I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

“Let’s go to the winter sea when it snows.”

Gyeoul’s quiet voice echoed through the set. Now MBS had followed behind JC ENM and created a web content division. SBC and KBC, too—the creation of web content divisions there wasn’t far off.

“When white snow piles up high on the sea, let’s come back then.”

Amid the countless in-house contents that would pour out like a flood, what Jegal Rok chose and what Han Yeoreum created—everyone would break it into pieces and take what they could.

“For the years that are turning cold.”

On top of Jegal Rok’s name value, Han Yeoreum’s face value. The synergy those two produced together, right now.

People who had realized it wasn’t luck or coincidence weren’t going to leave this alone. It was obvious all of their attention would be focused on JC ENM.

“Let’s not come back before the snow piles up.”

Similar content would keep spilling out without rest, and the spotlight would scatter. The more solid the existing core fanbase is, the better. The algorithm is a simple principle, after all.

‘What I usually watched.’

And as of now, the core fanbase attached to Han Yeoreum personally was noticeably weaker than the people drooling to steal her buzz.

“Even if it’s our last meeting, that’s fine.”

Right now she was keeping her momentum with wings from Intube, but what if everyone jumped into the Intube market?

‘She’ll grow much more slowly than now.’

Thinking that, the corner of Gyeoul’s lips lifted naturally.

For an actor, it’s hard enough just to show your face to the public with one project a year. And in this industry, being the “first” never really raised your value all that much.

“Even if we call it a forever goodbye, that’s fine.”

On a stage that only remembers the ‘best,’ Do Gyeoul wanted to step on Han Yeoreum and climb up.

Intube

@JC ENM Subscribers: 820,000

[Let’s read a book together while drinking tea. Guesthouse owner Yoo Seol’s tea time ASMR]

Views: 210,000

Do Gyeoul’s ASMR video went up in succession the day after the trailer was uploaded. Just having Do Gyeoul’s name on it, just having her face in the thumbnail—

Landing on real-time trending videos in under 24 hours wasn’t difficult.

* * *

A thumbnail with Do Gyeoul’s face plastered huge on it drew the eye. Do Gyeoul’s first lead drama, 〈Beyond the Closed Door〉, which would begin airing in November, was already being picked as a highly anticipated work now, in October.

Intube

@MBS DRAMA DraMㅏ Channel Subscribers: 270,000

[〈Beyond the Closed Door〉 Trailer] 1:02

Views: 67,000

-Do Gyeoul’s face is actually insane.... She’s crushing the moment she turned twenty, whoa. Feels like no actress can follow her

-She took a break from acting but she’s way more natural and I feel like I finally get what “human Do Gyeoul” is like, I love it so much.. T_T Cheering for my actor I’ve watched since she was a baby ♥︎

-After watching actors who kept mumbling, seeing Do Gyeoul makes my ears open up lol Please, if you’re an actor, practice diction. How long do viewers have to try so fucking hard to guess the lines??

˪22 That’s why I don’t watch dramas where idol-exes crawl in here clawing and scraping^^ lolol

As a romantic comedy set against a winter pension, the first thing was that it was pleasing to the eye. With support from the Gangwon-do Tourism Organization, everything framed on screen was undeniably beautiful.

“It literally feels like my view’s opening up. First of all, the cinematography is good.”

Reporter Wi Jaehwi of Deduck.B checked the entertainment news section. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Do Gyeoul had conquered everything from first to tenth. The calculation clicked instantly in Wi’s head.

“So the buzz at the end of the year is all going to belong to this drama....”

He recalled what his senior had said. If the first-episode ratings landed in the 5% range, it wouldn’t take long before the portal site main page was covered entirely in Do Gyeoul.

On top of that, it was already a time when critics, industry people, and the public alike were all anticipating Do Gyeoul’s next work.

“Because this year there hasn’t been a romance that really caused a stir.”

MBS’s mini-series had tasted the bitter flavor of failure—an early end. SBC and KBC, too, couldn’t push romance dramas past 10% ratings. Among drama fans, people were calling this year a romance drama drought.

‘...And 〈ParCheHi〉 benefited from that too, didn’t it.’

While skimming the comments, Wi remembered Gyeoul, who had come to do an interview not long ago.

Still exemplary and upright, grown into someone anyone couldn’t help but like.

If he had to describe ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Do Gyeoul in one word, it was this:

An answer key.

She looked like someone living without a single wrong answer.

On Gyeoul’s SNS, overseas fans’ comments were also streaming in. If you lined up actresses’ SNS by follower count, Do Gyeoul was within the top ten.

-She has no idea how long we have waited Hahaha

Reactions were coming in from the domestic market and the overseas market alike.

Wi thought back to the last time—how Gyeoul had deliberately singled him out to do the interview. That day, too, Do Gyeoul had been Do Gyeoul. With a well-polished voice, she answered smoothly.

“You’ll soon be celebrating your 15th debut anniversary. Please say a word to your fans about what mindset you act with.”

