Life is Easier If You’re Handsome - Chapter 30

How many times had the hill changed hands?  

Twenty? Thirty? At some point, I stopped counting altogether.  

How many more people had to die for this war to end?  

What was supposed to be a short war had dragged on, made worse by the sudden involvement of enemy collaborators. 

We managed to reclaim about half the territory with the arrival of reinforcements.  

Was this the right path?  

Anyone who asked such questions died.  

Why were we even fighting this war?  

Anyone who wondered about that also died.  

All that remained were those who held guns without purpose or conviction.  

We had lost our humanity, growing distant from morality. 

Perhaps we were no longer in this world but somewhere else—  

‘Or maybe this is hell.’

I stared at the gun I held before I could even learn to read.  

My parents died, my sister died, and now, all I have left is this one rifle.  

‘Sister, what was my name again?’

I had come to the point where even this gun started to look like my sister.  

I longed for a bowl of steaming white rice, drenched in a thick, hearty stew.  

When will the revolution happen?  

Crackle.

From far away, a voice spilled through the radio.  

The person listening was an empty-headed, tin-plated man pretending to be serious.  

Anyone smart or insightful had already died. 

All we had left were scarecrows who kept parroting ‘Glorious Leader!’  

Our commander was nothing but a fool, ordering us to carry out every command to the exact number, with no room for failure.

Yet somehow, we managed to reclaim hill after hill. 

Maybe because we had more bodies to throw into the fight than the enemy had bullets.  

‘In other words, we’re just numbers, nothing more.’

My empty eyes landed on a helmet.  

Would this thing even protect me from a bullet? 

I couldn’t even muster up the energy to wonder. 

I put it on my head carefully.  

“Listen up, everyone! Liberation is near! Move faster!”  

Liberation? Is that even real?  

I wanted to ask, but it was too late.  

We had come too far to ask such questions.  

————

Whoosh!  

The emotions of the nameless student soldier drained from my body in an instant.  

‘This is so different from Lee Jae.’

While Lee Jae had been full of hatred, inferiority, and a blind belief in his own talent, this student soldier only had emptiness and longing for his sister.  

He had lost his humanity, forgotten his purpose, and was left with nothing but the instinct to survive.

He was no better than an animal.  

As I sank deeper into the mindset of the soldier, the director, Kang Sang-hoon, approached me.  

“Normally, we’d do a screen test first, but given the time and how well the script reading went, I thought we could jump straight into filming. Are you okay with that?”  

I nodded. “Yes, that’s fine.”  

“It’s clear you’ve thoroughly studied the role. You’re ready.”  

“…?”  

What was he talking about?  

Seeing my confusion, Director Kang continued in a knowing tone.  

“Your script is so clean. You must have another notebook somewhere for all your notes. I’ve seen actors like you before.”  

Proudly stroking his Guan Yu-like beard, he patted me on the shoulder.  

“If you keep this up, you’ll become a truly great actor one day.”  

“Ah! Thank you very much!”  

“Alright. Get ready.”  

Not entirely sure how to respond, I smiled brightly in gratitude.

Kang appeared pleased as he returned to his seat.  

Being the youngest on set, I received a lot of this kind of attention.  

I glanced back down at my script.  

‘The student soldier’s scene lasts about five minutes.’

Considering the length of the film’s runtime, this was quite a significant scene. 

For a character without a name, the amount of screen time indicated the role was important, suggesting that a strong presence was essential.  

‘That means…’

‘I’ll have to show what I’m capable of.’

———-

{Third POV}

“Cue.”  

At the director’s short cue, a sudden tension settled over the set.  

In order to depict the horrors of the battlefield, even the sound of swallowing felt too loud in the atmosphere.  

“… So, they’ve set up this close.”  

Kim Suha, the reconnaissance commander portrayed by Han Taegon, peered off toward a distant hill where the battle was to take place.  

Swish.

Through his binoculars, he spotted the North Korean forces. 

Though they didn’t appear to have many soldiers, the disadvantage of the terrain made a straightforward attack difficult.  

“Bring it out.”  

At Kim Suha’s command, soldiers behind him began pulling out North Korean uniforms from their packs. 

On this battlefield, where territory changed hands constantly, supply lines no longer belonged to just one side.  

“Shoot as soon as you get the signal.”  

“It’s too dangerous.”  

“Dangerous? So what, we shouldn’t do it?”  

No one could argue with that.  

There had been too many moments where they had to risk their lives.  

Maybe that’s why their own lives now felt so insignificant.  

Even knowing the danger, there was no fear in their eyes.  

“I’ll be back.”  

Kim Suha, who was now dressed in the North Korean uniform, began walking toward the enemy’s position.  

