CHAPTER 003: The Mere-Exposure Effect
CHAPTER 003: The Mere-Exposure Effect
After hanging up, I stood there blankly for a while.
Jeong Sihu was already gone, and only Yoon Iseul was staring at me with curious eyes.
“A brave… yumin award? What does that mean?”
“…What are you talking about? Why would a yumin be brave? It’s a Brave Citizen Award.”
“Oh! Huh? A Brave Citizen Award? All of a sudden?”
“On the way, I witnessed a traffic accident. I saved someone trapped inside a burning car.”
“Hey, are you insane? What if you got hurt!”
“I’m fine, aren’t I?”
“Are you really fine? You didn’t get burned on the face, did you?”
“Ugh, I’m fine.”
I barely managed to stop Yoon Iseul from grabbing and tugging at my face from every angle.
“It was dangerous, but that’s impressive. Kind of cool.”
“Thanks. Kind of.”
“…But if it’s a Brave Citizen Award, is there prize money or something?”
“Not sure. I’d guess the honor matters more than the money.”
“Oh, then does it make the news?”
“Huh?”
Wait. I hadn’t thought of that.
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【Influence】
【Recognition Level: 1/100】
【Favorability: *Unmeasurable】
*You must have Recognition Level of 30 or higher to view this
【Ripple Effect: *Unmeasurable】
*You must have Favorability of 30 or higher to view this
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These influence metrics.
They weren’t arranged in this order for no reason.
‘It’s the stage where consumers become aware of a brand.’
Once Recognition Level accumulates, you can measure favorability, and ripple effect follows.
So how do you build Recognition Level?
‘A repeated exposure strategy.’
The more you see something, the prettier it looks.
The more you hear it, the better it sounds.
People feel familiarity and affection toward things they encounter repeatedly.
You plant familiarity through continuous media exposure, making the public recognize the brand.
It’s also the most basic advertising strategy that unknown brands choose first in order to build Recognition Level.
“Thanks, Iseul.”
“Huh?”
Leaving the bewildered Yoon Iseul behind, I hurried out of the academy.
A plan was already taking shape in my head.
‘What’s the most important thing to get cast?’
Of course, acting matters.
But it isn’t enough.
In an entertainment industry where competition is brutal, the thing you need most to stand out is “buzz.”
The reason famous actors appear in multiple commercials after becoming stars off a single work is because of the “buzz” they generate.
Advertising isn’t art. It’s a means to sell products.
And now, I had a chance to set off that buzz.
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【Stats】
Looks: B+
Acting: C
Mental: S
Physical: D
Singing: D
…
..
.
Remaining Stat Points: 2
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Without hesitation, I invested all my stat points into “Looks.”
【Looks: B+ → A】
To check what changed, I ran straight to the bathroom.
“…This is insane.”
It was like my facial definition had gone up.
My eyes looked sharper, my jawline more defined.
My skin looked clearer and more translucent.
Most of all, my gaze gained an attractive depth.
Even accounting for the fact that I wasn’t wearing makeup, this was at a level where most celebrities wouldn’t be able to compete.
They said the Brave Citizen Award ceremony would be next Monday.
The Mate drink commercial audition was next Friday.
The timing was perfect.
If the ceremony made me a talking point, I could secure an advantage at the audition.
And for even more certain buzz, I just needed to add one more point.
The day of the ceremony, in front of the Gangnam Fire Station.
The fire chief stepped forward and announced the start.
“Today, we have gathered to commend citizens who demonstrated exceptional courage and sacrifice.”
Camera flashes began to pop.
Far more reporters had shown up than I expected.
The ceremony began, and people went up one by one to receive their awards—
the man who had helped rescue the driver with me at the scene, the man who controlled traffic, the woman who called emergency services, and so on.
Among the adults dressed in suits, there was one young man wearing a white T-shirt and jeans.
That was me.
‘I’m aiming for contrast effect.’
A phenomenon where evaluation shifts dramatically through comparison with others.
All the other award recipients looked clearly like working adults. In contrast, I looked unmistakably youthful—an almost boyish young man.
In a crowd of suit-wearing recipients, my white T-shirt naturally drew attention, and my courage at such a young age would look even more admirable.
The judgment landed.
I could hear the reporters.
“That young man rescued the driver?”
“Witness statements say he moved first at the scene and gave directions proactively.”
