I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

Aetami quickly raised her camera and pressed the shutter toward Yeoreum.

Every step Yeoreum took across the red carpet felt precious.

‘Yeoreum... you finally made it to a major broadcast...’

Why did something like this make her so emotional?

Aetami felt her nose sting.

Today Yeoreum wore a pure white fur over her dress, along with velvet gloves, making her look exactly like Huijae.

‘And the hair is a six on the dice...!’

The short hair with thick waves pushed the classic elegance to its absolute peak.

Han Yeoreum stood in the center of the photo zone, greeting people in different directions.

Then she paused for a moment in the direction where Aetami stood.

And suddenly she smiled brightly.

Just like at the fan signing event, her cheeks lifted upward.

She waved her hand quickly.

Not at a speed suitable for posing in photos, but the kind of wave someone gave when they were genuinely happy to see someone.

‘How did she recognize me here?’

Without realizing it, Aetami lowered her camera and met Yeoreum’s eyes.

The moment their gazes locked—

It felt like they were the only two people in that place.

“Yeoreum, hand heart please!”

The mood around them softened.

Han Yeoreum’s public favorability and the reporters’ fondness for her were both well above average.

Before long, everyone was smiling.

Yeoreum made a hand heart, greeted from left to right, and bowed once more.

Only then was she able to leave the red carpet.

Aetami was still busily photographing even Yeoreum’s retreating figure when—

Yeoreum slightly turned her head and looked back.

And waved once more.

‘Holy shit.’

Aetami began pressing the shutter like a madwoman.

How much time had passed?

It felt like quite a while before she regained her senses.

Her hands were stiff as she picked up her phone.

Out of habit, she tapped Yeoreum’s name.

She didn’t even need to search.

It was always at the very top of her search history.

[Han Yeoreum tears up the KBC Drama Awards with unstoppable loveliness... “Hello!”]

[Han Yeoreum from 〈The Great Garland〉: “I came to receive an award~” Hand heart]

[The dazzling best-dressed at the KBC Drama Awards — rising actress Han Yeoreum’s bright smile]

Articles about Yeoreum were already pouring out.

But this still wasn’t enough for Aetami.

‘Do they even understand how cute our Yeoreum is...?!’

She checked Tr*tter and the fan cafe in succession, then fell into despair.

‘I already felt this at the fan signing event...’

For a rookie actress, Yeoreum’s core fanbase was far from small.

In fact, it was quite large.

It was simply overshadowed by her high public recognition.

The fan cafe membership numbers were high.

Mentions on Tr*tter were plentiful.

But the one thing driving Aetami crazy—

‘The whole world needs to know her, but there’s barely any content!’

Aetami hadn’t meant to go this far.

When she first started liking Yeoreum, she had never imagined she would reach this point.

[Would you like to change your nickname?]

Input: Every Day Is Summer

Aetami changed her Intube account name.

It seemed like she would have to begin full-scale promotion.

* * *

I sat down at a still-empty table.

This was the table for 〈The Great Garland〉.

I had arrived first.

You’d think I would be used to seeing my name written on awards ceremony tables by now.

But I wasn’t.

Every time I saw it, it still felt good.

While drinking water, I thought about the fan I had just seen.

‘No matter how many people there are, I can spot them immediately.’

Today it had been especially easy.

She was wearing a Han Yeoreum long padded coat and a Han Yeoreum scarf.

There was no way I wouldn’t recognize her.

‘By the way... that camera...’

She must have felt she couldn’t stand taking low-resolution photos anymore.

That meant she liked me that much, right?

It was practically a vow that even if another fan club tried to recruit her, she wouldn’t even glance at them.

“Yeoreum. What are you smiling about?”

While I was busy expanding my kingdom of delusions, Myeong Jeha sat down beside me.

His hair was still cut short and hadn’t grown back yet, so his forehead was still exposed.

But that actually made his face stand out more.

“Sunbae, you look great today.”

“Haha. Thanks.”

“This is a moment where you can repay the child GiYeon fans with your face.”

