GalaxyTL
Have you ever seriously considered what it means to have talent?
Have you ever deeply thought about the definition of a genius?
There are a few common phrases used to describe such people.
"They're just born different,"
"You can tell at a glance,"
"They do effortlessly what others struggle with," and so on.
While there are many such expressions, Han Tae-gun had a different perspective.
"The standard for having talent, the definition of genius..."
It means mocking others.
To Han Tae-gun, a genius was like a rolling stone.
A rock that comes out of nowhere, smashing the ones that have been settled in place for a long time, and then occupying that space as if nothing had happened.
"Absolutely absurd."
Han Tae-gun chuckled quietly as he watched Kim Dong-hoo—or rather, the student soldier—on screen. The student soldier appeared for no more than five minutes, strategically placed as a key supporting character.
Han Tae-gun understood just how difficult that role was.
He doesn’t appear until the middle of the movie. He had to convey his character through just a few lines and simple actions.
No room for error. One mistake, and it’s over.
If the character was perceived as clumsy, a character that appears for only five minutes would instantly be dismissed as a failure.
But if he succeeded?
"He becomes a character that people look forward to."
Because his appearances are so brief, it leaves the audience wanting more. The moment he appears, the situation shifts, making the character a switch that changes the course of the story.
And that's exactly what happened.
He showed how a young soldier could be utterly broken on the battlefield, demonstrating just how tragic the war was and how cruel it could be.
"Sister, what’s my name?"
One simple line from the boy who had forgotten his own name shifted the movie’s tone once again. His calm question, as if he had already accepted his death, hung in the air. As the camera followed his gaze, the scene naturally shifted.
A dim-witted officer was seen shouting, "Revolutionary heights! Glorious leader!"
What was the point?
Even if they won, it wouldn’t matter once they were dead. Why were they so desperate for something that would become meaningless in the end? Did they really think that victory here would lead to a better life back north?
Sigh.
A brief sigh carried with it the overwhelming sense of futility.
"They've lost their minds."
Han Tae-gun clenched the armrest tightly. Watching the edited version was completely different from seeing it in real life. He found himself completely absorbed in the film that he had directed.
The movie continued, reaching its climax.
The indiscriminate bombing by American forces began. The battle was no longer about defeating the enemy but about surviving.
And once again, the student soldier reappeared.
Having forgotten why they were even there, they turned their guns on each other in a desperate fight for survival.
Bang! Bang!
"Comrade, how have you been?"
"Who’s your comrade, you son of a bitch?"
They did everything in their power to kill the boy. But the boy standing before them was no longer just a child.
He had become a monster, born from the tragedy of war, a being carrying questions no one could ever answer.
Clang! Clang!
As soon as the bullets ran out, they clashed with bayonets.
In order to survive, they rolled on the ground, getting up and falling again.
Stab!
The student soldier's chest was pierced by a bayonet. His death was shown briefly.
His longing to see his sister had turned into a question about where the rice and meat soup were.
But just as he would never see his sister again, no one could answer the boy’s question. Even he, bound to that question, slowly met his end.
The screen then showed the frontlines shifting. The South Korean army pushed back the North Korean forces and secured the hill.
But despite the victory, no one was smiling. After fighting for so long, they’d forgotten what the war was even for.
Should they be thankful just to be alive? But the weight of the dead pressed heavily on their shoulders.
A limp South Korean flag fluttered atop the hill.
How many had died just to see that sight?
The movie ended on that note.
"Wow..."
A quiet exclamation slipped from someone’s lips as the screen began explaining the real-life history behind Endless Frontline.
It described the horrifying battle at Baekma Hill and the significance of the soldiers' noble sacrifice.
But none of the VIP audience could fully absorb the explanation.
"What did I just watch?" "Was that really Kim Dong-hoo? The same Kim Dong-hoo who won four awards at the Mise-en-scène?" "What kind of monster did Director Kang Sang-hoon cast?" "I want to cast him in my film right now. I want to go to him immediately, hand him my script, and beg him to be in my movie."
For a mere five minutes on screen, as a student soldier, Kim Dong-hoo had completely captivated the film industry.
"Wait, was High Dream not his peak?" "And how is he so good at handling a bayonet? What is he?"
The audience stole glances at the cast.
"Director Kang Sang-hoon’s grin is about to split his face in half. If he smiles any harder, he’ll pass out." "The actors all look completely stunned..."
And Kim Dong-hoo?
He was quietly munching on popcorn, trying not to make any noise.
With everyone around him going crazy, there he was, casually enjoying his snack.
"What a bizarre genius." "Is this how all geniuses are?" "Maybe he’s saying that this level of acting is just normal for him."
