CHAPTER 004: Sports Drink Commercial Clichés
CHAPTER 004: Sports Drink Commercial Clichés
“Three hundred twenty? What the hell—why are my likes so low?”
Jeong Sihu lay on his bed, checking his Instagram post.
“Ah, fuck. Did I take it too plain?”
He sprang up and took dozens of photos.
Then, dissatisfied, he deleted them almost immediately.
Then his eyes landed on the car keys on the table.
He picked them up and looped them around his wrist.
Click, click, click.
On the key dangling from his wrist, the logo of a high-end German car was clearly visible.
It looked accidental, but it was the product of dozens of tries.
After selecting a photo, he applied a filter and started adding hashtags.
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#daily #selfie #selstagram #handsome #model #actor #fashion #ootd #style #dailylook #selfie #instafriends #connect #like #followfirst #followback #likecomment #dailygram #selfiegram #handsomegram ······
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His fingers didn’t pause. He only felt satisfied after adding more than thirty hashtags, and then he uploaded the post.
Then he scrolled through his feed, waiting for reactions.
That was when one post caught his eye.
[That “brave handsome citizen” everyone’s freaking out over—who is he?]
A face he recognized filled the screen.
Ryu Sunho.
“What is this?”
Jeong Sihu couldn’t believe his eyes.
The clip showed Ryu Sunho receiving the Brave Citizen Award, edited into a short-form video.
Thousands of likes. Hundreds of comments.
Jeong Sihu tore through the comments.
• wow he’s seriously handsome ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
• looks like that AND a good personality is cheating, isn’t it?
• that gaze looks like he’d act well… if he becomes an actor he’ll blow up
• “healthy face with a healthy mind”… isn’t this exactly that?
• way more handsome than those self-proclaimed celebs who post heavily edited Instagram pics all day ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
• and he saved someone, then showed up in a plain white tee and jeans like it was nothing—absolute style
“Bullshit.”
Jealousy and anger filled his head.
His own posts only got five to six hundred likes at best, but Ryu Sunho’s video had passed thousands in a single day.
“He needs to tone the editing down. This isn’t even possible.”
He closed Instagram and typed into a portal site search bar.
[Ryu Sunho]
A flood of news articles and photos appeared.
“…!”
He looked just as good in the news photos as he did in the Instagram clip.
“Why… do the news photos look the same? Was he always that handsome?”
He stared at the screen, unable to close his mouth.
“This is fucking insane…”
“Son! Come down and eat!”
At his mother’s voice, he flung his phone onto the bed and went downstairs.
His father, Jeong Minguk, was at the table with his tie loosened, spooning up rice.
“Dad—about the Mate commercial audition. I really don’t have to worry, right?”
Jeong Minguk frowned slightly at his son’s question.
“I think that’s the third time you’ve asked.”
“I just want to be sure… it’s an important time.”
“Stop worrying about useless things and practice your acting.”
“…”
When Jeong Sihu looked deflated, Jeong Minguk continued.
“I’m going to the audition site myself tomorrow.”
“Why would you go to the audition site? Isn’t that weird?”
“I have the authority to choose at least the commercial model. And the client is someone I know well—he asked me personally, so it’s fine.”
Jeong Sihu nodded with a sly smile.
“Have you heard the name Ryu Sunho?”
Jeong Sihu’s expression stiffened instantly.
“He’s someone from my acting academy. Why?”
“He applied for the Mate commercial audition. Looking at his background, they say he’s from the same academy… and he’s a hot topic on SNS these days?”
“He just got lucky and flashed for a moment, I think. It’s not the kind of popularity that lasts. But… do people really like him that much?”
“Seems like it.”
Jeong Minguk watched his son’s uneasy face.
“Don’t worry. Buzz matters in ads, but in the end, concept matters. No matter how famous someone is, if they don’t match the advertising image, it’s useless.”
He went on, lifting his eyebrows.
“And that Ryu Sunho doesn’t even know the concept. He’s just going to show up and audition, right?”
“That’s true.”
“You’re different. You already know the concept, so you can prepare.”
Jeong Sihu’s expression eased a little.
