life was his sister's nagging.
"Even though it's Sunday, how can you wake up so late?! Mom left for work earlier and I have to meet my friends for a study session, so make sure you get your lunch! Don't forget about the egg rolls in the fridge! Woo-Jin, when you first got discharged from the army, even if it was Sunday, you always woke up at dawn and took a cold bath. You've lost your discipline!" his sister exclaimed.
Remembering his past lives had not resulted in any immediate changes in Chae Woo-Jin's life. He was still a student on leave of absence, whose future was uncertain.
"I woke up early this morning, but I didn't leave the room because I had to do something. I also have tutoring in the afternoon. Come to think of it, do you want me to tutor you instead of going to your study sessions? I won't charge you," Woo-Jin replied.
Although he had been a trainee at an acting agency when he was 18, Woo-Jin had gotten into Korea University, the most prestigious university in Korea. He was naturally smart and gifted, thanks to his mother's side of the family; thus, even after being released from the agency and discharged from the military, it had been easy for him to charge high fees for lessons.
He had started tutoring to earn money for his tuition fees along with extra pocket money, but he realized he had been too indifferent whenever his sister said she was going to study with her friends.
"Oh, please! I take after mom too, and I'm just as good as you are at studying. Studying with friends is one of the few legitimate excuses I can use to hang out with my friends, so don't bother yourself over it. Use the time you were going to use to tutor me to take in one more student and earn a lot of money, my dear brother!" his sister said.
Chae Woo-Jin smiled bitterly as he looked at his younger sister, who stuck her tongue out before leaving in high spirits. As a 23-year-old who had served in the military, it could be said that he was the head of the family now. However, in reality, he was an aspiring celebrity who had been a trainee since he was 18.
He had joined a group that was preparing to debut and lived in a dorm with the other members, but things fell apart at the last minute, and he was eventually released from his agency. Now, he was just a young man who could not give up on his dream. The only thing Chae Woo-Jin had going for him was that he was a college student at a prestigious university.
He and his younger sister had been raised by his mother. His mother had grown up in a family of lawyers and got married right after she graduated from university. She had given birth to two children, Chae Woo-Jin and Chae Woo-Hee. However, she had been unable to tolerate her husband's affair any longer, and had divorced him twelve years ago.
At that time, a woman had visited their house with a girl who was only three months younger than Chae Woo-Jin's younger sister, and casually requested for her child to be included in the family register. His father, the source of the entire debacle, had acted extremely shamelessly about it.
He had blatantly stated that since this was now in the open, Chae Woo-Jin's mother should treat the daughter born out of wedlock as her own. In addition, he had even informed her to accept the woman from his infidelity, and that even if she knew of their relationship, he would not break off the affair. He had claimed they were "in love", bragging about their stories and affection, and saying the family should be understanding.
Thereafter, his mother, who had decided to file for divorce, was abandoned by her parents. Her father had not wanted a divorce in their family. Nevertheless, the appearance of his grandfather, who wanted to sever ties with his family, was the first time Chae Woo-Jin had ever witnessed something so cold. It was so unfamiliar and terrifying that he had wondered if this was the same grandfather who had once loved him so much.
Ever since that incident, he had never met any of his relatives from the maternal side of the family ever again. They were so famous and talented that they would sometimes appear on the news or other platforms, but when that happened, he would intentionally look away from the screen. At times, he hated his grandfather more than his father for abandoning them, causing his emotional wound to grow.
A small amount of alimony and no child support was not enough for a mother with two very young children to survive in the world. Her immature son had hurt her tender heart multiple times by saying that he wanted to become a celebrity. Gradually, his mother's abilities were recognized at work, and their financial situation got better. However, Chae Woo-Jin had done nothing to contribute.
What's the point of remembering my past lives? It doesn't help me in any way right now. Besides, this is a world without martial arts or magic.
Woo-Jin's past identities included martial arts masters and wizards. Even though he possessed all their theory and knowledge, he could not use any of it on Earth.
Martial arts could only be performed on another Earth in a parallel universe. It was a world where one could fly after building up inner strength, just like the characters in martial arts novels that were popular these days. One could also use sound techniques and kill others with merely a song.
It was a place where everything was exactly the same as Earth, except it was full of energy called qi, which people knew how to harness. It had been a world without a systematic theory of magic, but in that world, it would have been possible for him to perform magic based on his newfound knowledge.
However, that was not the case for this world. Chae Woo-Jin tried casting the safest and most magnificent high-level technique that he knew, but nothing happened. It was not that there was no qi in this world, but compared to the Earth of other parallel universes, there was ridiculously little qi, only sufficient for people and nature to survive. Nothing more and nothing less.
Even though this was a parallel universe, its structure and principles were completely different. Nature was beautiful, and if one were to go to places such as the Amazon or Africa, where 'qi' was in abundance, and nurture themselves for the rest of their lives, they could attain results akin to three or four stars' worth of cultivation, but that was it. He was willing to place his reputation as a Martial Arts Honorable Elder in his past life on the line that he was right.
In any case, it's still good for my health, so I'll keep going.
It was difficult to build inner strength, but by doing so consistently, the meridians would expand, allowing his body to become stronger. In fact, even if it were just that much, he would be able to possess stamina and strength that nobody else on this earth could surpass. Of course, it was just knowledge that could not do anything for him, at least for now. Right now, it was not even worth as much as the egg rolls in the fridge.
***
An unexpected phone call came when Chae Woo-Jin was on his way home from tutoring.
- Is this Mr. Chae Woo-Jin?
"Yes, that's correct. Who am I speaking to?"
He was always cautious about calls from unsaved numbers.
- This is Kim Sang-Jin from the Death Hill project.
"Kim Sang… Ah! You were the casting director for Death Hill, right?"
Death Hill was the movie in which Woo-Jin had managed to land a role, on his last vacation before he was discharged from the military. Of course, It was a minor role that only had two scenes. It was embarrassing to even call it a supporting role, but it was the first time Woo-Jin had gotten into acting. Even so, the filming had ended a month ago, so there was nothing more for him to do.
"Is there something wrong with my scenes, by any chance?"
- No. I'm not in charge of filming, so I don't know about that. Fortunately, I know it's going well, at least. As for what I'm calling you about today, are you available tomorrow? To be precise, I would need you to be free for three days…
Chae Woo-Jin sensed something different in Kim Sangjin's tone. Since he had to seize the opportunity regardless, he had to clear his schedule. Fortunately, a student on leave had nothing but time.
"Three days? Luckily, I don't have anything important scheduled, so I can make some adjustments. How can I help you?"
Even though it was urgent, his voice was calm and relaxed. He was not truly free, but since he did not have anything he could not reschedule, he kept calm and listened to what the other party had to say.