“He looks so young—what incredible courage…”
The fire chief handed me the certificate and offered a handshake.
“We present this award to Ryu Sunho, who was the first and most proactive in rescuing the driver from a burning vehicle and saving a life.”
“Thank you.”
“We express our deepest respect for your courage in saving a precious life. Please say a few words for those gathered here.”
“…!”
I panicked.
I hadn’t expected this.
I thought I’d just receive the award and take photos. I hadn’t prepared remarks.
What do I do.
If I wanted to leave an even stronger impact here…
As I cycled through every copywriting technique I knew, my mouth moved faster than my thoughts.
“Honestly… that day, in that moment, I couldn’t think of anything else.”
A brief silence.
Everyone’s attention focused.
“When I saw smoke coming from the car, the only thought in my head was, ‘There’s someone in there.’”
It wasn’t calculated language.
“I think anyone in the same situation would have made the same choice. I just… happened to be there at that moment.”
It was the truth, straight from the heart.
“I want to dedicate this award not to myself… but to the citizens who helped that day, and the firefighters who responded so quickly. Thank you.”
Seo Jiyeon, a JTBN reporter, covered her yawning mouth as she waited for the ceremony.
Her bureau chief had suddenly told her she had to attend, so she’d come.
She wasn’t even with the social affairs desk, and she didn’t know why an entertainment reporter had to attend a Brave Citizen Award ceremony.
But when they tell you to do something, you do it.
The tedious opening speech ended, and the awards began in earnest.
“Gasp…!”
A gasp burst out of her mouth.
Among all the suit-wearing people, the young man in plain clothes looked absurdly special.
‘Wow, why is he so handsome?’
Ten years in entertainment journalism meant she’d covered countless celebrities, and she instinctively knew what “star quality” looked like.
‘Is he a celebrity?’
But when she looked around, there was no one who looked like a manager.
And that somehow pure face felt like a civilian—untouched by the grime that clings to celebrities.
That made him even rarer.
It wasn’t a generic kind of handsome. It was a handsome with a unique color that belonged only to him.
‘There’s no way he had work done.’
Seo Jiyeon was a capable entertainment reporter.
She had a talent for reading people’s tastes and trends, and her instincts were almost always right.
This young man was absolutely going to become a talking point.
She made up her mind.
She’d originally planned to just take photos and go back to post an article, but she decided to be greedier.
The moment the ceremony ended, she approached him.
Up close, his looks were even more dazzling.
She barely restrained herself from letting another gasp slip out.
“Hello. I’m Seo Jiyeon from JTBN. Could I get a short interview?”
The man looked at her and smiled.
“Yes, sure.”
JTBN.
Entertainment desk.
Seo Jiyeon was editing Ryu Sunho’s interview footage when—
“What is this? Who is that? A rookie actor?”
A PD named Kim walked over and asked while glancing at her monitor.
“What do you think, PD? He’s good, right?”
Seo Jiyeon smiled and turned the monitor toward Kim PD.
“Visuals are insane. In a good way. Where’s he signed? A rookie from some hot agency?”
“No. He’s not an actor. He’s a civilian who received the Brave Citizen Award today.”
Kim PD’s eyes widened.
That reaction—from a PD with deep roots in the industry—made her even more certain her instincts were right.
“A civilian?! This face? That’s crazy. Is he a model or something? Or a kid who was prepping to debut overseas? It’s hard to find faces like this these days.”
“Exactly. And what’s certain is—if he has this face and this way of speaking, we’re going to see him on TV a lot soon. The world won’t leave him alone.”
Seo Jiyeon wore a satisfied smile.
She was already anticipating the reaction, how fast the name Ryu Sunho would spread.
“PD, want to bet coffee with me?”
“Sure. On what?”
“How long it’ll take before we see him on TV again after this interview drops.”
“Hmm… even then, he’d need at least a year to prepare before appearing again, wouldn’t he? He’s a civilian, after all.”
“I’ll take three months.”
“Three months is pushing it.”
“Why do I feel like it could be even faster than that?”
“Then coffee and dessert too?”
“Deal.”
After uploading the video with a few clicks, she leaned back in her chair.
For once, she couldn’t wait to see how the internet would react.
The internet reaction was explosive.
The first response came from an entertainment community.
On the popular board, posts were piling up, centered around the keyword “brave citizen.”
