Life is Easier If You’re Handsome

Answering Series Three, 1988.

While the previous works had already guaranteed a certain level of box office success,

“Hmm.”

There was one thing that CP Joo Han-myung felt regretful about.

“I want to hit an average viewership rating of 20% just once.”

If a drama on cable TV managed to hit a 20% average viewership rating.

I couldn’t even imagine how massive the ripple effect would be.

“If that happens for real…”

Just thinking about it brought a smile to my face.

For that dream, I felt even more strongly that Kim Donghu was essential.

“I absolutely must have Kim Donghu!”

Once again, emphasizing the casting.

But reality approached differently.

“…You have to audition, right? That was already discussed from the start.”

At Producer Shin Seon-ho’s words, CP Joo Han-myung immediately snapped back to reality.

“That’s true.”

Since I wanted success more than anyone else.

I also hoped that the actors needed to be passionate about our work.

And determining that was precisely the purpose of the audition.

An actor who rejected the audition was, from the beginning, out of the question.

Confirmed casting didn’t exist in Answering Series, after all.

That was proof of how much they hoped for the project’s success.

“But every time we shoot a drama, it hits 30%, and the latest one even hit 40, right?”

“Still, Writer Jeong is more than anyone! Strongly! Desiring auditions!”

“Ugh! You’re right! That’s so sad!”

“Honestly, the script hasn’t even come out yet. Planning the casting this early is pushing it.”

“Well, that’s not wrong.”

However, if by any chance, Kim Donghu were to fail the audition due to acting or character issues—

“What if he just doesn’t audition at all?”

There’s no way that could happen, right?

A small sense of unease began to creep into CP Joo Han-myung’s mind.

Honestly, it was Kim Donghu who had nothing to regret.

“Isn’t he too successful for his own good?”

Right now, Kim Donghu was beyond measure.

Mentioning his achievements one by one would make my mouth hurt.

It was hard to believe he was only seventeen.

“I understand your feelings, but honestly, the filming is two years from now.”

At Producer Shin Seon-ho’s words, CP Joo Han-myung smacked his lips.

That was true.

In fact, that was why they could even consider Kim Donghu for the casting pool.

By then, he would be nineteen, right at the brink of adulthood.

Restrictions on his activities would slowly ease away.

“Time, please pass quickly.”

CP Joo Han-myung suppressed his desires for that time.

++++++

Contrary to CP Joo Han-myung’s wish for time to flow quickly.

There was one person who was experiencing time moving very slowly.

“Ueii.”

It was none other than Kim Donghu’s younger sister, Kim Seohyun, who was uttering words no one could interpret.

Seohyun’s world was really, incredibly simple.

“Did Seohyun have a good day today?”

“Hehe.”

1. I don’t know who they are, but I’d love it if someone comes who makes me smile just by looking at them.

2. As I see that person’s face a couple of times and laugh, I inevitably get sleepy.

3. Then, I deeply sleep again, and when I wake up, I wait for the person who makes me smile just by seeing their face.

Kim Seohyun’s 24 hours were fairly detailed like that.

Watching this, her parents, Kim Jeong-ryeol and Lee Yoo-hyun, began to worry about something.

“…Hmm.”

“It feels odd to be worrying about this already, but I’m afraid our daughter might raise her standards too much.”

Nodding.

Kim Jeong-ryeol nodded seriously.

Having grown up seeing her brother’s unbelievable face since childhood.

“Plus the age gap is quite large, so he feels more like an uncle or a second dad.”

There’d be no reason to fight with him,

Donghu’s personality would surely treat his little sister very well.

Whether she wanted it or not, she’d find herself with incredibly high standards.

Moreover.

“Not to say this just because she’s our daughter, but isn’t she really pretty?”

“We’re truly blessed with our child.”

Even though Kim Seohyun was still a newborn, her beauty was apparent.

She had big eyes, a perfect little nose, and not a single unappealing feature.

If you were to compare, you might say she was a female version of Kim Donghu.

It was already easy to imagine how beautiful she would become in the future.

“We need to let her recover a bit and then take her around to see people’s faces.”

Nodding.

This time, responding to Lee Yoo-hyun’s words, Kim Jeong-ryeol nodded along vigorously in agreement.

Having only looked at their son’s face since he was a baby, when she got to a point where she could see the world.

How surprised would she be to find out that there are appearances beyond Kim Donghu?

Of course, this was a bit of an excessive delusion for parents with kids.

