Somehow, Talent Has Sprouted (3)
“I’m a fan! Could I get your autograph?!”
“Huh?”
It wasn’t like her pronunciation had slipped.
She just happened to have a triangle kimbap in her mouth from the convenience store, that was all.
But even if she hadn’t, it probably would’ve come out muffled anyway.
Jo Yun-a, dazedly looking around, pointed at herself with a Me? and the woman nodded affirmatively.
What’s going on?
Am I dreaming?
As she blinked blankly, the woman seemed to catch on.
“Uh, are you busy?”
“No! No! Not at all!”
Jo Yun-a flailed her hands in denial, inwardly regretting why she’d picked spicy pork kimbap of all things, and hurriedly wiped her mouth.
The autograph, which she hadn’t given in three and a half years, ended up half-smeared, but the woman left beaming with joy at the earnest (?), heartfelt effort.
But there was no time to sit there stunned. Passersby noticed the woman’s happy stride and turned their heads in an instant.
Murmurs spread quickly.
“Hey, isn’t that her over there?”
“Who?”
“You saw it! The other day, Unbelievable!”
“Oh, that crazy bitch!”
“Hey, she can hear you—‘crazy bitch’?”
“Shut up! Autograph! Can we get autographs too?!”
What followed felt utterly unreal to Jo Yun-a.
A couple who were obviously dating came for signatures, a group of high school girls squealed and snapped selfies, an elderly gentleman joined the line, and one auntie stuck out a piece of paper while clucking her tongue: “How can such an innocent, baby-faced girl...”
But that was just the beginning.
Once the crowd gathered, onlookers curious about the commotion appeared, and everyone who recognized the lead from Human Quartet—which, unfortunately for Kang Min, had stuck as the final title after breaking 25% ratings the other day—clapped hands over their mouths and jumped in excitement.
As the routine piled up, it snowballed out of control.
Jo Yun-a could only blink in bewilderment, suddenly surrounded by a wall of people.
“Uh, excuse me...”
“Oh my god!”
“What do we do! I told you!!”
“Kyaaaaah—!!”
“Um...”
Of course they’d say something like that—
Kang Min might’ve just shrugged it off, but Jo Yun-a’s personality wouldn’t allow it.
While the convenience store owner stifled cheers at this windfall, she floundered helplessly, unable to do anything.
What do I do?
How should I handle this—
Her mind went blank at this unprecedented situation she’d never even imagined.
Cold sweat beaded on the back of her neck.
Fortunately for her, salvation arrived soon enough.
A faint shout came from behind.
“Manager here! Manager for actress Jo Yun-a! Coming through!”
“Ah...!”
Jo Yun-a’s face lit up, but the joy was short-lived—the situation wasn’t looking good.
The store had a narrow entrance and wide interior. Even a seasoned manager couldn’t plow through this crowd easily.
Just as Jo Yun-a’s expression soured again, more help arrived.
This time from outside.
“Sorry, folks. Could you clear a path?”
“?”
The crowd turned with annoyed glares. Who did this nobody think he was, demanding courtesy?
But their faces went blank in an instant.
An alien was there.
“?”
“...?”
People blinked at each other in disbelief.
As all eyes focused, Kang Min spoke calmly.
“Flop?”
“Oh my god!!”
“Kyaaaaah—!!!”
The screaming crowd reversed course in chaos.
The manager slipped through the gap and barely extracted Jo Yun-a for a getaway.
#
“I told you not to go out alone anymore!!!”
Back in the safe zone—the broadcasting station—the manager’s fury was palpable.
And Jo Yun-a’s excuse was feeble.
“I-It was just the convenience store right around the corner, so I thought it’d be fine...”
“Corner store, first-floor store—when I say don’t go, just don’t go! I told you to be careful from now on!”
“Sorry...”
“Wipe your mouth! You’ve got spicy pork sauce on your lips—great job!”
Jo Yun-a wiped her mouth and bowed her head limply.
Honestly, even with the sudden popularity, it didn’t feel real. All she’d done was appear in one episode of Unbelievable thanks to Kang Min.
Considering everything she’d been through, getting starstruck now would be the weird part...
“Jeez.”
The manager wasn’t oblivious to her feelings.
But that’s exactly why he glared sternly at his bowed-head actress.
His charges were like his nine-year-old daughter—he had to nag until they screamed they got it. Jo Yun-a paled, sensing the ominous vibe.
Just as the manager’s sense of duty ignited and his mouth opened—
“Eh, don’t be too hard on her. Even I didn’t believe it at first.”
“Heh heh, of course! People make mistakes! Just don’t do it again, Yun-a!!”
“.......”
The family man, who’d just secured a 300% bonus promise for the month, rubbed his hands as if nothing happened, while Jo Yun-a pouted and scrubbed her lips harder.
Come to think of it, Kang Min had seen her in that ugly state.
