Chapter 614

The truth was, Little Foal barely had any screen time in the second film.

“She was practically an extra before the script got rewritten.”

As one drink turned into two, the conversation drifted into that stage where people started borrowing the courage of alcohol to say what they really meant.

“I seriously think rewriting the script just to squeeze you in was the director's greatest stroke of genius. Come on. Come on, back me up here.”

Something the general audience had never known, since they hadn't been on set.

“She was amazing with ad-libs in Macau too.”

“That scene was seconds away from becoming an NG. If Little Foal hadn't improvised and smoothed it over, our director would've ended up with a hole in his stomach. Hell, it would've torn open so badly we'd have needed to stitch him back together.”

The scenes that only existed because Han Yeoreum played Influ 1.

The changes to the story.

The new emotions the audience ultimately experienced.

“Oh, right. Originally we never had that candy-making scene anywhere in the series.”

“Huh? That's my first time hearing that.”

“Before the rewrite, the director called me practically crying... I think I'm the only one who still has the original script.”

If someone asked which scene in <Faster Than the Law 2> was the most absurd, it would undoubtedly be the Violent Crimes Unit getting completely swept up by Influ 1 and illegally making homemade diet candies.

And that entire sequence hadn't even existed before Han Yeoreum officially joined the production.

“Then... what was supposed to happen originally?”

At Joo Junseo's question, Yun Hyeonjo answered.

“They were just going to order pill-shaped candies from an overseas website and fill empty medicine bottles with them.”

It was exactly the kind of shortcut detectives from the Violent Crimes Unit would realistically come up with. Watching them fumble through international online shopping would've been funny enough on its own.

But Influ 1 was a completely ridiculous cheat code.

Logic, realism—she bulldozed straight through all of it. If a character like her suggested something, even more outrageous scenes suddenly felt believable.

“Little Foal! You've even got the director wrapped around your finger! Hahaha!”

And this private gathering for <Faster Than the Law 3>, where Han Yeoreum had an especially large role, was the perfect place to reveal that talent.

After all, she'd already proven herself to both the director and the cast in the previous installment. Nobody needed convincing that her expanded screen time had been earned.

“And the one saying it is Yun Hyeonjo.”

A levelheaded man who never handed out empty compliments. More importantly, he was a film actor.

Words coming from Yun Hyeonjo would have an impact far beyond anyone's imagination.

A director with a ten-million-ticket blockbuster had rewritten the script because of her.

A ten-million-ticket actor openly acknowledged her.

She had climbed from nameless extra to unforgettable supporting character through nothing but her own ability, even giving a once-anonymous role an actual name.

“She deserves it.”

The film industry was already an incredibly difficult place for actresses in their twenties.

Anyone who understood that would inevitably start looking at Han Yeoreum differently.

Thanks to Kwak Cheolsik, it had even been revealed who was really behind the post-credit scene in <Faster Than the Law 3>. Everyone who had left the theater with a smile would soon be spreading that story far and wide.

Director Hong smiled in satisfaction, his already narrow eyes disappearing into crescents.

Sure enough, the live comments were already reflecting it.

-15:22 Yun Hyeonjo is seriously giving Han Yeoreum the proud dad smile here lol.

↳ It's like he raised her himself...

-15:41 Every time Kwak Cheolsik appears I turn the volume down. Then Yun Hyeonjo shows up so I turn it back up. Then Kwak appears again and I panic trying to lower it.

↳ Holy shit lmfao.

-Han Yeoreum really is an incredible actress. This isn't even a TV director—it's a film director rewriting the script for a supporting role. That's not something you see often. Her talent is obviously on another level.

-I thought the post-credit scene was so clever. Turns out it was you, Han Yeoreum... lol. It was hilarious! You really know how to make a movie~ lol.

Watching the comments unfold exactly as he'd predicted, Director Hong couldn't stop smiling.

Ironically, Han Yeoreum's biggest weakness right now was her agency.

“I hate to admit it, but it's JC.”

No matter how much she proved herself through sheer ability, people would always say, “Well, she's with a major agency.”

That prejudice wouldn't disappear easily.

