Chapter 165: Collapse (4)
Chapter 165: Collapse (4)
Before the advertisement was released, the process leading up to filming moved quickly.
First, the actors were Ryu Sunho and Gong Hajin.
The final casting was confirmed with just those two.
It had originally been planned with four actors, but the moment the others heard the lineup of the first two cast members, every one of them recoiled in horror and declined the offer.
“Ryu Sunho and Gong Hajin? You want me to get wedged in between them and act? Me?”
If anything, that was probably for the best.
Those two alone were already more than enough to generate buzz.
There was no need to awkwardly increase the headcount and drive up the model fees.
Of course, even with just Ryu Sunho and Gong Hajin, the cost was already high based on their market value alone.
But Singgeut’s executive director brushed off any concern, saying that for the sake of the huge step they were about to take, this level of spending was nothing.
Filming took place over two days.
Because of scheduling, Gong Hajin filmed first, and Ryu Sunho continued filming the next day at the same location.
The staff on site prepared the setup with tired expressions.
“Wow... but I still can’t forget Gong Hajin’s acting from yesterday.”
“Same here... Gong Hajin’s eyes were floating around in my head all day.”
“No, but how did he prepare that much when they were pressed for time too? He was immersed like he was filming an entire movie.”
“He’s insanely serious about acting. And his pride’s definitely on the line too.”
Maybe because the aftertaste from the previous day still lingered, they were still going on in admiration.
Then Ryu Sunho appeared at the commercial shoot.
He looked utterly relaxed, without a trace of tension.
Seeing that, the staff began whispering again.
“Wow, his expression looks way too good today. He must be in top condition.”
“Seriously. I thought he’d at least be a little nervous since he’s being directly compared one-on-one with Gong Hajin.”
“He’s the man of Cannes. He may lose in years of experience, but in acting they’re evenly matched.”
“So this is confidence with real backing behind it. Well, that kind of confidence is probably why he shot to the top so quickly.”
Just as they said, Ryu Sunho’s confidence right now definitely had a firm basis.
【Acting Skill Details】
Emotional Expression: S
Line Delivery: A+
Physical Acting: S
For this commercial shoot, he boldly invested the Stat Points he had been saving.
That meant he had raised [Line Delivery] from A to A+.
After all, an opportunity like this would not come around easily again.
When the perfect stage had been set for a direct showdown with Gong Hajin, he needed to drive the nail in as hard as he could with the very best he had.
Of course, he was not relying entirely on the system either.
He had practiced like crazy.
The concept of this commercial was a one-man dual-role concept in which one actor played two opposing personalities.
Vanilla White, with the image of an innocent boy, and Cacao Black, with a deadly, decadent aura.
The process of those two selves colliding and fusing had to be expressed with dense precision in a short amount of time.
Therefore, he broke down the emotional texture of each personality in microscopic detail.
Even when expressing the same joy, he made it feel like a completely different nuance.
After all, each person felt and expressed emotion differently.
On top of that, he used his physical acting to alter the movement of his muscles.
The same height, the same build, but if the silhouette looked different, would it not genuinely give the impression of a different person?
When he was White, he completely released the tension in his body, rounded his shoulders slightly inward, and relaxed the muscles in his neck to soften the line of his jaw, creating a harmless and innocent impression.
By contrast, when he was Black, he filled his core with tension, straightened his spine, and tilted one shoulder ever so slightly to create a languid yet oppressive impression.
What he saw when he practiced in the mirror had been perfect.
And lastly...
The use of line delivery.
In advertising, the auditory element mattered just as much as the visual.
To explain a character in a short amount of time, the tone and manner of the voice had to be distinct.
As if swapping out the vocal cords.
When he was White, he mixed in head voice and raised the resonance point.
He blended in a lot of breath so the voice would have a soft, fluffy texture.
By contrast, when he was Black, he based it on chest voice and lightly scraped the vocal cords.
He practiced a rough, heavy vocal texture so the plosive sounds would strike straight into the ear.
Good.
Once those three elements combined organically, two perfectly separated people came into existence.
Thankfully, it did not seem to be his imagination alone.
As filming began and the cut sign dropped after each take, he could see the staff on site rubbing their arms.
