Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Chapter 25: First Advertisement (1)
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Kang Han-do's heart was already racing at the mention of an advertisement.
What better symbol of a successful entertainer than landing an ad?
The difference between booking one and not could make or break a career more than you'd think.
Nemid gave Kang Han-do a more detailed rundown on the ad.
"It's not just you solo, Han-do ssi. It's for the whole Game World team. The ad is about..."
"A game-related one?"
"How'd you know?"
Nemid's eyes widened in surprise as she turned the question back on him.
"Because it's Game World. Since our corner revolves around games, I figured game companies would take notice. And these days, game companies are raking it in, right?"
Even A-list celebs get tapped as promo models without hesitation. With that kind of cash flow, they can splurge big on marketing.
"What game is it?"
"It's a mobile game called Raysive. Ever heard of it?"
"Of course."
By sheer coincidence, it was the exact mobile game Kang Han-do was playing.
"I'm a Hero rank in it."
"A Hero? What's that mean?"
"It's a title you get for being in the top 5%. You have no idea how much I shelled out to snag that."
Just talking about his spending made Kang Han-do's chest ache.
Sure, he'd hit his goal of Hero rank, so he was satisfied—but the regret lingered.
He could've geared up with even better items. But that regret vanished in one fell swoop with this ad offer.
'Come to think of it, Senior Kim Sang-heon mentioned some company was positively considering an ad inquiry for us. Wonder if it's the same one that reached out this time.'
He could ask about that later.
The key point was that he'd landed an ad gig.
"You'll take it, right?"
Nemid checked, just to be sure.
Like he needed to be asked twice.
"Obviously."
* * *
Not just Kang Han-do—the entire Game World team agreed to do the ad.
The Game World team gathered for an ideas meeting.
But today's focus was the ad.
"Honestly, I never thought we'd actually get an ad offer."
Jang Seok-du looked deeply moved.
Truth be told, this would be everyone's first ad shoot. So his reaction was only natural.
Kang Han-do had something he wanted to ask Kim Sang-heon.
"Hyung, last time you hinted I might get an ad inquiry. Is this the same company?"
"Nah, different one. That was for some ramen brand, but it fell through midway. All good, though. A mobile game ad fits our corner's image perfectly. And the pay's pretty solid too."
Even for a first-timer gig, the game company was offering them a hefty appearance fee.
They were shocked once by the offer itself, then again by the amount.
Kim Sang-heon leaned back in his chair.
"Game companies must be swimming in money."
"Even I drop like 800,000 won a month on it, no joke."
"Wait, Han-do. You play that game?"
"Raysive? Yeah. And FYI, I'm a Hero. Being a Hero means..."
He couldn't help launching into another explanation.
But the others couldn't care less about Hero this or that.
"Is it beginner-friendly?"
Jang Seok-du asked cautiously. Kang Han-do turned to his seniors.
"You guys gonna give it a shot?"
"Have to. It's for the client. Kinda weird to say yes to an ad without even trying the game, right? Isn't it, hyung?"
"Spot on."
Kim Sang-heon nodded vigorously. But Lee Yo-su wasn't thrilled about him getting hooked on games.
"This isn't just an excuse to play, is it?"
"It's all for the ad. No choice."
"Sigh, fine—but go easy on the spending. Gotta save money."
"Got it, got it."
Their sudden couple's spat had Jang Seok-du and Kang Han-do glancing nervously between them.
After the ideas meeting wrapped up.
Jang Seok-du pulled Kang Han-do aside.
"Han-do, about those two..."
Jang Seok-du broached the topic with extreme caution.
"They said they're getting married soon."
"Really?"
"Yeah. They've been living together a while, dated forever. They wanted to tie the knot ages ago but held off 'cause money was tight. Now Game World's blowing up. Audio Star appearances, ad offers like this—things are looking up income-wise, so marriage is back on the table."
"Makes sense."
Good news all around.
They bickered like crazy, but Kim Sang-heon and Lee Yo-su made a great pair.
"Soon they'll tell you too, Han-do. And the rest of the Pobokjeoldo team next week. Won't be long."
Jang Seok-du let out a deep sigh once he finished.
"I want to make their wedding memorable, you know? But with where I'm at, I can't do much. Feels frustrating."
Even without booze, Jang Seok-du was letting his hidden feelings slip out bit by bit.
