Chapter 622
After the group photoshoot wrapped up, they moved straight into the individual sessions. Since I had to fly to New York that very day for a fitting, I was given the first slot.
“Turn your head just a little more to the left, and keep your gaze exactly where it is!”
The camera lens stared at me as though it wanted to swallow me whole. I had no choice but to keep moving exactly as the photographer instructed.
Again and again, the flashes washed everything before my eyes pure white before my vision slowly returned.
It almost felt as though I were standing on a judging platform, every nerve in my body sharpened to its limit.
The staff behind the camera—especially the representatives from NetHolics—weren't simply watching me.
They were evaluating me.
My heart tightened to its breaking point under the pressure of having to prove my worth every second.
“Okay! Let's do a quick monitor check!”
A staff member rolled a large monitor cart over to me. At the same time, the assistant assigned to me slipped a straw into a bottle of water and held it to my lips. My stylist carefully removed a tiny speck of dust clinging to my outfit.
Everyone carried themselves like consummate professionals, unwilling to waste even a single moment of this brief break.
“Drink comfortably. Don't worry.”
Out of habit, I sipped cautiously so I wouldn't ruin my lipstick, but at Dok Gogyeol's words I finally tipped the bottle back and drank freely.
By the time I'd finished half the bottle, Dok Gogyeol had already wiped the sweat from my forehead and taken out a brush to touch up my lip line.
“In this pose, try moving your arms a little more naturally. And relax your fingertips the same way.”
The person in the photos on the monitor didn't even look like me.
I drew a deep breath.
Because if they were judging me, then I wanted to show them.
That I could do even better than they expected.
* * *
“Okay! We've got the A-cut, so let's wrap it up.”
The photographer finally gave the signal.
Instead of heading back to the waiting room, I sat down on a nearby chair.
“You okay? You look like you're about to collapse.”
“Unni, I'm fine... I just... wanted to watch.”
I looked toward Myeong Jeha, who was now standing in front of the camera.
Even under this kind of pressure, Myeong Jeha remained completely at ease.
He wasn't intimidated by the camera lens in the slightest.
A great actor standing beneath the full blaze of the lights.
I found myself thinking about his next project.
What would it feel like to shoot a movie in Hollywood?
'The scale has to be nothing like this...'
I tried to picture the Eastwood set Myeong Jeha would soon be heading to, but stumbled.
Even imagining something on that scale was difficult.
'Their entire system is on a completely different level from Korea.'
A set filled with world-famous actors and legendary directors...
It was simply beyond what I could imagine.
Ever since arriving in America, everything had felt so surreal.
In a daze, I pictured a Hollywood film set.
Not a fashion shoot.
A real production.
Hundreds of extras.
Massive cranes.
Entire sets built from scratch in barren landscapes I'd never even heard of.
Private trailers assigned to every single actor.
'I thought I'd grown so much...'
But that had only been within Korea.
No matter how successful I'd become, there was always someone higher.
The thought alone made my heart race.
How far could I climb?
How many projects could I appear in?
How many people would come to know my name?
I was asking myself questions I couldn't answer when—
“Having fun?”
A low, cool voice sounded beside me.
“...Why?”
It was Do Gyeoul.
It was the first time I'd seen her since the VIP premiere of .
Her features had become even sharper.
The depth in her eyes as she looked at me had only grown.
Instead of answering, I looked back and asked curtly.
Unlike me, she looked completely at home in this place.
“Hahaha. Don't be like that. I'm just asking because I'm curious...”
As Do Gyeoul laughed, her long straight hair swayed all the way down to her waist.
“Why wouldn't I be having fun?”
Come to think of it, she'd already broken into the American market before my regression.
With the rise of NetHolics K-Dramas, she'd become one of the leading faces representing Korea overseas.
What had you felt back then?
Did you wear this same expression?
“Really? I'm not.”
Do Gyeoul answered in an even tone.
She'd come all the way here.
