I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

‘Most of the article photos are focused on our ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Yeoreum’s face....’

The direction choice—wiping out all ambient sound and leaving only the narration—seemed to have landed perfectly with journalists too.

‘Well, with our Yeoreum’s voice, of course it did.’

Aetami pressed the Want Follow-Up Article button on every single article. Then, as always, she entered the peaceful 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 gallery.

‘What the hell, why are there this many featured posts?’

Whoever the moderator was, they were clearly doing an amazing job. Even though she had gone through every featured post before falling asleep last night, there was already another mountain of them.

[Compilation of yesterday’s Youth Disqualified monologue scenes]

[Take these phone wallpapers of the girls.jpg]

[〈Youth Disqualified〉 Ep still dump (kinda image-heavy)]

Aetami diligently saved every Yeoreum photo.

Just then, the morning sunlight fell across her phone. Through the earbuds in her ears, the 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 OST was playing.

Aetami turned her head toward the window.

At some point, everything outside had turned green wherever her eyes touched.

Like Han Yeoreum.

“Our Yeoreum... I hope she’s eating well....”

After 〈Youth Disqualified!〉 came 〈Unfair Trade〉 too. Her schedule was packed way too tightly. Yeoreum had already lost weight, so what if she got even thinner? Aetami worried.

“Good! Good! Great!”

And at that exact moment, Han Yeoreum—

“A little more deliciously. Ah, nice. Nice!”

—was eating a 1,490-calorie hamburger.

* * *

The moment I arrived in Taiwan, I did one interview, then immediately went into a variety show appearance.

And now, another schedule.

A commercial shoot, this time.

“Burger Queen....”

Who would’ve thought the day would come when a brand known by people all over the world would choose me?

I’m so happy I could die.

I was filming a scene where I held a thick hamburger tightly in both hands and took a bite.

This was Burger Queen’s new menu item.

Shrimp and beef, cheese and beef.

Shortened, it was the Shu-Bi-Chi-Bi Burger.

Crunchy lettuce, fresh tomatoes, perfectly grilled beef, savory melted cheese, and the final kick of shrimp.

I closed my eyes and savored it.

‘Because of Na Yuna and Lee Seohae, I’ve been far away from things like this for so long....’

Why did I do that?

Why did I forget what this felt like?

I felt as if I were spinning in circles hand in hand with bread, lettuce, beef, shrimp, cheese, and tomato friends.

‘The mayonnaise is so good....’

I heard the call for cut from far away.

The interpreter walked over to me.

“That was excellent. This time, could you try not to eat it too neatly? Maybe let a little get around your mouth, like it’s just that delicious.”

I nodded.

I was way too confident.

The props team placed a second burger in my hands.

“Ready-.”

Thinking that this CF would be broadcast all across Taiwan made me feel like I was spinning together with TVs, wrapped buses, subway monitors, and bus stop billboards.

“Action!”

I took a bite of the hamburger.

A rich wave of mayonnaise hit first.

Then the first bite was the soft bun, next the crisp lettuce, then the shrimp and—

ah...

seriously, it’s absolutely not just because I’m the ad model, Burger Queen really is delicious....

After taking exactly one bite, I lifted my head according to the director’s instructions.

I could feel sauce on the corner of my mouth.

Looks like the props team had added even more sauce this time.

But who am I?

Han Yeoreum, veteran of twenty-three years of hamburger eating.

I reached out and lightly wiped the corner of my mouth with my ring finger.

Meeting high calories again after so long made me so happy that I kept smiling.

But why was everyone else smiling too?

‘Guess it’s rare to see a celebrity eat a hamburger this cutely....’

Yes, everyone.

Please laugh as much as you want.

It’s not every day you get a front-row chance to watch the future national actress of Taiwan film a hamburger CF....

The director, who had been watching the monitor, broke into a bright smile and gave a thumbs-up.

That was a universal language.

I instantly understood what it meant.

‘This scene must’ve turned out really well?’

