“Me?”
For a moment, Sua’s mind went blank.
“Could it be… he recognizes me?”
It was the first time someone she’d never met before was recognizing her. She couldn’t help but be surprised. Meanwhile, the number of people inside the convenience store continued to grow.
It was because their group had more members. They must have been together at a drinking party. Given their youthful age, elaborate outfits, and flushed faces, it was clear.
“Why aren’t you coming in? I’m desperate for a cigarette.”
“What happened?”
“What is it? Why do you look like that?”
Sua scrutinized them once again.
“They’re complete strangers. I’ve never seen them before.”
Lately, Sua felt her intelligence wasn’t being recognized, but she took pride in having a good memory when it came to people.
“…And there’s no hostile vibe from them either.”
Still, she decided to ask just in case.
“Uh… don’t we meet for the first time?”
She asked as cautiously as possible. Of course, she considered how it would affect her image. Sua had become an expert at feigning calmness.
Then the expressions of the people in front of her went blank.
“…That voice—it’s real. That’s really Ms. Sua.”
They exchanged glances and then silently gasped in shock. Sua could tell they were worried their jaws might drop off.
“Kim Yu-han! Is that really Ms. Sua who plays Kim Yu-han? Special Mobile Unit 808? No, we were talking about the drama anyway! But to meet you like this…! Wow, it’s… really…!”
Their language devolved as they lost the ability to express themselves, leaving Sua quite bewildered. Am I the cause of this?
At that moment, the Sua Association chimed in.
─Imagine meeting someone you’ve only seen on TV suddenly in real life. Of course, it’s surprising.
─Yes. The twist was impressive too.
‘So… does this mean…’
At last, Sua realized.
‘…They recognize me as an actor?’
At that moment, a shiver of excitement ran through her as if struck by lightning.
She understood. They recognized her as an actor, and just that fact alone was enough to send them into frenzy. Sua herself quickly felt like rejoicing. A wave of excitement washed over her.
‘This is unbelievable. No, it makes sense, but it’s still amazing!’
Sua even felt a newfound sense of affection for them. They recognized me! It’s so kind!
Sua appreciation! Sua gratitude! Sua excitement!
“What do we do? It’s really Ms. Sua! What do we do!”
At Sua’s mere gaze, they stumbled. One hand covered her mouth while the other reached toward Sua, but when Sua took it, the result was beyond shocking.
“Aaahhh!”
The person outright collapsed, as if an electric current surged through Sua’s body. Honestly, Sua almost fell herself…
Meanwhile, the commotion steadily grew.
“She really seems like someone who has been overseas. What is this aura…!”
“It’s really Ms. Sua, isn’t it?”
“I found the 8th episode extremely entertaining!”
“I – cried!”
“You were drinking, that’s why! You cried too!”
At that moment, Sua realized something.
‘Looks like the twist in Episode 8 really hit the mark.’
She had worried it might be unpleasant, but it seemed to have been well-received. The faces of the group in front of her were filled with pure joy. The greater their happiness, the more elated Sua felt.
“Ms. Sua, why are you at the convenience store?”
“…”
She couldn’t quite bring herself to say she needed underwear to change into after bathing at Seo Yeon-joo’s house. Hence…
“Character research…”
“Huh? Already filming something new?”
“That’s confidential…”
Sua effortlessly used terms she once found difficult now. If Sumi could do this, why couldn’t she? But that was a discussion for another time.
“I’ll definitely watch your next project!”
“Me too!”
“Please win the Rookie Award!”
Boom, boom!
Sua felt her heartbeat accelerate. However, a belated worry arose. How was she going to get out of this situation? She didn’t want to turn away the people who had recognized her.
Then someone spoke up.
“Uh, could we ask you for something?”
Sua had no answer.
She was meeting someone who recognized her for the first time. It meant she hadn’t yet established her own boundaries. Of course, she wouldn’t lend them money.
But now she felt a slight regret.
‘I almost let myself get carried away and agreed to do anything. I should treat them kindly but be mindful of my image. The weight of being an actor!’
Sua cleverly extended her hand.
It meant if she could shake hands with one person, she’d do it with everyone; being fair would prevent any unnecessary talk.
“Oh, a handshake!”
“A handshake with Ms. Sua!”
As the hands surged like Doctor Fish, they collided. Eventually, they decided on a sequence to shake Sua’s hand.
“Kim Yu-han! I shook hands with Kim Yu-han!”
“It’s so warm…!”
“Aaaah!”
Meanwhile, the convenience store worker wearing an apron brought out A4 paper and a permanent marker with a desperate plea.
“Ms. Sua, could you possibly sign something?”
“Well, it’s not impossible…”
“Wow! Me too!”
“Me too!”
“Me too!”
Soon, A4 papers swarmed toward Sua like sharks, but she had a different concern.
‘Thinking about it… do I even have a signature?’
She’d noticed famous entertainers had their cool signature scripts, but Sua didn’t have one yet. She had never imagined a day would come when she’d need to give one.
It was fine. She soon came up with a good idea.
“Just a moment.”
Instead of calligraphy, Sua chose to draw pictures.
Swoosh!
Sua drew caricatures of each of them.
