I’m an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me - Chapter 5

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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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Episode 5

* * *

“Hey! Han Yeoreum!”

As soon as the lecture ended, someone called my name.

“…Dami?”

“Why aren’t you answering your phone! I thought you couldn’t get up~.”

So Dami. Dami, who looked at me with gentle eyes, was a classmate I was close with around this time.

She was also the only one who tried to stop me until the very end when I was wandering around suffering from ‘real actor’ syndrome.

‘The last contact we had was when I got angry and told her to mind her own life instead of interfering with others…’

Why did I act like such a child?

Looking back now, I really deserved to be cut off.

‘No, if it were me, I wouldn’t have tried to stop someone for that long.’

Seeing Dami, who continued to reach out to me even after she became known through a rom-com work, made my heart ache for no reason.

‘This time, I’ll throw away all the useless classmates and seniors and focus only on Dami.’

To think I abandoned her and chose other people. Even now, it seems so stupid.

“Did you drink too much yesterday? From now on, let’s just stick to one bottle each. Really.”

From the nuance, it seems Dami was the one I drank with yesterday.

I remember.

‘We gathered with classmates for drinks before the semester started.’

I was completely intoxicated with art school fever, so I wasted time talking about useless things like the Acting Department, my future as an actor, and the Korean film industry.

“Yeoreum, later we classmates should again-.”

“Dami, sorry. I can’t drink anymore.”

But now there’s none of that nonsense.

‘I don’t have time to waste.’

I had to catch up to Do Gyeoul as quickly as possible.

Do Gyeoul’s status window that I checked earlier looked like this.

‘Why does she have so many titles?’

Looking at Do Gyeoul’s status window, I felt the wealth gap. All I have left is one measly character, ending with ‘Unknown.’

‘It’s not like she’s a title hunter…’

Looking at the stats below made the comparison even more stark.

Everything was about two levels higher than mine. And she had two skills, with one identical skill to mine, but incomparably superior.

I felt a bit deflated, but…

‘She started acting about 10 years earlier than me, so it can’t be helped right now.’

I’ll catch up soon, so I wasn’t too worried.

* * *

As soon as I got home, I opened the system again.

“Please, with beginner’s luck…!”

This is why I turned down my classmates’ drinking invitation and came home.

It was the ‘Skill Draw Ticket’ I received as a reward for completing the first mission earlier.

‘I’ve had absolutely no luck until now, so please!’

I pressed the ‘Use’ button with trembling hands.

Flash-!

Light burst from the status window and a roulette began spinning.

Whirrrr-.

The circular roulette spinning too fast to read the text stopped instantly with flashy sound effects.

A second mission window appeared for me after drawing the skill.

What is this.

‘…Is this, good?’

* * *

Let me correct that. This skill doesn’t seem that good.

“Is that her?”

The story about Professor Geum Bitkang’s class yesterday spread quickly.

‘Not just other departments, but even our department seniors…’

Came to see me.

Look at this atmosphere. The arts hierarchy never goes away.

‘I can roughly see what’s coming.’

The graduating seniors must be anxious. They thought they’d debut by now, but it’s hard to even pass one audition.

‘What’s left is at least making sure to leave a face impression.’

For that, connections are important. When the Directing Department makes graduation projects, they ask to be cast as the protagonist.

‘Take along an easy junior to work as both an extra and assistant staff. Film sets are always short-handed.’

Then one senior who had been acting tough spoke up in a condescending manner.

“Hey! I heard you can act a bit? What was your name again? Han Yeoreum?”

“Perfect~. You probably don’t have much on-set experience yet, so we’ll help you out.”

I just slightly raised the corners of my mouth in a smile.

‘Help me? Don’t interfere.’

Before my regression, I would have been happy with even a one-line role and worked everywhere for free, but things are different now.

‘Absolutely not.’

Of course, they must have heard about the acting class, so naturally they’d want me. They have no choice.

‘I am! The Han Yeoreum! Even acknowledged by Professor Geum Bitkang!’

I was trying hard to suppress the laughter that wanted to escape when someone called out to Do Gyeoul entering the lecture hall.

“Hi, Gyeoul!”

Do Gyeoul stopped mid-step and made eye contact with me. We stared at each other quietly.

“Han Yeoreum… right? Hello.”

After a moment, Gyeoul spoke to me first.

