Ch.309304 – Public Service Announcement

[NoName_11]

[NoName · 7.15 million followers]

Accepting advertisements. Inquiries through NoName Tgether community.

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-(pianovel) Found her, the next baby princess.🍼👑 [♡5958]

-(waresoft) Innocence, adventure, and the last one standing: Name. [♡2194]

-(nyke) 👟With Nike by your side, nobody can stop Name lol [♡4602]

-(modernoutlets) We’ll treat you as a VVIP, dear customer! [♡3370]

-(tiqtoq_kr) Adela Challenge! Let’s create it together! [♡6851]

-(kobacomain) Name, want to go receive the Nobel Peace Prize? Ding-dong~ding~♬ -Public Service Ad Council- [♡2928]

“Aren’t these all major corporations? I mean actual major corporations, not just big streamers!”

Kariri’s eyes widened as she looked at my Instagram account.

“Not everyone who commented sent an inquiry. They’re just commenting because it promotes their companies.”

“Still! I had no idea Name was this popular!”

Rather than gradually gaining fame, I’d leaped up several steps at once.

The first turning point was the university interview, and the second was the Academy competition.

“So which ad are you going to appear in first?”

“There are too many to review them all. And most importantly, none of them specified the appearance fee.”

“Well, entertainment agencies usually handle most advertising contracts. Things like appearance fees vary depending on contract length and exposure frequency.”

“Is an agency really necessary?”

“Usually having an agency helps separate the profit-seeking image from the celebrity, allowing for fair contracts based on market prices without worrying about public perception.”

“Oh, that sounds smart. But I don’t plan on joining any agency right now. I’ll handle things myself even if it’s a bit harder.”

Being part of the Academy is affiliation enough.

There’s no need to impose unnecessary restrictions on myself.

“Then we should at least establish selection criteria. We could categorize by industry type, company size, social reputation? Though appearance fee is probably most important. What minimum amount were you thinking?”

I sat cross-legged, deep in thought.

In my previous life, the Merchant Guild lobbied me with about 600,000 gold to open a trade route between the Empire and the Papal State, so converting that to current value…

“About 500 billion?”

“Huh?!”

Kariri’s voice cracked.

That must be off.

“50 million won. That’s the absolute minimum.”

“Hmm… Well, since it’s Name! I think you should get at least that much too.”

Now for the final step: announcing the appearance fee.

“Even in a capitalist society, some people look down on making a lot of money. Once your fee gets revealed, the media will tear into you.”

The younger the person, the stronger the backlash. That’s what Kariri was worried about.

“I just need to get the first step right.”

Actually, I’d already decided where to go long ago.

My first destination would be the Public Service Advertisement Council.

* * *

“Rest Assured, Seoul is Currently at War” – a 3-minute short advertisement film, a collaboration between the Public Service Advertisement Council and Save the Children.

It depicted the peaceful, happy life of a child being devastated by war.

But they faced a crisis of having to reshoot the entire film from the beginning.

The 13-year-old child actor genius who had appeared in blockbuster films had perfectly ruined his career with a double combo of school violence and sexual harassment of an 8-year-old girl.

“Ugh! If it weren’t a public service ad, I would’ve quit ages ago! How many people are working for free now because of that bastard?!”

Clatter-

A red plastic megaphone rolled across the floor.

Director Jang Pyeong-sik, who had ambitiously set out to revive declining public service advertisements, bowed his head and scratched his smooth scalp.

Making good advertisements wouldn’t bring him more money.

The filming, which he had undertaken purely out of a sense of duty, had been derailed by unexpected events, leaving him unable to sleep without sleeping pills.

“At least KOBACO managed to find a replacement, and that’s fortunate. They even offered more budget support if needed.”

“If only I could believe that. You know finding a good child actor is much harder than casting a star actor, right?”

“Seoul is Currently at War” demanded high-level acting skills from the child actor.

Due to the director’s stubbornness, they couldn’t overhaul the script at this point.

“Actually…”

“What now? Please don’t make me more anxious. I’m already mentally unstable.”

“The replacement kid is 8 years old…”

“Siiiiigh…”

With a deep sigh, the cinematographer’s body slumped like wilted kimchi.

Even the best 13-year-old actor in Korea barely met Director Jang’s standards, so an 8-year-old was too depressing to even think about.

“This is typical bureaucratic work. I hate everything about it! Won’t an 8-year-old child actor just whine if I criticize them even a little?”

“Actually, they’re not even a professional actor, so this might be their first shoot…”

“Stop right there. I’ll get sick if I hear any more.”

The assistant director zipped his mouth shut.

Even so, Director Jang was considered quite gentle among film directors.

Some directors were known to physically assault their staff.

But the question remained whether the child coming today could handle his picky personality.

Clunk-

Creeeeak-

The central metal door swung open wide, letting sunlight stream into the dark set.

Due to the backlighting, her face wasn’t clearly visible, but it was obvious how small her frame was.

The girl walked step by step under the lighting.

The director, sitting in a camping chair, finally raised his head to see her face.

“You look familiar. Are you NoName?”

A question asked for confirmation. Judging by the whispering crew members, it was certain.

“Hello. I’m NoName, appearing in the anti-war public service advertisement. Please take care of me.”

“Oh, hello, nice to meet you. I really didn’t expect you to come. I’m Director Jang Pyeong-sik.”

Young. Too young. That was the first impression of Name.

Of course, this advertisement needed a young boy or girl as the protagonist, but the director wasn’t unaware of real-world limitations.

That’s why he had compromised with a 13-year-old, but what were these people thinking sending such a little kid?

‘Well, it’s not the child’s fault. It’s those irresponsible people at the Public Service Ad Council…’

Director Jang rubbed his face with his hands, then finally looked at the script Name was holding.

