Free Web NovelWhat entered Eun Baekhap’s field of vision was something large and black.
It was standing in one corner of the set with its arms crossed, staring at X-Mani.
‘Why the hell is that bastard still here?’
Eun Baekhap lightly furrowed her brows. Ji Haebeom had been the first to finish filming, so his interview should have been over long ago too.
The only reason he was still here now was purely his own will.
Not because of his schedule.
“Looks like you’re done.”
Without even turning his head, Ji Haebeom spoke, as if he had already known Eun Baekhap would stop walking.
“Why are you here?”
“Just. Wanted to watch for a bit.”
“Came here sightseeing?”
Even at Eun Baekhap’s sharp tone, Ji Haebeom’s gaze remained fixed on one spot.
“Isn’t she admirable?”
“Not at all.”
“Why. I think she is....”
“I’m sure you do.”
Eun Baekhap followed his line of sight.
Han Yeoreum, now changed into a different outfit, was standing in front of the lens.
‘Come to think of it, this is my first time watching X-Mani shoot.’
Back during 〈The Great Garland〉, their filming schedules had never overlapped, so this really was the first time Eun Baekhap had seen it.
As if the timing had been perfect, their eyes met.
Han Yeoreum did not look away.
If anything, she stared straight back at Eun Baekhap.
“Good! Just tilt your head a little more! To the right—.”
The studio rang nonstop with shutter clicks. Under the blazing lights, X-Mani didn’t even blink once as she moved exactly according to the photographer’s direction.
‘...I don’t like it.’
Even with Eun Baekhap herself standing here, Han Yeoreum showed not the slightest trace of tension.
Anyone who had to shoot after Eun Baekhap usually ended up with their facial muscles stiffening.
Anyone.
Because the comparison standard was Eun Baekhap.
That premise alone lodged itself deep in people’s minds, making them inevitably misstep at least a little in front of the camera lens.
But what was obvious for everyone else was somehow not obvious for Han Yeoreum.
On impulse, Eun Baekhap spoke to Ji Haebeom.
“I heard you watched her shoot before too.”
“So you do care. I thought you didn’t.”
“What was it like?”
The first day of filming for 〈The Great Garland〉.
Even Eun Baekhap had heard that Ji Haebeom had gone out of his way to visit the set.
Back then, she hadn’t thought his reason had anything to do with Han Yeoreum.
‘But now I know.’
It was obvious now that Ji Haebeom had pushed his own schedule forward and gone all the way down to Jinhae just to see the young Huijae Han Yeoreum would bring to life.
Tilting her head crookedly, Eun Baekhap looked up at Ji Haebeom’s side profile, shadowed along the lines of his bone structure.
“I asked what it was like.”
At her impatient prompt, Ji Haebeom slowly opened his mouth.
“She was Huijae.”
“...”
“Just. Exactly the Huijae I had imagined.”
His answer was concise.
“But weirdly enough... everyone said the same thing.”
Eun Baekhap clenched her fist.
“Director Jang said it, Director Gong too... even Director Ja. They all said the exact same thing. That she was exactly what they had imagined.”
Ji Haebeom seemed even more interested in Han Yeoreum than she had thought.
Director Jang of 〈Strange Tales〉, Director Gong of 〈Faster Than the Law〉, Director Ja of 〈The Great Garland〉.
It sounded like he had spoken with the directors of every Han Yeoreum project even Eun Baekhap knew about.
“I think you hate her because you feel the same way I do, Baekhap.”
Annoyingly enough, there was nothing wrong with what Ji Haebeom said.
In 〈Youth Disqualified!〉, which Eun Baekhap had watched recently, Han Yeoreum had been Na Yuna.
It was impossible to imagine anyone else.
Director So had probably thought the same thing the moment he saw her on the first shoot.
That the Na Yuna he had imagined had stepped right in front of him.
“Get lost. You’re disgusting.”
“You keep talking down to me. I’m older than you.”
Eun Baekhap tried to slam her shoulder into Ji Haebeom’s shoulder... but couldn’t quite reach, so she fiercely smacked his upper arm instead before striding past him.
“Let’s definitely work together later—. The three of us—.”
His low voice, laced with laughter, scraped across Eun Baekhap’s nerves.
Without turning around, she shot him the middle finger over her shoulder, then called Director Park, who should have been in the middle of filming.
—Aww. Baekhap, what is it?
“Director.”
Eun Baekhap herself didn’t understand her own feelings.
“What did you think of Han Yeoreum?”
She didn’t know whether she wanted the answer she expected, or a different one.
—Aww, what is this? Did you two fight? Why? Why does your voice sound like that again?
“No. I was just... curious. What she was like on set.”
On the other side of the phone, Park Jaeyoung seemed to think for a moment, then answered cleanly.
