I’m an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me - Chapter 58

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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 58

It was dialogue I had practiced alone dozens, no, tens of times. I could recite it fluently from beginning to end without a prompter.

“Think of it as a child ghost. When a child dies, the soul flies away and the white spirit clings to people in a tangled state.”

I knew exactly where to put emphasis in the dialogue, where to mix in breath, where to emphasize trembling.

“A miraculous… ghost that divines good and bad fortune and delivers news from beyond a hundred li. A ghost.”

I had studied it for a long time.

In empty practice rooms, on deserted night streets, even while drinking alone.

“First, you confine the child in a storage cellar without a single point of light. No matter how much they cry and plead, even as they scratch at the cellar walls until their nails are torn and bleeding. You absolutely never let them out. After several days pass, their strength finally wanes. Naturally, since they’re trapped without even a grain of rice or a sip of water. But what the child feels more intensely than anything else is fear. More than hunger, more than thirst. The fear that there is no one to protect me… that I’ve fallen into an abyss. Fear.”

So I couldn’t stumble over the dialogue even once. I finished the long dialogue in one take.

Even after the dialogue that lasted over 5 minutes ended, the studio remained silent.

“…Director?”

But the director didn’t give me an okay sign. After hesitating for a moment, I called out to the director.

“Huh? Oh? Me?”

“Yes. The dialogue… is finished.”

“Oh. Right. It’s over. Um…”

The camera director, who had been staring at me like someone in a daze, finally scrambled to check the scenario.

“Yeoreum, you said everything up to the marked part, right?”

“Yes. Up to the part about ‘because they’re human-‘.”

“I’m really not usually like this, but suddenly… I mean, you know. It’s amazing.”

The sound engineer beside the camera director, who was exclaiming repeatedly, quietly spoke up.

“…I don’t think we’ll need to re-record.”

Only then did they start speaking one by one. The frozen moment melted instantly and the studio air heated up.

“Wow! Did you memorize all of that, Yeoreum?”

“Crazy. Look at the goosebumps on my arm.”

“If we really make this into a drama, Yeoreum should be the lead. I can’t think of anyone else for this role.”

Praise poured down like a bombardment. The reaction was much more intense than I had expected. I looked at Team Leader Seong. Team Leader Seong quietly gave me a thumbs up.

* * *

“Shin Rookie-.”

At JC ENM’s PR team, Manager Hong called Shin Rookie. Shin Rookie, who was preparing to leave work, stood before him while reading the situation.

“Huh. Is there still work left…?”

After 〈Pacheci〉 ended, JC ENM’s PR team returned to a moderate temperature.

Of course, there was still plenty of work to do. Music festivals directly hosted by broadcast channels, new variety shows starting up, endless movie investments and distribution, as well as musicals, concerts, and various music sources and albums.

But there was no high from leading the trend of a new genre anywhere.

“Hehe. This kid. If you want to last long in this industry, you need to drop that leaving-on-time mentality.”

“We even come in on weekends, so don’t be too harsh. Manager~!”

Manager Hong entered the cloud and clicked on a video. Even before pressing the play button, the corners of his mouth were already turned up.

“A video just arrived for me, what do you think it is.”

“…I’ve been working overtime for a week, do I really need to know?”

Manager Hong pulled Shin Rookie, who was glancing around wanting to go home, closer to the monitor.

“Oh, ASMR!!! The rough edit is already out???”

As soon as Shin Rookie saw Han Yeoreum’s face, their expression brightened.

“Hehe. Yeah. It’s out. If you don’t want to watch, go home on time. Kid.”

“Oh, Manager. We have to watch this.”

Shin Rookie was amazed that the rough edit was already out. And was surprised once again by the video length.

“They didn’t send it as a clip?”

Unless it was a project with capital investment like 〈Pacheci〉, it was unlikely for rough edits to come to the PR department before completion. For Intube content, there was no need to distribute press materials in advance before uploading.

For this type of content, it was typical to upload materials after uploading was finished, mixing in subscriber comment reactions appropriately.

After all, everyone was an office worker. Office workers who did overtime and weekend work like eating meals wouldn’t want to do other work beyond their assigned duties.

“Yeah, man. Team Leader Seong was bragging so much… He really sent the whole thing. Take a look.”

Before the manager even gave permission, the rookie clicked the mouse. Yeoreum, with a microphone in front of her, opened her mouth.

“…Wow…”

A pronunciation that seemed to pierce through the speakers and into the ears was heard. With an expressionless face, she casually delivered scary dialogue. Each line seemed to have thin ice coating the cold voice.

The script reading video from 〈Pacheci〉 was also surprising, but this video was on a different dimension.

“She… can do this kind of thing too.”

Horrifying ghost stories continued along with sticky slime sounds. Anxious breathing was mixed in. The two people quietly focused on the rough edit video.

Even after the not-so-long video ended, it seemed like the squishy sounds faintly remained in their ears.

“When will the editing be finished?”

