CHAPTER 014: First Recognition
CHAPTER 014: First Recognition
So many hands reached for my face.
Every one of them held a business card.
This wasn’t even a movie scene.
“Line up. In a line.”
This was a walkway where people came and went, so they couldn’t just block it like this.
Honestly, I’d expected it to some extent.
A lot of agency people would attend a script reading, and of course they’d set their sights on me.
So I could enjoy this level of interest—
“Are you okay? Your face is red.”
“…It’s hot.”
Anyway.
I lined them up and took the cards.
Eight in total.
Some were companies I’d heard of, others were new to me.
I didn’t choose right away.
The ones getting impatient weren’t me—they were them.
‘Scarcity effect.’
When demand exceeds supply, people value what they want even more.
As time passed, better conditions would come attached for me.
‘Of course.’
Dragging it out forever could also leave a bad impression.
Exactly two weeks should be enough.
Either way, by the time filming started in earnest, I’d need an agency for support—hair, makeup, wardrobe, all of it.
And I also needed time to look into each company.
As I sorted the business cards and headed to the restroom, I ran into Park Juwon.
His eyes were slit long and narrow.
At the sink, he splashed water over his face and glared at the mirror.
He looked like he was in a bad mood.
Should I use a different restroom?
Then Park Juwon noticed me, relaxed his serious face, and smiled.
“I saw your acting earlier. You were really good. Guess this is why you shouldn’t judge people too easily.”
“I learned a lot too, sunbae.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
Then he said we’d be seeing each other on set anyway, so we should at least exchange numbers.
“Here’s my number.”
“I texted you. Save it under that number. Good work today. Let’s grab a meal sometime.”
And then Park Juwon left.
For him to approach a rookie like me, he didn’t seem like a bad person.
His words were pretty kind, too.
But there was something oddly cold about him.
Either way, did I just make my first actor friend?
For a first, he was pretty famous.
‘Ah, Seo Yoonha was there too.’
Right after the reading ended, she’d sent me KakaoTalk messages.
Seo Yoonha: (emoji)
Seo Yoonha: (emoji)
A rabbit emoji burning with rage.
Then an emoji covering its own eyes with two fingers and pointing at me.
Was that a death threat?
Yeah, I definitely couldn’t call her a friend.
JTBN Broadcasting Station, Entertainment Desk.
Reporter Seo Jiyeon, still riding the high from the script reading, edited her article and let out an awed sound.
“Ha… Ryu Sunho is seriously insane.”
PD Kim, seated next to her, replied.
“Why, what happened? That Brave Citizen guy—did he already cause trouble?”
Seo Jiyeon waved a finger with a don’t-be-ridiculous expression.
“He did cause a huge incident. Setting people’s hearts on fire.”
“You’re childish. So—can he act?”
“It’s not a ‘can he act’ level. He’s a monster. A monster. And today’s script reading was completely open, right?”
“Park Eunju’s readings are famous for being brutal. He’s a rookie, so he must’ve gotten shredded.”
“Shredded? He shredded the whole place.”
At her firm tone, a few other reporters in the office perked their ears up.
“Park Dusim sunbaenim admitted her acting got pushed back. She said it reminded her of Gong Hajin and just poured out praise.”
“Really? That Mate commercial model acts that well? I thought he was just a pretty face.”
A junior reporter who’d drifted over widened their eyes.
“Honestly, that’s praise a rookie doesn’t deserve, right? But nobody could deny it. Most of the reporters there were nodding along.”
“Damn, if Seo Reporter is saying it like that, he’s the real deal.”
“Weren’t you the one who first put Ryu Sunho in the media? It’s basically like you discovered him!”
“No wonder you made a fuss from the start. You have a real eye for people.”
“Right! When Ryu Sunho blows up, won’t there be headlines like ‘Reporter Seo Jiyeon’s foresight—she was the first to recognize actor Ryu Sunho’?”
“Later, those clips from when he was still a regular guy will blow up too. Your interview video will get replayed like crazy. People will be leaving ‘came here from the future’ comments and everything.”