—She was Seohae. Exactly what I had imagined.
Eun Baekhap inhaled deeply.
She shut her eyes tight.
When she had first read the 〈Unfair Trade〉 script, the vague image she had formed of Lee Seohae now naturally overlapped with Han Yeoreum’s face.
Ridiculously enough, it wasn’t surprising at all.
“...Okay. I’ll hang up then.”
Eun Baekhap let out a sigh.
She really didn’t want to admit it.
Didn’t want to even a little.
“For an X-Mani... she’s actually pretty damn good....”
It was never easy to draw that kind of evaluation from every director’s mouth.
Following Ji Haebeom, famous for his sharp eye—
even from Eun Baekhap herself.
* * *
‘Where did Eun Baekhap go!’
Here I was, the next rising star. One of the most promising names in the current lineup. The one who could become Eun Baekhap’s only real rival.
And I was filming.
Of course she’d want to watch, right? Obviously, right?
‘She was looking at me just a second ago!’
Did she seriously just stop by on her way out for one quick look?
I whipped my head around, searching for the already vanished Eun Baekhap.
But nothing had changed.
Even Ji Haebeom, who had been watching me, gave a light wave before smiling and turning away.
‘She really just left like that?’
This isn’t right.
If it ends like this, I can’t move on to the next stage I had prepared.
Eun Baekhap watches me, then says, you’re better than I expected, your pictorial skills are no joke?
Then I say, I actually referenced your shoot from earlier, sunbae. I’ve seen all your pictorials before too.
Then she goes, what the hell, really?
And I go, of course. Obviously.
Then she says, you little punk, I’m seeing you in a new light. From now on call me unnie.
And I say, to be honest, I’ve called you that in my heart for years.
Then she goes, you crazy brat, says who?
Hahaha. Hohoho. Hahaha. Hohoho....
“Yeoreum, could you come here for a second?”
At the main photographer’s call, I stopped my delusions and walked over beside the monitor.
“First, this side—. From my point of view, this one’s the A-cut.”
The individual shots we had just taken were already separated into a dedicated folder on the screen.
‘This is the photo that’ll go on my cover....’
This was already my second time. freewёbnoνel.com
Unlike last time, when it was only me, this time it would be released alongside versions featuring powerhouse seniors.
Just imagining a magazine with my face printed next to Eun Baekhap’s was already making my heart race.
“When you look through a lens... you can see a person a little deeper than with your eyes.”
The main photographer spoke as he flipped through the photos.
“Han Yeoreum, ah. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way. This is just... the feeling I get.”
On the screen was a shot of me with my chin slightly raised.
Beside it was the A-cut Eun Baekhap had chosen earlier.
Her face was tilted at an angle, as if leisurely looking down below.
“I think the two of you are a little alike.”
“Really? In what way?”
Thank you so much.
To be compared to that Eun Baekhap.
I looked at the main photographer with complete seriousness, ready to dig deeper.
“Hmm... I can’t pinpoint it exactly. But neither of you is afraid of the lens. I can’t feel any fear of how you might come out on camera.”
I thought I vaguely understood what he meant.
Eun Baekhap’s obsession with the protagonist.
That same fire was always burning in my own heart too.
“...But honestly, sunbae’s photos stand out more, right?”
“Well, over there it’s the sheer experience.”
Still, looking at them side by side like this, I could feel it clearly.
Even before editing, Eun Baekhap’s photos had an innate dominance.
“Next time, I’ll do even better. So better than Baekhap sunbae! More copies! Faster sellout! You’ll shoot me then too, right?”
Did I fail to hide my ambition too much?
The main photographer’s eyes widened, and for a moment he was speechless.
“No, I mean... of course it might take a while... but it’s good to have a goal....”
No.
Han Yeoreum scandal can absolutely never happen.
I ran my shallow-materialist calculator at full speed and quickly patched the moment over.
Then a huge burst of laughter exploded through the studio.
“What are you even saying right now?”
“Huh?”
“How many people do you think buy magazines because the cover catches their eye? Do you know who the most beloved actor in Taiwan is right now?”
No way...?
“Hahahaha....”
Come on.
Beating Eun Baekhap in sales?
‘Eun Baekhap has an enormous overseas fandom, starting with her hardcore Japanese fans.’
She was already one of Korea’s top actors in Youstagram followers alone, and there had to be countless global fans already waiting for Taiwan Ruel preorders.
‘Me?’
No way.
I could only laugh off the main photographer’s words that Han Yeoreum’s version would outsell the one with Eun Baekhap’s face on it.
“Would you like an autograph?”
“Suddenly? You already got one from me before.”
“Still. You don’t have to be shy.”
