Free Web NovelINTUBE
[Myeong Jeha X Han Yeoreum fan edit <So—Very Interested>]
1:05
IP 85.152 clicked the video.
Text appeared over a dark screen, and then the image slowly brightened.
Presented by:
Faster Than the Law
War with the Rule of Law
No Interest Whatsoever
It truly felt like the opening of a real movie.
Han Yeoreum appeared first, driving while chatting excitedly on the phone.
—Yeah~! Me? Ha... Of course I got it. The invitation!
It was her appearance as Influencer 1 in 〈Faster Than the Law〉.
Then the scene switched to Myeong Jeha, driving with a blunt, expressionless face.
Bang!
The minor collision was exactly the same as in the original 〈Faster Than the Law〉 scene. But it had been cleverly edited. As if the accident had happened with Myeong Jeha instead of Yun Hyeonjo.
—Open the window.
—....
—I said open the window.
Han Yeoreum appeared, looking pitiful and innocent with tearful eyes.
—I’m sorry... really. Truly. I’m so. Very. Sorry.
The camera caught Myeong Jeha’s conflicted expression.
Then the screen switched.
—What did you say???
Now the setting was no longer Cheongdam Boulevard.
It was the middle of the countryside.
—Why would I become the village head???
The scene cross-cut to Han Yeoreum from 〈No Interest Whatsoever〉, her hair color identical.
—Don’t recommend me. Just run for election yourself. I’ll vote for you.
—Does that make any sense?
“This is actually pretty well made.”
IP 85.152 admired the smoothly connected narrative.
A romantic comedy where she gets dragged to the countryside to become village head instead of paying for car repairs.
“Feels believable....”
Han Yeoreum’s character from 〈Faster Than the Law〉—who had confronted the police—fit perfectly with Myeong Jeha’s role as a police officer in War with the Rule of Law. The dialogue matched so well it almost felt like the original script had been written that way.
IP 85.152 absolutely was not some delusional shipper.
But the over-immersed fans of 〈The Great Garland〉 would definitely come swarming like a pack of wolves soon enough.
“They used filters well too.”
The dull color palette characteristic of War with the Rule of Law had been transformed into the bright tones of a youthful coming-of-age film.
With the addition of light, bubbly music, it looked exactly like a romantic comedy that might actually premiere in theaters this summer.
And since the two actors had appeared together in 〈The Great Garland〉, the response was explosive.
The view count was rising rapidly.
“Come to think of it....”
IP 85.152 noticed something else sharply.
—Why else? I’m dieting!
A line from Influencer 1 appeared—one that hadn’t been seen before.
“〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 trailer!”
It was from the main trailer that had been released recently.
After scanning the comments, IP 85.152 realized that apparently no one else had noticed this detail. freewebnσvel.cѳm
—Huijae... Taeseok... you’re doing well right...? TT__TT
—Hey this actually feels real
—Holy shit I’m gonna turn on a fan and just die here
“Ah... these unfinished fools... every single one of them—disqualified from being cultured citizens....”
Muttering with the tone people used when they were truly over-immersed, IP 85.152 shook their head and refreshed the page.
—I wish Han Yeoreum had more screen time in Faster Than the Law TT_TT I’ll definitely watch it even if it’s empty theaters our baby melon bread we enter the fan café every day (﹡ˆ﹀ˆ﹡)♡ fan love is real aaaa
Not everyone was obsessing over Huijae.
A solid filmography, a lineup of upcoming projects, and a completely different flavor of content compared to typical actor fandom—plus her SNS feed.
Han Yeoreum was currently pulling in a wave of new fans.
—I’ll watch Faster Than the Law multiple times for our baby melon bread
—I wish Director Gong would cast Myeong Jeha as the villain TT_TT my heart likes that
Mentions of 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 increased rapidly.
IP 85.152 checked the theater schedule.
Not to track stage greetings, of course. freewebnoveℓ.com
It was simply that there wasn’t much to do during the holiday, and being able to discuss popular movies with coworkers after the break would help create common ground.
Understanding widely popular commercial entertainment films could be helpful for workplace life.
After all, strengthening one’s social adaptability was a proper responsibility of a working adult.
Of course, if unavoidable circumstances caused stage greetings and reservation times to overlap... there would be no particular reason to avoid them.
* * *
3 a.m.
Jegal Rok still hadn’t gone home.
He stared quietly at the monitor.
Behind his blue-light-blocking glasses, his refined gaze showed no sign of dimming.
〈The Great Garland〉 had sold broadcasting rights to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan even before the finale.
It was unprecedented.
A new route to break through the Korean Wave ban has been created.
There was no longer any need to rely solely on China and Japan.
