Ch.310305 – Donation

“Oh, your skin is so soft, sweetie! Bored from waiting? Just a little longer, we’re almost done! Now let’s put on just a touch of lipstick! Can you go ‘ooh’ like me?”

“Ooh…”

“That’s right! Good job, good job, good job!”

A man wearing heavy makeup holds a lipstick in his hand.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

The history of makeup dates back to Neanderthals.

Since ancient times, humans have loved adorning themselves, willingly applying powdered seashells, garden balsam, and even white lead, a type of lead.

So I comforted myself that I was merely surrendering temporarily to the unstoppable historical current of human civilization.

Three makeup artists descended on me simultaneously.

While the youngest one diligently curled my hair with a flat iron from behind, the others patted white powder on both sides of my face.

In my previous life, these beautification sessions would typically last at least four or five hours once they began, so the waiting itself was familiar.

Besides, with a hologram connected to the internet right in front of me, there wasn’t even time to feel bored.

“So NoName, besides this ice cream commercial, have you filmed anything else?”

“Last week I shot a short film for a public service announcement, and also commercials for Nike shoes, Modern Group shopping mall, Samsung capsules, and GigaStudy.”

“Whaaaat! In just one week? That’s so many!”

“You’re like a total idol! I’ll definitely have to watch all of NoName’s commercials.”

“Is there a reason you suddenly started doing so many commercials?”

“Hey, why are you asking something like that?”

The senior staff gave the youngest a warning look.

Since I couldn’t nod due to the makeup, I closed and opened my eyes once to signify agreement.

“I need money to buy mana.”

“Ah, so you needed money. True, attending the Academy costs a lot.”

“NoName is so admirable. Working hard to earn money all by herself. Alright, we’re done! Good job! Good luck with the shoot!”

I hopped down from the high chair where my feet couldn’t touch the floor and landed gracefully on both feet.

Lost in thought, I clasped my hands behind my back and moved to the next location.

Just the day before yesterday, I had finished calculating my exact mana requirements, even running programs to get precise figures.

Since magic above 6th circle requires government permission to use, I planned to use Persona Pisces and Dragonia Nascientia through the Dimensional Descent Method by connecting five circles in parallel.

It’s only nominally 5th circle, but not really 5th circle. That’s because mana has a progressive tax system.

In other words, I needed a total of 209.1 billion won: 675 million won for Akashic Record, 86.1 billion won for Persona Pisces, and 122.3 billion won for Dragonia Nascientia.

Moreover, even if you pay enough money, you can’t use mana freely.

Mana is a finite resource.

So my best option now was to target the timing before the Gunsan Mana Power Plant, scheduled for completion next year, connects with industrial sectors.

For that to happen, all the gears needed to mesh perfectly.

The success of the Bio-Akashic new drug, the proposal for a friendly merger and acquisition.

The situation was so complicated that Adella’s whereabouts could be considered later.

‘Sigh… nothing is easy.’

Creeeeak-

A set much larger than the public service announcement filming location came into view.

A slide, swings, and a seesaw.

And the floor was covered with soft plastic balls.

It’s hard to believe this entire playground was created for just one commercial shoot.

Oh, there will be behind-the-scenes clips too, so I guess it’s not just once.

“Standby!”

As the PD had instructed earlier, I climbed onto the center of the set decoration and waited for the ice cream truck.

Honk honk-!

A fairy-tale-like white vehicle that you’d never find on regular streets stopped in front of me.

Soon after, the side door swung open and a Western actor with a charming mustache emerged, waving his hand.

“Merhaba!”

It means hello in Turkish.

I didn’t specifically learn Turkish; this was just one of the only three Turkish phrases I knew.

Merhaba (hello), sağ ol (thank you), and benim dondurma ile oynamayın (don’t play with my ice cream).

An ice cream cone on a metal stick flew toward me in an arc.

‘Now!’

Tap-

As I quickly swung my arm, the ice cream cone landed perfectly in my hand.

“Huh?”

“Oh Jesus…!”

According to the script, I was supposed to miss it here, but I caught it instinctively.

“Cut! NoName! You have such quick hands!”

“Ah… I’m sorry…”

“Wahahahaha!”

The filming crew burst into laughter.

“Hmm, it might be fine to use it as is? The scene turned out really interesting.”

“What? But PD! The storyboard…”

“We have talented writers who can rewrite the storyboard. Alright?”

“Y-yes…”

And so the commercial filming continued in an environment where not everyone could laugh.

* * *

[Last modified: 2051-11-28 16:34:47]

[Public Service Advertisement Council’s Anti-War Ad Controversy]

[This document contains detailed information and explanations about actual incidents and accidents.]

1. Overview

On November 24, 2051, the Public Service Advertisement Council, in collaboration with Save the Children, uploaded an anti-war and child protection public service advertisement to their official YouTube channel.

This movercial (movie+commercial) became a hot topic as NoName starred in it, but soon after, controversy about child abuse spread across social media.

The main point of contention was that NoName is an actual victim of Walpurgis, and the content of the work could potentially trigger PTSD in the actor.

2. Opinions and Issues

(…)

Director Jang Pyeong-sik was waiting outside the Baskin Robbins shooting location, scanning through the latest articles.

He was waiting to talk with NoName after she finished filming the commercial.

“It’s my first time seeing someone get in trouble for acting too well.”

They say anyone can cry on command, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Even adults struggle with it, making tear performances by child actors even rarer.

And this wasn’t just any ordinary crying scene.

