CHAPTER 017: You’re Not Supposed to Do Viral Like That
CHAPTER 017: You’re Not Supposed to Do Viral Like That
【Trait: Would you like to use High-Performance Algorithm? (One-time)】
【Trait: High-Performance Algorithm has been activated!】
【Effect: For one month after activation, the SNS posts you upload will automatically spread to the public through a transcendent algorithm!】
An era overflowing with content.
People don’t “choose” content—they’re “forced into a choice.”
‘Social proof.’
When it’s hard to judge what’s good among countless options, people tend to follow what others choose.
That’s why one line like “This is trending lately” can be more persuasive than any review.
That’s why companies get so obsessed with viral marketing.
But obvious promotion is poison.
The moment it looks like an ad, trust collapses, and all that’s left is rejection.
‘The core of viral is seeping in.’
First a glance, then a double take, and then—before they know it—they’re fully hooked.
If you don’t design that natural immersion structure, no marketing works.
‘So.’
Without people noticing, I had to make it so they could slowly immerse into the character and interact with him.
@Seoho20
[Can’t go to Jirisan because it’s far, but here’s my beloved mountain]
I posted my first photo on Instagram.
It looked like a slice of Ryu Sunho’s daily life, but in truth, they were photos posted as Kang Seoho.
Followers and comments started climbing fast.
—Ooh, you finally made an Insta!!! Congrats!!!
—I missed you so much 😭😭😭 why did you wait until now!
—I thought you didn’t know how to use Insta but I guess you do lol
—But Sunho please fix your ID 😭😭 it’s “Seoho,” you typo’d.. you dropped the n in “Sunho”ㅠ
—He doesn’t know it’s a typo, does he? Someone DM him
—No no, it’s cute and charming, leave it like this ㅇㅇ just keep it forever
—Hiking… yeah, he really has wholesome hobbies
—Our Sunho likes mountains huh
They still didn’t suspect a thing.
But as the first broadcast got closer, I’d reveal hints one by one that the owner of this account was Seoho from the drama.
When the twist hit—that every post, every preference, every way of speaking had been built on the drama character’s personality—it would land as a positive shock.
People would start sharing it on their own, and it would go viral.
‘And only then.’
The drama would get results no artificial promo could match.
Sweet, sweet ratings.
I stopped reading comments and closed my eyes for a moment.
‘I’m… kind of nervous.’
Not from anxiety about the outcome.
That wouldn’t happen.
It was just—
‘Me, doing SNS.’
In my previous life, I’d never even dared.
After the burn, exposing myself was pain.
Even one ordinary selfie everyone took was a wall I couldn’t climb.
Even when I was taking landscape photos, if the camera accidentally flipped to selfie mode, my whole body would lock up and freeze.
‘But…’
That was the past now.
No need to dig it up unless I was acting.
Then, as if telling me to snap out of useless thoughts, a familiar system alert floated into view.
【New goal generated!】
【Goal: First appearance, first broadcast! Achieve 10% ratings】
【Reward: Stat Points +1】
So the drama war was starting in earnest.
10% ratings.
In times like these, I knew it wasn’t an easy number.
But that’s what makes it worth achieving.
“Check the fire extinguisher locations one more time! Safety first!”
“Director, when the flames surge later, should we go darker on the lighting tone? To deepen the shadows on the actors’ faces?”
“Camera 3, final check on the rail path!”
The day we filmed the scene where the shrine was set on fire.
From the moment I stepped on set, the air felt different.
The set was packed with staff shouts and radio chatter.
Everyone’s faces carried tension—today’s shoot was a crucial scene that would decide the drama’s direction.
“Alright, focus, everyone! This is the most important scene today! We’ll bring Actress Park Dusim and Actor Ryu Sunho to set!”
At the assistant director’s shout, the noisy set fell quiet in an instant.
All eyes snapped to me at once.
Cutting through those gazes, senior actress Park Dusim—playing Jang Manok—walked toward me.
Her eyes were deeper and more serious than usual.
“Sunho, today, the two of us are going to make a real piece of work.”
She showed me a bracelet on her wrist that looked like prayer beads.
“This is like my acting talisman. I only wear it when a scene requires me to grind down my soul. It’s been about ten years since I took it out.”
So she’d come fully prepared for today.
“But I figure it suits someone who’ll open the next era better than an old person like me.”
She removed the bracelet and placed it in my hand.
It was warm.
Park Dusim’s warmth, her passion inside it, transferred to me as-is.
“Thank you… I’ll do my best.”
At my words, she nodded quietly.
“Sunho, the makeup team’s waiting. We need to start the burn makeup.”
I nodded slowly and headed for the special-effects makeup trailer.
Materials I’d never seen in my life.
“This might be a little cold.”
A chilled alcohol swab brushed my face.
That cold sensation—
It was like the ER in my previous life, when a nurse wiped around the wound.
Without realizing it, my shoulders stiffened.
Then grotesque silicone pieces covered my right cheek and the corner of my eye.
A taut, pulling sensation wrapped over me.