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[This guy who got the Brave Citizen Award today is insane fr]
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You know that car fire accident at the ○○○-dong intersection? The person who saved the driver got the Brave Citizen Award today, and from his face to his way of speaking, he’s seriously insane…
(video)
A friend who was there took this, and it’s basically “healthy looks” plus “healthy mind” at the highest level ㄷㄷ
Scroll down for more pics!! This seriously needs to be known
(pic 1)
(pic 2)
(pic 3)
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• holy shit… it’s like a movie scene fr. Is he even a real person
• his looks are real…? that’s a civilian face??
• he did something amazing and then humbly says anyone would’ve made the same choice… I’m genuinely moved
• ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ what’s funny is everyone’s in suits and he’s the only one in a T-shirt? feels intentional
└ yeah but that makes him stand out so it actually looks better
└ he might be a student with no money lol stop reaching ㅋㅋㅋㅋ 억까ㄴㄴ
• what’s his name?
└ it’s Ryu Sunho! he’s 21
└ omg same age… what am I even doing ㅠㅠ
• honestly that’s an actor face
└ fr he’s perfect as an ad model, face is good and all
• why do people not care about the old guy who saved a grandma but freak out over this dude ㅋㅋㅋ
└ ignore
• JTBN also did an interview with him! (YouTube link)
└ wow wtf the rescue footage is legit like a movie; chills
└ the car exploding right after he pulls the driver out is such a cliché ㅋㅋㅋ
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.
.
A YouTube link someone left in the comments.
As people arrived via link-hopping, the interview’s view count climbed rapidly.
.
.
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[Interview Video] The hero who saved a driver from a burning car: “I could only think I had to save him” | JTBN
Views 174,624 15 hours ago
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[Many people step back in dangerous situations. How were you able to act so bravely, Sunho?]
[In that moment… I just felt I had to act. If you do nothing, nothing happens.]
After that, edited CCTV footage from the accident scene played.
A man running toward a car belching black smoke.
A scene where he directed nearby pedestrians.
And the car exploding the moment he dragged the driver out and moved away.
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612 comments
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• wow that was a real situation ㄷㄷ I thought it was a movie
• a young man like my son doing something this brave… truly admirable. People say young folks are selfish these days but there’s still hope
• 3:18 the way he looks into the camera is insane;;;
• watch from 3:24, when he says “If you do nothing, nothing happens,” it’s straight-up drama
• 5:36 the car explosion… ㅠㅠㅠ if he’d been even a little later it could’ve been terrible… real hero
• wow he’s so cool my heart is shaking ㅠㅠㅠ
• I liked him the moment I saw his face… but after watching the whole interview I’m even more into him because his personality is perfect too ㅜㅜ
• my son is around that age and I’m so proud. his parents must be bursting with pride. parents with a son like that are blessed
• I’m not the only one who’s watched this video 10+ times, right???
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Seo Jiyeon’s hunch was dead-on.
Thursday, an advertising agency conference room.
Even though it was late, the entire production team was gathered.
They were taking a short break after organizing the storyboard drafts for tomorrow’s commercial audition.
“Have you guys seen this video?”
A bearded man set his smartphone on the table.
The brave citizen interview video was playing.
“Ah, I know this guy. He’s been a huge topic on SNS lately.”
“Whoa, what the—why is a civilian’s visual this wholesome? He beats most celebrities.”
“He’s ridiculously handsome. He’d be perfect to appear in our commercial.”
“Don’t just admire. Reflect. Poke your own eyes out thinking, ‘Why didn’t I find someone like this sooner?’”
“For real—how are we supposed to predict a Brave Citizen Award? What, do we cause an accident or something?”
A woman in red glasses frowned.
“I’m just saying… I’m disappointed. Disappointed.”
“If you’re disappointed, then pray or something. If you wish hard enough, the universe helps. Haven’t you heard?”
The woman in red glasses interlaced her fingers and looked up at the ceiling.
“I won’t wish for the lottery. Just give me luck like this!”
Then—
“Uh… um, senior…”
The youngest staffer, who had been flipping through applicant profiles, lifted up a sheet of paper with trembling hands.
“…It really did.”
Among the Mate drink commercial audition applications, a profile with the name “Ryu Sunho” was fluttering in his hands.
“…Damn it. I should’ve wished for the lottery.”