I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

Once Han Yeoreum left, only two people remained in the room, which had once again fallen silent.

At the SBC director’s decision, Director Park was inwardly stunned.

‘If he pushes Han Yeoreum through now, with his personality, stability goes straight out the window....’

That was what dramas were like by nature.

There were endless incidents and accidents.

Even after entering production, big and small problems were bound to erupt.

And yet, the SBC director had always minimized all of it.

Producing a project as quickly as possible, without noise, no matter what—that was SBC’s style.

Put kindly, they always landed an average hit.

Put less kindly, they only ever landed average hits.

‘And even so, he chose Han Yeoreum now....’

Park Jaeyeong tried to read the room over this series of risks from the SBC director, risks he had never seen him take before.

A female director whose previous work had crashed spectacularly, a rising actress who had firmly kept her place despite almost being replaced by a male actor.

The SBC director, holding cards whose success could not be guaranteed, showed no change in expression.

“So. How are you going to change it, Director Park?”

The SBC director returned to work talk once more.

The sound of water from the garden pond rippled quietly in the background.

“Let’s hear how you plan to direct it, then we’ll revise.”

Until just yesterday, it had been half a foregone conclusion that Noh Seungchan would take the role of Lee Seohae.

Because of that, the directing plan that had originally been built around the original Lee Seohae had already begun shifting little by little to suit Noh Seungchan.

Now that Lee Seohae had been decided as Han Yeoreum instead, most people would have thought of going back to the original plan.

The groundwork had already been laid, so they might even have sighed in relief that nothing needed to be changed.

But the SBC director knew Director Park’s persistence exactly.

“...Oh. How did you know?”

Just as he said, from the moment Park Jaeyeong had spoken with Han Yeoreum at Eun Baekhap’s house, he had created a Lee Seohae that belonged only to Han Yeoreum.

It was completely different from the vague directing plan he had originally formed while thinking of the webtoon and drama versions of Lee Seohae.

The moment he witnessed a Lee Seohae so vivid she felt alive right in front of him—

Park Jaeyeong erased everything he had built in his head.

The moment he returned home, he deleted every storyboard spread across his desk.

“Shadow.”

There was nothing better than shadow for directing that could divide good and evil, enlarge presence, and conceal inner thoughts.

Park Jaeyeong wanted to place Han Yeoreum’s Lee Seohae in the space between darkness and light and show her to the viewers from there.

“She was cast before the lead, wasn’t she? Han Yeoreum?”

Park Jaeyeong pulled out his phone.

Han Yeoreum had been the very first actor cast among the 〈Unfair Trade〉 cast.

Thanks to that, Director Park had an abundance of time.

He went through Han Yeoreum’s previous works, read her interviews, and in the sea of algorithms even stumbled across a photo of her by chance.

“There’s a Taiwan photoshoot Han Yeoreum did.... It was only uploaded to the photographer’s Yousta because it was a B-cut, but the atmosphere in it was incredible. Half her face was in shadow.”

The main concept of Han Yeoreum’s Taiwan photoshoot had been the fresh feeling of someone in her twenties.

But the photo uploaded on the photographer’s Yousta felt different.

Even though Han Yeoreum had gone there because of 〈Strange Tales〉’ success, the person in that photo did not feel like Seoryeong.

It felt like someone else entirely.

It was not Seoryeong, the one who had so clearly shown what the vitality of being alive meant.

Instead, there was a face steeped in sinking stillness.

The Han Yeoreum preserved in that shutter frame was unmistakably Lee Seohae.

“I see. Shadow. Hmm....”

The SBC director nodded, as if sinking into thought.

While looking at Han Yeoreum’s face displayed on Park Jaeyeong’s phone screen, he pulled a phone in a black leather case from inside his jacket pocket.

Then he made a call.

“As is.”

The SBC director did not waste words.

“No changes.”

And whatever he said, he always kept.

That meant the embargo on 〈Unfair Trade〉 would be lifted tomorrow.

The SBC director was driving the nail in so firmly that Noh Seungchan would no longer be able to steal Han Yeoreum’s place.

Would the SBC director’s choice this time still count as stability?

Park Jaeyeong found himself wondering.

A faint expectation of success had begun to bloom.

* * *

The moment Noh Seungchan’s agency, Jeongdam, heard the news, chaos broke out.

“No, this is insane!”

Noh Seungchan, who had been drinking himself into the ground with investors, had a face already red from days of alcohol, now burning even darker.

“Hyung! Does this even make sense? What fucking bitch just shoved herself in here?”

“There’s a limit to how much you can disrespect people... and all they say is ‘as is’? As is?!”

Jeongdam’s chief manager practically exploded from his spot.

“Out of everything, we’re only taking one supporting role, and this is how they act?”

