Life is Easier If You’re Handsome

Episode 12 of High Dream scored a 23% rating.
During Lee Jae's La Campanella performance, the rating peaked at 26%.

With four episodes left, the show’s ratings continued to climb rapidly,
and the online communities were buzzing just as much.

• Ah, Lee Jae, he’s a true friend…
• Lee Jae’s full name might as well be Utsuha, don’t you think? The setup is oddly similar...
  • Is he a genius? Yes.
  • Does he have a shattered family background? Yes.
  • Is there a friend who sticks by him and keeps calling him a friend? Yes.

It was the era of One Piece and Naruto.

Where ninjas fought the Fourth Great Ninja War,
rubber humans battled fire humans to save their brothers,
and humans’ final strike killed the Shinigami King.

People seriously debated Lee Jae’s position in this framework.

• When did Lee Jae become such a tough guy?
• The era of the F4 is over. I declare this the era of “Sharp-tongued Lee Jae.”
• Tough Lee Jae LOL
• It feels like they forced his screen time to increase, though.
• Yeah, I bet they changed the story just because Kim Dong-hoo wrecked it with his acting.
• The story originally was supposed to end with High Dream winning, wasn’t it?

"Sharp-tongued Lee Jae."

The disdainful expression he wore toward his inferiors in the early episodes,
juxtaposed with the tearful face he had after being called a friend in Episode 12—

these two images of him started circulating together online.
The photos weren’t inherently funny, but Kim Dong-hoo’s handsome face gave them a humorous charm.

The piano performance was no exception.@@novelbin@@

• Did he really play that?
• Feels like a setup... definitely a setup...
• Smells like some exaggeration here...
• No way. I’m Dong-hoo’s classmate from middle school, Kang-sik, and Dong-hoo can do anything. Playing the piano like that is nothing for him. Don’t talk if you don’t know!
• Can you use spaces? I’m losing my mind trying to read this.

Even to an untrained ear, it was clear his performance was top-notch.
To think that a guy with such an unreal face could act, and play piano, too?
Of course, people would have their doubts.

• Hmm... someone should investigate.
• Kim Dong-hoo’s past revealed!
  • What’s the scoop?
    • Kim Dong-hoo appeared on Giggle Doctor! He was always meant to be a tough guy.
• (Picture of young Kim Dong-hoo doing the stretching exercises from Giggle Doctor!)
  • So that’s why our Lee Jae grew up so handsome. Guess that stretching paid off.
    • Wow, he even looked different as a kid. Insanely handsome.
• Here’s the real scandal. I once got beaten up by Kim Dong-hoo.
  • Oh, sure, whatever you say.

Then, the revelation that Kim Dong-hoo had been on Giggle Doctor! spread.
With his rising popularity, people started digging up everything they could find about him.

• Maybe we should stop digging into Kim Dong-hoo.
• Why?
• He’s trained in mixed martial arts for seven years and has a brown belt...
• ...I just found out he’s ranked first in his class.
• Handsome, fights well, plays piano, excels in school—how unfair can life get?
  • But don’t worry, your “tough guy” photos will flood the internet, too. LOL
    • LOL. God is fair after all.

Rattle, rattle.

In the midst of all this,

"Aah, this is a relief."

Writer Lee Min-ha stretched her arms and sighed in relief.
Judging by the positive reactions in the communities,
she concluded that the upcoming episodes would likely be well-received too.

'There are about four episodes left, and Lee Jae can keep adding depth to the story in the meantime.'

The romance scenes would definitely bolster the ratings even further.
At this rate, hitting the 30% mark wasn’t out of reach.

'After all, Secret Garden on SKS surpassed a 35% rating.'

Why couldn’t we do the same?

Plus,

'Instead of exiting Lee Jae, we’ve kept him around…'

If things went well, we could even include him in High Dream 2.

'This way, we’ve kept to the original theme of High Dream, and no need to change the ending.'

We just added a spot for Lee Jae in the original conclusion.

'If all goes well, maybe Kim Dong-hoo would want to work on his next project with me…!'

For a moment, she let her mind drift into happy thoughts.

Brrring, brrring.

Lee Min-ha’s phone suddenly vibrated loudly, bringing her back to reality.

'Director Kim Cheol-do?'

Why was he calling at this hour?
Better to answer first and ask questions later.

