Chapter 128: Smiles Overflow

Several weeks passed after the commercial shoot.

In the meantime, even the post-production was finished, and the commercial was officially scheduled.

The day of the broadcast.

“Why is everyone hovering in front of the TV?”

Unlike usual, when they monitored the reactions on their respective phones, everyone was walking back and forth in front of the TV.

Here, “everyone” included not only the members but also the CEO and the Team Leader.

The CEO was even anxiously biting the tips of his fingernails.

“Sun-woo, this is Pantheon’s first TV commercial, you know.”

“Is that such a nerve-wracking matter?”

“Of course it is nerve-wracking! The image and promotional effect must be good here for the next one to follow easily!”

“Aha?”

They stepped forward as commercial models for the first time, but the performance is minimal?

Word of that spreads in the industry?

Until the next commercial comes in, they would have to raise their brand reputation tremendously.

“If so, there is certainly a need to monitor the reactions.”

Since the alcohol company said they would upload the Nutube video simultaneously with the commercial broadcast.

“Yes, furthermore, the edited version we saw and the final edited version could be different. Because there are tons of cases where they change in a rush.”

“Hm? And yet they do not seek my permission?”

“Naturally they do not seek it.”

“What?”

As per custom, they did send the edited version in advance for confirmation.

But only up to that point.

Origin was not yet at a level to strongly present opinions.

“I mean the storyboard changed upon the director’s suggestion. From what I heard, meetings continued even at the alcohol company. It might have been overturned at the last minute.”

In such an urgent case, they wouldn’t notify Origin one by one and request approval.

“Insolent.”

“Insolence is insolence. Do you understand the situation?”

He understood perfectly.

The Demon God began to hover near the TV together with them….

The advertising agency informed them of the time being roughly 9:30.

But because TV scheduling is flexible, the commercial does not come out at exactly that time. If they didn’t want to miss it, they had to be watching TV around 9:30.

“Even this is insolent, though?”

“This is something that can’t be helped, though.”

Fortunately, the commercial was transmitted without major changes, allowing the Demon God’s patience to remain at peace.

“”It’s on!!!!””

Along with the members’ shouts, everyone gathered and sat in front of the TV.

***

Inside the TV screen.

Dining bar.

Youths of sophisticated fashion are enjoying cooking.

While the scenes of laughing and chatting merrily flowed centered on the members, excluding the Demon God.

The beer came out.

Surprisingly, not the craft beer the alcohol company was newly showcasing, but ordinary beer.

The glasses are distributed onto the table.

A glass looking so appetizing with attention paid to the color and bubbles,

The Demon God grabbed and lifted it.

Gulp, gulp, gulp,

He gulps it down his throat as if drinking the beverage of the gods.

If one looked only up to this point, it was to the extent that one might wonder if he was advertising the existing line of beer.

But the Demon God, having finished the beer, showed the smile that the director had highly praised.

“To think that smile would drag this matter all the way here.”

That smile, which the CEO watched with a broad grin, was the Demon God’s lively smile, namely the toothache smile.

And then, he delivered a single line.

“Excessive drinking is bad for health.”

A development as if telling them not to drink alcohol.

An expression looking as if the alcohol had no taste at all, on top of an drinking warning.

But there was one final scene here.

A new line of craft beer was placed on the table, rising with bubbles.

[Citrus Echo, which even such a person can enjoy drinking, has been released.]

Along with that phrase.

Thus, the commercial ended.

“”…….””

A brief silence flowed in the dorm, and then.

“It went out exactly like the edited version?”

“It seems they decided to keep it in the meeting.”

“They kept the ad-lib!”

The Demon God’s toothache smile went on the public airwaves as is.

Seeing it through the large TV screen, it looked even more painful and intense.

“It must be a molar, right?”

“Surprisingly, it might be a front tooth?”

Along with the unidentified conversation, everyone picked up their phones.

Of course, no one waits to watch a commercial as they would a drama.

