I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

As news of the first-generation fan club kit dropped, the rumor spread through the communities too.

[HOT / The actor fan club kit everyone’s freaking out over right now.jpg]

is Han Yeoreum

Han Yeoreum’s agency is that insane group we all know

(photo of the JC ENM company building.jpg)

Yep, that’s JC^^ lol

They’re rude as hell to everyone else, but they treat my actress right, so the fans are dancing their asses off right now

(Han Yeoreum fan club kit deblurred version.jpg)

Seriously, the quality level of the officially revealed 1st fan club kit is f*cking generous as hell

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The aesthetic sense is insane. Especially that melon bread mirror keyring they included again this time—even regular people would want that design TT_TT it’s so freaking cute

〈ParCheHi〉 Blu-ray, 〈Strange Tales〉 Blu-ray, 〈We Are〉 Blu-ray shot.jpg

For reference, these are the kinds of goods JC has been putting out all this time lol

Everyone’s so jealous they’re practically rolling around on the floor

-Anonymous 1: Wow, Han Yeoreum is seriously no joke lol her fandom’s stronger than a lot of male actor fandoms

-Anonymous 2: Huh... who exactly is rolling around lol the viral marketing is crazy

˪ Anonymous 6: All the actor stans flooding my timeline are literally crying, what do you mean; just because you don’t know doesn’t make everything viral LOLOLOL

˪ Anonymous 11: Exactly LOOOL if you’ve never stanned actors before, just scroll past if you don’t get it

Among the community users, there were quite a few people puzzled over why everyone was making such a huge fuss over a fan club kit.

That was because they had grown used to the idol industry, where fan clubs were divided into numbered generations and sold a brand-new kit every time.

But just how unusual this situation was was explained by the nonstop flood of comments.

Until now, the actor industry had never truly started full-scale goods sales and an official fan club kit opening like this.

-Anonymous 22: For real, the agency seriously works hard. It’s already ridiculously hard to gather hardcore fans for female actresses, so I honestly didn’t expect much T_T LOLOL

-Anonymous 25: JC is really gritting their teeth and working their asses off, holy shit LOLOOLOL I wish my actor had signed there too..T_T no SNS updates, no content drops, I’m not even asking for merch, just please give me news of the next project

˪ Anonymous 34: There are too many of them, I can’t even tell who you’re talking about, damn it..

-Anonymous 40: I heard Han Yeoreum has a ton of overseas fans, but this is insane.. first time I’ve ever seen a company buy overseas pictorials and turn them into merch, holy shit;;

A core fanbase.

It meant the number of people willing to gladly open their wallets for Han Yeoreum had clearly increased.

At the starting point of bringing an idol-style fandom structure into actor fan culture stood Han Yeoreum.

-Anonymous 51: Holy shit, I’m so jealous TT__TT my actor doesn’t even have anything like that on their 10th debut anniversary

˪ Anonymous 67: No but Han Yeoreum is literally the only actor putting out a kit right now LOLOLOL even Ji Haebeom doesn’t have an official one

˪ Anonymous 101: That’s insane.. I’m a regular viewer so I didn’t get what was such a big deal, but hearing even Ji Haebeom doesn’t have one makes me totally understand LOLOL

˪ Anonymous 115: Exactly LOLOL wow, even Ji Haebeom doesn’t have one but Han Yeoreum does? Separate from how competent the agency is, she really is the trend right now

Even though the name of none other than Ji Haebeom had been brought up, there wasn’t much negative reaction.

It wasn’t an atmosphere of doubting whether Han Yeoreum was really on Ji Haebeom’s level.

“Our cutie is something people can actually feel now—”

Manager Ma, the head of JC ENM’s marketing team who had poured his soul into the fan club kit, smiled as he monitored everything with hollow eyes.

Every project Han Yeoreum had appeared in so far had become the kind of hit that represented its year.

So regardless of personal preference, there was no way she wouldn’t end up engraved into the public subconscious.

The hottest actor right now.

At the forefront of actors in their twenties stood Han Yeoreum.

“Making Gi Taeseok be Ji Haebeom really was a god-tier move—. Ahhh... if we’re going to compare, we have to compare her to a movie star....”

The public was cold.

They did not remember every celebrity.

There had to be undeniable star power, and it had to match the “tier” already imprinted in their minds before they would acknowledge it.

A TV star and a movie star were different.

A TV star was someone you could watch if you had the time.

A movie star was someone the public chose by spending money, time, and effort to see.

