Life is Easier If You’re Handsome

“What am I even looking at right now?”

Cameraman Ji Jang-min didn’t notice that his eyes were bloodshot.

Not even a blink of an eye could be spared in this moment.

Every fiber of his being was screaming to put down the camera.

“Just look at that, savor it properly!”

But what held him back was Ji Jang-min’s professional pride.

He had lived for the camera, locking his gaze in to capture the best moments.

Kim Donghu, or rather Lee Jae-yi, was going insane.

While pouring his emotions into the piano, he suddenly fixed his gaze on the camera.

“Look at me, only me, put me in your eyes.”

If you look at anything inferior, I’ll kill you.

“Face my disdain directly.”

Even with no knowledge of the piano,

“I can feel it.”

It became clear what Kim Donghu, or rather Lee Jae-yi, wanted to express.

And this resonated even more deeply with those who witnessed Lee Jae-yi in real life, not just on the screen.

“Oh wow, just watching him play gives me chills.”

PD Kim Youngmo momentarily fell into the illusion that he was at a concert.

Perfect immersion, really, would Lee Jae-yi be like this if he were alive?

Even with simple practice, he would never take it lightly.

To constantly prove he is a genius, he must face disdain every day.

The loneliness of a brilliant genius was palpable.

And before long, the performance was reaching its peak.

The grand piano differs from an ordinary piano in the pedals.

Sostenuto, the middle pedal, plays a role in handling the delicacy of sound.

The emotional delivery changes due to the distaste only Lee Jae-yi can express.

The nuance matters.

The writer Lee Minha was now on the verge of fainting.

“Ah…ah.”

To be honest, there have been quite a few times when characters written by the writer came to life through acting.

Especially for popular writers like Lee Minha, it’s often the case.

But I can unequivocally say there’s never been anything like this.

That was not acting.

The real Lee Jae-yi was there, playing the piano.

No matter how much applause he received in front of countless spectators,

He didn’t get the applause he most wanted,

Instead, he faced scorn,

A flower blossoming from the roots of hatred.

Lee Jae-yi truly tore up the script and appeared.

“I-I have to work with Kim Donghu in the next project, absolutely, definitely… no matter what, I’ll cast him as the lead, Kim Donghu, I’m with Kim Donghu…”

A catharsis that can’t be described with words stirred throughout his body.

The extreme excitement toggled between relaxation and tension.

The performance gradually approached its conclusion.

Lee Jae-yi’s hands, which had poured out all their disdain, slowly began to quiet down.

Amidst the dwindling and monotonous sounds,

Drop.

The final touch on the keys was Lee Jae-yi’s tears.

Even knowing this anguish was abnormal, he couldn’t stop the sorrow.

The injustice of never having anyone ask if he was okay.

How much had happened before Lee Jae-yi shed those tears?
How many things had happened to make me shed tears?

A single tear, squeezed out like blood, was now Lee Jae-yi’s scream and blood.

“Ah… Aah…”

What am I looking at right now?

Lee Minha’s tension melts away.

“Hey, writer?!”

Kim Youngmo, who was beside her, was taken aback by Lee Minha’s reaction.

“Y-Yeah?”

What? Why the sudden call? I still feel the aftershock.

Lee Minha answered with a slightly displeased glance but was startled by Kim Youngmo’s next words.

“Nosebleed!”

“W-What?!”

Did I get a nosebleed?

Wait, why do I feel dizzy?

Thud.

Lee Minha lost her balance and tumbled toward the chair.

“Writer?!?!?!”

A brief commotion.

Principal Edward Park didn’t care that someone had fainted.

No, to be precise, he couldn’t care.

“I can see it.”

Edward Park was convinced that the actor’s future was not acting.

The performance itself couldn’t be called exceptionally high-level.

But the emotional density packed within it was off the charts.

Just a little bit of polishing, just tiny adjustments.

After some time, if their performance skills became solid.

“I see the makings of a master.”

That kid shouldn’t be acting.

He was destined to play the piano.

Edward Park was convinced and made a promise.

Whether it be a scholarship or a recommendation for admission.

He would do anything as long as that kid got in.

+++++

After the performance ended.

Swoosh!

Lee Jae-yi slowly faded away.

There was no lingering emotion.

But it was just exhausting.

“So this is what playing music is like.”

The effort poured forth from the still-growing 14-year-old body.

No matter how much I trained in sports, piano was a different realm altogether.

“Let’s rest for a bit.”

Deep breath.

At the same time, I closed the piano lid to clean up.

And at that moment.

“KAAAABOOM!!!”

With the passionate director’s OK sign,

Clap clap clap clap clap clap.

Applause poured in.

It was evidence that everyone was satisfied with Lee Jae-yi’s performance.

“Proud of myself.”

Just as I was about to stand up with a satisfied heart, someone rushed toward me.

“If you act like that, you need to take your time and process your emotions so you won’t suffer.”

It was Senior Jang Geonho, an industry veteran and the principal playing the role of Wang Ho.