But because their son’s appearance was so outstanding, such worries naturally arose.

Others might scorn them for having such lavish concerns, but—

“Apprehensive that our son’s face might become the standard of beauty in the world?”

“Worrying that it might be a problem for her to only see good things…”

From a parent’s perspective, it was quite serious.

The only silver lining was that their son was living alone.

Thanks to that, Seohyun’s acclimatization to Donghu’s face was being delayed.

“If our daughter gets used to our son’s face, that would be a disaster.”

“I really want to prevent that.”

Getting used to a face like that? That was absolutely unacceptable.

There could only be one person in the world with a face like that,

And it was an appearance praised as something that wouldn’t appear again.

For someone to ‘adapt’ to a face like that.

In the worst case, her standards could become so unreasonably high that everyone else looks like squids!

Currently, amidst all this, Kim Donghu was saying.

“…Why are you here?”

“Uh? I live here.”

“You live here? Next door to me?”

“We’re in the same year, same major.”

What does that have to do with the house? he thought, staring blankly at Ryu Jaerin who had just moved in next door.

+++++

How did Ryu Jaerin manage to move next door to Kim Donghu?

It was surprisingly simple.

< Donghu, where do you live? > Me? An officetel near Daejong High.

< Mmmmmm, here? > Yeah, that’s right.

< Got it. Just ask, and once she realized the next door was empty, signing the lease was the end. This was partly due to Ryu Jaerin casually searching for a place to live and also because she was a student. Even if her life required her to live like a girl group and stay in dorms. Since she couldn't go back and forth every day, she needed to find a place. Additionally, it was to make things convenient for her grandmother living in the hilly neighborhood. On top of that, Ryu Jaerin's ridiculous rise was making all of this understandable. She had overwhelming popularity in music shows and fan meetings. Plus, she was hitting it big in every variety show she appeared on recently. The agency figured they could invest this much boldly. "...And that's why I moved next door; is that a problem?" Ryu Jaerin said, cautiously looking up at Kim Donghu as she explained her circumstances. After numerous attempts, she found her face's perfect angle. Kim Donghu looked down at her face and answered nonchalantly. "Uh? No, I'm just surprised. It’s not that I dislike you moving in." "True, but isn’t it better to talk inside rather than at the door?" "Uh? Hmm, right?" "Then how about we have dinner with my grandmother?" Introducing family might signal they had become something more, right? With such a happy thought, Ryu Jaerin gathered her courage, while Kim Donghu focused on the fact he would finally be having his grandmother’s home-cooked meal after a long time. In the past, when Kim Donghu was six and attended kindergarten with Ryu Jaerin. He still couldn’t forget the taste of that kimbap they had during school field trips. Moreover. 'I was just wondering if she's doing well; it's a relief to find out she is.' Since he couldn't just ask about other people’s families. With this chance, Kim Donghu aimed to solve several things at once, and as soon as he entered Ryu Jaerin’s house. "So, Donghu, when will you be marrying our Jaerin?" "Ah, Grandma!" He was immediately taken by surprise. +++++ I’m not bragging, but I was very accustomed to this situation. From a young age, whenever I met friends' parents, reactions like that were typical. But now, it was entirely different. "I have to see Jaerin get married before I die..." "Ah... uh... about that." "I'm just joking, you rascal! You're frozen stiff after just one word, hehe!" Such dark humor only the elderly could pull off. And I, right now, couldn’t collect myself. 'Does anyone really joke like that, Grandma?' Even though I hadn’t seen her in a while, it felt as familiar as if I had seen her yesterday. Perhaps that was all due to Jaerin’s grandmother’s personality. "Come on, Grandma, don't tease like that. I mean, eventually it’s all..." "All?" "...Um, just in case you didn't know?" There, Jaerin added a little something, taking away what she said, it was indeed an artwork. Surely she’s been in front of cameras a lot, her skill at delivering lines with a straight face was practically art. 'But doesn't it feel like she says that with some certainty, rather than just joking?' Just as these thoughts raced through my mind. "Okay, so you came to eat? Are you very hungry?" "Excuse me? Oh, I guess so, since we had theater class today, I’m pretty hungry?" "Is that right? So you're really hungry?" "Yes? Yes." An ominous feeling crept in as if I had taken the bait. "Then, just a moment, please, Grandma! I’m not going to eat a ton of food…!" "We should clear out the fridge today." That ominous feeling became a reality.