A Name on Loan
Yeo-reum lifted her pen and said exactly what she'd been waiting to say.
Do Gyeo-ul stared back, and Yeo-reum's face was all soft, easy smiles.
Well, look at that….
If Gyeo-ul said no here, she'd be the one who looked strange. If she said yes, she'd be lending Yeo-reum the value of her name. And if she offered a graceful "it's fine, I'll mention you next time," she'd be bound to keep that promise. No matter which answer she chose, Do Gyeo-ul lost.
How fun.
Yeo-reum wore a leisurely expression, as if she'd already finished running every one of those calculations. It was a completely different face from moments ago.
After a brief deliberation, Gyeo-ul gave Yeo-reum a small nod.
"Then let's take a ten-minute break, and we'll continue after."
The instant the professor's voice rang out, Gyeo-ul was on her feet. Quickly, quickly — before the expression slipped away.
Slam!
Gyeo-ul yanked open the bathroom door and pulled out a mirror to study her face. Then she tried to reproduce the expression Yeo-reum had worn moments before. The faint note of distaste. The nameless undercurrent of tension. The unshakable composure of someone who couldn't lose no matter which answer was picked.
…There. I can do it.
One by one, those layers settled over Gyeo-ul's face. Her heart pounded as she fought not to let the movements of her facial muscles slip from memory.
If only she had Han Yeo-reum. If only she had Han Yeo-reum….
I can act. I won't leave a single opening ever again.
"Yeo-reum, what were you two talking about? It's work-related, so can I ask?"
The moment break was called, Dam-i — who'd been chased off earlier — came scurrying to the seat beside me. I took her hand and let out a long, steadying breath.
For someone who got chased out, she interrogated pretty thoroughly….
I couldn't figure out why my whole body went rigid the second I stood next to Do Gyeo-ul. Was it those eyes that seemed to strip you down and inspect every last organ? Or the visceral revulsion left over from my past life? Either way, I kept stiffening up without meaning to.
"Gyeo-ul says she'll talk about me in her interviews. So I'm going to talk about Gyeo-ul in mine."
"Wow-. Classmates lifting each other up and pushing each other forward. Love it."
That is... not what this is, Dam-i.
"I'm going to debut fast too, and then I'll talk about you, Yeo-reum! I swear!"
But after standing beside the embodiment of all evil only moments ago, basking in So Da-mi therapy felt like my whole heart was melting back into place.
That's right. I'm going to make you regret those words, Do Gyeo-ul. You just wait — I'll weave your name into every single interview I give.
Borrowing your name value is pure profit for me.
Just as Myeong Je-ha had said, it was no exaggeration to claim the entire nation knew Do Gyeo-ul's upbringing by heart. Like it or not, once the unfamiliar name "Han Yeo-reum" became pinned beside the familiar one "Do Gyeo-ul," people's curiosity would follow naturally. And besides —
She's the perfect comparison point to exploit.
Same age. Classmates at the same school. One a child actress with a rock-solid backstory, the other a rookie who appeared out of nowhere. It was a picture practically engineered to build a rivalry narrative on its own.
And I can claim the title of "Do Gyeo-ul's rival" without lifting a finger.
Thank you so much, Ms. Do Gyeo-ul. I'll make excellent use of the name you've lent me and return it later. I should ask Myeong Je-ha to return the favor with an article someday, too.
Do Gyeo-ul, Myeong Je-ha, and Han Yeo-reum — let's go.
Either way, I was the only one benefiting from this arrangement. Dam-i, who'd been muttering about how badly she wanted to debut already, poked me in the cheek.
"Ms. Han Yeo-reum, the fastest-debuting member of your class. When do your music show MC duties begin?"
"Oh, that starts today!"
"Today?"
That's right. Today, my fixed schedule officially kicked off.
Here we were in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province — right outside the JC ENM Ilsan Production Center.
"Admission will now begin—"
Ae-ta-mi, who had taken a half day off work, clutched her ID in her hand and drew a deep breath.
