In New York City, within Manhattan's East Village, there existed a certain apartment. This space was meager, comprising only a small room, a bunk bed, and a desk. It was minimalistic, to say the least.
Seated on the floor was a young blonde man with striking blue eyes and reasonably attractive features, though by American standards, his looks were rather ordinary. Weariness seemed to shadow his gaze as he let out a sigh. "Damn it. I've somehow found myself inhabiting the life of a less fortunate kid."
Indeed, the young man was no longer who he appeared to be; he was now possessed by a different soul. This young man's name happened to be Lucas Knight, formerly a waiter at a local bar. However, due to a minor blunder, he had been unceremoniously let go by his boss, rendering him jobless.
For the past two weeks, Lucas Knight had been tirelessly seeking employment, yet for some baffling reason, no one had offered him a position. It all culminated in his untimely death due to stress and exhaustion on this fateful day. Simultaneously, another Lucas from Earth, a failed actor, also met his demise.
This second Lucas found himself transmigrated into the body of Lucas Knight. As he stood up and examined his surroundings, his eyes fell upon a notebook resting on the desk. Curiosity led him to pick it up and flip it open, only to discover that it belonged to Lucas Knight, serving as a diary.
Lucas began to read, and the first page revealed a poignant story. "How do I put this... I was born at the cost of my mother's life, and my father has always treated me with indifference as a result. When I was seven, my father remarried, and I soon realized he had been unfaithful, as he already had children older than me from this new marriage. When I turned 18, my stepmother's influence led my father to kick me out of the house. Now I'm 19, and I've been working as a waiter at a Ladies Bar. I've faced constant harassment, but whenever I expressed discomfort, people simply laughed..." Lucas skimmed through the pages, contemplating the story.
After several minutes, he completed the diary and muttered in amazement, "So, I'm the son of Vince Knight, the renowned WB director..." He added, "And my step-brother, two years my senior, is already making a name for himself in Hollywood."
In fact, Lucas Knight also aspired to become an actor, but he faced continuous rejections despite his striking good looks when he attended auditions.
He glanced at his wallet and discovered that he had only $50 left.
Taking the paper money and inspecting it closely, he couldn't help but smile wistfully. "How am I going to survive on this?" If not for his roommate, he might have been starving all this time. His roommate had a job and was striving for his dream of becoming a Hollywood star, living independently to pursue that dream.
Lucas glanced at the calendar, noting that it was May 9, 2009.
As he contemplated his situation, his stomach grumbled in hunger. Lucas massaged his belly and decided to step out of the apartment to buy some food.
He roamed the streets and entered a McDonald's, where he purchased a cheeseburger and fries, costing him at least $7 to ease his hunger. Upon leaving McDonald's and about to take a bite of his burger, he spotted a thin, homeless old man with a beard on the side of the street.
Lucas examined his burger and noticed the homeless man seated on a public bench, clutching a bag of plastic trash.
Lucas approached the homeless man and extended his offer of food.
The old man, taken aback by Lucas's gesture, questioned as he peered at the McDonald's bag being offered, "What's this, young man?"
Lucas beamed, presenting the McDonald's meal. "This is for you."
The old man, filled with surprise, inquired with wonder, "For me?"
Lucas nodded, handing the old man the McDonald's, burger included.
"Thank you very much, young man," the old man expressed his gratitude with tears welling up in his eyes. It had been a while since anyone had shown him such kindness.
Lucas nodded and was about to walk away when the old man blessed him, saying, "God bless you, young man!"
Lucas acknowledged the blessing as he walked away, taking a moment to assess his remaining funds. Due to his impromptu act of kindness, he had purchased another McDonald's meal, depleting his money even further. With a monthly rent of $700, luckily shared with his roommate, and no job currently, Lucas grappled with how to make ends meet when he suddenly realized something.
Wasn't he an actor? When Lucas realized this, a moment of revelation silenced him.
Though he had been a failed actor in his previous life, rarely securing major roles and mostly settling for supporting or extra roles, it had still been an invaluable experience to draw from.
After that, he returned to his apartment, and upon entering, he noticed his roommate was already there.
His roommate had dark hair and brown eyes, possessing fine features that made him a handsome young man.
From the diary Lucas had read, this dark-haired young man went by the name of Paul Sterling. He stood a bit taller than Lucas, who was 5'11", while Paul Sterling measured about 6 feet.
Upon noticing Lucas, Paul Sterling smiled and greeted him, saying, "You're here, Lucas," nodding in a friendly manner.
Lucas returned the nod and sat on the floor, offering his own greeting, "What's up." He didn't really know Paul Sterling since he hadn't inherited Lucas Knight's memories.
Paul Sterling then mentioned, "I heard you've been struggling to find a job." He had observed that Lucas Knight had been having difficulty securing employment for the past two weeks.
Lucas nodded with a sense of helplessness and admitted, "That's true. I feel quite lost, not knowing how to earn money to cover my rent..."
Paul Sterling then disclosed something that took Lucas by surprise, "I was offered an audition for a role in a TV series, but I didn't feel it suited me, so I decided not to go for it. However, if you're interested, I can give you the script and see if you'd like to audition for it." Paul Sterling concluded his statement and retrieved the script from his bag, which lay on the floor.
Lucas, in the meantime, was taken aback by this revelation and the sight of Paul Sterling handing him the script paper.
With curiosity, Lucas mused, "A TV series? I wonder what it's about..." His words caught Paul Sterling's attention.
Paul Sterling chuckled as he remarked, "The offer is $13,000 per episode, which is not too shabby and could certainly help with your financial troubles."
Lucas, upon hearing this, felt a surge of excitement. After all, $13,000 was a substantial amount in his view. As he glanced at the script paper, he read the title on the front: 'Modern Family.'
Seeing the title, Lucas's mind practically went blank with excitement. He thought to himself, "Isn't this one of the successful TV series from my previous life!?" His heart raced with anticipation.
Paul Sterling remained silent, observing Lucas's expressions.
Subsequently, Lucas opened the script and realized that the role for the audition was Dylan, the boyfriend of Haley Dunphy. "This is the character from the pilot!" Lucas thought excitedly, glancing at Paul Sterling. He asked, "Are you sure you want to offer me this opportunity?"
Paul Sterling was slightly surprised by Lucas's reaction but nodded, replying, "Of course." He paused before adding, "But don't thank me just yet; your ability to secure the role will depend on your audition performance."
Lucas nodded hurriedly and then, with some embarrassment, asked, "Um... Could you lend me some money so I can..."
Paul Sterling chuckled, interrupting Lucas, and said, "So you can get to the audition site?"
Lucas nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed. He had no other choice, as he only had about $36 in his wallet.
Paul Sterling recognized Lucas's predicament and sighed, "You better pay me back later, all right?" With that, he retrieved $200 from his wallet.
Lucas nodded and reassured Paul Sterling, "Of course, I'll definitely pay you back later. You can count on it."