I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

Jeon Ujeong had started receiving fan letters she’d never gotten before.

“Hi Joy, I’m Kim Yujin from Class 2 at Hanbit Elementary❤︎

I have a younger sibling too, so I understand how you feel.

My little sibling is really naughty too.

They’re such a mess all the time.

But I’m going to love my sibling like you do too.

I wonder if babies understand how their older sisters feel..

Someday my sibling will become mature like Lala too, right?

Bye then!”

From kindergarteners to elementary schoolers, every big sister handed letters to Jeon Ujeong. Colorful fan letters covered in cute stickers piled into her arms every time they went around doing stage greetings.

“Lala! Lala!”

Han Yeoreum felt like she had lost her own name. Everyone called her “Lala.” Every single time she entered a theater for a stage greeting, someone asked her to do the Anadyo Challenge at least once.

“Anadyo-.”

“Kyaaaaaah!”

Screams exploded around Han Yeoreum. Whenever the stage greeting ended, real-time clips spread across every community through Tr*tter.

Mueang @maaaaang

Han Yeoreum are you really a baby-soft-flying-squirrel?

(Anadyo Challenge.mp4)

110 retreats 235 likes

In , the protagonist was the rabbit Joy, but the character that hit the hardest was the flying squirrel Lala. The Anadyo Challenge spread at terrifying speed.

At the same time, another sold-out crisis erupted.

[HOT / Apparently these GCV goods are sold out everywhere right now.jpg]

( flying squirrel blanket.jpg)

Apparently kids start begging their parents to buy this the second the movie ends LMAO The quality’s way better than expected and it’s super soft so it sold insanely well

Now all the big theaters are sold out T_T

-I bought one too, good thing I got it early LMAO

-It’s not child-sized so I bought °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° one too.. hehe Lala became my favorite T_T

-When’s the restock T_T Our kid is causing chaos at home

˪ Our kid too...T_T Guess we have to go see it again this week

˪ Seriously thank god it’s not just my kid LOLOLOL They keep replaying the Intube songs nonstop now I memorized all the lyrics myself

Because of the nature of animation films, there were many viewers going for second and third watches. Once children liked something, they wanted to keep watching and listening forever. Their love was overwhelmingly intense.

[Parenting worries Forum / My troublemaker says if we just show them Lala once they’ll behave from now on, what do we do T_T LOLOLOL]

Apparently there’s a separate real Lala and Korean Lala(?) and they strongly insist Han Yeoreum is secretly a squirrel... LOOOL They say the voice is identical and she obviously transformed when she came to Korea. Now they keep saying they absolutely have to meet Lala but I honestly don’t even understand what they’re talking about.. Looking at the stage greeting schedule, everything’s already sold out. What do I do?

-Tell them tickets are only given to good little siblings already

˪ The house will descend into chaos LOLOLOL T_T It’s funny but sad..

-My second kid keeps saying “Lala Lala” all day lately too. They keep saying they want to have a Lala too(?) but no matter how much I explain that younger siblings aren’t something you can own, they won’t listen

-You should probably explain that big sister isn’t some unpopular actress you can casually meet LOOOL

There were also countless children insisting they absolutely had to see Lala and begging to attend the stage greetings. The moment the second-week schedule opened, reservations vanished at frightening speed.

Sold out, sold out, sold out.

A parade of simultaneous sellouts continued.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Han Yeoreum bowed repeatedly as she rushed from theater to theater for stage greetings.

Week one after the release of .

The movie surpassed two million viewers.

Among all films released that year, the numbers were absolutely unrivaled. Then came day ten after release, the second weekend.

“—This May, the month of family, an extraordinary box-office storm is sweeping theaters. Parents who originally visited theaters for their children are now spreading word of mouth saying they themselves discovered the ‘movie of a lifetime.’ The animation , which surpassed 2.5 million viewers in just ten days since release—our culture desk reporter investigated.”

“—Adults and children alike are laughing and enjoying the film together. With a solid story and dazzling visuals at its forefront, this animation has already crossed 2.5 million viewers within ten days of release, rewriting historical box-office records.”

Crowded audiences filled the screen. The trailer for played on the theater monitors.

“—What’s especially noteworthy is the counterattack of the dubbed version. As word spreads that it offers greater immersion than subtitles, even adult audiences have started a trend of ‘multiple rewatches’ of the dubbed version.”