Standing there with spicy pork juice on her face amid the crowd, clueless... She wanted to bang her head against the wall.
If only I’d held out a little longer despite being hungry...
But Kang Min paid no mind to her lips, which were nearly peeling from the manager’s fly-swatting frenzy.
He cut straight to the point for seeking the manager.
“Do you know anything about the CEO of Ray Goldmary?”
“Pardon? Oh, yes, of course. Didn’t she unusually invite actor Kang publicly the other day? Rumors say it’s a first in her life.”
Even saying it aloud made him click his tongue in awe. The industry saw Kang Min as a lock for local ambassador, maybe even global.
The Korean branch’s silence—when they’d normally deny it outright—only fueled the certainty.
A rare phenomenon in Korea—no, maybe the world.
Perhaps the manager and his actress were meeting someone who’d make “visiting Korea” newsworthy in five years—
As the manager swallowed an inward sigh, Jo Yun-a, finally satisfied with her cleaning, chimed in eagerly.
“Congrats, oppa!”
Jo Yun-a was genuinely thrilled.
But a twinge of melancholy hit her too.
I’ve received so much already...
She had no clue how to repay him now, and Kang Min kept climbing higher.
As time passed, what could she possibly offer back? Everything she had was handed to her by the man before her.
She couldn’t help a flicker of self-loathing...
“I-if there’s anything I can do, just say it!”
At least three and a half years of expression control came in handy. Jo Yun-a suppressed her emotions and smiled brightly.
It was an offhand remark. What could someone like her do for Kang Min anyway? Anyone would chuckle.
Jo Yun-a deflated further inside.
And then,
Kang Min nodded.
“Yeah, I could use your help right now.”
“...P-Pardon?”
Kang Min turned.
“Manager, no more schedule for Yun-a today?”
“Huh? Yeah. She came for the drama weight discussion at MBS, and that’s done...”
“It decreased?”
“It increased!”
“Perfect.”
“...Pardon?”
Kang Min dragged the baffled Jo Yun-a and manager off.
By the time they rode in the car and heard the explanation, the manager’s eyes were saucer-wide.
Jo Yun-a arrived at the destination in a daze.
And saw Kang Min shaking hands with a stubborn-looking French woman.
“Je suis heureux de vous rencontrer comme ça.”
“Sh-she says she’s happy to meet you like this, representative.”
“Je ne m'y attendais pas, mais c'est un invité bienvenu.”
“Sh-she didn’t expect it, but you’re a welcome guest...”
Marie-Joseph Luarecoline Ray.
As the world-renowned designer who’d shaken Kang Min’s hand extended hers to Jo Yun-a, she froze stiff.
What’s happening?
What’s going on—
Jo Yun-a reeled in confusion.
Kang Min soon provided the answer.
“I think the same.”
[She says so too...]
“I believe actress Jo Yun-a is the perfect fit for Ray Goldmary’s ambassadorship, not me.”
[Hmm.]
Jo Yun-a blinked.
Blinked some more,
And tilted her head.
“......Pardon?”
#
“That’s ridiculous!”
When he first got the public ambassadorship offer, Kang Min freaked out.
People interpreted his ad avoidance as “too dedicated to his roles,” and yeah, he was obsessed with Unbelievable to some extent.
But obviously, that wasn’t the whole story.
Damn it, does this count as acting too?!
After the Pavlovsk Experiment Nation episode, Kang Min got rice ad offers from nearly every group, including Icheon and Yeoju.
The National Agricultural Cooperative, blinded by rice consumption boosts, pitched in, and Kang Min was tempted. Both his late parents hailed from Chungbuk Jecheon, and some friends still farmed there.
“Gah...!”
But practicing solo, he collapsed in convulsions after “[Scarily delicious rice...]”
Obviously, people in rice ads don’t die.
Flawless logic.
“Keurgh...!!”
Kang Min skipped nightmares only if his role died by day’s end.
Even somewhat tolerable if death was at the finale.
In other words, he hadn’t felt this agony from a “no-death-at-all” role in ages.
After hours battling the floor, he barely stood.
Cold sweat poured.
He didn’t feel alive.
This is insane! How does this even count as acting?!
The nightmare was merciless despite his screams. Standing before a camera and modulating tone? Acting, it declared.
Afterward, he politely declined most ad offers.
Regrettable, but no big issue. No one publicly pushed when the actor said no.
But a problem arose.
A weirdo found a loophole.
“?”
Marie Ray.
The global icon bent this far expecting delight, but Kang Min was shocked.
Ambassador? A horrific contract requiring yes to every shoot for the term!
Accepting was like signing your own death warrant!
Problem is, I can’t outright refuse...
Too much attention, opponent too prominent.
Blunt rejection? Unimaginable backlash.
Worst case, maybe—but
Better if another way existed.
Kang Min pondered.
All day.
The pondering bore fruit: a perfect idea.
Implemented immediately.
