I'm an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me

“Come to think of it, what was it again? They said it was just finished in Manchuria as well. It was delayed because they built it together with the hospital.”

“Well, what other school could compare to this one!”

With laughter tinged with pride, the screen shifted to a vast open plain.

This place beneath the wide blue sky was Manchuria. A camera stood mounted on a tripod.

People gathered together with the school behind them. The carpenters were taking a commemorative photograph before leaving for Korea.

“Teacher! You have to hurry over here!”

“Alright! Taking the picture! Here we go!”

Huijae and Taejin stood in the center. The camera captured their bright smiles, as if preserving them forever, and the shutter rang out.

Click—!

It was a wonderfully cheerful sound.

“How do I look today? I agonized over the skirt for a long time....”

Huijae asked Taejin. She was wearing a skirt embroidered with flowers. Taejin smiled and answered.

“It suits you very well.”

“Right? This isn’t just any photograph. It’s going to appear in the newspaper too, so I can’t just be photographed however I like.”

In the newspapers of Manchuria, and in the newspapers of Korea. Articles would be published about this magnificent school. And someone, somewhere, would carefully cut out that newspaper and keep it.

Taejin knew Huijae had dressed so carefully because of that. Even knowing, he simply smiled.

“However, I think you closed your eyes just now.”

“What? I did? Is that really true?”

“Yes. I saw you blink when the shutter went click.”

Well, a little mischief like this should be fine. Taejin shrugged playfully.

Just as Huijae was despairing over the possibility that she might appear in the newspaper with her eyes closed, children came running up.

“Teacheeer—!”

“Let’s play now!”

The children ran over holding paper airplanes and threw themselves into Huijae’s arms. The hem of Huijae’s skirt, embroidered with mugunghwa flowers, fluttered.

“Teacher, I even wrote your name on the airplane! This one flies really far. If you fold the corners just right it’s amazing. This one is for you!”

Holding the children who were smiling brightly, Huijae spoke.

“And your homework? Have you all finished it?”

“...”

The children pretended not to hear. Huijae stretched the cheek of the child in her arms sideways.

“Now that we ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) even have a school! Shouldn’t you work harder on your homework! When are you finally going to get a hundred on dictation!”

“Teacher’s angry!”

“Run away!”

Huijae chased after the children as they ran away laughing. Her face was bright and carefree. It was as though she had reclaimed the girlhood that had once been stolen from her.

“You like the teacher, don’t you?”

One of the children who had stayed behind tugged at Taejin’s shirt hem and asked. By then, Huijae had already run far away.

Instead of turning to look at the child who had asked him, Taejin continued watching her.

“Then why don’t you say you like her?”

Taejin chuckled softly. With a grunt, he lifted the child up onto his shoulders.

“I have my own work to do.”

“Are you going to tell her today?”

“No. I have to go to the hospital and organize the list of newly arrived medicines. Perfect timing. It seems you’ve already finished your homework, so why don’t you help me.”

“Ugh. That’s boring.”

Behind Taejin’s back, Huijae shrieked with laughter together with the children. An airplane with the name “Yeon Huijae” written on it caught a favorable wind and soared into the air.

Just like the child had said, it flew well beneath the blue sky. Seeing it, Huijae smiled brightly.

The sky filled Huijae’s eyes completely. A familiar longing flickered faintly within them.

* * *

Several seasons passed.

The summer when I met you, the autumn when I loved you, the winter when you left, the spring when we met again.

The summer when I met you, the autumn when I loved you, the winter when I had to leave you, the spring when we met again.

On a day when the sky was clear in Korea, Manchuria was cloudy. On a day when Korea was overcast, a torrential rain fell in Manchuria. On another day, snow fell in Korea while a meteor shower poured down over Manchuria.

Even so, we remained beneath the same sky.

Just that alone gave me the habit of looking up at the sky again and again.

The two of us thought of the same hometown.

Because the compass held within our hearts pointed in the same direction, we would never lose our way.

The seasons passed once again, returning to the summer when I met you.

The days were filled with an especially blue sky.

* * *

Taeseok looked out over the wide sea beneath the blue sky. The waves sparkled under the sunlight.

Breathing in the salty sea air deep into his lungs, he smiled to himself.

“Nothing’s changed....”

The harbor was still exactly the same as it had been back then. Just like the days of his boyhood when he ran tirelessly along these docks.

Dressed in a fine suit, Taeseok stood with his hands behind his back, silently watching the people coming and going. When he turned his head, he could see the school now standing halfway up the mountain.

The place he had once talked about with Huijae.

“But—if many new shops open here, and many new people come....”

Like a habit, the young man thought of the girl.

“わけがあるんだ. (There is a reason.)”

Huijae. Do you know this? Now it really has turned out just like you said. There are many new shops here now, and many new people come.

“This place has many people like you. People who are faithful to Mainichi... to every single day.”

But it isn’t because there are many people like me.

It’s because you stood beside me back then.

In the distance, he saw an airplane crossing the sky. Taeseok gazed at it quietly. The sky filled his eyes. A familiar longing lingered there.

