I’m an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me - Chapter 261

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 261

* * *

Manager Hong focused on monitoring.

Originally, what drove the real fans crazy wasn’t kiss scenes. Real fans went wild over scenes where hands overlapped.

The narrative itself of Huijae, who had been writing Japanese names on palms, now writing Joseon names instead was like a massive tsunami. All the drama fans were swept away by tears.

-Director Ja is fucking insane (Positive)

-Ugh this is driving me crazy, can’t they just show Tae Seokhee for the entire hour ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-Daeseok-hwan: Sorry, I caused trouble just to show you this….

“Manager! The reactions are incredible!”

“Yeah. I’m watching too.”

Energy flowed through JC ENM’s marketing team, including Shin Rookie. The buzz from episode 1, which ended with unprecedented boldness in Korean drama history, was incomparable to anything.

In an instant, it turned all the dramas airing at the same time into mere background.

“I’m already excited about the advertisers’ reactions.”

“After episode 2’s ending airs, this will be something else.”

Manager Hong, who already knew all the content of Han Yeoreum’s scenes, crossed his arms and smiled. Even at this moment, the Fire Board was being activated non-stop. Comments were being posted several times per second.

“Game over.”

* * *

After that, Taeseok and Huijae couldn’t meet again. It was because Hanamura’s escort time overlapped with Taeseok’s delivery time. But it was definitely different from before.

Taeseok looked at the wall with expectant eyes, and every time he left, he always looked back once. Huijae was diligent in studying Joseon language.

Huijae carefully opened a blue high-quality Western notebook and picked up a pen. With the fountain pen held in her pale, delicate hands, she wrote neatly line by line.

Hello.

Nice to meet you.

Please take care of me.

She no longer lay helplessly on the bed. Huijae lay on her stomach on the ondol floor, devoted to learning Joseon language. She tried speaking to herself while stumbling through reading aloud.

“My name-is-. Hanamura- Rio. It is….”

Huijae, who was trying to introduce herself, looked at the open notebook page and pondered for a moment. Then she drew a line across the characters she had written so carefully, one by one.

“My name-is-. Huijae. It is.”

She rewrote her name. As Huijae, not Rio.

Meanwhile, at that time, Hanamura was touring the distillery.

Hanamura took out a pocket watch from his chest. Click, the golden glittering pocket watch opened and the hands moved busily on the face. Hanamura closed the watch with satisfaction.

“Anyway, these Joseon bastards, they may not know intellectual work, but they’re amazing at physical labor.”

Hanamura, speaking in Japanese to the butler following behind, looked very pleased.

“Thanks to your visit, sir, those bastards will work even harder. People can be used differently depending on who commands them, can’t they?”

On the second floor stairs was the pro-Japanese Hanamura, and on the first floor were Koreans working hard, drenched in sweat.

It was a composition that showed the class difference at once.

Even in this hot summer, Hanamura wore layers of expensive suits and just watched the workers, while the Koreans threw off their shirts and worked diligently.

The world was wrong.

Hanamura walked leisurely toward the next location. This was the harbor. Seagulls flew freely over the coming and going ships, crying out.

Hanamura, who was heading to the ship cabin, suddenly noticed something bothersome in his sight.

“That bastard, who is he?”

Hanamura asked, looking at Taeseok. The butler immediately provided an answer.

“That’s Gi Taeseok, one of the harbor laborers. He’s also been handling deliveries of sake lees from the distillery to the US Military Base recently.”

“Hmm… Is that so….”

Hanamura walked over as if something interesting had occurred to him. Every time he took a step, his polished leather shoes gleamed at his feet.

“Have you come?”

The harbor worker supervisor recognized Hanamura and approached with quick steps. Hanamura nodded briefly in greeting, then stood in front of Taeseok.

“…?”

Taeseok, who was wiping sweat with the towel around his neck, raised his gaze from the expensive shoes that suddenly appeared in his sight. A shadow fell over Hanamura’s face that Taeseok had to look up at while bending at the waist to work.

“You’re the one who delivers sake lees?”

Because Hanamura spoke in Japanese, Taeseok couldn’t understand properly. But he was seized by an inexplicable tension.

“He doesn’t seem to understand Japanese.”

Soon Hanamura used fluent Joseon language. All eyes around turned to them at once.

“…Yes. That’s correct.”

Taeseok answered calmly. Hanamura looked at such Taeseok with very slow eyes, scanning him from head to toe. Taeseok, who had straightened his back, looked down at Hanamura. His eyes were insolent.

“English?”

“I can only understand a few words.”

“How pathetically stupid.”

Hanamura sighed. It was clear mockery.

“Don’t you know what kind of privilege it is to be able to enter the US Military Base?”

Hanamura slowly raised his hand.

“I deliberately used a young bastard. Old men’s heads don’t work properly, but if you’re young, this head, huh? This head.”

Then he tapped Taeseok’s head with his index finger.

“You should think about seizing opportunities. If you just use your body, you’ll be poor for life. Huh? Learn something. Tsk….”

Taeseok gritted his teeth. His jaw muscles bulged above his chin. He exhaled hot breath. Taeseok, who had exhaled, soon opened his mouth.

“…Thank you for the advice.”

Taeseok slowly raised his bowed head. Undeniable anger showed in his eyes.

“But in my situation of earning daily bread with daily work, studying is a luxury. Please understand, sir.”

