As Ironcore began to falter completely in public opinion, ArcBorn—as if they had planned for this all along—rapidly scaled up its operations. More precisely, they massively increased their marketing budget.
Donghu was already dominating organically through viral buzz. Now they were adding paid firepower to the mix?
The film hadn’t even released. They hadn’t even started principal photography.
But—
—ArcBorn 😱 I’ve been waiting for just this.
—Heard they’re selling figures too.
—Don’t care. All in for ArcBorn. 🔥
—They better do a stage greeting, right?
People were already losing their minds in anticipation. And that wasn’t all.
『Murcielago 2 (Working Title: City of Black Smoke)—Studio Setup Complete. Is Something Big Coming?』
News articles about Murcielago 2 were slowly starting to leak online. Even without full details, people were screaming for a release date.
—They’re just teasing at this point.
—Not even a proper tease.
—It’s like a chef describing the food for 30 minutes but there’s already a waitlist of 30 tables.
—That metaphor was too perfect.
—So we just wait like it’s hell until next year?
—Apparently the comic might drop by the end of this year. Guess we wait for that.
Leaving behind the sad cries of fans who could do nothing but wait—
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Time ticked steadily forward. Naturally, interest in Kim Donghu’s schedule began to rise.
Hollywood was still assembling the sets for Murcielago 2 (Black Smoke) and ArcBorn, so while there were occasional mentions of acting workshops and prep, nothing substantial was scheduled.
“So he’s not doing anything right now?”
It was July.
The NFL’s off-season.
‘I want to do something light with him.’
Kade Walker—NFL linebacker and contender for the greatest of all time—clicked his tongue.
‘Everything he does turns to gold.’
Even though Kade believed he wasn’t lacking in terms of athletic achievements, in terms of influence, the gap was absurd.
‘Batman, Joker... now Iron Man too?’
Even without those roles, Kim Donghu was already far too famous. Everyone knew it—it was almost tiring to say aloud.
‘It’d be awesome if we played football together just once.’
Back when they filmed Physical 300, Kade had witnessed Donghu’s overwhelming physical talent.
The way he stole the ball. How he held onto it. How he ran—his posture, agility, everything.
It was the talent of a phenomenal running back. Not just any running back—a beast who combined raw power and speed.
And if you added ball-handling control on top of that?
‘That’d be a mobile gun turret from the near-future. Something impossible in our era.’
A player who could throw and receive his own pass—a hexagonal monster, covering every axis of ability.
Thinking that—
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