I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

* * *

Director Gong of stared at his laptop screen.

“Hoo....”

An excessively timid personality shone in moments like this. After countless revisions, Director Gong had finally completed the final draft of .

“It’s really done now....”

had achieved a success that far exceeded expectations, and the pressure was no joke.

A Chungmuro civil servant through and through, Director Gong’s focus was on finding ways to satisfy the audience as much as possible.

The leads were textbook characters of a cop-buddy film. The brain type and the brawn type. With Detective Kwak around, audiences could be certain that things would somehow be forced through and won with sheer strength.

‘You get that punchy satisfaction people want from an action movie.’

And on the flip side, with Detective Yoon around, audiences also felt confident that corruption would be uncovered without too much trouble.

‘You get reassurance that things won’t stay frustrating, and that there won’t be more victims.’

A clean structure of clearly defined evil and the execution of justice provided refreshing catharsis. Even the somewhat exaggerated violence could be tolerated thanks to Kwak Cheolsik’s character.

‘The certainty that our side is reliable.’

twisted clichés in a subtle way.

Thanks to the captain striking it rich with cryptocurrency, they no longer had to obsess over investigation expenses. Alongside Detective Kwak, who was unmatched in physical force, Detective Yoon—who looked like he would strictly follow every rule—would push ahead with illegal investigations if necessity demanded it.

And then, finally—

‘Han Yeoreum.’

Han Yeoreum wasn’t just a disposable extra in . At some point, audiences instinctively picked up on it whenever she appeared.

‘That an intentionally placed funny scene is about to come.’

When Detective Kwak pretends to be smart, when Detective Yoon gets reduced to something trivial, when Han Yeoreum becomes spirited—each character carries their own unique comedic code.

‘That clean, refreshed feeling when you leave the theater. Most of that comes from Han Yeoreum.’

A sweetener that turns what could become a heavy, bitter crime drama into something palatable. A role that stabilizes the center so the action between Detective Yoon and Detective Kwak shines even more.

“Short version: there’s no sweet-potato frustration!”

Light and easy to enjoy, and the actor who best embodied themes that female audiences could empathize with.

“So of course her screen time has to increase.”

In this , Han Yeoreum would appear in earnest. Clearly a supporting role, but given the subject matter, she would be far more memorable than in the first film.

“Okay. Then shall we print it out now?”

Director Gong looked at the script without a trace of regret.

In the Gangnam District area, a drug called ‘Butterfly,’ known only to those in the know, is selling like hotcakes at pharmacies. The effect is undeniable. Appetite disappears, and weight drops like a feather.

The problem is that the effect can send people flying too.

Dry mouth. Insomnia. Palpitations. Irritability. Even dizziness.

To cover up the side effects, some dermatology clinics begin recommending ‘anesthesia.’

They say that if you sleep briefly, hazily, and wake up, you’ll meet yourself reborn as a beautiful butterfly—and women dreaming of the perfect body close their eyes for just a moment....

“Well done. Yeah, it’s fun. It’s really fun.”

And as if to suppress his anxiety, he muttered habitually.

“Even if overseas export reactions aren’t great.... Yeah.... I’m fine.... As long as number 2 does well domestically....”

was set to be released in Taiwan soon.

* * *

This was the new JC ENM headquarters. The marketing department was on standby to produce content for Yeoreum, who had gone to the airport for her overseas schedule.

Just yesterday, her name had gone up on casting board.

“Hey, newbie. I sent you the keywords # Nоvеlight # in advance, right? Pure. First love. Eun Baekhap. We need to rotate those three.”

“Yes! Got it!”

Watching the spirited reply from the newbie, Manager Hong tilted his head.

“Why do you seem so fired up lately? You’re even more intense than when you first joined.”

“It’s fun. Raising Han Yeoreum.”

“Anyone would think you raised her single-handedly.”

Manager Hong snorted and turned his gaze back to the monitor. He interlaced his fingers and stretched them straight out in front of him.

Crack—!

The bones made a loud sound. After loosening his stiff fingers, Manager Hong cracked his neck once to the right, once to the left.

“Alright. Before airport photos get taken, let’s take care of something first.”

News that Han Yeoreum had been cast as Yeon Huijae in had spread just yesterday. For now, reactions saying she didn’t fit were outweighing those saying she did.

