I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

* * *

“Good grief!”

“Yes, that’s me-.”

I was meeting roughly one fan every ten steps.

“You’re so pretty! My goodness, you look even better in person than on screen!”

“In that case, should we take a selfie for your phone wallpaper, ma’am...?”

“Jihu’s mom! Come over here!”

So this was the kind of chaos that happened once 〈Dongdaemun Romance〉 had firmly established my mainstream popularity.

Every hiker coming down the mountain only had to make eye contact with me once before immediately pointing and emphatically declaring that they knew exactly who I was.

‘Ah....’

Sweet.

‘So this is what the air around a protagonist feels like...?’

I didn’t even need to reach the summit. The air already felt refreshing and sweet.

Everyone loves me....

I wanted to shout it out loud.

Yoo-hoo-!

“Huijae! It’s Huijae!”

“That’s right-. It’s me, ma’am!”

“I watched that drama you were in recently too! Th-that one, what was it called? Dongdaemun Class?”

“It was Romance-. You enjoyed it, right?”

I accepted every handshake request and selfie request that came my way.

‘Good thing I hurriedly bought this cute light-green hiking outfit.’

May candid photos of Baby Melon Bread and all these heartwarming stories spread far and wide until one day even Gwanak Mountain becomes known as “the mountain Han Yeoreum once climbed”....

“Hey, hey. Yohan oughta take that mask off. At this rate we won’t get up the mountain before dark!”

“If the junior wishes it... I could remove it at any time.”

“No! Keep the mask on! And covering your face won’t solve everything. Senior Kwak Cheolsik alone is already eye-catching enough.”

“Then why’d this fella come dressed in such bright colors? He stands out even if he just stands still.”

“I once nearly got mistaken for a bear and shot because I wore dark clothes. But look around! Who’s the one wearing a suit? You’re the one standing out!”

“Bark bark bark.”

Urged on by Beopsun, I started climbing again.

I hadn’t realized Gwanak Mountain was this tall.

I adjusted the backpack stuffed full of chocolate, kimbap, cucumbers, and candy.

‘This must be the weight of stardom....’

I had already transferred one load of gifts into Kwak Cheolsik’s backpack, yet more kept arriving without end.

“Pup! If that’s heavy, give it to Yohan.”

“How could I do that?”

“You know how strong Yohan is.”

“Just how strong are we talking...?”

“He beats me at arm wrestling.”

“In that case, I won’t hesitate.”

Han Yohan silently took my bag instead.

As expected of an actor who specialized in action.

‘He beat Kwak Cheolsik.’

Nothing but admiration.

What kind of action scenes would Han Yohan be showing in Russia?

I already wanted filming to begin.

‘Neither of them became Ja Sokhwan’s kids for no reason.’

In this upcoming 〈Code Name: Time Seven〉, child actors only appeared in Episode 1.

I wouldn’t properly appear until Episode 2, but Episode 1’s story was more than capable of grabbing viewers from the start.

‘They said they’d send me the later scripts soon.’

I wanted to read the Russia portion too.

Just thinking about it made my lips curl upward.

“Ooooh!”

“Yes, that’s me-.”

I greeted another group of descending hikers.

“Y-you go to DaeYeJong, right? I saw you on . You moved with your brother and ate black-bean-sauce noodles.”

“That’s right...! You know about that too?”

People of that generation memorizing information about a celebrity to this extent was only possible if they liked them a lot.

I was smiling proudly when—

“I saw it up at the summit! On the news! Wow, that must feel great! You and your classmates all cheering each other on!”

“Huh?”

“Don’t worry too much. You’ll do great! Just looking at you, I can tell you’re going to become even more successful.”

They were offering words of encouragement...

But why did the word classmates sound so irritating to my ears?

“Fighting! I’m always watching! I’m a huge fan!”

I wanted to grab them before they disappeared down the mountain and ask:

What exactly are you talking about?

And at the summit, I finally learned what they meant.

“AAAH!”

[Exclusive | DaeYeJong’s Jewel Myeong Jeha Receives Hollywood Call... Actor Chosen by Winner Brothers]

Myeong Jeha, a rising actor from Daehan Arts General University (DaeYeJong), long regarded as the elite path of Korea’s acting industry, is making a bold move after receiving a casting offer from Hollywood.