If this had been actors fighting over the lead role, he would have understood.

That was normal.

The lead in a project destined to do well was supposed to be fought over fiercely.

But this had been a won game.

Even though it was a genre drama, even though it was only a supporting role, it had all been overturned by the SBC director’s incomprehensible move.

The triumphant Noh Seungchan and Jeongdam’s chief manager both shouted on the spot.

“I already knew that bastard liked acting all lofty and untouchable, but this is just rude. Huh? At the very least he should’ve said, ‘Sorry, we’ll make sure this never happens again next time!’”

The SBC director had been excessively rigid.

He had not said he regretted not being able to work with Noh Seungchan, nor that Han Yeoreum’s side had pushed in recklessly and left him no choice.

He had not even offered the bare minimum courtesy.

Enraged by that lack of manners, Jeongdam’s chief manager immediately called someone.

“Yes, yes, sir, it’s me. I don’t know if you’ve heard yet, but....”

These were the investors who had agreed to enter 〈Unfair Trade〉.

They too had been dissatisfied with the thought of a female actress entering a supporting role in a genre piece.

Sociopath, IQ 160, action scenes.

The investors who had all said it made no sense for those three elements to be paired with a female actress now seemed offended by the SBC director’s attitude.

Noh Seungchan also called the investors whose numbers he had exchanged over drinks and laid out the situation.

“That’s what I’m saying, hyungnim. Regretfully, it looks like that actress is going to do 〈Unfair Trade〉.”

In dramas, the category that overwhelmingly drew the most investors was romance.

The production cost was relatively low, viewer loyalty was high, it sold overseas most reliably, and OST and PPL sponsorships were incredibly easy.

By contrast, investors’ wallets did not open easily for genre dramas.

The fandom could be strong, but in terms of broad appeal it could not compare to romance.

—What? And they dare?!

Because of that, SBC now had to pay for offending them.

One by one, investors began leaving empty seats behind.

“Seungchan. Just wait. Give it a little time and at the very least an apology call will come back our way.”

“Ah, fuck, this feels filthy... hyung. Because of this, how am I supposed to show my face now? Huh? I got pushed out even from a measly supporting role!”

“Hey! Do you even realize the article isn’t out yet? This could be a power play. Maybe they deliberately crushed the atmosphere early so you wouldn’t throw your weight around on set over being a supporting actor.”

But shortly after—

[〈Unfair Trade〉 brings Shin Seojin and Han Yeoreum together... another masterpiece after 〈The Great Garland〉?]

[Han Yeoreum cast as IQ 160 sociopath Lee Seohae, expectations rise for another “crazy performance”]

[Rising actress Han Yeoreum’s choice, SBC’s 〈Unfair Trade〉]

SBC began releasing the casting articles as if to flaunt it right in their faces.

* * *

This was Incheon Airport.

Ji Haebeom, about to depart for an overseas schedule, sat in the lounge and muttered,

“Oh....”

There was a tablet PC in his hand.

[SBC plans to present a genre drama after a long time... webtoon original 〈Unfair Trade〉 casts Shin Seojin and Han Yeoreum]

The crime investigation webtoon 〈Unfair Trade〉, long popular among webtoon fans, is being adapted into a drama. On the 8th, SBC officially announced, “The drama 〈Unfair Trade〉, based on the webtoon of the same name, is currently in production aiming for broadcast in the second half of this year.”

The passionate detective Gam Seonghwan will be played by Shin Seojin, the memorable second male lead from 〈The Great Garland〉, while the rational sociopathic analyst will be played by Han Yeoreum, who portrayed fresh first love in the same drama.

A production insider stated, “A meticulous adaptation process is underway to realize the original webtoon’s powerful message and character depth in drama form. In particular, the protagonist Lee Seohae will present a new kind of female detective character never before seen in existing dramas.”

SBC pushed out a flood of early articles.

At the same time as promoting the original, they scattered curiosity about their first genre work in a long time like bait.

With screenshots from the original webtoon, the faces of Shin Seojin and Han Yeoreum appeared endlessly in the portal site’s news window.

“So? Regret it now?”

His manager, sitting beside him and sipping coffee, asked.

Ji Haebeom was a man standing at the very top of entertainment’s pyramid.

When the 〈Unfair Trade〉 script had first circulated through the industry, he could have taken Gam Seonghwan’s place first.

“A little?”

But Ji Haebeom had turned it down.

After hearing Han Yeoreum had been cast, he hesitated briefly, but in the end shook his head.

Knowing this, the manager casually thumped his broad shoulder, assuming it was just Ji Haebeom’s usual greed for good projects.

“Then why not invest in it?”

“Hyung, you really are pure-hearted.”

Ji Haebeom scrolled the tablet screen with a long finger.

