CHAPTER 035: An Unexpected Move
CHAPTER 035: An Unexpected Move
When my birthday came, my phone wouldn’t stop vibrating.
So many people were sending me birthday messages.
It felt new, and strange.
That I’d formed connections with this many people in such a short time.
Staff from sets, actors I’d worked with, agency employees, and so on.
There were KakaoTalk messages from Park Juwon and Seo Yoonha, too.
Park Juwon: Happy birthday, Sunho
Park Juwon: Can I give you your gift in game money?
Park Juwon: haha Just kidding. Let’s go to a department store together next time. Hyung will buy you a gift
Seo Yoonha: Happy birthday.
Seo Yoonha: (Photo)
Seo Yoonha: It’s a talisman that makes everything go well.
Seo Yoonha: I wrote it myself
Did she learn stuff like that at a shaman academy?
The red writing was kind of unsettling, somehow.
But don’t talismans only work if you actually carry them on you?
Right then, another message came in.
Seo Yoonha: I’ll give you the real one later when we do a project together.
Mm. At this rate, I probably wouldn’t get it until my next birthday.
After I replied to everyone one by one, my father called too.
—Hey, our Ryu-star. Happy birthday.
“Thanks, Dad. You got up early?”
—It’s my son’s birthday. I should be the first to congratulate you.
“…You’re already late.”
—…Seoul people are really fast.
He must’ve woken up in the middle of sleeping.
—Anyway, why is our Ryu-star awake this early in the morning?
“I’ve got somewhere I have to go today.”
Today was a very busy day.
First, I had to stop by Hongdae Entrance Station.
I’d seen the news that the fan café had run a birthday congratulatory ad.
They’d spent their own money to put up an ad for me, so it was only right that I went in person, saw it with my own eyes, and left proof.
—Don’t live too busy. You’ll get old fast. And your mom said she sent something by delivery. Check it later.
“Yes. Thank you, Dad.”
After I hung up, I headed for Hongdae Entrance Station, cutting through the dawn air.
If I went when it was crowded, it could be a nuisance, so I went around first-train time, and the station was quiet.
I took a few steps, looking around here and there.
And I finally found it.
My face, hanging on a massive subway ad board.
‘……!’
Seeing my face blown up that big made my cheeks feel a little hot.
But that flustered feeling was only for an instant.
Soon, a swelling emotion filled my chest.
[Sunho, happy birthday!]
[I’ll always cheer you on from now on!]
I stood there for a long time, just staring at the ad board.
‘…….’
For the past twenty years, I’d always been standing on the opposite side of that ad board.
I’d wrestled with drafts late into the night, thinking about how I could make the model on that screen stand out more.
That place had always been meant for someone else’s face.
I’d never even imagined my face could hang there.
With that awful, hideous face—how could I dare.
‘But…….’
Now I was there.
Receiving support and blessings from so many people.
Me, who’d only ever made ads for others.
I’d received an ad that existed only for me.
Something hot surged up my throat.
How was I supposed to express this overwhelming feeling?
Could I ever repay this immense sincerity?
‘…I have to try.’
Without causing trouble, by making steady efforts, I had to keep proving that their support wasn’t wasted.
I had to pour sincerity into it with my whole body, just like they did.
‘First.’
I’d only planned to take a proof photo and leave, but I was too grateful for that.
So I ran straight to a convenience store inside the station.
I bought neat stationery and a pen, and a whole pile of snacks.
I went back to the ad board, crouched in a corner, and carefully wrote a letter, stroke by stroke.
After writing for a long time, I stuck the handwritten letter onto one side of the ad board, then neatly stacked the snack boxes I’d bought next to it.
So that any fans who came by could take one each.
I stepped back and looked.
My huge face, and a small handwritten letter stuck beside it.
And snack boxes stacked next to that.
I hadn’t prepared properly, so it was a bit clumsy, but still.
‘My sincerity will reach them… right?’
I lifted my phone, took a selfie with everything in a single frame, and posted it on Instagram.
[I will always support you too]
It was my first reply to the fans.
After that, I arrived at Gangnam Fire Station.
At the entrance, a blue drink truck with the Mate Beverage brand logo printed on it was being prepared busily.
To one side, Mate Beverage’s marketing team leader and Team Leader Jo Sehun were talking about something.
Then.
“Hello?”
A uniformed person spotted me coming out from the fire station building and approached with a bright smile.