"Hello."
-Zuhahahaha! Writer Lee Min-ha! How have you been? Good afternoon.
"Yes, thank you, Director. Did you enjoy your lunch?"
-I’m just about to start. I called to see if you’d be available for an upcoming High Dream special concert. Could you join us and brighten the event?
"A special concert?! Absolutely, I’d love to go! Is Kim Dong-hoo coming too?"
-Yes, yes, we just finished arranging everything. Our lucky charm actor wouldn’t miss it, zuhahahaha!
"That’s wonderful! Please send the schedule, and I’ll be there!"
-Great! See you then!
"Goodbye!"

Zuhahahaha!

The call ended with a hearty laugh.

A special concert? That sounded fantastic.

'Seems like the network’s really thrilled with the response.'

Of course, it’s Kim Dong-hoo.
He must be ecstatic right about now, I bet.

While Writer Lee Min-ha was savoring that thought,

At the same time, in a certain handsome actor’s room,

"Aaagh! How did they find my childhood gymnastics video?!"

Struck by embarrassment,

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

The blanket suffered under a series of frantic kicks.

++++++

As time passed, it was now the week High Dream episodes 13 and 14 were set to air, Saturday.

Han Seong-mun, CEO of Brilliant, was trembling nervously in the meeting room.
The fate of his company hung on the outcome of this meeting.

"...I’m shaking right now, aren’t I?"
"Yes, you’re visibly shaking."
"Yeah, I suppose it’s only natural, right?"
"That’s correct."
"I thought this would be a surefire success."

They had made a bold bid to win over Kim Dong-hoo.
Brilliant had overextended itself, offering a multimillion-dollar contract with royalties and more.

But Han Seong-mun believed it was worth it.

'Look at the buzz. Everyone’s talking about Kim Dong-hoo, and soon he’ll be seen in our uniform.'

Although they had to settle for a cheaper idol trainee for the female model,
who cared? As long as they secured Kim Dong-hoo, that was all that mattered.

Ding, ding.

The wait ended on a high note.
Feeling optimistic about the outcome,

'He’s here.'

Han Seong-mun turned his gaze to the door where the bell rang.

Kim Dong-hoo.
Currently setting the internet ablaze, the guy everyone was calling Sharp-tongued Lee Jae.

Watching him on screen, he’d thought it was just camera magic.

'This isn’t real.'

But seeing him in person, he wondered if the camera could even capture his looks properly.

'Is it normal for someone this handsome to have an aura around their face?'

Despite looking otherworldly, there was nothing intimidating about him.
If anything, he seemed more familiar, which made him look even better.

As Kim Dong-hoo walked confidently toward him, Han Seong-mun momentarily lost his words.

"Hello, I’m Kim Dong-hoo."

He bowed politely.

Despite his rising fame, he still greeted them with such humility.

'He’s incredibly well-mannered.'

Han Seong-mun was taken aback.
He was used to seeing managers bowing, but it was rare for an actor to be this polite.

"Please, come in. Would you like some refreshments?"
"No, I’m fine. We’re comfortable right now, so let’s get straight to business."
"Oh, alright. Let’s sit and discuss, then."

The business talk between Han Seong-mun and Choi Seok-ho was quick and efficient.
There wasn’t much to discuss.

Both sides were pleased with the terms,
and they had already negotiated any additional conditions.

Why were they meeting, then?

"Shall we proceed with the model shoot immediately?"

They wanted to start shooting for the campaign right after signing the exclusive model contract.

If all went well, they’d go straight to the studio for the school uniform shoot.

"We have the female model here as well, so it might be nice to introduce them before the shoot."
"Dong-hoo, what do you think?"
"Sure, sounds good. Getting to know each other beforehand can make the shoot more comfortable."
"Great! I’ll show you to the waiting room."

Han Seong-mun led Kim Dong-hoo to the waiting room.

"Oh, by the way, I had a few suggestions regarding the photoshoot."

Before they could all enter, Choi Seok-ho paused to discuss some business ideas with Han Seong-mun.

Sensing that the adults’ conversation might take a while, Kim Dong-hoo went ahead into the waiting room.

And there she was.

'Wow, she’s really pretty.'

There was a girl with sculpted features like a statue.
She looked about his age, but with a model-like physique.

She could easily pass for a high school student.

As he moved to greet her with a bow,

"Kim Dong-hoo?"

Suddenly,

She gasped and threw her arms around him.

"H-hey?!"

Kim Dong-hoo was taken aback.

"It’s me, don’t you remember?"

The girl’s question left him at a loss.
He really didn’t remember.

"W-who are you...?"

The girl, who would soon become a world-famous top star,

"It’s me, your bride, Ryu Jae-rin."

She looked up at Kim Dong-hoo with a radiant smile.

"Have you been well, honey?"