“Is that the script? It must be your first time seeing it, weren’t there many terms you didn’t understand?”

“There were many, but the staff who brought me here kindly explained everything, so I roughly understand the meaning.”

“Good. I guess you’ve heard from the uncle about the current situation?”

Nod-

Name nodded with a solemn expression.

“We don’t have much time, you know? But everyone here has done this before. So if only our friend Name works hard, we can finish quickly. Can you do well?”

The assistant noticed Director Jang subtly pressuring Name.

His purpose was to break her spirit from the beginning.

It sounded like he was shifting responsibility, but it was a necessary measure for work efficiency.

“Yes.”

“I won’t ask you to call me Director. You’re not a professional actor anyway.”

“Yes.”

“We just need to reshoot the parts with Name. We’ll repeatedly memorize scripts and film without breaks until you say you’re tired. Okay?”

“Yes.”

“Good, we’ll start with scene 13. Go quickly and memorize it.”

Director Jang put on a pink sleep mask from the floor and leaned back in his chair.

Still sensing a presence.

He briefly lifted his mask to glance at Name, who hadn’t left yet.

“What? Is there a problem?”

“I’ve already memorized everything, so let’s start right away.”

“Not the beginning, but scene 13?”

“I’ve memorized everything. Headlines, dialogue, stage directions, minor directions, and scene transitions.”

Name said, flipping through the script.

“… Can I see the script?”

He sat up abruptly and took the script.

“Scene 23.”

“Scene 23, residential area, night. The child is curled up in the back seat of a car. The child hugs a doll to their chest, clasping shaking hands while closing their eyes. Police car and ambulance sirens blare loudly. Child. With a terrified expression, opening eyes slightly. Where am I? I’m going to mom now, right? Right?”

The answer flowed like water in a steady tone.

Not a single character was wrong.

“Wow… In all my life… memorizing the whole thing…”

Director Jang was speechless.

Are geniuses truly different from the start?

Half of acting is memorization.

Director Jang believed that actors’ skills are determined not by method acting but by how faithfully they follow what’s written in the script.

“You’d better not be good at acting too.”

Because then there would be too many actors who would envy her talent.

But there was one fact that no one in this world knew.

Name was someone who had directly experienced the PTSD of war.

* * *

There was a time when I dropped out of the Academy and wandered the world aimlessly.

I walked endlessly eastward until blisters formed on my feet and burst.

What was the big deal about having horns?

I thought if they hated seeing me so much, I might as well disappear.

I met an elderly demon couple in a border town.

Administratively, it was Kaizen Empire territory, but border distinctions were often unclear.

I introduced myself as a half-demon.

That was when I still had lingering wariness about demons.

They served me rye bread and warm oatmeal.

It wasn’t much different from what commoners in the Empire ate.

The elderly couple told me they had lost their son and grandson to war.

Demons weren’t naturally devoid of family love.

To demons, family was eternal friendship.

I empathized with their grief of losing friends and decided to become their friend.

I learned how to gather raspberries and apricots, how to take eggs without alerting the hens, and how to make salad with lentils and cabbage.

At night, I taught them how to read and write, and occasionally fought off invading magical beasts.

On days when I found truffles in the mountains, I explained using knowledge from my previous life that these were extraordinary ingredients only eaten by the wealthy.

Their hearty laughter never ceased.

The leisurely rural life was an escape from reality.

While they might have thought of me as a somewhat unique friend, I followed them as dearly as grandparents, even though I didn’t know their names.

Unfortunately, happiness didn’t last long.

The grandmother was captured by demon guards while crossing the border to visit the market.

She was taken to the eastern country.

Tears flowed from the deep wrinkles of the grandfather with his aching legs.

I promised to bring the grandmother back and headed east.

Following her traces, I arrived at a cemetery.

Ah.

The grandmother’s remains, turned to white ashes.

I gathered them into a sack, not even noticing my broken fingernails.

Carrying the pile of earth on my shoulders, I returned to the village.

In my absence, the Empire’s army had devastated the village, accusing them of collaborating with demons.

Silver crosses erected by heresy inquisitors were stuck throughout the village.

The grandfather, nothing but skin and bones.

I knelt before him, begged for forgiveness, and scattered the white bones.

I thought I would either laugh at how absurd the situation was or cry bitterly with grief.

But I didn’t do anything at all.

I just wished this whole situation was a dream, so I remained dazed for days.

It felt like if I stayed like this, I could wake up from this long nightmare.

Because I wanted to go back to when we could laugh together again.

“Child. Where are your parents now?”

“…”

* * *

In the eyes of the girl who lost her parents to a massive bombing spell dropped in the middle of Seoul, not a hint of emotion can be felt.

Under the ashen sky, her withered lips tremble slightly.

With extremely dilated pupils, her black eyes have completely lost focus.

Name’s eyes are open, but she’s not seeing anything.

Each breath reveals bitter pain.

Her mind seemed to have crumbled like a sand castle.

Down her cheek, covered in black dust, a small teardrop weakly flowed from one eye.

The other eye remained desert-dry, as if it had already lost its function.

Name slightly turned her head and stared directly at the camera with both eyes wide open.

The cameraman doing the close-up shot peeked his face out to the side.

He wanted to see the girl’s face directly with his naked eyes.

‘Wow…’

It was astonishing. How could an 8-year-old child make such an expression?

Continuing to look at her became terrible and nauseating, so the man finally exhaled the breath he had been holding.

“It’s happening right now. It’s happening here. War.”

With words uttered like sobs, Name waited only for the director’s cut sign.

And then,

“…Cut!”

A long silence followed.

The director’s eyes, which had been watching Name all along, were filled with emotion and admiration.

As if witnessing a brilliant raw gem of talent.