I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

“...Han Yeoreum? Han Yeoreum?”

“Yes. And it’s a vintage piece from that brand, so I’m not thinking about advertising value or anything like that. I just brought something I wanted to style her in, so keep those suggestions to yourself.”

Hearing an unexpected rookie’s name, Gyeoul’s team leader frowned. He had assumed it would be someone like Eun Baekhap—a name on Do Gyeoul’s level. Compared to Gyeoul, Han Yeoreum was nowhere near that tier. His reaction was natural.

But Gyeoul, having regained her polite expression, lightly tapped her team leader’s shoulder.

Telling him to stop.

“I see. Yeoreum’s dress... I just liked it so much, that’s all. You know my heart, right? I can’t help but admire Team Leader Ryu’s taste.”

“...Well, yes, I suppose I am like that.”

“Then I’ll try on the dress now. Please pass me that white one first.”

Inside the fitting room, Gyeoul kept smiling.

But this time, the smile wasn’t fake.

Strange. This is too fun.

A thrill surged from deep in her chest, and she clenched her fist.

No wonder she’d been drawn to Han Yeoreum from the very start.

The excitement of confirming her instinct was intoxicating.

She wanted to take what Yeoreum had—piece by piece.

For the first time in her life, Do Gyeoul, who had never cared much about /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ material things, found something she truly wanted.

“Actress-nim, don’t worry too much... The outfit you’re wearing now is actually far nicer, more expensive, and much more luxurious.”

The youngest assistant whispered while zipping up the dress.

Gyeoul simply smiled her gentle, polite smile in return.

People like that had no effect on her.

Of course they were lower.

They shouldn’t dare voice opinions.

They were beings who lived by clinging to actors’ names and faces.

But Gyeoul maintained perfect control as she gazed at herself in the mirror.

This was not an emotion she could allow to show.

“I was such a brat earlier, wasn’t I? I’m really embarrassed...”

“No, no! If you tell us what style you want, it’s our job to prepare something similar. That’s what we’re here for.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

With that, Do Gyeoul’s briefly wavering reputation snapped neatly back into place.

Even to the youngest assistant, she behaved as though nothing had happened afterward.

She finished fitting the dress, made her selection, checked accessories and shoes, and finally stepped out of Ryu Risa’s office.

“Team Leader.”

“Oh, Gyeoul-ah. Your feelings must’ve been hurt. Next time I’ll find you a different stylist—”

“That black dress I saw in the office earlier. Find the same one for me. Before the Ruel Style Awards—definitely.”

Even without smiling, Gyeoul’s eyes glittered.

Pure delight—100 percent.

“You know how bad it looks when outfits clash at the same awards show, right? I do not want to see headlines tying your name with someone like that! Especially after those articles last time about you two being DaeYeJong classmates—ugh. I’m still annoyed!”

“No. I’ll wear the one we chose today to the awards. I’m going to wear the black one before that.”

Gyeoul picked up the script she’d left in the van.

“Where?”

“Just... when I take photos to upload on SNS. The fans will like it.”

“...Fine. I’ll try to get it.”

Staring out the window, Gyeoul suddenly burst into a quiet laugh.

Too bad I won’t get to see Yeoreum’s face when she reacts...

What expression would she make?

What tone of voice?

What could Gyeoul extract from that to use in her next character?

Questions piled up, each one delicious.

Gyeoul realized she was unusually excited.

And a few days later, a photo appeared on Gyeoul’s SNS.

Youstagram

(Gyeoul in a black mini dress, at a cafe.jpg)

I miss you♥

Likes 75,672 Comments 9,764

-TT_TT insane, young and rich

-Your beauty is truly special, radiant even from afar ♥♥♥

-Queen of beauty :) so lovely pic!

-Is this country serious? How is there no law requiring one Do Gyeoul selfie a day in a first-world nation like this｡ﾟ(ﾟ´Д`ﾟ)ﾟ｡

With her first upload in a long time, the public—and reporters—went wild, spreading the photos everywhere.

[HOT / The real princess of Korea? Recent Do Gyeoul.jpg]

[Do Gyeoul in a black mini dress... beauty that leaves anyone speechless]

[Issue Board / Do Gyeoul wearing a vintage FW dress from Brand C, 1980s.jpg]

[Anonymous Board / She really is top-tier among natural beauties T_T]

And eventually, that photo reached Yeoreum—who had just finished her fitting.

“...What is this.”

The Ruel Style Awards were only a day away.

* * *

At this point, I had to admit it.

Do Gyeoul was insanely fast.

She copied the outfit already?

As if copying acting wasn’t enough—she copied the outfit too...?

Unbelievable...

I stared at Ryu Risa’s face, now completely cold.

Nothing like the sparkling eyes she’d had during the fitting.

“If I wear this as-is, it’s bad, right?”

“...If you want to be tied to her in the article as ‘same outfit, different vibe,’ you can wear it. The viral buzz would be huge. You know that series. That’s how it’ll go.”

Honestly, it wasn’t a terrible choice.

I was a rookie.

Having Do Gyeoul’s name next to mine even once was advantageous.

...But for some reason, I don’t want that right now.

A deeper kind of disgust simmered inside me.

Being lumped together as “classmates” was one thing—

this was different.

The anger of having something stolen again curled in my stomach.

I clenched my teeth when—

“Do Gyeoul is so clueless... right?”

A low, ominous voice came from beside me.

Ryu Risa’s eyes glowed sharply.

“When someone like me— a genius—makes up my mind, I can make the same outfit look completely different.”

With that declaration, she began moving around the office at high speed.

She seemed to know exactly where everything was in this densely packed space.

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in her fingertips.

“Alterations start now. Refitting.”

She returned with a crisp white shirt made of stiff fabric—perfect for layering.

“I’ll make it so good you’ll wonder if it was ever the same dress in the first place.”

The Artistry stat above her head flashed nonstop—blindingly bright.

This might actually...

Suddenly, the intuition hit me: articles would come out in the “same outfit, different feeling” style.

But unlike my earlier imagination, this time—

-Wait, the same dress?? lolol this is insane. But now I really get why stylists are so important... ㅠ Do Gyeoul is pretty too but—

-When I look at Gyeoul’s photos alone I think “yeah she’s pretty,” but comparing her to Han Yeoreum... Gyeoul feels lacking.

˪22 THIS!!

˪frfr I think the same lol the outfit being nice vs the outfit actually SUITING someone is totally different.

The public reaction would be overwhelmingly in my favor.

This might actually turn out amazing...

Reporters, viewers—everyone would think the outfit looked better on me than “that Do Gyeoul.”

And if that happened...

I could naturally walk away with the Best Dresser image!

Gyeoul-ah.

Thanks so much for copying me....

I clapped softly beside Ryu Risa as she worked.

And a few hours later—

“...Try the fitting again.”

I instantly understood why Ryu Risa was a top stylist.

The resulting dress was nothing like the one I’d tried before.

The fit, the texture—everything felt completely new.

「Mission: Let’s become the Best Dresser」

As if agreeing with my intuition, my status window glimmered busily.