Can't Use Him Like That
"Ugh, they can't use our Donghu any better than that?"
In the KBC Broadcasting Station's drama conference room, the entire Hide Dream team had gathered around PD Kim Youngmo. The place was buzzing right now.
"It's real, he totally stole the scene there."
"The viewer boards are going nuts! Who's that guy playing Lee Jae now?"
"Donghu's got a FaceStorm account too, apparently his followers shot up by 20,000 in a single day?!"
"People get it—insanely handsome kid who's also a killer actor."
They were dissecting the ratings spikes from Hide Dream episode 2, each tossing out their takes.
"A fan cafe popped up in just one day. The firepower is insane."
"That ending shot zooming in on Donghu's face—you planned that on purpose, right, PD?"
"Obviously. A national treasure face like that? Waste it, and you're the loser."
"From what I heard, that final close-up synced perfectly with the ad break. Chicken ad."
"Oh yeah, it did."
"Orders exploded—articles are saying that chicken's sold out everywhere now."
Hide Dream had been off to a smooth start, but Kim Donghu was the sudden boost in its sails. Even PD Kim Youngmo hadn't anticipated this level of ripple effect.
'I figured at least the moonlight scene would push the numbers up.'
Just by showing up, he'd boosted ratings by 2%. If things kept going like this, the drama's direction could shift dramatically.
And the biggest change among them?
Bang!
"Zuhahaha! Our network's slaughtering the competition!"
The drama department head burst into the room, chowing down on cherry pie in high spirits.
"From now on, it's the KBC drama era! This is the opening shot! The dream of total drama domination lives on!"
KBC Drama Director Kim Cheol-do plopped down in an empty seat, booming with laughter. Crunch crunch crunch. Pie crumbs rained onto the floor, but he didn't care. Something far more important was on his mind.
"Breaking down the ratings graph, huh? Yeah, great stuff. Love seeing success."
As everyone sat there dumbfounded, unsure what to say, Kim Cheol-do kept rolling.
It was like he was delivering a prepared speech from a script.
Thud.
Instead of presentation slides, he slapped a corporate card on the table and slid it toward PD Kim Youngmo. Kim Cheol-do laughed heartily again, convinced it was genius.
"Zuhahaha! You should've seen the shit-eating grins on the SKS and MNC drama heads!"
How tough had it been all this time?
"Go get some premium beef with that. Hanwoo—you know what I mean? Buy anything less, and you're dead to me."
The good-natured drama director smiled warmly, wrapping up the intro. His laughter faded slowly.
Then came the rapid-fire main point.
"Ramp up Lee Jae's screen time. You haven't wrapped filming yet. You can do it, right?"
"Well, that's..."
"Hey, I'm not asking nicely. This is a nice way of ordering it."
Increase Lee Jae's screen time, no question. That face in just five episodes? Ridiculous. Milk it more.
Kim Cheol-do spoke like he'd just unveiled a master plan.
"We were already planning that. I'd talked it over with Writer Lee Min-ha from the start..."
PD Kim Youngmo pulled up his KakaoTalk chat history like it was no big deal.
Blink blink.
Yeah, he gets shit done. Drama Director Kim Cheol-do chuckled awkwardly.
"...Youngmo, you've got a real talent for embarrassing your boss right alongside your skills."
"You barged in and interrupted us... but thanks for the card."
"..."
"Clean up those cherry pie crumbs before you go. Our crew's wiped from shooting Hide Dream."
"Uh, yeah, sure... I'll get it all."
"Son, you holding up okay?"
"Of course, Mom."
"Saw the articles. Our boy's ridiculously handsome."
"You're stating the obvious."
"Mom's recovering fast, should be there by February or so."
"Got it. And don't worry too much. Hyung Seokho's taking great care of me."
"Yeah, he's been amazing. Even from the schedule reports... So grateful."
A little while after Hide Dream episode 2 aired, Mom and I chatted about this and that over the phone.
'Glad the cancer treatment went smoothly.'
Hearing how exceptionally well it had gone, I suddenly wondered if this was part of the Solid Gold Highway perks too.
