The Gaze That Captured the Nation

I stood there for a long while, watching her taillights shrink into the distance.

The warmth of her palm still lingered hot against mine.

"Take responsibility, huh..."

Saying it out loud made a hollow laugh escape me. Korea's biggest top star was going to take responsibility for me. Could anyone ask for a stronger safety net?

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

I caught myself wondering for a moment whether I should change her saved name from Senior Hae-in to Your Person ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠In Charge. Smirking, I typed out a reply.

My steps back toward the hospital room felt like walking on clouds. I arrived in no time, and when I opened the door, my parents were sitting side by side, looking so full of life that it was hard to believe they'd both been knocking on death's door just hours before.

"Oh, Dong-su's here."

"Yes. I went out to see Senior Hae-in off."

The moment the words left my mouth, Mom's eyes lit up like a girl in her twenties.

"Son. Be honest with me. Is it real?"

"Is what real?"

"Song Hae-in. That young lady. Are you two really... you know, together?"

Beside her, Dad cleared his throat and perked up his ears, every bit as curious.

I sat down on the folding chair next to the bed and shrugged.

"Yes. It just happened. We decided to start dating today."

"Good heavens! Sweet mercy!"

Mom smacked me square on the back. The sting in my palm told me her recovery was one hundred percent certain.

"Well, I never. Our son, dating an actress — and Song Hae-in, of all people! Honey, this is a dream, right? I don't need to collapse again, do I?"

"Heh heh, imagine that. Song Hae-in as our daughter-in-law. I'll have to ask the village chief to hang up a banner."

"Dad, marriage is a long way off. And it's a secret, okay? If word gets out, it'll cause trouble for my senior."

When I raised a finger to my lips, both of them nodded along, unable to wipe the grins off their faces.

That night, laughter never stopped echoing through the hospital room. Mom, saying she felt reborn, insisted on being discharged first thing the next morning, and the medical staff could only click their tongues and call it a miracle.

The next morning, Mom made good on her word and went through the discharge paperwork. Every test result had come back not just within normal range but at the level of a woman in her twenties, so the hospital had no grounds to keep her any longer.

"Take care of your health. Don't overdo it."

"Oh, stop worrying. I feel like I could fly. You go back to Seoul and work hard — and give my regards to our daughter-in-law... I mean, to Hae-in."

After dropping my parents off at the family home, I hit the road back to Seoul. Everything had returned to normal.

Thursday morning. The PR Team office was as bustling as ever — but my mindset had completely changed.

"Team Leader! Welcome back from your leave, sir!"

Deputy General Manager Choi Jin-ho sprang out of his seat and bowed. There wasn't a trace of wariness or condescension left in his eyes anymore — only perfect deference. The fruit of being crushed by competence and proven by results.

"Thanks. Everything ran fine without me, I take it?"

I hadn't told anyone at the office that I'd used my leave because my mother was ill. No — I couldn't have. It had all been far too sudden.

I sat down and booted up my PC. The messenger window blinked without pause.

So today was the day. That commercial Hae-in and I had shot with the couple concept. I knew internal reception had been good, but a formal screening in front of the executives? A tight knot of tension formed in my stomach.

Ten a.m. A heavy silence hung over the executive conference room. The stars of Daehan Bank had all gathered — the president, the deputy presidents, the managing directors, the executive directors.

I stood beside the screen and began my presentation.

"This commercial moves away from the stiff, rigid image of traditional finance. Instead, it portrays Daehan Bank as a dependable partner woven into the fabric of our customers' everyday lives. Now, please enjoy the film."

The lights dimmed, and the video played across the large screen.

A living room bathed in warm sunlight. Song Hae-in on the sofa, reading a book. A man walks up beside her, sets down a cup of coffee, and presses a kiss to her forehead.

That man was me.

On screen, we weren't acting. The way we looked at each other, the warmth of our joined hands, the smiles spreading across our faces — every bit of it was real.

Not even the sound of breathing could be heard in the conference room until the ad ended. Then the screen cut to black, and the lights came back up.

"......."

A beat of stillness. And then—

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The president began a slow, deliberate applause, and the executives thundered after him in a wave.

"Good. Very good."

The president took the microphone with a satisfied look on his face.

"This is exactly what I wanted. Trust, warmth, and that little ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flutter of the heart. The emotions we want our bank to give its customers — captured perfectly. And in particular..."

His gaze landed on me.

"Our Team Leader Kim Dong-su. I heard you'd done some acting, but that was no exaggeration. Standing across from Song Hae-in, you don't shrink one bit — if anything, you're the one leading. Outstanding. Truly outstanding."

"Thank you, Mr. President."

I bowed my head, but inside I was breaking into a cold sweat.

It wasn't acting, sir. It was real. Of course the chemistry was good.

"Air this commercial in prime time starting next week. And push the YouTube and social media viral campaign hard. Kim, you put yourself forward as the model, so you'll take responsibility for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the results."

"Understood, sir."

When the lights came on in the executive conference room, the applause died down, but its resonance lingered long after. The president clapped me on the shoulder, unable to hide his satisfaction.

And the president's prophecy did not miss.

No — it landed far bigger and far louder than anyone had predicted.

Monday morning, on the subway to work.

People who would normally have their faces buried in their phones were instead murmuring and staring up at the display screens.

"Whoa, who's that guy? An actor?"

"He's standing next to Song Hae-in and he's not getting overshadowed? The chemistry is insane."

"That's the Daehan Bank ad, right? Did they change models?"

On the screen, I was kissing Song Hae-in's forehead. The me in that footage looked impossibly tender, and Song Hae-in's eyes were pure, unfiltered adoration.

I hastily dragged my mask up to my eyes and yanked my cap down low. My face was plastered across subways, buses, and YouTube billboards nationwide.

This... is going to blow up bigger than I expected.

The moment I stepped into the headquarters lobby, even the security guards were looking at me differently. I rode the elevator up to the 13th floor, and the second I opened the PR Team office door, Deputy General Manager Choi came scrambling over with a tablet ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in hand.

"Team Leader! We have a situation!"

"What is it? Is the ad not landing well?"

"Not landing well? The servers are about to melt down! Look at the trending searches, right now!"

On the screen Deputy Choi thrust toward me was the portal site's real-time surging search rankings.

"The YouTube view count passed three million in a single day. There are over twenty thousand comments!"

The top comments beneath the video Deputy Choi showed me were a spectacle in themselves.

The netizen detective squad's instincts were terrifying. The comment calling it "not acting" was racking up thousands of likes.

"The PR team phone lines are on fire. We're getting interview requests, and we've even had calls from variety shows wanting to book him."

I pressed a hand to my forehead. As PR team leader, the bank getting this much attention was a good thing. But Kim Dong-su the private individual being exposed this thoroughly? That was beyond anything I'd anticipated.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

Hae-in was clearly enjoying all of this. But I couldn't afford to just enjoy it along with her. For an ordinary citizen, fame was risk in its purest form.

And then it happened.

The familiar chime rang out.

A system notification. The ability unlocking at precisely this moment could only mean one thing: a weapon was being handed to me to cut through exactly this crisis.

Without a moment's hesitation, I called it out.

"Unlock ability."