Life is Easier If You're Handsome-Chapter 197

[At This Rate, True Hero Will Run Until January]

— So it’ll easily hit 19 million?

— It was originally supposed to end this month.

— But since it’s still dominating the box office, they’re extending its run after crushing the competition.

↳ How do you know?

↳ I work in theater management.

↳ Still, 20 million seems impossible, right?

↳ Yeah, even if it runs until January... it’ll probably stop at around 19.5 million.

↳ Honestly, even that number is one for the history books.

↳ Damn, so that’s how it is.

↳ After a three-year break, he’s about to wipe out the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) entire awards season again.

↳ Is he winning Best Couple too?

↳ The last time this category went huge was back in 2013. We’re due for another big one.

Late December.

With end-of-year award shows in full swing,

people were excited to see Kim Donghu sweep through them once again.

Just looking at his face made people smile.

The more he appeared in the media, the less people got tired of him.

Instead, his presence always felt fresh—thrilling.

And at the same time, a heated debate was taking over online communities.

[Fact: Kim Donghu Is Winning Two Best Couple Awards This Year]

— One for variety (Shall We Get Married?), one for acting (Our Fake Wedding).

— Best Actor is already guaranteed too, obviously.

↳ Damn, this guy’s whole career is a never-ending scandal.

↳ Winning even one Best Couple Award causes a stir. He’s winning two, and both are with different women.

↳ And the events are only two days apart, so he can’t even “pick one” to attend.

↳ *The eternal question—will he end up with Ryu Jaerin or Kim Sujin? The answer: He’s taking both. *

↳ This was supposed to be an impossible debate.

↳ Yeah, well, Kim Donghu just solved it by taking everything.

↳ Sigh... Someone update “the long-ass title” with this too.

↳ Already done.

[End-of-Year Kim Donghu Schedule Recap]

— Year-End Awards: ??? Unknown.

— Did he cancel everything to prep for the Asian Games?

— Feels like he could squeeze in a few more events, though.

↳ I’m already mad that we won’t see him for a whole year.

↳ He’s still training daily, though.

↳ His agency’s promo account posted a training video today, lol.

↳ So no more documentaries?

↳ He already did one for the Olympics. Doing another for the Asian Games feels like a downgrade.

↳ Yeah, it was a masterpiece—he beat a steroid user. What more is there to film?

↳ True.

↳ Is he throwing a first pitch? His pitching form in the movie was insane. Makes you wanna see it for real.

↳ But which team would he do it for?

↳ ANYONE WHO BRINGS UP BASEBALL DEBATES HERE IS GETTING BANNED.

↳ Lmao, mod’s working fast today.

The main topics surrounding Kim Donghu were his Best Couple Award and his post-award schedule.

More specifically, his mandatory national service—a.k.a. his international athletic representation.

Winning awards? That was just him living up to his face.

But the Asian Games was a sensitive topic for his fans.

[This Is the Time of Year When Donghu Fan Forums Turn Into War Zones]

— The eternal debate: Acting vs. Athletics. It always turns into a battleground.

— Every time, the Donghu fandom is terrifying.

↳ Fact: If he wins heavyweight gold, he could go pro. That’s way more money than acting.

↳ Fact: Donghu doesn’t care about money—he cares about legacy. And his roots are in acting.

↳ I’m sO sCaReD~

↳ If you bring up this debate without opening a separate forum, I will personally kill you.

↳ MOD HAS ENTERED THE CHAT.

December 28, 2017.

The day before the MNC Entertainment Awards.

"This is insane."

Lee Jeong-geon, the CEO of BloomBell’s agency, was in a state of complete chaos.

***

"Maybe she shouldn’t have gone on Shall We Get Married? in the first place."

At first, it was purely for exposure and promotion.

Ryu Jaerin had always been praised for her good personality.

And since she’d known Kim Donghu since their school days,

there was no risk of controversy if she joined the show.

And in reality, there was no controversy.

The ratings kept climbing.

The show gave her massive exposure and had a huge promotional impact.

But—

"Best Couple Award... confirmed?"

Winning the award made it feel different.

It solidified them as a couple in the public eye.

And in the entertainment industry, that could lead to serious disadvantages.

"She’s only 21... If this image gets cemented too early, it could mess up her entire career trajectory."

For a female idol, a dating scandal was devastating.

Sure, endorsements and projects could be temporarily paused—

But the real issue was the permanent image damage.

At the same time—

"But... it’s Kim Donghu... Does that mean it’s okay? Could we actually lean into this? Push the childhood friend angle instead?"

What bothered him most was who she was winning the award with.

If it were anyone else, it would be an instant red flag.

But because it was Kim Donghu...

What was the right move?

"Should I send Jaerin to the Entertainment Awards tomorrow or not?"

For a brief moment, he debated.

Ding!

