I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

She had completely lost track of time. The Nam Pyeonghwa Han Yeoreum had interpreted might actually have been more real than the Nam Pyeonghwa Hwang Boseok himself had imagined.

The anticipation born from something unchanging.

That moment when Jeon Segye’s solid world — the world of a man who had once wanted to believe in love — came crumbling down.

It felt as though he could already see that scene unfolding before his eyes, a scene everyone would be able to accept.

“That brat Juha....”

A smile tugged at Hwang Boseok’s lips. He remembered what Byeon Juhwa had said.

“You won’t be able to help yourself either, Writer.”

But Hwang Boseok decided to place his hopes one last time. He called Hong Suryeon.

* * *

“Unnie, what did I tell you? I’m Hong Suryeon, after all.”

On the way to Hwang Boseok’s studio, a radiant smile bloomed across Hong Suryeon’s face. She was even humming to herself.

“Later let’s tell my manager oppa to spread Writer Hwang’s synopsis everywhere. And put Hong Suryeon under consideration! Then later we go bam, finalized. Everyone’s obviously gonna say nobody but me can do it anyway.”

There was a reason Hong Suryeon was in such an unbelievably good mood.

“Suryeon-ah. Come like Pyeonghwa today.”

If Writer Hwang had said that, it meant he had already decided to give her the role of Nam Pyeonghwa.

“Unnie! Pick out my clothes for me!”

“What kind?”

“Oh come onnn, what do you think he meant by come like Pyeonghwa? He wants to see a different side of beautiful me, obviously—.”

Today, Hong Suryeon wore cheap off-brand clothes from head to toe. The kind of outfit Nam Pyeonghwa would realistically pick from one of Jeon Segye’s budget fashion apps.

A Cinderella who had escaped being ordinary.

It would be the same as always.

Hong Suryeon would receive Writer Hwang’s script, film with Yoo Jiuk, utterly crush every drama airing in the same time slot, and once again prove herself [N O V E L I G H T] to the world as the queen of romantic comedies.

There would be no upset like last time.

The thought made her smile.

With light footsteps, Hong Suryeon entered Hwang Boseok’s studio.

“Writerrrr-. I’m hereee.”

“Right. Suryeon’s here.”

Hong Suryeon didn’t even need to knock. She was Writer Hwang’s favorite, and the two of them were practically like father and daughter.

She had brought a latte and cake from the café he frequented most often.

“Put candles on the cakeee. I specially brought a number 3 candle. Writer and me, our third project together! Kyahh.”

Hong Suryeon held up the cake. But for some reason, the smile on Writer Hwang’s face looked bitter.

“Writer?”

Even at her call, Hwang Boseok stayed silent. He merely looked at her calmly.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

With eyes she had never once seen before, Hwang Boseok asked her,

“Suryeon-ah. You didn’t happen to forget what I told you today, did you?”

Hong Suryeon tilted her head.

“Ah! Is it because these clothes look designer or something? Oh my goddd-. You scared me. Writer, wanna guess how much this whole outfit cost?”

“....”

“Fifty thousand won! Crazy, right? It’s because my fit is amazing, isn’t it?”

Hong Suryeon was an actress who suited Hwang Boseok’s Nam Pyeonghwa better than anyone. She stepped closer to him so he could properly see the texture of the tweed setup.

Cheap fabric from top to bottom, but elevated because she wore it.

That was what she wanted to show Hwang Boseok.

“Don’t worry. This’ll actually make viewers’ hearts flutter even more because it’s like a perfect transformation from an ordinary girl and—.”

Cutting her off, Hwang Boseok finally spoke.

Still wearing that unfamiliar look in his eyes.

“Suryeon-ah. You’re a really good person. You’re lovable and bright. You know how to treat people warmly.”

In a gentle voice, almost as if soothing her, Hwang Boseok continued.

“You’re a wonderful star.”

Hong Suryeon tightened her grip on the cake box handle. Something felt wrong.

“But Suryeon-ah. I kept waiting for you to become an actress.”

Hwang Boseok quietly looked at her.

“You’re like a daughter to me, so I thought someday you eventually would.”

Hwang Boseok rose from his seat and slowly walked toward her. He lifted his hand and patted her trembling shoulder.

As always, Writer Hwang was warm and kind.

“I’m sorry.”

But his words were something Hong Suryeon had never even imagined.

“The moment that girl walked in... I think part of me already knew I would have to say this to you.”

Hong Suryeon couldn’t say a single word.

This couldn’t be happening.

There wasn’t supposed to be an upset.

“My Pyeonghwa... isn’t someone I can see in you anymore.”

Unable to understand what was happening, Hong Suryeon’s eyes shook violently.

Hong Suryeon had always been the best.

