I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

Yeoreum covered her face with both hands.

“Hey, Han Yeoreum.... You can get it next time, next time....”

“Do you really think Gaeul can’t receive it naturally...?”

“How are we supposed to beat that....”

The mood sank in an instant.

Watching the friends whose names had been listed for the awards ceremony, So Dami pressed her lips together. One day, she wanted her name up there too. It didn’t matter if it took a very long time. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t some grand prize.

She just wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with the friends she was with now.

“Alright! Five-minute break’s over!”

“Already?”

“Let’s practice again!”

So Dami sprang to her feet and looked down at her friends sprawled on the floor, smiling brightly. She didn’t have nearly enough qualifications to feel jealous.

“One, two, three, four—.”

“Dami, wait! I haven’t strapped on my guitar yet!”

“Hey! So Dami! I’m only holding the sticks!”

* * *

“Aren’t you tired?”

Watching Myeong Jeha catch my punches with the mitts, I threw another one. Thwack—! It made a fairly loud sound.

“Tired from this? Hardly.”

“Your schedule’s insane though.”

“Aren’t you about the same, elder?”

If I were to explain my current schedule, it would look something like this.

Mornings were usually packed with events pouring in from everywhere—photo calls, premieres, brand events—and I squeezed interviews into whatever gaps I could find.

Newspapers like Daily Media were a given, and even quick magazine interviews were lined up back-to-back.

Then there were commercial shoots mixed in.

I had just filmed ALAB’s newly renewed hair product, and aside from the main advertisement, there were countless small branding contents. Creamy Soda shot one more winter-version commercial.

‘I also have to reshoot that N brand fashion film.’

Thanks to the strong response to Yeon Huijae, commercial offers were flooding in from all directions.

Following Manager Ma’s opinion that, unlike idols, actors should minimize image overconsumption, we rejected most advertisements that came in under the Yeon Huijae concept.

‘It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.’

I had barely peeled off Seoryeong’s image properly; I couldn’t afford to cling to Yeon Huijae’s image for too long either.

So what we accepted were Smile Dairy’s new product, Melon Milk, a mix-in cocoa drink airing next month, and three comfortable bedding brands.

For 〈Seoul Metropolitan City〉 and 〈Unfair Trade〉, we held meetings with Manager Ma, Coordinator Hwang, and Dok Gogyeol about what kind of styling On Jihwa and Lee Seohae should have.

In between, I shot photos for social media feeds, and with award season hitting in a month, I even had dress fittings.

‘Even though I don’t have a film released this year, I have to attend the Baekryong Film Awards as a presenter, and since I’m nominated for KBC and the Hongsang Arts Festival, I need to be extra careful.’

Music N also sent a separate invitation. Since I had been an MC until recently, I had to at least attend Part 1 to keep appearances. Like a mid-year wrap-up, the year-end festival would also be held overseas.

‘There’s not much to prepare for departure....’

Once I returned, 〈Faster Than the Law 〉 would be releasing during Lunar New Year, so I had to prepare for stage greetings and the premiere.

And in between all that, I had to squeeze in guitar practice for the 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 OST, plus action training for 〈Seoul Metropolitan City〉 and 〈Unfair Trade〉.

Listing it all out like this, I really had been living like a maniac. Still, I didn’t feel tired.

‘So this is... the taste of being a rising actor...?’

Of course, the schedule of Myeong Jeha standing in front of me was, if anything, even worse.

His debut film 〈Crossing Lines〉 had recently won at an overseas film festival, and he had been going back and forth between departures and arrivals.

“It’s starting to look decent now.”

After even taking my kicks, Myeong Jeha smiled quietly. Obviously.

“You’ve been grinding since the day you got the script, whether your muscles were screaming or not....”

“Yeoreum. You sound like you’re clenching your teeth a little.”

“I slept covered in pain patches my first day here, elder.”

There were times I even dreamed about punching that smiling face. Myeong Jeha lightly smiled as he unbuckled the mitt strapped to his arm.

“Alright. We’ve worked out the angles. What about analysis?”

“If you mean character analysis, I’m basically done. I shared it with you.”

“I’ve already checked that. Not the character analysis. Hmm, let’s do it verbally—it’ll take a bit.”

He unstrapped the mitt and tossed it to the floor. The blue mitt landed with a dull thud.

“Now. Become Lee Seohae and dodge.”

“What?”

In response to my question, Myeong Jeha raised his fist.

“If you’re not ready, we won’t do it.”

He’s provoking me now.... Ah, that stings. He watched how much hellish training I went through and he’s still saying that? 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

‘I’ve blocked Kang Hanseong’s fists how many times during action practice....’

Myeong Jeha should be manageable.

“Ugh. Just do it. Don’t go easy on me.”

The moment I finished speaking, I heard the sound of wind slicing through the air. His fist shot straight toward my face.

“Hey, what the—! Are you crazy? Elder, what are you doing? What kind of speed is that?”

What was that? It felt like Kang Hanseong’s punch on fast-forward. I was stunned. And yet, the control was so clean it almost made me admire it.

“Guess you haven’t reached this point yet....”

At his faintly disappointed voice, I hurriedly stepped back.