Han Yeoreum’s calculating mind began turning.

Every moment captured by the cameras today had the potential to become a hot topic.

‘If this scene spreads again, people won’t complain about me winning the Best Couple Award. The atmosphere will shift to “child GiYeon was the real one”...’

While calculating as I stared at his straight eyebrows and sharply shadowed nose bridge, Myeong Jeha suddenly burst out laughing.

“That’s a very impure gaze.”

“Who could be more pure and innocent than me?”

“Anyway, manage your expression well later. You know, right?”

I knew.

Eun Baekhap would appear as a presenter during Part One today.

‘And that award presentation obviously means...’

It had to be the Best Couple Award.

The kind meant to create a heartwarming scene.

A loud cheer erupted somewhere in the distance.

Instinctively, I knew.

‘Eun Baekhap is coming...!’

The person I wanted to resemble.

The person I wanted to become.

The person I wanted to surpass.

Eun Baekhap.

* * *

“Did we make the right choice?”

“Why even ask something so obvious...”

Inside the awards venue, the head of the KBC Drama Center stared at the table for 〈The Great Garland〉.

“Eun Baekhap is smiling. Her emotions must be insane right now.”

“She’s an actor. When there’s a camera, you have to be professional.”

Eun Baekhap, fully aware of the attention around her, was a master of expression control.

The way she greeted others looked like that of a warm senior.

“Inside she’s probably sharpening a knife...”

“Of course.”

A few days earlier, the decision about who would receive the Best Couple Award had been made quickly.

“Han Yeoreum and Myeong Jeha.”

“As expected.”

“They have to get this one.”

Public opinion had certainly been considered.

But the staff inside the station also couldn’t forget the fear from the early days of the Korean entertainment ban in China.

The moment when massive Chinese investments suddenly stopped.

Han Yeoreum had brought in another overseas investor.

Taiwan.

In the worst scenario, everything poured into the drama would have vanished like a mirage.

In the second-worst scenario, filming would have been postponed indefinitely.

The fact that 〈The Great Garland〉 had survived was practically a miracle.

“Do you think ‘Huijae’ will only be popular right now? Of course not. Every winter it’ll climb the charts again.”

“And when people hear it, who do you think they’ll remember?”

Even then, the popularity of “Huijae” showed no sign of fading.

Even after 〈The Great Garland〉 finished airing successfully, it felt certain that the OST would remain with the public for a long time.

The Best Couple Award had been decided unanimously by the judges.

Among the three major broadcasting stations, the awards ceremony currently receiving the most public attention was KBC.

“But still, The Great Garland will definitely become Eun Baekhap’s signature work, right?”

Even though the Best Couple Award had been taken by Han Yeoreum, if someone asked who the main characters of the drama were, the public would still say Ji Haebeom and Eun Baekhap.

The head of the center couldn’t deny that 〈The Great Garland〉 would become the most brilliant work in Eun Baekhap’s filmography.

“Right...”

But he felt something.

A signature work.

The peak of a celebrity’s popularity.

The period when the public loved them most.

The role they became most famous for.

When all of those things aligned, the work that remained in everyone’s memory became their signature piece.

“But why does it feel like Han Yeoreum won’t have just one?”

As the center head muttered to himself, the KBC Drama Awards finally began.

* * *

As Ji Haebeom and Eun Baekhap walked down the corridor toward the stage to prepare for the presentation, an awkward silence lingered between them.

The atmosphere felt slightly strained.

It wasn’t simply because the lead actors were exhausted after filming late the night before.

It was because of the faint anger emanating from Eun Baekhap.

She already knew who had won the Best Couple Award.

“Here. The cue card.”

Trying to lighten the awkward mood, Ji Haebeom handed her the cue card he had received from a staff member.

‘Why the hell is he grinning like that...’

But with no cameras around, Eun Baekhap didn’t bother to hide her irritation.

Because the staff were nearby, she accepted the card with a small smile.

But the heavy silence remained.