Next year NetHolics would enter the market, so laying the groundwork beforehand was essential.
The broadcast date will probably be around summer....
Coincidentally, the Taiwanese theatrical release of 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉 was also scheduled for summer.
Just when the child-actor portion of 〈The Great Garland〉 aired—
Han Yeoreum would appear on theater screens.
The answer was obvious.
She would receive far more love than she had last year.
If only Eun Baekhap hadn’t been involved.
Jegal Rok regretted not investing in 〈The Great Garland〉, fearing the lead actress might cause trouble.
At the time, it had been an unavoidable decision.
But when he checked the profit returns, his brows tightened.
With deep dark circles under his eyes, he removed his glasses and wiped them with a smooth cloth.
Then he placed them back on the bridge of his nose and smiled slightly.
This would never happen again.
From now on, there would be no need to move while watching another actor’s mood.
Yeoreum would always be placed at the front of every project.
Not as a child actor—
but as the lead.
JC ENM had made the decision to spare no investment in any project chosen by their sole affiliated actress.
And it would begin with the soon-to-release 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉.
Just like before, special theater goods were prepared for each week of the film’s release.
* * *
Ji Haebeom looked curiously at Eun Baekhap again today, surrounded by staff during the shopping break.
Even beneath the hat pulled low over her head, the exhaustion on Eun Baekhap’s small face was obvious.
It was clear who had made her like that.
Nearby, Han Yeoreum was smiling brightly.
“She’s really... playing with an adult....”
Ji Haebeom chuckled quietly, then beckoned Han Yeoreum with a finger when their eyes met. She ran over immediately, and he handed her a cup of juice.
“You’re starting promotions as soon as you return to Korea, right? The movie’s about to open.”
“Yes. There’s not much time left until the holiday, so I’ll be appearing between the seniors’ schedules.”
Ji Haebeom folded his arms and looked down at the junior who had already finished half her juice.
“So what did Eun Baekhap say?”
“She didn’t say anything in particular.”
“Liar.”
“...Why are you asking?”
“I was wondering what she said that made you follow her around so stubbornly. She definitely didn’t say anything nice.”
Han Yeoreum briefly looked as if she were remembering something, then shook her head.
“No. She only... said... good things.”
“I see. But that sounds very unconvincing.”
“Anyway, I want to work with Baekhap sunbae in a future project. I’ve been trying to persuade her.”
“I see. A future project.... What about with me?”
Han Yeoreum looked up as if asking what he meant.
Ji Haebeom spoke casually.
“Do you have any interest in working on a project with me?”
The moment he said that, Han Yeoreum’s head started nodding like crazy.
Her reflexes were impressive.
“Oh, absolutely. If you’d let me join one of your projects, sunbae, I’d be incredibly grateful. Are you... giving me a script? What role is it? Wait, am I your partner role? Second lead?”
“Either nod or talk. Pick one. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
Ji Haebeom had a project he was preparing.
The script was still a complete secret.
“Is it... a film?”
Looking at the eyes shining with expectation, Ji Haebeom thought to himself.
She’s only just entered broadcast television....
Han Yeoreum had grown faster than he expected.
Even though it was her first network drama debut, she had made her face known properly.
His judgment gradually tipped toward wanting to hold this script together with Han Yeoreum.
So he decided to make a verbal promise here.
“If I send you a script later, will you say yes without questioning anything?”
“Of course! If it’s a project you chose, sunbae, I’ll drop everything else and go!”
“Alright. Then it’s a promise. Make sure you keep it later.”
Every project Ji Haebeom had worked on had succeeded.
That was because he only selected scripts he had calculated thoroughly and felt certain about.
And after reaching the top, he even started constructing the entire board himself.
Failure had become almost impossible.
“Yes! A promise! Sunbae, you have to remember too. You can’t change your mind later!”
But the project Ji Haebeom wanted to do now was slightly risky.
Because—
“Then go back and keep having fun.”
It was a project Ji Haebeom intended to create himself.
* * *
My chest feels majestic....
A future project offer from Ji Haebeom.
I guarantee it—right now, and probably for the next ten years, there won’t be a single actor in Korea with a stronger filmography than Ji Haebeom.
Every project he enters becomes a hit.
Drama, film, OTT series—he has never failed once.
And I’m working with Ji Haebeom?
What could it be?
I thought through his filmography.
Ji Haebeom rarely appeared often. Instead, he would show up with a huge project that hit like a bomb.
That meant there weren’t many options.
A chaebol heir drama, a negotiation expert film, the OTT project where he played a used-car dealer... among those, which one would he ask me to join....
I’ll ask the old man later.
I keep smiling and it’s hard to control my expression.
“What are you grinning about?”
A slender voice sounded nearby.
