Free Web NovelSo he ended up attending a drinking gathering he didn’t even want to go to. This was why returning to life as a rookie was such a hassle.
Something that could’ve been handled with a single phone call had to be rebuilt from scratch. But Myeong Jeha had one solid conviction.
‘All I need to do is show them the acting once.’
He didn’t think he would need to interfere all the way up to guaranteeing an audition win.
“Yeah, yeah. ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) That’s right! Thank you! Honestly, I finished the real final draft an hour ago.”
“An hour ago?”
“I did another revision. But this is seriously the last of the last. The final. The end! Real.”
Director Gong smiled and asked Jeha a question.
“Oh, right! Jeha. You’re enrolled at DaeYeJong, right? Acting department.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You have a classmate named Han Yeoreum, right? What do you think of her?”
Jeha smiled brightly. Things were moving much faster than he expected.
“She’s good. From what I’ve seen...”
When Jeha paused, all attention at the table focused on him.
“Much better than Do Gyeoul.”
The table fell silent.
If you picked the most famous twenty-year-old actress in Korea, without question the first name that came up was Do Gyeoul.
So when he placed Yeoreum—who had only just starred in one web drama—above Gyeoul, everyone burst into laughter. They clearly thought he was exaggerating.
‘It’s true, though.’
But Jeha meant every word.
It was the evaluation of someone who had watched hundreds, thousands, maybe even more performances in auditions, on set, and on-screen. He couldn’t be wrong.
“Right? Right? You feel that way too, right?”
Director Gong scooted right up next to Jeha.
“I’m going to open auditions.”
Jeha immediately understood which role Director Gong meant.
“Call that kid—Han Yeoreum.”
<Law-Faster-than>. From the second movie onward, every film in the series passed ten million viewers, but even the first film had always hovered above 5 million.
‘If Han Yeoreum is added, how will it change?’
Could <Law-Faster-than> Part 1 also join the ten-million club?
“Of course! I’m a very fair! person. If she comes to the audition and totally bombs it, then even if she’s your friend, she’s out!”
“Of course. Director Gong, you’re a public servant at heart.”
A feeling sparked inside Jeha. It had been a very long time since he felt something like this.
For some reason, certainty kept blooming inside him.
Ten million. It felt possible.
* * *
[Daily Media] Meeting the heroine we never knew—Han Yeoreum.
In this era where you can access content anywhere, a true web-drama market has finally opened on Intube. Leading the charge was JC ENM’s <The Cherry on the Parfait Belongs to the Heroine!>
A lively story about what would happen if a K-high-schooler entered a world full of pure-romance manga clichés. In the drama, Han Yeoreum played Pi Chaewon, an ordinary student from the real world.
Today we met the heroine of <ParCheHi>, the drama sweeping Intube like never before—Han Yeoreum.
“It’s too... professional... seriously like a real reporter....”
Well, he was an actual reporter.
I must’ve read the Daily Media interview article—uploaded immediately after the <ParCheHi> finale—at least a dozen times.
The final episode had achieved 2 million views in just one day. Maybe because of that, the interview article was placed high on the main page.
“Why can you only press ‘recommend’ once~!”
I kicked my feet on the bed. I was just so, so excited. That was when— ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Bzzz— Bzzz— Bzzz—.
My phone rang. It was Choo Gaeul.
-Yeoreum! Han Yeoreum!!
“What?”
-We’re shooting an ad!!!
Did she call just to brag? As expected, Choo Gaeul was ambitious.
Not normal in the slightest. She didn’t shrink back even when attention wasn’t on her.
“Congratulations....”
I’ll shoot an advertisement too. Eventually. My bucket list kept growing, and honestly, it felt good. Yes. I’ll shoot a movie, ride in a van, film commercials. Definitely.
-With YOU!!!
“What!!!”
What the hell was this?
-They contacted me because you didn’t read your DMs. We—we got double-cast in a commercial together!!!