Each step felt heavier than the last.  

If he was caught, he’d die instantly.  

He imagined the bullets tearing through his body as he sprinted toward the enemy lines.  

Then, suddenly, his eyes met those of a boy.  

‘What’s this kid doing here?’

Empty eyes.  

A young boy stared back at him, his hollow gaze filled with nothing but emptiness.  

Even with his helmet pushed down tightly, the boy’s somber face was still visible.  

Rather than feeling pity that someone so young had been dragged into war, Kim Suha was gripped by the realization that he was facing a killing machine, born from the horrors of war.  

In just that brief moment of eye contact, Kim Suha felt a deep, chilling fear.  

He ran faster, wanting to get out of the boy’s line of sight as quickly as possible.  

He didn’t know what might happen if he lingered any longer.

“Hey! What happened?! Is the radio broken?”  

“What nonsense are you talking about?”  

“I’ve been running for so long… Why… Am I so… Out of breath…”  

Kim Suha tried to cover his shaky North Korean accent with his heavy panting.  

“What are you running for?”  

While Kim Suha stalled for time, the rest of his unit slowly approached.  

They were inching closer, just within rifle range.  

The more time he could buy, the better.  

‘Just a little more, just a little longer.’

And then, suddenly.

“Do they really serve rice and meat stew in South Korea?”  

From behind him—  

“Could you answer me, please?”  

The boy from earlier spoke again, his words slow and deliberate.  

“I’ve always dreamed of trying it just once.”  

“What… What did you say?”  

“If you don’t know, maybe the people coming behind you could answer?”  

Clatter. Clatter.

Kim Suha’s eyes widened in alarm.  

‘Did they catch on?’

If they had figured it out, when did they realize?  

‘But if they knew, why hadn’t they said anything or acted yet?’

If they knew about the infiltration and the stalling tactic… Why were they just standing there?

Why wasn’t he getting straight to the point and instead asking strange questions?

“What are you even talking about, kid?”  

“This bastard… He’s a South Korean.”  

The boy’s calm yet shocking statement took everyone by surprise. 

His tone was playful like a child’s, but the content was far from it, causing tension to rise.  

“So, answer me. Do they really eat rice and meat stew in South Korea?”  

“You brat! Why aren’t you answering properly? What’s your unit?! Tell me!”  

At this critical moment, Kim Suha’s eyes locked onto the boy.  

Even in the midst of heightened tension, the boy only looked at him with pure curiosity.  

And then it hit him.  

‘Is that really what he’s curious about?’

Whether they eat rice and meat stew—that’s the real point for this boy.  

It was as if the chaos around them didn’t matter. 

The boy wasn’t even holding his rifle, and the distance between them slowly grew.  

He knew the situation was about to change and was distancing himself, but without letting anyone else know.  

Everyone else was too worked up, clueless about what was really happening.  

“You brat! Are you really South Korean?! Catch him now!”  

The idea of capturing a South Korean soldier and extracting information excited the North Korean soldiers.  

Their ambition to rise through the ranks was evident as more of them started emerging from their hiding spots.  

Click-click-click!

Weapons were quickly loaded, fingers on the triggers, ready to fire without hesitation.  

Rat-tat-tat-tat!

Before they could act, bullets rained down on them.

The South Korean reinforcements had moved into firing range, spraying the enemy soldiers with gunfire.  

In an instant, the situation flipped.  

As the North Korean soldiers dove to the ground in confusion, Kim Suha’s eyes followed the boy who was steadily disappearing into the distance.  

“Are you hurt?”  

“Are you alright?! You sure have guts, Captain!”  

As his comrades rushed over, praising his bravery, Kim Suha’s gaze remained fixed on the back of the retreating boy.  

He was too far away to shoot, hidden by cover, but just before disappearing completely, the boy turned and made eye contact with him.  

Once again, he silently mouthed the words: “Do they really have rice and meat stew in South Korea?”

As Kim Suha stared at him, he had a realization.  

He’d see that boy again, and it would be under the worst possible circumstances.  

He knew he would regret not killing him now.  

Then the camera shifted, focusing on the boy as he disappeared from the battlefield.  

The boy, an unnamed student soldier wearing a helmet, clutched several supplies.  

Warm, untouched clothes, some alcohol, and a few cans of food—all scavenged from fallen comrades.  

“At least I’ll be full again tonight.”  

Pure evil had been born.  

‘Oh…’

Director Kang watched the scene, overcome with chills.  

‘Yes, this is it. The 120% I’ve been dreaming of.’

He could see it unfolding right in front of him, this impossible intensity.  

But at the same time, he realized it was also poison.  

This nameless character was beginning to devour the entire film. 

An unstoppable addiction was about to begin.