And just like that, a single KakaoTalk message erased all his concerns.

> I’m going to the Entertainment Awards tomorrow to accept the Best Couple Award.

Not a request for permission.

A straight-up declaration.

"Huh. Well, if she wants to go that badly, she should."

As soon as he read the message, Lee Jeong-geon relaxed completely.

Jaerin was a key asset right now.

Nothing had gone wrong so far.

She was even involved in producing upcoming projects.

"This should be fine. It’s just an award. It’s not like they’re actually dating... right?"

Completely oblivious to everything that had actually happened,

CEO Lee Jeong-geon simply smiled to himself.

***

"So maybe she shouldn’t have gone on Shall We Get Married? after all."

But now, it was too late to think about that.

[Ooooh, the day has finally come~]

— Kim Donghu’s Best Couple Award night~

— The red carpet is already on fire.

— Wait, isn’t Ryu Jaerin an idol? Won’t this be a problem?

— Fact: BloomBell is already shifting toward the international market.

— Yeah, I heard they’re rotating between the U.S., Japan, and France for the next year.

The morning of the MNC Entertainment Awards.

CEO Lee Jeong-geon’s concerns had completely disappeared.

And now, the live chat of the awards broadcast was overflowing with Kim Donghu-related comments.

It was inevitable.

After all, the highest-rated MNC program of the first half of the year was—

Shall We Get Married?

It was the show that got the most attention.

Of course, that was only because of the episodes featuring Kim Donghu and Ryu Jaerin.

They weren’t expecting a sweep in other categories.

But the Best Couple Award—which could only go to one pair—

was practically guaranteed for them.

"Who’s that? Who just stepped out?!"

"Kim Donghu? It’s Kim Donghu!"

Kim Donghu appeared on the red carpet.

But he wasn’t alone.

Dressed in a sleek black tuxedo, he was the first to step out of the van.

Then—

Swoosh.

Without hesitation, he reached a hand back into the car—

a natural, effortless gesture to help someone out.

And the person who took his hand—

"It’s... it’s Ryu Jaerin!"

"Wait, did they just arrive together?!"

It was her.

Dressed in a pure white gown,

Ryu Jaerin linked arms with Kim Donghu as they walked forward.

The crowd erupted.

"Holy shit... they’re actually walking the carpet like this??"

"I mean, technically, it makes sense. They were on the same show."

"But what about the Gayo Daejeon? Isn’t BloomBell performing?"

"No idea... but their schedule is tight. This is gonna be a mess."

Even the journalists and fans at the scene were caught off guard.

And in the live chat—

— "??????"

— "This is scandal-level, right?"

— "I keep saying there’s something going on! Their eyes give it away!"

— "Dude, if that logic worked, he’d have to be dating Kim Sujin too. Their chemistry in Our Fake Wedding was insane."

— "Okay, true."

— "Yeah, honestly, him being linked to both Ryu Jaerin and Kim Sujin at the same time is kinda ridiculous."

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

— "They’re all just childhood friends, that’s why."

— "Kim Donghu’s preschool and kindergarten years... truly a touching story."

Despite the shock, the atmosphere didn’t turn hostile.

Just like Lee Jeong-geon predicted—

because it was Kim Donghu.

He was too ridiculously handsome for anyone to even think of controversy.

Instead of fueling dating rumors,

their visuals together looked like something out of a romance webtoon.

It was the kind of pairing that made people admire rather than envy.

"...Kim Donghu, you bastard."

But there was one person who wasn’t amused.

"You dare accept a Best Couple Award... with another woman?"

A girl with twin tails, a piercing glare—

Kim Sujin.

She watched, fuming, as Kim Donghu smiled on screen,

arm in arm with Ryu Jaerin.

"Why the hell is he grinning like an idiot?!"

If she had the choice, she would’ve marched down there right now to give him an earful.

But she held herself back.

Because in two days, at the KBC Drama Awards—

She and Kim Donghu would be walking the red carpet together.

So she just had to wait.

— "And the Best Couple Award goes to... Kim Donghu and Ryu Jaerin from Shall We Get Married?!”

— "Despite the short time they had together, they displayed genuine chemistry—truly a perfect on-screen couple!"

She was holding it in.

— "This program made me realize... even if it was just for a moment, that marriage could be... truly happy."

Kim Donghu’s acceptance speech.

With a soft, reflective smile.

"KIM DONGHU, YOU BASTARD!!!"

Kim Sujin snapped.

Not that she was going to do anything.

She wasn’t about to cause a scene over this.

Because she knew.

That night—

That very night—

When their eyes had locked on each other with that intensity—

She realized just how dangerous Kim Donghu truly was.

"...."

Could she handle it again?

She wasn’t sure.

Which is why, for now—

"Grrrrrr...!!!"

All she could do was sit there and wait.

For two more days.