Which was why she needed someone so influential that even the biggest agencies couldn't touch them.

Someone who didn't care about connections or company backing.

If a film director who fought head-on to make his own films chose to stand beside Han Yeoreum—

“She'll be firmly established as A-list.”

Because everyone insisting “Han Yeoreum isn't that good” would disappear overnight.

-Anyone who's seen Faster Than the Law 3 will totally agree with everything Yun Hyeonjo said lol. Han Yeoreum was absolutely incredible.

-This is easily the best movie in the series. The production value is insane, and Joo Junseo and Han Yeoreum have amazing chemistry~ Time flew by.

-Han Yeoreum is great as comic relief, but when her eyes suddenly changed halfway through... that was genuinely terrifying. She'd absolutely kill it playing a sociopath lol.

People who had already watched <Faster Than the Law 3> were flooding the comments with praise for Han Yeoreum's acting.

The atmosphere was perfect for everyone who clicked on the <First Ride Live> thumbnail to become curious too.

“Come on... keep flowing in.”

INTUBE

[First Ride Live │ What goes best with somaek? <Faster Than the Law 3>'s spicy hotpot-level charm >//< Yun Hyeonjo ・ Kwak Cheolsik ・ Joo Junseo ・ Han Yeoreum] 45:29

145,661 views

Ten o'clock at night.

The next day was the weekend.

The perfect time for a late-night meal.

And the menu on the thumbnail?

Spicy hotpot.

Anyone who saw that thumbnail and didn't click on the video would be the strange one.

-The second I saw this I couldn't hold back and ordered spicy hotpot T_T LMAO

-I'm watching Faster Than the Law tomorrow. Guess I have to eat spicy hotpot first... I'm drooling so hard.

-Every single scene is absolutely destructive, holy shit.

-Wait, Baby Melon Bread eats spicy hotpot too? T_T If the baby recommends it, then Unni has to eat it. I don't even like spicy hotpot that much, but extra bok choy, wood ear mushrooms, beef, tons of glass noodles, tofu puffs, fish balls, bean sprouts, thick noodles, and five pieces of sweet-and-sour pork...

↳ Excuse me? Stop using Han Yeoreum as an excuse. What do you mean you don't like it? You've clearly been fully prepared to enjoy the hell out of it.

↳ Read the room.

The comments shot past a thousand almost instantly.

As always.

Because it was a Han Yeoreum video.

* * *

Joo Junseo's fan, Ppojunseo, couldn't have been happier during this holiday.

Until recently she'd been a student preparing for entrance exams, meaning there were countless things she wasn't allowed to do.

Now she was finally free.

Everything was wonderful.

But the best part was being able to fangirl day and night without anyone stopping her.

Ppojunseo @pocketiszzs

(Joo Junseo making somaek.mp4)

I swear the government released this mentally unstable heartthrob just to drive women insane.

Retreats 456 Likes 1,123

↳ Explain why you left two shirt buttons undone today, Oppa.

↳ FR FR.

↳ Trying to act like a man >//< Aww.

While watching <First Ride Live>, Ppojunseo clipped moments in real time, constantly checking the number of retreats and likes.

“Ha... Joo Junseo really isn't far from becoming a ten-million-ticket actor.”

The video had only been uploaded a short while ago, yet the likes were climbing rapidly.

She admired how unbelievably handsome Joo Junseo looked filling the screen, then smiled when she realized the normally shy and introverted actor seemed genuinely comfortable among the other cast members.

“They really look close.”

Maybe it was because Han Yeoreum had been with him ever since <ParCheHi>.

Joo Junseo looked completely relaxed.

“Just thinking about him doing variety shows makes me excited.”

When he promoted his previous work, he'd tried hard but somehow always seemed a little awkward.

With Han Yeoreum beside him, though, it was different.

Their natural chemistry came from genuine friendship.

“Ah, Han Yeoreum! I like her so much!”

Without realizing it, Ppojunseo had already made Han Yeoreum her second favorite.

Then again, there was no reason not to.

An actress you could support without any reservations.

Great filmography.

Excellent on variety shows.

