I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

Even after the teaser for 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 ended, Aetami’s heart kept pounding.

She added a new song to her playlist. It was February now—just before spring, the season that made your heart flutter the most.

[Secretly Written Diary]

▶0:27/4:30

Listening to the song, Aetami replayed the 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 teaser she had just watched.

“Wow... Yeoreum....”

It felt like she had just watched a preview of youth itself. As if Yeoreum’s story was only just beginning.

* * *

“Guys—! Just one more time, seriously!”

So Dami hauled the two people sprawled on the floor back to their feet.

“Hey, So Dami....”

“Dami, wait. I really need to check my phone for a second. Just a second.”

The two struggled with everything they had, but they couldn’t break free from the grip forged through years of piano training.

Having spent ten hours at a time locked in a room with nothing but a piano, So Dami was the one who treated the practice room most like her own home.

“Hey, it really works when you practice!”

“Yeah. But Gaeul! Your stick spinning is a bit lacking. If you drop it while spinning on-site? That’s game over.”

“For reference, that’s advice from personal experience. Take it seriously.”

“...Yes....”

MBS Drama Center Director Lee Saerok stood with his arms crossed, watching the scene with a satisfied smile.

The people giving pointers in the practice room weren’t staff from 〈Youth Disqualified!〉. They were another card Lee Saerok had prepared.

“Man, having money really is nice, Director So....”

“Right.... At first, the budget was so poor I thought we wouldn’t even afford tuna kimbap for meals and would survive on convenience store rice balls... and now I’ve gone from a malnourished PD to an overfed one....”

After JC joined, the production budget for 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 doubled. And that wasn’t all. As 〈The Great Garland〉 continued smashing viewership ceilings—and with news that Huijae would appear—investors began pouring in from everywhere.

The 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 team, who had planned their shooting schedule around a shoestring budget, now found themselves wondering what to even do with the excess money.

In the end, they came to one conclusion.

The OST.

Because what sets a viewer’s heart ablaze is, ultimately, the music.

“Ah, I can’t wait for the script reading day, seriously. My heart’s racing so much, Director So. It feels like I’ve gone back to being twenty.”

“At your age, if your heart’s racing that much... maybe you should get checked for arrhythmia.... It’s not rejuvenation....”

It was then that Han Yeoreum suddenly sprang to her feet in the practice room. With a loud crash, she burst out the door. Even So Dami had let go of her.

“What, what, what? What happened?”

“Yeoreum... did something happen...?”

Holding her phone, Han Yeoreum shouted, her voice brimming with excitement.

“〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 is about to hit ten million! I have to go film the pledge video!”

That was right. 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 had also reached ten million. Both films Han Yeoreum had appeared in surpassed ten million viewers, making her a double ten-million actress.

* * *

“Hey, you little colt—!”

Gwak Cheolsik, holding a cone hat meant for her, waved as Han Yeoreum came running at full speed. The entire 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 team was already wearing party hats like it was a birthday.

“Wow—look at you, you’re drenched. Did you run all the way here?”

Yun Hyeonjo handed her a bottle of water he had just opened. Han Yohan, meanwhile, was lazily rummaging through his bag, looking for something.

“Are we really hitting ten million in a few hours?”

“Yeah, Yeoreum. We’re at 9.8 million already!”

〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 was another box office success. Not only had it far surpassed the break-even point, discussions for funding the next installment were already underway.

“Director, give it to her now, right? She’s busy—let’s hand it over, shoot quickly, and send her off!”

“I think it’d be more effective to give it later.... She’s already drenched in sweat, and if she starts /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ crying on top of that....”

At Gwak Cheolsik and Yun Hyeonjo’s words, Han Yeoreum blinked, as if asking what they meant. Director Gong smiled shyly.

“I was going to send it to your agency, Yeoreum. But still—we go way back. I wanted to hand it to you in person. You get what I mean, right?”

Director Gong pulled out something he had prepared in advance.

〈Faster Than the Law 3〉

Still clutching the towel she had been using to wipe her sweat, Han Yeoreum read the words clearly.

“Director....”

“Hahaha. Can our series even go on without you now, Yeoreum? You’re a star who’s even been to the U.S.—we have to hold onto you.”

With a playful tone, Director Gong extended the script toward her.

Just as Han Yeoreum was about to tear up—

“I’m not the type to dwell on personal feelings... but seeing you all planning the next installment without me is a bit disappointing....”

It was Han Yohan, who had finally found his handheld fan. He held it up toward Han Yeoreum’s face, letting a weak breeze blow as he calmly voiced the quiet sorrow of a villain destined to exit the series.

“I was just about to cry, but thanks to you, sunbae, my tears dried right up.... Thank you....”

“It’s not me who stopped your tears, but your own mindset.... There’s no need to thank me....”

At Han Yohan’s solemn reply, a staff member behind them shouted:

“We’re at 9.87 million now! We need to upload the video soon—!”

At that, Gwak Cheolsik personally placed the cone hat on Han Yeoreum’s head.

“Let’s shoot this quickly! Camera, come on!”

The 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 team stood in front of the camera. Behind them, balloon numbers reading 1000 were set up.

“Should we play the music?”

To the tune of a birthday song, they each made finger hearts one by one from left to right.

“Faster Than the Law! Ten million!”

Wearing “10 Million” T-shirts, the team beamed brightly.

“Thank you so much!”

* * *

That night, news of 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 reaching ten million spread through articles.

[A refreshing Korean-style action comedy hits again... 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 reaches 10 million]

[“Thank you for 10 million” — 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 shares message through pledge video]

[Another legendary Korean film series in the making? 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 achieves second 10 million after record-breaking profits]

Myeong Jeha skimmed through the articles. There was a sense of ease in the way his fingers moved across the tablet screen.