As the movie theater lights came on, the shock and awe in the room were palpable.
"I want to act. I want to perform even better." "I need to write my review right now while the feeling is fresh." "Did Kim Dong-hoo already leave? I wanted to at least give him my business card."
Everyone hurried off in a daze, each person lost in their own thoughts.
That night, as the VIP screening ended:
★★★★☆
A scathing critique of ordinary war films
★★★☆
A switch that wipes away the dull first half
★★★★
A depiction of the unforgettable memories of that day
As the reviews from three film critics came out, netizens were quick to react.
"What am I even looking at right now?" "Lee Pyeong-sik gave it a 3.5?" "Park Dong-jin with a 4.5, damn." "Ji Hye-ri gave it a 4 too, wow."
The consensus among netizens was clear.
"If you don’t watch this, you’re an idiot."
They had to see it.
+++++
Ten days before the release of Endless Frontline, Han Seong-moon, the president of Brilliant, was still nervously shaking his leg.
"...Is this really our school uniform sales data?"
"Yes, sir, it is."
"How did sales increase even though the school year started months ago?"
"People are switching from their old uniforms to ours."
Naturally, the reason for this was none other than Kim Dong-hoo, the current model for their uniforms.
As he listened to his subordinate’s explanation, Han Seong-moon stared blankly at the sales graph.
It had been skyrocketing without any sign of slowing down.
It was hard to believe that this was the same company that had been struggling at the bottom of the uniform market just a short while ago.
"Wow... wow..."
The disbelief was so strong that it felt surreal. Memories of the days when he had mortgaged his house to take out loans to build a good uniform brand flashed through his mind. Was the debt finally paid off?
"Did hiring just one model really change everything?"
Sure, the quality of their uniforms played a role, but even a fool could tell that the current trend wasn’t due to quality alone.
"Hey, what happened with that thing we sent to Kim Dong-hoo and Ryu Jae-rin’s agencies?"
"Oh, the special meeting, right? The event where a few people who bought uniforms would get to meet them."
"Yeah, that. When’s the deadline?"
"Tomorrow...?!"
The subordinate, who had been reporting without a care, suddenly clamped his mouth shut. He finally realized the gravity of the situation.
"We need to do a draw, right? How many people signed up?"
Brilliant had organized a small event.
They wanted to ride the wave of High Dream's popularity, offering those who bought their uniforms a chance to meet Kim Dong-hoo, believing that this would boost sales even more.
And in a way, Han Seong-moon’s strategy had worked perfectly.
But...
"Didn’t he get too famous?"
Kim Dong-hoo’s fame had skyrocketed in an instant. High Dream had pulled 30% viewership, but that drama had already ended.
But The Hero, a short film, and Endless Frontline, a commercial movie?
One had won four awards at the Mise-en-scène, and the other was shaping up to be a critically acclaimed masterpiece.
And there was an official event where people could meet Kim Dong-hoo?
"Check how many people signed up. How many are we choosing?"
"I’ll find out right away."
Just as he was about to order his subordinate to check the numbers—
Bang!
"Sir! The site crashed! What do we do?!"
A different employee rushed in with the worst news possible.
"A school uniform site... crashed? What are you talking about?"
But the shocks didn’t end there.
"And, just before it crashed, we had 30,000 entries."
"...What? 30,000? I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?"
"No, sir. 30,000. And the phones won’t stop ringing, so we pulled the plug on the phone lines for now."
Why would you unplug the phone lines?
Just as he was about to ask that—
Ring, ring, ring.
His cellphone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Seong-moon. This is your cousin’s uncle. My daughter really likes Kim Dong-hoo. And I heard that you—"
"Oh, yes, yes, I’m a huge fan of Kim Dong-hoo myself. Stay healthy, cousin’s uncle."
Click.
So that’s why they unplugged the phones. Good job.
Praising his employee's competence, Han Seong-moon suddenly had a thought.
"Was this special meeting a bad idea?"
It was supposed to be a small event!
People usually didn’t even bother signing up!
In that moment, he realized that he had unwittingly unleashed a disaster.
+++++
While Han Seong-moon was in the midst of his crisis, Kim Dong-hoo was...
"...So, you’re going to have a little sibling."
"...Oh, um, yeah."
He had just learned through Sims – The Real Life that...
"Ahem... You know, it’s a wonderful thing when your mom and dad love each other, right?"
"Ah, yeah, sure, I guess."
His dad, usually so reserved, was telling him about his soon-to-be sibling, his ears bright red. If Kim Dong-hoo hadn’t already known, the shock might’ve floored him.