I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

Han Yeoreum said nothing. She lowered her head deeply and her shoulders trembled slightly. Joo Junseo looked down at her. Until the moment Han Yeoreum would lift her head. But instead of raising it, she slowly reached out and grabbed the front of Joo Junseo’s shirt.

“Don’t go.”

It was different from her usual vocal tone. It was a dangerously unstable voice, like it would scatter and disappear into the air. Joo Junseo’s heart dropped—thump. His throat bobbed for a moment.

“Hm...?”

The small hand gripping his shirt tightened. The crisp white shirt wrinkled messily.

“Don’t go....”

Joo Junseo simply stayed still. Just as the script instructed, he made no movement and only looked at Han Yeoreum.

‘What do I do.’

Joo Junseo tried to recall what he had memorized once more.

School – Rooftop (sunset background)

Chaewon: (tearfully looking at Jun.) Don’t go.

Jun: (quietly looking down at Chaewon.) ....

Chaewon: (bursting into tears, says again.) Don’t go....

This moment had surpassed the simple sentences written in the script. The unconscious thought he had while watching Han Yeoreum—‘she acts well’—was on an entirely different level now.

Then it happened. Han Yeoreum lifted her head. The deep glow of the sunset, bright enough to be blinding, covered her face.

“...!”

Joo Junseo bit his lip without realizing it. The tear-covered, wet face was not Han Yeoreum. It was Pi Chaewon, who sensed the breakup.

As written in the script, Joo Junseo stroked Han Yeoreum’s hair. He had done it several times already. Stroking her hair was something he was somewhat used to. But Joo Junseo made a movement he had never done before—something not in the script.

“....”

For Pi Chaewon, who was silently letting tears fall, he slowly brushed her cheek with his fingers. At that moment, he saw his reflection inside Pi Chaewon’s eyes. It felt as if he were standing in the center of a runway. As if the entire world had stopped, and he had become the protagonist of that frozen moment.

“Cut!!!”

Director Jang’s cut signal rang dully in his ears.

* * *

The wrap-up party was held at a samgyeopsal restaurant near the school. With the sizzling sound of meat cooking, Director Jang’s loud voice boomed inside the room.

“Alright!!! Everyone worked so hard! Especially our actors. Thank you for acting as if you jumped straight out of the script!”

The screenwriter of and Seong Team Leader from JC ENM were all present, and the dinner was overflowing with excitement.

“Stand up and each say a word! Hm? Before the first toast~.”

Director Jang kept smiling brightly without rest. At his cue, Joo Junseo, who had ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) been sitting quietly across from him, slowly stood up.

“...I lacked many things, but thank you for leading me well.”

“Wow~. Humble!”

Laughter burst here and there at Director Jang’s playful comment. The second person was Han Yeoreum, sitting beside Director Jang.

“Oh no, I’m so sad we’re parting~.”

Unlike Joo Junseo, Yeoreum had grown friendly with many of the staff and pretended to cry jokingly. At that, the staff playfully chanted “Don’t cry” together.

“It was my first set, but thank you so much for giving me such good memories. Please don’t forget me and call me again next time!”

“Ah~. Who knows if we’ll even be able to call Han Yeoreum later!”

Being hyped up by the lighting director, Yeoreum shrugged shyly as if embarrassed. The mood was soaring wildly even though no one was very drunk yet.

“...I learned a lot. Truly....”

Last was Choo Gaeul. Unlike the first day, she had become increasingly quiet. As the atmosphere settled slightly, Director Jang lifted his glass high.

“To the success of !”

“To success!!!”

With that toast, the staff who had been working themselves to death on set released all their pent-up emotions like madness. Green and brown liquor bottles piled up messily. Meat orders continued endlessly.

‘This is definitely going to do well!’

It was the best kind of atmosphere—the kind that only appears when everyone feels confident in the project’s success.

* * *

‘Ah, the taste of being the protagonist....’

It’s too sweet. So sweet it could kill me. I was dizzy running around receiving drinks from Director Jang and everyone else.

“I watched a few clips... You were exactly, exactly the Chaewon I imagined....”

Ah, the writer can’t drink well. Her drinking habit is crying. I hugged the sniffling, emotional screenwriter once.

“They said you were really great on set? You’re going to become the kind of actor with tons of wholesome stories told about them.”