It was Eun Baekhap.
For reference, I had called her here because I had something to say.
When I said I’d wait in front of her hotel door until morning if she didn’t come, she did show up.
“I’m just... happy.”
“You must be.”
“Yes. I was thinking about future projects.”
Scratch lightly and she reacts instantly.
What a cost-efficient senior.
The moment I mentioned future projects, her eyes flipped.
“You hate anything that isn’t a leading role, sunbae?”
I looked at Eun Baekhap, who had a talent for disciplining people with her innocent-looking face.
“You keep pushing it, don’t you....”
Eun Baekhap laughed in disbelief, as if asking whether that was why I called her here.
“Hey. You little punk. Do you know how famous I am?”
I do.
I know very well.
But that line is cool.
I should definitely use it myself someday.
Do you know how famous I am?
I should engrave that in my heart.
“The moment you mention the name Eun Baekhap anywhere, everyone around you turns their head. That’s the kind of person I am.”
That’s cool too....
I’ll definitely copy it later.
Adding it to the Han Yeoreum bucket list.
“And you’re telling me to just take any role? That’s nonsense.”
The exhaustion that had lingered on Eun Baekhap’s face was now covered by the pride of an actress who had fought to hold the top position.
“If someone told me to shave my head, I’d shave it. If they told me to do some damn special makeup that takes over ten hours, I’d do it. If they told me to stand in front of the camera bare-faced, I’d do it. If they told me to jump off a building with just one wire, I’d do that too. Filming underwater in the middle of winter? I’ll do it as much as you want.”
The clear pride of someone who had drawn a firm line inside their heart.
“But no matter what, I will never take a role that only consumes my image. Using my name to prop up some shitty project? I wouldn’t do it even if someone held a knife to my throat. I’m not going to stand around as a decorative face and disappear.”
As if that conviction itself was what supported Eun Baekhap.
“If you want to {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} survive long in this industry, carve that into your head too. Don’t sit there grinning just because people hype you up.”
Eun Baekhap added one last sentence before leaving.
“So stop acting cocky from now on. You could really end up dead.”
I watched her leave, then stood up from the bench.
And turned around.
“Writer. Baekhap sunbae’s diction is good, right?”
“Yeah.... It would be perfect for stuffing in a lot of swearing lines without worrying....”
I hadn’t called just one person.
On the bench behind the bushes sat Writer Ahn.
Eun Baekhap isn’t going to change overnight.
She’s not the type to suddenly say, Yes, I’m happy to take an extra role.
So the only option was to give Writer Ahn a taste of her strengths first—like offering a small spoonful.
“Be honest. I can feel your mind changing right now.”
“Ah.... But that obsession with lead roles doesn’t seem like it’ll disappear anytime soon.”
“Still, doesn’t she match the Huiseon you imagined perfectly? If it were me, I wouldn’t let her go.”
“But after being cursed out like that, you still want to work with her?”
Writer Ahn laughed in disbelief.
I nodded.
She didn’t hit me.
She didn’t create a group chat without me and order people around.
She didn’t steal my role.
If anything, that was pretty nice.
An actress needs at least that much temper to survive long.
“I know what you’re worried about. But right now there’s only a synopsis, right?”
“Yeah. So?”
“If writing the script takes at least a year, and casting and everything else takes another year before filming starts, that’s already two years.”
“Well... if you calculate it that way.”
“I debuted three years ago. What do you think I’ll be like in two years?”
Writer Ahn’s expression slowly softened.
Yes. It’s working.
“Even if Baekhap sunbae insists on being the lead, she won’t be able to take everything by then. Because I’ll be this high by then.”
Writer Ahn burst out laughing.
Got it. This worked.
“Seriously....”
Still laughing as if he hadn’t expected this, Writer Ahn nodded.
“Alright. For now—okay. But keep it secret for the time being.”
“Of course.”
“Want to go up to my room and eat ramen? I’ve eaten nothing but seafood, and now I want ramen with stir-fried kimchi.”
“How does the opening of episode one start?”
When filming for <Those Who Deserve to Die> begins later, Eun Baekhap will struggle to catch up with me—because I’ll already have analyzed the character from the beginning.
I spent the entire night in Writer Ahn’s room discussing <Those Who Deserve to Die>.
Because of that, I already felt as if I had become Jeong Huiseon.
And ignoring the glare Eun Baekhap shot at me from behind her sunglasses—
I finally returned to Korea.
“Colt!”
“You’re here?”
And now, together with Yun Hyeonjo and Kwak Cheolsik, I begin promoting 〈Faster Than the Law 2〉.
To become a double ten-million actor.
Fourteen days until the film’s release.
It was time for Influencer 1 to make her face known again.