Already, drama addicts were thrilled by the genre news.

[DramaMovieActor TALK]

[No but what the hell is thisㅠㅠㅠㅠ Taejin and baby Huijae in the same project?]

[Wow my heart’s pounding, and with Director Park Jaeyeong too, SBC is seriously worth anticipating]

[Anyone here read the Unfair Trade original? Worth it or not?]

Meanwhile, on the platform where the original 〈Unfair Trade〉 webtoon was hosted, its ranking was climbing rapidly.

Even though it was a fairly old work, the views were skyrocketing in an instant.

-Author, congrats on the drama adaptation~^^

-Came running like crazy because it’s Shin Seojin’s next workㅜㅜㅜㅜ

-The art style’s kind of a hurdle.. but I’ll enjoy the free chapters first

-I came to check if there’s anything to ship with Taejin and Huijae lol

Ji Haebeom was certain Shin Seojin alone could never have created this kind of momentum.

The enormous success of 〈The Great Garland〉—and especially the flawless characterization of the second male lead that held until the very end—had absolutely thrilled drama fans and the public alike.

But that alone was not enough to generate attention this fast.

‘Unless it’s an actor with a filmography that has never failed.’

The public must have learned it subconsciously.

If Han Yeoreum was in it, then at the very least, it would not fail.

It might not fit their taste 100%, but there was trust that it would never waste their time with something boring.

Han Yeoreum had that kind of faith attached to her.

‘This time, how far?’

The Han Yeoreum who had influenced 〈The Great Garland〉 all the way to its finale with just four episodes—just how much would she grow in 〈Unfair Trade〉?

Even with all focus fixed on the lead Gam Seonghwan, would Han Yeoreum still overcome it?

“Why? You keep up with 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 too. It’s doing really well these days. If you invest by your eye, you won’t lose money.”

“Hyung. If I start throwing money around while following some kid, what do you think people will say?”

Ji Haebeom sighed and smiled.

Only then did his manager understand and clamp his mouth shut.

“There really are a lot of bastards out there.”

“And I’m saving it to use all at once.”

“For what? When?”

His manager tilted his head at that, but no answer came.

By then Ji Haebeom had already downloaded the entire 〈Unfair Trade〉 original webtoon onto his tablet.

As if planning to read it through the whole flight.

He had already read it once when he first received the script, but now that he overlaid Han Yeoreum’s face over Lee Seohae, it felt like it would become something entirely new.

Ji Haebeom spoke again leisurely.

“Still, SBC handled this faster than expected. I heard rumors a few days ago that Noh Seungchan and some old men had been drinking together.”

“I heard someone among the original investors filled the whole missing amount.”

“Who?”

“I’m not sure either. But they say it got patched immediately.”

For a moment, Ji Haebeom became curious about the unidentified investor.

Then his manager checked his phone and stood up.

“Haebeom, let’s go. Boarding time soon.”

“Ah... already?”

Ji Haebeom also turned off the tablet screen that had been showing the [N O V E L I G H T] portal site.

His face flickered faintly across the blackened display.

“Why are you smiling?”

“I’m just excited.”

“About what now?”

“I want to film something too. Soon.”

Without giving a clear answer to his manager’s question, Ji Haebeom walked through the airport.

Soon enough, the familiar shutter clicks and screams followed after him.

* * *

Reporter Wi attended the quickly arranged 〈Unfair Trade〉 script reading.

‘Yeoreum...!’

There were so many reporters that there wasn’t a single empty parking spot.

Because he had arrived at the last possible moment, Han Yeoreum entered almost the instant he sat down.

Looking at her now—a fully seasoned fourth-year actress who no longer trembled at script readings—Reporter Wi was overwhelmed.

‘Back during 〈Faster Than the Law〉, you could tell how nervous she was....’

Moved by Han Yeoreum’s dazzling growth, Reporter Wi pressed the shutter.

It seemed she had filming for 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 immediately after this, because her hair, makeup, and outfit were exactly Na Yuna.

Loosely tied hair, a watch on her slender wrist, a loose checkered shirt.

‘Na Yuna’s real-life shots look so good....’

As he captured Han Yeoreum through the lens, Reporter Wi suddenly felt something strange.

‘Huh, now that I think about it....’

His eyes fixed on the shirt Han Yeoreum was wearing.

‘This feels familiar.’

Come to think of it, several of the reporters seated here were wearing the same kind of loose-fit checkered shirt that had become Na Yuna’s trademark.

‘Must be my imagination....’

But the distinctive pattern and fit were far too identical for that.

‘No way, absolutely not!’

Following the Huijae knit from 〈The Great Garland〉, now even Na Yuna’s shirt from 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 was slowly becoming a trend.