The director smiled and exchanged a few words with the people around him.

He must be saying it was amazing, right?

They seemed to be discussing something briefly.

The mood was good.

Then he passed new direction to the interpreter, who started walking over.

I felt good too....

I was in a good mood, but...

something...

something about this made me uneasy....

The hamburger in my hand was taken away.

Then they’d quickly hand me the next burger, right?

“They said that last take was so good they want to keep it as is.”

“Huh?”

“The director was worried because you still have the magazine pictorial and another ad shoot left. He was concerned it might be hard for you to manage. He said he’d hate for you to be upset because of bloating. He’s also a fan of 〈Strange Tales〉.”

“Huh??”

“But it came out so well. He says it’s really a relief. This scene is finished.”

“Huh???”

No, what does that even mean?

Right now?

What?

Unable to say anything, I desperately tried to organize the mess in my head.

First, 〈Strange Tales〉 fan. Thank you.

And he even knows I still have another ad shoot left.

I’ll give him an autograph later.

But this scene is over?

What exactly are you saying right now?

“My ham... hamburger?”

I only took two bites.

This is the first hamburger I’ve had in months.

I can’t part with it like this.

I didn’t even get fries or cola.

I literally only had two bites of the burger...?

“Don’t worry, they said. That last take was really great. Even to someone like me with untrained eyes, it made me want a hamburger.”

The interpreter smiled and lightly wiped the tip of my nose with a finger.

Then gave me the same thumbs-up as the director.

Ah.

So there was sauce there too....

“All right! Strike the set and move to the next scene!”

The staff swarmed in, quickly organizing the lights and cables.

How do I say I didn’t finish eating?

No, why is everyone only giving me thumbs-ups while looking at me?

Please just give me my hamburger.

“Yeoreum.”

That was when a hand landed on my shoulder.

“Yesterday on the variety show, you drank a lot of mango juice, right?”

It was Manager Choi.

I closed my eyes for a moment to avoid the voice coming from behind me.

“Unni... I only had one sip each.... If you combined all of them, it wouldn’t even make one full cup....”

“You need to do well at tomorrow’s pictorial shoot too, right?”

Right.

The pictorial.

That made my eyes snap open again.

“You’re shooting with Eun Baekhap, so you can’t fall behind, right?”

The 〈The Great Garland〉 team had to move busily through Taiwan for pre-broadcast promotions.

One of those schedules was a Ruel pictorial.

And paired with the interview, it had secured an explosive ten full pages.

What I was looking forward to most was the group pictorial.

A chance to shoot with top stars like Eun Baekhap and Ji Haebeom had always been on my bucket list.

“That really woke me up. Thank you, unni.”

“Right. Once we’re back in Korea, I’ll make you a low-calorie hamburger. It tastes exactly the same as the real thing. If you close your eyes while eating it, nobody would know.”

No.

You can tell.

Low-calorie can never replace high-calorie.

But I kept my mouth firmly shut.

‘A pictorial with Eun Baekhap....’

Just thinking about it made me so excited.

I bravely shook off my lingering attachment to the hamburger...

shook it off...

and stood up.

“Let’s go! We’ve got the outdoor scene!”

“Yes!”

And the bicycle scene that followed—

“This is really good. Hmm. But we can’t quite feel enough anticipation for the hamburger. A little faster on the pedals....”

“That was so good—but shall we try it just a little brighter with your smile?”

“It’s so, so, so good, but....”

The amount of exercise it turned into was enough to send the calories from those two hamburger bites flying clean into the distance.

* * * 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The moment Eun Baekhap entered the hotel, she headed straight for the bathroom.

“Ah, fuck. I’m so damn tired, seriously.”

She immediately opened the shelf.

One by one, she took out the beauty devices she had packed into her pouch and lined them up in a row, then scooped out a generous amount of moisture-rich cleansing cream and spread it evenly over her skin.

Bzzzzzz.

The cleansing device touched her spotless, pale skin and began melting away the makeup.