“Cutie. I’m going to raise you into a movie star.”

And Manager Ma was certain.

Han Yeoreum could absolutely become a movie star.

The biggest factor deciding whether someone became a TV star or a movie star—the so-called ticket power.

Han Yeoreum unquestionably had that power.

[〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 starting a new syndrome in Taiwan... ‘crazy popularity’ hits #1 in reservation rate]

[Trend queen Han Yeoreum, conquers Taiwan with 〈The Great Garland〉 followed by 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 | One-Cut News]

[“If it’s Korean, we love it no matter what”... the charm of 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 captivating Taiwanese theaters]

〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 hit first place in reservation rankings in Taiwan the moment it opened.

* * *

‘Why am I even here....’

Wang Haoyu had been dragged all the way to the movie theater by Meiling and her friends.

By the time he came to his senses, he was already holding a 〈Faster Than the Law〉 combo popcorn set in his hands.

Walking ahead with a cola, Meiling looked unbelievably happy.

“Look over there. Unnie’s in the trailer!”

Maybe it was thanks to the act of filial betrayal where she’d practically force-fed her father creamy soda without pause, but hanging from Meiling’s bag was the limited-edition Creamy Soda Han Yeoreum photo keyring.

Wang Haoyu had ended up dragged here because of the careless thing he’d said last time—By next month, her popularity will probably cool off.

Meiling had literally grabbed him by the collar, insisting she would make him feel just how popular Summer Unnie really was.

As if proving her words, the theater was packed full of people.

“Hey—look at this place. It’s completely full.”

“Well, obviously. It’s opening day. Hehehe....”

“Damn it. Some lucky bastards must’ve succeeded in getting stage greeting tickets too.”

“If I put my mind to it, I could totally swipe them.”

Was this what people became like when they were too happy?

Wang Haoyu, who subtly distanced himself from Meiling and her friends as their speech somehow sounded even more like middle-aged uncles today, looked around as if pretending not to be with them.

The theater was noisy with people all there to watch 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉.

The best seats had already sold out the moment the reservation link opened, so they had no choice but to sit in the front, but Meiling and her friends still looked delighted.

Wang Haoyu handed the popcorn bucket with Han Yeoreum’s face printed on it over to Meiling.

〈Faster Than the Law 1〉 had truly been a massive hit.

Turn on the TV, and people talked about it.

Among friends, people talked about it.

Even online, it came up constantly.

‘Not that I watched it because of that.’

That was exactly why.

Wang Haoyu, who wasn’t sensitive to trends, had still gotten spoiled on the plot and even the ending without doing anything, so he never bothered watching it separately.

“It’s starting!”

As the theater lights slowly dimmed, Meiling in the seat next to him grew excited.

The movie was definitely worth watching.

It didn’t drag, nor were there confusing parts that required watching the first one, so even Wang Haoyu was able to enjoy it.

Whenever Influencer 1’s bright comedic scenes appeared to ease the tension in the middle, pleasant laughter filled the theater.

Before they knew it, the movie had ended and the ending credits began to roll.

That was when—

“Waaaahhhh!”

Even though the theater was clearly well soundproofed, screams from somewhere outside pierced through the thick walls.

“Huh?”

People «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» stirred.

Something had obviously happened outside.

Meiling, sitting next to Wang Haoyu, shot to her feet.

“Based on the route... I think it’s now....”

“What?”

At Meiling’s words, Jiarong, Xinlei, and Weixin also sprang up and ran.

“What is it? What is it?”

Wang Haoyu was abandoned in an instant, but he quickly ran after them.

And then the boy witnessed it.

“Han Yeoreum!!!”

“Letter Oppa! Letter Oppa!”

“Kyaaaahhh!”

The Hallyu actors coming out of the screening room after finishing their stage greeting schedule.

The noise of people shouting for them was so loud his ears rang.

Click—! Click—! Clickclickclickclick—!

The noise only grew louder because of the endless people raising their phones to take pictures.

Even amid the chaos, Han Yeoreum diligently waved her hand.

“Summer Unnie!!!”

Meiling shouted as if she had a megaphone.

And as if answering Meiling’s call, Han Yeoreum turned around.

Then she met her eyes and smiled brightly.

Thirty minutes later.

Sitting inside a nearby Burger Queen, Wang Haoyu waved the tray holding Shrimp Beachibi burgers at Meiling, Jiarong, Xinlei, and Weixin, who were all clutching their popcorn buckets to their chests like treasures.