“So prepare properly. This audition—you’re going to pass it no matter what.”
The day of the Mate drink commercial audition.
‘I’ve made plenty of ads, but this is the first time I’m the one standing in front.’
In my previous life, I directed other people from behind the camera.
Now that I was on the other side, I couldn’t hide how nervous I was.
-The doors are opening.
I got off the subway and headed to the audition venue.
When I entered the lobby, plenty of applicants were already waiting.
Looking at how they were dressed, most of them had geared themselves toward the “sports drink” category.
Tight athletic wear that showed off their lines,
or sleeveless tops that exposed their arm muscles.
Someone wore a rider jacket as if to flaunt a wild, rugged vibe.
“Ryu Sunho?”
I turned at the familiar voice. Jeong Sihu was standing there.
He was wearing a crisp white shirt and beige cotton pants, like a school uniform.
Even with his solid build, instead of flaunting “fitness,” he emphasized a fresh, clean image.
So his father really is an agency executive. That’s painfully obvious.
“I told you it’s a waste of time, and you still came?”
Jeong Sihu’s voice had an edge.
“Ah, good to see you. Didn’t expect to run into you here.”
I returned it with a smile, thinking it was ridiculous to get into a petty power struggle with a kid that much younger.
“Suddenly acting friendly. You got a little famous lately, so you’re managing your image now?”
At Jeong Sihu’s words, a few nearby applicants started looking at me.
“Huh? Isn’t that the guy who saved someone from the burning car?”
“Yeah. The Brave Citizen Award.”
“He was an aspiring actor?”
“Wow, he’s really handsome.”
Jeong Sihu’s face twisted more and more.
He stepped closer and spoke in a low voice.
“Don’t get cocky over getting famous from luck. The result’s already decided anyway.”
With a smile, Jeong Sihu returned to his spot.
“Number 23, Kim Dohyeon.”
A guy who’d been doing push-ups stood up when his name was called and went into the audition room.
But he came out in less than five minutes, looking disappointed.
“Number 24, Park Jihun.”
Next, a man in a rider jacket went in.
He too came out after a short time, scowling as he complained.
“They keep going on about ‘concept.’”
As this kept repeating, the atmosphere in the waiting room grew heavier.
“Why is everyone finishing so fast?”
“Shouldn’t they at least watch for ten minutes?”
Nervous whispers filled the room.
“Number 38, Ryu Sunho.”
My name was called.
I stood and took a deep breath.
When I opened the door, five judges were seated behind a long table.
Among them, the judge named Jeong Minguk looked far colder than the others.
“Hello. I’m Ryu Sunho.”
One of the judges—a woman in red glasses—narrowed her eyes and asked,
“I feel like I’ve seen you a lot lately. You’re the one who received the Brave Citizen Award, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I answered with a humble smile.
A faint murmur ran through the judges.
“You suit the concept and image well.”
My intention hit.
Today, I was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans.
I’d come in the same outfit as the award ceremony, reminding them I was that familiar face—
and at the same time, projecting that clean, refreshing image onto myself.
The man named Jeong Minguk’s face tightened slightly.
“Alright. We’ll start the camera test. Please stand on the marked spot over there.”
I followed the direction and stood on the X.
“Show us your face straight on, then move left and right so we can see.”
Slowly, I turned my face toward the camera.
“Wow… what the hell?”
The man handling the camera let out an unintentional gasp.
“He looks amazing on camera too.”
“The visuals are perfect.”
“He’s unreal, seriously…”
Fifteen years spent living while hiding my face.
Getting praised for my looks like this—I didn’t know where to put myself.
“What matters is acting. We’re not using him as just a photo model, are we?”
Jeong Minguk poured cold water on it.
“That’s true. He’ll have to carry it on his own.”
“He doesn’t have a single line of experience—there’s no way he can act well. He should at least have extra work experience.”
He was clearly full of spite.
“Hmm… Now we’ll do a simple acting test.”
The bearded man explained.
“There’s no script. Freely express coolness and freshness.”
“Freely?”
“If you’ve got no acting experience, free acting is going to be hard. That’s unfortunate.”
Shit.
There was something I hadn’t considered.