Amazing fan service.

And, above all else, genuinely talented.

“And she's adorable.”

To Ppojunseo, Han Yeoreum wasn't an older sister.

Because she was just too cute.

She'd seen her in person before and had even attended a fan meeting.

After that experience, she'd become convinced.

Han Yeoreum was unbelievably adorable.

“I want to see her in person again already!”

Ppojunseo had survived the bloodbath of ticketing and secured seats for tomorrow's <Faster Than the Law 3> stage greeting.

After seeing all the fan service videos other people had uploaded, her excitement had multiplied several times over.

As she habitually refreshed the reservation page one more time—

Grrrrumble.

"..."

Ppojunseo sighed.

“Yeah... I've held out long enough...”

It had already been thirty minutes since she'd seen the spicy hotpot.

The fact that she'd managed not to order it until now deserved praise in itself.

Following both her heart and her stomach, she opened the delivery app.

“Huh?”

Then she froze.

[Closed today due to an overwhelming number of orders.]

Apparently, every spicy hotpot restaurant had gone into emergency mode.

* * *

Ppojunseo wasn't the only one caught off guard.

The owner of Panda Spicy Hotpot had been stunned by the flood of incoming orders as well.

“What the...? Did Delivery Satisfaction hand out coupons or something?”

“I think so. There are way too many orders.”

The restaurant was supposed to close in an hour.

Getting this many orders now made no sense.

The owner immediately checked the delivery app.

“But... there's nothing.”

“That's weird...”

Neither the staff nor the part-timers had any idea what was happening.

Even at that very moment, new orders kept pouring in.

“Wait.”

The owner suddenly found a clue.

“The delivery slips... every single one of them... every single one has Panda on it!”

As someone who loved pandas enough to name the restaurant Panda Spicy Hotpot, she immediately noticed the extra Panda tofu puff option added to every single order.

Not one customer had skipped it.

A shiver ran through her heart.

“Someone... someone has to have promoted Panda!”

She hurriedly searched “spicy hotpot panda” on social media.

Kim Byeonggwan @kimbyeonggwan

How little sleep did she get to have dark circles this bad...

Unni will tuck you in nice and warm and let you sleep //

(Panda tofu-puff blanket.jpg)

Retreats 11K Likes 22K

↳ The excuses just keep getting more ridiculous, holy shit.

↳ Apologize to the panda.

Scrolling down, she found clips from Han Yeoreum's <First Ride Live>.

Even someone who cooked spicy hotpot every single day suddenly wanted to eat it after watching those criminally delicious scenes.

“Guys... we'd better place tomorrow's supply orders right now.”

The moment she realized why everyone was adding Panda tofu puffs, she tensed up.

This was Han Yeoreum.

The same Han Yeoreum who had once created the legendary three-hour wait outside a stir-fried webfoot octopus restaurant.

“Starting tomorrow, getting Panda tofu puffs is going to be a nightmare.”

Now the spicy hotpot industry—and Panda tofu puffs in particular—was about to receive the full force of the Han Yeoreum effect.

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

Since her debut, Han Yeoreum had never once fallen out of the rankings of trendiest celebrities.

Lately she'd never even lost first place.

The order notifications rang endlessly in time with her popularity.

The moment Panda Spicy Hotpot opened the following morning, the owner's dark circles had become as black as a panda's from dealing with the avalanche of orders.

It felt as though every person who had painfully resisted ordering after watching the video late the previous night had come back for revenge.

Having held themselves back until morning, everyone loaded their spicy hotpot with every extra ingredient imaginable.

But the owner couldn't have been happier.

“I've honestly loved Han Yeoreum for a long time... I was planning to watch her new movie too...”

“You're probably not going.”

The employee and part-timer processing orders beside her snickered.

Their own eyes were ringed with panda-like dark circles.

“This holiday... instead of tteokbokki, which usually gets extra orders because of holiday pancakes...”

“People are choosing spicy hotpot... to wash away all that greasy food...”

Only the little panda floating inside the spicy hotpot slept peacefully.

Wrapped snugly in its tofu-puff blanket soaked with broth.