Even after returning from the U.S., Han Yeoreum hadn’t rested for a single moment. Her face appeared on portal sites every single day.

“She really doesn’t stop....”

At this point, it went beyond simply liking acting. There was no such thing as moderation for her. Myeong Jeha let out a small laugh as he estimated what would come next.

‘The next installment will probably hit ten million too.’

〈Faster Than the Law 3〉 would dominate theaters at the same pace—perhaps even faster. Every one of Han Yeoreum’s upcoming projects was practically guaranteed success.

‘This one... I can’t predict as easily, though....’

〈Youth Disqualified!〉 was something entirely new. Its success rate wasn’t easy to gauge.

Because of Han Yeoreum, the content of 〈The Great Garland〉 had changed. The direction intended by the director and writer had shifted. And the result of that had been a Critics Choice trophy.

Since it was a project combining Director So and Han Yeoreum, it wouldn’t be a failure—but this industry had far too many unpredictable variables.

As if on cue, the 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 vlog had just been uploaded. Myeong Jeha clicked the newly posted video—and let out a hollow laugh.

“...Ah. So this is how they’re doing it.”

The thought that unexpected bad conditions might ruin the project suddenly felt ridiculous.

As expected, Han Yeoreum was the biggest variable in Myeong Jeha’s life.

The members of 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 had each practiced alone—and completely botched their first ensemble.

Falling into despair, they were visited by someone personally brought in by Lee Saerok and So Yesol. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“Hello...?”

The three blinked, unsure who had just entered the practice room. They looked to be around the same age as Director Lee Saerok.

“Huh? You don’t know us?”

“What...?”

“Not even one of us?”

They asked, clearly flustered by the reactions of Choo Gaeul, Han Yeoreum, and So Dami.

The three could only offer awkward, vibrating smiles, still confused. Watching them, the newcomers’ expressions twisted—

“...Pfft....”

“Puhk—.”

“Kuhahaha!”

Then they burst out laughing.

Seeing the three still confused, they waved it off casually.

“Ah, of course you wouldn’t know us!”

“Right, it’d be weirder if you did.”

“We’re here to help you with your ensemble. Though, introducing ourselves like this again feels kind of awkward.”

This time, Director Lee Saerok stepped forward. His face looked both overwhelmed and excited as he explained.

“These people are the silver prize winners of the 1993 University Music Festival.”

There are things like that. The protagonist. The center. The gold medal. The spotlight reserved only for first place. And right beside them, the second place—forced to exist as their shadow.

“Still, we’ve been practicing consistently, so don’t doubt our skills!”

“We even play in an office worker band.”

“I’m still active. I’ve taught a lot of beginner classes, so I’ll probably be the most helpful here.”

Lee Saerok had brought not the first-place team that remained as musicians, but the second-place team that had faded into history.

Because everyone in the world has their own life.

Someone failed the university music festival. Someone failed college entrance exams. Someone got dumped overnight. Someone spent their whole life loving parents who would never choose them first.

And yet—

Not all of us are second place in life.

Everyone has their own highlight. There are moments when you realize, with a thrill, that you are the protagonist of your own life.

And youth is the time when you come to understand that—through getting hurt, through breaking.

And the people Lee Saerok had brought were those who understood that moment of youth better than anyone.

– Wow TT_TT I’m seriously crying, fuck...

– This is youth... what the hell, this is insane, Youth Disqualified is already my life drama

– M Network dramas have always been the trendiest among public broadcasters..LOL it’s been a while since I felt that refreshing shock from a drama~ would’ve been such a shame to miss this behind-the-scenes T_T thank you for showing all this

– When a bunch of people with insane instincts come together like this, this is what you get, whoa, this is fucking chilling LOLOLOLOL

It truly was enough to make everyone cheer.

Myeong Jeha picked up his phone and called Han Yeoreum. The ringing went on for quite a while before the voice he had been waiting for finally came through.

“Yeoreum.”

– Yes, elder.

“I saw what you posted today.”

– Ahhh. You’re sick right now...? And you don’t even have medicine? That’s insane. I’ll come right away! Huh, Dami—no, I’m not lying. You heard me call him elder when I picked up, right? Yeah. There’s someone living alone....

The background on Han Yeoreum’s side was noisy. From the familiar voices, it sounded like they were still practicing ensemble for 〈Youth Disqualified!〉.

Han Yeoreum was shamelessly using Myeong Jeha as an excuse to escape from So Dami. Smiling faintly, Myeong Jeha spoke into the phone.

“Dami. It’s Jeha.”

– Ah, you can’t say that!

– Hey! Han Yeoreum! Are you trying to die?!

– Wow, Yeoreum’s acting is seriously insane.

The other end of the line was chaotic. They had probably all seen the online reactions by now.

The anticipation and excitement unique to a project destined to succeed seeped directly out of the actors.

Myeong Jeha asked just one thing.

“Feels like there’s more to it. This project.”

– Oh....

“Right?”

– How did you know?

After hearing Han Yeoreum’s answer, Myeong Jeha nodded. As expected, this wasn’t just a simple project.

After hanging up, he suddenly thought of Ji Haebeom.

“He’s going to regret not investing in this.”

The script reading for 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 had already deviated from a normal trajectory. After the bold move of uploading practice footage as a vlog, they were preparing yet another twist.

The OST of 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 wasn’t meant to be recorded in a practice room.

They were planning to hold the production presentation on the Han River—gathering the public and reporters.

And perform it live.

Right in front of them.