Life is Easier If You're Handsome-Chapter 219

When looking at it from the perspective of the 2020s, when I had regressed,

100 million views on YouTube might not seem all that impressive at first glance.

At that time, there were plenty of videos with views in the hundreds of millions,

and at the very top, videos would sometimes hit 100 million views in just a few days.

But that was the story of those who had already built a solid foundation.

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For a newcomer, 100 million views was a distant, almost unattainable number.

But Sims was talking about 100 million views.

‘They didn’t mention the timeframe, but based on the flow, it seems like it’ll be reached within a month?’

If hitting 100 million views quickly was the standard for a big hit,

it meant it would be achieved within a month at the very least, maybe even in just two weeks.

What could be the reason for this?

‘Is it because of me?’

Honestly, this was the most likely explanation.

If not, there was no way Sims would have sent this message.

‘But if that’s the case, then the impact doesn’t end here.’

The ripple effect of this event was bound to be massive.

I briefly thought about what kind of future awaited me, but then dismissed it.

This wasn’t the time for that.

"Please play again!"

"Sure!"

I focused on doing my best for the music video shoot.

And then...

"...Isn’t this a bit too provocative? Is this really okay?"

"What’s the big deal, we’re adults. Don’t they do things like this in Korea?"

"Of course not."

It was time to focus on the newly added choreography.

Although the music video didn’t involve much dancing,

it was added on the suggestion that it would make the scene look even better.

Before I knew it, I was dancing closely with Evelyn.

It wasn’t excessively provocative or sexual.

The outfits were formal suits and dresses, so there didn’t seem to be any real issue.

‘But those eyes...’

Evelyn’s intense gaze was the problem.

Whether she had intended to mesmerize me or if this was just how she was,

her stare was purer and more direct than when we did The Phantom of the Opera.

Yes, pure.

Even though she had parted ways with her loved one,

her eyes still carried a deep longing, and that was incredibly captivating.

Her blue eyes seemed to try to hold onto someone.

And then came the soft smile that followed.

The woman, who usually seemed so bold,

now had this vulnerable side, and the contrast was truly captivating.

‘No wonder they call her the next diva.’

No wonder Disney had snatched her up so quickly.

She looked like a fairy.

It wasn’t just a regular long dress,

but a short skirt, which made the way the ends of her skirt flutter stand out even more.

In this situation,

I quietly sang the national anthem in my heart.

"Thank you for your hard work! We’ll do a few more takes and switch to the best scenes right away!"

"Got it!"

We continued the difficult shoot.

***

In the end, the music video shoot took 8 days.

After hearing the appearance fee for the shoot, I was more than a little surprised.

"They’re paying that much?"

"Yeah, I was surprised too... Honestly, isn’t this borderline embezzlement?"

I had thought of it as a kind of friendly appearance,

thinking of it as a return for the help with the musical.

But then suddenly, a huge amount of money appeared, and I was taken aback.

"It seems that... well, that Mila really, um, likes you."

"Sorry, what did you just say?"

"Huh? Mila."

"...?"

Isn’t it Mamila? Why is she suddenly calling her Mila as a nickname?

‘Now that I think about it, every time we shot, they were always talking a lot together.’

I shrugged it off, thinking that they must have their own reasons.

‘It’s private anyway.’

Anyway.

After some time had passed,

once Evelyn’s schedule was wrapped up, the real Tarzan shoot began.

Of course, before stepping in front of the camera.

"Haha, things got a bit mixed up, but I thought we’d better get to it."

"Yeah, seems like we’ll shoot the action scenes first and then do the script reading."

We proceeded with the script reading under the guise of checking our conditions.

Honestly, it was pretty obvious.

‘The action scenes were just a test... I’ll keep doubting until the very end.’

No matter how much power the producer, Verilad Ice, had,

it was ultimately Disney that controlled the entire flow.

They probably watched the footage from that day over and over,

deciding to officially acknowledge me as the lead and proceed with the script reading.

That’s why there were no other actors at that point.

"You can take it easy, we’re just reading the script anyway."

I nodded slightly at the staff member who seemed like they would sit down.

I thought it was just the producer and director who needed to know,

but...

‘Why are there so many titles?’

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I found it a bit complicated since none of the name tags overlapped.

It seemed that a big ship required many captains to steer.

‘As long as I do my job well.’

I erased the stray thoughts.

An actor speaks through their performance anyway.

Thinking this, I slowly walked toward my seat, where my name was written.

It was a seat in the center of a π-shaped arrangement.

Ironically, my seat was right in the middle.

Why was I assigned the seat usually given to the director or producer?

‘It’s territorial.’

Unknowingly,

people kept demanding that I prove myself.

A seat where everyone could watch me,

to see if I was truly worthy of playing the lead role in Tarzan.

It was as if they wanted to test me until this very moment.

‘I’m getting the same treatment I never got in my home country.’

I knew making money abroad wasn’t easy,

but the standards applied to foreign workers were harsh.

‘I guess it’s the same everywhere.’

I thought it was only natural.

How many people would want to be in this position?

I bet there were at least five people who couldn’t get the spot I had,

and at least a few more who were passed over.