“You’re actor Ryu Sunho, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Son Chanho, Public Relations Team Leader at Gangnam Fire Station.”
“Ah, hello.”
“Thank you for coming to our fire station for such a good cause. I heard it’s your birthday today, and you still made time for this precious visit… That’s truly impressive.”
The PR team leader looked at me with sincere eyes as he spoke.
“Honestly, ever since you received the Brave Citizen Award, I personally hoped you’d ‘make it’ no matter what. Seeing you grow into such a wonderful actor makes me truly happy. I’m always cheering you on.”
Warmth spread through my chest at those words.
After I replied that I was grateful as well.
Not long after, firefighters coming off shift started appearing one by one.
Their faces clearly showed the exhaustion of an overnight shift.
Then they spotted the drink truck—and me—and their expressions turned surprised.
“Huh?”
“What is this?”
“Who is that?”
“That’s a face you don’t see at a fire station.”
“Isn’t that someone from TV?”
“Kang Seoho?”
“Ah, yeah. I thought he looked familiar. He was on that drama.”
“Wow, he looks even better in person.”
Then someone smacked the shoulder of the person next to them and shouted.
“You seriously don’t know who he is?”
“Why are you so late to the party? They said he’s the guy from the drama.”
“No, it’s him! The one who pulled the driver out during the Gangnam Station Benz accident and got the Brave Citizen Award!”
“Huh?”
“Oh?”
At that, the others remembered the incident too, and they each poured out admiration and praise.
“Ah, that student from back then?”
“He grew up this much in the meantime?”
“Wow, I couldn’t recognize him at all. I thought he was handsome back then too, but now he’s a full-on celebrity.”
“He’s dressed so neatly, it’s even harder to recognize him.”
“What he did back then was really something. I honestly thought he’d come in as a junior firefighter.”
“Hey, it’d be a waste to let a face like that rot. And he’s good at acting too.”
The firefighters laughed in a friendly mood.
As I handed them the prepared drinks, I conveyed my gratitude.
That thanks to them, we were always able to live safely.
They answered that unexpected gift with bright smiles.
“Thank you. We’ll enjoy it!”
Then I noticed someone in the distance.
Someone who couldn’t bring herself to come close, just hopping in place from far away.
‘What is it?’
A face that felt familiar.
I worked my brain.
‘Ah!’
I remembered quickly and spoke up.
“Excuse me—were you the one who went to the hospital with me back then…?”
At that, the bob-haired paramedic jolted and hurried over.
“You remember me?”
“Of course.”
You’re my first fan.
“Ugh…!”
She looked extremely happy that I recognized her, then words spilled out of her like a flood.
“I know this might sound really weird, but I became a total fan after that day. I’d never cared about celebrities at all, but I joined Sunho Thought too, and I donated for the birthday ad this time, and when I heard you showed up at Hongdae Entrance Station, I wanted to go so badly, you have no idea—”
“Hey, calm down.”
I handed her a cup of iced drink, telling her to take it easy.
She gulped it down in one go, then in a slightly calmer voice—
“So, the conclusion is…”
She held out her phone.
“Could we take just one photo?”
When the subway-ad proof shot went up on Ryu Sunho’s Instagram, the fans went wild.
—Ryu Sunho proof shot is up!!!
—No, why did he come at dawn and leave ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I was going to go this afternoon
—Of course Sunho is diligent… not like me, a night person…
—If I’d known, I would’ve camped at Hongdae Entrance Station all day in a tent… ㅠㅠㅠ
Like the saying goes that fangirls never catch the right timing.
The fan café filled up with comments lamenting that they’d missed the timing and couldn’t see Ryu Sunho.
Instead, vivid firsthand accounts from ordinary people who’d spotted him started popping up sporadically on social media.
—There was this insanely small-faced, insanely tall, insanely handsome guy, so I was like who is that, and it turned out to be Kang Seoho lol that guy from Divine Investigation
—But he was cute. He was crouched down writing something super seriously on stationery, and then he was grunting while carrying boxes—seriously, he looked like a big golden retriever lol
The information spread that Ryu Sunho had left a handwritten letter and snacks by the screen.
Fans rushed to Hongdae Entrance Station immediately, just to see even a trace he’d left behind.
The first thing they looked for was the handwritten letter.
After reading it, the fans were moved.