Senior Jang Geonho patted my back, comforting me.

“I really, really saw something precious.”

“Right, Dong-ho? I felt that back then too…”

Before long, Senior Kim Yu-ryun approached and placed a bottle of water on the piano.

It was probably a consideration to drink after calming my emotions.

But…

“I’m totally fine, you know.”

In reality, I was perfectly okay.
It was tough.

But in a situation like this, I couldn’t just speak my mind thoughtlessly.

I slowly nodded and put on a strained act.

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

“You don’t have to reply, it’s fine.”

“That’s right, Donghu-sshi. For now, think about yourself first.”

The warm consideration from my senior colleagues in the industry.

I appreciated it, but at the same time,

‘I feel like I’m going to die from the pressure.’

It was exhausting.

+++++

“What on earth made that come out?”

Kim Gilsan, the head of ST Entertainment, clicked his tongue as he watched the filming set.

Only fourteen years old.

At an age with endless potential for growth.

But to see such a level of acting already…

‘Everyone’s completely intimidated.’

Glance.

Kim Gilsan looked over toward the lead and supporting actors playing the members of Hidedream.

“Today’s going to have a lot of NGs.”

Their expressions were completely crushed.

He knew all too well what it would look like when idols with faces like that took the stage.

It wasn’t like he was new to the entertainment business.

The ending was predictable.

“Honestly, I’m resentful of the writer.”

Alongside him, Lee Sanghak, who shared the same sentiment, complained.

Having nurtured many actors as the head of Fulredy, he knew too well what the filming atmosphere was going to be like.

“From the script, it looks like our kids have to beat that one in the end.”

Is that even possible? Is it even a picture that can be imagined?

At first, I thought they were just a super talented kid.

But when I opened the lid, what I found was ridiculous.

Hoo.

A sigh escaped my lips like cigarette smoke, trailing long and heavy.

But an unfortunate situation was still unfortunate.

Swish.

Swish.

“What are you up to?”

“What about you, hyung?”

“Me? Just pulling out my business card. Oh, and later, introduce yourself. He’s Kim Donghu, our new family at ST Entertainment. I’ll introduce you after filming.”

As the sly Kim Gilsan said this with a face reminiscent of a weasel, Lee Sanghak, with a face that looked like a toad, quivered.

“Your acting is a bit lacking, and you play around too much; Kim Donghu will go with us, Fulredy.”

“Who decided that?!”

“Well, well, who made that decision?!”

While the two heads of the companies were having a verbal duel, maintaining a distance that wouldn’t interfere with filming, a wild crowd was going crazy far away.

“Who is that? Who are they?”

“Don’t push! If you push me again, I’m really going to break all the cameras!”

“Hey, come out! I came here to film them!”

“Stop talking nonsense, you came to film Jin Su-hyuk! Who do you think doesn’t know?! Don’t you ever back off?!”
The journalists gathered to capture the filming scene.

Hoping for great shots for the making film, they were losing their minds over the sudden appearance of a catfish.

But filming resumed quickly, regardless of anything else.

Now that Lee Jae-yi’s practice was over, the next scene was the rehearsal for Hydream’s ensemble.

It sounded pretty good, but no one was impressed.

It was swallowed up quickly.

Lee Jae-yi’s contempt-filled performance lingered in everyone’s ears, whispering throughout the shoot.

Talent can never be captured through effort, and I will definitely eliminate the inferior ones.

++++++

After all the filming wrapped up.

“That was tough.”

I tossed my weary body into a taxi after countless rejections.

They were so eager to give me a ride home; it had me drained from turning them down one by one.

‘I should probably find an agency.’

I couldn’t keep bouncing back and forth alone to the filming set like this.

I needed an agency to solve this problem.

If it were up to me, I would want to trust Min-hyuk, who was getting his kart license on a pro level.

“Were they really preparing for pro karting these days?”

The phrase about honing his skills for more accurate driving still echoed in my ears.

Anyway, it was finally time for me to find a proper nest.

Bzz bzz bzz!

My phone rang.

“Dad?”

– Yeah, son, did you finish filming?

“Sure, that’s me as always.”

– By the way, can you stop by a building in Bundang?

To summarize what Dad was saying, there was a bachelor who just moved in, and he set up a meal appointment as a thank you for being so nice.

Curious about what being nice meant, Dad found out later that I always sent flower baskets when tenants moved in.

After praising me for such a commendable thought, he decided it was right for me to attend.

“Yeah, I don’t mind. I’ll go.”

– Alright, look at you, all grown up with such thoughtful ideas.

“Haha, whose son are you talking about?”

Dad seemed really happy, unleashing a torrent of words he’d been holding back for months.

‘By the way, what was the new guy’s name? Choi… Seok-ho?’

As that thought crossed my mind, my eyes went wide.

The building is technically under my name, but since Dad handles the management, I barely paid attention.

‘I should’ve paid a bit more attention.’

The agency I was going to belong to, sent by [Sims – The Real Life], was in my building.

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