At the praise, Seo Jiyeon’s smile practically reached her ears.
As her colleagues talked, a concrete picture started forming in her head.
‘Right. If Ryu Sunho rises, I’m going to get mentioned too.’
Brave Citizen Award. Exclusive interview.
And now proof of acting skills at a public script reading.
The start of all those beats had been her.
If a legend got written about Ryu Sunho growing into a great actor, she’d be the one who recorded the first page.
Then a senior reporter who’d been listening quietly threw in a comment.
“Still, don’t hype him too much. He’s just starting out. How many kids flash and vanish? What if something blows up in the middle?”
“Don’t worry. Ryu Sunho is different. Looks, acting—he’s got it all, and even his character is verified. He ran into a burning car. He’s not like trainees who get ‘personality training’—from the roots, he’s different. He’s not the type to cause scandals.”
PD Kim nodded too.
“That’s true. His narrative is perfect from the start. The public can’t help but love that story.”
“Exactly.”
“Wait. This kid still doesn’t have an agency, right?”
“Yeah. So when the reading ended, managers swarmed like a cloud.”
“Then he won’t have a real promo line. No matter how well he does, until he signs somewhere, it’ll be hard for even one proper article to come out.”
“No need to worry. There’s one solid promo line right here. Us.”
When she pointed at herself, the others burst out laughing.
“Wow, you’re already running a line?”
“I’m not running a line. I’m making one. What’s a growth narrative without a reporter? I’m the best at spinning stories.”
Seo Jiyeon’s fingers started dancing across the keyboard.
Meanwhile, Director Chae Wongi was grilling meat with his friend, Director Yoo Gwangjung.
To repay Yoo Gwangjung for stepping in as a substitute on the Mate Beverage commercial shoot, Yoo had said he’d buy the meal.
But today, Chae insisted he’d pay.
“I got way too much out of you covering that commercial.”
“What?”
“First, the ad came out insanely well. It was my comeback as an ad director after a long time, so I was worried, but I ended up making a masterpiece that’ll stick to my career. So… sorry.”
“What are you talking about? Sorry for what?”
“I think this is going to win the Korea Advertising Awards. Then it’s like I stole yours.”
“Pfft, getting ahead of yourself. And how is that stealing? You just shot it well.”
Warmth rose in Chae’s chest at Yoo’s words, and he clinked glasses.
“Keuh… and that Mate model, you know.”
“Ryu Sunho?”
“Yeah. Honestly, the biggest harvest was finding that kid. I saw him act on set and got hooked, so I gave him a role in the drama I’m doing now.”
“What, so you hired me to shoot an ad but your heart was already in a drama field?”
“It’s both. Anyway, because of him, the drama momentum is crazy right now.”
“In the ad, his facial acting looked decent. Can he deliver lines too?”
“More than deliver. We had the script reading the other day, right? He absolutely shredded the place with his acting. Park Dusim sunbaenim—famous for being strict—was amazed. Because of that, the other actors got provoked and it’s chaos.”
“Damn, isn’t he young? He caught Park Dusim’s eye? And you said he had no acting career?”
“Exactly. He’s a complete genius. So everyone’s training like their lives depend on it. Desperation, thinking they can’t get eaten by a rookie. Especially the two in lead roles.”
“Seo Yoonha was already famous for working hard when she shoots dramas.”
“This isn’t just ‘working hard.’ She was already taking shaman academy classes to immerse for the shaman role, right? After the reading, she decided that wasn’t enough, so now she’s going around the country to abandoned houses at night, practicing the script because she has to ‘feel a spiritual presence’ firsthand.”
“…Isn’t she going to get actually possessed?”
“If I were a ghost, I wouldn’t even approach—I’d be scared of that kind of obsession. And Park Juwon too, apparently, is practicing for real this time.”
“Park Juwon? The guy famous for not practicing?”
“He got properly stimulated by Ryu Sunho. It probably reminded him of when he got praised as a rookie. Then he got arrogant and stopped practicing—that was the problem. So these days he’s holed up at home and barely comes out.”
“Lazy-ass Park Juwon? Damn. That’s insane.”
