LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 104
During the fall of Baekje.
Lee Won-sook, the firstborn son of a prominent noble in the Chungcheong Province, quickly adapted to the arrows of the era to avoid disaster.
He immediately cooperated with Silla during this turbulent time and began to establish his power in Gongju.
As a reward for his loyalty, he was able to seize all the land documents of those around him who were maintaining their integrity.
Based on this, he drafted land documents that would eventually carry down to Lee Jae-yoon.
Using those land documents, Lee Jae-yoon claimed legitimacy and wielded immense power under the guise of justice, plundering land and amassing enough wealth that could be spent lavishly for generations to come.
However, he had one concern.
There was no legitimate heir to continue his bloodline.
Every time a child was born, it was always a daughter, and when he couldn’t even find one son, he grew angry and frustrated, but no solution seemed to present itself.
Thus, he spent his years sighing heavily and fading away.
Until that year—a miracle, a late-blooming son appeared!
A son named Tae-seong, hoped to inherit the will of the phoenix and become great.
As Tae-seong grew, he gradually became aware of his worth.
By the time he turned six—
Even amid reckless violence, everyone else merely bowed their heads, at that moment he fully realized his high standing.
This was the turning point where Tae-seong’s birth gave rise to his arrogance.
Moreover, it was unfairly bestowed upon him by the heavens, as they granted him not only immense power but also strength.
While living a debauched life, he demonstrated perfect martial skills during a brief military exam that astonished everyone.
He was truly worthy of being called a phoenix.
+++++
After a brief experience of Lee Tae-seong’s life.
I blinked at the narration that immediately followed.
‘So this is how one can immerse themselves.’
Just as I was feeling the infinite possibilities of immersion.
Ding ding ding! A text message arrived from Sims.
-[It has been determined that the current role’s martial arts level is still inadequate.]
-[Adjusting martial arts levels.]
-[Downloading the application ‘Martial Arts Manual.’]
If I had only learned how to wield a sword in the role of Baek Dong-su, now all knowledge related to martial arts has been downloaded.
Not only is it simple knowledge coming in.
‘I feel like I could use it right now.’
Thoroughly practical martial arts.
It felt distinctly different from the assassin’s sword I’d learned in the role of Jawan.
It felt as if I could become a commander on the battlefield, cutting everything down.
To put it directly, it felt like a black dragon was lying dormant in my right arm.
Anyway.
Just as I was checking the script again.
[Traitor: The Bud of Corruption, B, B]
‘…What is this?’
An additional grade suddenly appeared.
It seemed like it was created because of me.
‘Is it the same for others?’
Upon checking other works, only [Traitor: The Bud of Corruption] had two grades in succession.
‘Does this mean I get evaluated twice? Or is it re-released?’
I didn’t know what it was, but since I couldn’t find out immediately, I decided to just put it aside.
‘Being a B isn’t bad, I guess.’
Muttering that to myself, I quickly got up.
With only a short time left until the boxing tournament.
Since there wasn’t a confirmed filming schedule yet, I needed to train hard during that time.
While going to the gym every day was the best way to do this.
> Donghu, I’ll definitely coordinate and adjust your training schedule, so just tell me what you need!
With the full support of Coach Baek Sang-ha,
I was able to have a well-structured training routine even on my own.
The only drawback was that I couldn’t spar frequently.
But that was one of the things I really didn’t need to do.
‘Actually, when sparring, I can’t move properly because I’m worried my opponent might get hurt.’
Practicing alone was much more comfortable.
Moreover, I could now handle shadow boxing to a certain extent.
There were only two people I could think of in my mind.
But those two were the best in the world, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
Anyway, time flew by due to training.
On the day of the national athletic competition.
“Donghu, do you know that Rushman is airing today?”
“Huh? I know. But can’t you skip your modeling class?”
“Modeling class is important, but I’m your manager, after all.”
Together with Ye-rim, I arrived at the competition venue.
++++++
Every Sunday at 6:10 PM.
[Rushman!] aired on SKS and was currently generating immense anticipation.
“Is it today? That Kim Donghu is coming out, right? They’ve been advertising that!”
“Yeah, they hyped it up a lot; it must be something awesome.”
Except for the [Rushman!] production team, everyone was honestly looking forward to it, yet at the same time, they were ready to criticize if it didn’t meet expectations.
And with good reason.
-Really, you have to push it this time!
-If [Rushman!] becomes a big hit, if only you knew what Kim Donghu did…! I couldn’t say it for fear of being spoiled!
