I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

I’m not confident.

‘Not confident I’ll lose....’

I forced the corners of my mouth down as they tried to lift on their own, carefully managing my expression.

“Ah... then even though you already have someone essentially decided... you still came looking for me, Director...?”

Let’s boost the director properly with rookie-level humility. After all, among the weights on Han Yeoreum’s vulgar scale, Director Ja was easily the heaviest.

‘There’s a reason his shows hit thirty percent ratings.’

The power to carry a long-form production all comes from that reckless, bulldozer-like personality of his. If even Director Ja is being pushed around by investors, that means the current requires far more funding than before. And that means....

‘The quality will definitely be even better than before....’

Absolutely. One hundred percent.

‘And this role was originally Do Gyeoul’s, for sure.’

Do Gyeoul had successfully made her comeback in by playing the role of the nation’s first love. Her synchronization was so high that thinking of Eun Baekhap automatically made people think of Do Gyeoul.

‘After that, the two of them—symbols of pure innocence—ended up receiving very similar scripts....’

A script Eun Baekhap had been carefully reviewing was snatched away by Do Gyeoul and became her next project. And that, too, was a massive hit.

‘I can’t let this go.’

Thinking that I could take Do Gyeoul’s role only made me more desperate.

‘I can’t hand a role like this over to Gi Juye.’

This is absolutely mine. My Yeon Huijae.

I looked at Director Ja with the eyes of this era’s humble, thoughtful, beautiful first-love actress.

“How could it be... as expected of a director who has such strong conviction, a project you truly want to protect.... I honestly think that’s amazing. That determination to complete something exactly as you envisioned....”

“Right, right! That’s just how hyung is. He pushes things through his own way!”

Even now, Director Gong was empathizing enthusiastically. But Director Ja didn’t look particularly pleased, despite my praise.

There was no hint of ‘That’s me!’ pride at all. He simply flicked his gaze once toward the script in my hands.

“Read the script. It’ll be fun, yeah.”

...He really does only say what he wants. I gave up on bonding with Director Ja and focused on the script instead. When I opened the page marked with Post-its, Huijae’s lines appeared.

‘Ah. This is that scene.’

The iconic moment that turned Yeon Huijae into the nation’s first love. The moment when rain pours down relentlessly, and Yeon Huijae plants hope in Gi Taeseok’s heart for the first time.

Huijae

This place too, can become better.

There is a seaside nearby, but it’s too far to reach by bicycle, and they can’t afford a car. Taeseok never even learned how to write; he worked from childhood just to survive. Just to put food in his mouth.

Even after liberation, Taeseok’s life is not liberated from poverty.

All he sees around him are old things, shabby things, insignificant things, rough things, jagged things.... Cheap things. Those are what make up Gi Taeseok’s life. Things that seem to have nothing to do with Yeon Huijae’s life at all—and that makes Taeseok ashamed.

Beside him, Huijae smiles, looking beyond the mountains, and says this place will surely become better. As if inviting him to dream, she unfolds the future before Taeseok’s eyes.

Huijae

If lots of new shops open here, and lots of new people come....

Though smart, Taeseok knows how to calculate misery just as well. In a world where those who already soar even higher live better lives, he knows there’s no place for himself.

Talking casually with a rich girl like this—he knows that alone is the absolute limit of luck in Gi Taeseok’s life.

He fell in love the moment he first saw Huijae, but painfully aware of the gap in their status, Taeseok only grows more prickly, ashamed of himself.

I was mulling over the key scenes and psychology of when—

Myeong Jeha, who had been silent, spoke.

“Who would even come to a place like this? What’s the point of opening a shop here—it won’t make money. If it were me, I’d open one in Gyeongseong. I’d never open it in a backwater like this. Why would I? There’s no reason it’d succeed.”

From the moment Myeong Jeha delivered the line, this place became a stage.

Silence fell in all directions. His voice had that kind of power. The power to instantly command attention.

“A reason? Um... wake (reason)? That right?”

“Yeah. That. Why. Why is that.”

“Wake ga arun da (There’s a reason.)”

I immediately caught Huijae’s line, and both Director Gong and Director Ja looked startled.

Of course. This was an iconic scene—I’d practiced it countless times.

I took a brief breath. Just like Huijae had. Clear rainwater caressed the soil and passed by, and the air here—fresh and cold—was filled with liberation.

“This place has people like you. Mainichi, um... people who live faithfully, every single day.”

