Chapter 256

“Shwooosh… shwooosh… shwooosh…”

The azure seawater rippled, affectionately lapping at the golden sands of the shore. On the old yet orderly stone-paved pier, a few dispersed boats swayed gently in the dock. Several seagulls, their feathers gleaming with a golden hue from the sunlight, circled leisurely above the vessels, occasionally emitting pleasant chirps…

The tranquil and beautiful morning of the coastal town Ankara was just like any other day. However, what was different was that the bustling tavern near the docks, usually teeming with voices, now stood eerily quiet, with no sign of people entering or leaving for a long time.

And Agatha, the waitress who had become the dream lover of young men in the small town because of her mischievous and fiery personality, as well as a figure even more fiery than her personality, did not appear in the tavern by the dock either. Instead, she stood before the only post office in Ankara, frowning as she flipped through the past issues of newspapers posted at the entrance.

…

Jobs have been hard to find lately…

After flipping through several editions of the employment section in the newspapers and finding nothing suitable, Agatha, who had just lost her job this morning, couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

After the incident at the tavern yesterday, although she was carried out by Mr. Joseph and didn’t get hurt in the conflict, those three drunken sailors gave Mr. Elijah, who stood up for justice, a good beating.

Even worse, when she brought the police there later, those three sailors had already taken advantage of the absence of people, directly prying open the tavern’s cellar. They drank and destroyed everything inside, even taking all the money from the counter, then fled without a trace.

When the real owner of the tavern returned and learned that all this happened because of her, he immediately flew into a rage, not only deducting all her salary as compensation but also firing her on the spot.

Since she left home in a hurry, she didn’t bring much money with her. Although she had saved some during these months working as a tavern waitress, it wasn’t enough to sustain her for long. She could barely manage to live. With no suitable jobs listed in the newspaper’s employment section, what should she do now? “Are you… Miss Agatha?”

As Agatha stood in front of the post office, at a loss due to her financial predicament, a somewhat surprised voice sounded behind her.

Agatha turned around in surprise and saw the guest she had chatted with pleasantly yesterday, the one who bravely stood up during the sailors’ disturbance.

“Mr. Elijah!”

Looking at the man standing before her, his head wrapped in bandages and his forehead bruised but still retaining his handsome demeanor, Agatha blushed, feeling guilty about leaving him to be beaten yesterday, and greeted him awkwardly: “You… I’m really sorry about what happened yesterday. If it weren’t for me… you wouldn’t have…”

“It’s fine.”

Elijah, who had suffered a beating for nothing, felt somewhat depressed, but when he saw the charming woman with flushed cheeks in front of him, all traces of resentment disappeared unconsciously. Smiling, he replied: “Yesterday’s incident wasn’t your fault. You were just involved because of those troublemaking drunks. As for these injuries on my body, I was prepared to take a beating when I decided to stand up yesterday.

It is the price a man should pay when adhering to his principles, and also a medal commemorating my courage. It has nothing to do with a beautiful lady who was innocently affected, so you don’t need to feel guilty about it.”

“Mr. Elijah…”

Watching Elijah, who was clearly badly beaten but was still trying to comfort her, Agatha couldn’t help but feel warmth in her heart. Clenching her fists in front of her chest, she softly said with tender eyes: “Your bravery and kindness are like the morning sun, illuminating the darkness in my heart, and like the endless waves of the sea, making me…”

“I can’t take it anymore!”

At this point, Leon, who had been sitting in the post office for half a day, couldn’t help but push the window open, sticking his head out and exclaiming helplessly: “Can’t you two just talk normally? Greeting each other feels like an epic poem. Your back-and-forth tone is almost turning into a song already.

Following Leon’s complaint, the yellow-furred puppy perched on his shoulder also nodded its little head in agreement, barking enthusiastically:

“Woof woof! (Exactly!)”

Is this person… Mr. Joseph? Upon seeing the man and dog poking their heads out of the window, the male and female protagonists of “Twelve Days Together” couldn’t help but simultaneously freeze in place.

There was no other reason—compared to yesterday’s garish outfit that looked like something a mentally unhinged young man would wear, today’s “Mr. Joseph” appeared remarkably normal.

Underneath a neatly tailored gray wool coat was a modest yet elegant waistcoat paired with a fitted pleated shirt. A perfectly folded handkerchief protruded from the pocket of the shirt, giving him an air of gentlemanliness.

The only thing slightly ungentlemanly was that one more button at the collar was undone, revealing a well-defined clavicle and a pristine neck. Above that was a sharply defined jawline and a slightly upward-curved lip corner, complemented by a tall nose and deep, bright eyes, creating an impression that was simply…

A decent-looking man.

After all, whether it was the real Leon or the Joseph character in “Twelve Days Together,” neither of them were the type to have shockingly good looks.

Even though Leon had carefully dressed up for now and even secretly applied some eyeshadow under his collarbone to highlight its lines, his base appearance still limited him to being just somewhat handsome. He’d attract a second glance as he walked by, but nothing more.

But just as beauty is often a matter of comparison, the current “Mr. Joseph,” while only moderately attractive, seemed incomparably handsome compared to yesterday’s flashy, crazy peacock. With this contrast, he was now undeniably striking.

Not a single detail was wrong. Everything was contained within 69 Book Bar!

…

How about that? Surprised?

Seeing the astonished expressions outside the post office, Leon couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, flashing a smile full of significant meaning.

Although he didn’t know if it was true or not, according to the information revealed by [King of Drama], as long as the plot could be thoroughly disrupted and receive higher evaluations than the original script, there was a possibility of becoming the new ruler of the theatrical world.

And to achieve this, first, one must understand who gives the “evaluation.” The most likely candidates were the residents of the small town of Ankara, the former three thousand audiences of Central Cross Theater.

As for what these audiences love to watch…

Last night, Leon broke into the Registrar’s Office, reviewed the town’s resident registration forms, and found that seven out of ten were women. And since today’s two plays were a romantic comedy called “Twelve Days Together” and a tragic age-gap romance called “Lady Helena,” it wasn’t hard to guess what these audiences preferred.

And how to make the new version of “Twelve Days Together” more appealing than the original, with only himself as a controllable character and [King of Drama] interfering…

For someone like himself, deeply influenced by various works from another world, this might actually be the easiest part!

(End of Chapter)