I never thought I'd be showing up somewhere like this — and I'm not even a fandom-registered fan…!
This was a public broadcast for a music show under JC ENM. Actor fans simply never came to these things, which was exactly why her heart pounded so much harder. What Ae-ta-mi knew was press-greeting stages and film festival photo walls — not walking into a broadcast studio like this.
Finally, Yeo-reum in the flesh….
The thought of drinking in Yeo-reum's real, unfiltered self — until now, the only "in the flesh" she'd ever laid eyes on had been Wi Jae-hwi — filled her with the urge to take a half day off every single Thursday.
She'd worn her simple square-toe white-zipper platform sock boots (7.9cm) to see Yeo-reum from just a little closer, and the extra height genuinely changed her sightline.
So jealous. Everyone here has something in their hands.
Idol fans were armed to the teeth — light sticks, photocards, keyrings, badges, every merch known to humankind. For a moment Ae-ta-mi tensed up, determined not to be outdone, before remembering what merch even existed for actors.
A script book, or a photobook, or a Blu-ray…. Ah, honestly, a Blu-ray would be incredible.
It was moments like this that Yeo-reum's short filmography stung. A web drama or a one-act special was never getting a Blu-ray release.
According to what she'd heard through Wi Jae-hwi, production on Strange Tales was moving ahead at speed. If all went well, she might be holding Yeo-reum merch by this time next year.
Just thinking about it makes me happy, seriously!
The corners of Ae-ta-mi's mouth curled up at the thought of dedicating one corner of her room to a Han Yeo-reum merch zone. She idled on a private SNS account, waiting for Yeo-reum to appear.
Ah, but I'm dying of exhaustion. My legs ache too.
She'd agonized between a full day off and a half day, and chosen the half. It was the season when Fall/Winter products came flooding out, and no workplace on earth was busier than an advertising agency. But she absolutely had to attend the Seoul International Drama Awards next month as well.
It means something completely different from the Leel Awards! I have to be there.
For seeing her current project through properly, choosing the half day over the full one had been the wise call on every front. And if she kept earning recognition at the office, there might come a day when every ad campaign Ae-ta-mi planned could feature Yeo-reum as the model.
Got to get promoted fast. I'll work like a dog and climb.
Snatching moments here and there, she checked her work duties on her phone. As she monitored real-time ad click numbers, her legs went numb from the long wait. She just wanted to see Yeo-reum already.
Tired, sure — but true fandom erases all suffering….
Exactly forty-five minutes later, Ae-ta-mi understood just how right her choice had been.
"YEO-REUUUUM—!!!"
It was thanks to Yeo-reum's special stage. Ae-ta-mi unleashed her full idol-fan prowess in a standing section she'd never been in before, and when she came to, she was somehow in the very front row.
"Oh, this is even better than I expected."
"Right? It's easier on the eyes when they're together."
Because the article had to go up the instant the music show aired, the JC ENM PR team was still at the office. Rookie Shin and Team Leader Hong sat back and watched Yeo-reum's special stage streaming live on the monitor.
"Good song choice, too."
"Well, obviously. She's not an idol, after all."
A gentle piano accompaniment filled the studio, and two performers in bright beige outfits took the stage. Yeo-reum stood inside a red public phone booth, while her fellow MC — a male idol — waited beside a vintage bicycle.
This must be the umpteenth call you've let ring out
How much longer am I supposed to just wait?
So if you're all right, would you call me back?
I won't keep you on the line for long
There's just one thing I want to say — that's all
It was the OST of a fresh-faced romantic comedy that had won hearts a few years back. Yeo-reum's acting — clutching the receiver and pulling a frustrated face at the camera — came across utterly natural. And when no answer came through the line, even the way she set the phone down looked like choreography woven straight into the scene.
Yeo-reum lifted her handheld mic and sang in a voice that was simply pleasant to hear. In the chorus she slipped free of the phone booth and pulled off some naturally adorable dance moves — admittedly closer to cheerful gesturing than anything you'd call high quality.
"How are the reactions looking?"