Merry Christmas, Hero
Merry Christmas! What does it mean to be a hero?
I'd always learned that heroes defeat villains. Fairy tales taught me that, and so did TV. When the shiny knights vanquished the bad guys, everyone cheered. Heroes always won, turning the tables even in hopeless situations. A single loss? No big deal—they had endless second chances and power-ups waiting in the wings.
I idolized those heroes. Craved to be one. In that black-and-white world, only heroes got to shine white while everything else drowned in shadow. I desperately wanted to be a hero.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
To become one, I put in the work. First things first: get strong. Like any hero, I'd do anything to master fighting.
"Hey, what the hell are you?"
It started weak, just like in the stories.
"P-please, spare me! Please! I-I'm sorry, I did wrong!"
"What'd you do wrong? Nothing. You were just born that way."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Over time, I grew stronger, beating villains left and right. Bad guys deserved punishment anyway, so it was fine.
"Head!"
One day, I heard the shout and turned. Kids swinging bamboo swords—kendo sticks, nothing fancy, but it looked just like the swords of the heroes I dreamed of. Come to think of it, heroes always wielded weapons, usually swords. Like the knife I'd used to kill that stray dog when it lunged at people. I realized I needed a weapon too, so I started kendo.
"Waist!"
Crack! Even as my calluses tore and bled, I kept practicing until the bamboo sword snapped. Kendo suited me perfectly. Especially carrying a bokken around—it was a huge perk. Maybe this was my power-up. Trading bare fists for a weapon.
And sure enough, my second heroic moment came sooner than expected.
"You borrow money, you pay it back!"
Basic stuff. Back when legal interest rates topped out at 49%, TV ads hawking loan sharks like they were peanuts. Our crumbling family had nowhere else to turn. We were the ultimate underdogs.
"Even when you promised the principal, you kept dodging us!"
"Whatever, just pay the interest properly."
They were pure evil.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
I was the hero.
"...Son, run. Get far away from here. I'll handle this—go!"
Even in this mess.
"Go far away. Anywhere."
Nothing changed the fact that I was a hero. I smote the evil.
Whoosh! Snapping out of the immersion, I instantly grasped what this hero meant.
'A criminal who catches criminals.' Vigilante. Evil that punishes evil. Someone enforcing justice outside the law. A being who believes they're good despite being blatantly evil. The title Hero seemed to ask: if he defeats evil, isn't his path righteous? The intent to blur the lines between good and evil hit hard.
'Being a short film, it's naturally concise.'
Especially that "black-and-white world" line. I could already picture the movie.
'Black-and-white film.'
A brief hesitation.
'Nothing better out there right now.'
No need to overthink. "Seokho hyung, I'll go with this one."
I slid the Hero script toward the passenger seat.
"Hm? Oh, Hero? You sure? It's a bit brutal."
"Nah, this is fine. I watch stuff like Saw all the time."
"Saw? You're already watching that? No way."
"They showed it in school?"
"..."
Seokho hyung muttered something about kids these days before saying he'd contact the director.
"Heard he's a college student. Probably graduating this year?"
"Really?"
"Yeah, first project post-grad."
"You already talked?"
"Nah, he posted it on a cafe site with a huge wall of text. I'll check it out."
"..."
"Anyway, if you're set, I'll handle the rest. Plenty of time before Christmas. Then next week, the Hydream production press conference."
That reminded me to check my phone.
'Christmas already, huh.'
Christmas party with Sujin's family. I was already looking forward to it.
Unable to fully embody the Hero character's vitality.
Downloading application 'Cheonmu Jiche'.
Henceforth, immersing in martial arts-related characters will grant martial arts talents as well.
A pre-Christmas gift from [Sims - The Real Life].
Mariah Carey's Christmas tune echoed across the world on December 25th. At Sujin's house, the family buzzed with excitement preparing the party.
"We gotta make sure Donghu doesn't leave right away when he gets here!"
"...Why?"
"If he does, he won't eat the food I made."
