Chapter 257: 256 A Complete Transformation

"Swish… swish… swish…"

The emerald sea rippled gently, caressing the golden sands of the shore with tender affection; on the old, orderly stone pier, a few scattered boats swayed lightly in their docks, while several seagulls, edged in gold by the sunlight, circled lazily above the vessels, occasionally letting out sweet, soft calls…

The morning in the seaside town of Ankara remained as quiet and beautiful as ever, except that the dockside tavern, once bustling with voices, had become deserted, with no one coming or going for a long time.

And Agatha, the waitress who had become the young men's dream woman in town for her playful, fiery personality and an even more fiery figure, was nowhere to be seen at the tavern—instead, she stood before Ankara's only post office, frowning as she flipped through past newspapers posted at the entrance.

…

It's been hard to find work lately…

After flipping through countless classified job sections without finding anything suitable, Agatha, who had just lost her job this morning, let out a quiet sigh.

After the incident at the tavern yesterday, though Joseph had pulled me out and I wasn't hurt in the brawl, those three drunken sailors beat Elijah senseless for speaking up.

Even worse, when I arrived with the police later, those three sailors had slipped away unnoticed, broken into the tavern's cellar, smashed and drank everything inside, emptied the till, and vanished without a trace.

When the tavern's true owner returned and learned all this was because of me, he flew into a rage, withheld my entire salary as compensation, and fired me on the spot.

I'd fled home in a hurry and brought little money; though I'd saved a bit from months of waitressing, it was still barely enough to get by—and now the job ads in the papers offered nothing suitable. What should I do?

"You're… Miss Agatha?"

As Agatha stood before the post office, at her wit's end from having no money, a voice filled with surprise sounded behind her.

Agatha turned around in surprise and recognized the guest who had chatted so pleasantly with her yesterday—and who had bravely stepped forward when the sailors caused trouble.

"Mr. Elijah!"

Seeing the man before her—his head wrapped in bandages, a large bruise darkening his temple, yet still radiating handsome charm—Agatha, guilt-ridden over having left him to be beaten yesterday, blushed and offered a shy greeting:

"Are… are you alright? I'm so sorry about yesterday—if it weren't for me… you wouldn't have…"

"It's fine."

Though Elijah had been brutally beaten, seeing the rosy-cheeked, graceful woman before him, his lingering resentment melted away unnoticed. He smiled and replied:

"Yesterday's incident wasn't your fault—you were merely caught up in the drunken fools' chaos. As for these injuries, when I chose to step forward, I already prepared myself for the possibility of being beaten.

This is the price a man must pay when upholding his principles—and a medal honoring my courage. It has nothing to do with a beautiful lady who was merely an innocent bystander. You needn't feel guilty."

"Mr. Elijah…"

Watching Elijah, who had been beaten so badly yet still tried to comfort her, Agatha's heart warmed. She clenched her fists against her chest, her eyes soft, and whispered:

"Your bravery and kindness are like the morning sun, illuminating my dark heart, and like the endless waves upon the ocean, making me…"

"I can't take this anymore!"

At this, Leon, who had been sitting inside the post office for half the morning, couldn't help pushing open the window and sticking his head out, exasperated:

"Can't you two just talk normally? Greeting each other like you're reciting poetry, back and forth—your tone's about to turn into a song.

If I hadn't interrupted, would you two start dancing right in the middle of the street next? And then all of us passersby would jump out of our carts and stand on top of them to dance along?"

After Leon's remark, the yellow-haired puppy on his shoulder nodded its tiny head vigorously, lending full support:

"Wangwu wangwu! (Exactly!)"

Is this… Mr. Joseph?

Seeing the man and dog poking their heads out the window, the male and female leads of "Twelve Days of Travel" froze in place.

Why? Because compared to yesterday's outfit—something only a manic dandy would wear—"Mr. Joseph" now looked absurdly normal.

Beneath a well-tailored gray wool coat, he wore a simple, proper vest and a fitted, pleated shirt; a neatly folded handkerchief stuck out of the shirt's breast pocket, giving him an almost gentlemanly air.

The only thing ungentlemanly was the top button undone, revealing a sharply defined collarbone and a fair, smooth neck; above that, a clear jawline, a slightly upturned lip, a high nose, and deep, bright eyes—altogether, the impression was simply…

A man who looked decent enough.

Neither the real Leon nor "Mr. Joseph" from "Twelve Days of Travel" was a character of breathtaking beauty.

Even though Leon had dressed carefully today—even secretly smudging eyeliner beneath his collarbone to accentuate its lines—his natural features were limited; no matter how hard he tried, he could only manage "a bit cute," the kind of guy who might get a second glance walking down the street, then nothing more.

But just as beauty is defined by contrast, "Mr. Joseph" now, though only mildly handsome, looked stunning next to yesterday's gaudy, insane rooster. This contrast made him genuinely striking.

…

How's that? Scared you, right?

Seeing the two outside the post office, stunned, Leon raised an eyebrow slightly and gave a knowing smile.

Whether true or not, according to the information revealed by the 【King of Drama】, if he could completely disrupt the plot and earn a higher rating than the original script, he might become the new master of the drama world.

To achieve this, first he needed to know who issued the ratings—and the most likely source was, naturally, the residents of the small town of Ankara, the same three thousand spectators from the Central Cross Theater.

As for what these spectators liked to watch…

Last night, Leon had broken into the Bureau of Household Registration through a window and reviewed the town's registration records: over seventy percent were women. Today's two performances were the romantic comedy "Twelve Days of Travel" and the tragic age-gap romance "Madame Helena." It wasn't hard to guess what they preferred.

And how, with only himself as a "controllable" character and the 【King of Drama】 interfering from the sidelines, could he make the new "Twelve Days of Travel" more appealing than the original…

For someone steeped in countless works from another world, this might actually be the easiest part!