“...Is acting like this even possible?”
“...I’m seeing it with my own eyes, but it still feels like he swapped out the person entirely. This is insane.”
“...This is just on a whole different level.”
It was a commercial shoot whose final result they could not help looking forward to.
Friday, 6 p.m.
The time when traffic was at its heaviest.
Two videos were uploaded to Singgeut Ice Cream’s official YouTube channel.
Ding!
【[Singgeut × Haechi] Vanilla and Cacao Were Always One Body | Dual-Role Film - Ver. Ryu Sunho】
【[Singgeut × Haechi] Vanilla and Cacao Were Always One Body | Dual-Role Film - Ver. Gong Hajin】
Each thumbnail showed a close-up of Ryu Sunho’s and Gong Hajin’s faces.
Like two options waiting for consumers to choose between them.
But right now, the hottest person in South Korea was Ryu Sunho, no matter who said otherwise.
So people clicked on Ryu Sunho’s video first as if bewitched.
A pure white space.
Ryu Sunho stood there, dressed in a white shirt and bathed from head to toe in brilliant white light.
Clear eyes visible through tousled hair.
A harmless, innocent smile.
In his hand, he held the white vanilla ice cream, Only One.
Srrr—
The sound of him gently scraping it with the spoon pierced the ear.
He put the spoon into his mouth, slowly melting it with his eyes softly closed.
The moment vanilla’s signature soft sweetness spread across the tip of his tongue, an extremely faint and pure smile bloomed at the corner of his lips.
“...It’s soft. Anyone would love it.”
A boyish voice that sounded almost like a whisper.
It was the kind of voice that would make anyone who heard it let down their guard.
At that moment—
Boom—
With a low bass sound, the screen flipped.
It was the same space, but the image turned into a cold black-and-white tone and grew heavy.
In that darkness, Ryu Sunho sat with one leg crossed on a leather sofa, dressed in a black suit.
His shirt buttons hung open.
His gaze was languid yet dangerous.
He looked at the black-packaged Deep Cacao ice cream in one hand, then plunged the spoon in deep and scooped up a large bite all at once.
Cold chocolate chips crunched crisply inside his mouth.
Then one corner of his lips lifted slightly.
“As expected. The things that stay in your memory are always this kind.”
A low, grounded voice.
It radiated the dangerous, fatal charm of a grown man.
Soon, the screen split in half.
White on the left, Black on the right.
They had the same face, but the two men facing each other gave off entirely different atmospheres.
One carefully melted the ice cream in his mouth, while the other bit down roughly and swallowed.
Then suddenly, their gazes turned forward at the same time.
And slowly, as though drawn toward each other, they stepped closer one pace at a time.
They drew nearer and nearer, and then their faces gradually overlapped.
Soon, there was one person standing in front of a mirror.
But in the face reflected in the mirror, two expressions overlapped strangely.
A decadent smile lay over innocent eyes.
Ryu Sunho scooped up a spoonful of vanilla ice cream and held it out toward the mirror.
The boy’s voice came first.
“If it’s soft... you keep coming back for it.”
Then it changed abruptly into the deep voice of a grown man.
“But when it’s intense, you can’t forget it.”
A subtle silence flowed for a moment.
It was as if two different selves were clashing.
But softness did not push intensity away, and intensity did not shatter softness.
Ryu Sunho lifted his head and looked straight into the camera.
The innocence of a boy and the sensuality of a grown man coexisted perfectly within a single face.
“Do you really have to choose just one...?”
He drew in a short breath, and his gaze changed.
“There’s no reason for that.”
A new voice burst out, full of certainty.
“Because you can have both.”
After that brief sentence, the last thing to fill the screen was the ice cream.
Vanilla and cacao swirled together, breaking down the boundary between them.
“Taste isn’t something to respect. It’s something that coexists.”
Along with Ryu Sunho’s narration, the logos of Singgeut Ice Cream and Haechi Ice Cream rose side by side.
A short video of about one minute.
But its impact was intense.
The people who watched it through to the end covered their mouths while clutching their phones.
...This is insane, seriously!
This is just an ice cream commercial?
The shiver would not stop.