Children weren’t the only ones rewatching the movie. Adults joining the craze made audience mobilization even easier.

Then, on the second weekend, another live event began.

Because they had removed the mascot heads and were singing live, the atmosphere resembled a concert venue.

“Please keep spreading the word about our movie!”

Han Yeoreum smiled brightly and waved, a flying squirrel knee blanket draped over her shoulders. Flashes exploded from every direction.

It felt as if all the light in the world was pouring down onto Han Yeoreum.

* * *

Sunday night, after countless stage greetings finally ended.

While Han Yeoreum had gone to pre-production for 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉, the remaining voice actors gathered for a company dinner.

“Today was seriously insane, right? Seriously, Cheongdam Cine City was just... If you looked at the atmosphere alone, it felt like Tokyo Dome.”

The zebra and penguin were incredibly excited. They had worked in voice acting for years, but opportunities to stand on live stages like this were rare, so they still hadn’t calmed down from the excitement.

‘Han Yeoreum....’

Jeon Ujeong, who had just sung together with Han Yeoreum earlier, unconsciously recalled her face.

“But seriously, she’s so good.”

“What did I tell you? I said Disney personally picked her!”

The moment the word Disney came up, Jeon Ujeong stiffened.

[ Working Together with a Hollywood Master... News of Noah Williams Joining]

It was because of the article JC ENM had released not long ago. Noah Williams had officially revealed that he was a fan of Han Yeoreum.

Once articles came out saying he became an even bigger fan after and personally sent her a casting offer for his next project, nobody dared question Han Yeoreum’s qualifications anymore.

A talent acknowledged by a Hollywood master.

The weight carried by that reputation was overwhelming.

‘Seriously, she’s so naive.’

Even so, Jeon Ujeong couldn’t understand Han Yeoreum, who had simply accepted and overlooked all of Jeon Ujeong’s attitude toward her.

‘She could’ve at least said something....’

Her cheeks reddened bright red as Jeon Ujeong silently gulped down soju. Han Yeoreum smiled brightly from the green bottle label.

‘She really doesn’t know how to calculate things.’

Jeon Ujeong awkwardly curled her toes.

“Are you sulking, Ujeong?”

“...Why would I be?”

The tiger Richard spoke beside her. Jeon Ujeong answered grumpily.

“Because Lala seems more popular?”

“...Well, that was understandable.” 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Jeon Ujeong stared blankly at Han Yeoreum on the bottle before answering painfully.

“She did well....”

It wasn’t just the recording work she had done well. Han Yeoreum had shown everyone what true professionalism looked like.

She promoted through Yousta Stories and helped the challenge go viral, reaching the public through things beyond just the movie itself.

The live-stage ideas. The way she treated audiences in person.

At that point, it would’ve been stranger if the movie failed.

“Right. Isn’t it nice seeing you admit that?”

Tiger Richard burst into hearty laughter.

“If you’d said you still didn’t understand why Lala was more popular, I would’ve been truly disappointed.”

“....”

“I heard she collapsed once recently.”

Jeon Ujeong’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s.

“And even then, apparently she insisted on continuing the live performances.”

“....”

“She never looked tired at all, did she?”

Not even slightly. Thinking about it now, considering Han Yeoreum’s schedule, the real miracle was that she had managed not to collapse sooner.

“She approached all of this sincerely.”

At that moment, the strongest emotion Jeon Ujeong felt was shame.

If Han Yeoreum was close enough with a master like Noah to exchange personal messages, she probably could’ve replaced someone like Jeon Ujeong instantly. But Han Yeoreum never once showed even the slightest sign of dislike.

Han Yeoreum, who poured sincerity into every role at every moment.

Jeon Ujeong, who spent every moment thinking about how to dismiss and belittle Han Yeoreum.

Once she belatedly realized how unprofessional she herself had been, Jeon Ujeong lowered her head deeply.

“So apologize sincerely.”

“....”

One bottle, then two bottles of Han Yeoreum’s Fresh Leaf Soju piled up on Jeon Ujeong’s table.

She had to admit it now. Han Yeoreum was the professional.

The amateur had been herself instead.

Much later, Jeon Ujeong stared at Han Yeoreum and muttered quietly,

“Sorry for misunderstanding you....”

But Han Yeoreum on the bottle only kept smiling.

* * *

‘Why does she keep staring at me?’

had carved a historic mark into Korea’s animation film industry. The current audience count was already five million.

