The GG promo film Diary Starting From the Past took three days to shoot. After that, everything else moved quickly.
Within days, major news outlets and websites were already airing Luke's commercial.
Of course, the TV version was just a 15-second cut—far too short to tell the whole story. The focus was on Cartier watches and the romantic vibe between the two leads.
But the full 10-minute version was up on websites and streaming platforms, presenting the touching story in detail.
Curious about audience feedback, Luke clicked over to IMDb. Sure enough, the video was right on the homepage.
In less than five days it had racked up over 400,000 views with tons of likes. The initial response seemed promising.
He opened the comments section and skimmed.
"This story is so romantic. Thank God for the twist ending, otherwise I'd be sending knives to the screenwriter!"
"I cried when the heroine disappeared—thank you for not breaking our hearts completely."
"I've rewatched this so many times. Luke is so handsome, Annie is stunning, and the two of them are just perfect together." —User: GodRules
"No way, Annie's mine! Even if Luke's good-looking, I'll never admit they're a good match." —User: AnnieForever
"I think their chemistry works. Standing together, they just *fit.*" —Anonymous reply
"No! Annie and Luke don't match at all. Luke belongs to me!" —User: TaySwiftFan
Luke chuckled when he saw that username—Taylor. A flash of a blonde girl's face popped into his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Probably just a coincidence.
Scrolling further—
"The cage fight sequence looked so real! Does Luke actually know martial arts? Asian kung fu is amazing."
"The Cartier watch fits perfectly with the concept—it's all about time. Smooth product placement, not forced at all."
Luke smirked. That one sounded like something planted by Cartier's PR team. Still, he had to admit the integration was seamless.
After skimming 40–50 popular comments, he found the reactions overwhelmingly positive.
Most viewers accepted him and Annie as an on-screen couple. Not only no backlash—people thought they looked natural together.
That meant Luke had already accomplished most of his original goal.
It helped that young audiences online were open-minded. With a good story anchoring the pairing, people embraced it instead of rejecting it.
But Luke knew things wouldn't be as smooth in traditional media. There, the backlash was inevitable.
Still, he wasn't worried. Controversy was better than being ignored. Problems? You solve them.
He closed the browser without rewatching the video—it was just too embarrassing.
Click!
A thousand miles away, Taylor Swift opened the very same video Luke had just avoided.
She'd already watched it dozens of times.
Every viewing left her fuming with jealousy, but she couldn't stop herself from clicking play again and again.
She loved the story. She loved watching Luke in it. The only part she hated? That the female lead wasn't her.
She'd already commented once—
"No! Annie and Luke aren't a good match at all. Luke belongs to me!"
And now she added another:
"That final kiss scene was completely unnecessary!"
Pouting, Taylor made a silent vow: When I debut, every music video I shoot will have Luke as the male lead.
Luke, of course, had no idea. If he did, he'd probably explain that the kiss scene wasn't even in the original script.
Director Cohen had sprung it on them mid-shoot.
His reasoning was simple: this wasn't some subtle Asian romance. For American audiences, when emotions reach that high point, you have to seal it with a kiss—or else the ending feels incomplete and critics slam you.
Plus, Cohen wanted to make the interracial pairing stick in the public's mind. A lingering kiss was the most effective way to brand them as a couple.
When Cohen suggested it, Luke had assumed Annie would refuse. To his surprise, she agreed without much hesitation.
And once the actress said yes, Luke couldn't object—it would've felt insulting.
And so, the kiss happened.
As for Taylor's dream of casting him as her MV co-star, Luke would almost certainly say yes, as long as conditions allowed.
He needed more exposure to Western audiences anyway—to get them used to him, to accept him.
Online feedback was good so far. But Luke knew the real storm hadn't hit yet.
In the traditional media—where narratives were easier to manipulate—plenty of people who hated seeing an Asian lead succeed in Hollywood would be sharpening their knives.
Just then, golden text flashed before his eyes:
[Host completed a beautiful kiss scene in a commercial. Reward granted.]
[Reward adjusted based on host's attributes.]
Luke blinked.
Not at the fact that the system was giving him a prize for a kiss—he was long past being shocked at its shamelessness.
What surprised him was that, for the first time, the reward was tied directly to his stats.
[Detected Agility: 20. Host acquires: *Master-Level Line Delivery.*]
The moment the system's words faded, Luke gained one of the most crucial skills for any actor: vocal performance.
In both Asian and English, every word he spoke was now crystal-clear, every syllable precise.
But that was only part of it.
The real power lay in the emotional resonance. With this ability, his voice could carry pure, layered feelings—even if the listener shut their eyes, they would still feel exactly what he felt.
An actor with this skill could make even the simplest line stir hearts, make people laugh or cry at will.
Frankly, having Master-Level Line Delivery was almost too good to waste on acting. He could become a world-class news anchor—or a politician with unmatched charisma.
It was the kind of skill that countless ambitious people dreamed of—a true ace in the hole.
But that wasn't Luke's path. He was an action star, yes, but even action stars had dramatic lines. For him, this was perfect.
Trading one kiss scene for such a reward? More than worth it.
Yet the system wasn't finished. Another line of text appeared:
[Detected Strength: 15. Host acquires: *Advanced Acting Techniques.*]