I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

Han Yeoreum, dressed up with flashy hair and makeup, chatted animatedly with whoever was on the other end of her phone, sounding absurdly excited.

“Yeah~! Me? Hah.... Of course~ I got it. An invite! I’m not like those kids who have to tear tables apart just to get one.”

It was a complete disaster zone. Hopeless stacked on top of hopeless.

Of the three, Yeoreum looked the most beyond saving. Smiling childishly, she checked her reflection in the sun visor and made a cute face.

BANG!

“....”

After smashing her forehead against the steering wheel, Yeoreum fell silent. On the screen, Detective Yoon looked like he was barely holding his temper in check.

A small wave of laughter rippled through the theater. Everyone could already picture Yeoreum getting put through the wringer by Yun Hyeonjo.

“Open the window.”

“....”

“I said, open the window.”

At that, the window rolled down—painfully slowly.

That was when it happened.

The screen slipped into slow motion, and completely out of nowhere, music started playing.

Lowering her head, Yeoreum put on a pitiful act, like a drenched kitten abandoned in the rain.

-Pretty girl....

The audience burst out laughing on reflex.

“Bwahahaha!”

Most people here knew exactly where that song came from. It was the signature track of a movie that had been a huge hit in the past.

Just like in that film, it was obvious Yeoreum was hoping her looks alone would make him go easy on her.

The problem was, her opponent was Detective Yoon.

“I’m sorry.... Really. Honestly. Truly. So. Very. Sorry.”

Brushing her hair back and giving him watery eyes, Yeoreum perfectly recreated that movie’s iconic scene. Her intentions were painfully transparent.

This should work, right?

Detective Yoon’s gaze, watching her try to play tricks, was as lifeless as frozen pollock. Laughter broke out all around.

“Not the window. Open the door and get out.”

When the beauty tactic failed, Yeoreum clasped her hands together and rubbed them frantically. It was downright pathetic.

“Um, I mean, do I really have to get out? You don’t look, like, seriously hurt or anything. It doesn’t seem like a huge accident...?”

She could already feel it—this was going to turn into a meme. The ‘Completely Hopeless Trio.’

Yeoreum was proudly serving as the comedy highlight of . Getting out of the car, she tried her best to minimize her share of the blame.

“Well, I mean, looking at it, the car doesn’t seem that damaged either—”

Clunk.

Before she could finish her sentence, the rear bumper of Detective Yoon’s car collapsed.

Yeoreum lowered her head again, utterly dejected.

As he took in her outfit, one of Yun Hyeonjo’s eyebrows lifted slightly. From the speaker, her ongoing call with her friends continued to blare.

-Crazy! Did you get into an accident? Hey, hey, hey, she got into a car crash!

-Is her face hurt? She has to protect her face at all costs.

-Even if she’s hurt, you can fix it with skin correction. It’ll only be an issue during live streams.

-Hey! Just slap a filter on it then!

After listening for a moment, Yun Hyeonjo quietly held out his phone. His expression said he’d hooked the bait perfectly.

“...Huh? Your phone... this....”

“Number.”

At his short reply, Yeoreum gave a faint, awkward smile.

And then, once again, the same background music kicked in.

-Pretty....

As if slicing through her fantasy with a blade, Detective Yoon said coldly,

“Medical fees, repair costs, and rental fees. If I’m billing you, I need your number. Hurry up and enter it. I’m busy.”

A sound effect like shattering glass rang out. Yeoreum stared blankly at the cold detective, then slowly shifted her gaze.

On the screen, the emblem of the luxury foreign car Yun Hyeonjo was driving came into view.

It was the moment she realized the amount she’d have to pay was beyond imagination.

“If you can’t afford to pay it back, there are other ways.”

Before he could finish, the music played again.

-Pretty....

Detective Yoon replied with dead eyes.

“Stop.”

* * *

A few days later, a pair of small, dainty heels stood in front of the police station. Yeoreum had deliberately put extra effort into her outfit.

“Hoo....”

After taking a deep breath, she hesitated, unsure whether to step forward.

