CHAPTER 006: I Know Advertising Best
CHAPTER 006: I Know Advertising Best
【Trait Acquired! Runner’s High (C-rank)】
【A transcendent state beyond ordinary runner’s high, allowing you to approach perfect harmony between body and mind】
【Effect: While running, all senses are maximized, and you can perfectly control even the finest movements of your body】
“…Runner’s high?”
At the very least, I’d expected something related to acting.
With my first commercial shoot coming up, I’d hoped for an effect that temporarily boosted acting skill.
“……”
Still, let’s run the positivity circuit.
First, it’s not time-limited. Not one-time either.
Whatever it is, if it’s permanent, it’s better than nothing.
Morning runs had been brutal lately—maybe this would at least make that pain easier.
‘That is, if I’d ever even felt runner’s high.’
Some people say runner’s high feels like pushing past your limits, but what a load of crap.
All I’d ever experienced was nausea, not pleasure.
But should I still run tomorrow morning?
It’s the day of the shoot.
For a second, I wavered under the temptation of laziness, but I shook my head.
Tomorrow is an important day.
My first commercial shoot.
The first day I’ll stand in front of a camera as an actor.
If anything, running in the morning might help ease my nerves.
“Mmm…”
Six a.m.
I woke up to a blaring alarm.
The moment I washed my face and looked into the mirror, the system window appeared.
【New Task: Achieve 1,000,000+ ad views】
【Reward: Stat Point +1】
【If you fail: Recognition growth halted for 1 year】
【Time remaining: 60 days】
Up until now, rewards had only shown up as question marks.
This time it was clear.
Maybe because I’ve already gotten this reward once?
‘Either way.’
I put on my workout clothes and stepped outside.
‘Should I test the feeling, just once?’
I started with a slow jog, then picked up speed, running a little faster than usual.
【Trait: Runner’s High has activated!】
I hadn’t even run for a few seconds when the trait icon lit up, and my whole body felt lighter.
“…!”
It was shocking.
Running felt fun.
My knee pain was gone, and every time my foot hit the ground, it felt like it bounced back.
I pushed the speed up a bit more.
My breathing got slightly heavier, but it wasn’t painful.
If anything, my senses felt sharper.
My body felt lighter,
my mind cleared,
and a strong rush of euphoria rolled in.
‘So this is runner’s high.’
Only then did I understand.
Why people fall in love with running.
Why some people keep challenging painful marathons.
I got home earlier than my usual schedule.
I’d warmed up enough, and I needed to keep my condition at its best for filming.
I hurried through a shower and headed out to the set.
First impressions matter.
And everyone who’s been in this industry long enough knows how small the entertainment world really is.
“Nice to meet you, Sunho. We’ve prepared makeup and wardrobe, so go over there first.”
The moment I entered the makeup room, the stylist, makeup artist, and hair designer greeted me.
“Hello.”
“Nice to meet you, Sunho. I saw that Brave Citizen Award interview video on YouTube.”
“Wow—he looks way better in person.”
After greetings, they began actively sizing me up.
“You’re really tall! Around 185 cm?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The system says 184.6 cm, but rounded up it’s 185, so whatever.
“If you’re 21, couldn’t you still get taller?”
“If he hits like 188, he’d eat even models alive.”
“Even now your proportions are amazing. Perfect proportions to dress. Want to try this on?”
The outfit the stylist handed me was a white shirt with strong school-uniform vibes, and dark brown pants.
‘Is it my first time wearing this in almost twenty years?’
It pricked my conscience a little.
But there are actors who wear school uniforms even in middle age, so—whatever.
When I actually put it on and looked in the mirror, it didn’t look bad.
“Damn, he’s radiating that fresh vibe. This kind of look fits him so well. His face looks even more alive!”
“Seriously. He could walk into a school like that and nobody would blink. At this level, he’d be the best-looking high schooler in the country.”
“At 21 he’s still a baby. I’m jealous—youth!”
The stylist and hair designer giggled back and forth.
Then the makeup artist pointed at a chair.
“Sit here.”
She stared straight through my reflection.
“Up close, your face is kind of strange. Overall you look really gentle… but your eyes are deep.”
“Right? His potential is overflowing. He’s 185 cm so he’s huge, but his image is so clean and delicate. Sunho, if you work out, your gap charm would be insane.”
“I’ve got my estimate.”
“What estimate?”
“Across actors and idols, he’s in my top five out of everyone I’ve seen in real life.”
“You haven’t even been doing this that long.”
“Still, I’ve seen a lot of famous people. But Sunho’s face has natural beauty, and it’s the kind that matches the current trend. That soft, pale, clean ‘tofu-face’ vibe?”
“Where do you find a tofu-face with features this sharp?”
“It’s just the vibe. Anyway, you’re seriously handsome, Sunho. You should thank your parents.”
“Huh?”
I hadn’t caught it properly because she was focusing on makeup.
I’m the type who lets compliments go in one ear and out the other.
“Oh my god, Sunho—look at how red your ears are. You’re so cute.”
Without thinking, I covered my ears.
That only made them laugh harder.
“Pfft—he even has puppy vibes.”
“I’m going to go around promoting him to my friends. Like, ‘There’s this gentle, cute rookie.’”
“Me too! I’m probably fan number one!”
Fan number one already exists, but.
In the middle of all the chatter, their enthusiastic hands kept moving, busy styling me.
“Ugh, perfect. We barely did any makeup, but his base visuals are so strong it doesn’t look heavy—just right.”
“He fits the visual-art concept so well! Ads with this kind of fresh concept can’t have makeup that looks obvious.”