There were so many interviews and pictorial shoots waiting for Eun Baekhap in Taiwan.

Even before the Korean content ban restriction, Taiwan had often given her schedules because the K-drama fanbase there had always been thick.

‘But even then... it definitely wasn’t to this extent....’

Being simply popular and being loved by the public were different things.

The gap between a famous actress and a national actress was enormous.

‘I felt it last time too.’

Eun Baekhap remembered the Taiwanese fans who had filled the airport.

Before she even realized it, Han Yeoreum had built a solid fandom across all age groups.

‘That little bitch....’

Eun Baekhap wiped off her skin with lukewarm water.

As she lathered a white foaming cleanser over her face once more, Han Yeoreum came to mind again.

In all her life, Eun Baekhap had never once experienced the unpleasant feeling of being overshadowed by someone else.

Because simply by standing there, everyone’s gaze had always poured toward her.

Looks and skill.

She had both.

There had never been anything for Eun Baekhap to regret.

People’s attention and love had always been only natural.

Splash splash splash splash.

Her hands, full of water, moved roughly.

Soon, with her face stripped down to a clear bare complexion, a vicious edge settled over her expression.

“I’ll show her.”

Eun Baekhap remembered tomorrow’s schedule perfectly.

It was the day of 〈The Great Garland〉 group pictorial.

An actor was someone who spoke with their eyes.

The countless characters Eun Baekhap had built over the years had not simply appeared by accident.

Without saying a single word.

Simply by existing.

That alone was enough for Eun Baekhap to explain a role.

“I’ll show that brat....”

This was the perfect chance to teach that little brat the difference between an actress people merely liked and a true top star.

“What makes the top spot different.”

No matter how good Han Yeoreum’s acting was, Eun Baekhap was a senior among seniors who had done too many pictorials to even count.

She planned to restore the sense of respect that brat—who somehow managed to squeeze praise out of everything—needed to have.

* * *

Ruel’s exclusive photographer, the same one who had shot Han Yeoreum’s first Taiwan pictorial, was looking forward to today’s schedule more than anyone else.

That was why they had left far earlier than the planned setup time.

‘As expected, my eye was right.’

They had known Han Yeoreum would succeed ever since 〈Strange Tales〉.

But they had never imagined they would meet again after she had grown this much in such a short time.

‘So her next work is supposed to be a first-love role.’

Back then, if they had known about Yeon Huijae from 〈The Great Garland〉, would they have photographed her differently?

The Taiwan Ruel pictorial at the time had captured the feeling of a comfortable first love.

Blowing soap bubbles, holding mango ice cream.

But the Huijae they had seen through 〈The Great Garland〉 clips was a completely different kind of first love than expected.

Han Yeoreum wasn’t the kind of first love that seeped into you.

She was the kind that burrowed into you.

Lost in thoughts of Han Yeoreum, the photographer suddenly saw her in their line of sight once more.

On the outdoor screen above the busy boulevard, a giant teaser for the soon-to-air 〈The Great Garland〉 was playing.

The light had turned red, forcing them to hit the brakes.

Just as the photographer’s car came to a stop, several pedestrians passing by also halted their steps.

Then they all lifted their heads to look at the giant billboard.

It was different from the official Korean teaser they had seen on the KBC channel.

The Taiwan teaser’s cut editing was far more glamorous.

And what burned itself into the eye above all else was that primordial first love.

Han Yeoreum kneeling in a Japanese-style house.

Han Yeoreum stepping off a boat.

Han Yeoreum looking at Taeseok from inside a wall.

Han Yeoreum smiling brightly in the rain.

Han Yeoreum crying.

Even after the adult Huijae appeared, that afterimage refused to fade.

In the briefest instant, Han Yeoreum possessed something that seized a person’s gaze.

HOOONK-!

A horn blared from behind.

The light had changed.

The photographer, who had been staring at Han Yeoreum without noticing, pressed the accelerator once more.

For some reason, there was a pleasant premonition that today’s shoot would become the best work of their career so far.