Free Web Novel* * *
Aetami quickly uploaded the edited video to Intube.
INTUBE
[Trying the “Han Yeoreum Ordinary Girlfriend Experience”] 03:48
All those times she stubbornly wore nothing but pure white outfits just to catch Yeoreum’s attention during the stage greetings—it had finally paid off.
“She recognized me right away....”
Because of that, every time the seniors were holding the microphones, Yeoreum would glance toward the camera and acknowledge it.
The way she secretly met the camera’s gaze, stealing little looks before breaking into a smile—it was unbearably cute no matter how many times you watched it.
“If I just add some BGM, this turns into a full-on youth drama.”
Yeoreum’s fan service was on the level of a pro idol who had done at least three thousand fan sign events.
It wasn’t the usual polite nod or restrained acknowledgment actors gave.
“Let the views go up...!”
Aetami edited together only the clips where Yeoreum subtly looked toward the camera. The Intube account ‘@EverydayIsYeoreum’ was already a dedicated Han Yeoreum fan account, so the subscribers who had it followed left nothing but favorable comments.
-00:27 What was that finger heart?? How is she so quick-witted
-1:11 Did you just ask me if you’re pretty???? Yes Han Yeoreum you’re insanely pretty holy shit seriously so pretty fcking gorgeous
-That last moment where she turns back and makes eye contact again is crazy... this is weird I’m pretty sure I’m dating Han Yeoreum right now but I don’t have her number;;;
︎˪Patient, it’s time for you to wake up from your coma...
Watching the reactions flood in, Aetami let out a light sigh.
“It’d be perfect if we had multi-angle cam footage....”
Still, thanks to existing subscribers, the video quickly surpassed 300 views. While checking the video, Aetami also browsed through the fan accounts of Han Yohan and Yun Hyeonjo.
“If I only upload Yeoreum, it’ll look a bit weird—.”
A moment later, she uploaded a post to the community.
[Issue Board / The stage greeting for Faster Than the Law 2 is insanely generous right now.jpg]
Headbands? Yeah, we’ll wear all of them~
(photo of Kwak Cheolsik looking like the headband doesn’t fit at all.jpg)
Even if it’s tight, we’ll still wear them~
(series of actors doing finger hearts.jpg)
Hearts? Too shy to say no, so they do every single one~
(Yun Hyeonjo flower pose, Han Yohan cheek poke, Kwak Cheolsik doing some unidentifiable pose.jpg)
Just working insanely hard~
(Han Yeoreum bowing at a perfect 90 degrees.jpg)
She even bows like her back’s about to snap
People who went said they couldn’t tell if it was a stage greeting or a full fan meeting—that’s how generous it was. freёwebnoѵel.com
-Kwak Cheolsik isn’t being bullied, right? Someone please take that headband off him...
˪LMAO
˪This is insane lmao
-The atmosphere of the film team is so goodㅠ They all seem really close
-I like how they take responsibility for promoting their work and do it properly... makes me think of certain actors who half-ass stage greetings
˪Same lolol they always slack off when it releases, then later complain when the movie doesn’t do well
Before anyone knew it, <Faster Than the Law 2> had become a film that captured not only box office success but also public favor.
When directors and actors genuinely cared about their work, the audience naturally became immersed in that sincerity.
Thanks to that, <Faster Than the Law 2> reached its break-even point of 3.7 million viewers in just five days.
[Unprecedented popularity... <Faster Than the Law 2> reaches break-even, will it hit ten million again?]
[Double ten-million series? <Faster Than the Law 2> soars with holiday boost~]
“Even now, the schedule isn’t over yet!”
Aetami shouted in delight. The promotions for <Faster Than the Law 2> were still ongoing.
They were doing real-time stage greetings and radio appearances—and today was also the day everyone had been waiting for: the release of <Magyo-dong>.
INTUBE
[Spoiler Warning / We’re spilling all the behind-the-scenes of <Faster Than the Law 2> here~ ⎜ Last Period is Club Activities] 40:11:27
The moment the notification popped up, Aetami clicked on the video.
* * *
This was Songshan District, Taipei. Lin Zhihao knocked on his daughter’s door.
“Meiling—. Dad has something to tell you—.”
There was no response from inside. Carefully, he turned the doorknob. Today again, his daughter must be studying hard...
“Meiling?”
“Shh. Dad. You’re distracting me.”
She was not studying.
Meiling had Han Yeoreum open on both her laptop and tablet.
On the tablet was a direct fan-cam video of Han Yeoreum making eye contact during a stage greeting, and on the laptop, Han Yeoreum was appearing on a live talk show.
“Ah, this is driving me crazy. They don’t even add real-time subtitles.”
Lin Zhihao slowly looked around his daughter’s room. The room that had once been filled only with pink was now covered in a soft melon-green.
And that wasn’t all. Alongside printed postcards of scenes from her favorite dramas, posters of Han Yeoreum—the most popular Hallyu star in Taiwan right now—were plastered everywhere.
