Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: First Advertisement (2)
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After the commercial shoot, photos and videos featuring the Game World team were officially uploaded to the mobile game's official café.
Not just the online café—their faces appeared on cable TV as well.
Kang Han-do stared at the TV in amazement.
"To think I'd be in a commercial. The world's full of things worth sticking around for."
Before his regression, he couldn't have even dreamed of it.
Back then, just filming one ad had been his biggest wish.
Now, after regressing, he'd finally made it come true.
But this was only the beginning.
'It can't end here.'
A little later, Kang Han-do had to head out to meet Oh Min-tae.
First, though, he had some important business to handle.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang.
Kang Han-do opened the front door without even checking who it was, as if he'd been expecting it.
"Hello, Han-do ssi."
"You made it? Today's the regular report day, right?"
"Yes, exactly. I'm glad you remembered. I figured you might've forgotten since you've been so busy."
"Forgetting would be a disaster. Humanity's survival is on the line."
Today was the mid-term happiness index report.
They'd done it every month, but without major results, it had kinda fizzled out.
"I've got good news today!"
Kang Han-do wasn't holding out much hope for Nemid's so-called "good news." Her specialty was seeing the bright side in every little thing.
However.
This time, things were different, just as she said.
"Ta-da!"
Nemid pulled up a translucent hologram window.
The graph made Kang Han-do let out an exclamation.
"Oh...! For real?"
"Right?"
They had good reason to be shocked.
The happiness index had risen by 15 compared to last month!
Not individual scores—the national average for South Korea. A 15-point jump in just one month was astonishing. This was a massive surge.
"Was there some reason for it?"
"After thinking it over, I figure it's gotta be connected to you, Han-do ssi."
"Me? Why?"
He hadn't done anything special.
"There's this song that's been wildly popular since last month."
"Ah!"
Now Kang Han-do got it.
It had to do with VSLine.
"I think it's thanks to 'Rhapsody.' Just listening to it lifts your mood and makes you wanna go out and have fun."
"A single song can make this big an impact."
"That's how powerful media is. And it's not just the song—the analysis shows VS Together, with you appearing alongside the VSLine members, contributed a ton to the happiness boost too."
"Analysis? There's a whole team for that?"
"Yes. Sheridel-nim set up a dedicated analysis team this time. They research what makes the happiness index go up or down, compile the data, and said it'd be a huge help to you, so they made a separate department for it."
"Nice."
"With talented folks like me on the team, you can trust their data."
"..."
Kang Han-do couldn't quite agree with Nemid's self-praise.
Anyway, the average happiness index had climbed thanks to him and VSLine's activities.
A huge achievement, no doubt.
But he couldn't let his guard down.
What goes up can come down.
'I need to push it even higher.'
That way, even if it dipped later, he'd have a buffer.
The road ahead was still long.
* * *
After Nemid's happiness index report, Kang Han-do headed straight out to meet Oh Min-tae.
They'd agreed to link up at their usual barbecue joint.
"Hey, Han-do! I got something hilarious on video. Wanna see?"
"What is it? Don't tell me you snuck a vid of some hot girl or something. Cut that out—it's a crime."
"What kinda nonsense is that? As if I'd do that. Nah, check this out."
Oh Min-tae turned his smartphone screen toward Kang Han-do.
The sight made Kang Han-do's eyes widen.
It was a subway ad with his face blown up huge.
"Which station's this from?"
"Sinlim Station. This the game ad you shot before, right?"
"Yeah, the manager said it'd hit subways soon too. Wild."
Seeing his face on TV ads was surreal enough—now subways?
Oh Min-tae broached it casually.
"Wanna do a holy site pilgrimage?"
"Now?"
"We just ate. And for drinks, Sinlim's better than here anyway. We can snap pics of the ad on the way. Sound good?"
"Sure!"
No reason to say no.
The two guys hopped on the subway right away.
As they rode, fans kept recognizing Kang Han-do and Oh Min-tae, striking up chats.
"You're Kang Han-do, right?"
"Can I get an autograph?"
"Photo, please! It's my lifelong dream!"
"Haha, sure thing. Just keep your voices down so we don't bother anyone else."
Fan meets were great, but he didn't want to disturb other passengers in public.