-Please promote it properly! To see Kim Donghu and Kim Sujin acting all cutesy together is just…!
The normally reticent PD Ji Yujin demanded a significant push.
This was the first time she had asserted something so strongly while working on [Rushman!].
She seemed ready to throw hands if they didn’t promote it right.
Furthermore.
“Kim Donghu… did you say Kim Donghu? Make sure he’s not hanging around talentless types, tell him to come back to dramas.”
Suddenly, Division Head Jeong Dosun from the drama department popped up to poke fun at the variety department.
[Rushman!] steadily built hype from the trailer onward.
And today was the day that hype would bear fruit.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Hello! Today, we have an ultra-special guest! Let’s welcome Kim Donghu and Kim Sujin to [Rushman!]! Let’s go, go, go!”
The eagerly anticipated [Rushman!] [Child Star Special] began.
Typically, most openings start light and easy, alleviating guest tension with some casual chatter.
But.
“Yes, that’s right, Sujin is cute and pretty.”
From the very first line, Kim Donghu completely dominated the atmosphere.
It was a level of boldness that was on a different plane from previous guests.
It was strange if he didn’t get caught up in it.
At the moment the subtitle ‘The Manly Kim Donghu!’ appeared.
ㄴKim Donghu is such a crazy hunk
ㄴIsn’t this kid just 17? LOL, is he on his second life? Just charging straight in;
ㄴScandals? I don’t care at all; why? Because it’s just his cute and pretty childhood friend.
ㄴEven Kim Sujin, who had been in the entertainment industry for a while, was taken aback; LOL
Viewers were in an uproar.
After that ultra-manly declaration, he quickly shot to the top of the real-time search ranking.
Within just three minutes of the broadcast, [Rushman!] took the 10th spot.
Moreover, the shock didn’t stop there.
“Wow, but really, Kim Donghu is excessively handsome.”
“LOL, his face has its own halo; is this CGI?”
“It’s so good-looking that it’s making everyone else look like squids; it’s just unbearably handsome.”
“After this ends, don’t look in the mirror for a while! It might ruin your mood!”
An overlooked fact came flooding back.
Kim Donghu’s ridiculous appearance.
As he began to merge with variety shows, a massive synergy was being created.
In dramas, movies, or plays, his expressions are limited by their context.
However, in variety shows, that restriction doesn’t exist, allowing us to see the pure 100% human Kim Donghu.
Could that be why?
“Kim Donghu’s shadow boxing level is insane.”
“He didn’t win the tournament for no reason.”
“Did Kim Donghu win a boxing tournament?”
“Yeah, yeah; I just looked it up again, and an article came out, 4th consecutive 1st round instant KO link, let’s go!”
The comments were overwhelmingly positive.
Moreover.
“By the way, Kim Donghu also rang the golden bell, hehe.”
Out of the blue, Kim Sujin’s adorable and innocent boasting about her childhood friend popped up.
“Ah… he’s just so loveable.”
“Is every childhood friend like that? I want a childhood friend too.”
“Oh, sure, thanks, see you in the next life.”
“Oh, right, but to do that, your face needs to be at Kim Donghu’s level—better give that a serious reset!”
Viewers couldn’t contain their tickled hearts.
“Kim Donghu’s eyes are just born for romance, huh?”
“Donghu, let’s just film a We Got Married once; honestly, it doesn’t matter who… just once, please do it.”
“Let’s get some romance too; I saw him as the Young Prince, and seriously… his gaze at the Rose was something else.”
Out of the blue, Kim Donghu’s romantic acting was surging while [Rushman!] continued its broadcast.
“About the meeting… never mind, Donghu, do you play football?”
“Ah… Kuk-jong hyung, come on; you can’t play football, can you?”
“That’s why they’re trying to get someone who does, right?”
“??? : Hey, be my partner.”
The start of the usual chase began.
Viewers eagerly anticipated how Donghu would perform.
But.
“Uh, uh?! What, what the hell! What are you! What are you doing?!”
Suddenly, Kim Donghu started doing a handstand.
“?????????”
“???????”
“??????????”
“??????????”
Viewers stopped everything they were doing and stared blankly at the TV.
And on screen.
“Why can you move while doing that?”
The flustered subtitles from [Rushman!] appeared.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Kim Donghu finally made his TV debut while running on his arms.
“Please do not attempt to replicate this!”
A warning subtitle popped up as a bonus.