Life is Easier If You're Handsome novel Chapter 197

[At This Rate, True Hero Will Run Until January]

— So it’ll easily hit 19 million?

— It was originally supposed to end this month.

— But since it’s still dominating the box office, they’re extending its run after crushing the competition.

↳ How do you know?

↳ I work in theater management.

↳ Still, 20 million seems impossible, right?

↳ Yeah, even if it runs until January... it’ll probably stop at around 19.5 million.

↳ Honestly, even that number is one for the history books.

↳ Damn, so that’s how it is.

↳ After a three-year break, he’s about to wipe out the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) entire awards season again.

↳ Is he winning Best Couple too?

↳ The last time this category went huge was back in 2013. We’re due for another big one.

Late December.

With end-of-year award shows in full swing,

people were excited to see Kim Donghu sweep through them once again.

Just looking at his face made people smile.

The more he appeared in the media, the less people got tired of him.

Instead, his presence always felt fresh—thrilling.

And at the same time, a heated debate was taking over online communities.

[Fact: Kim Donghu Is Winning Two Best Couple Awards This Year]

— One for variety (Shall We Get Married?), one for acting (Our Fake Wedding).

— Best Actor is already guaranteed too, obviously.

↳ Damn, this guy’s whole career is a never-ending scandal.

↳ Winning even one Best Couple Award causes a stir. He’s winning two, and both are with different women.

↳ And the events are only two days apart, so he can’t even “pick one” to attend.

↳ *The eternal question—will he end up with Ryu Jaerin or Kim Sujin? The answer: He’s taking both. *

↳ This was supposed to be an impossible debate.

↳ Yeah, well, Kim Donghu just solved it by taking everything.

↳ Sigh... Someone update “the long-ass title” with this too.

↳ Already done.

[End-of-Year Kim Donghu Schedule Recap]

— Year-End Awards: ??? Unknown.

— Did he cancel everything to prep for the Asian Games?

— Feels like he could squeeze in a few more events, though.

↳ I’m already mad that we won’t see him for a whole year.

↳ He’s still training daily, though.

↳ His agency’s promo account posted a training video today, lol.

↳ So no more documentaries?

↳ He already did one for the Olympics. Doing another for the Asian Games feels like a downgrade.

↳ Yeah, it was a masterpiece—he beat a steroid user. What more is there to film?

↳ True.

↳ Is he throwing a first pitch? His pitching form in the movie was insane. Makes you wanna see it for real.

↳ But which team would he do it for?

↳ ANYONE WHO BRINGS UP BASEBALL DEBATES HERE IS GETTING BANNED.

↳ Lmao, mod’s working fast today.

The main topics surrounding Kim Donghu were his Best Couple Award and his post-award schedule.

More specifically, his mandatory national service—a.k.a. his international athletic representation.

Winning awards? That was just him living up to his face.

But the Asian Games was a sensitive topic for his fans.

[This Is the Time of Year When Donghu Fan Forums Turn Into War Zones]

— The eternal debate: Acting vs. Athletics. It always turns into a battleground.

— Every time, the Donghu fandom is terrifying.

↳ Fact: If he wins heavyweight gold, he could go pro. That’s way more money than acting.

↳ Fact: Donghu doesn’t care about money—he cares about legacy. And his roots are in acting.

↳ I’m sO sCaReD~

↳ If you bring up this debate without opening a separate forum, I will personally kill you.

↳ MOD HAS ENTERED THE CHAT.

December 28, 2017.

The day before the MNC Entertainment Awards.

"This is insane."

Lee Jeong-geon, the CEO of BloomBell’s agency, was in a state of complete chaos.

***

"Maybe she shouldn’t have gone on Shall We Get Married? in the first place."

At first, it was purely for exposure and promotion.

Ryu Jaerin had always been praised for her good personality.

And since she’d known Kim Donghu since their school days,

there was no risk of controversy if she joined the show.

And in reality, there was no controversy.

The ratings kept climbing.

The show gave her massive exposure and had a huge promotional impact.

But—

"Best Couple Award... confirmed?"

Winning the award made it feel different.

It solidified them as a couple in the public eye.

And in the entertainment industry, that could lead to serious disadvantages.

"She’s only 21... If this image gets cemented too early, it could mess up her entire career trajectory."

For a female idol, a dating scandal was devastating.

Sure, endorsements and projects could be temporarily paused—

But the real issue was the permanent image damage.

At the same time—

"But... it’s Kim Donghu... Does that mean it’s okay? Could we actually lean into this? Push the childhood friend angle instead?"

What bothered him most was who she was winning the award with.

If it were anyone else, it would be an instant red flag.

But because it was Kim Donghu...

What was the right move?

"Should I send Jaerin to the Entertainment Awards tomorrow or not?"

For a brief moment, he debated.

Ding!

And just like that, a single KakaoTalk message erased all his concerns.

> I’m going to the Entertainment Awards tomorrow to accept the Best Couple Award.

Not a request for permission.

A straight-up declaration.

"Huh. Well, if she wants to go that badly, she should."

As soon as he read the message, Lee Jeong-geon relaxed completely.

Jaerin was a key asset right now.