[HOT Casting Board Final.jpg (+ Eun Baekhap child role)]

— Everyone else is fine, but Han Yeoreum and Eun Baekhap don’t fit lol feels like miscasting T_T

— If it’s Baekhap, it should be pure, delicate, that kind of vibe, but Han Yeoreum is kinda far from that.... How is someone who was doing shaman dances supposed to be first love

ㄴ yeah fr lol so awkward

— But she’s good at acting, why is the reaction like this T_T.. I like it

ㄴ 222 if the material is that heavy, the child role has to be damn good too

— What a waste of Gi Juye.. when the casting photos were going around, I really thought she fit perfectly

ㄴ same TT_TT I liked Gi Juye too T_T I was expecting her to have better face chemistry with Myeong Jeha than Joo Junseo, fuck

The problem was that Han Yeoreum had already rubbed Eun Baekhap’s fandom the wrong way. The more presence a child role showed, the more sensitive the lead actor’s fans became. An atmosphere of “Eun Baekhap is untouchable” was easily formed.

‘The problem is that the public follows that....’

Regardless of acting skill, fandom wars were unwinnable.

Ppongdang @pppongdang___e

(Han Yeoreum.jpg) (Eun Baekhap.jpg)

Is it really you...? Baby Eun Baekhap...?

Retweets 2,341 Likes 4,432

ㄴ OnlyBaekhap @ONLY_lily

lol what, Eun Baekhap isn’t some ancestral spirit. Don’t shove a mother role onto a real person in her prime, it’s burdensome and ridiculous

Manager Hong’s hands moved busily. He couldn’t touch Tr*tter directly, but he had to get ahead of community reactions at least.

Input: lol what, just looking at her usual SNS pics she fits insanely well T_T I’m so tired of people chanting “doesn’t fit” like a mantra hehe

Manager Hong cycled through several IDs as he worked. This was the entertainment industry. The clumsy didn’t survive.

Input: Whoever it is, it’s better than Gi Juye lol

Input: Why do people keep bringing up idols being better T_T I just want dramas to have actors only, idols ruin immersion;

Bzzz—.

Almost as soon as Manager Hong posted, a reply popped up.

2222 lol seriously, wish they’d stop forcing idols in..T_T Even if it seems awkward at first, the end result is way better than just shoving in idols for their faces

It was the newbie sitting next to him. Their eyes met. Then they nodded.

It wasn’t just the two of them. The PR team staff worked from all sides to quell reactions claiming “Han Yeoreum doesn’t suit a first-love role.”

Tap— tap— tap—.

The sound of typing echoed through the office.

“Sending over ‘Han Yeoreum First Love Moments.mp4’—.”

“Post the behind-the-scenes capture later this evening!”

“Should we schedule more photo-wall events? It’s almost spring, so new airy outfits will be coming out.”

“Once we get those, N Company’s new product pictorial will come out anyway, and we’ll blast press coverage then.”

Everything clicked smoothly. Manager Hong kept his hands moving, his mouth never stopping.

“Ah, seriously, we need— to do— variety shows. Don’t you think.”

“Yeah. Nothing changes an image quite like variety shows.”

Her first variety appearance, , had made a significant impact. Combined with Seoryeong’s character from , it had even entered Intube’s trending videos.

“But just being funny won’t cut it.”

A way to change her image while minimizing image consumption.

“For now, Manager Ma says he’ll put together a proper project after he gets back from Taiwan.”

That was exactly what Han Yeoreum needed right now.

* * *

“Yeoreum, we’re almost there—.”

This was Incheon International Airport. After parking the car smoothly, Manager Choi woke me up. I’d basically pulled an all-nighter discussing the Yeon Huijae concept with Ryu Risa and Dok Gomin, so my eyes kept closing.

“I’m up....”

Even this weight of fatigue—if you were a star actor, you’d probably have to carry it as your due without complaint.

‘Who am I?’

A rising Korean star flying out to Taiwan for an overseas fan meeting before even holding a domestic one.... Han Yeoreum....

[ Taiwan fan meeting ticketing war... First round sold out in 30 seconds “We love the Myeongryeong couple”]

[1,500 seats sold out... Premium drama brings Hallyu popularity]

[Is igniting another Hallyu wave, the unstoppable popularity of the ‘Myeongryeong couple’]

That’s right. had succeeded in domestic Blu-ray funding and even achieved the milestone of holding overseas fan meetings. And today was the day the team departed for Taiwan.