Do Gyeoul’s gaze was different from when we briefly met yesterday. There was no emotion visible in the two eyes looking at me.

It was the gaze of a pure observer, without likes or dislikes.

‘…This is more creepy.’

But as if nothing had happened, Do Gyeoul changed her expression and approached with a smile.

“I didn’t get to greet you yesterday. You acted well.”

The gentle greeting voice was so clear it was admirable. I nodded my head roughly in response.

My heart pounded with instinctive displeasure.

‘…Calm down.’

The memories of that terrible car accident tried to resurface again.

‘Officially, this is our first meeting.’

I forced my expression into order and smiled lightly.

“You did well too.”

At my words, Do Gyeoul raised the corners of her mouth gratefully. Then she naturally claimed the protagonist’s position.

“Did everyone come to see Yeoreum?”

“Oh, well. Among other things? More people came to see you though…”

The seniors bowed and scraped as they answered Do Gyeoul’s power play.

It was understandable.

‘If you had to pick the most successful actor among us right now, it would definitely be Do Gyeoul.’

She debuted at five and had her name on countless works until she was fifteen.

Do Gyeoul, who suddenly disappeared at sixteen saying she was preparing for college entrance exams, smashed through the doors of South Korea’s most difficult Arts University to enter, ranking first.

‘Everyone instinctively knows.’

Who holds the upper hand, even among students at the same school.

“Gyeoul, why did you come to this school? You’re starting acting again, right?”

“Help us with our project~ We have a really good scenario. At least take a look at it!”

Everyone was desperate to get on Do Gyeoul’s good side.

‘I should be grateful that I’m outside their sphere of interest.’

I was about to leave at an appropriate moment and come back when the lecture started.

“It’s because of my entertainment agency issues. It’ll probably be difficult… I have scripts piling up.”

Do Gyeoul suddenly grabbed my hand as I was trying to slip away.

The heat I felt through my caught hand was burning.

“Instead, here’s Yeoreum! I saw her yesterday and wow. It was no joke, right?”

…What?

“If it were me, I’d use Yeoreum as the lead. I’m so curious, you know. About the acting we’ll see from Yeoreum in the future.”

The atmosphere flipped with that one statement from Do Gyeoul. The seniors who had been bowing to Gyeoul turned their heads toward me with gleaming eyes.

This was a tactic Do Gyeoul had used before.

In professional terms, passing the buck.

‘Do I get fooled once, get fooled twice?’

Back then, I knew nothing and was so proud that Do Gyeoul had acknowledged me.

‘I had no idea she’d take all the real commercial projects and just spin me around on the unprofitable ones.’

In the old days, I would have been thirsty for this kind of recognition and run around everywhere, but now it’s different.

‘Do you know that just the profile photo mission costs hundreds of thousands of won?’

I don’t do unpaid work. Just as I was about to refuse outright.

“Alright-! I know you’re excited, but everyone to your seats~.”

Fortunately, before Do Gyeoul’s extra sacrifice solidification could take hold, the professor entered.

I sighed in relief and sharply calculated my escape angle.

* * *

I ran and fled quickly as soon as the lecture ended.

It was because of the seniors who, since Do Gyeoul had definitely refused, would try to catch Han Yeoreum instead.

“What about me? I act really well too! Anyone want to see~?”

Fortunately, Dami, seeing my troubled expression, personally became a shield for me.

‘Dami. I’ll never forget this favor.’

I didn’t stop running until I reached the Film School entrance.

‘But I need to find a part-time job quickly…’

Hair and makeup alone costs over 100,000 won. Adding profile photos, breaking hundreds of thousands of won would be laughable.

‘I still don’t know the exact criteria of the system window, but…’

I had a gut feeling that to achieve over 500 likes and Artistry grade B or higher, I couldn’t shoot at some mediocre place.

“Sigh… If I work logistics part-time for about 3 days…”

The part-time work spirit carved deep in my bones came alive.

I sighed and habitually scanned the wall at the Film School entrance.

‘Sometimes filming assistant part-time jobs get posted here.’

Among the posters stuck all over, wouldn’t there be at least one useful one?

From national scholarship applications, to Film Society screening dates, and…

‘Huh.’

That’s when it happened. Among the countless posters, I saw a paper that caught my eye.

Simple colors and clean font. Nevertheless, a design that showed real skill.

I hurriedly read the text.

“As expected.”

My eye wasn’t wrong.

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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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