A place where everyone shouts manse with burning hearts and lives for tomorrow.

There, Huijae fires a bullet of liberation from poverty straight into Taeseok’s heart.

“...What? Yeoreum, did you get the script earlier? Jeha gave it to you first, right! That’s it, isn’t it?”

“No, no. The lines were short, so I memorized them quickly.”

“No, sure, the lines—but this nuance, huh? How does that just come out immediately? Hey... what is this, seriously. Really not?”

“Haha. Director, I’ve never done that. Really. I only heard from Director Ja not long ago too.”

Director Gong made a huge fuss over me. Myeong Jeha shook his head at him. Director Gong kept saying look at her, my actress, smacking Director Ja’s shoulder.

Director Ja—who had only been saying what he wanted until now—fell silent and stared straight at me.

‘Yes... keep looking. This is your Yeon Huijae....’

The nation’s first love. I’m taking it.

* * *

Talk about was spreading in real time.

[Today’s celebrities who attended the Cheongdam GCV VIP premiere of Faster Than the Law.jpg]

-What is Gwak Cheolsik lol looks like they just grabbed some random thug off the street;;

ㄴSay that and Cheolsik will put you in a headlock from behind

-Literally every celebrity showed up loooool how is this a red carpet? This is basically an awards show

-Myeong Jeha please wear the police uniform one more time just walk around in it I beg you I watched Law War five times just for your ten minutes on screen ffs!!

-Han Yeoreum crossdressing nonstop then suddenly letting her hair down looks insanely elegant... my own goddess

ㄴShe has both boyish charm and girlish charm T_T yellow suits her perfectly

Eunseol bit down on her lips while staring at her phone. Everywhere she went these days, she saw the name Han Yeoreum.

-DaeYeJong freshmen probably can’t even look their three seniors in the face lolololol they’re the hottest right now

ㄴI heard all three took leaves of absence T_T probably hard to see them even privately?

ㄴDo Gyeoul aside, Han Yeoreum and Myeong Jeha are seriously insane lolololol both debuted only a year or two ago this is no joke

Before long, Do Gyeoul, Myeong Jeha, and Han Yeoreum were being grouped together under the name “DaeYeJong’s Radiant Trio.”

“Why is Han Yeoreum even included there.”

To be fair, Myeong Jeha made sense. Not just anyone could rack up back-to-back ten-million-viewer hits.

But Han Yeoreum didn’t. The very idea that someone like Han Yeoreum dared to stand shoulder to shoulder with Do Gyeoul felt like an insult to Eunseol.

Input: lol Han Yeoreum’s viral push is so obvious it’s cringe T_T.. is it just me? feels like the agency is working overtime..

Using one of her many accounts, Eunseol left a comment. Then she logged out and logged back in with another account.

Input: 2222 you’d think she’s the lead.. it’s obvious she keeps trying to ride on the male lead’s popularity, even if she can act it still turns me off TT_TT

Logout. Login again. Eunseol repeated this several times. Soon, others like her joined in the comments.

ㄴShe’s just a department classmate with Do Gyeoul, career-wise they’re not even comparable, so why does she keep forcing herself in;;ㅎㅎ doesn’t she know this just creates backlash..T_T

ㄴI just want to like the actor T_T but why do I have to deal with all this non-acting stuff too, I’m a Do Gyeoul fan and this leaves a bad taste.. then I’ll be the only oversensitive one again

It was textbook mudslinging. Eunseol smiled as she looked at the increasingly chaotic comment section.

“Oh, right... the time....”

It was already ten o’clock. Time for episode 4 of to air.

Eunseol moved to the drama board. As expected, episode 4 was already being flooded with comments even before airing.

[♨Grandpas set the ancestral table properly, Strange Tales live thread♨]

-Cut the commercials, let people speak gently and let us hear it in one go ffs

-This is bad..TT_TT starting tomorrow I have to wait another whole week T_T TVM read the room, if it’s not airing you should at least drop some bait

-Wow Han Yeoreum’s rising momentum is seriously scary lololol among actresses her age she’ll probably do best after Do Gyeoul

Every refresh added dozens more comments. Everyone was focused on Han Yeoreum.

Eunseol felt heat rising in her stomach. Emotions she couldn’t handle spread gradually.

In the meantime, episode 4 began.

* * *

The once-clear sky gradually darkened. The scenery of Heavenly Vein Land once again filled the screen, but it no longer showed wide-open beauty. Scattered dark clouds covered the village.