Reached the place everyone in this industry dreamed of.
And that...
That was all she had to say?
For a moment, it felt as if my brain couldn't process it.
“Yeah.”
“Then I guess it's my turn to ask something.”
Apparently, Do Gyeoul considered our conversation an exchange of information.
She'd answered my question, so naturally I should answer hers.
“Why wasn't Yoo Yeonji loved as much as On Jihwa?”
“...”
“She was younger, witnessed someone else's sacrifice, took care of the child... and most importantly, she was an ordinary working person.”
I couldn't understand what she was saying.
This wasn't how normal people thought.
'It's like...'
Right.
Like a gamer discussing the optimal strategy for clearing a game.
“Hahaha. Oh, maybe it's because there wasn't a section that gave the audience catharsis? Since they couldn't consume her as wish fulfillment... was that why?”
“...”
“What do you think? I've always wondered.”
Someone who only wanted to clear the story without ever truly understanding it.
Every time Do Gyeoul occasionally revealed this side of herself, I froze.
Because the pain of being hit by that truck still felt vivid.
"Even if your leg had been broken back then, you still would've gone on stage."
I could never forget that quiet whisper in my ear.
"It wasn't me who gave up the lead role back then.
It was you."
I curled my trembling fingers tightly into my palm before answering.
“I don't know. Maybe because she couldn't act as well as I could?”
“Hahaha.”
Do Gyeoul smiled brightly, completely unfazed.
“You really overestimate the public.”
“Then let me ask you something.”
I finally asked the question I'd truly wanted to.
“Even if you didn't have some grand emotional reaction... when you saw the NetHolics headquarters, this studio, the treatment you get... didn't you feel anything?”
Please.
Say no.
At least tell me it made you somewhat happy.
Because while I was cleaning floors in a rundown Daehakro theater troupe...
Thinking that you'd stood in places like this without feeling even the slightest joy...
It made the Han Yeoreum of that time seem so pitiful.
“Haven't you already seen places like this in movies? What's so special about them?”
“But this time you're here because of your own work. They invited you personally...”
“So?”
Do Gyeoul shattered even my smallest expectation.
“So what?”
She looked genuinely puzzled.
As though none of it had any meaning whatsoever.
All the strength drained from me.
“You weren't even going to be happy about it...”
Then why did you do that to me?
It wasn't even something you wanted that desperately.
The words nearly slipped out before I barely swallowed them back.
Forcing them down made my throat burn.
“Gyeoul! You're up next!”
Apparently Myeong Jeha had finished his photoshoot at astonishing speed.
Someone called for Do Gyeoul.
As she brushed past my shoulder, she said jokingly,
“Ah. It is more comfortable than Korea.”
𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
“...”
“A little more fun, too.”
Fun.
Maybe that alone was the reason she'd reached this place.
The realization was so absurd I almost laughed.
Because it was fun.
The thought that she found amusement in watching me stand here alone, overwhelmed with joy in a place that meant nothing to her...
Filled me with humiliation.
My whole body burned.
A headache throbbed behind my eyes.
Back then and even now...
The horrifying feeling that I'd never escaped being Do Gyeoul's toy.
“Would you like a little more time until you've recovered?”
The interviewer walking toward me hesitated.
I must have been wearing every raw emotion on my face.
I smiled as though nothing were wrong.
“No. We can start right away. I guess I'm just a little nervous because it still feels like a dream.”
You have no idea how desperately I dreamed of making it here, Do Gyeoul.
No...
No one in this world does.
So a conversation like that isn't enough to ruin this moment for me.
The heart that had been burning with humiliation now burned with something entirely different.
A goal that had remained vague until now suddenly became crystal clear.
A feeling I'd only sensed dimly before.
I'd give up on merely leaving Do Gyeoul behind one day.
“Your debut left an incredible impression not only in Korea but on NetHolics subscribers around the world. The moment you appeared, you had already conquered both the Asian market and global streaming.”