“That performance… those were the eyes of soldiers who had actually experienced war…”

Ten years ago, he had interviewed military mages and veterans while filming a movie about the Middle East War.

PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Among younger generations, the expression “I’m getting PTSD” is often used casually.

But Director Jang knew well that it wasn’t a subject to be taken lightly.

Those veterans needed to take six stabilizing pills three times a day just to function in daily life, and would often faint at similar sounds.

But NoName’s case was different.

As soon as the director called “cut,” she wiped away her tears and smiled angelically.

During filming, all the staff members had felt their hearts drop.

Fortunately, the Public Service Advertisement Council didn’t pull the ad based on public reaction like some companies would.

‘Should I be grateful they’re a public enterprise in times like this?’

In fact, regarding the ad itself, praise poured in: “It opened new horizons for Korean public service ads that were previously at the level of middle school UCC,” “It’s quality worthy of the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival.”

As an industry professional, ignoring such a diamond in the rough would be unforgivable.

How many actors were former top students or graduates of prestigious universities?

After a long wait, NoName rushed out of the set with a black plastic bag packed full.

“Hey, wait!”

The problem was that NoName walked right past Director Jang Pyeong-sik.

“Wait!”

He reached out toward NoName, who was running away without looking back.

An unexpected chase scene unfolded in reality.

The issue was that Director Jang Pyeong-sik was a pot-bellied man in his late 40s who avoided cardio exercise.

“Huff… puff…! I can’t run… huh?”

And NoName was a skinny girl without a trace of muscle on her body.

“Damn… I can’t run without aura.”

The chase, which started at 10 km/h, ended in less than 15 seconds.

“Why did you run away, NoName?”

“Why wouldn’t I run when someone keeps following me like a stalker? Don’t misunderstand. I’m not avoiding you because I’m scared, but because you’re gross.”

“Gross?! That’s going too far!”

A dagger pierced Director Jang Pyeong-sik’s heart.

“I got this ice cream as payment, so I can’t talk long. I need to put it in the freezer.”

NoName pointed at the black plastic bag.

“Then I’ll get straight to the point. Would you like to be my colleague, no, would you appear in my movie?”

“No.”

“But why?”

“I have absolutely no intention of becoming an actor. Unless you’re going to give me 100 billion won.”

100 billion won.

A fee that even the top Hollywood actor, not the second highest-paid, could only dream of.

It was an amount unimaginable in Korea, especially for a supporting role rather than a lead.

“But why?”

“If you’re curious, 100 billion won.”

NoName answered indifferently.

A child’s stubbornness can’t be broken anyway.

Well aware of this fact, Director Jang Pyeong-sik sat down on the concrete floor.

“Right, there are many other things you can do besides acting, so I shouldn’t force you.”

“Then can I go now—”

“Wait a moment. I actually had something else I wanted to say, so could you spare just a little time?”

“Five minutes only.”

“Alright.”

It was the third day Director Jang had been following NoName.

Still suspicious, NoName stood there with her arms crossed.

“This ad has generated a lot of talk in many ways. All thanks to your possessed-level acting.”

“Really? I haven’t seen it yet.”

“Truly, in my life… wow… I don’t think anyone your age could act like that anywhere in the world. Anyway, that’s not the important part. I was hoping you could provide an explanation. This ad, just my hunch, but I think it could be nominated for the Cannes International Advertising Festival.”

“So? What explanation?”

“It’s an ad of unprecedented quality in Korea. It will be showcased internationally, but if public opinion in Korea is this negative, won’t that be a problem?”

“I don’t think it will be a problem for me specifically.”

Director Jang Pyeong-sik was at a loss for words.

Even he had to admit it probably wouldn’t be a problem.

“W-well! NoName, you’ve been doing a lot of commercials lately! If you make so much money from ads as a regular person, not a celebrity, people’s views might not be as positive as before. But if you use this opportunity to widely showcase your acting talent to the public, you could receive celebrity treatment and get even more commercial offers!”

“I’ve been managing public opinion for a long time already.”

NoName fiddled with her phone a few times and then showed the screen to Director Jang Pyeong-sik.

An article posted an hour ago.

[Exclusive) NoName Donates Entire 50 Million Won Public Service Ad Fee to Save the Children]

“This works, doesn’t it?”

It was a calculated move that simultaneously revealed her minimum fee of 50 million won while earning social applause.

‘I wondered where those Public Service Ad Council guys got all that money…!’

It had seemed strange that even someone as famous as NoName would command 50 million won for a public service ad.

“Now Seoul is at War” was created with Save the Children’s sponsorship from the beginning.

That money had circulated back to them.

The Public Service Advertisement Council was happy not to spend extra money, and NoName was happy to receive the title of donor.

NoName put her phone in her pocket and casually said to Director Jang Pyeong-sik.

“I want to do what I’m good at. Right now, you might think I have talent because I’m young and more mentally mature than others, but I question whether I’ll still be good at acting when I grow up.”

“Of course you’ll be good—”

The director hesitated.

Images of child actors who shined briefly and then disappeared without a trace flashed through his mind.

“Above all, I don’t really like… acting out other people’s lives. Can I go now? Don’t worry, I’ll provide that explanation you mentioned at an appropriate time.”

NoName gripped the black bag with both hands again and left.

“Oh, and one more thing. That wasn’t acting.”

“What?”

“I hope you get good results with the ad. I really hate war too.”

Director Jang Pyeong-sik’s body froze for a while at those meaningful words.