That was when—

“Excuse me.”

A man’s voice and presence came from beside her.

-Pretty girl....

It had practically become Yeoreum’s theme song by now. Every time it played, the audience laughed automatically.

“You need to write your reason for visiting.”

The man was a police officer. Handed a clipboard and asked to provide a brief explanation, Yeoreum hesitated.

When the officer took the clipboard back, he tilted his head in confusion.

Yeoreum confidently lifted her sunglasses onto her head and looked up at him with trembling eyes.

Mesmerized by her gaze, the officer reported into his radio.

“...There’s a visitor whose reason says ‘picked up a number.’”

* * *

Multiple pairs of eyes turned toward Yeoreum as she entered the violent crimes office. Every detective was quietly staring at her. Yeoreum smiled awkwardly.

“Why did you write the reason like that? People misunderstand.”

Detective Yoon scolded her coldly. Yeoreum replied sheepishly.

“...I thought if I wrote ‘I ran over a detective with my car,’ I might get arrested....”

Every single line was a punchline. Each time Yeoreum spoke, laughter—big and small—spilled out.

They moved on to explaining the operation in earnest.

“So, uh... that means right now, I’m....”

Nod. The detectives nodded solemnly.

“Being entrusted with... something this... important?”

Nod. They nodded again, just as seriously.

“This... job...?”

Nod. This time, they nodded like that was exactly it.

“Oh my god, this is insane. Isn’t this the ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ kind of thing that only happens in movies? What is this, a prank show? One that targets pretty civilians?”

Yeoreum shook her head back and forth. Her vision spun. The shabby room spun with her gaze until it stopped on Detective Yoon.

“....”

He was holding a calculator.

One filled with an obscene number of zeros.

Yeoreum’s mouth fell open.

She could tell—if she didn’t take their hand, she’d be paying compensation equal to that number.

Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to agree easily. As Yeoreum drooped, Detective Kwak encouraged her.

“Hey, miss. We don’t make requests like this to just anyone.”

Which was funny, because Yeoreum was exactly just anyone.

“We carefully select people. We choose after serious consideration.”

There was no one else to choose.

“Just being an influencer wasn’t enough! We needed someone who could short-circuit their rationality! Pure and cute to the extreme!”

-Pretty....

“And a voice that alone could enchant them!”

-Pretty girl....

“If it wasn’t someone like that, it wouldn’t work! We had no choice!”

-Everyone collapsing....

Listening to this, Yeoreum lowered her head again. Then, in sync with the music, the screen slipped into slow motion.

-I'm a pretty girl....

Yeoreum slowly raised her head. This time, she didn’t just lift it—she tilted it slightly, striking an angle clearly meant to make any selfie look its best, and met Detective Kwak’s eyes.

“Ha.... Fine. I guess I don’t have a choice.”

Watching Yeoreum’s back as she accepted the spy role, the detectives each muttered a comment.

“Detective Kwak, I really think you’ll end up in prison someday. For fraud.”

“You’re more ‘active duty’ than actual active duty....”

Hearing his subordinates, Detective Yoon quietly nodded.

And just like that, preparations for the undercover operation involving the began.

* * *

The heart of Gangnam. A place that never slept, even long past midnight. A line of extravagantly dressed people waited to get into Club D.K.

“I’m sorry, but you’re not a good fit for our establishment.”

A guard with an earpiece blocked someone, let another through, then blocked again—over and over.

That was when several supercars roared in noisily.

People began whispering as they saw the procession. Each car cost as much as an entire house.

“Busy night again, huh?”

Ignoring the line entirely, they pulled out thick wads of cash and stuffed them into the guard’s chest. Casual, crude attitudes. They were coin rich—so-called ‘new money.’

[♥︎Cheongdam Coin Fam K check-in♥︎]

The moment they entered, the electronic board lit up with news of the Cheongdam Fam. Everyone cheered, as if this place were their personal kingdom.

Fireworks bursting between deafening music, champagne bottles lining up. And finally—

“Hahahaha! Ah—this is hilarious!”