“Reached what?”

“When a punch comes at you, you can’t close your eyes.”

“This is instinct! It’s that fast!”

“Yeah. But Lee Seohae isn’t someone who follows instinct.”

The moment I heard him, I understood.

Myeong Jeha wasn’t asking for a ‘pretty decent’ action scene.

He was asking for ‘perfect’ action—something where, even if you rewound frame by frame a hundred times, you’d instantly recognize the character.

“You can’t close your eyes. Is the Lee Seohae you imagined that kind of person?”

The Lee Seohae I analyzed was a sociopath.

She struggles in daily life because she cannot properly grasp the emotions ordinary people feel.

If I had to categorize her, she’d be something like a quiet mania that doesn’t show on the surface.

When people think of sociopathy, they often think of obsession first, but I thought of people who display manic symptoms when I built Lee Seohae.

First, persistently increased goal-directed activity.

Second, inflated self-esteem or severely exaggerated confidence.

Third, decreased need for sleep.

Lee Seohae cannot properly feel emotions like danger or anxiety.

Rather, when she sees people lose their composure from those emotions, she places herself above them.

I am different.

I am superior to others.

Lee Seohae would have floated at the edges of society, unable to fully blend in. Her life itself would feel slightly untethered. I imagined a subtly elevated, quiet sociopath.

“No. My Lee Seohae doesn’t close her eyes.”

Lee Seohae analyzes fiercely, again and again.

Not just crimes—even the smallest events in daily life must first pass through her head.

That light sentence people casually say to close friends—“I think I know what you mean.” Lee Seohae is the kind of person who would live her entire life never understanding that.

She understands through logic, analyzes through evidence, and only then reaches conclusions. That’s Lee Seohae.

She has to take in every single movement of her opponent with her eyes before she’s satisfied. She isn’t afraid of getting hurt.

She’s only shaken when her calculations are wrong.

“Good. Then this time, become On Jihwa and block.”

Once again, his fist came near my face.

‘Block it?’

Half on instinct, I crossed both arms over my face. Through the gap, I kept my eyes open, making sure not to miss his expression.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

Myeong Jeha withdrew his fist and walked toward the refrigerator.

“I said, well?”

“Terrible.”

He grabbed two water bottles in one hand and strode back toward me. In just a few long steps, he was right in front of me.

“I blocked it well.”

“Yeoreum.”

He opened one bottle and handed it to me, smiling brightly.

“Why would a national athlete with a shoulder injury block with her arms?”

“...What?”

Then what was I supposed to use? There was nothing else to block with. Was I supposed to use the surroundings? What was the core of the problem he gave me?

As I tried to spin my thoughts as fast as possible, he gave a simple answer.

“If she gets bitten, it’s over. And those arms are directly tied to her career. She wouldn’t use them so recklessly.”

“Then how should I have blocked?”

“Not blocked. Run. On Jihwa is fast.”

“...You told me to block.”

“If you truly understood On Jihwa, you wouldn’t have followed the instruction.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Also, On Jihwa never lets go of her bow. If she really had to block someone, she’d hold the bow horizontally, gripping both ends. That’s the proper stance. Then it can’t bite. Ha.”

I was about to protest, but his action analysis ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) was so flawless I couldn’t speak.

Using your body meant first completely dominating your unconscious.

‘I didn’t know....’

I’d never done action before. It was completely different from using your body on a theater stage.

This wasn’t about moving arms and legs.

It was about desperately fighting someone.

“Alright. Then let’s start again, keeping that feeling.”

At some point, Myeong Jeha had already finished his water and strapped the mitt back onto his arm.

“Aren’t you going to practice?”

“Me?”

The word Really? was practically written across his face. I lost my voice. Right.... You can’t beat experience....

“Oh right, Yeoreum. Did I tell you this?”

“Tell me what?”

With the mitts on both arms, as if telling me to hit him, Myeong Jeha spoke in a low voice.

I froze where I stood.

“...What did you just say? What did you say, elder?”

“So let’s work hard, Yeoreum.”

* * *

[NetHolics to Launch First Korean Original... “Will Become the Hub of Asian Content”]

This morning, global OTT platform NetHolics officially announced its first original drama production in Korea. The news marks its full-scale entry into the domestic content market.

NetHolics stated, “We will begin producing original content together with Korean creators,” revealing that it has launched a project in which it will participate in the entire process—from planning to investment to distribution. The project is drawing particular attention as NetHolics has chosen Korea as its Asian content base, following Japan... (omitted)

As this is their first project, major names have flocked to it. Writer Seomun Ihwa’s first attempt at an apocalypse genre has become a hot topic. A lineup of the industry’s hottest actors is set to appear... (omitted)

Casting news of Do Gyeoul, known as “NetHolics’ Woman” after ranking No.1 for 23 consecutive weeks on Japanese NetHolics, has become a sensation.

“Finally! NetHolics is coming to Korea!”

Aetami scrolled down at the welcome news.

“Holy—.”

After reading the article, Aetami rubbed her eyes.

Han Yeoreum, Myeong Jeha, Do Gyeoul.

The article stated that the three leads commonly called DaeYeJong’s golden generation would appear in the same project.