Life is Easier If You're Handsome-Chapter 194

[Brutal but Not Brutal]

There are definitely a lot of brutal scenes, but they don’t feel that way.It doesn’t have that gory feel at all, and there’s no horror vibe either.More like watching a documentary? Yeah.↳ Exactly, lol.

↳ It’s like how you don’t think a lion tearing apart its prey in Planet Earth is brutal. That kind of feeling.

↳ Probably because the acting makes it feel like they’re just naturally killing what needs to be killed... The actions are brutal, but the execution feels peaceful.

↳ Yeah, “peaceful execution” describes it perfectly.

[Stage Greetings at IMAX LMAO.jpg]

(Photo of actors greeting the audience from the stage)I had to run six computers and mobilize my whole family to get these tickets.My mom’s hands must be divine...↳ Can I borrow your mom? I need her.

↳ (OP) Fuck off.

↳ Haha, sorry.

↳ I got so immersed that I started seeing the Hero and Kim Donghu as the same person.

↳ If someone called him a criminal, he’d probably just put on his knuckles right then and there, lol.

[Kim Donghu... You’re Back]

After wasting time shooting dumbass rom-coms, he’s finally returned to his true self.Donghu, you are cinema. Cannes, the Academy, Venice, and Berlin are all just waiting for you to show up.↳ Ffs, we can’t even stop Donghu Gallery from turning into a drama vs. movie war.

↳ Mods, do your job and delete this trash.

↳ YOU BASTARDS!!!!!! KIM DONGHU IS A ROM-COM ACTOR!!!!!!

The source of this c𝓸ntent is freewebnøvel.coɱ.

↳ You mean the rom-com that broke 40% ratings? Final was 45? 46? Yeah, I get it. But don’t even think about comparing it to film.

↳ I don’t care how well he does in dramas. Can he take them overseas? No. Cinema has the impact.

[Breaking News! True Hero Opening Day Audience Count Is In!!!]

500,000 on day one.2 million expected by the second day.Faster than Yi Sun-shin by a full day.Might break the record for the fastest 10 million admissions.↳ If this really «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» happens, it’s going down in history.

↳ Beating Yi Sun-shin isn’t easy; don’t get ahead of yourselves.

↳ Still, the speed is already legendary.

Back when movie tickets still cost 12,000 won,

when watching a movie was just another casual date activity,

when films were still considered decent entertainment.

With the right discounts, a ticket could even go for under 10,000 won,

so if word got out that something was worth watching, people would rush to the theaters.

Plus, True Hero didn’t rely on excessive gore for its impact.

It kept the door open for families to watch together, which was a huge advantage.

[Wait, how did this even get a 15+ rating?]

It does have human trafficking in it, but maybe because that’s not the main focus?↳ Korea’s always been lenient with gore ratings.

↳ Yeah, unless it’s drugs or explicit content, they’re chill.

↳ It’s brutal but within the standard action movie range, so it’s fine.

For adults, the film raised questions about vigilante justice and state authority.

For kids, it was just a simple story where the hero looked cool.

Director Lee Seong-deok had mastered the art of walking that fine line.

And his efforts paid off.

『True Hero Receives Nothing but Praise – 3 Million Viewers by Day 3!』

『1 Million Per Day? Seven More Steps and It Could Hit 10 Million in Just 10 Days』

『A Personal Question Thrown at Society – What Critics Are Saying』

『Vigilante Justice vs. Government Authority – Why Are Sentences So Light? Why No Death Penalty? Here’s the Full Breakdown』

『Sudden Debate Topic! Is Vigilante Justice Always Wrong?』

『The Morality of a Serial Killer – Is Their “Justice” Ever Justified? Special Documentary Coming Soon!』

It was already showing results.

“...Wait, is this actually about to surpass it?”

“Don’t even say it. Don’t bring it up. My head already hurts.”

The production company behind Yi Sun-shin was starting to panic.

They had thought no one would ever create a movie capable of topping theirs.

But like a bolt of lightning out of nowhere,

an unexpected contender had arrived.

“Please, don’t let it happen. Please.”

“Seriously... If it surpasses Yi Sun-shin, it’ll completely erase our record.”

“We’re already at risk of losing the ‘fastest 10 million admissions’ record...”

The more they talked about it, the worse their headache got.

Of course, a successful film boosted the overall industry,

but that didn’t mean they wanted their titles to be stolen.

“Let it do well, but just enough. Let it be #2.”

“Yeah, just like... 10... 15 million? Somewhere around there.”

