Endless Waves Crashing In
Waves of hype crashed endlessly.
As if demanding no one doubt Endless Frontline's box office run, articles kept popping up without a day's rest.
Starting with around 500K viewers on opening day—the benchmark for a ten-million hit—rave reviews from critics poured in, and audience proof shots flooded online like wildfire.
People are always thirsty for fresh faces. They crave actors who guarantee success, yet grow tired of overexposure, making even the best lose appeal.
Someone new to drive the cinematic wave. Audiences always hungered for that someone.
'And that someone is our Donghu.'
Choi Seokho grinned proudly at the stacks of business cards and scripts piling up before him.
"Whoa, there's seriously a ton here."
All of them eager to connect with Kim Donghu. It meant this many people wanted him.
But one regrettable point.
"Can't squeeze in more work from here."
Our Donghu wasn't two people. His current schedule filming multiple projects was already packed.
Geomgeom Baek Dongsu was still in production, and Ilsik's first shoot loomed soon. Adding more was impossible.
'Schedule's full through the first half of next year.'
Piling on now would wreck his rest balance. To avoid burning bright and fading fast—to become an eternal icon—ample downtime was essential.
'Man, the momentum's steep.'
Whatever the formula for a ten-million blockbuster, Endless Frontline nailed it perfectly so far.
Day one: ~500K. First week: ~2.3 million! Weekend alone pulled in a whopping 1.3 million.
Every theater was Endless Frontline's domain, and sold out to boot.
A quick internet search turned up Endless Frontline reviews everywhere.
But the psychological portrayal was crazy good
Endless Frontline left people saying nothing but "it's fun." Proving the hype, word-of-mouth spread like wildfire, wrapping week two at...
"...Our Donghu's already a 5-million actor."
It had soared past 5 million.
+++++
Final shoot day for Geomgeom Baek Dongsu.
'Already the end, huh.'
Half relieved, half wistful, I slowly stepped out of the van.
Maybe because I'd arrived two hours early since day one. It became habit—coming early felt right.
'Wandering the quiet set's fun too.'
As I rubbed my eyes, adjusting to the crisp morning air—
Bang! Pop pop bang!
Fireworks burst, and people poured out into the once-quiet set.
"Donghu! Congrats on 5 million! Let's push straight to ten million!"
"?!"
A surprise party? Totally caught off guard, I was genuinely shocked.
They seemed pleased by my reaction, grinning as they continued.
"Our child actor personally promoted the drama for us. How could we just sit still?"
"I promoted it?"
"Yeah, any project with you right now is guaranteed to blow up."
Our drama's premiere lined up right around Endless Frontline's third week? It clicked instantly.
'So that's what they meant by me promoting the drama on my own.'
While my star was skyrocketing, back-to-back action dramas featuring me drop? Impossible to ignore.
That attention would translate straight to ratings. Chain reaction jackpot, in simple terms.
"Donghu really is our lucky charm! That's why we had to celebrate like this!"
Still, the drama succeeding and prepping a surprise hours before shooting were different things.
'I'm grateful.'
To hide the swelling emotion, I quickly bowed deeply.
Saying more might make me cry.
'Can't cry here.'
Luckily, years of acting made emotion control a breeze. I schooled my face in seconds and looked up.
When lost for words, nothing beat the textbook line.
"Please take good care of me during today's shoot too."
The warm vibe carried on seamlessly into filming.
Baek Dongsu and Jaun hone their skills, joining the king's elite guard, Jangyongwi.
There, Geomrim attacks, massacring key figures.
Only a handful survive. Baek Dongsu burns with rage toward Geomrim; Jaun questions the group he once belonged to.
"Okay, cut! Perfect!"
Since Kim Donghu never NG'd—a known fact—the supporting cast sharpened up too, minimizing mistakes.
Result: wrap-up ahead of schedule.
'Sucks I didn't meet more actors.'
Normally, more co-star time. But stunt doubles for the child actor meant fewer encounters.
Still.
"Donghu, don't ignore hyung's calls later just 'cause you're blowing up, okay?"
"How could I do that to you, sunbaenim?"
"This industry's celeb syndrome hits fast—people change in a blink. Hope you stay real, Donghu."
Bonds formed anyway. Befriending Park Jinhyeok hyung, the child Baek Dongsu, was a win.
Plus.
"You're coming to our school in the year after next anyway."
School ties matter big time.
I smiled faintly at his follow-up.
"If I enroll, it'll be your graduation season, sunbaenim."
"I'll look out for you huge. Trust hyung, come to Dae Yeon Arts High—I'll pave the way."
"Yes, thank you, sunbaenim."
"You've been so formal with 'sunbaenim' all along. Try 'hyung'."
"Even so, that's a bit..."
"Hey, by debut year, you're the senior. You shot Kyarruk Doctor at 5, right? Call me hyung casually, or the hierarchy gets messed up."
He wasn't wrong.
'Debut at 5, huh.'
Long hiatus in between, but they don't nitpick that.
'By experience alone, that's like 10 years.'
Not bad. Muttering inwardly, I awkwardly opened my mouth.
"Uh, then... Jinhyeok hyung...?"
"Yes! Hope we work together on more than this."
Seems I held him too long—the director's staring, wanting to talk."
I glanced over at Oh Jaedeok. Jinhyeok hyung was right.
'...Eyes about to shoot flames?'
His gaze burned.
And that's when it hit me solid.
'Geomgeom Baek Dongsu's wrapped.'
Another project successfully done.
+++++++
Endless Frontline week three.
Hitting ~8 million per the ten-million formula. Conversations universally fixed on Endless Frontline.
Magazines rushed cast interviews.
"Can't even describe it—probably the best among us?"
"No, really, no... Please... please, sunbaenim! Hahahahaha."
The interview highlight? Kim Donghu's personality.
Haedream 30% ratings lead, Mise-en-Scène 4 awards, Brilliant uniform model, Endless Frontline ten-million star—prime ego fuel, yet...
Kim Donghu stayed approachable, polite, humble.
"Ah... Nothing's set, so I'm still thinking."
Click.
Simple remote flick paused the interview screen.
"What does this mean?"
Marketing team lead's question drew blank stares from execs at the ongoing PPT.
Yeah? What does it mean?
He adjusted his glasses and pressed on.
"Ten-million movie incoming, but hasn't picked the rice for his pledge yet, right?"
"Uh, huh?"
That so?
"So what if we hit ten million, and the rice he eats is our Ottogi?"
!
Execs instantly got why he'd called them.
"No way...!"
"Kim Donghu's value's skyrocketing—cheapest now while we can snag him."
Opportunity like this? Unmissable.
How long must Ottogi bow to Haetbap?
Execs stirred. Spot on.
"Quality? We're not behind. Just marketing gap."
Thus, I strongly propose Kim Donghu as Ottogi's new face!
Execs nodded furiously, ready to approve.
Meanwhile.
"Instant rice means Haetbap, right? Ten-million pledge hit, and Kim Donghu eats Haetbap!"
How perfect!
Haetbap thought the same.
Kim Donghu's waves crashed without end.