No matter how I looked at it, this main photographer had clearly put on full-on fan goggles.
‘Guess he likes me even more than before?’
Thinking he looked slightly embarrassed after getting caught mixing personal feelings into a professional relationship, I signed the back of his phone case with my autograph.
‘Please treasure it.......’
Until the day I really surpass Baekhap sunbae in sales.
* * *
“It’s up!”
Reporter Wi checked the Taiwan Ruel Youstagram public account, for which he had even set notifications in advance.
The moment the alert rang, the likes were already well over a hundred.
“It’s only been a few seconds since they posted....”
Once again, Reporter Wi truly felt Han Yeoreum’s popularity in Taiwan.
The group shot, perfectly capturing the era’s atmosphere, was undeniably high quality.
Youstagram
[〈The Great Garland〉 unveiled in Taiwan.
Please look forward to our first meeting with Elle.]
887 likes
38 comments
—Please dress Ji Haebeom in suits forever so he’s always ready to walk down the aisle with me 😭
—Jeha ♥︎♥︎♥︎ such a sweet face no matter when I see him
—When is the Yeoreum unnie version preorder?
—Now I understand why they’re releasing six versions 😂
Unfortunately, only the group shot had been released so far.
Reporter Wi hit like first.
Right then, the story upload marker appeared.
As expected, when he tapped Ruel’s profile image, an on-site shooting clip popped up.
Even in the behind-the-scenes group-shot video for 〈The Great Garland〉, filmed in the studio, Reporter Wi instantly found Yeoreum.
“Ah.... so cute....”
Since this was such a large-scale project, it was obvious they’d be scattering content crumbs over a long period of time.
As someone who knew this industry inside and out, Reporter Wi swallowed back tears.
“Upload it all at once! You cheap bastards!”
The press materials had probably started circulating from the moment the group cut was uploaded.
A few days later, Han Yeoreum’s solo pictorial would likely be released, followed by a video on Taiwan Ruel’s Intube account, then Myeong Jeha, Shin Seojin, Eun Baekhap—
and Ji Haebeom last.
“They’ll probably start preorder sales right when Ji Haebeom drops.”
Reporter Wi grinned.
He already had ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) several headlines prepared.
[Taiwan’s ‘Nation’s First Love’ too, Han Yeoreum decorates the Ruel cover for 〈The Great Garland〉...]
[Han Yeoreum’s explosive popularity in Taiwan. “Preorders are already sold out~”]
Thinking of the headlines, Reporter Wi let out a regretful sigh.
“If only... Yeoreum’s cover version sold out first, that’d make such a killer headline.”
Han Yeoreum had already filmed several solo CFs in Taiwan, but domestically her popularity still couldn’t compare to Ji Haebeom and Eun Baekhap.
Those two were the absolute top of the top.
“Ah well. It’d be nice if it happens later at least—.”
Reporter Wi laughed it off lightly.
A few days later, when Han Yeoreum’s solo pictorial was finally released, the reaction was, as expected, explosive.
* * * freewёbnoνel.com
“Everyone ready....”
“Yeah....”
“Of course....”
“Obviously.”
Finally, D-day.
The preorder sales day for the Taiwan Ruel 〈The Great Garland〉 version had arrived.
Meiling and her friends held their phones with grave expressions.
This was school.
That insane Ruel hadn’t bothered to consider students at all and had announced the preorder start for 10 a.m.
So not only Meiling and her friends, but every teenage girl fan who loved Han Yeoreum was waiting with deadly seriousness.
“Pull up the clock.”
“We just need to enter right at 59 seconds.”
“Good. Stay logged in.”
“Aaaah! I’m shaking....”
Their phone wallpapers were already the Han Yeoreum Ruel Youstagram photos released days ago.
Even as they waited, time kept moving.
Just as they stood there, tense, waiting for the page to open—
Crash!
“Aah!”
“What was that?!”
A soccer ball from the field shattered the classroom window.
The room fell into chaos.
Meiling and her friends were startled by the sudden commotion too.
“Got it!”
“Success!”
At that moment, cheers erupted from the classroom next door.
Only then did Meiling and her friends realize what they had been doing.
“...We’re late.”
The calmest among them, Weixin, refreshed her phone and muttered.
“...Sold out....”
The Taiwan Ruel preorder was completely gone.
At a speed no one had ever seen before.
* * *
“It’s sold out.”
“Then release the prepared articles—.”
“Is it really okay to do this?”
“Of course. This is exactly why we did it.”
This was Taiwan Ruel headquarters.
Because the preorder quantity had been intentionally released in much smaller numbers than usual, K-drama fans were in despair.
“This is what I’ve been wanting all along!”
After checking the reaction, the Ruel editor-in-chief smiled wickedly.
