I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

Aetami stared at the message from Reporter Wi, her eyes widening in disbelief as her phone buzzed.

[heyheyhey fckkkkkkkkk LMAO]

[(link)]

[yeoreum’son]

Wi Jaehwi was the type who almost never made typos because of his professional habits. The fact that he had even misspelled something showed just how urgent this was.

Aetami hurriedly grabbed her phone.

“...Huh?”

For a moment, she froze in confusion. What Reporter Wi had sent was an article about Han Yeoreum.

[“Nation’s First Love Han Yeoreum challenges Cream Yellow Mouse on ... from rock to ballad, ‘Is there anything she can’t do?’”]

Actress Han Yeoreum appeared on MBS , showcasing astonishing vocal ability and captivating both viewers and the judging panel.

In today’s broadcast, Han Yeoreum appeared wearing a light green Aori Apple mask, drawing enthusiastic responses from the panel with a song selection that spanned genres—from 90s rock to 2000s ballads and even 80s folk.

Netizens reacted with comments such as, “I thought she was just good at acting, but she can sing too?” and “This is cheating.”

Han Yeoreum, currently gaining popularity through and , is set to return to the small screen the following day with .

Even while looking at the photo of Yeoreum smiling brightly with sweat on her face, Aetami tilted her head in confusion.

“Our girl... went on King of Mask Singer?”

As she scrolled down and saw a picture of her bouncing in place in that green mascot costume, Aetami muttered,

“No but what the hell... if this is the case...”

Pressing ‘Request follow-up article’ hard, Aetami shouted,

“I missed the live broadcast!”

She had relaxed because she never thought Yeoreum would appear on that show. Even when she had seen a post earlier in the community saying Phantom of the Abyss was Seo Eden, she hadn’t imagined Yeoreum would be there too.

“Ahhh!”

Aetami immediately went to the official MBS channel. But since the broadcast hadn’t ended yet, there was only one uploaded video.

INTUBE

[This is what rock spirit looks like! Phantom of the Abyss vs Aori Apple’s chilling high-note battle! | King of Mask Singer]

Views: 23,445

– Seo Eden is actually insanely good at high notes lol

– He looks like a clueless puppy but he’s been a trainee since he was a kid TT_TT Please check out his solo songs too, his voice is really good..!

– Tough song choice. Feels like we’re finally getting proper rock again on this show.

– Seo Eden picked a ridiculously good mask lol damn, he knows what he’s doing

“...This is our girl?”

Now that Aori Apple’s identity had been revealed, there were already comments about Han Yeoreum scattered throughout. Aetami covered her mouth with one hand as she watched the performance.

– Actress Han Yeoreum~^^ you’re so talented.. I was so shocked watching live haha you sing well and act well, I’m your biggest supporter~~

– I seriously never thought it would be Han Yeoreum LOLOLOL wow she’s good, holy shit

– When are you uploading the second round ballad? Please hurry T_T refreshing nonstop

Aetami kept hitting the like button next to the comments, bouncing on her feet.

“Ah, hurry hurry hurry, give me more of our girl’s stage!”

She grabbed her head in regret for not watching live.

People who had watched it in real time were already talking about Yeoreum’s second and third round song choices.

– Thanks to Huijae I got nostalgic for the first time in a while LOL Maronie Road in the 80s, where I first met my wife. Back then there was no youth hub like Daehakro -,.- Anyway, Huijae isn’t just good at acting, she sings well too~ she could’ve gone on a college song festival

– I’ve followed Han Yeoreum since her rookie days and it’s seriously rewarding T_T everyone grab onto her before it’s too late, this feeling of chasing a nonstop rising star—if you join later you’re too late, she’s already huge but she’s going to be an even bigger superstar TT_TT

Aetami replayed the song sung by Seo Eden and Yeoreum on repeat, then went back into the community.

[Issue Board / Today’s King of Mask Singer identity that absolutely no one expected.jpg]

(First round: Phantom of the Abyss vs Aori Apple stage.jpg)

Song choice was rock

(Phantom of the Abyss removing mask after losing.jpg)

Oh Seo Eden lol came out to promote his drama

Surprisingly good

Scroll past

(Second round Aori Apple acting cute.jpg)

Ah so Seo Eden’s opponent is an idol

Idol vs idol

That’s what I thought

(Third round Aori Apple losing to Cream Yellow Mouse.jpg)

Who is that lol

(Han Yeoreum removing mask.jpg)

???????

(Panel’s shocked reactions.jpg)

Wait what the hell two people from the same drama???

(Audience shocked reactions.jpg)

Literally nobody guessed it, everyone was genuinely shocked LMAO

(Seo Eden SNS story screenshot.jpg)

And one person who still can’t believe it

– Anonymous 1: lmao Seo Eden still going “is this real??” bro just accept it LMAOO

– Anonymous 4: but can two people from the same drama even go on..? feels kinda biased haha

↳ Anonymous 11: It’s an MBS drama after all^^...