“Look at how he pressed down the letters in the handwriting… I can feel how he packed sincerity into it, and I’m tearing up.”
“We only put up one ad, but he’s replying with this much sincerity…”
The touching atmosphere lasted only for an instant.
Then they saw the snacks stacked beside it and gaped.
“What the… is this?”
“Yeon-yanggaeng…?”
“No way—did Sunho leave this for us to eat?”
“Ah, I’m dying. What’s with the yeon-yanggaeng. Hahaha—was he an old-man palate?”
“Now we know Sunho’s tastes… note: grandpa palate…”
“This is hilarious. He looks like he only eats salt bread, but he likes yeon-yanggaeng—this gap moe is insane.”
“Starting today, my favorite snack is yeon-yanggaeng.”
Fans who went to the scene posted proof of the reverse-gift snacks and the letter back on the fan café.
Fans found his tastes cute, and at the same time, they were grateful for his sincerity.
—So what’s Sunho doing right now?
—Does he have filming?
—They said he’s going into a new movie, so he’s probably preparing for that?
—Hey, it’s his birthday though, he should spend time with his family
—Yeah. He’s 21. He should meet friends and family and have a happy time
—Today, Sunho, do whatever you want. Just don’t do anything weird!
While fans were wondering about Ryu Sunho’s day,
another sighting suddenly exploded from a completely unexpected place.
[OMG I just saw actor Ryu Sunho!]
In the attached photo, Ryu Sunho was handing out cold drinks to firefighters.
At the out-of-nowhere move, the fan café completely flipped.
—???? Suddenly a fire station?
—So he took the proof shot at Hongdae at dawn and then went straight to a fire station?
—I seriously didn’t see that coming lol
—Wow… on his own birthday… that’s really warm
—And in the middle of all this, the photo came out well again. His face works hard every day, seriously…
—It’s admirable that he’s doing something like this on his birthday, but still…
—Ahhh ㅠㅠㅠ Sunho ㅠㅠㅠㅠ It’s your birthday though ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
—Let him enjoy his birthday… Flash Entertainment and Mate Beverage are too much…
—Stop working him so hard ㅠㅠ He’s a rookie who hasn’t even debuted for a year yet—aren’t they grinding him into the ground?
—Even if he suggested it, he probably wanted to play on his birthday. This is too much
Reactions of confusion, admiration, and pity coexisted.
Someone spread the news to other communities.
In response, there were people who belittled his actions with negative comments.
—Isn’t this just something Mate Beverage made him do?
—He’s getting paid to work, what’s so pitiful lol
—Even if it’s doglike, he endures it for money lol
—Looking at his face, it seems kind of rotten—maybe he’s cursing inside?
—You keep selling him with “good personality,” so the company keeps forcing reckless moves. Do it in moderation lol
—But why donate the drink truck only to Gangnam Fire Station? Other fire stations don’t suffer?
└Ah, you do it in Gangnam so people notice lol
While fans’ worry and the sharp comments of haters continued,
Mate Beverage quickly released an official statement.
That this campaign was an idea Ryu Sunho himself brought up first—turning down the birthday café event he’d suggested to Mate Beverage as part of the contract renewal, and instead proposing firefighters who sweated more than him.
And on top of that—
“Additionally, as per actor Ryu Sunho’s idea, so it does not end as a one-time event, Mate Beverage will donate beverage refrigerators to fire stations nationwide…”
When official news came out that it would proceed as an ongoing campaign, public opinion completely reversed.
Praise and positive comments toward Ryu Sunho flooded social media.
—What the hell is this kid, seriously lol
—His depth of thought is different lol Is he really 21?
—Our kid doesn’t go to clubs on his birthday, he goes to a fire station
—Mate Beverage, we’re sorry. Flash Entertainment, we’re sorry
└I’m reflecting on myself for bashing without even knowing properly..
└How wronged must Mate Beverage have felt to disclose this lol
—Honestly, praise this. If it was something the company forced, whatever, but they said he proposed it first
—Yeah. Instead of “worrying” about Sunho, we should support that action and applaud it
But there were always people who looked at it with spite.
Those who’d been leaving sharp comments twisted the intent, saying it was all planned marketing.
—Look at him putting on a show. It’s all rigged
—Image-making goes crazy lol He didn’t care at all usually, but he’s pretending to care on his birthday lol
—Does he think birthdays are XP-event days for boosting his image? lol
—Do it in moderation. It’s too blatant, it’s ugly to watch
But their criticism didn’t last long.