* * *

Manager Ma monitored everything.

Just as he'd expected.

Han Yeoreum's momentum was unbelievable.

INTUBE

[Faster Than the Law 3 Stage Greeting Fan Cam] 10:27

34,662 views

-Holy crap Han Yeoreum is so busy LOLLLLL She's adorable T_T

-02:22 She tells Joo Junseo there's one of his fans here. I'm grateful on their behalf.

↳ Seriously. She even takes care of other actors' fans? Some arrogant male actors should learn from her—they ignore even their own fans.

↳ I went to that stage greeting, became a Han Yeoreum fan, and now I'm even searching up videos of her.

Not only Han Yeoreum's own fans—

People who had attended the <Faster Than the Law 3> stage greetings were uploading full videos to Intube as if possessed.

Even those who weren't fans of any of the actors and had gone out of simple curiosity found themselves won over by Han Yeoreum.

-Wait, this was filmed on a phone? If her face looks like this on a phone camera, that's just unfair. Life is seriously rigged.

Not a professional camera.

Just an ordinary phone.

Not people who had come prepared.

Just regular moviegoers.

The fact that even they walked away overwhelmingly satisfied said everything.

RosyDew @rosydwuuuu

(Screenshot of Faster Than the Law 3 stage greeting ticket resale post.jpg)

Holy shit, are these stage greeting prices or concert ticket prices? Have people lost their minds?

Retreats 3,312 Likes 5,561

Word spread like wildfire.

Communities.

Social media.

Even portal sites.

Within just a few days, <Faster Than the Law 3> had completely taken over.

And it wasn't just the stage greetings.

The <First Ride Live> video uploaded the previous night had already been clipped and reposted across countless communities.

[HOT / Last night's Faster Than the Law 3 cast scandal that had everyone asking if this was okay at 10 PM.jpg]

(Kwak Cheolsik picking up beef.jpg)

(Han Yeoreum's spicy hotpot.jpg)

(Yun Hyeonjo's lemon shrimp.jpg)

(Joo Junseo making somaek.jpg)

Truckloads of women confessing they had no choice but to eat spicy food.

(Panda tofu-puff blanket.jpg)

If there's a problem, I'm just a baby, so I'm going to bed.

-Anonymous 1: I ended up ordering too;; I don't even like sweet-and-sour pork but somehow I bought it.

-Anonymous 3: Is spicy hotpot really that good...? I've never had it before but now I'm insanely curious.

↳ Anonymous 12: Once you try it, you're addicted.

↳ Anonymous 19: Same. I never cared before, but now Han Yeoreum has me drooling.

-Anonymous 38: I watched this way too late last night and nearly starved to death TT_TT I ordered spicy hotpot the second I woke up. My neighborhood doesn't even have Panda tofu puffs. I'm so pissed.

-Anonymous 41: Wrapping the panda in a tofu-puff blanket was ridiculously cute. How can someone be this much of a baby?

-Anonymous 56: The title said "scandal," so I rushed in panicking. I trusted Hyeonjo Oppa T_T.

“Telling you, making spicy hotpot the centerpiece was absolute genius, you little cutie.”

The bright red food splashed across the thumbnail perfectly exploited Koreans' instinctive attraction to spicy dishes.

It had only been twelve hours since the upload.

And it had already climbed to No. 1 on the Trending Videos chart.

By now, all of this felt perfectly natural.

Because it was Han Yeoreum.

Breaking through hundreds of thousands of views in no time.

Getting thousands of comments.

Turning anything she wore, used, ate, or recommended into an instant bestseller.

[Delivery Satisfaction]

1. Spicy Hotpot

2. Panda Tofu Puffs

3. Panda Spicy Hotpot

Before anyone realized it, the delivery app rankings had been completely taken over by spicy hotpot.

Several quick-moving influencers would probably upload Panda tofu puff videos titled “Han Yeoreum Spicy Hotpot” before the day was over.

Whatever Han Yeoreum did became the trend.

Watching the momentum she'd built so completely, Manager Ma let out a helpless laugh.

“At this rate... what's going to happen to her in the future?”