Of course, they were quick sketches, but the recipients didn’t see it that way. The work was short, but it was clear whose faces were captured. The marker’s ink felt almost like ink and brush to them.
“Wait, am I really allowed to receive this?”
Pure emotional impact. That’s how the first recipient reacted.
Meanwhile, the Sua Association nodded in approval.
─By refraining from taking photos, she avoided risks and added a unique, reproducible quality to her signatures. Quite a clever move. Good job.
─This girl is oddly intelligent when it comes to situations like these. Especially in building personal connections.
─Rudimentary and pure are, in fact, quite alike.
Swoosh!
Sua didn’t stop her marker in her hand.
“Look, it’s undeniable! It’s Kim Yu-han!”
“These drawings aren’t just doodles; they’re skills…”
“Crazy! Acting barriers are way too high!”
The good reactions only spurred her on.
However…
“Hmm?”
Sua noticed something odd when she finished one marker.
Why wasn’t the line of people holding out A4 sheets shrinking? She soon realized—more people kept coming.
“What’s going on there?”
“…Is something happening in there!”
“What’s happening? Why is everyone gathered?”
At the same time, a garbage bag for volume-based fees was set up in one corner of the convenience store.
“Ms. Sua! Tell us what you’d like to eat!”
“We, we’d also like to do something for you!”
“Please accept this! It’s for the sketches!”
Ultimately, she used up two permanent markers and filled a 20-liter volume-based fee garbage bag—though Sua claimed it was still far from enough.
…It was all too overwhelming.
◈◈◈◈◈
The next morning at 7 a.m.
That is, 9 hours after the airing of Episode 8.
Whoosh!
Sua was drying her hair at Seo Yeon-joo’s mansion.
“What is this luxurious contraption?”
Clad in a damp towel, Sua’s review was precisely that. Compared to the fan she used at home, this felt absolutely revolutionary.
Because of that, she had a new goal.
“I’ll earn money and change my house and furniture first!”
At the same time, she reminiscenced about yesterday’s events.
“It feels surreal. Was it a dream?”
There were people who recognized her, and their reactions were overwhelmingly friendly. It felt like walking on clouds.
Childish as it may seem, Sua was lost in her thought to pinch her cheek and see if it was real.
Suddenly.
A sudden hand grabbed her chest.
“Eeeeeeeeek!”
Sua panicked internally but remained frozen in shock externally, tightening her narrowed eyes to inspect the figure reflected in the mirror.
It was Seo Yeon-joo.
“I’m sorry, sorry. I couldn’t help but touch it once. You slept at my place, so let this slide.”
She raised both hands in surrender and stepped back.
“Anyway, this takes forever. We don’t have time.”
Seo Yeon-joo wielded two hairdryers.
“The president’s in an uproar this morning. Hurry to the office. Actually, the president isn’t the only one—it’s probably the entire country of Korea.”
Seo Yeon-joo quickly dried Sua’s hair, followed by a rapid application of cosmetics.
“Didn’t something happen while you were outside yesterday?”
“Hmm?”
Sua flinched. Was she followed?
“Why?”
“Well, your name is all over everything.”
Seo Yeon-joo showed her a smartphone with SNS open.
[Real-time Trend]
Trending in Korea
▶ Special Mobile Unit 808
▶ Twist of Episode 8
▶ Sua = Kim Yu-han
▶ Kim Yu-han in Real Life
▶ Sua’s Signature
Seo Yeon-joo pressed the ‘Sua drawing’ option, after which posts poured out.
─I met Kim Yu-han in person at a convenience store, it was insane. There are no photos together, but I’ve attached my signed memorabilia…!
─Sua’s signature ㅠㅠㅠ It’s so good! Shouldn’t I pay for something like this? She casually tossed it to me. She’s an angel ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
─What’s up with Sua’s drawing skills? She drew me exactly as I am—too well. Wish I looked better…
“…”
Sua unconsciously gulped dryly.
Thump, thump, thump!
Her heart pounded powerfully.
Without realizing, she reached for Seo Yeon-joo’s phone. It was instinct. The instinct to see more of what people had to say.
Thump, thump, thump!
At that moment, Sua felt like humans who had just realized tomatoes weren’t poisonous. Until last night, she had been trembling and hesitant to see the reactions, but not now.
The brief fan meeting at the convenience store, coupled with the posts and trends she’d just seen, confirmed it.
The world was much friendlier than Sua had imagined. It was incredibly heartwarming.
It’s just a giant jar of honey! She was ready to enjoy it all.
However…
“Eh.”
Sua couldn’t.
“…”
A tune just then—
Coincidentally, Seo Yeon-joo’s phone rang.
“Mother, it’s the van. Let’s go down.”
Sua followed without a word, but Seo Yeon-joo smiled as if reading her thoughts.
“Think of it as just a taste.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve only seen one page of SNS. So much could’ve happened while we were asleep. The entertainment industry is buried under mountains of work, struggling to breathe. Let’s head there and have them give you a proper teasing.”
Just a taste.
These two words left Sua excited.
Yet, they were true too. After all, she had merely stopped by a convenience store and only glimpsed one SNS page.
How has the world changed? How has it accepted Sua? She hadn’t truly confirmed it yet.
“So, what’s the vibe like up there?”
There was a proper answer to Seo Yeon-joo’s joke.