The director who selected Myeong Jeha is legendary filmmaker John Eastwood, a three-time Academy Award winner for Best Director. The fact that Eastwood personally chose Myeong Jeha, a Korean actor still in his mid-twenties, from among countless global stars waiting in line has sent shockwaves through the film industry.

Myeong Jeha, already a “double ten-million-viewer actor”...

(omitted)

The film he is set to appear in is , another name for the Incheon Landing Operation during the Korean War.

is a massive war blockbuster funded by Winner Brothers and Omnibus Pictures. While depicting General MacArthur’s gamble-like strategy that changed the course of the war, the film will also portray the hidden espionage and psychological warfare behind it on Eastwood’s trademark grand scale.

The character Myeong Jeha will portray is Lieutenant Kang Jinyeong, a Korean liaison officer attached to the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI). Witnessing comrades fall amidst the horrors of war, he makes one final decision for his homeland...

Before I even finished reading the article, I dropped my phone.

Beopsun swiftly caught it in his mouth.

“Hollywood... and... the Incheon Landing Operation....”

Every ingredient required to drive Koreans insane was there.

A stirring true story about turning the tide from overwhelming disadvantage.

Dopamine and patriotism bundled together in a two-for-one package.

Han Yeoreum’s internal calculator reached its conclusion almost instantly.

It would hit ten million viewers with ease.

The subject matter walked a perfect line between foreign and Korean cinema.

“When you get tired of filming with this man and that man, and you finally decide you really want that Grand Prize, come find me.”

Now I understood why he had sounded so relaxed when he said that.

So that was why he hadn’t chosen a follow-up project after 〈The Great Garland〉.

I never imagined he had been preparing something like this.

I collapsed onto the ground.

“Pup! What’s wrong with you?!”

“Looks like her legs gave out. Yohan! Carry her! And take both bags too!”

“Of course. Not difficult at all.... When life becomes difficult, one should learn to lean on others....”

“That’s not it! Everyone look at this...!”

The three of them stared at the phone screen in Beopsun’s mouth.

Faced with the unbelievable news, all of them were stunned.

Above my head, Little Myeong Jeha appeared.

“Ha ha. Yeoreum. You’re only figuring that out now?”

Little Myeong Jeha smiled leisurely.

He had never looked more annoying.

“Even if you keep meeting this actor and that actor, none of them will ever be on my level. You think there’s another actor like me?”

He didn’t need to say it aloud.

His meaning came through perfectly.

Han Yeoreum’s gold-digger calculator exploded.

The future Grand Prize-winning project I’d do with Myeong Jeha would attract attention in America too.

The results were on an entirely different level from before.

Myeong Jeha was no longer simply someone who could help carry Han Yeoreum to a Grand Prize.

He was—

A once-in-a-lifetime,

perfect second lead.

“Now that you know, treat me well.”

Yes, thank you very much, but please go away.

I swatted Little Myeong Jeha above my head with one hand.

But the shock refused to fade.

Separate from the fact that his success benefited me, my chest burned with the desire to stand in that position myself.

“A lieutenant...?”

“A lieutenant means he’ll be wearing a military uniform...?”

And with that face?

If they put him in a military uniform too...

Winning over every female fan in existence would be absurdly easy.

I could already picture Myeong Jeha projected on an enormous screen.

The fans who would watch it ten times, twenty times, thirty times....

“What a shameless old man....”

Was wearing a crown prince’s hanbok in his debut work 〈Crossing Lines〉, a police uniform in 〈War with the Rule of Law〉, and a military uniform in 〈The Great Garland〉 not enough?

‘And now he’s opening another military-uniform event?’

There was no way he wouldn’t appear in full dress uniform.

“And what if... what if he smokes too...?”

Just imagining that old man stealing away all the female fans made tears of blood well up inside me.

What if the favorite member of changed from Han Yeoreum to Myeong Jeha?

The wallpapers would change.

The passwords would change.

The Tr*tter profile pictures would change....

“Waaahhh—!”

So that was why he said he couldn’t attend the fan meeting.

Because he was going to Hollywood?

Tears sprang to my eyes from frustration.

Beside me, Kwak Cheolsik shook his head.

“That brat Jeha already broke into Hollywood? Amazing.”

“What in the world did Noble Actors do to get all the way to America?”

