I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

The OST was the music that had played during the most-viewed scene from Episode 4 — the moment where the boy Taeseok cried alone, calling Huijae’s name.

— The title is insane... how am I supposed not to click this TT__TT

The title of the OST alone brought viewers of 〈The Great Garland〉 to their knees. Once the lyrics were added, everyone who listened fell deep into emotional immersion.

— Wow I was wondering why they weren’t releasing this song... they waited on purpose to drop it now;; chills

The official music video thumbnail showed young Huijae. Seeing Huijae smiling brightly while soaked in rainwater made people instinctively click the video.

The moment the music video was released, the view count skyrocketed.

— Ja Sokhwan stop it please I’m begging you TT_TT

— As expected, Seokhwan really has a genius talent for driving people insane

— Not a single English word in the lyrics...^^ It’s such a good song that fits the era depicted in the drama... I’ll probably listen to it for a very long time...

— 1:29 feels like a letter Taeseok is sending to Huijae... my heart hurts

Part 1 consisted of young Taeseok, Huijae, and Taejin.

Part 2 consisted of adult Taeseok, Huijae, and Taejin.

Watching the music video, fans of 〈The Great Garland〉 felt a new wave of chills.

Like suddenly remembering their first love.

— Wait are they seriously using behind-the-scenes cuts here???

Behind-the-scenes footage that never appeared in the broadcast.

Scenes that had been cut from the official episode were inserted here and there. There weren’t many.

Even so, it made viewers cover their mouths in shock.

Huijae waiting inside the wall before throwing a pebble at Taeseok.

Her frowning expression when she struggled while studying Joseon language alone.

Her shy smile while choosing clothes.

The determined way she wiped raindrops from her forehead.

Just hearing the song lyrics while seeing young Huijae again made it feel as if time had returned to a few weeks earlier.

What Huijae had been like.

How we had fallen in love with Huijae.

All of it came rushing back vividly.

But the moment that truly tore apart the hearts of 〈The Great Garland〉 viewers was the final part of the first verse.

— You psychopath... I just became a tragic woman crying on the subway during my commute home

In the broadcast, the camera had lingered on Huijae’s back as she cried with both hands covering her mouth.

But in the music video, it lingered on her tear-filled face instead.

Watching Huijae desperately trying to suppress her sobs made something stir in the viewers’ hearts.

mailEyeoreum EverydayIsSummer

(music video gif)

Right... this is how our baby used to live

Retweets 15K Likes 31K

Facing Huijae’s past again — something they had briefly forgotten — the viewers’ feelings shifted.

Instead of only admiring the Huijae of the present, their affection for the fragile child Huijae grew stronger.

Why do people attach such great meaning to “firsts”?

It felt as though Yeon Huijae, portrayed by Han Yeoreum, was answering that question.

It was a feeling that could only be understood with the heart.

It was irresistible.

When the season you shared with someone returns...

When you see objects that remind you of them...

When you alone cannot forget a promise you once made together...

Then, without being able to escape it, you feel a love that pulls you back to the beginning.

Depending on interpretation, the OST sounded like Taeseok’s feelings, or Taejin’s feelings.

Then again, it also felt like Huijae’s own feelings.

The song quickly climbed the charts even among the flood of Christmas carols.

[87. Huijae ▲177]

The speed was terrifying.

* * *

“We won. Right?”

“Of course. We won.”

Manager Hong and Manager Ma of JC ENM clinked their cups of Americano together.

The plastic cups didn’t make a cheerful sound, but they didn’t care.

“Hehehe... this coffee tastes amazing.”

“Right? It just wipes away all the fatigue.”

They were literally ecstatic.

Nothing else mattered.

All those nights of staying late and sacrificing sleep had paid off.

“At this point the result is already decided!”

“Obviously!”

The actors’ side might pressure them over who should win the Best Couple Award.

But if the voting power leaned toward them, JC ENM wasn’t the type to sit quietly.