‘…It’s pretty realistic.’
The memory surfaced again.
That horrible feeling of burned skin healing into hard scars that pulled at my facial muscles.
Making it hard to close my eye fully, twisting my mouth corner like a sneer.
‘Good.’
If I used this unpleasant sensation, my facial acting might look even more natural.
When I acted out my old self while looking in the mirror, the crew watching behind me murmured in awe.
“Wow… it already feels insanely real.”
“The makeup’s one thing, but look at how his facial muscles move. It’s terrifyingly realistic.”
“I’m so excited for the shoot. Even just imagining it during the script reading gave me chills—now we’ll actually see it.”
The camera got set.
On the special effects team’s signal, flames began to rise in the shrine set.
“Ready… action!”
On the director’s cue, I walked into the set.
Crackle— crackle—
The sound of fire pounding my eardrums.
The heat licked at my cheek.
And in that moment, my reason snapped.
The fake flames in front of me overlapped with the real flames from twenty years ago.
‘Hot.’
A scream-like voice inside.
‘Run. Get out of here.’
My past self was shouting on instinct.
My legs shook, my breathing turned difficult.
I wanted to collapse and cover my ears right then.
But at that moment, another voice rang inside my head.
‘No. This is acting.’
It was my present self.
Ryu Sunho’s voice.
‘I don’t run. Not in any moment.’
Two selves collided violently inside me.
Past trauma and present will.
I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again.
If I couldn’t suppress the fear, then swallow it.
I dragged the fear and pain rampaging inside me out and turned it into Kang Seoho’s mask.
The trembling stopped.
In its place sat emptiness that had burned everything away, and a cold madness.
A perfect performance born from real fear—something no actor could imitate.
“That way, it’s fair.”
A voice endlessly low and dry, tossed behind the flames.
And a beat later—
“…Cut!”
The moment I heard the director’s shout, the thread of will holding me up snapped.
All strength drained out of my body, and I slumped where I stood.
My hands shook like trembling reeds.
Staff rushed in.
“Wow… Sunho’s immersion is no joke.”
“Sunho, are you okay? Didn’t you go too deep? We’ll give you time to come out of the role.”
No, I’m fine—
I tried to say it, but it stuck in my throat and wouldn’t come out.
Ah.
Only then did I realize.
‘I thought… I’d completely gotten over it.’
I hadn’t.
I’d been acting like I’d seen it all.
But I was still a kid.
“This is insane. What we saw at the script reading was just a teaser.”
Director Chae Wongi, sitting in front of the monitor, burst out a hollow laugh and took off his headset.
“I’ve worked with countless actors, but I’ve never seen eyes like that. That’s… the eyes of someone who’s truly lost everything. Empty, but with hell inside.”
“And his voice. It wasn’t lines—it sounded like he was spitting a curse. That cold air caught in the mic—post-recording can’t bring that to life.”
“If we show this to Writer Park, she’ll faint. Seeing a character she wrote move like this.”
In one corner, Sunho’s stylists, Minha and Heeju, clutched each other’s arms tight and whispered.
“Unni, am I crying because I’m scared, or because I’m moved? I don’t know…”
“I’m scared. I closed my eyes in the middle. I don’t think I can call him ‘Sunho-sunho’ anymore.”
While the whole crew buzzed with excitement over a breathtaking performance, Actress Park Dusim approached Ryu Sunho slowly.
Then, without a word, she wrapped his trembling shoulders in a quiet embrace.
“Sunho.”
Shoulders icy cold.
She patted his slight trembling.
It wasn’t a congratulatory pat.
It was heavy, warm reassurance: It’s okay. It’s over now.
Only then did Ryu Sunho’s ragged breathing begin to settle.
He looked up at Park Dusim with confused eyes.
“It’s okay. It’s over. This is a set, and you did very well.”
The noisy praise from staff, the director’s loud cheers—none of it reached him.
But that quiet sentence settled into his awareness.
“…Ah.”
Ryu Sunho finally let out a long breath.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Wrong.”
“…Yes?”
“You’re being praised for doing well. When that happens, you say thank you.”
At her words, Ryu Sunho paused.
That simple sentence felt strangely hard.
But then—
He loosened the tension packed into his body and barely managed one line.
“…Thank you. For giving me this chance.”
A building in Gangnam, Seoul. StudioPlus editing room.
In front of three monitors filling an entire wall, the editing director moved the mouse and keyboard rapidly.
“This cut—Ryu Sunho and Park Juwon talking. Let’s insert it briefly in the middle. Sunho’s eyes and tone are too good.”
“We should boost the CG later. The flame effect needs to feel more real.”
On the back sofa, the production producer and Director Chae Wongi sat side by side, firing feedback like a machine gun.
“Around fifty seconds, let’s cut the music briefly. That gap makes people focus harder.”
“Seo Yoonha’s scene comes in too late. She’s a star—bring her forward.”
“Give the ending a hard impact and cut. That’s how you leave anticipation.”
To attach it into the teaser, they played the scene of Ryu Sunho and Park Dusim facing off.
