I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

This wasn’t the kind of plainness the media generously prettied up, the sort of ordinary-girl look the public could be tricked into accepting.

This was the pure, wild kind of ordinary you could genuinely spot out on the street. It wasn’t a matter of poor upkeep — it was a level where no upkeep had been attempted in ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the first place.

Simply put, it was styling disastrous enough to deal serious damage to a leading actress.

“That fucking Byeon Juhwa....”

Aetami ground her teeth together. The photos immediately began spreading at terrifying speed.

szq mimimiiii 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Spotted Han Yeoreum filming her current romcom

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└ Han Yeoreum??????

└ Wait what is THIS

└ For a second I genuinely wondered who this was... no but seriously who ARE you

thisissiro (Shiro)

All you fake “ordinary beauty” tryhards can pack it up

Queen Yeoreum has arrived

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peroperobiiim (PeroPeroBeam)

(Han Yeoreum spotted selfie proof.jpg)

How many times did they compress those glasses?

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It was, quite literally, a violent visual impact.

[DramaMovieActor TALK / Anyone see the on-site DongRom photos that dropped??]

LMAOOOOOO I can only laugh in disbelief

-Anonymous 1: My brain literally stopped working for a second T_T LMAO

-Anonymous 2: The glasses compression warping her temple line is seriously just... too much... TOO much

└ Anonymous 4: LMAOOOOOOO there are no words honestly

[Dongdaemun Romance Minor Gallery]

[This is our writer setting up a transformation cliché right?]

How are they planning to fix the female lead after making her look THAT bad

Anonymous (23.372): “That bad”?? You’re the evil one here fucker

└Anonymous (5.77): Then what else are we supposed to call that?

Anonymous (12.33): Isn’t it obvious? It’s a makeover cliché. Jeon Segye’s gonna drag her into a department store and boom, instant transformation. Why are you all freaking out already?

Manager Hong, who had been monitoring the situation, gave Assistant Manager Shin a nod.

Throw bait to lure the enemy where they’re forced to respond.

* * *

“Oppa!”

“Why the hell are you here?”

“Look, look. Didn’t I tell you one cup wasn’t gonna be enough? What did I say? I told you to just listen to me because you’re an idiot.”

“You little brat sure talk a lot. I’ll handle myself.”

Before the afternoon script reading schedule.

Stopping by the salon to get prepared was simply a natural part of being a celebrity.

Some actors didn’t consider script readings official schedules and arrived casually, but Yoo Jiuk and Hong Suryeon, the leads of 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉, absolutely could not afford to relax.

“Director? Please bring out the thing I mentioned.”

Despite barging into an entirely different salon out of nowhere, Hong Suryeon acted naturally enough that Yoo Jiuk merely narrowed his eyes at her. Soon enough, she approached him carrying a giant container.

“What the... hey, get away from me, you brat.”

“One cup isn’t enough though...?”

Sensing danger, Yoo Jiuk tried to flee, only for his limbs to be seized.

“Drink it!”

Hong Suryeon poured the lemon-green-tea-Jerusalem-artichoke anti-bloating concoction straight into Yoo Jiuk’s mouth. Her eyes were cold as she stared down at him like she was forcing poison down a prisoner’s throat.

“Mmgh!”

“We have to crush everyone with visuals todayyy!”

“Mmph!!!”

“My beauty needs a reflector board beside ittt!”

* * *

The moment news broke that 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉 had begun filming, the script readings for 〈Tamhok〉 and 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 immediately followed.

“Wow... this is insane....”

The reporters attending the script reading couldn’t stop marveling.

As if proving why he belonged to the so-called Three Legendary Visuals, Yoo Jiuk arrived looking impossibly perfected.

His face looked meticulously sculpted, not a trace of puffiness left behind.

“Ah, yes.”

Even the casual way he nodded in greeting to Hong Suryeon made hearts race.

“What’s with you? Yesterday you weren’t acting like this! You greet people when you feel like it and ignore them when you don’t.”

Then came Hong Suryeon’s uniquely lovable charm. Her naturally cute voice delivered every line with crisp, bouncing diction, as though not a single syllable could be wasted.

“Oh? Want me to carry that for you?”

Playing twin brothers in a dual role, Yoo Jiuk showed completely different flavors depending on the scene. When he grinned, that signature mischievous boyishness of his burst out naturally.

If Ji Haebeom gave off an aura that felt impossible to approach, Yoo Jiuk had the exact opposite kind of danger — the feeling that you thought you’d become close to him easily, only to later realize it had all been your misunderstanding.

Put simply, even the same line became twice as friendly coming from him... and later, the betrayal and disappointment would also become twice as devastating.

An actor who gave people room to misunderstand him. Once Yoo Jiuk’s god-tier visuals combined with Hong Suryeon’s acting, the script reading set for 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 heated up instantly.

[Perfect From The Start — Yoo Jiuk & Hong Suryeon’s Flawless Chemistry]

[StarCutCut ⎜ “Are They Allowed To Look This Good Together?” Yoo Jiuk & Hong Suryeon On-Site Photos]

[“I’m Feeling Secondhand Butterflies”... Netizens Go Wild Over 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 Chemistry Leaping Through The Screen]

Every article carried an overwhelmingly positive tone. Nice Production had no intention of letting that momentum go to waste. They immediately began scattering bait from the script reading itself.

Youstagram

[Two Flavors of Yoo Jiuk Anadoyo.mp4]

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-You’re insane Yoo Jiuk, you’re literally insane

-Yes yes... I’ll stay loyal to this channel forever... SBC for life...