Hanamura would know best how terrible the Japanese exploitation had been all this time. Everything born and raised on this land would have been stolen by you bastards. You, who have lived by pleasing those damn Japanese, how dare you.

Talk about opportunities?

Gi Taeseok said so with his eyes. Hanamura was not one who couldn’t understand this. Hanamura moved close to such Taeseok with glittering eyes. The tip of expensive shoes met the tip of worn-out shoes.

He took out a wallet made of snake leather from his chest.

“You’re giving up this opportunity just because of that? I’m not a man who gives advice empty-handed….”

One bill, two bills, three bills….

“Here, take it!”

Hanamura held in his hand a large sum that far exceeded Taeseok’s monthly salary.

He was a man who knew how to humiliate most efficiently.

-Did you eat the bastard devil fruit?????

-Fuck, I’m speechless…. What are you doing, everyone get your bamboo spears

-Call Gaksital, you bastard

The Fire Board exploded beyond being hot.

* * *

Money.

That thing Taeseok could barely obtain by working day and night.

“What are you doing? Not taking it?”

However, his hand couldn’t readily accept it. Taeseok’s eyes reddened.

“I’m grateful, but I have no reason to receive this money from you, sir.”

Taeseok’s voice trembled. Despite Taeseok’s refusal, Hanamura still didn’t withdraw his hand.

“What’s wrong with me giving pocket money to a laborer who handles my work?”

“I’m receiving proper wages for the work I do.”

“Hmm… You don’t want free money, is that it….”

Hanamura laughed as if the situation was becoming more interesting. Then he stepped back half a step and looked over the workers behind Taeseok.

“If even a young bastard’s head doesn’t work like this, how much worse must the old bastards be….”

An ominous melody flowed. Dark music played in the background even though it was midday.

“What should I do? In the new world I’m going to create, I want to eliminate those older than you?”

He was no longer just Hanamura. He was a wealthy man who held Jinhae’s purse strings. The workers’ faces turned pale as they understood his meaning.

Taeseok was the youngest here. So if it meant those older than Taeseok, everyone here would lose their jobs today.

“Why should I feed the bellies of stupid, slow, useless things?”

Hanamura emphasized each word. It meant to act smart. Heavy burdens were placed on Taeseok’s shoulders one by one.

Uncle Junseok, who had to feed his brother who was half out of his mind after being dragged away by police; Uncle Gangjae, who was excited about his daughter’s upcoming marriage; Uncle Kitae, who was desperate about medicine costs for his sick wife; the one who was raising his orphaned grandson alone at a young age….

“This insolent bastard! Even when the gentleman is showing such concern!”

The butler standing behind Hanamura slapped Taeseok across the cheek.

Smack-!

His head turned from the sharp blow. Taeseok closed his eyes. There was no choice. Really, there was no way…

“I’ll gratefully accept it.”

…around it.

“Yes. That’s how you should respond.”

Hanamura relaxed his grip. The bills fluttered away on the western wind.

“Pick them up.”

The despicable Hanamura and Taeseok with his reddened cheek were captured in one frame.

Episode 2 of The Great Garland ended like that.

* * *

“Come…”

The KBC Drama Center Director slowly closed his eyes.

“Sweet advertisers…”

In a different sense, the KBC Drama Department was on fire. At the same time, Manager Hong from the JC ENM Marketing Team cracked his knuckles.

“Let’s begin!”

For the next week, the world would be buzzing about 【The Great Garland】.

* * *

The buzz was absolutely insane.

[【The Great Garland】 with “Joseon person” statement puts controversy to rest after episode 2 broadcast… Netizens “Wave of emotion”]

[“I am a Joseon person” – Clumsy but sincere feelings properly conveyed, Yeonhuijae’s endearing awkwardness]

[Caught two birds with one stone – ratings and controversy… 【The Great Garland】 episode 2 viewership rating 14.3%]

Articles poured out like crazy right after the broadcast. The atmosphere was as if no other dramas existed. It was truly overwhelming.

What Director Ja wanted to show through Huijae wasn’t simple first love. It was the unique ambition and perseverance of Joseon people.

The mindset held by the generation that endured both Japanese colonial rule and war.

That if you endure and persist, tomorrow will surely come. That tomorrow must be cultivated by oneself. It was an emotion that even Joseon people who hadn’t experienced that era couldn’t help but understand. The backs of those who, despite being beaten down, oppressed, and knocked over, never truly fell – we had all seen them.

Director Ja’s intention was clear. He wanted viewers to properly feel that emotion that makes one’s heart burn hot just by watching Huijae.

First love and at the same time another self – Yeonhuijae’s other meaning was patriotism.

“…This is really unpredictable.”

The reporters surrounding Reporter Wi from Daily Media opened their mouths slightly. Director Ja’s choice was right.

It was thanks to providing a new direction as soon as the anger focused on Huijae at the end of episode 1 lost its way. The atmosphere completely flipped in just 24 hours.

Currently, Daily Media’s top articles from 1st to 5th place were all 【The Great Garland】 related articles.

“What will the next episode’s viewership rating be?”

Someone spoke up.

“…I really don’t know.”

And no one could guess correctly. Only one prediction hit the mark,

“There’s going to be a ton of ads before the broadcast…”

The point that advertisers would come running with bags of money – that was the one thing.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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