“Man, how does he act like that in front of Park Dusim?”
“Seriously. For a rookie, he’s got insane guts. Most of them can’t even face her—they get crushed by her presence and shake.”
“He can be confident because his acting backs it up. And a talent like that only got known because of a Brave Citizen Award… the industry really is scary.”
“Well, with that level, he would’ve blown up eventually. Just a matter of time. Still, it’s lucky he didn’t waste years.”
“You know who discovered that master actor? Me. That’s who.”
“I hate to admit it, but this time—I agree. Director.”
A moment later, the editing director finished cutting the teaser.
A shaman, Shin Myeongju, who sees the emotions of the dead through the “divine art.”
And a detective, Han Jaeyoon, who chases the culprit with scientific logic.
A teaser cut fast around the two leads.
Then the pace slowed for a moment, and a young man appeared, smiling bright.
—What you need to be careful of is… the attitude that takes it lightly.
And near the end, the mood flipped.
In deep darkness, in flames swallowing the shrine, an unknown silhouette walked out.
—They say God is dead. So why are you still alive?
When it ended, Director Chae Wongi smiled.
“Good. We’ll go with this. Send it to MBS right away.”
Lately, the internet had been loud with gossip articles.
First, an article from Reporter Seo Jiyeon about the script reading drew mild attention.
[‘Possessed Investigation,’ emotional detail is key… rookies to top stars gathered in one place]
…On this day, actors Park Juwon and Seo Yoonha, along with the supporting lineup, participated and carried out the reading amid tension. In particular, attention was drawn to rookie Ryu Sunho, who is making his serious-drama debut through this work…
Positive comments followed.
—If even Park Juwon and Seo Yoonha praised it, it’s probably not bad?
—For a rushed debut, is his acting actually decent??
—I became a fan from the ad, and now a drama too! I’m watching live no matter what!
—This drama feels good. Fresh lineup too.
But peace didn’t last.
Along with news that Ryu Sunho signed with Flash Entertainment, the malicious articles Bae Junhyeok had planted exploded all at once.
[Ryu Sunho signs exclusive contract with Flash Entertainment… joins Park Juwon–Seo Yoonha under one roof]
[Problematic work after existing investor pulls out—can it succeed?]
[No-experience rookie Ryu Sunho, drama casting off a single citizen award? Industry concerns over reckless casting]
The mood flipped instantly.
—This kid is hilarious lol You praise him for saving someone and he immediately gets an exclusive ad model contract and an agency contract?
—So in the end, he sold his image, shot ads, got a taste of money, and now even actor debut? Gross.
—Stop cursing before we’ve even seen it;
└Look at that article. It says the industry’s concerned. Isn’t he getting in through connections?
└The “he did well at the reading” was probably all media play lol Just lip service to push their agency rookie.
└Fuck, our Yoonha’s drama and a rookie barges in with a spoon
—Please use proven actors;; An ad model is an actor now?
—Not even a normal ad model lol He was a regular person a few months ago.
—Then at least do a web drama and build a filmography first.
—Still, he wasn’t bad in the ad—why are people hating without watching?
—That’s acting? lol No lines, just running the whole time. My dog would run hard too if I gave it a snack
—Bet he’ll get a bad-acting scandal and his mental will break and he’ll quit lol
People looking for something to chew up as gossip.
On top of that, fans of other actors in the drama began attacking Ryu Sunho.
The more a fan was attached to the leads, the worse it got.
Park Juwon’s fans weren’t too severe—maybe because he’d posted a photo with me on SNS.
But Seo Yoonha’s fans didn’t hold back.
Before the drama even started, they acted like the drama had already been ruined because of Ryu Sunho.
—A good thing happening to a good person, and they call it greed lol They’re desperate to hate
—This culture where people drag down anyone who does well is disgusting;
—He acted pure, then immediately went money-crazy 😭 I know celebs are like that but I didn’t think it’d be this bad..
└If you do a good deed and earn money, is that a crime?
└Yeah it is. Good, you know it
A small number of Sunho fans tried to shield him, but it wasn’t enough.
No—at times like this, staying quiet was better.
Because people used “fan loyalty” as an excuse to pour out even more aggression.
But one week later—
[“The shaman was right”… the insane chemistry between shaman and detective begins! | First teaser]
The official first teaser dropped.
In the middle of a sequence focused on Seo Yoonha and Park Juwon, one cut—just one—of Ryu Sunho flashed by.
—What you need to be careful of is… the attitude that takes it lightly.
That split-second cut seized people’s eyes.
No awkwardness—if anything, it amplified anticipation.
Here.
A woman watching the teaser on her phone clenched her fist.
“G… good job!”
Ryu Sunho’s first-ever fan.
A short-haired rescue worker.
Disgusted by the excessive slander and absurd forced hate thrown at Ryu Sunho, she erupted with the resentment she’d been holding back and slammed a comment down.
Tap!
—Everyone who said Ryu Sunho can’t act, come out. You fuckers.
At the same time, another photo went up on Ryu Sunho’s SNS.