“This Wednesday. And it’ll be uploaded Friday night.”

If the rough edit was like this, they couldn’t imagine what the quality of the officially completed video would be like. Shin Rookie was seized by the urge to watch the video from the beginning again.

“Manager. Is Director Jegalrok really going to bring Han Yeoreum over? I mean, why isn’t he making a move even after seeing this?”

“I don’t know. Who could understand what’s in that man’s head.”

It was so frustrating that Han Yeoreum wasn’t officially affiliated with JC ENM. Shin Rookie wanted to brag about Han Yeoreum for no reason. The PR team’s blood was boiling.

“When this video uploads, I’ll distribute the materials! That’s okay, right?”

Leaving on time wasn’t necessary. At this moment, Shin Rookie was immersed in anticipation that a new Intube market might open following 〈Pacheci〉.

* * *

Intube

@JC ENM 670,000 subscribers

[Come… listen… to… sticky summer ghost stories… Han Yeoreum 〈Strange Tales〉 ASMR] 05:37

“It’s here!!!”

Aetami clicked immediately as soon as the notification message arrived. The day before, thanks to a 30-second teaser video posted on the official SNS account, she had been able to see Yeoreum after a long time.

‘Following the L’EL Style Awards and now the Intube channel… why is our girl such a good daughter…’

She had just saved about a hundred photos of Yeoreum showing off her crazy hair and makeup next to Ju Junseo recently.

Aetami’s heart swelled with the endless stream of content. Soon Yeoreum filled the screen. Yeoreum, opening her mouth expressionlessly in front of the microphone, made no sound of breathing and very quietly…

“…Gasp…”

Created a sense of fear.

The dialogue that started calmly and gently gradually became cold as frost. Though it was merely explanation, it seemed to reveal disillusionment with humanity somewhere.

-That fear gradually eats away at the child. The agony of being trapped in an infinite hell where no parents look in even when screaming takes away hope. Finally, when the fear subsides, what comes next is only the desperate desire to live.

Even with no background music, hearing only the voice, she felt chilled. Each gloomy line of dialogue stuck clearly.

-I want to live. Only when that feeling becomes desperate do they finally give food…

It was definitely a whispering voice. Wasn’t the essence of ASMR to calm the mind pleasantly before sleep?

But Yeoreum made hearts race with her small voice. As if she knew nothing of comfort, goosebumps climbed up the back of the neck.

-Since you’re making a child ghost anyway, wouldn’t you want to make it a little more, more miraculous than what others have?

Thanks to Yeoreum breathing slowly, Aetami finally realized.

‘I haven’t heard her breathing even once this whole time!’

That was why she could properly immerse herself in the dialogue.

Taking a breath as if pausing for a beat, the next line was anticipated. The tension hadn’t eased. Slowly, Yeoreum gripped the transparent container and opened the lid.

Click.

The small sound pierced through the silent air like a brief popping noise. Soon, a sticky sound could be heard. Kneading the black slime mixed with purple pearl in her hands, Yeoreum continued her dialogue.

-After starving them for just a few days, I don’t kill them immediately. Every three days, I give them just enough food to keep them from dying. When the child who ate that and endured forgets the physiological needs of hunger and thirst, becomes soaked in fear again, and then wishes to live once more… I give them food again…

Just the slime sounds mixing in between the dialogue made the eerie atmosphere even more perfect.

-When they’ve truly endured to their absolute limit, only evil remains in the child’s body. Who could it be? Who is tormenting me like this? The desire to tear apart their tormentor and curse them for generations takes root in the child.

Even without seeing the scene, it was vividly painted before my eyes. I could see a young child trapped in an old storage cellar. The dark red nail marks remaining inside the darkness. Blood flowing along the wood grain. I could almost hear the voice of the young child pleading to go outside.

-When that happens, then the door of the storage cellar opens. Unbearable light fills the eyes that have grown distant from not seeing the outside for so long…

A young child collapsed alone in the vast, enormous darkness gradually became clearly visible. From the dirty bare feet to the ankles with nothing but bones left, and above that tattered clothing, small hands with all the nails torn out. Eyelids closed as if dead because even keeping them open was difficult. Cheeks sunken and hollow…

-Drawn by the sweet fragrance from outside, the child reaches out their hand. Just a little more, just a little more… When all of the child’s nerves are focused on their fingertips. Then with a sharply honed blade…

All of those things came across disturbingly vivid. Even though Yeoreum was merely explaining how to create a vengeful child spirit.

“How could…”

Just listening to it was nauseating. Taking a young child and… how could they possibly. It was when Aetami muttered quietly. As if answering, Yeoreum spoke.

-How can someone wearing human skin do such things, you ask.

The squelching sound came through with a bit more viscosity.

-These are things done precisely because one is human.

The stretching slime sound gradually grew quieter. The screen filled with darkness. A replay button appeared along with other recommended videos.

Yeoreum had disappeared at some point. Even knowing the video had ended, Aetami remained dazed for a moment.

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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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