I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

The owner of the Carnival was Joo Junseo.

“What are you doing not going in?”

“I’m enjoying the feeling of being a celebrity....”

“Cut it out and get inside.”

Joo Junseo looked at me with a face that clearly did not understand what I was doing.

But he probably had no idea what this meant to me — someone who spent nearly ten years nameless, finally getting an interview.

“Yes! Daily Media, speaking.”

“Wasn’t that pushed to next week?”

Daily Media seemed extremely busy. Joo Junseo’s manager hurried over to someone — probably the reporter who was supposed to interview us today.

“Ah! Welcome. Nice to meet you.”

The reporter greeted us and handed each of us a business card.

“I’m Wi Jaehwi from Daily Media. Please feel free to call me Reporter Wi. I’m really enjoying . A friend recommended it, and wow. You’re both so good at acting.”

“I’m Joo Junseo. Thank you for the compliment.”

“I’m Han Yeoreum! Thank you so, so much for inviting us.”

Even the texture of the business card in my hand — I didn’t want to forget it.

‘But his face looks familiar. Where have I seen him ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) before?’

While I was trying to figure it out, we were guided into the interview room.

“To help you relax, we’ll do the photo shoot after the interview. Facial expressions come out much more natural that way.”

Reporter Wi opened his laptop as he explained. In front of us sat a single voice recorder.

“Alright then, let’s start with the first question. Please tell me how you felt when you first encountered the project .”

I answered everything I possibly could. I never imagined a day would come when I could openly explain my acting to someone. Answering the questions was unbelievably enjoyable.

* * *

The basement studio of Daily Media. Han Yeoreum and Joo Junseo stood in front of the camera, there to shoot some extra individual cuts.

‘I got a few natural shots from the interview room, but that’s not enough.’

For these kinds of articles, you needed several pictures you could rotate through, especially because the interview would be split into multiple parts when uploaded. Reporter Wi lifted the camera and pointed the lens toward Joo Junseo.

‘He really is a model. Joo Junseo.’

No matter what pose he struck, he produced magazine-cover quality shots. Just turning his face lightly a few times made great photos come out.

“Yes, Junseo, that’s good—!”

Click—! Click—!

The shutter fired continuously. Reporter Wi checked the shots and smiled in satisfaction.

“Alright, Yeoreum, please stand where Junseo was.”

The shots from the interview room had turned out natural, but you never knew. Newcomers tended to freeze up the moment they stepped into a studio.

‘Though... that’s part of the charm of rookies. It’s cute.’

Reporter Wi decided to be lenient. Thinking of Yeoreum’s role as Chaewon in , a little stiffness might actually suit the character anyway.

“Okay, I’m shooting now. Look here—.”

But after a few shutter clicks, Reporter Wi was startled. Joo Junseo was impressive, sure, but Han Yeoreum used her body well too. There was no trace of that typical stiff-shouldered awkwardness.

“Reporter! Can you take them a little closer? You know... something with a rookie vibe... a bright smiling shot....”

She even looked thirsty for the camera. Han Yeoreum’s eyes sparkled.

“Sorry. It’s my first interview. I want to show my mom....”

Reporter Wi readily accepted the request. Close-ups were often better anyway than half-body shots.

Han Yeoreum’s eyes were alive.

「A Second-Glance Effect (C)」

Offline or online, what a star needs most is the public’s gaze! Whether it’s your real-life presence, your photos or videos, or even just your voice — people pause an extra moment to focus on you.

* * *

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll give you a ride. Get in.”

Joo Junseo opened the car door. I didn’t refuse — I hopped right in.

It was my first time riding in a celebrity’s car.

‘Even the sound of the engine turning on feels different.’

I looked around the interior with great interest.

‘I’m definitely going to ride in one of these someday.’

Why? Because I’m Han Yeoreum — future first exclusive actress of JC ENM.... Ah. Cool.

“Sunbae.”

“What.”

“When our interview comes out, can you tag me in your story? So my followers increase...”

“...Couldn’t you at least sugar-coat that a little?”

“Sorry. It’s my first interview.... I got too excited. I didn’t know I shouldn’t ask for things like that....”

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

Playing the pitiful rookie lines while acting discouraged made Joo Junseo give in almost instantly. I met eyes with his manager through the rearview mirror.

‘You realized it too, Yeoreum....’

‘Thanks to you....’

It was the silent exchange between accomplices who both knew exactly how to handle Joo Junseo. With this, I had secured him as a connection.

‘Anyone else out there? Someone who can help me catch up to Do Gyeoul as fast as possible....’

I was basking in the feeling of being a celebrity inside the comfortable car when we were almost at my house — and then it hit me.

“Ah!!! I remember!!!”

Wi Jaehwi. Reporter and drama-reaction Intuber. It finally clicked.

Intube

@DrDrama.M — 570K subscribers

Daily Media joined the massive wave of Intube’s growth a few years later. The company opened its own channel — and it did extremely well.

‘At first it started with reaction videos.’

Later, as the scale grew, they even brought celebrities in for interview videos. Not only that — they collaborated and produced various projects together.

‘Among them, the most famous was Reporter Wi Jaehwi.’

Among the reporters listed anonymously as A, B, C, Reporter Wi was active as “DrDrama.B.”

What a fortunate coincidence!

‘Good. That’s one more person I can rope into my network.’

I saved the number on the business card Reporter Wi had given me.

* * *

The demographic most sensitive to trends — yet also the easiest to lose with even a slightly clumsy attempt at marketing. The group where balancing trendy and tacky was most difficult.

[Pi Chaewon sneakers]

They were the teens — the largest slice of ’s viewer base. The impact of , released up to Episode 4, was spreading outward centered on this age group.

[Pi Chaewon cardigan]

They especially wanted to copy Pi Chaewon’s styling. In the drama, Pi Chaewon carried a vibe that felt half straight-out-of-a-shoujo-manga, half grounded in reality.

Her straight black full bangs, long hair, and the pastel-tone jacket she removed to create a more realistic styling left her in a light gray cardigan.

Compared to the brown student dress shoes worn by the other students, the white sneakers stood out — their sales skyrocketing in a short period.

[Pi Chaewon Son Min-su]

Before long, the word “Son Min-su” was attached to Pi Chaewon’s name.

More and more viewers began setting Pi Chaewon’s photos as their profile pictures. The photos Yeoreum uploaded on her own SNS from the filming site spread far and wide.

-I seriously want to dress like Pi Chaewon at school TT_TT why is our school uniform so ugly.... Guess I’ll just Son Min-su her sneakers

-Does anyone know what brand Pi Chaewon’s bag is? T_T I can’t find it anywhere

˪ If you ask on Yousta she’ll probably reply? try dm’ing

And of course, advertisers caught on to consumer reactions. Companies whose branding targeted teens and twenties started circulating Pi Chaewon’s name and photos.

-Han Yeoreum (Web drama. ParCheHi lead.) 20 years old. Student at DaeYeJong