“It is. And the drama will be insane too. So order whatever you want. Today it’s right that I pay.”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
After slowly reading the menu, Yoo Gwangjung said,
“Then can I order one iced yellow peach?”
“Tsk… I’m against that.”
After the script reading ended,
I came back to my hometown to see my parents.
Once filming started in earnest, I’d probably get truly busy.
My parents were blunt, so I didn’t think they’d act that happy, but I still wanted to tell them about the drama casting face-to-face.
Keeping my promise to my little sister, I bought a whole pile of Pokémon bread and arrived home.
“Eunji. The busted one is here.”
“When you say it like that, it sounds weird.”
My little sister came running out of her room.
She didn’t even look at my face—she just tore into the Pokémon bread at lightning speed.
“Thanks, oppa. You worked hard, so you eat the bread!”
“You’re not just taking it because you want the stickers?”
Hit the nail on the head, she shoved chocolate roll into both cheeks.
“Th… thass not it, mmph!”
I asked my dad.
“Where’s Mom?”
“She went to the salon to get a perm. Said she has to look pretty for her son or something.”
Huh. Was Mom always like that?
I didn’t think she was the type to fuss over anything special just because her son was coming home.
In my past life, I didn’t visit often, always making excuses about being busy, so my memory was fuzzy now.
“Dad, but what are you keep looking for?”
“Huh? Nah. Just checking if there were bugs stuck on something.”
Dad kept glancing at the bag I brought.
“Dad, you don’t even like bread.”
“Right. I don’t like bread.”
“So I didn’t buy any for you.”
“Yeah. I can just starve and die then. Once I go to the underworld, you’ll take care of me with memorial rites. I’ll eat then. A full feast.”
I pulled out cash from my inner pocket and held it out.
“Cash beats bread.”
Dad looked like he was about to die of happiness.
“See, cash beats bread! Lady Shin Saimdang brings peace to this household!”
Watching him happy made me feel satisfied.
Yeah—Dad probably liked cash the most.
He was a freer soul than anyone.
Even if Mom had him in a death grip these days.
‘Anyway.’
It’d already been about a month since the ad went on air.
It was time to check the online reactions.
• Seriously don’t know how many times I’ve watched this ad;;
└ I’m commenting and watching again, and my heart shakes at the last smiling scene..
└ Dude literally builds a whole youth-drama narrative with just his face
• Who’s the model?
└ idk searched and he’s a rookie named Ryu Sunho, no works yet.. only Brave Citizen Award articles nonstop
└ How is a rookie actor’s filmography just Brave Citizen Award lol
└ Even his character is perfect..
└ Is it even possible that this is his first acting? How is someone “first time” that natural??
• I screenshotted the smile under the cherry blossom tree and set it as my wallpaper.. is this an illness, doctor?
└ Severe Ryu Sunho addiction.. there’s no cure
└ World’s three most dangerous poisons: pufferfish poison, jellyfish poison, Ryu Sunho addiction
└ LMAOOOOOOOOOO
• I’m going around evangelizing this ad lol but everyone gets hooked like me and then evangelizes too lol
└ walking pyramid scheme...
└ World’s three religions: Christianity, Buddhism, “have you seen the Mate ad”
└ That one’s forced; it was funny before
└ …
The response was really good, one after another.
I’d made plenty of ads, but getting attention because I was in it felt different.
‘So this is what happiness feels like.’
It wasn’t an ad for someone else anymore.
Now I was the main character.
I’d taken a long detour, but it hadn’t been wasted—just as that sense of fulfillment rose, a notification popped up.
【Achievement Unlocked!】
【First Recognition】
【Currently, ‘1%’ of people in Korea think you are the best actor.】
【Stat Point +1】
Huh?
No way 500,000 people thought I was Korea’s best actor.
So it must mean there was at least one person.
But who?
There was no way.
I hadn’t even really started acting yet—so who was it?
At that moment, a familiar BGM played from somewhere.
I turned my head and saw Dad watching my commercial on TV, smiling with quiet satisfaction.
“See? A guy who’s breathed Seoul air is different, no matter what.”
