Life is Easier If You're Handsome novel Chapter 278

After Kim Donghu returned to Korea, the Korean broadcast industry welcomed him with open arms.

“Even if his appearance fee is sky-high, it’s fine—he’s just a guest on variety shows.”

“He’s doing it for promotion anyway, so our interests align! There’s no way he won’t show up!”

No matter how hard he’d worked to promote himself globally, he still hadn’t done any domestic promotion.

So, naturally, everyone assumed Kim Donghu would be making rounds for PR. And while they weren’t exactly wrong, they weren’t entirely right either.

“Man, I’m hyped to upload on YouTube again.”

“Seriously. But every time you post, it feels like it’s either after a controversy or a comeback.”

“Can’t help it—Donghu, you’re too damn busy.”

He’d agreed to appear on shows, yes, but the first one wouldn’t be someone else’s program.

“The first promotion is always crucial. You know how many shorts YouTubers are gonna clip from it.”

Donghu understood the ecosystem of YouTube well. He knew how powerful the trickle-down effect was when a big name dropped content.

So why would he waste that ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) on someone else’s show?

“No need to go out of my way to promote other people’s broadcasts.”

That made no sense at all.

First, he’d drop a video on his own YouTube. Once that video got clipped into a flood of shorts, then—and only then—would it be worth appearing on other shows.

And to top it off—

“Subscriber count shot up while I wasn’t looking.”

Maybe it was the Palme d’Or effect, but his subscriber count had skyrocketed to 5 million.

“Got a message from Disney. Said they’re super grateful.”

“Didn’t they reach out, like, 20 minutes ago?”

“You’ve got that private line, remember? They asked if they could post your Pianist review on their channel, said it’d be an honor... It was instant.”

“Oh, then we’d better prep right away.”

In a situation like this, not promoting would be a massive waste. And this time, he had something big planned.

It wasn’t just a simple review video.

“The two lead actors reviewing the first episode together.”

What could stir up more buzz than that? With that thought, I checked my messages.

"Sending a private jet? Tarzan’s really something, huh?"

< "It’s for Jane. Obviously."

"What a beautifully written line. See you in Korea."

A first-episode review of The Pianist with Evelyn herself. This one was already feeling like a hit.

***

At the same time—

There were three groups of people: the ones laughing, the ones furious, and the ones in tears.

The ones laughing?

DC.

“We got him! We nailed it! Sure, we still have to meet in Korea, but come on—we’ve got this locked!”

“Right? Best contract ever. Revenue sharing, running guarantee—what could possibly go wrong?”

They were going all-in on the multiverse Batman concept. Their idea? Batman adopts a child from Asia—and voilà, the first-ever Asian Batman on film.

They were practically giddy as they headed to the airport.

“You got that extra setup ready?”

“Yes, sir. You mean Owlman?”

“Yeah, prep that too. We’re gonna pull in the Crime Syndicate—maybe even have Donghu play two roles.”

They chatted excitedly in their van, riding the high. Push Kim Donghu as the new face of DC. Use that momentum to reignite the hero film scene.

With Marvel fumbling on their own—this was the golden opportunity.

“What is PC, really? It’s this! This is PC!”

Of course, they still didn’t really understand what PC meant. But there was one thing that rubbed them the wrong way—

“You have to include Asians, don’t you? Damn arrogant bastards.”

“Whatever, forget it. Ignore the critics, just keep making announcements.”

“DC wants Kim Donghu. Repeat it. Like a parrot.”

“Should we just make him Joker too? There is that version of the multiverse where Batman becomes Joker.”

“So Donghu playing both hero and villain... kinda sounds awesome, actually.”

They weren’t scared of public opinion anymore. If public backlash could kill them, they would’ve been dead already.

So why were they still alive? Simple.

They still had money left. But that too was drying up fast.

Which meant there was only one path left—

Charge forward. Keep it simple.

All in on Kim Donghu.

That’s what made DC the laughing camp. The ones raging?

Disney.

“What the fuck?! We let DC steal Tarzan? Are you kidding me?!”

Disney, who had acquired Marvel, saw Kim Donghu as a massive symbol.

Sure, for now it was just Tarzan. But they were planning to use his perfect visuals to make him the lead in multiple live-action adaptations down the line.

And now, he was gone. Not to some sub-brand, but to the other studio.

“Ugh! ‘Husband of Captain-whatever’—what the hell kind of title is that? PC, fine! Great! But now I see just how shitty you treated him!”

Yes, Disney had suffered plenty of flops chasing PC trends. But those were all due to external pressure, media spin, and complex circumstances. They had never intended to throw someone like Kim Donghu into that mess.

But then—

“You try to bait Kim Donghu with this garbage script? You stupid sons of bitches!”

Marvel had made a huge mistake. They ignored the economic value Donghu generated with every move. And gave him a dumpster-fire script just because he was Asian.

To be fair, giving him a bad script wasn’t the worst part. That could’ve been rewritten, reworked, polished.

The real crime—

“You made him a supporting role? Are you out of your fucking minds?!”

Meanwhile, DC had handed him Batman. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

They were planning to expand the entire universe around him if the first film blew up.

And Marvel?

↳ KIM DONGHU KIM DONGHU KIM DONGHU!!! Just watched episode 1 and this completely refueled my obsession! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

↳ Where did they shoot this, though? Veritas Studio?

↳ Also, did you see how the studio walls were packed with fan art and framed photos?

↳ Choi Seokho < That guy just listens to whatever Donghu says, LOL

↳ #1 most obedient agency, #1 agency every Korean actor wants to join right now, and Manager GOAT: Choi Seokho

People watched the reaction video starring Kim Donghu, then shared their thoughts in real time across online communities.

Especially popular was the scene where Donghu played piano by himself.

[Truly a Talent from Daejong High]

– There will never be another like him.

– You could call him the unparalleled embodiment of modern artistry.

↳ Why does this feel like a quote from the actual script?

↳ I’m just reading the comment, but I swear I can hear it. It’s familiar somehow.

[Kim Donghu Playing Piano in a Suit—Goddamn]

– Fits the theme of The Pianist so well

– He really nails expressing emotion through his playing

↳ Never changes his expression, but he only smiles when he’s playing—love that

↳ And there’s something about his eyes... like a raw lust? Sexual hunger?

↳ Like the moment he sees the ballerina, his heart springs to attention. That acting was insane.

↳ Also, is it just me or are Evelyn and Kim Donghu really close? They’re practically glued together.

[I’m loving the reaction video, but it’s kind of hard to focus...]

– Evelyn looks at Donghu like a girl completely in love, wtf LOL

↳ Did you see when she fed him? Like a literal newlywed bride

↳ And later, when she shyly rested her head on his shoulder—too cute

Their chemistry was so good, it was almost distracting—but that only made the buzz grow louder.

As a result, The Pianist shot straight to #1 worldwide on Disney Plus.

***

“These reactions are crazy.”

I was checking real-time feedback for the first time in a while while holding the freshly arrived Batman script.

Normally, I would’ve read it the moment it arrived—but shooting the reaction video with Evelyn delayed me a bit.

And now, looking at the script’s rating—

<Batman: S+>

S+.

There was an S+ tier?

What is this, a gacha game?

So apparently, there was something above S. Fueled by curiosity—

Immerse.

I dove into the world of Batman.

Dark, damp steam rising from the alleys of Gotham. That was the first thing filling my vision.