Life is Easier If You're Handsome novel Chapter 297

As mentioned before, Kim Donghu’s image in the West started with “boxer.”

But that was only true among the general public.

If you narrowed the focus to just actors, the story changed drastically.

True Hero, Sever the Knot, Tarzan, Musashi, The Pianist...

Even one of those roles would’ve been enough to prove an actor’s skill.

But he took the lead in all of them—each intense, cutthroat project—and nailed them at the box office, too.

And yet, he’s only twenty-six. No one can even begin to guess how much higher ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) he’ll soar from here.

Of course—

“Sometimes people ruin themselves with drugs or whatever...”

They couldn’t ignore the worst-case scenario. But honestly, that possibility was extremely slim.

If he were just an actor, maybe. But he carried the title boxer right alongside it.

Not just any boxer—an Olympic gold medalist. The elite of the elite.

A 0.001% kind of specialist. Different in race, in class, in everything.

That’s why—

“Actors are lining up just to get one scene next to Kim Donghu.”

No one wanted to miss the chance to appear beside him.

“I mean, come on. Batman needs a Joker, right?”

Especially in Hollywood, every male actor wanted to be the Joker. They knew full well Joker wasn’t the only one who could stand next to Batman.

But this was about symbolism.

The villain with the closest, most intense link to Batman. Playing the one who faces off against Kim Donghu—that was a huge opportunity.

And besides—

“Villains are way more popular these days.”

We live in an era where villains dominate. Brutal, magnetic characters. Tailor-made for short-form content and dopamine-driven media.

They appear briefly, but make a massive impact. They shake up the hero, even overpower them for a moment. That kind of villain is wildly in demand now.

In short—

Kim Donghu’s co-star + main villain = Joker.

That’s the golden ticket.

So of course the competition was fierce.

“But we didn’t even announce casting calls. The studio never said we were accepting auditions, right?”

“Exactly. That’s why they’re sending them in early. Batman’s been cast—Joker has to be next.”

Hollywood actor Jonard Ferals shrugged as his manager explained.

“These things are all about getting in first. The director’ll be shocked by my dedication.”

Oh my! He even got into makeup and costume and sent an audition video—without us even asking? How adorable!

Jonard mimicked the director in a mocking, theatrical voice.

Then glanced at his inbox to confirm his audition video had been marked as “read.”

“I doubt many actors showed this much effort.”

What Jonard didn’t know—was that over 150 Joker audition videos had already been submitted.

***

To put it simply:

“Joker’s already been cast.”

Warner Bros. had already decided on Kim Donghu for the role. Not just Batman—he was also the Joker.

Of course, this was strictly confidential until the theatrical release. It couldn’t be made public under any circumstances.

But regardless—

Batman: Kim Donghu.

Joker: Kim Donghu.

That was a fact.

Unchangeable.

No matter how many auditions they received—

Even if some of the performances were shockingly good—

The contracts were signed. And there was zero intention of backing out.

Still...

It felt like such a waste.

They hadn’t expected this many actors to chase the role of Joker.

Even when trimmed down, the count was over 150. Plenty of them were up-and-coming talents, too.

If we want this film to be great, the supporting roles need to shine too...

There had to be some way to use all of these hopefuls meaningfully. As they were pondering that—

Hmm? 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The director’s eyes landed on a deck of playing cards. He’d brought them along to play poker when stuck with writer’s block.

Shff-shff.

Almost in a trance, Director Christo shuffled the deck.

Fifty-two cards. Fifty-four, if you included the two Jokers.

Normally, Jokers aren’t used in poker. Just the fifty-two standard cards.

“We need... cards for a normal game.”

Then it hit him like a lightning bolt.

If so many people wanted to play the Joker—

Then why not let them?

Make them believe they really were the Joker.

Let them think they’d won the role.

That was the role they needed:

People convinced they were the true Joker.

And a Batman who didn’t realize they were bait until it was too late.

His mind started racing. The first draft had only gotten to the initial revisions—but now, the script was moving again.

Trump cards.

They might just become the core of this film—Murcielago.

***

“One month?”

—“Yes, that’s right. That’s how long it’ll take to finish the set and solidify the film’s tone. Will that be a problem for your schedule?”

“No, not at all.”

One month.

That was how long until Murciélago would officially begin filming.

It was early September now, which meant the main shoot would start in October.

Apparently, new ideas had started pouring in.

And they’d also decided to hold additional auditions for various roles.

“Then what about firearms training and that sort of thing?”

—“That’s included in the month. Once you’re here, we’ll have everything set up and ready.”

And the result?

“...Wait, a single cup had five kelp slices? Is that even possible?”

“Apparently, it is.”

A miracle.

And just as I cracked an egg into the boiling water—

“Double yolk.”

“Okay, this is crazy.”

I realized it too late.

Even if I’d known sooner, I probably wouldn’t have done anything differently.

“But wait—tell me you didn’t call me here just for this.”

“Of course not. I’ve got a whole month off. Thought it’d be nice to spend some of it with you.”

“So this week it’s me, and next week you’ll be off with some other girl, huh?”

“Then make sure you enjoy this week with me to the fullest.”

“Not even denying it anymore, huh.”

Squelch.

Yerim squinted like a cat and stretched out my cheek.

“Well, I guess it’s still better than a guy who cheats and lies. At least you own up to everything.”

“Hey, I’m a pretty responsible guy.”

And with that, I wrapped an arm gently around her waist. Her soft warmth naturally pressed into me, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Just so you know—I want to get married before thirty. And have a kid around thirty-one.”

“Huh?”

“Two kids, maybe? A boy and a girl, ideally.”

Listening to Yerim’s vision of the future, I nodded seriously.

“In that case, I should start training up now.”

“Wait—huh? What?”

Fwoosh!

If that’s her plan, I should start preparing too. And the first thing she’d need...

“Endurance. We’ve gotta build your stamina.”

“Hey! That’s just because you go for, like, four hours straight!”

I pretended not to hear the last part.

I’m on vacation for a whole month.

I think I’m allowed to selectively ignore things.

***

Meanwhile, strange rumors were spreading across Hollywood.

That Director Christo had lost his mind and was casting a dozen Jokers. That tons of auditions were happening, all Joker-related. That whatever contracts had been signed—nobody was leaking a single detail about them.

Naturally, film journalists jumped on the story:

“Who Will Be Kim Donghu’s Joker?”

“Still No Joker Announced—But Filming Starts Next Month?”

“A Bat Without a Clown? Is It Really Happening?”

But while the press ran wild with theories, one particular actress had a very different idea.

“...I could totally be Catwoman, right?”

That actress—now a certified A-list star—was none other than Evelyn Quinn Amber.