Life is Easier If You’re Handsome - Chapter 25

Ring. Ring. Ring.

The longer the phone rang, the more CEO Park Geum-gang’s leg shook nervously.  

Tremble. Tremble.

Why wasn’t he picking up? 

He must know I got his number.  

‘Surely, he’s not trying to brush me off before things even start, right?’  

Kim Dong-hoo! 

Do you even know how much this movie is worth and who’s starring in it?!  

Just as he was about to shout in frustration—  

Click.

-Hello?  

Kim Dong-hoo had answered.  

But his voice sounded much more mature than expected.  

It didn’t sound like a 14-year-old at all.  

“Yes, hello. I’m Park Geum-gang, CEO of Studio Geumgang. Is this Kim Dong-hoo’s phone?”  

-Yes, that’s correct. How can I help you?  

“I’m contacting you regarding a film casting. I’d love to meet with you. How does that sound?”  

-That sounds great. But just to clarify, I’m not Kim Dong-hoo; I’m his manager, Choi Seok-ho.  

Hearing that, CEO Park thought, ‘Ah, of course.’

No wonder the voice sounded too mature.  

‘Wait, Choi Seok-ho?’  

‘Could it be the Choi Seok-ho I know?’

It wasn’t a priority at the moment, so Park continued calmly.  

“Oh, I see. Should I come by your office then?”  

-That would be great! I’ll send you the address right away. Is this the number to reach you?  

“Yes, thank you. I’ll see you there.”  

-Got it!  

After hearing the enthusiastic response, Park smiled and hung up the phone.  

‘Finally, I’m going to meet Kim Dong-hoo.’  

Park quickly got into his car.  

In the passenger seat, the script meant for Kim Dong-hoo lay waiting.  

———-

{Dong-hoo’s POV}

To be honest, I was curious.  

Why did Sims – Real Life choose Seok-ho hyung?  

Big corporations have their own infrastructure.

And even smaller places have their unique strengths.  

Of course, I understood the advantages of Seok-ho hyung’s contract—  

The 9:1 revenue split and the ridiculously short contract term.  

But those were benefits I could enjoy even after becoming famous. 

‘So what’s the catch?’  

That question didn’t linger for long though, because I soon understood what made Seok-ho hyung so capable. 

“Yes, hello. This is Choi Seok-ho. You didn’t forget about me, did you? Haha. So, about that matter…”  

The once empty office, void of any sign of life, had suddenly become full of energy the moment we signed the contract.  

As soon as the main piece—the actor—was in place, Seok-ho hyung began moving like a one-man factory.  

“Dong-hoo, just let me know what kind of roles you want to take on in the future. We may be a small agency for now, but with your looks, we can aim for quite a few roles.”  

“Oh, by the way, Studio Geumgang’s CEO, Park Geum-gang, is dropping by soon. We’ll have a quick meeting, is that okay with you?”  

After asking me all sorts of questions, Seok-ho hyung suddenly looked at me seriously and asked,  

“Dong-hoo, what kind of actor do you want to be?”  

“Sorry?”  

“I’ll tailor everything to help you achieve that.”  

The playful and chatty person who had been on the phone moments ago was gone. He was replaced by a serious person

I was a bit taken aback.  

‘But come to think of it, I’ve never really thought about that.’  

There’s nothing more dangerous than running without a clear goal.  

But at the same time, I couldn’t give a rushed answer.  

“I’m not sure yet.”  

“That’s okay. Take your time. I’ll support you every step of the way.”  

Just as the situation was starting to feel like a scene from a coming-of-age drama—  

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Is this Veritas Agency?”  

Studio Geumgang’s CEO, Park Geum-gang, walked through the door.  

With his tall frame, slicked-back hair, and unmistakable aura of a successful businessman, he looked like the perfect image of a CEO.

“Yes, yes. That’s right.”  

“Nice to meet you. I’m Park Geum-gang, CEO of Studio Geumgang.”  

“Yes, I’m Choi Seok-ho, CEO of Veritas. Looking forward to working with you.”  

“This way, please,”  

Seok-ho hyung quickly guided CEO Park to a chair.  

“This office has a very warm, lively feel to it.”  

“Haha. Thank you.”  

“And… You must be actor Kim Dong-hoo? You’re even more handsome than in the photos. Honestly, I was a bit surprised.”  

With a broad smile, Park extended his hand.  

He came across as very gentlemanly and personable, but there was a sense of urgency about him.  

As I glanced down, I noticed his shoes slightly trembling at the toes.  

‘He’s anxious.’  

Why was he so rushed?  

Anyway—  

“Yes, I’m Kim Dong-hoo. Thank you for the compliment.”  

After a brief greeting, Park immediately got to the point as soon as he sat down.  

Typically, you’d expect a bit of small talk to ease into the conversation, but his expression suggested even those few moments were too precious to waste.  

“Let me be direct: I want to cast Kim Dong-hoo for a role.”  

With that, he placed a script on the table.  

Endless Frontline.

I’d heard of this film before.  

It was a movie depicting fierce trench warfare, vividly portraying the latter part of the Korean War, and it had performed well.  

I remembered watching it with interest in my previous life.  

“Could I take a look at the script before making a decision?”  

“Oh, of course. Take your time.”  

Was he caught off guard by how forward I was for a rookie actor?  

Park laughed awkwardly, and Seok-ho hyung, sensing the tension, immediately shifted the conversation toward the contract details.  

