I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

“Juye! Watch out—!”

Gi Juye instinctively tried to pull her body away from the escalator, but because her manager had grabbed her shoulder, she couldn’t see properly.

Gi Juye quickly pulled her phone out of her clutch.

[Search: War with the Law]

When she searched for the premiere, photos of Gi Juye from just moments ago came up. As expected, the reaction was good.

[Gi Juye appears at the premiere... Reveals ladylike charm in a fresh dress]

[Gi Juye at the premiere, loveliness exploding]

[’s Gi Juye, even her photo-wall poses are top class~ Fresh cheek heart at the premiere]

But something felt off. Han Yeoreum, whom she’d caught a glimpse of earlier, kept nagging at her.

The moment she entered the screening hall and sat down, Gi Juye refreshed the search page again.

‘Fuck....’

Her unease was spot-on.

[‘War with the Law’ VIP premiere, stars turn out in force... Gi Juye–Han Yeoreum’s ‘same outfit, different vibe’]

The VIP premiere of this year’s anticipated film ‘War with the Law’ was held successfully today at 1 p.m. at Poex Modern Box in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. At the event, the ‘same outfit, different vibe’ fashion of idol Gi Juye and rookie actress Han Yeoreum drew particular attention.

Idol Gi Juye showcased the brand’s design as-is with simple styling. A minimalist brooch completed a luxurious look alongside her long, straight hair.

Meanwhile, actress Han Yeoreum pulled off the same dress in a more lovely way, drawing reporters’ “dad smiles” on site. With neat up-styled hair and a ribbon tied at the back of her neck, she showed gift-like cuteness no matter whether viewed from the left or the right. With her tasteful styling, netizens commented, “Give her the coordinator award,” “So cute”....

Gi Juye quietly bit her lip. In the previous public opinion poll, Han Yeoreum had at least ranked below her—yet these new articles were placing their photos side by side.

As if to say that Gi Juye and Han Yeoreum were on the same level.

‘What’s so amazing about tying your hair and sticking a ribbon on a dress...!’

That level of styling was something anyone could do. Gi Juye squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to swallow her irritation.

‘I should’ve worn luxury. Shouldn’t have let her even get her hands on something like that.’

While she was mentally organizing everything she’d chew out her stylist about once this schedule was over, Han Yeoreum’s voice reached her.

“Yeoreum’s here.”

“Hey, Myeong Jeha!”

Seeing Yeoreum deliberately acting friendly with Myeong Jeha in front of everyone made her sick. Looking at Han Yeoreum, Gi Juye barely managed to suppress her emotions.

‘Once airs, people will only see my styling anyway.’

There was no way she’d lose to cross-dressing nonsense like that.

* * *

Joo Junseo: best sunbae ever. Five stars.

I dipped my head lightly as I looked at Joo Junseo, who had slipped me Gi Juye’s outfit information in advance.

Joo Junseo lifted his phone and sent me a message.

[Change the tag order already. I’ve been watching to see how long you’d leave it like that, but Choo Gaeul’s account is still above mine... More]

Now it almost felt unsettling if he didn’t scold me about something. When I’d uploaded the coffee truck 인증 shot last time, I’d subtly tagged Gaeul’s account above Joo Junseo’s—and this was the result.

I sent back a kowtowing emoji.

Inside the screening hall, people were filling the seats one by one. The movie was about to start.

‘Is it really true that I can find my Seoryeong here?’

I reread the pamphlet in my hands. The familiar smooth coating brushed against my fingertips.

On a black background, a large title was printed.

Dividing people into “your side” and “my side” with the law?

Let’s try it.

1990. When ‘War on Crime’ swept across South Korea,

Everyone laughed, saying it had cleanly cut away society’s stains and corruption.

Everyone—except one boy, Jeongwoo, who watched his father being dragged away while hiding inside a wardrobe.

Was it really only the back-alley gangsters who were pitch black?

Were the hands that accepted thick white envelopes of cash clean?

The war on crime is not over.

This time, it’s a war with the law.

The son of a low-level thug has returned as a prosecutor at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.

A fist for a fist. The law for the law.

“Do you know who the real criminals are? Bastards like you.”

As I read the pamphlet, the lights inside the screening hall dimmed calmly. The green glow of the emergency lights along the stairs shone, and the black screen slowly brightened.

-This is [N O V E L I G H T] a pre-screening announcement. The emergency exits inside the theater are....

What followed was the distributor’s video. With mischievous sound effects, a ball bounced around atop a yellow box before the box exploded.

The familiar thrill before a movie made my heart pound. Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since I’d watched a film like this. Without realizing it, I quietly focused on the screen.

My Seoryeong was hidden somewhere inside this two-hour movie.

* * *

Drrrk-.

The movie opened with the screen of an old television lighting up. With the sound of a round brass-colored button turning, black-and-white news began to play.