I never expected we’d still be doing stage greetings in week three, but after the explosive advance reservation rate, JC hurriedly scheduled additional regional appearances.

My right cheek prickled, so I turned my head. At the exact same moment, Jeon Ujeong turned hers away.

Does she have something to say? Then why is she just staring instead of talking to me? She definitely noticed my gaze, yet she desperately kept staring straight ahead.

“Lala!”

A child sitting in the front row called out to me. I immediately waved.

‘Who am I?’

The era’s ultimate cutie, acknowledged as a baby even by children. A being so overwhelmingly adorable that people forgot her age, causing preschoolers to casually speak to her informally. The very embodiment of a flying squirrel, who wiped out every piece of merchandise stock, while endless proof posts appeared from people saying they went to multiple screenings just to hear Han Yeoreum say “Unni.” A rising movie star who had now grown enough to receive casting offers from a Hollywood master himself. Han Yeoreum.

“Did you enjoy the movie?”

I approached a familiar face and accepted their phone.

‘Seeing how nervous you still are despite watching it this many times, you must seriously seriously like me?’

I’d already seen this person several times at stage greetings by now. I leaned closer for the photo. Beside me, I heard someone holding their breath.

“Let’s see each other again next time! Thank you so much for coming today too.”

My fan nodded with a solemn expression. Before they could even recover, people nearby started handing me gifts.

During , I received unusually many gifts like jelly, snacks, and chocolate. One child handed me character chocolates with flushed cheeks.

“Lala! This is my little sibling!”

“Reaaally? Hi there, little sibling-. Let’s take a picture together.”

“They don’t listen to their older sister either, just like you!”

“Unniii... I said don’t teeeell....”

Quite a few children personally introduced their younger siblings to me. And they were both wrapped in matching Lala blankets. Seriously, that’s too cute.

‘Kids... promise me your love for me right now won’t change.’

Please make me the number-one most beloved actress among every age group from teenagers to people in their nineties. I flashed peace signs while taking pictures among the children. Every now and then, the back of my head prickled.

* * *

IP 85.152 had traveled to Busan, one of Korea’s most famous tourist destinations.

While there, JC ENM conveniently opened third-week stage greetings as well, so IP 85.152 watched once again.

Since IP 85.152 had acknowledged Han Yeoreum’s dubbing before Hollywood master Noah did, it felt as though their standards were now comparable to those of a Hollywood legend, making the viewing experience immensely satisfying. Somehow, no matter how many rewatches they did, new details kept appearing, so the movie never became boring. Clearly, this was thanks to their refined eye.

‘Even Jeon Ujeong seems to have a decent ear.’

Throughout the stage greeting, Jeon Ujeong stared at Han Yeoreum. She probably liked her now.

And after the explosive success of , she even mentioned Han Yeoreum during an interview.

Editor: The popularity of is incredible. The “sister chemistry” is getting huge reactions. Was it really like that during recording too?

Jeon Ujeong: During recording, I was tense in a lot of ways, so I feel sorry that I couldn’t act more like an older sister. Overall, I felt like I was being led around by the voice actor Han Yeoreum. She was so lovable that I ended up loving her.

Editor: “She was so lovable that I ended up loving her.” That’s such a beautiful phrase. It feels exactly like the relationship between Lala and Joy.

Jeon Ujeong: Who besides Han Yeoreum could possibly play Lala? Speaking boldly from the perspective of an older sister, I can confidently say there could not have been a more perfect casting choice.

Just like the phrase “so lovable that you end up loving her,” Jeon Ujeong truly kept staring at Han Yeoreum. As if she had something she wanted to say... During the time they moved between four different theaters, her gaze remained fixed on her the entire time.

Either way, now that even an active professional voice actress had acknowledged her, nobody could complain about Han Yeoreum’s casting anymore.

‘Though honestly, those reactions disappeared after the very first week of release anyway.’

IP 85.152 skimmed through the voice actor gallery once, hit recommend on every Han Yeoreum stage-greeting review post, then entered the minor gallery for 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉. The drama hadn’t even aired yet, but the gallery had already been created in advance.

[〈Dongdaemun Romance〉 Minor Gallery]

[Script reading schedule dropped]

Starts the day after tomorrow Seems faster than expected

A new post had been uploaded.

The signal flare for the great actress Holy Grail War had been fired.