Just as the waves never stop, just as the sea never dries up.

Taeseok’s love simply remained like that.

Splash—.

As if answering the letter Taeseok was sending in his heart, the waves shimmered. The nostalgic sound of a reed organ quietly spread through the air. A familiar melody.

It was “Huijae.”

The poor boy had not become a great young man when he first held a Garand rifle.

It had begun the moment he took the hand of the girl who reached out to him first from beyond the wall.

Therefore, all of this was a story created by the great Yeon Huijae.

Huijae was not a flower blooming beyond the wall. She was not simply a beautiful woman.

She was someone who made joy bloom in the barren hearts of countless people. Someone who would ultimately make her own will blossom, a truly wonderful and beautiful first love of mine.

Woooong—.

The horn of a ship sounded. A vessel was approaching the harbor.

“Boss—!”

Someone called out to him from far away. Taeseok turned toward the voice.

“They say a letter arrived from Manchuria—!”

At those words, Taeseok smiled brightly like a boy.

With the blue sea behind him, the young man ran forward. Sunlight glittered along his profile.

He looked just like the boy who used to run along these docks.

With the sound of crashing waves and the nostalgic organ music blending together, the young man moved forward.

Shimmering reflections of sunlight spread across the water on both sides of him as he ran.

And then—

From the distance,

his eyes

met hers.

“...”

A lady stood there holding a white letter in her hand. It felt as if time had stopped. At that moment, the wind blew.

Long hair fluttered in the breeze as she tucked it behind her ear. Her skirt swayed lightly... and at her feet rested a small piece of luggage.

Only then did Taeseok truly realize.

It was Huijae.

Huijae had returned.

Dong—. Dong—. Dong—.

The bell rang throughout the harbor.

Taeseok looked at her without speaking. She too looked at Taeseok, who stood with the sea upon his shoulders.

The sound of the waves from afar wrapped around the two of them.

There were countless things he wanted to say. Whether she had been well, whether she had been hurt, whether perhaps she had ever wished to come see him a little sooner.

Among all those words, Taeseok chose just one.

His voice trembled.

“Hello.”

It was not a greeting meant for the girl who once stood inside the wall, but the first greeting offered to the lady who had returned to their wide and beautiful hometown. It was a greeting of love soaked with deep longing.

The shining seaside he had once wanted to bring her to someday.

Huijae had finally come here.

Without someone bringing her here, with her own steps, following the direction pointed by the compass in her heart.

At last, she had returned home.

“...Hello.”

Huijae smiled brightly, just like she had back then. Somewhere, the sweet scent of the sea breeze drifted through the air. The sound of cicadas could be heard.

A smile appeared on Taeseok’s face as the sunlight fell across his profile.

And above it, the words announcing farewell appeared.

Beautiful music spread far and wide.

The story had ended.

* * *

44.7% viewership for the final episode.

The last blaze of terrestrial broadcasting.

A masterpiece for the ages.

The final national drama.

After that, no production would ever surpass that rating again.

A work praised for perfectly capturing KBC’s spirit of the era.

A drama that never once lost the number-one rating spot during its entire broadcast.

A drama that people remember every winter.

Every November, the song “Huijae” rises again on the music charts.

The novel released afterward stayed on the bestseller list for eighty-two weeks.

Critics unanimously gave it perfect scores.

Whenever people list the dramas of their lives, it is always included.

A work that is never forgotten and endlessly talked about.

Ji Haebeom’s career-defining role.

A rediscovery of Eun Baekhap, and her representative masterpiece.

The project that raised Shin Seojin’s recognition in a single stroke.

Myeong Jeha’s first drama debut.

The moment when Han Yeoreum properly left her mark on audiences ranging from teenagers to people in their sixties. The birth of the phrase “Han Yeoreum you can trust.” With only four episodes she seized public popularity, rose to first place in Gallup’s favorite actors in their twenties, made people suffer from “Yeon Huijae syndrome” in a completely new sense, and engraved the three syllables “Yeon Huijae” into the hearts of the public. She covered the powerful image of the shamaness and instead earned the title of the nation’s first love.

At last, ended while receiving the viewers’ tears and applause for a long, long time.

And at the same time—

A wave of insane popularity began.

All of the cast members suddenly rose to an entirely different level.

As if they had climbed to a place no one could reach.

* * *

Success.

No other word came to mind.

The wrap party. The staff were running around in joy, shouting that it was finally over.

Right now, with applause and cheers filled with excitement echoing everywhere—

I couldn’t do anything.

It felt as if I were floating.

In truth, I didn’t want to remain a child actor. I wanted to be Yeon Huijae longer. Four episodes weren’t enough. I was thirsty for this incredible work. I wanted to do better. I wanted to make everything my own.

I looked at Eun Baekhap across the room, staring at the television.

‘I want to become much better than I am now.’

If I climb higher. If I reach that level—

Could I become the first lead then?

At that moment, Eun Baekhap’s eyes met mine.

