I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

[Issue Board / The advertising industry is going crazy right now LOOOLL.jpg]

(I want to buy it. Still, I want to try buying it.jpg)

Apparently, from NEVER to every SNS banner you open right now, it’s nothing but 〈The Great ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Garland〉 famous-quote compilations LOLOLOL

(No one took me with them.jpg)

Overseas travel ticket ads

(....I’m going to become rich.jpg)

Bank ads

(Oh my? You can speak English too?.jpg)

English academy ads

(I should tell them... that gum is dog gum....jpg)

Pet supply ads

(Would it be a luxury to feed a bite to a lady?.jpg)

Food delivery ads

(Where did those shoes come from?.jpg)

Department store sale ads

(So spirited!.jpg)

Gym ads

(Don’t lose me!.jpg)

Insurance ads

They say it’s so flooded with Garland everywhere that even people who didn’t watch it have memorized the lines LOOOLLL

– fr it’s like they’ve been waiting for this exact day LOLOLOL

– It started trickling last week but now it’s pouring

ㄴ It’s beyond pouring, it’s a flood. I didn’t even watch it but I know the whole plot TT_TT

– What is that English academy doing, are they insane LOLOLOLOLOL

The advertising industry had bitten down hard.

* * *

I refreshed my phone.

After 〈The Great Garland〉 ended, the fan cafe membership increased by fifty people.

“Unbelievable!”

Now wait. If you asked an ordinary person, their reaction would probably be this:

Ordinary person: Only... fifty?

But what if you asked an actor fan?

Actor fan: Are you crazy? Fifty in one day?!

Exactly.

This isn’t like general community live threads. This is a cafe built purely around one actor as content. You have to intentionally join.

Even a popular male actor’s fan cafe with seven thousand members doesn’t get that many new sign-ups in a day. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

On days with good material, maybe forty posts get uploaded.

Since acting targets the general public, most reactions happen through Intube clips, articles, and community posts.

“But I got twenty-seven new posts in my fan cafe in one day!”

If they came all the way into the cafe, it meant they genuinely liked me enough to follow my future work. Real fans.

“Kyyaaaaaaa!”

Every time the number ticked up, electricity ran through my body. I kicked the mattress repeatedly.

And I didn’t forget something important.

I captured every single new introduction post uploaded to my fan cafe 〈Summer Days〉 and moved them into my gallery folder.

[I watched 〈The Great Garland〉 and became such a fan. I really enjoyed 〈Strange Tales〉 too, and this is how my first stanning begins~ I joined because I want to support this wonderful actress, hehe]

“Should I just buy a new phone? With bigger storage.”

Between saving my GIFs and photos from the Garland gallery, acting analysis posts, and everything from 〈Summer Days〉, my phone had started lagging.

“I have so many replies to send but the keypad is too slow.”

The moment Episode 4 ended last night, messages poured in.

Dami and Gaeul.

Joo Junseo sunbae and Yun Hyeonjo sunbae.

Kwak Cheolsik sunbae.

Tak Jeongyun sunbae and the theater unnis.

Professor Noh Jeongyeon.

My classmates.

Director Gong and Director Jang.

Director So and the MBS Center Director.

Seo Eden.

Shim Juhwan sunbae, DJ of “Two O’Clock Nap.”

The radio PD and writers.

Reporters I knew and Reporter Wi from Daily Media.

Kang Hanseong, the martial arts director from Do It and It Works Action Academy.

Manager Ma and Manager Hong.

Dok Gomin unni and Director Dok Gogyeol.

And even Ryu Risa.

“And even people I never expected....”

The grandmothers from Danbok-ri who acted with me in 〈No Interest Whatsoever〉 had sent messages too. They said they watched it and loved it.

They usually don’t message in case I’m busy.

They had taken photos of their TV screens showing me and sent them.

This thrill of the world’s attention pouring onto me. This fullness of being drenched in love.

“So this is... the taste of being a lead...?”

Bzzzt—

Right then.

As if sealing it, one final message arrived.

[You worked hard.]

At last. A message from Professor Geum Bitgang.

“Ah! Just say it honestly! That you’re proud I grew even more than in 〈Strange Tales〉! That I’m your favorite doll, the legendary actress Geum Bitgang’s treasured doll! That there’s no other actress in her twenties who can replace me!”

I rolled across the bed.

If that strict master acknowledged me, it meant no one could find even a speck lacking in my Yeon Huijae.

It was certification.

A perfect Huijae.

Ding!

[An eighth title has been granted.]