And she had to remain the best.

No actress could ever stand above her. That was simply the natural order of things.

The proud, lofty, perfect self-esteem she had built through countless years of proving herself began to crack apart little by little.

“...What exactly is your Pyeonghwa, Teacher? I’m Hong Suryeon. You know my acting better than anyone, so why are you saying this? I’m really good. If I’m lacking, I can do everything you ask me to.”

“Suryeon-ah.”

Hwang Boseok’s voice was firm.

“It’s not because I don’t cherish you. It’s because I’m the pathetic one. I’m such a fool. Only now do I think I finally understand what I really wanted to do.”

The face that always wore a radiant smile stiffened.

“Let’s meet again someday. When you’ve become an actress.”

The cake box slipped from her hands and crashed to the floor.

Hwang Boseok had chosen Han Yeoreum.

Instead of Hong Suryeon.

* * *

Even after hearing the phone call with his own ears, Lee Saerok still couldn’t believe it.

“Hey....”

Sitting in his chair blankly, he muttered,

“So our Han Yeoreum really pushed out Hong Suryeon in the end....”

Even as he said it himself, he couldn’t believe it. The absurdity nearly made him laugh.

It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since Hwang Boseok met Han Yeoreum, and he had already called to confirm.

-You can get this made quickly, right?

“Excuse me? Writer!”

-Hand the megaphone to Juha. That brat’s ridiculously good at getting beautiful shots, at least.

“Of course! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Just the fact that Hwang Boseok had chosen MBS made Lee Saerok bend at the waist in gratitude.

“But um... the actor....”

Still, he couldn’t help but ask. In a trembling voice, Lee Saerok carefully spoke. Just in case. Just maybe.

-You’re asking even though you already know.

“...What?”

-You sent her to me because you already knew, didn’t you?

Lee Saerok understood immediately.

The Nam Pyeonghwa Hwang Boseok had chosen.

It was Han Yeoreum.

-Director Ja was right.

Hwang Boseok laughed, sounding utterly relieved.

-That girl walked up to me. Pyeonghwa did.

Following Director Ja’s Yeon Huijae, Han Yeoreum had now become Writer Hwang’s Nam Pyeonghwa.

-Not Jiuk. Match the age range. Doesn’t have to be a top star, so bring me a decent rookie.

“B-But Writer....”

-I know. I know what you’re trying to say. Romance depends on the male lead.

There was a saying.

Dramas are ruled by writers. Films are ruled by directors.

But if the genre was romance, the story changed. Then it became ruled by the male lead.

You had to convince viewers through the male lead’s face, acting, and voice.

Convince them why this love deserved their support. Why it was worth rooting for.

And investors understood that better than anyone, which was why investment decisions naturally depended on the male lead attached to a project.

-To be honest, at some point I started getting scared too. Thinking, what if Hwang Boseok completely crashes and burns? Stuff like that.... Ridiculous, isn’t it?

Only to Lee Saerok did Hwang Boseok make such a shy confession.

-I acted like none of it mattered, but if I only had a tiny bit of romance left in me, I’d compromise every time. I’d bring in a top male actor and puff out my chest like I was the greatest.

The world was ironic. The higher people climbed, the more cowardly they became. Falling hurt everyone.

Hwang Boseok was no different. If the entire country knew your name, it also meant the entire country would put you on the chopping block.

-Men writing romance isn’t interesting? I wanted to say, look at me. This is Hwang Boseok. That’s what I wanted.

He was someone whose single failure could return as a devastating blow.

-When I wrote , I gritted my teeth the whole time. You look down on me? You bastards think you can look down on Hwang Boseok? That’s how I wrote it. Pretty pathetic for a grown man, huh?

The cowardly top writer’s confession continued.

-Truthfully, I didn’t want to release this drama into the world. I was embarrassed. It felt like admitting that in the end, I was this kind of trivial writer.... Of course, maybe a few years later I would’ve lost patience and released it anyway. Putting our sweet Suryeon at the front while saying, what can I do, it suits her too well, I have no choice but to compromise a little-. Changing it over and over to make it sell better.

Lee Saerok instinctively realized it.

-But this time, I think I want to chase romance for real.

.

A drama set domestically, one that didn’t require a huge investment because the premise alone could easily be covered through PPL.

Maybe Hwang Boseok had written this project to finally realize every last bit of the romance he had hidden away all this time.

He was no longer going to be a coward. Because he had found an actress who returned that romance to him, and he intended to run forward hand in hand with her.

-Let’s do it that way. With a rookie. Bring me a male actor who matches well with Miss Yeoreum.

This was a kind of romance only a top writer could achieve — someone capable of drawing investors in with nothing but the name he had spent years building.