[NoNaMe_11]
[NoName · 7.15 million followers]
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-(pianovel) Found it, the next baby princess.🍼👑[♡5958]
-(waresoft) Purity, exploration, and the last one is Na-me. [♡2194]
-(nyke)👟With Nike, no one can stop Na-me, LOL! [♡4602]
-(modernoutlets) We’ll treat you like a VVIP, dear customer! [♡3370]
-(tiqtoq_kr) Adela Challenge! Let’s create it together! [♡6851]
-(kobacomain) Na-me, want to go for a Nobel Peace Prize? Ding ding~♬ -Public Advertising Council- [♡2928]
“Isn’t this all from big corporations? I mean real big corporations, not big streamer stuff!”
Kariri’s eyes widened as she looked at my Instagram account.
“Not everyone who commented is actually inquiring. Just by commenting, they get to promote their companies, I guess.”
“But still! I had no idea Na-me was this popular.”
It wasn’t like she gained fame gradually; she jumped up like a pogo stick all at once.
The first leap was the interview with Taga-gwa, the second was the Academy Competition.
“So have you decided which advertisement you will appear in first?”
“There are so many that I haven’t even reviewed them all. And above all, no one is specifying the appearance fees.”
“That’s true. Usually, most advertising contracts are handled by entertainment agencies. The appearance fees vary by contract duration and frequency of exposure.”
“Is having an agency really necessary?”
“Generally, having an agency helps separate the profit-seeking image from the affiliated celebrities, allowing them to sign fair contracts based on market value without worrying about public perception.”
“Oh, that sounds smart. But I’m not planning to be affiliated anywhere right now. Even if it’s a bit tough, I want to try handling things myself.”
Being affiliated with just the Academy was enough.
There was no need to impose unnecessary restrictions on herself.
“Well then, at least you should establish some selection criteria. You could categorize them by industry type, company size, social reputation? Of course, the appearance fee would be the most important, though. Roughly how much are you thinking to ask for?”
I sat cross-legged, lost in thought.
In my past life, the lobbyist for the merchant guild buttered me up with about 600,000 gold to open trade routes between the Empire and the Kingdom, so converting that to today’s value…
“About 500 million?”
“Huh?”
Kariri gasped.
That didn’t seem right.
“50 million. That’s the absolute minimum.”
“Hmm, well… It is Na-me! I think I should at least receive that much.”
Now, it was time for the final step, announcing the appearance fee.
“There are people in capitalist society who find it unpleasant to earn a lot of money. The moment you reveal the fee, there are tons of media ready to tear you apart.”
Especially if the subject is younger, the backlash increases. Kariri was worried about this.
“As long as we get off on the right foot, it’s fine.”
In truth, I had already firmly decided where to go a long time ago.
The first stop would be the Public Advertising Council.
—
The Public Advertising Council, in collaboration with Save the Children, created a 3-minute short commercial titled “Rest Assured, Seoul is at War.”
It depicted the tragic destruction of a child’s life during war while living a peaceful and happy everyday existence.
However, they were on the verge of reshooting the footage from the start.
A 13-year-old acting prodigy who had appeared in a blockbuster film fell into a perfect spiral of complete failure due to a combo of school bullying and an eight-year-old sexual assault.
“Agh, if it weren’t for the public service ads, I’d have quit ages ago! How many people are slaving away for free because of that scumbag’s actions?”
_Thud…_
A red plastic megaphone rolled on the ground.
Director Jang Pyeong-sik, who ambitiously took on the challenge to revive the failing public advertisement, bowed his head and rubbed his smooth head.
Even if he made a good advertisement, it wasn’t like he would see more money from it.
The shoot he was doing out of duty was disrupted by unforeseen circumstances, causing him sleepless nights without sleep aids.
“It’s just lucky that the Kobako side managed to arrange a workaround somehow. They said they’d support us more if the budget is tight.”