“At this point we’re basically just overpowering it with raw facial stats.”
They said it modestly, but the difference before and after styling was obvious.
Not excessive decoration—more like bringing out what was already there, making it shine more.
“Thank you for styling me so well.”
“Oh? He’s even good at sweet-talking. Aw, what a good boy.”
“That’s what you call having a good personality, sunbae.”
Around the time I was trapped in their compliment hell, the ad planner approached.
“We met at the pre-meeting too, Sunho. Before we start shooting, I’ll explain the storyboard and concept one more time.”
He pulled out a tablet and started showing me the screen.
“The core of this ad is cheering on young people who walk their own path. We want to show the message: ‘When you overcome fear and move in your own direction, the headwind turns into a wind that pushes you forward.’”
On the tablet, storyboards were drawn scene by scene.
“The first scene starts in a hallway full of people. At first, Sunho walks in the same direction as everyone else, then suddenly turns and starts running the opposite way…”
He swiped to the next panels and continued.
“…and in the end, the wind that was blowing straight into him changes—when he opens the final door—into a wind that pushes his back.”
As expected of an ad that swept the advertising awards.
A great ad, with a condensed message and refined visuals.
“Huh?”
But there was one part that bothered me.
Looking closely at the storyboard, each shot had a different scene number.
‘They’re breaking it into cuts?’
In my previous life, the ad I saw was a one-take.
The one-take technique had played a big role in why the ad became such a major hit.
Because the continuity—him running nonstop from start to finish—delivered the core message perfectly.
And I’m pretty sure, even at the pre-meeting, it wasn’t split into scenes.
“Do you have any questions?”
The planner noticed my expression shift.
“It looks a bit different from the storyboard I saw last week. This ad… are you shooting it by cutting scenes?”
“Ah, that’s…”
He looked flustered.
“After the pre-meeting, during coordination with production, there were a few changes. Originally we were going to do it as a one-take, but since you’re a rookie actor, and you don’t have much athletic experience…”
The gist was simple.
Because I’m a rookie actor and not physically trained, it would be hard to act while running.
If the takes kept piling up, time and budget would become a problem—so they changed it to filming in pieces.
“Sorry we couldn’t tell you in advance—it was decided quickly because of the schedule. But the acting parts won’t change. If anything, it might be easier for you to film.”
There was a hint of regret in his voice.
I could see the advertiser’s conflict—between the intent of the idea and real-world constraints.
It wasn’t an incomprehensible decision.
If I pushed too hard, my expression would twist, and the image they wanted wouldn’t come out.
But—
“I want to try it as a one-take.”
Because otherwise, the ad loses its flavor.
“What?”
If you remove the one-take from this ad, the appeal gets dulled.
It’s about making one decision and then running continuously toward your own path.
If you break that up, the impact drops.
“I run every morning, so I think my stamina will be fine. And…”
An advertiser understands an advertiser.
“When I saw this ad’s message at the pre-meeting, it really hit me. You said, ‘When you overcome fear and move in your own direction, the headwind turns into a wind that pushes you forward.’”
“I did. That’s the core copy.”
“I think that message can genuinely give courage to young people like me. And that courage isn’t something you show with words—you deliver it fully when people can see you actually running, sweating, for real.”
“…!”
At my words, life returned to the planner’s face.
“Right… real sweat, real effort, a real journey… that was the core of this ad.”
He spoke with rising excitement, then thought for a moment, as if deciding something.
“You’re right, Sunho. We have to do it as a one-take for the true value of this ad to shine.”
The passion in his eyes flared again.
It looked like the thrill and certainty he’d felt when he first planned this ad had come back.
Then he laughed.
“How ironic. I got persuaded by the message I wrote.”
He drew a deep breath.
“One-take filming is risky. Especially for a rookie actor. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
I nodded without hesitation.
What he needed wasn’t anything complicated—just certainty.
Certainty that would quiet the anxiety about his own idea.
At my answer, he smiled faintly.
“Alright. But if we judge it’s truly too much, we’ll have to go back to the original plan and film in takes.”
“Yes. The most important thing is getting a good result.”
The planner nodded.
“Wait here a moment. I’ll go talk to the director.”
His steps looked lighter.
Meanwhile,
While preparations for the shoot were in full swing, murmurs began in a corner of the set.
“Huh? That person… isn’t that Seo Yoonha?”
“Why would Seo Yoonha be here… huh?”
“Wow… it’s my first time seeing her in person. She’s insanely pretty…”
With long wavy hair, and features that couldn’t be hidden even behind sunglasses, top actress Seo Yoonha walked in through the staff.
Director Chae Wongi, the commercial director, looked shocked as he approached her.
“Yoonha? What brings you to this set?”
“You know the drama we’re preparing together. Mate said they wanted to discuss PPL for the drama, so I came by to check the image. But you—what are you doing here? Didn’t you quit commercials?”
“I’m filling in temporarily. Yoo Gwangjung suddenly injured his rib.”
“Ah… By the way, you still haven’t found the actor for the Kang Seoho role, right?”
“Something like that. The casting director recommended a few, so I showed them to the writer, but she says they’re all lacking. We need impact early on, but they can’t bring it to life.”
“Writer Park Eunju… She’s famous for having a sharp eye for acting, as much as she’s famous for her scripts…”
As Seo Yoonha slowly looked around the set, she made a small sound—like she’d found something interesting.
She’d spotted the man getting his makeup done.
“That guy—is he the model for this commercial?”
“Yes. He’s a rookie.”
“He has good visuals.”
Then she took off her sunglasses.
“How’s his acting?”