Clatter—my phone slipped from my hand in shock.
My first advertisement schedule had arrived.
* * *
I went straight to meet Choo Gaeul.
This was Gangnam. A café near her entertainment agency.
I sat across from her, wearing a cap.
“You seriously never wear hats, huh? Same when we met Joo Junseo sunbae. Someone’s going to recognize you at this rate.”
“God, I wish someone would recognize me.”
“....”
Choo Gaeul looked like she had accepted my attention-loving nature with weary resignation. Then she pulled out her tablet.
“You don’t know this stuff, and you don’t have an agency to help you. So I’ll explain everything.”
It sounded suspiciously like she wanted praise.
“Thank.you.so.much. Best.friend. Five.stars. No one but Gaeul.in.my.life.”
“...Ahem. Anyway, it’s a new brand. We’ll do photo shooting and a simple video shoot. Two pieces of content.”
The product name was written on the images.
‘Oh. This is one of Olive0’s best items.’
I used to sell tons of this when I worked part-time. I stocked it on shelves constantly.
“The video and photos will be used on the brand site and Olive0’s banners. Secondary use will be SNS.”
“Intube and Yousta?”
“Yep. Upload to both, and offline uses are subway and bus stops. The brand isn’t big enough yet for TV ads.”
A shame. I wanted to be on TV.
But on the flip side, it meant that whenever someone opened the internet, my face would appear.
‘Just imagining it makes me shake.’
When my ad comes out, I’m never skipping it. Always clicking the pop-ups.
“So mostly internet ads.”
“Right. My company checked the contract already and said it’s fine. They might give you a different version, so I’ll send you mine. Compare them.”
“Choo Gaeul... you’re nicer than I thought....”
“Well... the ad period is one year. Check the dates.”
After hearing the contract period, I suddenly got curious.
“So how much?”
I leaned in when she gestured to bring my ear closer. She lifted her hand and whispered.
“What???”
I screamed without meaning to.
One commercial paid enough to cover a full year of university tuition.
* * *
‘Oh. Pi Chaewon.’
Most people on set had already seen Han Yeoreum’s video. The storyboard even had <ParCheHi> scenes attached.
‘Good chemistry with Hina.’
Hina with pink hair, Chaewon with long black hair. The two had even better synergy when placed together. Their outfit colors were swapped—Hina in black, Chaewon in pink.
“Wow.... Thanks to you, I’m even shooting commercials. Thanks, Gaeul.”
“What? Why because of me?”
“If you hadn’t dyed your hair pink, my black hair wouldn’t stand out as much.”
“Oh, come on....”
“When you first walked in with pink hair, I still thought—you’re such an attention seeker. Even worse than me. Like you’re determined to devour every camera—”
“HEY!!!”
The playful bickering in the waiting room was exactly their age and adorably chaotic. While the two of them finished prepping, the crew completed the set.
“We’re starting now—! Please get ready—!!!”
The monitoring screen beside the camera flicked on. The two girls stood facing each other against a pure white horizon backdrop.
“Put the treatment in one hand, yes. Please look forward! We’ll start with photos.”
Seeing them like this, the combination was even better than expected. The staff seemed to feel it too—reactions were already warm.
“Oh~ so pretty~~~!!!”
Seeing the shy smiles of the rookie actresses, the director felt proud. The mood from the beginning was excellent. The framed shots were above expectations.
Click—!
The weighty shutter sound felt crisp and satisfying.
‘As expected of actresses, they use their hands well.’
Even as rookies, their posing wasn’t stiff or awkward. Holding a product often makes the hands look rigid, but not here.
‘Han Yeoreum—she’s even mindful of finger angles.’
Her fingers curved naturally, giving the perfect look. The camera memory filled rapidly. The number of cuts kept increasing.
“Let’s monitor for a moment—.”
After the photo shoot finished, the director approached the monitor. The director and staff checked the photos filling the screen.
“Oh....”