“I believe actress Jo Yun-a is perfect for Ray Goldmary’s ambassadorship, not me.”
[Hmm.]
Perfect for him, anyway.
Jo Yun-a blinked vacantly.
The manager seemed convinced Kang Min was crazy or insane—one or the other.
Even the Ray Goldmary Korean head, interpreting, gaped.
But Kang Min was certain: no other way.
This explains why I must decline!
Bonus: Assert Unbelievable’s true star from episode 1082 wasn’t him!
That’s why he persuaded desperately.
[Personally, hard to understand. Her acting’s great, sure. But isn’t that only because you backed her with real money? I see you inspiring our creators.]
“No. She’d have shone without me.”
[Unconvinced.]
“No need to be. It’s just my view.”
[Fine.]
Marie Ray sighed in frustration.
[Still waters run deep (Les eaux calmes sont les plus profondes), so we’ll table it. Next issue.]
“Yes.”
[Humanity’s innate good and evil—that’s my new code. Debuted at Paris Haute Couture, irreversible. Must select accordingly. You’ve shown ample contrast already.]
Experiment doctor and Colombian priest.
Humanity’s innate good and evil.
Why Marie Ray flew to Korea eyes-wide upon seeing it.
But Jo Yun-a—what did she have—
There it is.
Kang Min was prepared.
He unleashed desperately.
“Surprising. Aren’t you from Henri Bergson’s country? Don’t your good and evil differ from the norm?”
[...Go on.]
“‘Creative evolution’ evolving per life’s essence is good’s core; ‘adaptive evolution’ per environment is evil’s. Matter and intellect sprout together in endless creation. Thus, Unbelievable’s girl’s end—pursuing the former, birthed the latter?”
[......]
Kang Min knew it was nonsense himself.
But no retreat.
Dead serious, he pressed on.
Pure duration organically integrates past and present.
It manifests in memory, where past alone revives as present.
Thus independent of matter; pure perception opposes it.
Pure perception composes emerging action; its actuality lies in activity, so all good is inherently action for action—
“.......”
Jo Yun-a didn’t understand.
But listened blankly.
All she knew: Kang Min was serious, speaking for her, frustrated it wasn’t landing.
And above all, rejecting a global Ray Goldmary offer for her.
...Why?
Persuasion faltered.
The designer, uncharacteristically flustered, clearly refused.
But Kang Min didn’t quit. Frowns only fueled his tirade.
......Why?
Jo Yun-a couldn’t fathom.
If she were Seo Bom, maybe. Long history, boasts galore. Even dragged her to study, cared that much.
But Jo Yun-a? Barely a month.
Why go this far for her?
“······.”
Jo Yun-a knew her place.
That’s how she’d survived this long.
Knowing meant swallowing words.
Any risk, choke it down with a smile.
But not this time.
In a brief lull, she blurted it.
“Reason?”
“...Yeah.”
“Hm.”
“This is your chance, oppa. Once-in-a-lifetime. Just take it.”
Why pass it to me—
Jo Yun-a bowed, clenched fists—nails digging palms as always.
Pain often restored reason, swallowed urges.
Not this time.
Words stuttered out.
“Wh-what do you want from me?”
Gifts demand returns. No value, no interest.
Jo Yun-a’s world rule.
But Kang Min gained nothing from her. Impossible.
Then,
why—
His answer? Refreshingly simple.
“Let’s say I fell for your staircase acting at first sight.”
“P-Pardon?!"
“It’s something only years and anguish pile into. Beautiful, even.”
“······.”
Amid Black Forest’s flash, Kang Min’s analysis spotlighted it.
Impossible to miss. Once, he craved that desperately.
As Kang Min sighed “What a headache of a lady” and turned away, Jo Yun-a stood dazed.
She snapped to, tried moving.
“······.”
But not this time.
#
A day later, articles flooded.
Public exploded.
...Inevitably.
Soon, news spread: Kang Min rejected global but recommended Jo Yun-a for Korean ambassador; company seriously considering.
Public erupted again, naturally.
And MBS vice president finally enlightened.
“Variety chief. I’ve gained one certainty.”
“What?”
“That lunatic’s insane! Totally bonkers!! Spits on Ray Mary?! Instead of betting life on Unbelievable, don’t we have better?!”
“Hmm...”
So far, plan flawless. In his studio, Kang Min toasted solo to his genius.
But as always, side effects emerged.
“···?”
Surprisingly familiar name—
Han Ye-seul, pondering Human Quartet’s finale, picked up curiously.
“What’s up, Yun-a? Finally got one over on that mystery crazy bitch?”
—No, not that...
“Hanging up.”
—Pl-please listen!
“···?”
Only one shoot together, but strong tone from ever-giggling Jo Yun-a. Han Ye-seul listened puzzled.
After deep breaths, the hesitant proposal.
—I have a theme suggestion for Human Quartet’s finale...
Kang Min’s doom.