At this point, Taylor wasn't yet the superstar she'd become before Luke's rebirth in 2024.
She wasn't yet that global phenomenon whose world tour grossed $2.2 billion in ticket sales in North America alone—not even counting another billion from streaming revenue and over $5 billion in related spending.
That kind of money easily crushed the box office record of any movie in the world.
Even Barbie, the top-grossing global film of 2023, made only $1.4 billion—not much higher than what Luke's timeline was seeing in 2002.
Right now, Taylor was just one of many talented female singers—and not even the hottest one.
Luke's goal was simple: to help her reach that ultimate version of herself, starting with today's music video shoot—"You Belong With Me."
The MV tells the story of a sweet, nerdy girl, a high school football quarterback, and the glamorous cheer captain—a love triangle straight out of small-town America.
Luke played the quarterback, while Taylor took on both female roles—the nerdy girl and the cheer captain.
The setup sounded a little too much like A Letter from the Future, didn't it? And in that short drama, the cheerleader's name had literally been "Taylor Swift."
So when audiences who'd seen A Letter from the Future came across this MV, the connection was instant—and naturally, that kind of buzz would send the video's popularity skyrocketing.
That was the third "bird" in Luke's three-bird plan.
---
The MV began.
As the light, cheerful strumming of a banjo played, two classic American wooden houses appeared on screen.
They stood maybe twenty feet apart, each with a lit window facing the other.
In one window, Luke's character was on the phone—his expression tense, clearly arguing with whoever was on the other end.
In the opposite window, Taylor—blonde hair, black-rimmed glasses—was reading a book. She looked up, noticing the argument across the way.
Then the lyrics started:
🎵 "You're on the phone with your girlfriend…"
You're talking to your girlfriend.
🎵 "She's upset, she's going off about something that you said…"
She's mad, upset over something you said.
🎵 "'Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do."
She doesn't understand your sense of humor like I do.
Smiling gently, Taylor picked up a pen and wrote in big letters on a notebook page: "You OK?" Then she held it up to her window.
Luke looked over, gave a weary smile, and wrote back: "Tired of drama."
Taylor pouted and scribbled: "Sorry! (＞﹏＜)"
He shrugged, pulled the curtain shut, and got ready for bed.
Taylor hesitated, then wrote one last note: "I love you!"
But when she looked up again, his curtain was already closed.
She sighed softly, still holding up the paper toward the dark window.
Then she turned toward her mirror, gazing at her plain reflection. She began to sway, dancing shyly in front of it.
The lyrics continued:
🎵 "But she wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts…"
She wears sexy short skirts, I wear simple T-shirts.
🎵 "She's cheer captain, and I'm on the bleachers…"
She's the dazzling cheer captain, and I'm just one of the invisible kids in the stands.
🎵 "Dreaming about the day when you wake up…"
Dreaming of the day you'll wake up…
🎵 "And find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time…"
And realize the person you've been looking for was right here all along.
🎵 "You belong with me…"
You belong with me.
At that moment, Luke reopened his curtain and saw her dancing. He couldn't help but laugh quietly.
Taylor, of course, had no idea—she was too caught up in her goofy little dance.
---
Next scene: Taylor sat on her porch reading a book—or pretending to. It was obvious she was waiting for someone.
Luke stepped out of his house, noticed her, and smiled as he walked over. They chatted happily for a while.
A lock of golden hair fell over her face. Just as she reached to fix it, Luke gently brushed it back behind her ear.
Taylor blushed, smiling sweetly.
🎵 "And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town…"
You have a smile that could light up the whole town.
🎵 "I haven't seen it in a while since she brought you down…"
I haven't seen it in so long—not since she made you sad.
🎵 "You say you're fine, I know you better than that…"
You say you're fine, but I know you better than that.
Just then, a red sports car pulled up in front of them.
Inside sat Taylor again—this time as the cheer captain.
Her long black hair, perfect makeup, and bright pink lipstick radiated pure confidence and temptation.
Luke clearly had plans with her, so he smiled at Taylor-the-nerd and got into the car.
The cheer captain wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately—right in front of the other Taylor.
It was an intentional display, meant to sting.
"Cut!"
The director called the scene to a halt.
"What happened? Did I mess up?" Luke asked.
"Not at all!" The director grinned. "You were brilliant. Oscar-worthy, even. Scratch that—an Oscar winner couldn't shine your shoes! You're not acting—you're living the role."
He turned to Taylor. "The issue's with you. Your energy's off. That kiss looked too real—too romantic."
"But… we are dating. Isn't that natural?" she asked innocently.
"Yes, but in the story, the cheer captain doesn't love the guy. She's with him because it makes her look good, feeds her ego. While you're kissing him, your eyes should be on the nerdy girl—show her you're marking your territory. Make it a power move."
He added, "And when you're playing the nerdy girl, you didn't capture that heartbreak—that ache of watching the person you like kiss someone else right in front of you."
Taylor nodded; she understood he was right.
The problem was, when she kissed Luke, she was happy—too happy to fake arrogance or spite.
And when she switched to the nerdy girl role, she couldn't feel heartbroken either. After all, the girl kissing him was also her. How could she make herself jealous of… herself?
For a singer, that was one tough acting challenge.