* * *

I spent my days preparing for the fan meeting and my nights reading the script. There were less than two weeks left before departure for Russia.

Beginning.

Development.

Climax.

Conclusion.

The entire Russian shoot had already been filmed from start to finish. I had to greet someone as though meeting them for the first time while secretly suspecting them. Then, somewhere along the way, I had to fall in love.

A remark Myeong Jeha had once made drifted back into my mind.

“Honestly, Yeoreum, your filming environments have been ridiculously comfortable so far. Sometimes you shoot the ending scene on the very first day. Shouldn’t you practice pretending to fall in love without having time to immerse yourself emotionally?”

Just as he had said.

Within a matter of days, I would have to suspect Taeo.

Resent him.

Love him.

Worry about him.

And experience that entire process in compressed form.

How was I supposed to do it?

How much did I have to love before I could become Ria?

When would that moment come—the one that would never come again?

‘Simple immersion isn’t enough.’

What did it mean to love someone so much that you could never escape that emotion, that moment?

What kind of acting was it to spend days unable to bear it, to refuse to accept the ending even when you knew it was coming, to be incapable of pulling yourself back together afterward?

I needed the sensation of throwing myself into a bottomless valley of emotion.

A steep descent that felt like falling.

An emotion so suffocating I couldn’t even breathe.

Only then would it become real romance.

‘Immersion....’

How am I supposed to do it?

The stiff texture of the script brushed against my fingertips.

My throat felt painfully dry.

I reached for my glass of water.

“Ah...! Oh no.”

Not taking my eyes off the script had been a mistake.

The cup tipped over, rolling across the desk as water spilled everywhere.

I hurriedly grabbed tissues and began wiping it up.

Then—

The cold sensation against my fingertips.

The dampness of scattered droplets.

Suddenly, a dawn from long ago surfaced in my memory.

<The Great Catch>.

That moment beneath a tree heavy with raindrops.

The scent of damp, chilly dawn dew brushed past my nose.

I could almost feel the cold air that had been so frigid it bordered on painful.

Together with Geum Bitgang, who had been watching me then, I remembered being sixteen.

The first moment I saw someone unleash every emotion on stage and thought:

I want to become that.

The phantom-like whisper of a stage that seemed to say I no longer had to endure everything in silence.

The instant I decided I would become an actor.

‘Have I ever poured out everything I had without calculating it first?’

Fragments of memory linked together like nerves, moving me from within.

If I had to name a moment when I acted as though wringing every drop from my body, one memory surfaced as vividly as if it had happened yesterday.

‘The ritual scene in <Strange Tales>.’

That moment when I wagered my life against Yeomga.

The gaze Geum Bitgang directed at me from behind the Hahoe mask remained so vivid that desperation had become unavoidable.

It was a gaze powerful enough to make me feel as though my entire body had been bound.

The crushing pressure of something invisible.

Something that absolutely should not have been alive.

I became consumed by the need to shake it off.

I rolled across the ground.

I screamed until my throat tore.

Because it felt as though I would die if I held anything back.

‘And then....’

And then.

‘...Nothing.’

Until now, I had treated theater, dramas, and films as though they were all the same.

For a very long time, I had never once been the protagonist.

Because on stage, I was never supposed to stand out.

A supporting character.

An extra.

A piece of scenery.

I had spent too many years suppressing my acting, hiding it, holding it back.

Erasing my presence?

For me, it had always been easy.

To put it simply—

‘If an extra starts showing off in a play, they get fired immediately.’

Sometimes you become the background.

Sometimes you become the spark that ignites the protagonist’s emotions.

Sometimes you are merely an object placed where it belongs.

That is what an extra is.

Quietly.

Almost invisible.

But never looking careless.

It was one of the things I did best.

‘Even after becoming a lead.’

Because no production belongs to me alone.

There are other actors.

There are people around me.

I am merely one of the characters drawn by the writer.

One of the tools used by the director.

If I poured out my emotions by myself, everything would fall apart.

Something too intense inevitably stands out alone.

‘...Wait.’

But what if my scene partner specializes in action?

What if he’s someone who could die at any moment?

What if the character I’m playing is someone honest about her emotions?

What if she’s Im Ria?

‘Then I can pour out everything.’

I don’t have to hold back.

I can’t even imagine what kind of heart belongs to someone willing to betray even God for love.

She’s a person who throws away her entire life and opens Pandora’s box anyway.

An Interpol agent who receives reports of death every single day.

A woman who knows that death comes equally for everyone.

‘It would be stranger not to give everything.’

I can cling to it as though nothing else will do.

An emotional explosion I have never once allowed myself before.

‘The moment I stop being myself....’

Maybe, in Russia—

I could truly become the lead of a romance story.

A hazy certainty began to rise within me.

* * *

Before she knew it, Aetami was counting down the days until Han Yeoreum’s fan signing event.

“How does an actress never have any downtime at all?!”

Aetami was drowning in happiness.

In all her years as a drama addict, she had never seen anyone like this.

Han Yeoreum always showed endless love toward her fans.

She was active on social media.

Every project she chose was worth watching. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

“And more importantly, look at this content output....”

Not long after <Dongdaemun Romance> ended, Han Yeoreum returned with a flood of advertisements.

New commercials.

New photoshoots.

New promotional images.

“She won’t even give us time to squeeze every drop out of the content!”

There was so much new material that she couldn’t keep up with revisiting the old stuff.

In the acting fandom, the usual pattern was simple.

One new piece of content appeared.

Fans celebrated it down to the nanometer.

Obsessed over it.

Loved it.

But this?

This was completely new.

Aetami stared blankly at the adorable Yeoreum from the Smile Dairy Cocoa commercial.

“Seriously, Hwang Boseok... I respect you.”