Daughter, that wasn't the implication, was it? Kim Gicheol's heart shattered.
His precious daughter, whom he wouldn't trade for the world—his one and only treasure. And she was crushing hard!
He hadn't known. Or rather, he'd known.
'Impossible not to.'
He'd just looked away. Day in, day out, she sang "Donghu~ Donghu~." Ignoring that would've been the real problem.
"Honey, stop acting and come help. Donghu's almost here."
"Even you too, sweetie."
Kim Donghu, who the hell are you to steal my daughter and my wife's hearts? How handsome are you?
Gicheol took pride in his looks. He'd married top actress Kim Yuryeon, after all. Objectively handsome, and until she was five, Sujin swore she'd marry him.
'Then Donghu showed up.'
The memory still filled him with despair.
—Daddy! I wanna marry Donghu!
—Donghu? Who's that?!
—My desk mate! The handsomest guy ever! And!
—And?
—He's the first boy to treat me cold and make me cry.
—He made you cry?!
—Yeah, but he held my hand after. Hehe. Bad boy!
A bad boy at five?!
'Too mature, isn't he?!'
To calm his turmoil, Gicheol stared at the turkey roasting in the oven. Golden-brown perfection, mouthwatering just to look at.
"One leg for Donghu."
"...!"
That was supposed to be Daddy's. Gicheol turned, stunned, to his beaming daughter.
Kim Donghu, what do you look like to claim all my daughter's love? What charm do you have?!
'Unforgivable!'
Going all out against a kid was low, but today, he had no choice.
Ding-dong.
"Oh, it's Donghu!"
Speak of the devil. As Sujin perked up at the doorbell, Gicheol bolted to the door.
Time to see what he looks like!
He flung it open.
"Hello! I'm Kim Donghu, Sujin's friend. Thanks so much for inviting me to dinner! Oh, and this is nothing much, but strawberries—Sujin loves them, so..."
"You're in."
"?"
Gicheol got it.
Time flew to early January. Journalists hustled through the new year for the Hydream production press conference.
"Brr, freezing."
"Chilly, for sure."
"On a day like this, I should be home with hotteok."
"Hyung won't slack on press day."
"Oho? Getting cocky lately."
Even with heaters blasting, the cold seeped in. Reporters slapped on hot packs, desperate to thaw before photos.
"Oh, here we go."
Senior's cue had the junior eyeing the stage. Lights flashed on the "Production Press Conference" banner as an idol group took the stage.
"Tied to an idol agency, so the opening lineup's solid."
"Eye candy too."
After three or four performances, the stars entered to cheers.
Click-click-click.
"Over here!"
"This way too!"
"Hand wave, please!"
The moment everyone awaited. Cameras fired away. But one question lingered.
'Who's that guy?'
The insanely handsome kid from the making film. Netizens speculated, but zilch. Even on-site reporters got stonewalled. Mystery man.
As curiosity peaked...
"...Whoa, what?"
The boy who solved it strolled onto the stage. Handsome. No—unreal. Bottomlessly, endlessly gorgeous. Squid-ifying the whole room. Selfish halo of perfection.
Kim Donghu's entrance left everyone gulping silently, shutters clicking nonstop.
Same time, Studio Geumgang. Amid feverish editing, Director Kang's brow furrowed at the footage.
'Material's perfect.'
Am I a bad cook? Why's it so flat? Feels like I could amp it up but I'm not.
After agonizing, he pinpointed it.
'Not enough grit.'
Late Korean War. Desperate battles in dire conditions to hold lines. But the footage lacked punch.
'Need more bayonet charges.'
Final 12 hours: frantic last bullets, survival brawls. No hand-to-hand? Absurd.
Especially.
'Han Taekon and Donghu syncing up.'
Show war's horror through Kim Suhwa vs. student soldier clash. Needed solid action chemistry.
'Taekon's got experience, action chops.'
But Donghu as the student soldier? Just turned fifteen.
'Can he handle action?'
Worried it'd ruin the film. Director Kang sank into thought.