↳ Anonymous 17: Saerok and Yesol are working their asses off, you can’t even let this one slide? damn you’re harsh

↳ Anonymous 33: MBS already got hit with two early cancellations, this one really needs to succeed T_T don’t do this... it’s not like they shoved in bad singers...

– Anonymous 112: The folk song Han Yeoreum sang at the end was so good, wish she’d do another OST for Youth Disqualified in that style LOLOLOL

Aetami quickly replied under Anonymous 4’s comment.

〈Youth Disqualified!〉 was no longer just a drama for Han Yeoreum, Choo [N O V E L I G H T] Gaeul, and So Dami. Thanks to the behind-the-scenes content, it had become something everyone shared together. Criticism like this could easily be defended.

“...What is this now? Are they insane...?”

[HOT / A supposed voice analysis expert appeared in the King of Mask Singer gallery.jpg]

Aetami checked another post that had already gathered countless comments. It was written by some insane fanatic who had seriously analyzed things even before Han Yeoreum’s identity was revealed.

– What does this person even do for a living;; definitely not a normal person

– Even if Han Yeoreum’s brother showed up he couldn’t analyze it like this LOLOLOLOLOL you can feel the rage in the writing, it’s hilarious

– Um... why would anyone know this... only you do, bro...

– One-line summary: this is why you don’t pick fights with nerds

Because the actors from 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 had been meeting viewers weekly through vlog content, the overall tone of the comments was positive. The familiarity built up over several weeks had paid off. The buzz was far higher than usual for .

– But it’s kind of disappointing they only showed singing T_T we wanted to see the group performance...

↳ same LOOL I want to see that more, they haven’t shown the successful ensemble yet, right?

Aetami felt the same regret.

And then—

INTUBE Notification—

[What was the result of the final ensemble? Han Yeoreum, Choo Gaeul, So Dami, and you—the four of them practicing] 42:22

You could practically feel MBS’s determination to make this a success.

* * *

Lee Saerok recalled everything that had happened. So much had taken place over the past few months.

“Now it really...”

The views on the final 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 vlog that had just been uploaded were already twice as high as usual.

“...it’s over.”

The reason was simple—the word in the title.

Final.

Just yesterday, the second teaser for 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 had been released. Once the remaining promotional schedule wrapped up, the day of the first broadcast would finally arrive.

No matter how good the response was, no matter how successful the project had been, it couldn’t be dragged on forever.

The time they had practiced to the point of exhaustion had never betrayed them. In the end, the three of them completed the ensemble without a single mistake.

– That’s us... right? Guys, that’s us, right?

– Hey! Han Yeoreum!

– Wow, just now! For real!

Everyone went wild. They grabbed each other and jumped in place like crazy.

Even though they were soaked in sweat and looked completely worn out, they seemed to shine.

In front of them, the team that had placed second at the college song festival watched the performance with warm smiles. It was a distant, nostalgic kind of expression, as if recalling fragments of their own past.

– You’re really good now!

– Damn. You must’ve practiced like crazy.

– Look at your hands... they’re all torn up, geez...

The college song festival runner-up team and the 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 team had great chemistry. Before they knew it, they had grown close enough to joke around with each other.

– Gaeul, looks like your ambition’s coming true.

– Be quiet!!! ...please....

When the drummer teased her, Choo Gaeul let out a shriek like a startled cat. The production team kindly brought up old footage.

– Drums are all about style. Style is everything.

It was from the moment someone was teaching her how to spin a drumstick with one hand. Slightly tipsy from a casual after-practice meal, Choo Gaeul fiddled with the drumstick and said,

– But... if you’ve got style...

Gaeul had always taken care of her appearance without missing a single moment.

But even she was gradually struggling to balance filming and practice, and began giving up things one by one.

And then, at the exact moment she looked the most disheveled—

– ...will I get one too?

Gripping the drumstick tightly, she muttered,

– Huh? Get what?

– ...a fan café...

Her quiet mumble cut off—and the screen suddenly switched to a composition that looked like it came straight out of an investigative program. A close-up of the back of her hand appeared.

– If that all goes out... then it’s kind of... you know. If viewers see me drunk, it might not look good. So maybe... edit... it a bit.

She had come secretly to make a request—but there was no way the broadcast crew would let that slip by. They made full use of even this moment.

– Please cut it...

When Gaeul gathered the courage to try and erase her own embarrassing moment, the production team kindly complied.

[Cut as per Miss Choo’s request]

And what followed was, quite literally, a devil’s edit—splicing together her words into something entirely different.

– Fan

[ra]

– café

[dy]

– really

[late]

– seriously

[want]

– ah...

[^^]

– I want it.

For reference, her original words had been:

– Do you have a pen?

– Let’s go to a café. I need an Americano.