Little Nam Pyeonghwa from <Dongdaemun Romance> had become another iconic Han Yeoreum image.

Every new advertisement seemed determined to turn her into a tiny fairy.

[HOT / The Loser Couple Is Seriously Sweeping Up Commercials lololol.jpg]

(Han Yeoreum’s New Commercials.jpg)

It’s like every company is competing over who can make Han Yeoreum look cuter lolololol

Especially Smile Dairy Melon Milk and Fresh Leaf Soju. They basically made ads just to show off Han Yeoreum’s face.

(Cocoa Commercial.jpg)

Personally this one is my favorite.

(Seo Eden’s New Commercials.jpg)

Seo Eden keeps filming ads where he’s a clueless idiot who suddenly realizes something lolololol

Didn’t know the new sandwich menu, took one bite and instantly knew the name.

Didn’t know how to take care of clothes, learned from a clothing styler.

Basically that kind of thing lololol

(Commercials Featuring Beopsun.jpg)

Han Yeoreum + Beopsun

Seo Eden + Beopsun

They filmed a lot together too.

(Beopsun Solo Commercial.jpg)

Advertising Queen.

— Anonymous 1: Han Yeoreum’s cocoa commercial is so ridiculously cute that I never skip it when it shows up on Intube LMAO

↳ Anonymous 10: Same lolol even the outfit looks like a marshmallow

↳ Anonymous 14: I still can’t move on from the Loser Couple T_T How can they end it like this and expect me to function?

— Anonymous 27: The idea of Seo Eden filming “suddenly realizes something” commercials is killing me LMAOOOOO

— Anonymous 45: Is Fresh Leaf Soju trying to sell alcohol or Han Yeoreum?

Even after the drama ended, the popularity of the Name Couple refused to fade.

The pairing had been so unique, and the perfect happy ending of the final episode had become an unforgettable scene in the public consciousness.

At this time of year, <Huijae> still refused to leave the Top 10 music charts.

<How?> remained near the top.

And more recently, <Love Week> had joined them.

Songs connected to Han Yeoreum continued to dominate the charts.

As though anything associated with her was destined to receive public love.

[Drama/Movie/Actor TALK / I’m seriously so excited for Han Yeoreum’s next project]

Galdaeguk + Ma Eungyo alone already make my heart explode, and now Han Yeoreum is joining too? LOLOLOL Game over.

— Anonymous 1: I think I’m developing a mental illness already.. hehe

— Anonymous 4: Ma Eungyo didn’t secretly bring another tragic romance ending again, right? T_T

↳ Anonymous 8: Look at the premise. If it ends happily, that would be weirder.

[Drama/Movie/Actor TALK / I freaking love how Han Yeoreum jumps genres LMAO]

Back when she debuted with <ParCheHi>, I thought she’d just be another trendy actress.

Now it feels like she’s about to replace an entire generation.

— Anonymous 1: Yep. The Holy Grail War already proved it.

— Anonymous 3: Eun Baekhap and Hong Suryeon are still active. What generational replacement? Your fan delusion is out of control lololol

↳ Anonymous 9: True. If Woo Seungri hadn’t messed up so badly, <There Is Only One Culprit> never would’ve lost.

— Anonymous 13: When people first started talking about the Shining Star of DaeYeJong, Do Gyeoul was clearly in first place. The fact that Han Yeoreum managed to make her look like the one falling behind now is insane. Back when she was unknown, I thought people were forcing her into conversations lololol

↳ Anonymous 15: Unknown? Han Yeoreum’s “unknown era” lasted approximately zero seconds. She took over the hot-topic category the moment Episode 1 of <ParCheHi> aired;

— Anonymous 29: I genuinely can’t think of a single actress who crosses genres as well as Han Yeoreum while maintaining a filmography this strong. Even among actors in general, there are only a few. The closest comparison is probably Ji Haebeom.

Interest in the actress showed no sign of fading, even after her dramas ended.

“And do you realize how incredible that is for a female actor...?!”

Popularity during a broadcast could be purchased with production budgets and marketing expenses.

A true star revealed herself after the finale.

Could she become a brand on her own?

Or not?

Han Yeoreum was unquestionably the former.

People wanted to know what she ate.

What she wore.

What she used.

They looked forward to her next projects.

They revisited her old °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° ones.

The billions spent by networks and agencies to attract public attention meant nothing in comparison.

One mention of her name.

One glimpse of her face.

And people came running.

“If the next project explodes too, then she’ll really... really...!”

Aetami knew it too.

Maybe not yet.

But the path was already beginning to appear.

“Generational change has started!”

Her standing in film was still somewhat weaker.

But Aetami had no doubts.

A ten-million-viewer film as a lead actress.

Han Yeoreum would absolutely achieve it.

“My daughter... my dutiful daughter... our little melon bread....”

The only thing she felt was gratitude for becoming a fan so early.

She was proud that she had never missed a single moment of Han Yeoreum’s relentless, dazzling climb upward.

Aetami looked at the award nomination list where Han Yeoreum’s name appeared as naturally as if it belonged there.

Best Acting Award

Best Couple Award

Popularity Award

“She’ll win all of them.”

If she had been just a little older, <Dongdaemun Romance> might even have put her in contention for the Grand Prize.

Unable to shake that lingering regret, Aetami faithfully cast another vote for Han Yeoreum.

[Jeon Segye ♥ Nam Pyeonghwa]

“But this pairing is such a waste too.”

Aetami looked down at another Best Couple nominee.

The chemistry really had been legendary.

* * *

“This one is obviously the second option. Do you have any idea how much effort I, Ryu Risa, put into styling those couple outfits? Obviously the second one! Absolutely the second one!”

Ignoring the Name Couple, Ryu Risa voted for a different pairing.

[Nam Pyeonghwa ♥ Elizabeth]