Life is Easier If You're Handsome novel Chapter 7

A landlord above all, even above the creator.

I had acquired that grand title, yet life itself didn’t change much.

The building was a commercial property, so there was no need to move.

As expected, my father did not quit his job.

And my mother was soon admitted to the hospital for cancer treatment.

It was a time when medical advancements were still limited.

Being able to afford the astronomical medical expenses was truly fortunate.

‘The monthly rent will cover the hospital bills.’

My father wasn’t one to have much business acumen or a strong desire for wealth.

He sounded content with just owning one building.

He didn’t seem interested in making more money.

In fact—

“It’s your building, so I’ll manage it only until you become an adult.

After that, it’s up to you.”

He seemed eager to hand over the building in Bundang as soon as possible.

‘It’s probably because of Dad’s quiet nature that things around us have stayed so calm.’

Normally, when you start making good money, word gets out and people come knocking.

But perhaps because of Dad’s extreme reticence, not even our cousins came around.

At a time when privacy was almost nonexistent, someone who made a fortune from betting could have had their private life exposed.

But even that was forgotten in the fervor of South Korea’s 2002 World Cup semifinal miracle.

I had become what they call ‘an unknown rich person.’

‘Right, there’s no need to earn more money from here.’

Besides, I didn’t have the skill to grow this wealth any further.

In my previous life, I was just an ordinary citizen.

My understanding of investment and economic trends was lacking.

So, as a landlord in Bundang, what was I doing?

“Shall we try Stretchy Gymnastics today?”

“Yeees~!”

I was enthusiastically following the teacher’s instructions, doing the Stretchy Gymnastics.

At that time, my height was 124 cm.

I was about 10 cm taller than the average height.

“Dong-hoo, you look a bit different somehow.”

“What do you mean?”

“Um... You look more refined.”

The only person who noticed any change after I became wealthy was my seatmate, Ryu Jae-rin.

Maybe because we were close, she appeared to have picked up on the fact that my appearance had somehow changed.

“But seriously, who’s prettier between me and Su-jin?”

“Uh...”

This was the question she asked all the time.

Ever since it became known that I had appeared on ‘Doctor Joy!’, Ryu Jae-rin had been obsessively comparing her looks to Kim Su-jin’s.

I mean, what’s a six-year-old going to do with concerns about appearance—

‘Oh right, she’s going to become a famous idol.’

But even objectively speaking, Ryu Jae-rin certainly had a shining appearance.

She was only six years old, so it was a bit hard to say more, but by adult standards, Ryu Jae-rin would definitely be the visual center of an idol group.

A face that undeniably radiated beauty.

As far as I knew, her childhood was quite impoverished.

Perhaps that’s why I was particularly kind to Ryu Jae-rin.

For example.

“... But why do you always give me Pocketmon bread?”

“You collect these, right? But you said you only get one a month. When are you going to collect them all?”

“W-well, that’s true.”

I’d give her the hugely popular Pocketmon bread, or—

“How do you manage to eat cup tteokbokki every day? Are you rich?”

“Yeah. Kind of.”

I’d buy her cup tteokbokki on the way home from kindergarten, or—

“... Dong-hoo, are you really giving this to me?”

“Yeah, take it. My hand is getting tired.”

“How did you know I like Kuu grape flavor?”

“... All kids like grape flavor.”

I’d pack her snacks during field trips and did whatever I could to support her.

“You’re definitely going to become a famous idol someday.”

“An idol?”

“Yeah. You’re prettier than Kim Su-jin.”

“Hehe... Really?”

But that was it.

Nothing beyond this happened in kindergarten.

And so, time continued to flow swiftly.

“Son, it’s time to get ready for school.”

“Okay.”

I entered middle school.

———

Now a first-year middle school student, my life hadn’t changed much.

Well, one thing had been added.

“Have you ever thought about becoming a celebrity?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Oh. Uh... I’m not a weird person, but please just take my business card, okay?”