She stared at me briefly, then tilted her head slightly to the side. It was such a small motion that one might miss it without paying attention.

It felt as though she had seen straight through my thoughts.

Her attitude said, If you think you can do it, go ahead and try.

My heart ignited.

* * *

“Holy....”

Aetami was crying uncontrollably. The ending had been truly perfect.

Taejin remained the ultimate second male lead, completely defying viewers’ worries. Taeseok’s love had been unwavering from beginning to end.

And most of all—

“Huijae....”

Huijae, who made people feel glad they had loved her.

Perhaps it was because the later episodes overlapped with the image of Huijae as a child. Everyone remembered the moment they had first fallen in love.

As if it had been engraved forever into their hearts.

It was a perfect ending.

“Huijaeaaa!”

Even while sobbing, Aetami grabbed her phone. During the ending, it seemed everyone had been too busy crying to function.

-What the hell is this psycho masterpiece TT___TT

-Fitzgerald congratulations if you try hard you might resemble Ahn Junmyeong a little Pearl Buck congrats you also received the Nobel Junmyeong Prize Tolstoy congrats you’re not as good as Junmyeong but at least 1% similar Jane Austen congrats I heard you changed your name to Junmyeong Austen

ㄴholy shit lol but facts it really should be called the Nobel Junmyeong Prize

-I’m sorry for cursing you until now Sokhwan you were right... I regret ever doubting you but please don’t end it TT__TT  just give us a little more TT_TT

More than twenty discussion threads had already exploded. That meant the comments had exceeded one hundred thousand.

Across every community’s hot boards and best posts, everyone was talking about .

[DramaTALK / Watching Garland felt like riding a roller coaster the entire time]

What the hell!!! What the hell...? No what the hell TT_TT what the hell...!!! infinite repeat

-Anonymous 1: This is so true T_T every time you think how are they going to fix this? they fix it perfectly and then again you think how are they going to fix this? and they fix it again lol

ㄴAnonymous 2: I’ve never gone this insane over a drama before... seriously...

-Anonymous 3: I cried because every single character stayed amazing until the very end

ㄴAnonymous 8: Seriously they didn’t ruin a single character all the way through

-Anonymous 9: I’m sad there weren’t enough Taeseok-Huijae lovey scenes but honestly even if there were more my heart probably wouldn’t have survived so I’m satisfied

-Anonymous 11: I’ll never forget Director Ja’s name. If I hear news about his next work I’m running there immediately lol

Still crying, Aetami put on her earphones. She wanted to sink deeper into the lingering emotions while they were still fresh.

Apparently everyone felt the same way. The music video for “Huijae” was filling up with tearful comments.

-Look at these viewers calmly sending off the final episode without crying. Such admirable composure.

ㄴWhat the hell are you talking about we’re crying our eyes out you must be Ja Sokhwan

ㄴThe level of sociopathy confirms it’s Sokhwan come sit down we need to talk

-Huijae TT___TT Huijae TT_TT

-Who else came here crying their eyes out after the final episode?

-Sokhwan please send money for psychiatric treatment bills my life has been ruined thanks to you...

ㄴMe me me holy shit!!! I deserve the most compensation

ㄴEveryone line up I was here first

Holding her aching head from crying so much, Aetami scrolled down.

In all her years as a drama fanatic, had there ever been a reaction this explosive?

Thinking back, absolutely not.

[HOT / (Major spoilers) The current status of Great Garland couple wars.jpg]

(screenshot of child-actor first meeting and final reunion)

Victory for the GiYeon couple.

-I’m hardcore second-male-lead faction but with this ending I actually welcome it

ㄴSame lol Taejin stayed Taejin until the very end

-I’m crying but laughing like crazy at the same time

-The one who pushed GiYeon from start to finish wins v^___^v haha

-Hey Gi Taeseok congratulations!!! Send the wedding invitations already

-There... is a reason... for Becker...

-Welcome to Mental Breakdown World welcome to Mental Breakdown World

ㄴIt’s unfair I didn’t choose this... I just opened my eyes and suddenly I was in Mental Breakdown World... it’s unfair

ㄴAnyone who knows this song should go get a health check

-But honestly the true love was Taejin don’t argue

ㄴStill in denial lol if the ending shows Taeseok’s face for that long he’s obviously the male lead

Aetami smiled quietly.

Her tear-streaked cheeks lifted into a grin.

“Then this reaction... all of it...”

Right now, none of the actors from had confirmed next projects.

Only Han Yeoreum alone had a long list of upcoming works already lined up.

Popularity is also about timing.

Thanks to Eun Baekhap once again showing Huijae’s childhood version, viewers were now searching for somewhere to pour out their overflowing affection.

Among the flood of articles appearing right now, one image stood out above the rest.

A photo combining the first childhood meeting and the final reunion scene.

Nearly every article used that picture.

So viewers could remember young Huijae once again.

“Then all this reaction... it all becomes our Yeoreum’s.”

She was certain the ripple effect would be immeasurable.

“Then the opportunity is now.”

Aetami opened her laptop.