Seong Team Leader, my mentor’s junior and the person who gave me the audition opportunity, filled my glass only halfway and encouraged me gently.

‘Judging from the fact he focused on “good reputation,” maybe he’ll help push a few press releases later for viral exposure.’

Having no agency made even a single article or viral moment incredibly precious. I bowed deeply and downed the drink in one go. After that, the lighting director, the sound team, and whoever else—I greeted all the familiar faces from the past few days.

“I’ve seen sooo many actors, you know~. Yeoreum-sshi, huh? I can already see it. You’re glowing yellow~!”

‘Pretty sure that’s not a compliment?’

“No no... not yellow. You’re... rainbow~!”

‘He’s drunk....’

More and more staff members with flushed faces appeared. I stepped outside for a moment to catch my breath.

‘This feels strange.’

Had I ever felt like this after finishing a shoot? No. Not even once. That bittersweet sensation of becoming one with the role and then slowly parting ways. I closed my eyes for a moment to savor the lingering emotions—

“Hey.”

“Whoa, you scared me.”

—But I guess I can’t. Turning toward the sound, I saw a staggering Choo Gaeul approaching.

“What?”

She had been drinking alone in a corner earlier. If you’re going to get this drunk, drink soda instead. Before I knew it, she had come right up to me and grabbed my arm.

“You....”

Her eyes welled up. Choo Gaeul inhaled sharply with a long hiss.

“You’re good.”

“Oh wow. Didn’t expect that line.”

Choo Gaeul grabbed my arm, tears streaming down her face, and stomped her feet as if annoyed.

“You parachute brat, damn it. Why are you... good at acting... making me.... Huuhhhh....”

She was sobbing hard, staggering. But she also said something very strange. Parachute?

“Hey. What do you mean parachute. I don’t even have an agency.”

“Exactly. You don’t even have an agency, damn... why are you good....”

“You better not go around telling people I’m a parachute. I don’t have an agency to cover for me.”

“Right.... Unlike you who has no agency... I’m with LM Entertainment... so... so....”

In her eyes, the sorrow had already turned into venom.

“Next time we meet... I’ll be better than you... I’ll work myself to death and be way better... and make you feel... this feeling....”

Oh wow, she could do method acting after all. Did the spirit of some pitiful romance-manga heroine possess her?

‘She still hasn’t gotten out of Hina.’

Did Hina cling to her on set? It’s over, so why is she like this? I roughly patted her shoulder.

“Do what you want.... Yeah. Fighting.”

“You’re annoying... I thought you’d suck... your voice! Why is it... so good... huh?”

Listening closely, it was all compliments for me. Not bad to hear, really. I gently coaxed her with a question.

“Which part especially?”

“Uh... during the last shoot today, you even made Joo Junseo get emotional too, that part was really....”

I continued extracting compliment after compliment from Choo Gaeul. She even felt a bit cute at some point.

I was thoroughly enjoying it until her manager apologized repeatedly and dragged her away, leaving me finally alone again.

‘Now I can finally savor the after–....’

—No, I couldn’t. Without a sound, Joo Junseo appeared right in front of me. I thought he came out to smoke, but judging from his behavior, the purpose was clearly me. He just stood there silently, staring only at me.

“Did you perhaps come to compliment me?”

“...What the heck.”

“There was a bit of an incident just now. So why are you here?”

Joo Junseo looked down at me quietly for a moment. Meanwhile, Han Yeoreum’s internal profit-calculator began moving again.

‘Come to think of it, the atmosphere at the dinner was good, right?’

They’ll probably go to round two soon. If the two rookie actors went to buy ice cream for the staff, it would make an adorable image.

“Let’s go buy ice cream.”

“...Oh, okay.”

Come to think of it, I owed Joo Junseo something. Thanks to him, my screen time increased too. I was in a good mood. I gestured at him as he obediently followed me to the convenience store.

“You may choose a cone, senior.”

“....”

“But don’t reach for the Ha***das freezer.”

* * *

‘It’s bad.’

It was unbelievably sweet. Joo Junseo, who usually lived without ever touching anything like ice cream, took a half-hearted bite of the sugar lump recommended by Han Yeoreum.

Carrying the bag of ice cream without a word, he walked back toward the dinner venue, and only once they reached the front did he hesitate and finally open his mouth.

“...Um.”