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!"

"Then we’ll proceed as planned."

"Yes, I trust you. But are all the other roles confirmed yet?"

"No, we’re planning to hold auditions for all of them."

"...All of them?"

I checked the project outline I’d received in advance.

The list of "anticipated casting" included some big-name actors.

And he wanted all of them to audition?

‘That seems unlikely.’

Lee Sungdeok was a director who had just recently debuted with an indie film.

By all accounts, he was a rookie.

And yet, this rookie director was planning auditions for top-tier actors?

‘This doesn’t seem feasible.’

I wondered if my doubts showed on my face.

"Forgive me for saying this, but I don’t think you realize just how incredible you are, Kim Donghu."

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind. I’ll show you with results instead."

With that, Director Lee stood up from his seat.

"Actually... a lot of this has already been discussed internally. Some roles are already set in stone."

"What? Then what’s with all this talk about auditions?"

"As this is your first leading role in one of my projects, I want to deliver the absolute best."

That was the end of the conversation.

Since casting decisions were entirely up to the director, I decided to follow the schedule as planned.

‘And the project still holds an A rating, after all.’

But the part about me not realizing how incredible I am...

‘What on earth did he mean by that?’

*****

"...Audition? Me? Are they out of their minds?"

The sudden proposal of an audition elicited incredulous reactions from the prominent actors.

"A rookie director? He’s only made one indie film? And this guy wants me to audition?"

An audition suggestion, when even an offer would barely suffice?

Their schedules were open, but the suggestion itself felt overly presumptuous.

"Just say no. There’s no need to even look at the script. Why should I?"

"Unbelievable. Have you ever heard of such an audacious audition?"

"Just decline. He should be groveling in person if he expects anything, let alone holding auditions."

These were actors who could secure roles without needing to audition.

They were at the top of the food chain, not the bottom.

Unless the director was well-known or the pay exceptionally high,

they wouldn’t budge.

However...

"By the way... the lead actor is Kim Donghu."

At the manager’s words...

"What? Kim Donghu is the lead?"

The actors’ eyes widened.

There’s perhaps no industry more superstitious than the entertainment world.

And in that sense, Kim Donghu was at the pinnacle of superstition.

"Anything Kim Donghu participates in doesn’t fail."

This wasn’t just hearsay; it was proven by results.

He was an actor who had never experienced failure.

And now, that actor was cast as the lead?

"...Find out when the audition is."