[“Please change Eun Baekhap to Han Yeoreum” — Netizens buzz over 〈The Great Garland〉 photo cards]

[“Han Yeoreum instead of Eun Baekhap” complaints... Limited pop-up store goods even selling at premium prices ⎜〈The Great Garland〉]

The only reason these articles weren’t dominating the top of internet news rankings was JC ENM’s consideration.

Before stepping on Eun Baekhap to climb higher, they were willing to maintain a certain balance.

“Manager Hong. How are things moving on the Bon Actors side?”

“They’ll probably push the influence of Huijae in Garland. If they’re smart, they’ll know the cards we’re holding.”

Right now, the most-liked comments on Intube were completely dominated by the child actors.

People were overwhelmingly immersed in the story of young Huijae and Taeseok.

No matter how large Eun Baekhap’s core fandom was, if she tried to insist on the Best Couple Award in this atmosphere, JC ENM was ready to flip the entire table.

“Oh? Manager! Look at this!”

“What? Already?”

In the meantime, the music video featuring Han Yeoreum’s face had not only taken #1 on Intube’s real-time trending videos, but also—

[1. Huijae ▲80]

It had completely smashed through the seemingly unbreakable wall of the Christmas carol playlists.

It reached #1 in an instant.

* * *

[HOT / The song everyone is freaking out about right now.jpg]

(music video thumbnail.jpg)

With Christmas approaching, people are saying this song is sending everyone to the psychiatric ward for a party

Anonymous1: At this point Seokhwan should pay our hospital bills

ㄴ Anonymous3: Yeah he should cover the hospitalization fees too

Anonymous23: The song is really good but I’m secretly crying while listening

Anonymous37: Gi Taeseok... what kind of love did you have TT_TT

Anonymous68: I usually only play the TOP100 chart but today I’ve had this song on repeat

ㄴ Anonymous92: Same here LMAOO

“Ja Sokhwan, you bastard...”

At that moment, inside the KBC Drama Center, the director of the center — who was monitoring the reaction to the 〈The Great Garland〉 OST — pressed his fingers against his forehead.

“If people had to pick a single protagonist for this drama, most of them would probably say Gi Taeseok.”

Scrolling through the comments, the director muttered quietly.

Even now, the music video views were climbing endlessly.

“But they’re wrong.”

The true core was Yeon Huijae.

Only Huijae possessed the power to pull every single viewer along until the final episode.

Her power had already proven that fact from Episode 1.

“What viewers are curious about... is Huijae’s choice.”

Which love would Huijae choose — Taeseok or Taejin?

And how would she part with the other man?

Without realizing it, viewers inevitably focused all their attention on Huijae.

Because it was Huijae who would decide the ending of this story.

More than anything, the song made listeners constantly remember Huijae.

“This is seriously insane.”

The director then checked the categories for the upcoming year-end awards ceremony.

Posts about the OST were appearing across every community, and naturally, curiosity about who would win Best Couple was rising as well.

[Community chatter / Honestly Garland should give the award to the child actors]

The early buzz and attention were all thanks to the kids. If not for them it wouldn’t have exploded like this. The adult actors are good too but in my heart the kids are still the best TT_TT

— Even now it’s fun, but the story from Episodes 1 to 4 was legendary

ㄴ Seriously it’ll go down in K-drama history

ㄴ I think the best couple is those two too LOLOLOL It would feel disappointing if the adults got it...

— The adult actors will probably win Best Actor and Best Actress anyway, so I think Best Couple should go to the kids!

ㄴ But they’ll win Rookie Awards too, right?

There was a reason the judges’ evaluation counted in addition to the vote totals.

Beyond the number of core fans, the broadcasting station had other things to consider.

“In terms of public appeal, Eun Baekhap is losing badly...”

The director muttered to himself before letting out a hollow laugh.

That Eun Baekhap.

A top actress whose name most people could recognize just by seeing her face.

Yet he was now saying she was losing public appeal to a rising actress.

It sounded absurd even to himself.

But what could he do?

The public had fallen in love once again with child Huijae.

“Just look at the comments under the music video. The result is already decided.”

Even though behind-the-scenes footage of adult Huijae — Eun Baekhap — had also been included, everyone’s attention was focused on Han Yeoreum.