At Kang Han-do's request, the fans stayed as quiet and low-key as possible.
After fan service, they arrived safely at Sinlim Station.
"Here, over here. C'mon."
Oh Min-tae beckoned Kang Han-do.
A massive ad poster of Kang Han-do loomed right in front of him.
"Whoa, seeing it in person hits different."
Even the guy in the ad was at a loss for words.
"But Han-do, why'd they make you look so damn handsome? Too much Photoshop?"
"It's just how I look."
"Oh ho?"
"Anyway, snap some pics for me."
"Pics? Like how?"
Kang Han-do handed his smartphone to Oh Min-tae and stood in front of the poster.
"That way?"
"Yeah, just one shot. Gonna post it on SNS later."
"You do SNS now?"
"Started a couple days ago. Wasn't gonna, but the VSLine girls nagged me till I caved and made an account."
"Lucky you, buddies with a hot girl group. Snap me some autographs later as payback. Deal?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just take the pic."
Autographs were no biggie. VSLine basically saw Kang Han-do as their lifesaver. Thanks to him, they'd gone from struggling to walking the flower path.
The day he made his SNS account, over 50,000 people followed him right off the bat.
Since then, followers piled up in the tens of thousands daily.
Kang Han-do had never done SNS before. Took some getting used to at first, but with VSLine members glued to him for "special training," he could handle his own account now.
He posted the subway ad pic as proof. Likes poured in instantly.
Comments too—hundreds already.
Nursing drinks at the bar, Oh Min-tae shot Kang Han-do an envious look at his fame.
"You're killing it, man. This level crushes most celebs."
"Probably 'cause I'm on so many shows right now."
"You're doing three, right?"
"Yeah. Pobokjeoldo, Star House, VS Together. VS Together's wrapping soon, though—off to Busan for the final episode shoot."
"Whoa, Busan? But VS Together's solid, isn't it? Ratings hit 2%, right? Could easily extend."
"Circumstances, y'know."
Kang Han-do agreed on that front.
But VSLine's schedule was the issue.
They were just starting to bloom as idols. Strike while the iron's hot. Great start meant riding the momentum to build their idol recognition.
Reality shows were fun, but solidifying their singer status came first. Min Hye-young PD had respected VSLine and UltraBig Entertainment's wishes.
They'd left the door open for another reality collab down the line.
"Busan, huh. Perfect timing for a trip."
"Told you, it's work."
Kang Han-do shot back at Oh Min-tae.
VS Together would curtain-call after Busan.
'Next week's the finale.'
Every time a show ended, that pang of reluctance hit.
It was already creeping in.
* * *
They'd chartered a bus special for the Busan trip.
Kang Han-do, first to the shoot site, got the rundown on today's schedule from the writers.
His role was MC, so he had to memorize the script.
The other members went scriptless.
Kang Han-do would outline the flow, and they'd roll with it enthusiastically.
Min Hye-young PD chose this no-script style on purpose—it amped up the "real" in reality TV.
At first, VSLine floundered without scripts.
Now, camera-savvy, they acted naturally on set.
Today was no different.
"Hello!"
"Oppa Han-do! Long time no see!"
VSLine lit up at the sight of Kang Han-do.
He scanned them over.
"You all look way brighter. Even better than when we met."
"Really?"
"Maybe 'cause we've got special good news today."
"What's the good news?"
Kang Han-do asked, playing dumb despite knowing.
VSLine fixed eyes on the camera and declared proudly.
"We hit number one on the music charts today!"
"Baam-pa-ba-bam! Baam-bam-baam baaam-ba-ba-bam!"
They even threw in their own sound effects.
Number one on the charts!
A tough feat in this era, yet VSLine nailed it.
Kang Han-do congratulated them sincerely.
"Congrats. Knew you'd top the charts someday. You did it."
"We'll never forget how grateful we are to you, Oppa."
"You made us who we are, Oppa."
"Yeah, exactly!"
Seven-member girl group—one line each made seven quick hits.
Chaotic.
But as camera-tested as Kang Han-do was with VSLine, he'd grown used to the frenzy.
"Alright, alright. Save the deep talk for the ride. Hop on the bus first. Let's go!"
"Move, move, move!"
At last, VS Together's final shoot kicked off.