So, the Yi Sun-shin producers only half-heartedly prayed for True Hero’s success.

But their prayers meant nothing.

『Day 10 – 10 Million Admissions. The Fastest 10 Million in Korean Film History!』

『The Era of True Hero Has Begun』

『Early 20s and Already Rewriting Korea’s Records – National Actor Kim Donghu!』

True Hero had broken the 10 million mark in just 10 days.

***

Veritas Office.

"This is insane! Completely insane! Donghu, we hit 10 million in record time! At this rate, the highest box office record is ours too!"

"Yeah, I didn’t expect it to be this big either."

"Hahaha! Go ahead and laugh more!"

Seokho-hyung was genuinely ecstatic, doing a little victory dance.

Meanwhile, I was still processing how powerful an A-rated film could be.

At this speed, we might actually take the all-time audience record.

Still, I never thought it would move this fast.

I hadn’t filmed that many movies, but I had enough experience to know just how crazy these numbers were.

We’ve been consistently doing stage greetings... Should we push more promotions now?

I ruled out variety shows from the start.

The movie’s tone wasn’t comedic or lighthearted.

Appearing on one might make people think the film wasn’t serious enough.

There’s already an ongoing debate about vigilante justice... Variety shows are a no-go.

That left only one viable option: regular interviews.

Then, I suddenly realized how oddly perfect the release timing was.

Typically, a film stayed in theaters for about two months.

"But True Hero premiered in the third week of October... So that means it’ll still be screening until late December?"

"Huh? What are you getting at?"

"I was just doing the math... We hit 10 million in early November... and the Grand Bell Awards are in just two weeks."

"That’s right."

"...Then doesn’t that mean we have a shot at winning?"

"?!"

Now that I thought about it, the timing was almost too perfect.

Wait—was this why Director Lee Seong-deok insisted on releasing it in October?

Could he have planned this all along?

Was that why he looked half-dead while editing?

Running on an average of two hours of sleep?

"Was this part of his plan...?"

Had he told us, and I just forgot?

Or was this something he kept to himself?

Either way...

If it works, it’s going to be huge.

A movie winning awards while still screening?

There was no better form of promotion than that.

Not only that, but since it would stay in theaters until late December,

we could fully capitalize on the Christmas and year-end box office boost.

"If this happens, Donghu, we’re golden!"

"Yeah... This is shaping up to be even bigger than I thought."

And the promotions were still ongoing.

Especially—

『Entertainment Industry Titans Post Their True Hero Reviews!』

『Seo Jinwoo, Kim Sujin, Ryu Jaerin All Rave About It! Kim Donghu’s Network in Full Force?』

All my friends and acquaintances were actively promoting the film on social media.

I really owe them for this.

I was thinking about how grateful I was when—

Bzzzzzt.

"Hello?"

—"It’s me! Lee Seong-deok! I realized I didn’t explain this properly!"

"Huh?"

A sudden call from Director Lee.

His message was simple.

—"We’re taking every Grand Bell Award!"

Just as I expected.

***

Mid-November.

『Unstoppable Success—Is This the Shortcut to Glory? NO! It’s the Ultra-Expressway! True Hero Set for the Grand Bell Awards!』

『Chilling... A Fastball Straight to the Chest. True Hero Premieres During the Film Festival!』

The Grand Bell Awards were about to begin.

Filmmakers, actors, and critics started making their way down the red carpet.

As films that wrapped up their run this year were being represented,

everyone showed up in their best attire, flaunting their presence.

With the event being broadcast live,

fans beamed with excitement as their favorite stars arrived.

Praying, please, just win something. Anything.

And then—

"It's Kim Donghu!"

Someone’s shout turned every journalist’s head in an instant.

Like a well-trained military unit reacting to a command.

All eyes locked onto the limousine pulling up at the red carpet.

From it emerged Director Lee Seong-deok and Kim Donghu, side by side.

"It’s just like last time."

"Huh?"

"Remember? At his first red carpet event, he showed up with the director too."

Back then, it was for Hero.

Now, it was True Hero.

Hero had won four awards at the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival.

Would True Hero make history at the Grand Bell Awards?

Journalists were already itching to find out.

Many had pre-written their headlines in anticipation.

『A Film Strategically Released for the Festival? True Hero Hits the Target!』

『That Oddly Perfect Release Timing—Aimed at the Grand Prize?』

『Will It Sweep the Awards? What Titles Will True Hero Take Home?』

The title given to Kim Donghu this time—

"The Film Festival Sniper."