A neatly dressed anchor opened her mouth.

-The government has officially declared war today on organized crime and criminal forces.

The screen switched rapidly. The president stood at a podium, delivering a speech with an expression full of anger.

-Organized crime deeply rooted in our society! Corruption! If we do not eradicate them! Will this Republic of Korea truly function!

Clickclick-.

Camera flashes burst chaotically. With a solemn face, the president declared,

-The war on crime! We will surely lead it to victory.

Starting with the sound of police whistles, sirens rang out mixed with upbeat music. A heavy drum bass heightened the sense of speed.

[Today at 6 a.m., crackdown on the ‘Seongho Group’ in Daejeon]

[The ‘Hwangryong Group,’ which dominated the Gyeongsang region—are they actually Japanese yakuza?]

[Gangwon Provincial Office arrests ‘Gangsan Group’ action leader... Signs of human trafficking uncovered]

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Along with punchy sound effects, thick-font captions nearly covered the screen.

-At 6 a.m. today, police carried out a large-scale surprise operation, arresting 100 organization members in the Daejeon area at once.

-Some of those arrested were found to have long been involved in illegal gambling and organ trafficking, and authorities plan to thoroughly uncover the forces behind them.

The anchor and reporter announced today’s victory. But a reporter wearing large horn-rimmed glasses said something different.

-However, many of those arrested include individuals with only minor past assault records or unclear ties to criminal organizations, raising controversy over what some call a ‘showcase crackdown.’

Beep-.

A tinnitus-like noise rang out, and the wide screen narrowed in an instant. The image could be seen only through a gap barely wide enough for a single finger to pass through.

“You son of a bitch! You piece of trash!”

“Cut it out. It’s about time for dinner.”

Men had stormed into a shabby one-room with their shoes.

The boy hiding inside the wardrobe could do nothing but cry as he watched his father bow his body and submit to indiscriminate violence.

“Just die already.”

Spit. Beside the detective who spat on his father, the prosecutor clamped a cigarette between his teeth and spoke quietly.

“We need guys like this for society to keep running. If everyone were good, what would we live on?”

“You really are generous, Prosecutor.”

Tears felt like they’d burst at any moment. My dad isn’t that kind of person. I wanted to run out and stop it, but I didn’t have the courage.

Turning his head with difficulty, the father met the boy’s eyes and smiled, as if telling him not to worry.

With his face soaked in blood, he barely opened his swollen eyes and sent his son a silent signal.

Jeongwoo. Stay still.

Noticing the father’s gaze, the prosecutor smirked, as if saying, Well, look at that.

Caught? The boy’s body stiffened.

“Hm....”

Inside the narrow one-room, the prosecutor reached the wardrobe in a single step.

In just one step—tightening the noose around both the boy’s and the father’s throats.

Groping weakly, the father grabbed at the prosecutor’s ankle. A plea not to touch the child.

The prosecutor flicked away the father’s desperate hand with his shoe.

“Right. This is what they call....”

Then, as if making sure the two heard clearly, he said,

“A necessary evil?”

Ssssh-.

After roughly stubbing out his cigarette on top of the wardrobe, the prosecutor turned his back with a smile.

It wasn’t mercy. It was nothing more than mockery.

The detective grabbed the father by the nape of the neck and dragged him away like a dog.

In an instant, everything fell silent. A cigarette butt had dropped onto the trail of blood the father left behind.

Clatter-.

Opening the wardrobe door with powerless hands, the boy came out and pressed the still-smoldering cigarette butt into his palm.

Szzzt-.

Even though the sound of flesh burning was faint, the boy didn’t cry. He only bit his lip.

The emptiness in his eyes gradually filled with vengeance.

Drrrk-.

The sound of the television button turning was heard again. At some point, the news had switched from black-and-white to color.

-Republic of Korea! We’ve finally advanced to the World Cup semifinals!

-Amid the ‘well-being boom,’ Korea’s economic growth rate is drawing global attention.

-Korea’s per capita GDP ranking....

In front of the old television, the boy worked through problem sets laid out on a small folding table. As the outside world changed little by little, the boy grew as well.

The papers he casually set aside shifted from a perfect-score test paper, to a top-grade report card, to a prestigious university diploma, and finally—to a bar exam pass certificate.

A necessary evil. The boy, Jeongwoo, eventually clawed his way up to the very same position as that prosecutor from that day.

‘If my Seoryeong comes from here....’

Watching a film with a completely different background and situation, I thought of Seoryeong from .

The protagonist’s emotions shown so far were nothing but injustice, helplessness, and revenge.

‘They’re things that, to some extent, are already melted into the Seoryeong I interpreted.’

A relaxed piece of music played. It felt like a signal announcing the start of revenge.

I continued watching, waiting for Myeong Jeha to appear on the screen.