Senior Han Yohan patted my shoulder as I sat slumped on the ground.

“Junior, don’t be too impatient.... If the time comes, you too may one day reach Hollywood. One step at a time....”

“One step at a time, my foot!!!”

Absolutely not!

“I’m getting there fast, okay? I’m taking the shortcut! You better cooperate too, Senior!”

“Bark bark bark!”

“With this 〈Code Name〉, I’m going to! I’m definitely going to...! Waaahhh...! Anyway, I’m going to Hollywood toooo!”

What classmates cheering each other on?

I was absolutely going to become more famous than Myeong Jeha.

I was absolutely going to Hollywood too.

“Arf!”

At the mountaintop, supposedly a place of good fortune, I burned with ambition.

Just you wait, old man.

* * *

“Wow....”

News of Myeong Jeha spread rapidly.

Not only the public but the entire film industry exploded.

“What the hell is this?”

“Insane.”

“Eastwood casting an Asian actor...? That’s crazy. Has this ever happened before?”

Everyone was shocked.

At the same time, anticipation for Myeong Jeha’s next project skyrocketed.

“Winner Brothers and a war movie... damn, it already sounds huge.”

“It’s unbelievable.”

JC ENM, one of the driving forces of Korea’s film industry, reacted no differently.

Manager Ma and Manager Hong let out hollow laughs.

The move was absurd.

“What a monster. Right?”

“Seriously. Most actors can’t even get to America after decades in the business.”

“This is why he kept rejecting script after script.... Damn, he’s on a different level. There’s always a reason those arrogant types are so confident.”

Myeong Jeha was known throughout the industry as a legendary creature.

An actor whose filmography boasted an insane success rate.

Yet who had appeared in surprisingly few works.

Matched with overwhelming talent.

A truly unknowable actor.

“We were planning to milk Triple Ten Million for a long time after our cutie finished 〈Faster Than the Law〉. Damn it. How are we supposed to beat Hollywood?”

“At least there’s still time before Myeong Jeha’s movie comes out. Let’s try to make something happen.”

“I hope it takes forever....”

Manager Ma sighed.

“〈Faster Than the Law〉 will hit ten million easily too, right?”

“Of course! It’s opening during Lunar New Year!”

“Hahahaha.”

“Hahahahaha.”

But as always, unexpected things happened.

Especially in the entertainment industry, where every second demanded vigilance.

“....”

Jegal Rok said nothing.

Across from him, representatives from L Cinema and M-Box were voicing serious complaints.

“This isn’t the time for GCV to relax just because it’s still profitable. We’re already losing hundreds of billions of won in operating losses. If ticket prices don’t go up, we’ll have to start shutting down theaters in the first half of next year.”

“We’re in the same position.”

“The entire Korean film market is shrinking. Once NetHolics enters Korea, it’ll be even harder to survive.”

“The only path left for theaters is raising ticket prices. Frankly speaking, how long do you think GCV can stay profitable? This year? Next year? The year after?”

The Korean film industry had reached a growth cliff.

Three years earlier, annual admissions had surpassed two hundred million for the first time.

Since then, attendance had stagnated at just over two hundred million for three consecutive years.

In short, moviegoers were no longer increasing.

The market had become stagnant.

Films that once cost three or four billion won now averaged ten billion or more.

More and more productions were failing to break even.

The window between theatrical release and VOD release kept shrinking.

More people thought, “I can just watch it at home.”

After years of competition to build ever-larger multiplexes, rent had skyrocketed.

Combined with rising minimum wages, expenses kept growing while revenue did not.

“Representative Jegal! The Korean film industry is already staggering!”

Investors had started pulling out.

After the Korean content ban, cracks had begun appearing throughout the entertainment industry.

Losing access to the Chinese market was an even bigger crisis than people had imagined.

JC ENM had maintained an absurd success rate.

But that didn’t mean investors stayed loyal.

Nobody was stupid enough to keep pouring money into an unprofitable market.

The major investors who once funded films were now fleeing toward the rapidly growing mobile game industry.

As a result, there was no money to make films.

No money to distribute films.

And no money to keep theaters running.

“Representative! If we don’t raise prices now, every investor will leave next year! I can’t even count how many projects have already collapsed at the script stage!”

In other words—

“At this rate, everything’s going under!”

They really were standing on the edge of total collapse.