"Oh, right—can I talk to Dad for a sec?"
"Aw, our boy misses his dad? Got it, honey~"
"Yeah, son. Dad here. What's up?"
His voice was flat and indifferent. I decided it was time to clue Dad in on one ridiculous mistake from Geu Jakja's script for Earth.
"Dad, you ever hear of Bitcoin?"
"Bitcoin? First time."
Even knowing the future, letting it sit unused due to zero investment knowledge was pure idiocy.
'Not that I want to do it myself.'
If I'd been into that stuff, I wouldn't have gone into acting. But letting it rot felt wrong, so I shared the intel with the one person I trusted most.
"Yeah, it's this thing..."
The investment god who bought a building off World Cup Toto, Kim Jangryeol—time to tip him off on future value.
'Sounds funny putting it like that.'
Too on-the-nose? Most would suspect it. But...
"Got it."
Dad believed me without a shred of doubt. The silent pillar who trusted me more than anyone.
That was my dad. After that, as I chatted more with him, my eyes drifted to the calendar.
Two weeks from now. End of January.
'My first lead role shoot.'
Hero's first filming was on deck.
Hero: A tale of a boy who wants to be a hero—a villain who slays evil, a criminal who acts justly. It kicks off with him killing a stray dog terrorizing neighborhood kids.
Stab!
A knife plunges into the throat of a puppy doll coated in mud and ink. Fake blood inside sprays everywhere.
"It's okay now. I killed it, so don't worry."
Director Lee Seongdeok, filming Kim Donghu's deadpan delivery, barely suppressed the chills racing down his spine.
'Felt it from the clips, but this acting is unreal.'
First shoot, chilly weather, low-budget indie scraping by on investments—every distraction before rolling vanished.
'He's got everything I wanted.'
Lee Seongdeok chose black-and-white film for Hero for one reason: intensity.
He wanted to portray a protagonist caught between stark black and white in a divided world—hence naming him Hero.
But the biggest hurdle in scripting? Acting chops.
'Needed an actor good enough to win at the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival.'
Obviously, acting is king in film. But finding talent for an indie? Near impossible.
This situation was pure heavenly luck for Lee Seongdeok.
"I saved you, so why are you running away?"
Whirr.
Over five cameras captured Hero's face from different angles. Originally just one, but BeRitas funding allowed multi-shot luxury.
Investment and star solved in one miracle. Experiencing that divinity firsthand, Lee Seongdeok dove deeper into the shoot.
The Hero script was simple—no complexities or puzzles. It just hurled questions at the audience.
Is struggling to punish evil truly evil? If the process is violent but the ends good, isn't the conclusion righteous? A hero exists to deliver justice—can you call him evil?
That relentless questioning was Hero's core.
Kendo learned to protect the weak. Killing a loan shark to shield family.
And that barrage peaks when Hero clashes with police.
Gulp.
Not even shot yet, but thinking about it dried Lee Seongdeok's throat already.
Can I capture Kim Donghu perfectly?
From assignments to grad project, he'd made plenty of films and figured he had chops.
'But nailing Donghu perfectly? Can't promise it.'
That talent felt worlds away, fueling his passion. He'd capture every moment flawlessly, making the name Kim Donghu shine.
'Aiming for Mise-en-scène win!'
Spread Donghu's name across TV and screens.
Amid the Hide Dream hype, one man frowned at Donghu's performance: Director Kang Sanghun of Endless Frontline.
"...Ugh, they can't use our Donghu any better than that?"
Perfect material wasted on close-ups and cameos? Didn't they know his acting matched his face?
"This is why dramas... tch tch."
Endless Frontline filming progressed smoothly. Or rather, the actors' performances had reached a brutal peak.
'Must be Donghu's influence.'
Kid that age dropping acting like that? Seniors couldn't just sit idle. Proving their stripes, the cast poured fiery intensity into every take.
And about two weeks later.
'I'll be the first director to unleash Kim Donghu's true worth!'
Climax shoot for the trainee soldier scene was coming up.