That’s why they wanted me to prove myself even more.

To show if I was truly worthy of being Tarzan.

‘That’s why they’re preparing a scene like this for the script reading.’

The scene where the grown-up Tarzan faces off with the leopard Sabo in a life-or-death struggle.

That was going to be the first reading.

The intention was so obvious that it made me want to laugh.

"Is there something good going on?"

"No, I’m just so happy to be doing this script reading with such wonderful people."

Everyone chuckled lightly after that comment,

and as the script reading began,

I could feel everyone’s eyes on me.

Yes, if that’s the case,

‘I’ll show you.’

I made eye contact with the actor playing Sabo, the leopard, to my left.

It was time to unleash my emotions toward the enemy who killed my parents.

***

Killing and being killed.

Killing others to survive, to eat.

In modern times, such acts are extremely rare.

Humans no longer hunt pigs to eat.

When you view the law of the strong eating the weak as a concept for extending life,

that concept no longer exists in the human world.

Only the beasts.

It’s something you can only see in the relationship between a lion and an impala, running across the green plains.

Because of this, it was really hard for an actor to capture the emotions.

Killing to eat is something foreign to humans now.

From the perspective of the leopard Sabo, Tarzan was a prey he failed to kill,

and from Tarzan’s point of view, Sabo was a threat to his life.

There’s no deep grudge between them.

At that time, Tarzan didn’t know that Sabo had killed his parents, and even if he did, it wouldn’t have changed anything.

‘They say you’re good at acting? So what will you do now?’

The situation demanded that I capture unfamiliar emotions.

The actor playing Sabo, William Smith, looked at Kim Donghu.

‘!’

The moment their eyes met, his body froze.

He could see the twisted face of the man.

The face of someone who saw the one who targeted his family.

A face perfectly adapted to the law of the jungle.

At its core, the will to kill the opponent was clear.

The murderous intent was pouring from William.

‘W-what kind of gaze is that!’

It was a gaze that genuinely wanted to kill him.

Craaack.

The pen in his hand looked as sharp as a stone spear.

A deadly weapon that could pierce his neck at any moment.

"...I can’t forgive you, I have to kill you."

Then came the voice mixed with the wildness of a beast.

These two things quickly took over the script reading scene.

Whoosh!

The gaze was locked.

Bang!

With a «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» loud noise, Kim Donghu’s fist slammed onto the table.

It was the exact moment written in the script.

The part where he had to break the branch with his strong grip.

"I’ll make sure to kill you, and wear your skin."

Kim Donghu’s Tarzan was lively, brave, pure, and at the same time,

he was the Tarzan who had adapted to the jungle and understood the law of the strong eating the weak.

A pure child who wanted to become part of the gorilla family,

and the only hunter among the gorillas who could wield a stone spear.

That hunter was challenging the leopard Sabo.

And Sabo...

"...Uh, uh, ah."

Sabo couldn’t quite respond.

More accurately, it was William who was the issue.

He couldn’t speak.

He was completely overwhelmed by Kim Donghu’s presence.

And for good reason—Kim Donghu weighed about 100kg,

standing at 187cm with most of it being pure muscle.

Just standing still, he was intimidating.

‘H-heavyweight champion...’

His physical power was already known worldwide.

But now this person was saying he would kill someone face-to-face?

With the intent to survive, holding a pen as if it was a weapon?

Who could possibly respond to that?

The tense atmosphere that was created in an instant.

Even Evelyn, who thought she knew Kim Donghu, was startled.

"Back in Korea, I did script readings like this, but now I thought I’d have a little... fun. What do you think?"

With Kim Donghu’s words, the atmosphere suddenly lightened.

"Ah, hahaha... Hahaha! D-Donghu, please... no more jokes."

Producer Verilad Ice and

"Is Korean humor always this spicy? Does eating spicy food make you like this?"

Director McGroi Drom quickly tried to ease the tension.

‘What do we do when we bring a lion wearing human skin to the reading room!’

‘Who suggested this? If we keep doing readings like this, all the actors will be scared!’

‘Oh my god... I thought I was going to die today.’

‘Wait, but... is it true the table he hit earlier actually cracked? This was solid wood!’

The staff finally breathed again and let out a sigh of relief,

while only Kim Donghu kept smiling.

"If this doesn’t work, should I just turn up the atmosphere even more? Hahaha."

"Please! Please no! Donghu! Calm down! No! No!"

"I was just joking."

"Please!!! No more Korean jokes! From now on, no Korean jokes! If you tell a Korean joke, you’ll have to buy ice cream!"

"Ah... but that’s the fun in my life."

"The person listening will have a heart attack!"

He kept making jokes.

‘This guy is really crazy. I shouldn’t mess with him.’

That thought stuck firmly in the minds of the Tarzan staff.

***

At the same time,

in a broadcast station’s studio conference room.

"Kim Donghu is in the U.S., right?"

"Yeah, I heard he’s working there for about a year."

"Really? That’s great."

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking... Kim Donghu could tour the U.S. and run a food truck, maybe with a pro chef? What do you think?"

A new variety show was beginning to hatch.