Title: Dok Gomin’s Muse / So Yesol’s Muse / Iconic Rookie / Pi Chaewon / Acting Rookie / Visual Type / Seoryeong / Nation’s First Love <<

“Who am I?”

Finally, the word “Nation” had attached itself to my name.

* * *

“Hey, Haebeom. Seriously, that investment was genius. I knew you had good instincts, but not like this. I shouldn’t have tried to stop you back then.”

Jinhae.

The set of 〈The Great Garland〉, burning hotter by the day.

No one felt the current popularity more keenly than industry insiders.

Garland had secured nationwide buzz. The acting. The direction. The artistry. All certified.

Low ratings, shrinking budgets, declining quality, early cancellations — that had been the recent pattern. Advertisers were no longer tempted.

If this continued, next year would be a disaster. Once current dramas ended, how would the gap be filled?

When brands had kept their wallets closed, 〈The Great Garland〉 flipped the board entirely.

It reminded everyone that viewers were still starving for masterpieces.

Money that had been frozen began flooding in.

You could almost hear the production budget doubling.

“Apparently advertisers are exhausting Writer Ahn. Script revisions, story adjustments...”

“Hey! Director Ja turned off his phone all day yesterday because of that. Just left a message saying, ‘Not my problem.’”

“That’s our director.”

“They say the Center Director is coming down to Jinhae.”

With endless PPL pouring in, Director Ja had practically become a god.

Every minute and second of Garland was being etched into viewers’ hearts. Every prop was advertising itself.

The fountain pen Huijae used.

The shoes Huijae wore.

The lipstick Huijae applied.

Huijae. Our Huijae. The Nation’s First Love Yeon Huijae.

“The sponsorship for the latter-half set will be handled.”

“Are you kidding? Even hotels in Jeju are offering locations.”

“Location shoots cost a fortune.”

“They said they’ll cover the costs.”

Even the vase and lighting in Huijae’s room — people were desperate to own them.

“Wow, I’m dying.”

“Don’t die yet. The cue sheets are going to change like crazy.”

Dark circles hung under the staff’s eyes as they rushed past Ji Haebeom. Countless people were trying to slip in through connections.

The production team’s phones were on the verge of exploding from brand inquiries.

“You’re no joke either, Ji Haebeom—.”

His manager held up his phone, grinning.

Adult Huijae and adult Taeseok had appeared for barely ten minutes yesterday.

And yet.

Ji Haebeom’s image was solidifying.

[“Ji Haebeom, I see you differently now~.” Boldly invests in a drama on the brink of cancellation, patriotic national star]

[Domestic drama regains wings despite industry restrictions... “Lead actor investment was a god-tier move” Ji Haebeom’s grand decision]

Ji Haebeom let out a low whistle.

“So it turned out even better than I thought.”

He had known Han Yeoreum was interesting. Known her talent surpassed even the word genius.

But not like this.

“This is just the beginning.”

The real firepower of 〈The Great Garland〉 would start now.

Viewers watching Gi Taeseok needed reasons.

Why he must survive.

Why he must succeed.

Why, even after gaining everything, his heart would remain barren.

If the answer was Yeon Huijae—

Everyone would accept it.

Because Yeon Huijae was the engine that drove Garland from beginning to end.

“If we’re not careful, they’ll say the narrative’s thin...”

Overwrought emotion could easily invite ridicule. A love worth dying for could feel like a convenient excuse.

Throwing away your life over a childhood encounter.

It could seem flimsy.

But the impact of that tragic first love was drilling violently into viewers’ hearts.

“If that’s the case...”

The most-viewed clip from yesterday’s episode wasn’t the wedding.

It was the boy sobbing alone in the forest.

The face of Taeseok, desperately calling Huijae’s name over and over — the name he had treasured but never dared to fully say — surpassed one million views in a day. Over three thousand comments.

“One side is at a disadvantage.”

Viewers were now sincerely rooting for Taeseok.

Naturally, attention would flow toward Haebeom, who played the adult Taeseok.

Meanwhile, Huijae would remain fixed in memory as the past.

Impossible to forget.

Therefore destined to be loved forever.

That Huijae.

Soaked in rain, smiling bravely.

“Not Eun Baekhap.”

Ji Haebeom read the shape of Eun Baekhap’s lips as she stared at her phone across the set.

“...Wow. Temper.”

Their eyes met.

The coldness in her gaze flickered, then she dipped her head politely with a pure expression.

But emotion clung to her footsteps as she walked away.

“Something’s going to happen.”

For the record, Eun Baekhap’s lips had formed this:

F*cking b*tch.