“Should we run through it once before going up?”

“No. The lines are short. It’ll be fine.”

“Alright then.”

As Eun Baekhap read the cue card, her grip tightened.

Every line was unbearable.

‘What the hell is so funny that you keep grinning like an idiot... If you hadn’t held that damn audition, the award wouldn’t have been stolen.’

The two of them reached the corridor leading to the stage.

There wasn’t enough time to attach microphones to every presenter.

Which meant that the quiet conversation they were having right now could only be heard by the two of them.

“Don’t hate her too much.”

“...I don’t hate her.”

“That’s quite a lie.”

Ji Haebeom lowered his head slightly and whispered.

“Who knows? Maybe the four of us will work together in the same project someday.”

“...Then who’s the lead?”

“We’ll see when it happens.”

Don’t talk nonsense, you bastard. Of course I’m the lead. Working with that brat is the last time this ever happens.

Eun Baekhap swallowed the words she wanted to say.

A staff member was approaching.

“You’re going up now! Please link arms!”

Finally, the damned moment had come.

Eun Baekhap hooked her arm through Ji Haebeom’s and whispered quietly before stepping onto the stage.

“Fuck off...”

As the camera rolled toward them on the rail, Eun Baekhap instantly controlled her expression.

Ji Haebeom did the same.

Smiling, the two walked arm-in-arm to {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} the center of the stage.

“Waaaaah!”

“Holy shit!”

When their faces appeared on the big screen, unfiltered screams burst from the audience.

Smiling shyly, Eun Baekhap stepped toward the microphone, the hem of her dress swaying softly.

“Hello. I’m Ji Haebeom.”

“Hello. I’m Eun Baekhap.”

As the two greeted the audience, another explosion of cheers erupted.

“We’re here to present the Best Couple Award. Haebeom, you’ve never missed winning this award thanks to your incredible chemistry with your co-stars, right? As the master of chemistry, can you guess which couple will win?”

“Well, honestly...”

Ji Haebeom deliberately paused.

On the big screen, the faces of the Best Couple nominees appeared one by one.

The camera lingered especially long on Han Yeoreum.

“I kind of wish it were us.”

His playful comment made the audience laugh warmly.

Ji Haebeom was a top actor whose value had reached its peak.

For someone like him, yielding a small award like this was no big deal.

‘But not me.’

I don’t want to yield anything.

“Then, the couple from this year’s KBC drama who made viewers’ hearts beat the sweetest...”

“The winners of the Best Couple Award are—”

Eun Baekhap met Han Yeoreum’s eyes in the audience.

“Myeong Jeha and Han Yeoreum from 〈The Great Garland〉. Congratulations.”

As Myeong Jeha and Han Yeoreum stood up, the actors sitting nearby reached out.

Handshakes.

Hugs.

Every movement Han Yeoreum made as she walked toward the stage made Eun Baekhap tense.

“Yes. The drama 〈The Great Garland〉 earned the nickname ‘GiYeon Couple’ for their fresh and lovely chemistry, delivering a wide range of emotions to viewers...”

The MC’s explanation over the microphone barely registered in Eun Baekhap’s ears.

Han Yeoreum climbed the steps while meeting her gaze directly.

Step by step.

She was someone who had never existed in Eun Baekhap’s life until now.

Finally, when their hands brushed as Eun Baekhap handed over the trophy, she remembered what Ji Haebeom had said earlier.

“We’ll see when it happens.”

Eun Baekhap, who had spent her entire life under the public gaze, understood instantly.

Everyone behind Han Yeoreum was looking only at her.

From each of them she could feel an intense focus.

The power to draw attention.

Han Yeoreum had that.

The trophy in Eun Baekhap’s hand passed into Han Yeoreum’s.

She clenched her now-empty hand once.

As she exited the stage for the two of them, she repeated the name to herself.

“Han Yeoreum...”

Those three syllables felt different from the countless actresses Eun Baekhap had pushed aside before.

For the first time in her life—

She felt a sense of crisis.