– This is so hard.

– Just one more time.

– Ah...

– Let’s finish it once more and go.

– I want to do well.

The broadcast team, having created an entirely new version of Choo Gaeul through malicious editing, delivered the final blow.

– Choo Gaeul... a terrifying child....

– As expected... a stage maniac.

It was a line Han Yeoreum had been endlessly pushing ever since 〈The Fuse〉—a phrase used whenever Gaeul did anything impressive, with Yeoreum and So Dami murmuring it behind her in admiration.

– Ah! Seriously!

And every time, Gaeul—with her perfectly reactive personality—would snap in annoyance, which the production team used to their fullest advantage.

– Fan, café, really, ah... I want it.

As if confirming the kill, they inserted the clip once more. Just like that, Choo Gaeul became a full-fledged “fan café ambition girl.”

Lee Saerok smiled.

Kim Yeonji (preparing to join Choo Gaeul’s fan café)

↳ Park Minye (preparing to join using the username “Choo Gaeul”)

↳ Lee Hyejeong (sharing from experience that she’ll get kicked out for that)

↳ Lee Saerok (feeling extremely moved, proud, impressed, supportive, emotional, overwhelmed, happy, teary, joyful, basically all of it)

↳ So Yesol (will this even leave space for subtitles?;)

Before they knew it, the final vlog was nearing its end. The red bar at the bottom of the screen stretched longer and longer.

There was barely a minute left.

Then a notice appeared on screen.

[Don’t skip the final stage practice!]

[Date: Saturday, March 2]

[Time: 1 PM]

[Location: Yeouido Hangang Park, Seoul]

[You have to come too, okay?]

It looked like the announcement for a club activity.

The comments exploded.

– ???Wait what, are they actually performing offline???

– Damn it I live in the countryside TT__TT

– MBS you really want this to succeed huh... fine, I get Saerok and Yesol’s ambition now

– I’m going insane why is it the last one, damn it!!!! do more, overdo it T_T

Lee Saerok covered her eyes with one hand as she read the comments.

Her eyes had grown moist, and her nose stung.

Perhaps she was the one who didn’t want it to end the most.

* * *

“Director, the center director is calling...?”

“Yeah. He’s probably just getting emotional and whining again... no need to pick up. If it’s urgent, he’ll text.”

So Yesol didn’t stop monitoring. She hadn’t been sleeping properly because she was juggling filming at the same time—but it didn’t matter.

The dopamine rush was driving her crazy.

[HOT / Today’s 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 final vlog that made people cry like crazy.jpg]

[Issue Board / Three actresses who said it was impossible at first—but ended up doing it.jpg]

[Community Chat / Choo Gaeul is so cute and cool, I wish these three’s friendship would last forever TT_TT]

[DramaFilmActor TALK / I wish my actor’s next project would be at MBS too, the whole network feels different now]

Who could have predicted that it would receive this much attention even before it aired?

The vlog promotion for 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 spread across social media and communities, naturally capturing public attention.

A kind of project that had never existed before.

Perhaps everyone had dreamed of something like this at least once. But among countless conflicting interests, something like this was usually impossible.

Actors were individuals, not a group. No one wanted to pour everything into a single project.

Some wouldn’t want to invest that much time because they weren’t the main character. Others would weigh which role mattered more and decide it wasn’t worth it. Some would rather take on another project than spend time practicing.

But no one on 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 thought that way.

Instead of calculating gains and losses, they chose to lock themselves in the practice room.

Unpolished youth simply followed what their hearts told them—and that’s why they succeeded.

[〈Youth Disqualified!〉 to present surprise stage... “A press conference like this exists?” anticipation surges]

[An outdoor production presentation—MBS’s secret weapon is the nostalgia of the forgotten college song festival]

[Han Yeoreum, Choo Gaeul, So Dami: “Come watch our ensemble performance” — scheduled to appear at Yeouido Hangang stage]

Looking at the flood of articles, So Yesol finished preparing to present a kind of production showcase the world had never seen before.

* * *

“You brought the memory card, right?”

“Why are you even asking that, senior?”

Reporter Wi slung her camera over her shoulder and headed to the parking lot.

Since the 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 showcase would be presented not only to reporters but to the public as well, choosing the right spot was crucial.

Her senior, known for always predicting first-episode ratings perfectly, smiled as he got into the driver’s seat.

Soon, the car carrying the two of them left the underground parking lot. Spring sunlight poured brilliantly through the windshield.

“Wow, the weather’s amazing.”

“Perfect for an outdoor shoot.”

Reporter Wi looked out the window. A clear blue sky stretched endlessly.

Bzzz—

She rolled down the window and let the pleasant spring breeze wash over her. As the car sped smoothly along the road, the Han River soon came into view beyond the bridge.

Much later, Reporter Wi would recall that day’s stage like this—

That youth had been there.