“Heh... hng... hehh....”

The room was filled with smile-shaped balloons. Cute decorations, normally—but next to them, they felt unsettling.

A man staggered to his feet and gestured to the waiter. Fresh champagne was set down again.

He pulled out more cash, removed the watch on his wrist, added a luxury wallet to the display, then lifted his phone.

Click!

Youstagram

#HowIBecameRich #DMMeIfCurious #YouDontKnowSuccessUntilYouTasteIt #OnceYouTasteSuccessYouCantGoBack #YoungCEO

The moment he uploaded the brag shot with those tags, direct messages poured in.

Ding, dingdingdingding—endless notification sounds.

[Hello!! I always love watching your stories...!!]

[Can I call you hyung? lol]

[Let’s get close :)]

Skimming through the messages while checking profile photos, the man’s smile turned vile.

“Hahahaha! Idiots....”

The world was a joke to him. Just like their .

From beyond the massive room came a sudden commotion. Crash—glass shattered sharply.

“Aaaah!”

Someone screamed, faintly—but it was quickly swallowed by the club’s thunderous music.

* * *

The scene shifted to a solemn, silent space—the complete opposite of Club D.K. Thick soundproof walls sealed every conversation inside.

Tap-. Tap-. Tap-.

The sound of dress shoes striking the floor echoed like a judge’s gavel.

Click.

As a middle-aged man stopped at the door, it opened immediately, as if awaiting him.

“The Chairman has arrived.”

Everyone seated jumped to their feet. It spoke volumes about the man’s status.

Sitting in a luxurious mahogany chair, he surveyed the room with an expressionless face.

“Sit.”

He was the Chairman of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee. High-ranking police officials and powerful figures from the business world filled the room.

Every so-called ‘big shot’ was present.

“I’ve been hearing the violent crimes unit has been getting ideas lately.”

In a low voice, he spoke while fixing his gaze on someone. A police executive bowed his head, ashamed.

“I’m really trying not to understand this....”

His eyes slowly swept over the police officials. Heavy pressure filled the room.

It was an order to end the investigation.

* * *

“Mm, nice. This is about where the conflict kicks in.”

Watching the film, Wi Jaehwi nodded lightly. As expected from a movie stitched together entirely from clichés.

Sure enough, the team leader who’d been beating down Detective Kwak received the order to stop the investigation.

Walking down the office corridor, the leader looked especially pathetic—maybe because he was wearing a beat-up field jacket.

“Hey. Come here.”

Two detectives in shabby clothes sat on a bench behind the station. The leader, smoking with a grim expression, spoke.

“You know what I’m about to say, right?”

“Ah, sir.”

Detective Kwak’s face twisted, already sensing it. The leader stubbed out his cigarette in an empty paper coffee cup.

“Keep going.”

“Huh? No! I won’t! Absolutely not! Do you know how hard it was for me to get here? Didn’t you see how that bastard Detective Yoon disrespects you? We have to show them! No, I can’t. I won’t quit!”

“Keep going, you idiot.”

“...What?”

Expecting to be told to stop, Detective Kwak’s eyes went wide at the unexpected response.

“Are you insane?”

“This punk really has no manners.”

“No, you were always telling me not to cause trouble! You said you’d kill me if you got fired! You said you couldn’t take off the badge because of Minjeong!”

It was obvious what kind of life the leader—a complete ordinary citizen—had lived. Wi Jaehwi roughly predicted the next line.

‘Something about protecting justice. Going for emotional impact.’

The small-citizen character sacrificing his future for justice, only for the world to recognize his heart and reward him with a righteous ending.

‘A good cliché.’ 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

That was when the leader, head lowered, suddenly burst out laughing.

“Puhahahaha.... Khhhhk.... Wahahahaha...!”

As if he’d taken the himself.

It was laughter that seemed impossible to contain.

‘What...?’

Every single person in the audience thought the same thing. There was nothing that funny.

As everyone stared, baffled by the sudden outburst, the leader pulled his phone from his pocket.