Life is Easier If You're Handsome novel Chapter 162

Mid-January.

At the height of winter’s cold spell, the production team of Our Fake Wedding continued their meticulous site checks.

“Have you properly managed the crowd control?”

“Yes, we’ve received permission from the city hall, and we’ve arranged for partial control of the sidewalk.”

“Good. Make sure there’s nothing to cause complaints. What about the actors?”

“They’ve all arrived and are waiting for the cue signal.”

“Great, excellent.”

Thirty minutes remained until the first shoot.

Until then, every last detail had to be inspected and confirmed.

“If we keep this pace, there’s no way this will fail, got it?”

“Yes, understood.”

Kim Youngmo PD adjusted his scruffy beard beneath his bucket hat.

“Let’s get ready.”

With one final breath visible in the cold air, Kim Youngmo PD finalized the site setup for filming.

This has to go well. We need a hit.

KBC was in a slump, with no major hits to its name.

We were doing fine up until Descendants of the Sun and Moonlight Drawn by Clouds.

He sniffed.

Meanwhile, the cable channels were surging with fierce competition, leaving the terrestrial broadcasters scrambling.

Do they think making a masterpiece is as simple as waving a magic wand?

Muttering to himself, Kim Youngmo PD headed toward actress Kim Sujin.

“Ah, Dr. Cha! I wondered when we’d work together again, and now look at us, all this time later.”

“Right?”

“You look great, even with such a plain makeup style.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

Our Fake Wedding is a romantic comedy about a fine arts student and an accounting major in a fake marriage.

Given the demanding nature of the accounting major, Kim Sujin’s makeup avoided the freshness of a typical college student.

It wasn’t even the understated chic of effortless effort—it was just no effort.

A messy bun, a baggy gray hoodie, sweatpants with visible knee marks, and worn-out sneakers. Her only accessory was a mask.

The term “academic assault mode” perfectly captured her look.

“Anyway...”

As soon as he confirmed her appearance, Kim Youngmo PD dashed toward Kim Donghu.

“Our Donghu... You really just wear clothes, and they transform on you.”

“Huh?”

“A white t-shirt and jeans, and yet you look ridiculously handsome. Isn’t that unfair?”

He looked every bit the ideal college senior. If he added a canvas apron, it would be game over.

He embodied the perfect, handsome fine arts student.

“It must be that a body like yours isn’t something you see on a fine arts major.”

Even in a plain white t-shirt and jeans, the body of an Olympic heavyweight boxing gold medalist was unmistakable.

His muscles showed their presence under the shirt.

Anyway... both are perfectly ready.

With the actors’ appearances checked, Kim Youngmo PD announced,

“Alright, let’s get started!”

***

Drama shoots rarely follow chronological order, and Our Fake Wedding was no exception, starting with scenes from the middle of the story.

“Cue!”

Skipping the introductions of their daily lives from Episode 1, the camera focused on their meeting in Episode 2.

Creak.

As the cue was given, the door to a studio apartment opened. Out stepped Kim Sujin—or rather, Jung Subin.

“Ugh, I’m late! So late!”

Balancing studies and part-time jobs wasn’t easy, and what was meant to be a five-minute nap turned into fifty minutes. Jung Subin hurriedly left her house.

At that moment, the neighboring door opened.

“...Yawn, I’m late,” muttered Kim Donghu—or rather, Han Doyun.

Despite both being late, their attitudes couldn’t be more different.

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

Jung Subin dashed down the stairs.

“...Might as well grab some toast on the way,” Han Doyun mused, deciding to embrace the lateness and have breakfast.

Seeing the stark contrast between their characters, Kim Youngmo PD smiled in satisfaction.

“The acting is great, just great.”

Kim Sujin had already proven her acting chops through consistent work. However, despite this being Kim Donghu’s first role in three years, there wasn’t a hint of rust.

“He might’ve even improved.”

The thought seemed absurd. How could an actor who spent three years boxing return better than before?

Shaking his head, Kim Youngmo PD dismissed the thought.

It’s Kim Donghu, after all.

Whenever something seemed inexplicable, the answer always seemed to be the same: It’s Kim Donghu.

No one understood this better than Kim Sujin.

“Seriously, what is this?”

She’d noticed it before: Kim Donghu didn’t act—he simply lived his role.

“He completely inhabits the character’s life.”

His method acting was unparalleled. She thought three years away might dull it, but...

“He’s become entirely Han Doyun.”

In the lecture hall, Subin rushed in, bowing her head apologetically.

Twenty minutes later, Doyun strolled in, casually wiping his mouth.

The stark difference in demeanor was entirely due to Kim Donghu’s performance. His relaxed, carefree attitude despite being late allowed Sujin to simply focus on showing her character’s frantic energy.

“Oh, perfect timing. You’ll pair up just right,” the professor gestured for Han Doyun to sit next to Jung Subin.

“Has anyone read the syllabus carefully?”

No one raised their hand. It was an introductory session for a non-major course—enthusiasm was rare.

But Jung Subin was different.

“Oh, someone has! Then, can you tell me what I mentioned about changes this year?”

At the word married, Sujin’s eyes widened.

“This.”

Donghu tapped the script’s cover and showed it to her with a grin.

Our Fake Wedding.

It was technically a marriage, wasn’t it?

“I heard they’re even planning to rent a real venue for the final episode.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah, so technically, we’re getting married too.”

“Oh, um, I... see. Fine.”

With that, Sujin turned away sharply, signaling the end of the conversation.

Watching her leave, a thought surfaced in Donghu’s mind.

“If you have the ability to have it all but choose not to, that’s incompetence in itself.”

He didn’t know why such a quote came to him. Not yet, at least.

***

Veritas Entertainment’s Office.

“Busy, busy.”

Choi Seokho scratched his head as he checked the schedules of the agency’s actors.

“Yerim... wow, already booked for a fashion show.”

Click, click.

The mouse scrolled through schedules at lightning speed.

“Seo Jinwoo is on break now, right? Anyway...”

Finally, he arrived at the crown jewel of the agency—the practical boss and Veritas’ poster boy.

“Donghu’s schedule is packed until July.”

It was wall-to-wall filming. The expanded scope of True Hero had made the production schedule incredibly tight.

“Can they even make the October release?”

When Director Lee Sungdeok first mentioned the target date, Seokho had laughed. Filming through July and aiming for an October release seemed absurd.

Even if the editing team worked themselves to death, it felt impossible.

“But hey, if they say they can do it...”

As someone invested in the project, an earlier release wasn’t a bad thing at all.

“Isn’t the first airing next month?”

Seokho glanced at the calendar.

The mid-February premiere of Shall We Get Married? was approaching. He felt a surge of anticipation about the public’s reaction.

At that moment—

Ding!

An email notification popped up.

Normally, he didn’t bother with email alerts, but there was one person for whom he’d made an exception.

“...It’s finally done.”

It was an email announcing the completion of Golden Resolution, a game developed by Nagangshik.

If not for Kim Donghu’s recommendation, Seokho would never have invested in it.