Do Gyeoul, who had answered without hesitation as if she’d prepared every answer in advance, paused briefly at the final question.

“...With a very different appearance from before, like a different person... I’ll grow and show you that. Please look forward to it.”

That gaze that had cooled for a moment felt out of place—yet it was still Do Gyeoul.

That interview, which had held first place in Daily Media’s interview section for two weeks, was getting more clicks again. Thanks to the uploaded trailer.

Do Gyeoul’s name kept rising upward again.

* * *

Intube

@MBS DRAMA DraMㅏ Channel Subscribers: 270,000

[Making/ Who put honey on this set? Sweet chemistry gone crazy—script reading site] 5:07

Views: 41,000

I stared at Do Gyeoul on my phone screen. Crazy algorithm. Putting Do Gyeoul on my screen.

‘...But seeing it like this makes me realize again.’

It’s a different weight class.

Do Gyeoul was already sweeping up every kind of spotlight.

Trailers, script readings, still cuts released here and there—even ASMR videos. Everything with Do Gyeoul’s face on it stood at the center of the buzz.

‘Once it actually airs, it won’t even be comparable to this....’

How well would it do? Thinking that made my heart keep tightening with anxiety.

In fact, I’d clicked the ASMR video with Do Gyeoul, too. Compared to my earlier video, the number of comments wasn’t even in the same universe—they were packed tight.

‘She’s been debuted for over ten years. Her core fanbase is concrete....’

It’s different from Han Yeoreum, who people click through SNS and communities, or because they stumbled on the algorithm. Do Gyeoul has a fanbase that searches for her on their own.

‘Maybe it’s because it’s almost time to prepare for finals theater.’

I can’t control my mind well. This is instinctive anxiety. Because I know exactly where my life got twisted, it’s like trauma.

‘...Of course, even before I knew the reason, whenever the air got chilly I’d always think of freshman-year finals theater....’

Regretting this season had become a hardened habit. If I got depressed, this time would pop into my head. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

When I got cut from even an extra role, when the text about the audition date change didn’t reach me, when I got shoved out of an audition I barely passed, when only I didn’t receive the revised scenario, when I turned on the TV and Do Gyeoul was on....

“Gyeoul!”

As if on cue, Do Gyeoul’s name came up again in the classroom.

Because 〈Beyond the Closed Door〉 was partially pre-produced, there were days Do Gyeoul missed, but either way, she still attended school. The people surrounding Do Gyeoul in the front seats were noisy.

“My niece is a huge fan of you, Gyeoul. Can you take just one photo with me?”

“Sure. If they’re a fan.”

“I’ve never seen comments this packed on a script reading video—look? I hit like on every comment praising you, Gyeoul!”

It felt like the distance between me and Do Gyeoul was impossibly far.

I felt like I’d become that pathetic, unknown Han Yeoreum who always looked back on this time of year again.

Like before regression.

‘When will I ever stand next to Do Gyeoul?’

The noise around me stopped reaching my ears properly. It was just a buzzing, like tinnitus.

‘I thought I’d caught up, at least a little....’

Maybe it was because I knew so well just how high Do Gyeoul had climbed before regression. Just the awards she’d received were too many to count.

If she grew with even more acceleration than back then, I...

“Hi, Yeoreum.”

“Whoa—startled me.”

The sensation of someone poking my cheek from behind pulled me out of my thoughts. Myeong Jeha was looking at me like he found it amusing.

“What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing....”

“That wasn’t nothing.”

Dragging out the end of his words on purpose, Jeha’s eyes held laughter like he already knew everything. I stared forward with dead-fish eyes.

“You look anxious.”

“...Yeah.”

Even without saying the subject, we both knew who I meant.

I looked at Do Gyeoul again. Even when I tried not to, I couldn’t stop my gaze from drifting there.

“Because you’re scared she’ll get too far ahead?”

“...Yeah.”

Even without looking, I could picture it. That high Analysis skill floating above Myeong Jeha’s head.

A quiet laugh sounded from behind me.

“I like that you’re honest.”

“What’s the point of hiding it. From you.”

“Good. Then I’ll tell you honestly, too.”

I felt Myeong Jeha lean forward. A heavy perfume scent approached, sharpening the sensation at the tip of my nose.

“Soon, something good is going to happen.”

“What is this? A fortune-cookie hint?”

“Just wait.”

As I was about to turn my head back, the classroom door opened.

“Alright, everyone, pay attention.”

Professor Geum Bitgang’s voice rang out through the classroom. And shortly after, I understood what Myeong Jeha had meant.

“I’m going to announce the public presentation for your finals play, so listen carefully.”

At the notice that we’d be split into Team A and Team B with the same theme, murmurs rose around us. It meant we were being told to really go head-to-head.

“Alright then. The play’s theme, 〈Romeo and Juliet〉.”

My heart thumped hard. Just as I expected, it hit exactly.

“Team A. Do Gyeoul.”

Along with Do Gyeoul’s name—

“Team B. Han Yeoreum.”

My name was called.