-Don’t fall in love with Yoo Jiuk

What does that even mean?

I said don’t fall in love with Yoo Jiuk

How are we supposed to do that?

-This psycho... you’re feeding us THIS much already???

The true joy of a dual role. By releasing both the cold version and the affectionate version of the “Anadoyo Challenge,” they hammered 〈There Is Only One Culprit〉 into the public consciousness.

* * *

Then 〈Tamhok〉 stepped in as though determined to teach everyone what true visuals looked like.

A woman whose bare face was even more beautiful than makeup — as Eun Baekhap walked into the salon, every staff member stared at her as if enchanted.

You could suddenly understand exactly why her next project was titled 〈Tamhok〉.

Even Eun Baekhap’s back alone — no, even the slender ankles revealed beneath the hem of her long skirt — embodied temptation itself.

“Wow, it’s been a while, babe?”

Dok Gogyeol, director of the elite Cheongdam salon 〈Gogyeol〉 that had effectively become Eun Baekhap’s personal salon, admired her perfected visuals all over again.

“Alright then, what do you want today?”

Hands lightly brushed across her face, beautiful enough to suit any makeup style like a blank canvas. After closing her eyes briefly in thought, Eun Baekhap slowly fluttered her long eyelashes.

“Just make it so...”

A request no ordinary person could make.

“...nobody can look away from me.”

But if it was Eun Baekhap, it was the most natural request in the world.

“...Uh....”

The reporters at the script reading site fell silent for a moment.

Eun Baekhap looked as though she had stepped directly out of a meticulously painted portrait of beauty.

The exhaustion lingering around her gave birth to countless imagined stories.

For some reason, people wanted to cherish her, protect her, make her smile — hell, it made them want to dedicate entire countries to her.

There was a fragile delicacy about her, like she might scatter away with the slightest breeze.

A single lowered glance, a single blink of her eyes — every movement created an unbearably tragic atmosphere.

“...You’re saying... I can’t dance ballet anymore?”

Then Eun Baekhap’s acting layered over it all. Her trembling voice instantly stirred pity.

“Taking a short break is enough, isn’t it? I’ll work hard on rehab too...”

Her watery voice sounded painfully desperate. The reporters at the script reading felt their hearts grow heavy.

“So...”

But that still wasn’t the end.

〈Tamhok〉’s perfectionist lunatic of a director, combined with Songwon Planning — founded by a former sports reporter who knew exactly how to stir controversy — went straight for the throat.

“Yeah. Well... I guess I won’t stay young forever.”

The line destined for the teaser trailer.

“But you’ll stay old forever, won’t you, ahjumma? Tomorrow you’ll be older than today. The day after that, older than tomorrow. Every single day, you’ll age more and more in that lifeless face and body of yours.”

Eun Baekhap lashed out viciously.

“That’s the difference between me and you.”

Those savage lines came from the lips of a woman who looked like purity itself carved into human form.

The shock doubled because of it.

INTUBE

[The 〈Tamhok〉 Script Reading That Will Drag Everyone Into Hell ⎮ Eun Baekhap Lee Eungyu] 05:27

-I was admiring Eun Baekhap’s face in a trance and suddenly got hit straight in the bones...

-04:11 Why is that line such a critical hit holy shit LMAO

└ Eun Baekhap’s mom had an affair with Kim Eunyoung’s dad, and Kim Eunyoung knew about it. Then one thing led to another and Kim Eunyoung hit Eun Baekhap with a car, which ended her ballet career... Kim Eunyoung mocked her saying it was karma for the daughter of a mistress pretending to live elegantly. So Eun Baekhap swears revenge “Only my mom is dirty? Then why the hell is YOUR dad dirty too?” Like seriously if she wanted revenge she should’ve hit HER dad with the car instead; anyway Eun Baekhap becomes obsessed with revenge and completely loses sight of everything else

-Ballet meant everything to her... It feels like she abandoned herself completely and lives only for revenge now, which makes it even sadder T_T I’m an actual ahjumma myself, but hearing “old” from her doesn’t just feel insulting. Thinking of her like my daughter just makes my heart ache over and over...

-Lee Eungyu’s acting is way too good so it’s even more hopeless LOLOL why’s this married man acting like this, he’s insane

Because the synopsis and character descriptions had already laid out the backstory in advance, Eun Baekhap’s vicious lines came across almost like acts of self-harm.

Once her overwhelming visuals combined with those provocative lines, news of 〈Tamhok〉 spread across communities like wildfire.

[DramaMovieActor TALK / I’ve made my decision, I’m watching Tamhok]

How could anyone miss Eun Baekhap going absolutely feral with emotional acting from the script reading alone

-Anonymous 1: Same TT_TT I’m definitely watching live... I can’t wait... how insane is Yang Huimun’s freak directing gonna get this time

-Anonymous 3: On paper those lines sound like stereotypical women-hating-women garbage but when Eun Baekhap says them it’s like... yeah, of course you ended up like this T_T

-Anonymous 5: The person who ruined my leg is walking around proudly while her own dad gets away untouched? I’d spam every hateful comment possible too LOLOLOL

[DramaMovieActor TALK / I was gonna watch Dear Judge but now I’m leaning toward Tamhok]

I trust Eun Baekhap to put on an acting masterclass every single episode

-Anonymous 1: You can already taste the unhinged ballerina energy from the script reading ahhh this is precious

-Anonymous 2: Literally me I switched sides immediately after watching the script reading video. Characters like this are so rare

-Anonymous 9: My heart is pounding...

* * *

And finally, the script reading for 〈Dear Judge〉 was revealed.