Because it was revealed belatedly that Ryu Sunho had been donating steadily—and quietly—for burn victims.
[Ryu Sunho secretly donates tens of millions of won for burn patients]
[Ryu Sunho chooses warmth over profit… quiet donations for burn victims]
[Actor Ryu Sunho’s continued donations for burn victims… becomes a hot topic after being revealed late]
Those articles became a perfect shield that smothered the entire controversy.
People who’d been leaving hateful comments got branded as “trolls” and were beaten down in return.
—Haters are looking for a mouse hole after seeing the article on Naver lol
—Where did all the guys who called a quiet donor a show, image-making, whatever, all go lol
—Even now, the ones who still bash are gonna bash lol trolls are just proving they’re low-IQ, whatever
—Doing good is good, but at this level, his patience passes too. He’s been doing good consistently—how does he endure those comments? I couldn’t. Fuck
—Because Sunho stays quiet, you can see the community people stampeding over to fight for him instead lol
—If he’s that sincere on his birthday, it just means he’s a decent person. It’s not about image or anything
—Yeon-yanggaeng was cute enough, but learning he donated too is seriously cheating, isn’t it?
—This “good influence,” this is the real thing… other people couldn’t do this even if they made it their concept
—Now that I look, it’s not just that he acts well—his character is perfect too…
—I hope someone like this does even better in the future
Public favorability toward Ryu Sunho continued to skyrocket without end.
A few days later,
I sat on the sofa and checked my phone.
Fans’ reactions to the birthday event were explosive,
and the fire station drink-truck event was being reported as a case of “good influence,” forming positive public sentiment.
But as I scrolled down, my finger suddenly stopped.
[Ryu Sunho secretly donates tens of millions of won for burn patients]
“…Huh?”
Without realizing it, I sprang up from the sofa.
Why was this… coming out as an article?
Because I knew the pain my past life self had gone through, I’d only wanted to quietly lend my heart.
I’d never once thought about using it to make an image.
It was something I’d never told anyone.
How did they find out and turn it into an article?
As my mind tangled in confusion,
a familiar system window appeared in my vision.
【Goal Achieved: Favorability 20 Achieved!】
【Reward Granted: Stat Point +1】
【Title Granted: LV.2 Target of Support】
It seemed my unintended good deed being revealed made public favorability explode.
The status window’s numbers proved it.
【Influence】
【Awareness: 36/100】
【Favorability: 24/100】
【Ripple Effect: *Cannot be Measured】
*Ripple Effect can be checked only when Favorability is 30 or higher
Then the reward for the new title appeared.
【LV.2 Target of Support】
【Box Office Pull +10%】
【Effect: Viewership ratings and reservation rates for works you appear in increase】
【Additional Trait Acquired: Wave of Sincerity (B-Rank)】
【When you speak or act with sincerity, that genuineness is delivered more strongly to the other party and the public】
【Effect: Positive public sentiment formation and persuasion +20%】
It was a fairly satisfying reward.
In this world where an actor’s image mattered more than anything, an ability that amplified “genuineness” became a weapon stronger than anything else.
My head was a mess.
I didn’t want my sincerity to be consumed as content,
and yet here I was, evaluating the value of the reward and feeling satisfied.
Should I call it realistic, or disgusting?
While I was drowning in complicated thoughts, the phone rang.
It was Team Leader Jo Sehun.
“Sunho! I’ve got good news!”
His voice was more excited than ever.
‘ ’ had settled on a distributor,
and they wanted to meet me.
Yeah. For now…
Let’s think about what’s right in front of me.
Hearing that a distributor had been decided made me feel relieved—and at the same time, a flicker of anxiety passed through me.
It couldn’t be the same distributor as my past life.
Or what if they were people like that—people who wanted to grab Nine Film and shake them around?
Team Leader Jo Sehun sent me the location by KakaoTalk.
When I arrived at the meeting place, a man was chewing gum and blowing a balloon.
I felt like I’d seen his face somewhere.
Who was it?
“Oh!”
He spotted me, spat the gum he’d been chewing into a piece of paper, then stood up with a grin to greet me.
“Wow, actor Sunho!”
He acted so friendly, like we’d known each other forever.
“I missed you so much I thought I’d die.”