“Mom… I’m going to burst.”
“There’s still braised short ribs, stir-fried spicy octopus, abalone porridge, spicy braised chicken, beef bulgogi, and rolled omelet left.”
“…How am I supposed to eat all that in one meal?”
“Your face got thinner!”
Now I understood.
Mom didn’t show it, but she’d missed me a lot.
‘Still, this is too much.’
It was nice that there was so much love, but it felt like my stomach acid was about to overflow too.
In the end, we agreed I’d eat the rest tomorrow, and I went into my room.
To help digest the heavy feeling, I decided to do work.
Tap—
Tap-tap—
Looking over the business cards I’d gotten, I organized each agency’s PR style, artist management approach, and exclusive contract terms into an Excel sheet.
‘Hmm.’
But this wasn’t enough.
This was just information gathered from the outside.
The agency’s internal atmosphere was a key factor too.
Any company looks different from the outside than it does inside.
If I were a normal office worker, I’d do coffee chats with employees and gather intel, but as an actor, there was no way I could—
Actually, there was.
I could ask actors under the agency.
I searched my contacts.
I only had two actors’ numbers.
Seo Yoonha and Park Juwon.
‘Meeting Seo Yoonha one-on-one is…’
It’d be awkward, and it could drag me into pointless scandal talk.
A rookie meeting a top actress in secret—people would obviously spin it the wrong way.
And right now I had a clean image.
So…
I had no choice but to meet Park Juwon.
Park Juwon hadn’t left his place for a week.
His luxury officetel was littered with takeout containers and snack wrappers.
It was a state you’d never imagine from Park Juwon, who’d always won women’s hearts with a polished image.
A script lay open on one side of the sofa.
“…Fire is dangerous. Dioxins are bad for your body, too.”
Muttering to himself, he tried on expressions.
He squinted, lifted one corner of his mouth slightly, then returned to blankness.
In the mirror, it was clear.
He felt empty.
The old sense wasn’t coming back.
“Damn it… why isn’t it working?”
When he was a rookie, it was easy.
He just immersed, and emotions would burst out like a spring.
But at some point, acting became heavy.
Bad reviews piled up.
Praise stayed stuck on his looks.
In the end, he got scared of hearing, “You did your best, and this is all you’ve got,” so he wrapped himself in the armor of “a genius who doesn’t try.”
But Ryu Sunho’s acting cracked that wall.
A forgotten passion—or a defeat he wanted to forget—boiled inside him.
“…Fire is dangerous… dioxins, fuck!”
But the self-defense mechanisms he’d layered for so long had become a habit far sturdier than he’d thought.
The moment he tried to focus, restlessness crawled under his skin.
“Ah, screw it.”
In the end, he threw the script on the floor and sat at the computer.
A game with flashy graphics booted up on his monitor, and he logged in by habit.
[‘I’mParkJuwon’ has logged in.]
An ID drenched in self-love.
But gamers weren’t going to believe it.
A provocation came immediately.
[TrollLife]: LMAO Park Juwon fan?
[I’mParkJuwon]: Not a fan. It’s me.
[TrollLife]: LMAOOOO bullshit. Then I’m Gong Hajin
[RonaldoNoShowMan]: If you’re Park Juwon, go practice acting instead of gaming, you idiot
A vein bulged between Park Juwon’s brows.
He was pounding the keyboard like he wanted to break it when—
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
‘Did the chicken get here already?’
Ding-dong!
“Ah, just leave it at the door!”
He shouted, but the doorbell rang again, stubborn.
Annoyed, he went to the entryway and checked the digital door viewer—
And froze.
Ryu Sunho was standing outside on the screen.
“???”
Why the hell was he here?
From beyond the door, he heard a mutter: “Is he not home…”
The doorbell rang again.
“Who is it?”
“Ah, you were home. Hello, sunbae. I came to keep the promise.”
Promise? What promise?
Then a memory flashed.
—Let’s grab a meal sometime.
That was just a polite line.
Something you say out of courtesy.
He came to my house because of that?
Seriously…
What the hell is this guy doing?