At the interviewer's words, I decided to throw away the carefully prepared answer I'd planned to give.
“What is your next stage?”
A new dream.
“Hollywood.”
Simply surpassing her wasn't enough.
I was going to exceed Do Gyeoul.
Overwhelm her.
Transcend her so completely that the distance between us became unimaginable.
I'd become so far beyond her reach that she'd give up trying to follow.
“I'd like to make my film debut right here.”
Only after the words left my mouth did I notice the interviewer's stunned expression.
The headache disappeared.
My vision became perfectly clear.
Maybe...
This was what I'd wanted to say all along.
The moment I finished speaking, an indescribable exhilaration swept through my entire body.
With a clarity I'd never felt before, I smiled.
Korea alone wasn't enough anymore.
Hollywood.
I would make my place here.
Ding.
As if confirming that I was right, the status window appeared at that exact moment.
* * *
Aetami was overwhelmed every single day because Han Yeoreum had gone farther than she'd ever imagined possible.
Even after hearing about the schedule in America, it still didn't feel real.
[NetHolics Headquarters Welcomes Them With "Welcome"... 's Myeong Jeha, Han Yeoreum, Do Gyeoul, and Tak Jeongyun Visit]
[Can We Finally Look Forward to a Truly "Global K-Drama"... 's Endless Momentum]
[ Refuses to Leave the No. 1 Spot on NetHolics]
“She actually went to NetHolics headquarters! My baby!”
The New York Fashion Week schedule had been arranged so suddenly that there was no way she could get a plane ticket, but she could hardly wait for the paparazzi photos that would inevitably come out.
“My precious girl will survive even the most merciless candid shots.”
Just imagining herself reposting those American photos everywhere made her mouth water.
Although had only held stage greetings through its second week, leaving her somewhat disappointed, Aetami decided to forget all about it.
“She's making me so proud...”
Because Han Yeoreum truly made her proud.
She'd debuted through a web drama only a few years ago.
And now she was a rising actress attracting America's attention.
Her heart swelled with emotion.
“Hurry up and release the movie on NetHolics already... I want to edit all kinds of clips...”
Aetami had been incredibly busy even while she couldn't see Han Yeoreum.
She'd already finished editing every stage greeting video and scheduled one upload per day.
Lately, heated debates had broken out between supporters of Detective Yoon and Influ 1, and those backing Chen Wei and Influ 1, so she had to keep up with those too.
Someone had already created a gallery for , where people were eagerly waiting to see the chemistry between Han Yohan and Han Yeoreum.
On top of that, Han Yeoreum's new commercial would be released soon.
“I don't even have time to be hungry.”
There was so much new content that she was practically drowning in it.
Aetami refreshed her timeline once again without stopping.
“Huh?”
Then she froze.
“Ten million?”
had officially surpassed ten million moviegoers despite rising ticket prices and endless claims that it was "nothing new."
“Ten million?”
It hadn't even been a month since its release.
Aetami's mouth fell open.
Articles flooded in almost instantly.
[ Finally Reaches Ten Million, Reviving Korea's Frozen Film Industry]
[The Problem Wasn't Ticket Prices but Quality... " Proves That If It's Good, People Will Watch"]
[ Does the Impossible... Achieves the Triple Ten-Million Milestone]
[Thrilling Action, Heart-Fluttering Stage Greetings... "Not Reaching Ten Million Would've Been Stranger"—]
[StarCutCut | Uploads Its Ten-Million Stage Greeting Promise Video]
“Then that means our Yeoreum...”
At long last, the title "Triple Ten-Million Actress" had been placed before Han Yeoreum's name.
With trembling hands, Aetami searched Han Yeoreum's name on the portal site.
Search: Han Yeoreum
A golden trophy icon appeared beside her name.
The icon had been there before.
But now it had changed.
A star had appeared in the center of the trophy.
It was the mark reserved only for actors who had achieved three ten-million-hit productions.
Recognition as a true star.