Life is Easier If You're Handsome novel Chapter 160

"The reading went smoothly! Great job!"

The script reading ended without any hiccups.

For a romantic comedy, the chemistry between the male and female leads is crucial.

‘And in that aspect, we have nothing to worry about.’

My chemistry with Sujin had already been proven.

Filming was scheduled to start in mid-January due to scheduling adjustments.

Until then, it seemed like I could enjoy a bit of relaxation.

‘Well, except for the fact that I’ll still be busy with ad shoots.’

Time flew by quickly, and soon it was December 25th.

This year, I hadn’t made any plans for Christmas with anyone.

The reason?

"Oppa! Why are you always busy?! Why don’t you play with Princess?!"

"I’ve been busy so I can buy our princess some pretty clothes."

"I don’t need pretty clothes! I just need you, Oppa!"

My family’s youngest, our little princess Seohyun, had thrown a tantrum.

She’d threatened never to see me again if I didn’t spend Christmas with her, so what could I do?

‘Seohyun’s already turning six soon.’

I never imagined I’d have a little sister 15 years younger than me.

Thinking about it, I spent the holidays entirely with my family.

We sat together at the dinner table,

eating, cutting cake, and enjoying a happiness I’d never experienced in my previous life.

Before I knew it, everyone had gone to bed, leaving just Dad and me at the table.

At 2 a.m., the ticking of the clock and the faint hum of the TV created a quiet, comforting background noise.

"Thank you, son."

My taciturn dad smiled gently as he spoke.

I wasn’t sure what he was thanking me for,

but somehow, I felt like I understood.

"And thanks for this too."

As he spoke, Dad slid his bank account statement toward me.

"...?"

The number of zeroes on it seemed off.

Just as I began to question what was going on...

"Turns out I might have discovered a new talent."

With that, Dad showed me his Bitcoin returns.

It was from the tip I’d casually given him about the price going up.

He’d trusted my words completely.

"...Three extra zeroes on the return rate?"

"That’s what it takes to say I really believed in you and invested."

"A-are you serious? How... what even...?"

"And you know, I’ve been looking into Tesla and Nvidia. Those seem like good options too. Got to set up a solid retirement fund."

Who calls that a retirement fund?

And why does he suddenly have so much to say about investments?

‘Was Dad always like this?’

The truth is, I don’t have many memories of spending time with my family.

Maybe the family I thought I knew was just a product of my imagination, shaped by years of being alone after they passed.

‘Did I just misunderstand because I was so isolated after losing them?’

From then on, Dad, usually a man of few words, began talking more than I’d ever seen.

But it was clear he wasn’t used to it—his face turned red as he kept talking.

Then suddenly...

"So, do whatever you want to do."

"Huh?"

"You don’t need to worry about us anymore. Seohyun will be fine too."

"Dad?"

"Sending us on that trip and everything else—you care about us so much, son. But now is the time to focus on yourself."

I couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly at his words, which I didn’t entirely understand.

"If you’re not steady, the waves will shake you when they come. But now, we’re fine. No wave can sway us anymore."

With his flushed face, Dad spoke confidently.

"Son, you’re the pride of our family, my pride."

"Yes."

"Run as far as you can until you’re exhausted. And when you are, come back home."

He added, "Make sure to call Seohyun regularly, or she’ll sulk terribly."

I didn’t understand what Dad was trying to say at all.

And I didn’t understand why my vision suddenly became blurry either.

‘....’

I just didn’t understand.

*****

Early January.

"We could’ve gone to you instead."

"How could I call the lead actor back and forth? Of course, I had to come myself."

Director Lee Sungdeok visited the Veritas office personally.

"I wanted to hand this to you directly."

True Hero: A, B+

He handed me the revised script for True Hero, now with the newly introduced B+ rating.

"If it’s not too much trouble, could you read and evaluate it here?"

"Evaluate it?"

"Yes, I’d really like to hear your opinion."

Evaluation, huh?

How would that change anything for a script I’d already agreed to film?

"...Alright."

But Director Lee’s eyes were so serious that I couldn’t refuse.

After finishing the script, I deliberately paused at the last page.

And immediately...

‘Immerse.’

I dived into the script.

Woosh!

The world shifted in an instant.

The storyline of True Hero felt like a sequel to Hero.

It started with the protagonist killing a stray dog in his youth,

then moved on to him killing gangsters who raided his home and beginning life on the run.

This was all condensed into a montage-like opening sequence.

Then, it transitioned to the present, where he’d overcome his past.

"I’m sorry! I’m sorry!"

"No, no... You don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong."

You haven’t sinned against me.

The ones who sinned are elsewhere.

The hero was still active.

Crunch!

The sound of something breaking echoed as my fist struck the target’s face.

It was probably his nose.

It was the first thing to make contact, and noses are fragile.

"Cough, hack... Please, spare me!"