"Back in my no-name days, they helped me out so much. I wanna pay it back this time. But I'm no big shot myself. Kinda gives me an inferiority complex."
It was so unlike Jang Seok-du.
The guy dubbed the drill sergeant of Pobokjeoldo spilling his guts like this? Shocking.
Then again, he was human. Everyone had a soft side.
"When's the wedding?"
"Three months out. They said venue and all that are already booked."
"Quick turnaround."
"Gotta plan ahead. Last-minute rush when the date nears? Disaster. Everything's booked solid."
"True that."
The marriage of two seniors from the same corner.
The situation felt fresh to Kang Han-do.
'It won't hurt the show's image or anything.'
They'd both managed their reps well—no major gossip expected.
Jang Seok-du's wish for a blessed wedding.
Kang Han-do wanted to help make it happen.
* * *
The team held a pre-shoot meeting for the Raysive mobile game ad.
Time to hear the blueprint for how filming would go.
"Nothing complicated. You have the Game World corner, right? Just weave our game into it like usual. But wear the outfits from Raysive characters. We'll handle all the costumes."
"Character-specific, huh..."
Kang Han-do slyly asked the marketing rep.
"I'm the NPC guy. So which character should I play?"
"Hmm, hard to say. Rail could work. Or Batoon. It's tricky. But listing off NPCs won't mean much if you don't know them..."
"Nah, I'm good. Rail's the general store merchant in the starting village, right? Batoon's the weapon vendor before the lava zone?"
"Whoa, you know your stuff!"
The marketing manager looked genuinely impressed by Kang Han-do's deep knowledge.
"I'm in the Hero tier, what'd you expect? Put in some real cash too, haha!"
His Hero pride shone through wherever he went. Even at the pre-meeting, Kang Han-do flaunted it proudly.
"And not just me—my seniors are playing it too."
"No way! Awesome! We picked the perfect ad models!"
The manager's face bloomed with smiles.
Who wouldn't love models who genuinely enjoyed their game?
Image level up, one step!
Game World team's strategy paid off.
* * *
Ad shoot day.
Kim Sang-heon stood before a full-length mirror, eyeing himself.
"Damn, this is next-level serious."
They'd never gone full cosplay like this for Game World stages.
Just enough to vaguely evoke "game character" vibes before.
Kang Han-do, Kim Sang-heon, and Jang Seok-du donned armored male character looks, while Lee Yo-su sported a high-exposure female outfit.
"Should've dieted if I knew..."
Her midriff-baring armor made Lee Yo-su blush.
For someone who pretended fragile, her figure was killer.
The gag world celeb known for her curvy build—but she wasn't the type to flaunt it.
Hence the doubled embarrassment.
Kim Sang-heon pumped her up.
"You're good. Suits you fine. Right, guys?"
"Totally!"
"Own it, noona."
Jang Seok-du and Kang Han-do chimed in with praise like they'd been waiting.
Lee Yo-su gave a wry smile.
"Bow down and grovel."
Still, her happiness meter jumped 20-30 points from before.
Kang Han-do thought to himself.
'Even obvious flattery makes a world of difference when you say it versus not.'
Words held real power.
* * *
After changing into costumes.
They headed to the studio.
"Photos first before video. Line up left to right: Kim Sang-heon ssi, Lee Yo-su ssi, Kang Han-do ssi, Jang Seok-du ssi. Like that."
They stood in a row per instructions.
Poses freeform. But nothing too goofy.
Had to channel stern, badass fantasy characters.
The photographer called for those vibes.
Everyone fumbled at first. High-rank Raysive player Kang Han-do nailed it best.
As time passed, they got the feel.
By the end, they struck poses flawlessly without prompts.
"Alright, now video shoot."
Game World team realized something.
Video was easier than photos.
Just do their usual Pobokjeoldo bits.
Only the material zeroed in on the mobile game—otherwise same as always.
So video wrapped even quicker.
The director was thrilled.
"You've shared stages so long, your chemistry's spot-on! Nothing for me to nitpick."
Mostly one-takes, no NGs.
They figured it'd drag since it was their ad debut—but it flew by, exceeding expectations.
All done before sundown.
"Great work, everyone!"
"You too!"
"Thanks for the hard work!"
Cast and crew exchanged encouragements.
With that, Kang Han-do's first ad shoot wrapped successfully.