“Sure.”

On my way to school, it wasn’t uncommon for talent agency scouts to approach me with business cards.

The perk ‘Thousand Faces’ began to show its full effect in middle school.

As my frame developed and my facial features began to emerge, the baby fat slowly disappeared.

My face was gradually revealing its true potential.

But during this period, things didn’t always go in a positive direction.

“Hey. Aren’t you showing off a bit too much?”

“Huh?”

The age of storm and stress, the age of youthful romance.

In 2010 South Korea, school violence was as common as a pebble on the road.

A frequent occurrence that could happen to anyone.

In a shady alley, kids would get their shoes stolen and their money taken.

I became a target for the class bullies solely because I was good-looking.

And it happened on the very first day of school.

‘What the heck is this...’

I glanced down to see the name tag, but, unsurprisingly, this delinquent didn’t have one.

“Well, this is kind of funny.”

In the first year of middle school, at age 14, while everyone else was more or less the same size, I stood at 170 cm.

As a result, while they were picking a fight with me, they all ended up looking up at me.

“How cute.”

Maybe it was because this was my second life, but watching 14-year-olds act tough was hilariously amusing.

‘... Why is this guy so tall?’  

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Thud!  

Snap!  

Kim Min-hyuk, who was writhing on the floor, didn’t have a name tag and was dressed improperly.

He looked like someone who had been ganged up on, but Kim Dong-hoo stood completely fine.

Judging by appearances alone, Dong-hoo seemed to be the assailant, but that was only based on the outcome.

Looking at it from a broader perspective, it was obvious that Kim Min-hyuk had been the one who started the trouble.

‘Still, with injuries like that, it seems like his bones might be broken.’  

No matter who started the trouble, this wasn’t something that could be brushed off lightly.

So, Jang Bo-seok’s decision was.

“Kim Dong-hoo, bring your parents.”

For now, he would start by meeting the parents of the student who was unscathed.

———-

The first day of middle school.

Usually, when a teacher tells students to bring their parents, there are two common reactions:

‘Did my child do something wrong?’

Parents would be fearful, or—

‘How do you expect to manage kids if you’re a teacher?’

They’d be angry.

It was almost always one of these two.

But this time...

“...”

Jang Bo-seok found himself in an unfamiliar situation.

“Sir, according to the students, Kim Min-hyuk was the one who started the altercation. The fracture happened when he swung his fist and hit the wall. So, the punishment will go to Kim Min-hyuk, and Kim Dong-hoo won’t face any consequences.”

“Yes.”

The father barely said anything.

Being reserved was one thing, but this was extreme.

‘Isn’t he worried at all that his kid was about to get into a fight?’  

To a casual observer, it might seem like he didn’t care about his child.

But this was just Jang Bo-seok’s subjective judgment.

In reality, Kim Dong-hoo’s father, Kim Jang-ryeol, was deep in thought.

His primary concern was one thing.

‘Thank goodness he didn’t hit him.’  

Ever since Kim Dong-hoo had started elementary school, the first thing he wanted to learn was martial arts.

Among them, he was most interested in MMA, mixed martial arts.

A seven-year-old suddenly developed a keen interest in combat sports and had been practicing it for seven years now.

The gym owner even insisted that Dong-hoo should go pro, given his talent.

If his talented son had truly unleashed his skills—

‘Taking down another kid would be nothing.’  

But he didn’t do that, and for that, Jang-ryeol felt greatly relieved.

——

{Dong-hoo’s POV}

The day after Kim Min-hyuk was taken away in an ambulance, crying and snotting.

“...”

When I arrived at school, there was only one seat left available for me.

The back seat by the window.

‘Why do I have to sit here?’

With that question in mind, I turned to look at my usual seat.

And sitting there—

“...”

Kim Min-hyuk was sitting quietly. He lowered his gaze as soon as he saw me.