People began pouring their vivid emotions into the comments section.
Wow, Ryu Sunho is insane..
Insane acting showcase
He seriously looks like two different people;; Did you see how his eyes changed?
⌞He even swapped out the tone of his voice;; White Sunho has a boyish tone, but Black Sunho is a total low baritone.
No, but is a commercial really supposed to be this high-qualityㅋㅋㅋㅋ
So this is a movie trailer, right? When does it premiere? Please!
The reaction did not stop at the comments.
At the same time, it spread rapidly through all kinds of communities, where second- and third-level edits began.
[Ryu Sunho’s dual-role acting that gives you full-body chills ㄷㄷ]
[White Sunho vs. Black Sunho destroying personal preference]
Reaction images were created and plastered everywhere in an instant.
There were even faction wars.
I like White Sunho more... He’s so soft and puppy-like.
My pick is Black Sunho.. His sexy mature aura is insane..
Seriously, it’s been forever since I’ve seen Sunho with his bangs down, and it made me realize all over again how precious it isㅠㅠ Please preserve this forever.
You people know nothing; Ryu Sunho’s at his best when he goes dark; his decadent aura is Michelin three-star level.
But do we really have to choose just one...?
⌞There’s no reason for that.
⌞Because you can have both.
⌞Taste isn’t something to respect. It’s something that coexists.
⌞ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Look how fast they’re already adapting it.
⌞What is this level of unityㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Like a snowball rolling downhill, the reaction kept getting bigger.
And the advertising effect was immediate too.
No, but this commercial is seriously so well madeㅋㅋㅋㅋ
For real, I only just found out Singgeut and Haechi merged because of this ad; it felt so natural.
The marketing person still has insane instincts, give them an award for this.
No way, did Ryu Sunho plan this too???
⌞There’s definitely a good chance he did.
I’m going to buy ice cream right now after watching this ad.
At convenience stores and supermarkets, the collaboration product fell into a sold-out frenzy.
I bought one and tried it, and it’s seriously delicious..
Why is it only missing in my neighborhood..ㅠㅠ?
I saw this and went to five convenience stores, but every one of them was sold outㅠㅠㅠㅠ.
I work part-time at a convenience store, and right now everyone’s going crazy asking for only this; they’re even putting in reservations.
Meanwhile, the Gong Hajin video released alongside it.
Gong Hajin’s commercial video also had high views.
He had the name value of national actor Gong Hajin, after all.
But the temperature of the comments section was noticeably different from Ryu Sunho’s.
Mm.. he did well, but... something feels kind of off.
Why does Gong Hajin feel so bland?
I know he’s a good actor, but... I can’t really feel a sharp difference between the two personas.
⌞Agreed, it just feels like “nice Gong Hajin” and “angry Gong Hajin”...
Ryu Sunho made it feel like I was watching two completely different people, but with Gong Hajin I just keep thinking, “Ah, Gong Hajin is acting.”
Taken on its own, it was clearly an excellent performance.
Stable vocalization, accurate expressions.
But once it was placed side by side with Ryu Sunho’s video, people could not help feeling that something about Gong Hajin’s acting was lacking.
In a structure where comparison was unavoidable, the aura effect Ryu Sunho possessed was activating in full force.
【LV.5 Aura That Leaves an Afterimage】
【Description: After seeing you, people unconsciously use you as the standard when they look at other figures.】
【Effect: Those who have seen you do not easily accept substitutes in the same role or position.】
The people who had already been shocked by Ryu Sunho’s overwhelming visuals and detailed acting could not help finding Gong Hajin’s acting plain.
In the end, it was as if people had taken a red pill and realized an uncomfortable truth.
Posts and videos comparing the two actors’ performances one-on-one began appearing in the communities.
[Who do you think won, Ryu Sunho vs. Gong Hajin? (Poll)]
[Honestly speaking, this ad was a total landslide win for Ryu Sunho]
[At this point, we really have to admit the generational shift.. How long ago was Gong Hajin’s era..]
The weight of public opinion tilted sharply.
【The percentage of people in the country who currently consider you the best actor is ‘31%.’】
The percentage of people recognizing Ryu Sunho as the best actor in the country was soaring at a frightening speed.