“In the voting they’ll win by a landslide, but...”

At the moment, with several episodes featuring the adult Taejin–Huijae story already airing, the #1 and #2 spots in the popularity vote both belonged to Eun Baekhap.

But as soon as the song was released, the ranking flipped.

2nd place. Myeong Jeha – Han Yeoreum (〈The Great Garland〉)

“Eun Baekhap’s pride must have taken quite a hit.”

But there was nothing that could be done.

If anything, they were lucky the song had been released right before the voting closed.

“Eun Baekhap isn’t stupid. She must know it too.”

If the song had been released just a little earlier, viewers might have watched the adult Huijae while still remembering someone they couldn’t forget.

Even if Ji Haebeom and Eun Baekhap won the vote count, they couldn’t stop the viewers’ hearts from leaning toward one side.

“The result was bound to be decided.”

* * *

Muaaang @maaaaang

Buying Taeseok–Huijae four-cut photo

Please name your price TT__TT

#TheGreatGarland #Garland #GiYeonCouple #MyeongJeha #HanYeoreum

After the 〈The Great Garland〉 pop-up ended, the thing that appeared most when searching my name was posts buying the four-cut photo.

“It’s not even trade posts anymore...!”

That meant just how many people had fallen deep into emotional immersion after watching the music video.

Today I was at the airport to attend the MusicN year-end awards ceremony overseas.

But I wasn’t as nervous as before.

‘I’m already used to airport fashion photos now.’

Well... it’s exciting when it happens once or twice.

But I was already in my third year since debut. Slowly shedding the rookie image and settling into my place...

Click click click click—

“Hello Han Yeoreum!”

“Please look this way once!”

The moment I stepped out of the car, shutter sounds burst out everywhere.

The noise level was noticeably louder than before.

‘There are a lot of other celebrities at the airport today because of the MusicN event.’

Idols, models, actors.

But the temperature of the attention was different.

Much hotter.

‘Is this... the power of terrestrial broadcasting...?’

The attention after 〈Strange Tales〉 ended had been different in nature.

Now I could instantly feel what it meant to have the title “national” attached to your name.

“Ah, damn. I picked the wrong day.”

“Seriously. It’s so noisy...”

Airport passengers who had seemed ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) completely uninterested in celebrities frowned and complained — then their eyes met mine.

“Huh? Oh?”

They didn’t seem to remember my name, but I could recognize the delight in their gaze.

One of them vigorously tapped the shoulder of the person next to them.

“Oh! Oh!”

= Hey look at that person!

The other person turned to look at me and widened their eyes.

“The Eun Baekhap child actor!”

Even middle-aged people who had been walking past the idols indifferently were now pulling out their phones to film me.

‘At this rate I might end up ranking first among celebrities liked by people from teenagers to eighty-year-olds...’

I once again felt the power of terrestrial broadcasting.

“Yeoreum! Please do a cheek heart!”

Shutter sounds echoed dozens — hundreds — of times per second.

Even after entering the airport, several reporters followed behind.

‘Before, they just took photos and left...’

Thinking about how the attention that had once been stolen by Myeong Jeha was now returning filled me with emotion.

Inside the airport, celebrities, staff, fans, and reporters were all mixed together in a huge crowd.

“Yeon Huijae is so pretty!”

I heard someone call out to me.

Smiling, I waved in the direction of the voice.

‘Eun Baekhap’s child actor...’

And I once again realized how the public who first met me through terrestrial television recognized me.

By my character’s name — Yeon Huijae.

And as Eun Baekhap’s child actor.

Compared to the completeness of the character and Eun Baekhap’s fame, I was still lacking.

‘But someday...’

Could I surpass Eun Baekhap?

Could the name Han Yeoreum become more famous than the name Eun Baekhap?

I was making eye contact with every camera lens and waving when the shutters echoed again through the airport.

“Do Gyeoul!”

Right.

Of course Do Gyeoul wouldn’t miss an event taking place in Japan.

My eyes met Do Gyeoul’s just as she entered the airport.

She waved at me as if greeting an old friend.