LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 25
“Who do you want to be, Donghu?”
“Uh?”
“I’ll make it happen for you.”
The playful banter vanished, replaced by the gravity of his question.
Where did the person who used to do this go?
Suddenly, I was a bit taken aback by the serious question.
‘But I’ve never really thought about it.’
Nothing is as dangerous as running without a purpose.
Yet, there was something I couldn’t carelessly say.
“I still don’t really know.”
“Yeah, that’s understandable. Take your time thinking it over; I’ll be cheering for you.”
Just as the situation was turning into a scene from a youth drama out of nowhere…
Knock, knock, knock.
“Is this the Veritas agency?”
The representative of Studio Geum-gang, Park Geum-gang, walked in.
With a tall figure and hair stylishly swept back, he looked like the very model of a successful businessman.
“Yes, yes, that’s correct.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Park Geum-gang, the representative of Studio Geum-gang.”
“Yes, I’m Choi Seok-ho, the representative of Veritas. I look forward to working with you.”
Over here,
Seok-ho quickly guided Mr. Park to a chair.
“This office has a really nice human touch.”
“Haha, thank you.”
“And… you’re Kim Donghu, right? You look even better in person than in photos. Honestly, I was a bit surprised.”
Swish.
Mr. Park laughed heartily as he extended his hand.
He was very gentlemanly and human, but there was an urgency about him.
I noticed his shoes tapping nervously.
‘He’s in a hurry.’
What’s up with that? Is there a reason?
Anyway,
“Yes, I’m Kim Donghu. Thank you for the compliment.”
After I greeted him lightly, Mr. Park quickly got straight to the point the moment he sat down.
Usually, people ease into the topic with a preamble, but his face showed that even that time was a waste.
“First, to be straightforward, I want to cast you, Kim Donghu.”
Swish.
As soon as he said that, a script landed on the table.
[Endless Frontline]
I had heard of this movie before.
It depicts the fierce changing of the tide in trench warfare.
Capturing the essence of the latter stages of the Korean War, it was a piece that achieved great success.
I remembered I had enjoyed it quite a bit in my past life.
“Can I take a look at the script before deciding?”
“Oh, uh, yes, please feel free.”
Was Mr. Park flustered by the unexpectedly bold words of a rookie actor?
He gave an awkward laugh, and Seok-ho immediately brought up contract-related talks to avoid making the atmosphere too strange.
“But wouldn’t it be better to see a light performance before casting right away?”
“Ah… that is true, but we’re pressed for time.”
If there’s no time to waste, shouldn’t we choose more carefully?
That thought crossed my mind, but I kept it to myself.
Now wasn’t the time for that.
‘Is this my script?’
[Student Soldier Role]
A role without even a name.
Yet, the reason there’s a script so clearly defined must be for a purpose.
To solve that curiosity…
‘Empathy.’
I entered the script.
+++++
“I wish I could eat some rice and stew before I kick the bucket.”
In the end, my sister couldn’t fulfill her dream and died.
A world filled with incomprehensible ideologies and nonsense.
The time siblings without parents could endure wasn’t very long.
“Live on for my sake.”
My sister’s final words clung to me like a curse.
How am I supposed to live in a time where even brass bowls are snatched to make bullets?
A world where if you don’t snatch, you get snatched.
An era where there’s only one choice to make.
Like everyone else, like those who killed my sister.
I decided to covet what belonged to others.
So, I joined the army.
Or rather, I got dragged in.
“To kindle the flames of revolution! Move, you little brats!”
What the heck does revolution even mean?
Is writhing in desperation so you don’t starve to death considered a revolution?
I think I had such questions before.
But now, I’ve forgotten.
As long as I’m not hungry, it’s fine.
I’ve vowed to live on for my sister’s sake.
At first, even holding a gun was tough.
But now, I’m used to dragging corpses.
“You little punk! Did you eat my rice balls?”
“Don’t pull that crap, what do you mean?”
Days passed without knowing who I was fighting.
Amidst worsening supplies, I had to survive.
Even if there’s only sand mixed with rice and I couldn’t eat it,
Even if there were days when all I had was salt in water,
I absolutely wanted to survive.
Kill, kill, and kill again.
Under the red flag.
Chewing on the meaningless sounds of revolution, I push forward.
“Stop! Stop! You must retake this revolutionary position!”
How far have I come?
Only after hearing the words of the guy wearing the red armband did I finally look up at the sky.
The blue sky was fleetingly clear and bright.
I didn’t care if hell spread out beneath it.
Perhaps my sister is up there happily watching.
“Absolutely! Absolutely! We must retake this position! Bet your lives!”
At those words, I gave a sardonic smile.
Telling us to bet our lives while just pointing fingers from the back,
How ridiculous is that?
“If we perfectly retake this position, the great leader has promised a paradise on earth!”
“I will definitely record your exploits and report to the party central!”
I could see everyone getting riled up by the clown’s grand speech.
Paradise on earth, does such a thing even exist?
I raised my gaze to look at the position.
A small hill occupied by the South Korean scum.
How many more lives will be lost to capture that one spot?
Will I survive to reach paradise on earth?
“If I had known it would be this hard to eat rice and stew, I wouldn’t have accepted that request.”
Sister, you left me such a heavy burden.
He left behind a burden too heavy to bear.
“Honestly, it’s not that big of a role. Of course, that doesn’t mean acting isn’t important; it’s just that the role can have a slightly lighter emphasis.”
Director Park hastily added his desire to cast someone quickly.
If Director Kang had been next to him, he would’ve jumped up and down in outrage, but since he wasn’t there, he seemed unbothered.
‘Since we’re in such a rush to find someone, as long as they look decent, expecting them to act is just being greedy.’
Glancing over, Director Park side-eyed Kim Donghu.
He really was ridiculously good-looking.
If only he could act just half as well as he looked.
Of course, that didn’t mean they weren’t going to hold a screen test, but Director Park had already given Kim Donghu massive bonus points for having Choi Seok-ho as his manager.
‘That’s really the Choi Seok-ho, huh?’
The only manager who tried everything possible to block CyberusQA’s path.
He had a rough idea of why.
‘Because he’s terrifying.’
His abilities had already surpassed being a director at a young age; he even eyed the executive position.
He could maximize an actor’s potential and land great scripts; he was a real gem.
Any actor managed by Choi Seok-ho? That was basic, no doubt about it.
Just then, Kim Donghu set down the script.
It felt like he had only glanced at it, but was that enough to say he really looked?
Regardless of Park’s confusion, Kim Donghu spoke up.
“I’d like to do it.”
“Haha, refreshing! So, can I take that to mean we’ll have the script reading and a quick screen test next week and finalize the contract?”
“Yes, that sounds good to me too.”
As soon as the refreshing conversation ended, Director Park hurriedly stood up.
With the casting done, the framework for the movie was all set.
Now it was truly time to bring the movie to life at 120%.
++++++
Time flew by, and it was now the following Monday.
“[Hot Issue] A big one coming next year? ‘Hydream’ filming site revealed!”
The outline of Hydream was starting to reveal itself to the world.
Articles flooded the internet like a torrential downpour.
As everyone had promised, they were promoting Hydream, and there was one common comment in the promotional articles.
Who the heck is this handsome guy?
Who? I didn’t see.
Oh, right? He’s in it towards the end. How is this guy so good-looking just walking by?
I’ve never seen someone this handsome; who is he?
Kim Donghu’s looks were slowly starting to spread across the internet.