Even so, they thought there might be at least a slight reaction,

“Oh? A reaction is coming already?”

Oh Dae-ho’s eyes opened wide.

***

Real-time Trend 1st: #PantheonBeerCommercial

Real-time Trend 2nd: #ExcessiveDrinkingIs

Real-time Trend 3rd: #DemonGodSunwoo

For now, they dominated the SNS real-time trends.

A beer commercial is bound to compete with scenes of the model drinking beer refreshingly and coolly.

Within this flow, the bizarre concept of the Citrus Echo commercial was enough to draw interest.

It was natural for favorable reactions to appear in the fan community.

[He drank the alcohol so sacredly, and then the last line is lolol]

[Excessive drinking is bad for health. Where did he see those words?]

[It’s a beer commercial, but he says do not drink lolol]

[Don’t tell me this is Sun-woo’s ad-lib again?]

[It’s 100% an ad-lib lol]

[The Demon God-nim wishing well for his fans ㅠㅠ]

[But is that beer tasty? How is it?]

There were reactions in general communities that weren’t for idols as well.

[The most absurd line in the history of alcohol commercials]

[Excessive drinking is bad for health lol Weren’t things like that supposed to be inserted in small font at the bottom lolol]

[Is this really what the beer company wanted…?]

[Beer Company: ???]

[It seems like an extremely adventurous attempt, though? Isn’t the person who approved this going to get fired?]

[That would depend on the sales volume lolol I bet they are breaking a cold sweat right now]

[So, anyone who tried it?]

Whether in idol communities or general communities, the curiosity gathered into one.

So is Citrus Echo tasty, or not?

The fans tried Citrus Echo because the beer had to sell well for Pantheon’s brand value to rise, and others tried it out of pure curiosity,

[Seems decent?]

[Tasty!!]

The evaluation was generally that the taste was decent.

A refreshing aroma was mixed in, but that wasn’t to the extent of harming the beer’s original body. Word-of-mouth began to spread that the subtle flavor was easy to drink.

[And somehow… although it might sound strange to say this…]

[What is it?]

[Don’t you keep watching the commercial? While watching the commercial, I feel like I’m brainwashed into buying it.]

There was an element in this commercial that made it impossible to take one’s eyes off.

Precisely, the model.

Gulping down the beer in a single breath like a heavenly god, showing a peculiar smile, and delivering a warning about drinking, the Demon God.

Music shows are only watched by those who watch them.

Only photos go to the social pages. The face is not close-up like this.

The Demon God met through the large TV screen gave a feeling as if greeting his actual presence.

[They said Sun-woo was the visual center in Pantheon…]

[His profile gulping the beer is art. It’s fun even to just enter Nutube and watch the CF]

[And because he seriously worries about excessive drinking, it’s funny yet also convincing?]

The Demon God did as he wanted at the shooting set.

It meant he acted with sincerity.

Gulping down the beer deliciously was also sincere.

Delivering the drinking warning out of thoughts for the fans was also sincere.

That sincerity came alive as is inside the CF, sucking in the viewers.

***

“How is it?”

A conference room of the beer company.

Here too, the marketing team was checking real-time reactions.

“…It is explosive.”

The team leader peered into the monitor.

[SNS mentions are 5 times the expected estimate]

[Positive reaction 87%]

[Particularly, women in their 20s and 30s, the consumer class of Citrus Echo]

The team leader turned his head.

“Director, it is successful.”

Standing there was Director Park, who had taken Pantheon’s autographs.

“Phew, what a relief.”

Although he had passed the modified storyboard in the meeting, he was inwardly anxious. Only after seeing the results did a sigh flow out.

“Weren’t you confident, Director? You pushed strongly during the meeting.”

“Confidence?”

Director Park shook his head, then nodded again.

“After seeing Pantheon at the shooting set, an unknown confidence did arise. He was exceptionally unique, that friend Sun-woo.”

Actually, it was thanks to the Demon God’s Authority.

– Commendable.