“She saw me.... Right....”

“She looked at me. I swear the angle turned just a little toward my side.”

“Stop forcing it. It was me.”

“No.... I think she remembers me, somehow....”

The aftereffects of Summer Unnie’s eye contact earlier were tremendous.

Han Yeoreum’s Shrimp Beachibi Burger, still the most popular menu item, was so freshly hot because they were selling as fast as the staff could make and stack them.

“Hey.... Wang Haoyu.... what about you?”

Meiling asked while staring at Summer Unnie’s face printed on the paper lining the tray.

Wang Haoyu looked at Han Yeoreum everywhere—in the TV inside the store, on the standing display signs, and even on the stickers on the glass walls—before answering.

“When is 〈Faster Than the Law 3〉 happening?”

For the first time, he found himself waiting for a movie sequel.

Even though she must have been overwhelmed being surrounded by people, the way she looked as if she was trying to remember every single person had left an impression even on Wang Haoyu, who had never cared much about Hallyu.

“Hey, this punk finally came to his senses!”

“So, should we gift him a keyring to celebrate his conversion? Hehehe.”

“Tsk. No way. He’ll get spoiled. Put it away already!”

“Right. Even you know saying her popularity would cool off makes no sense now, huh? Huh?”

Amid Meiling and her friends’ noisy Summer Unnie talk, Wang Haoyu thought,

‘There’s no way I’ll be able to watch 〈Faster Than the Law 3〉 on opening day either.’

There probably wouldn’t be any seats.

And just as Wang Haoyu predicted, 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 continued holding first place in reservation rankings even long after Han Yeoreum and the cast had finished their short stage greeting.

It went on to record an all-time audience count even faster than the previous installment.

* * *

“I’m telling you, that’s exactly how it happened.”

This was a samgyeopsal restaurant located in Cheongnyangni.

Since the whole place had been rented out, the only people inside were the 〈Unfair Trade〉 staff, the PR company employees, and the actors.

“Wow... I’m seriously so jealous.... I wish I were more popular too.... I really want to do stage greetings....”

I was telling Shin Seojin all about my Taiwan schedule, where I’d been swept up by a giant wave of popularity—not just my core fans like Meiling and her friends who had been stanning me since 〈Strange Tales〉, but also the new fans created by 〈The Great Garland〉 and the general public flowing in through 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉.

Seriously, bragging about myself never got old.

“You’re already plenty popular, sunbae. 〈We Are〉 is airing right now, so if you go there, it’ll be chaos too.”

“How much chaos...?”

“Of course not as much as Taiwan’s first love, Han Yeoreum, but still huge.”

“Then do you think I could become Taiwan’s favorite second male lead too? Be honest.”

“For sure.”

At my answer, Shin Seojin looked genuinely happy.

He was already intoxicated by imaginary popularity, smiling so wide his gentle monolid eyes curved shut.

Sitting next to him, I thought to myself,

‘If we go to Taiwan together, this sunbae will probably steal the spotlight from me, so I need to secure my footing even more before then....’

Oblivious to my plan, Shin Seojin checked the clock and muttered that there were only three minutes left.

As soon as I wrapped up the 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 promo schedule, I had returned to Korea and rejoined filming.

Today was finally the day episode 1 of 〈Unfair Trade〉 would air.

While I was in Taiwan, public anticipation for our drama had hit its peak.

[ActorMovieDrama TALK / Both Shin Seojin and Han Yeoreum have such a good eye for filmographies, I’m insanely hyped for 〈Unfair Trade〉LOL]

[ActorMovieDrama TALK / I’ve watched the trailer until it wore out hurry up 〈Unfair Trade〉TT_TT]

[ActorMovieDrama TALK / Could Shin Seojin and Han Yeoreum maybe have a romance line..Haha should we start squeezing content from crumbs?]

Even before broadcast, threads had already exploded not only in the 〈Unfair Trade〉 gallery but across drama boards in multiple communities.

“Aww.... I’m getting nervous for no reason....”

But despite what he said, Director Park didn’t look nervous at all.

‘Of course he wouldn’t.’

It was confidence with reason behind it.

Episode 1 of 〈Unfair Trade〉 had come out really well.

The so-called hook—the exact point that made viewers go crazy with curiosity—had been used as the cutoff, so episode 2’s ratings were practically secured already.

“It’s starting!”

With someone’s shout, the final commercial ended, and episode 1 of 〈Unfair Trade〉, the most anticipated work of the second half of the year, finally began.