“Can you trust them at all? Finding a good child actor is way harder than casting a star actor, you know?”
“Right, in ‘Currently, Seoul is at War,’ high-level acting skills were required from child actors.”
With the director’s stubbornness, they couldn’t just throw out the script now.
“Ah, actually…”
“What, what now? Please don’t make me anxious. Mentally unstable.”
“The replacement kid is 8 years old…”
_Sigh…_
With a deep sigh, the cinematographer’s body slumped like a soggy kimchi.
Even a 13-year-old actor at the top of their game struggled to meet Director Jang Pyeong-sik’s standards, let alone an 8-year-old.
“That’s how public servants operate. There’s not one thing I like! Not a single one! If it’s an 8-year-old child actor, they’ll whine if I say anything.”
“Actually, they might not even be a proper child actor; this might be their first shoot…”
“That’s enough. If I hear more, I’ll feel sick.”
The assistant director zipped his lips tight.
Still, Director Jang Pyeong-sik was among the more gentle personalities in the film industry.
There were some directors who would physically lash out at their crew as well.
But would this child truly be able to tolerate his picky nature?
_Clank…_
_Creeeak…_
The iron gate in the center swung wide open, and sunlight poured into the darkened set.
Although I couldn’t see her face due to backlighting, I could tell that her stature was indeed quite small.
The girl walked in wobbly under the lights.
The director, who had been sitting on a camping chair, finally lifted his head to see her face.
“You look familiar. Are you NoName, by any chance?”
It was a question for confirmation. From the whispers of the crew, it seemed certain.
“Hello! I’m NoName, and I’ll be appearing in the anti-war public service ad. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, hey! Nice to meet you! I honestly didn’t expect you to come. I’m Director Jang Pyeong-sik.”
She’s so young. Unbelievably young. That was my first impression of Na-me.
Of course, this advertisement required young boys and girls as protagonists, but the director also recognized the limitations of reality.
So they compromised with 13 years old, but why in the world did they send this little one?
‘Really, what did she do wrong? It’s the irresponsible Public Advertising Council that’s the problem…’
Director Jang Pyeong-sik cupped his hands over his face and then glanced at the script in Na-me’s hands.
“Is that the script? You’re seeing it for the first time, right? There must be a lot of terms you don’t know.”
“There were many, but the kind staff who brought me here kindly explained the meaning, so I roughly grasped it.”
“Right. You probably heard from your uncle what the situation is like now?”
_Nod…_
Na-me nodded with a serious expression.
“We don’t have much time, okay? But everyone here has been in front of the camera before. So if our friend Na-me works hard, I think we can finish quickly. You can do it, right?”
The assistant felt that Director Jang was subtly pressuring Na-me.
From the get-go, they aimed to crush her spirit.
Although it might have sounded like passing the buck, I thought it was only natural if they wanted to maximize efficiency.
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to call me ‘director.’ You’re not a proper actor anyway.”
“Yes.”
“We just need to reshoot the parts with Na-me. We’ll memorize the script, shoot, memorize again, and nonstop repeat until you say you can’t handle it. Okay?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, we’ll start from scene 13. Quickly go and memorize it.”
Director Jang put on a pink sleep mask from the floor and leaned back in his chair.
The sense of popularity still lingered.
He briefly lifted the mask and glanced at Na-me, who hadn’t left her spot yet.
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“I’ve memorized everything, so let’s start right away.”
“Not the front part; I meant scene 13!”
“I memorized it all. The headline, lines, stage directions, and scene transitions too.”
Na-me waved the script.
“… Can I see the script?”
He shot up and retrieved the script.
“Scene 23.”
“Scene 23, a residential area, night. A child curls up in the backseat of a car. The child clutches a doll, trembling hands clasped together, eyes shut tight. The sounds of police cars and ambulances blare noisily. The child opens squinted eyes, scared. Where am I? I’m going to mom, right? Am I?”
The lines flowed out smoothly in a consistent tone.