The Demon God had exerted his Authority upon seeing Director Park taking Pantheon’s autographs on the spot.

Encouraging Director Park with the Authority [Confidence Boost] among them.

However, that the confidence continued all the way to the modified storyboard meeting was something neither the Demon God nor anyone else had any way of knowing.

“I hear that line was also delivered by that friend?”

“Yes, it is. It’s an ad-lib done on the spot.”

The Demon God merely acted like a Demon God. Doing the actions he wanted to do, and saying the words he wanted to say.

“I am glad it worked.”

Thanks to that, Director Park was relieved of his worries. No, rather, he gained credit for making the decision.

He smiled warmly and spoke.

“An additional commercial. It would be fine to consider it, right?”

What kind of concept would they create this time.

***

It wasn’t only the related companies doing the monitoring.

Naturally, competitor companies also monitored.

As did the alcohol companies trying to release beers different from existing lines like Citrus Echo.

Here, at Izm too, they were watching Pantheon’s CF.

They connected the video uploaded on Nutube to a large screen and watched it together.

“…….”

Jang Young-bae was reading the room ever since he finished watching the CF.

The CF was pulled off incredibly well, if anything.

The concept was fresh, and the model Pantheon also came out well.

Among them, the visual of member Sun-woo was shocking.

For Pantheon, who was in a rivalry with EXI, to enter alcohol commercials first like this.

“Wow, cool!”

Unaware of Jang Young-bae’s inner state, Kang-yul was smiling brightly again beside him.

“Kang-yul, be quiet.”

“Yes? Why?”

“The current atmosphere is….”

Jang Young-bae again checked the CEO across the executive desk.

No light was turned on over there, so his face could not be seen properly.

But his feelings couldn’t possibly be good.

Jang Young-bae brought up words as if making an excuse to the CEO.

“CEO-nim, all of our boys are still minors, so alcohol commercials are a later matter. But since the atmosphere is rising again now, soon a TV CF will also…”

“Ahahaha! No, Director. Look at the CEO-nim’s expression.”

Kang-yul laughed lightly and cut him off.

“CEO-nim’s expression?”

Jang Young-bae felt displeased yet also doubtful.

“Yes! He is smiling like that, you see.”

It is dark so it cannot be seen, though.

The vicinity of the CEO’s desk was still pitch black, so his face was not revealed.

As Jang Young-bae continued to be puzzled, Kang-yul abruptly stood up.

“Kang-yul! What are you trying to do!”

But Kang-yul went to the CEO’s desk and turned on the stand. An action of just doing as he wanted without hesitation, without even receiving permission.

Jang Young-bae flinched, wondering if the CEO would be angry.

“!”

But the CEO’s face revealed under the stand light was indeed filled with a bright smile.

“CEO-nim, ?”

The CEO’s smile deepened.

“Good, very good. As expected of Pantheon, as expected of Sun-woo.”

Then beside him, Kang-yul also chimed in.

“Right? I told you my eye for things wasn’t wrong.”

What on earth?

Jang Young-bae was extremely confused.

Why are both the CEO and Kang-yul pleased like that?

What kind of consensus do they share between them?

How Kang-yul could see the CEO’s expression was now merely a minor question.

Jang Young-bae trembled with an unknown terror.

The two laughing brightly like midday in the middle of the darkness cast over the CEO’s desk.

Their smiles with them.

***

“Sun-woo Hyung, there is no need to make the same smile while watching the CF, you know.”

Yoon-seo spoke to the Demon God.

The Demon God was looking at the CF and comments on Nutube.

“Hm? Ahem, hem.”

“It was your expression from the start, why are you copying it?”

The Demon God headed to his room without any reply.

‘Copying?’

He had merely been natural.

Even so, the toothache smile must have come out.

And the emotion contained in the toothache smile was not something like enduring pain.

It was originally a lively smile.

That word meant, namely,

“Don’t tell me I was smiling in a lively manner?”

The Demon God was astonished at himself.

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