“But before you cast him outright, wouldn’t it be better to at least see a brief performance?”  

“Ah… You’re right, but we don’t have time to delay.”  

If time was of the essence, shouldn’t they be even more careful about choosing the right person?  

That thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t voice it. 

Now wasn’t the time for that.  

‘Is this really my script?’  

Student soldier role.

An unnamed part.  

Even so, there was clearly a script for this character. 

Why was that?  

To satisfy my curiosity—  

‘Immerse.’  

I entered the world of the script.  

————

“I’d like to die after eating a bowl of white rice with meat soup just once.”  

My sister never got to fulfill that dream and died.  

A world filled with incomprehensible words like ideology and revolution.  

Orphaned siblings couldn’t last long in such a world.  

“Live for both of us.”  

My sister’s final words clung to me like a curse.  

How could anyone survive in a time when even brass bowls were taken away to make bullets?  

In a world where if you don’t take, you’ll be taken from.  

In an era where there’s only one choice to make.  

Like everyone else, like those who killed my sister.

I decided to covet what belonged to others.  

So, I joined the army.  

Or rather, I was forced into it.  

“To ignite the flames of revolution! Move, you brats. Quickly!”  

What revolution are they even talking about?  

Is struggling not to starve a revolution?  

I used to have those kinds of questions.  

But now, I’d forgotten them.

As long as I wasn’t starving, it was enough.  

I had to live for both myself and my sister.  

At first, even holding a gun was difficult.  

But now, I had gotten used to dragging corpses.  

“You damn brat! Did you eat my rice ball?!”  

“Don’t accuse me of something I didn’t do! What are you talking about?”  

Days spent not even knowing who I was fighting.  

As supplies became more scarce, survival was my only focus.  

Even when there was no rice mixed with sand to eat.

Even on days when I had nothing but salted water.

I was determined to survive.  

Kill, kill, and kill again.  

Under the red flag,  

I marched forward, gritting my teeth over the meaningless word, ‘revolution.’

“Stop! Stop! You all must retake this revolutionary hill ahead!”  

How far had I come?  

Hearing the man with the red armband barking orders, I finally looked up at the sky.  

The blue sky was so clear and serene.

Uncaring about the hell that unfolded beneath it.  

Maybe my sister was happy up there, too.  

“You must! You must reclaim this hill! Risk your lives for it!”  

I smiled bitterly at his words.  

Telling us to risk our lives while he stayed behind—  

How absurd.  

“If we successfully retake this hill, our great leader promises a paradise on earth!”  

“I will personally record your efforts and report them to the central party!”  

Everyone seemed to be motivated by the clownish speech,  

He talked of paradise on earth. 

Could such a thing even exist?  

I looked up at the hill.  

A small mound held by South Korean soldiers.  

How many more lives would be lost to capture that little patch of land?  

Would I survive long enough to reach this so-called paradise?  

‘If I had known that eating rice with meat would be this hard, I never would have made that promise.’  

‘Sister, you left me with too heavy a burden.’

———-

{Third POV}

“Honestly, it’s not a role with a lot of screen time. Not that it means the acting isn’t important, but the role doesn’t need to carry too much weight,”  

Park added, explaining why he wanted to cast someone so quickly.  

Had Director Kang been there, he would’ve jumped in protest,  

but since he wasn’t, it didn’t matter.  

‘At this point, with how urgent the casting is, as long as he looks the part, I can’t ask for more.’  

Park glanced at Kim Dong-hoo.  

He was truly unbelievably handsome.  

If he could act even half as well as he looked, it would be great.  

Of course, it wasn’t that there wouldn’t be a screen test at all, but the fact that Dong-hoo had Seok-ho as his manager was already a huge advantage in Park’s mind.  

‘So it really is that Choi Seok-ho.’  

The one manager that Cybers QA tried everything to block.  

Park knew, at least in broad strokes, the reason behind it.  

‘Because he’s dangerous.’  

At a young age, he had risen to the position of chief and was even poised to become an executive.  

He had a reputation for bringing out an actor’s potential and securing great scripts.  

Any actor managed by someone like Seok-ho? They had to be capable, at the very least.  

Thud.

While Park was lost in thought, Kim Dong-hoo put down the script.  

It seemed like he’d only skimmed through it—had he really read it properly?  

But before Park could dwell on that, Dong-hoo spoke.  

“I’d like to do it.”  

“Haha, straightforward! Great, so we’ll have a script reading and a light screen test next week and then finalize the contract, yes?”  

“Yes. That sounds good to me.”  

With that straightforward exchange, Park hurriedly left.  

Now that the casting was done, the film’s final pieces were in place.  

It was time to fully bring the movie to life, 120%.  

———-

Time passed quickly, and by the next Monday—  

『[Hot Issue] Big project coming next year? ‘Dream High’ set reveals behind-the-scenes!』  

The first glimpses of ‘Dream High’ were starting to surface.  

News articles flooded the internet like a storm.  

Everyone seemed to be promoting Dream High in unison, and there was one comment that appeared consistently on all the promotional articles:  

ㄴWho’s this handsome guy?  

ㄴWho? I didn’t notice anyone.  

ㄴOh wait. There he is near the end. How is he so good-looking even in just a brief shot?  

ㄴI’ve never seen someone this good-looking before. Who is he?!  

Kim Dong-hoo’s appearance was quietly starting to spread across the internet.