Not a single word was wrong.
“Wow… in all my life… you memorized this whole thing…”
Director Jang was left speechless.
Is it true that a genius starts out differently?
Half of acting is memorization.
Director Jang believed that what mattered was not the importance of method acting but how faithfully the actors executed what was written in the script.
“You can’t be this good at acting as well.”
If that were the case, there would surely be many actors who would envy her talent.
However, there’s something no one in this world knows.
Na-me was directly subjected to the PTSD of war.
—
I had dropped out of the Academy and was wandering aimlessly around the world.
I kept walking east until blisters formed on my feet and burst.
What was the big deal about having horns?
If they hated me that much, wouldn’t it be better for me to just disappear?
In a border town, I met a couple of old demon folk.
Administratively, it was part of the Kaizen Empire, but borders weren’t always clearly defined.
I introduced myself as half-demon.
At that time, I still had my suspicions towards demons.
They served me rye bread and warm oatmeal.
It wasn’t much different from what the empire’s common folk ate.
The old couple told me they lost their grandson and son in the war.
Demons didn’t lack family ties intrinsically.
For demons, family was their eternal friends.
I empathized with their sorrow of losing a friend and decided to become their friend.
I learned how to gather raspberries and apricots, how to stealthily take eggs from hens, and how to make salads with lentils and cabbage.
At night, I taught them how to read while occasionally repelling the demon beasts that invaded.
On days I found truffles in the mountains, I explained with knowledge from my past life that it was indeed a special ingredient only the rich used.
Their laughter was endless.
This carefree rural life was an escape from reality.
They might have thought of me as a unique friend, but I regarded them as my grandparents, even without knowing their names.
Cruelly, happiness didn’t last long.
The grandmother got caught by demon guards while crossing the border to visit the market.
She was dragged away to the eastern country.
Tears streamed down the deep wrinkles of the grandfather’s pained face.
I promised to retrieve her and set off eastward.
Following her traces, I arrived at a certain graveyard.
Ah…
The remains of my grandmother turned to white ash.
I clawed at the remains, not feeling my nails break.
Carrying a mound of dirt on my shoulders, I returned to the village.
While I was away, the empire’s army had ransacked the village, claiming the joint with demons.
Silver crosses, erected by inquisition officials, were stuck all over the village.
Only skin remained of the grandfather.
Kneeling before him, I begged for forgiveness and scattered ashes.
I hoped that I would at least laugh at the absurdity of this situation or weep with utter sorrow.
But truly, I took no action at all.
I simply wished that this entire situation was a dream and remained motionless for days.
I felt like if I did this long enough, I could wake from this long nightmare.
I wanted to return to the time when we could all smile together again.
“Kid, where are your parents now?”
“…”
—
In the heart of Seoul, a girl who lost her parents to mass bombing magic showed no hint of emotion in her eyes.
Under the ash-gray sky, her parched lips trembled faintly.
Her pupils, dramatically dilated, lost all focus in her black eyes.
Though Na-me’s eyes were open, she wasn’t seeing anything.
Pain stung with every single breath.
Her mind seemed to have crumbled like a sandcastle.
From her dust-coated cheek, a small droplet fell helplessly from one eye.
The other looked as if it had lost its function, totally desolate like a desert.
Na-me slightly turned her head and focused her gaze directly at the camera.
The cameraman, who had been doing a close-up from the front, peeked his face slightly to the side.
He wanted to verify the girl’s features with the naked eye.
‘Wow…’
It was shocking. How could an 8-year-old have such an expression?
Staring at her was horrifying and made him feel nauseous; he barely managed to hold back a breath he had kept pent up.
“It’s happening now. It’s happening here. The war.”
As she whimpered out these words, Na-me awaited the director’s cut sign.
And then,
“… Cut!”
A long silence fell.
Director Jang’s gaze, which had been watching over Na-me, filled with emotion and admiration.
It was as if he were witnessing a brilliant raw gem.