Creeeak—.

The doors of the brothel slammed shut.

Inside the sealed brothel, Hwayeong and the girls stuck out their tongues in unison, placing a sharp needle on each one.

“Ugh....”

Aetami, watching the screen, unconsciously furrowed her brow. Clear liquor was poured into cups, and without hesitation, the girls swallowed the alcohol together with the needles.

Their gazes were uniformly cold. A chilling air spread beyond the screen.

-What the fuck why are they eating that

-My tonsils hurt just watching this TT_TT it’s terrifying

-This isn’t mukbang, it’s a curse right?? Then why the girls and not the old man wtf TT_TT

The dread unique to horror was conveyed intact.

Leaving viewers with confusion and fear, the scene shifted.

Because Myungdo and Seoryeong had shut down the brothel and played around for days, the magistrate was filled with rage. Using the excuse of punishing those unsightly pests—and securing new funds for the “virtuous woman” subsidy—he decided to sacrifice Soyeong.

“Don’t go there.”

“Hwayeong? Why are you here....”

It was Hwayeong who stopped Soyeong, who had stepped onto a dim road alone to run errands for her mother-in-law.

The scene cut rapidly. Hwayeong summoned the magistrate. Saying she regretted not being able to serve him properly since the brothel had been closed, she called him separately—and he rushed over without a shred of suspicion.

-Wtf old man why would she want to see you;;

-Finally the scene we’ve been waiting for.. honestly if he’s going anyway I want him gone fast T_T

-The drink totally has something in it, 100%.. knocking him out and killing him would hurt less than killing him outright

-Just looking at this comment section, we’re all a bunch of violent criminals lolololol did they gather only 100-point psychopath test results here T_T

In good spirits after drinking, the magistrate talked about Seoryeong and Myungdo. He deliberately avoided going to the brothel. He planned to claim that Seoryeong and Myungdo, drunk from drinking there, had dishonored Soyeong.

He drank at his favorite pavilion over the lake.

“To think those nouveau riche bastards dare to trample Heavenly Vein Land at will! Just watching it makes my insides boil!”

Whooo—. A cold wind blew. From afar, dark silhouettes approached.

The magistrate squinted, trying to make out who they were.

“Who goes there? How dare you—!”

“You said ‘trample at will’?”

Seoryeong smiled brightly. When he came to his senses, they were already seated across from him. Seeing Seoryeong take the bottle without permission and shake it lightly made anger surge.

“You wretched bitch! How dare you touch Seolbaekhwa!”

“One bottle down already?”

Seoryeong paid him no mind, gauging the liquor left inside. The faint slosh made it clear—he had emptied the bottle.

“Hwayeong, you wench, keeping your mouth shut while these filthy pests sit before me—! ...Huh?”

The magistrate tried to vent his fury on the easy target, Hwayeong, but there was no one beside him. In her place sat a straw doll covered in talismans.

“What did you intend to do with Soyeong?”

“...What. What is this....”

“I asked what you intended to do.”

Seoryeong placed the bottle back on the table, then leaned forward, curling her lips mockingly.

“Just like Janghwa and Hongryeon, you planned to use her to satisfy your greed, didn’t you? Pathetic.”

“Such reckless words! Those girls were violated by a band of thieves and, unable to live on with sullied bodies, chose righteous suicide!”

“Ha! A band of thieves?”

“Yes! Thieves—khk, khhrrk...!”

The moment he insisted it was thieves, the magistrate clutched his throat, gagging in agony, as if something were lodged there. # Nоvеlight # He vomited bright red blood.

“Heavenly Vein Land is surrounded by lakes on all sides. And yet a band of thieves comes and goes here—not the neighboring Chimyeong Land, but Heavenly Vein Land? Why bother? Even merchants rarely come.”

Seoryeong’s smile vanished.

“Thieves roaming in packs, not one or two, in a place with no money to be made? My, my. They must be extraordinarily stupid.”

“Khk...! Cough, hack.... What... what did you make me drink...!”

“What you drank was a confession brew. If you speak falsehoods, the needles inside your throat all stand upright. I prepared it especially for you—so how delightful that you drank the entire bottle.”

Cackling, Seoryeong even clapped as she enjoyed herself. Beneath the pavilion, the clear sound of water continued to flow.

“Now, speak.”

“....”

“If you do not answer my question properly, the needles will remain upright and pierce your heart. Is that acceptable? Will you abandon all wealth and glory and die by your own hand?”