‘Those postcards were from <ParCheHi>, too....’
Lin Zhihao’s daughter, Meiling, had truly devoted her life to being a fan.
“Ah! It’s too fast!”
A girl who once disliked even the idea of actors had now taught herself Korean to the point of listening to live broadcasts in real time.
She had never cared much about Hallyu before.
‘Han Yeoreum really is popular.’
Lin Zhihao had recognized Han Yeoreum’s star power early on. He had been the one who imported <Strange Tales> into Taiwan.
He was an executive at NTV, a Taiwanese broadcasting station specializing in K-dramas.
Han Yeoreum had especially high favorability among Taiwanese women in their teens and twenties. According to Meiling, even the girls in her class liked Han Yeoreum more than K-pop idols.
‘It does make me a little proud....’
Seeing his daughter rewatch, memorize, and genuinely invest herself in Hallyu because of a project he had chosen, Lin Zhihao felt a sense of pride.
“Um, Meiling.”
“Geez, Dad, you’re still here? Whatever it is, tell me later.”
Wearing her headset, completely focused on every word Han Yeoreum said, Meiling snapped at him.
Not even turning to look at him, she spoke, and Lin Zhihao shrank back.
Holding back tears, he quietly left her room. Meanwhile, on the tablet, the “ordinary girlfriend” video of Han Yeoreum kept replaying on loop.
“Honey, how’s her reaction? That’s strange. I thought she’d be screaming and making a fuss. It’s quiet.”
His wife approached and asked. Lin Zhihao sighed, saying he hadn’t been able to say a single word to Meiling.
“That girl... missing out on such great news.”
He had just received incredible news.
The project scheduled to enter Taiwan this summer, <The Great Garland>, had been nominated for an international awards ceremony.
A prestigious one. A famous one. And for the first time ever for a Korean drama.
* * *
Screech—!
Manager Choi slammed on the «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» brakes. Yeoreum’s body lifted slightly from her seat.
“Whoa, that scared me. Unni, are you okay?”
“Yeoreum. Didn’t you just hear that?”
“I was sleeping.... Why?”
Because of the relentless promotion schedule, Yeoreum had been working nonstop. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Of course, she hadn’t heard the call that had just come from the company to Choi Seonhye. She had been fast asleep.
“You just got contacted from the U.S.!”
“What!!!”
Listening to their conversation through the phone, Manager Ma’s voice was still filled with excitement.
—Turn the car around and come straight to the company! Ah, this is going to be so fun.... We’re already pushing out articles on our side too. Yeah. We need to rearrange your entire schedule immediately, and there’s a lot to prepare, okay?
America. Awards ceremony.
Those two words kept echoing in Yeoreum’s ears.
—Cutie.
To Han Yeoreum, who was too shaken to respond, Manager Ma spoke.
—Get ready. You’re about to get really busy.
[<The Great Garland> nominated for the Critics’ Choice Awards... first Korean drama]
The Critics’ Choice Awards.
A prestigious ceremony judged by film and television critics in the United States and Canada, with a TV category added in 2011.
Held right before the Oscars, it is often called the “Oscar barometer” because many winners overlap.
When the first-ever Korean drama, <The Great Garland>, was nominated, the media erupted.
-What the hell????
-This is insane... seriously
-What is that?? Am I the only one who doesn’t knowㅠ
As news spread that <The Great Garland> had been nominated for Best Foreign Language Series, the spotlight turned to Han Yeoreum of <Faster Than the Law 2>.
[<Faster Than the Law 2> influencer #1 Han Yeoreum, heading to the Oscars? Honor of Critics’ Choice nomination]
[Terrifying rookie comet, now entering the U.S.? <The Great Garland> Han Yeoreum shines in <Faster Than the Law 2>]
[Han Yeoreum greets audiences with a smile that could captivate even America: “Please enjoy the film”]
At that same moment, Han Yeoreum wasn’t the only one shocked.
“...No way.”
Eun Baekhap, who had been enjoying a half-bath, picked up the call. The moment she hung up, she went straight to the entertainment news section on the portal site.
Articles about <The Great Garland>’s nomination were being uploaded one after another.
[<The Great Garland> truly lives up to its name... anticipation rises for impact across the U.S.]
[What even is the Critics’ Choice...? Called the “Little Oscars” (full report)]
[<The Great Garland>, can it win Korea’s first Critics’ Choice award?]
The media was on fire.
After struggling under restrictions, the Korean drama industry overcoming the crisis was something worth celebrating.
Everyone was exhilarated.
“Waaahhh—!”
The KBC Drama Center had turned into a full-blown festival. The moment the director heard the news, he climbed onto his desk and made a live announcement.
“Everyone! We... we...!”
What he said that day would become a long-lasting meme within the KBC Drama Center—but even if time were rewound, he would have said the same thing.
“We did it—!!!”
Because there was simply no other way to put it.