Because I knew the commercial, I assumed they’d make me perform that acting.
But free acting?
‘If I copy the ad content here, I can’t.’
If an audition applicant suddenly performs exactly what they’ve planned,
they might think their concept leaked, or wonder if their concept was too obvious—
and the entire ad might change compared to my previous life.
‘Damn…’
Calm down.
No need to beat myself up.
‘Sports drink commercial clichés… Most people think of exaggerated “coolness.”’
Usually, you emphasize thirst after exercise and exaggerate the pleasure of drinking in the moment.
You tilt your head back dramatically,
sweat pouring,
gulping it down like someone who found water in a desert.
‘But Mate needs a different approach.’
Freshness, youth, vitality—this is where Mate differentiates itself from other sports drinks.
I revived the instincts I had as a Creative Director.
Instead of a typical approach, I decided to choose something completely unexpected.
“Excuse me…”
I walked closer to the table and asked,
“Could I borrow a cup of water?”
“Haha, don’t be so nervous. Take it easy.”
The bearded man handed me a bottle of water from in front of him.
“Thank you.”
I took the bottle and went back to the marked spot.
Just as everyone assumed I was going to drink—
I did something they didn’t expect.
“…?!”
Jeong Minguk wore a triumphant smile.
‘He got lucky and dressed to match the ad concept, sure.’
But Minguk had found a weakness.
No acting experience—nothing on paper.
And according to his son, the kid hadn’t even been in the acting academy for a full year.
Meanwhile, what about his son, Jeong Sihu?
He’d appeared a few times as a supporting extra in commercials.
Even if Minguk’s influence had played a part, having experience made a real difference.
Especially in unexpected situations.
‘He’s shaking with nerves. Heh. Good.’
When given free acting, he’d gone blank for a while.
Then he’d even asked for water, like his throat had dried out.
Now all that was left was for him to embarrass himself with awkward acting.
But then—
‘He’s not drinking it?’
Ryu Sunho slowly opened his palm and poured a little water onto it.
Then he brought his lips close to the droplets pooled in his hand.
‘What is he doing?’
Minguk guessed he was going to drink from his hand.
‘Yes! His mental state has completely collapsed! He’s panicking so hard his body’s gone crooked!’
Just as Minguk’s mouth was about to curl upward—
Ryu Sunho didn’t drink the water on his palm.
Instead,
he lightly blew on it, sending the droplets flying in every direction.
“…?!”
At the same time, his expression brightened.
Like a child standing in front of a fountain on a summer day, pure joy spread across his face.
With energy completely different from a moment ago, he began moving lightly, as if his body had become weightless.
With vibrant expressions and motions, he conveyed vitality.
“!”
“T-this is…!”
“Wow…”
Finally, he smiled at the camera and lifted the water bottle slightly toward the judges in a gesture of thanks.
That image perfectly expressed “a big change brought by a small moment of refreshment.”
“…”
The judges fell silent for a moment, unable to recover from the shock.
Then the woman in red glasses spoke first, stunned.
“This is insane…”
Soon the other judges began moving their mouths, words finally coming.
“Wow… this… I can’t even talk.”
“Are you sure he’s an aspiring actor? It feels like he’s already shot a bunch of commercials.”
“The vibe is so good…!”
Only Jeong Minguk sat there with an awkward expression.
‘H-he said he didn’t have acting experience. How can he express it like that…’
Whatever.
The bearded man asked, impressed.
“That’s a different interpretation than the others. It’s a sports drink commercial, but you didn’t express coolness through drinking…”
Ryu Sunho replied calmly.
“I thought Mate wasn’t just a drink that quenches thirst, but something that brings vitality into everyday life. Rather than direct consumption, I wanted to focus on the sensory experience the drink delivers.”
The judges exchanged looks.
Especially the bearded man—his eyes glittered.
From their gazes, I could tell my bold choice had landed.
“Thank you for your time. We’ll let you know the results soon.”
I bowed and left.
After that, Jeong Sihu went in as the last applicant, and not long after, the audition ended.
Then the Mate advertiser opened their mouth.
“Looks like the result is already decided, doesn’t it?”