"Aaaaaahhh!"

After finishing the bungee jump penalty shoot for Rushman, everything wrapped up smoothly.

“I had such a great time today! I really want to come back next time!”
“M-Me too! I know I must’ve slowed everyone down, but thank you for being so patient with me!”

Sujin and I both bowed politely, ending the filming on a warm and friendly note. As the sun shone brightly for the first time in a while, we headed home, and I playfully poked Sujin in the side.

“Ow, Kim Donghu! Are you crazy? Poking your senior in the waist like that?!”
“Why’d you jump? I specifically tried to save you because you said you were scared.”

Yes, Sujin did the bungee jump.

She said it would be a shame to come all this way and not do it. Ignoring her trembling legs, she closed her eyes tight and jumped.

Despite claiming she was terrified, what gave her the courage to take the plunge? She jumped right after my turn, without a second thought.

“…Because I didn’t want people to criticize you.”

When I asked her why, her unexpected answer caught me off guard.

“What? Why would anyone criticize me?”
“You really don’t pick up on these things, huh? Viewers don’t like it when someone looks too perfect.”

Sujin explained it as her senior’s grand gesture while reaching out to pat my hair.

Of course, she couldn’t reach properly and had to stand on tiptoes. Seeing her struggle, I bent down to make it easier for her.

Swish, swish.

“I knew you threw the match for me. If I just stood there and did nothing, it wouldn’t have looked right.”
“Hey, you don’t have to worry about things like that. People who want to criticize will find a reason no matter what.”
“I know that, but still…”

Sujin cupped my cheeks with both hands, squishing my lips into a pout. She smiled softly as she continued.

“I just can’t sit back and watch them criticize you, okay?”
“….”

What was that supposed to mean?

Suddenly, I found myself curious.

Why did she really do the bungee jump? And what exactly did she mean by that just now?

I was about to shift gears into full curiosity mode when—

“I’m heading out first!”

Before I could say a word, Sujin darted off and slipped into the van.

“…Why is it so hot all of a sudden?”

I stood there dumbfounded, watching her retreating figure. Then, almost out of habit, I pulled out my phone.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

-[Failure is unacceptable!]
-[Even if it’s intentional!]
-[Even if it’s out of chivalry for a woman!]
-[I’ll overlook it this time.]
-[But I still can’t forgive it.]
-[Downloading the ‘Tarzan’ application now.]

It was a string of reprimanding texts from Sims. Judging by the timestamps, they had been sent immediately after the game ended.

Sims clearly couldn’t tolerate losing. I remembered how furious it got after losing in sparring before.

Sure enough, it had added a new talent to my repertoire.

“Tarzan,” huh? That’s probably parkour or some kind of heightened instinct skill.’

Why Sims hated losing so much was beyond me.

‘Why does it feel like it’s been a while since I last got a message from Sims?’

Maybe it was because nothing noteworthy had happened recently.

But now, I could feel it—time to get back to work. More accurately, I wanted to act again.

‘The boxing tournament is in September, right?’

I decided to take a moderate break until then and ask Seokho-hyung about any roles I could take on.

Just as I came to that conclusion—

Ding! Ding! Ding!

As if it had been waiting for me to make up my mind, more texts from Sims arrived in rapid succession.

-[September Boxing National Qualifiers: The Demon of the Heavyweight Division, Kim Donghu Dominates with Four Consecutive First-Round KOs!]

One message called me a "demon" in the heavyweight division, detailing my domination of the qualifiers.

-[Kim Donghu’s Next Project? Anticipated Return to the Screen with The Traitor: Roots of Corruption!]

Another announced my role in an upcoming film.

“The Traitor?”

As soon as I read the title, I remembered the film. It was one I had enjoyed watching before.

‘I’m excited.’

I couldn’t wait to find out what kind of role I’d be playing this time.

+++

 

"A handsome face needs to be shown on the screen as often as possible. If not, that’s just a crime."

At the film production company Myunghwa, CEO Joo Myunghwa made her bold declaration, and her employees nodded in agreement.

“For that reason, we must! Absolutely must! Cast Kim Donghu.”

Her words carried an unyielding determination, as if she would pay any price to make it happen.

Joo Myunghwa was presenting the plans for The Traitor: Roots of Corruption through a simple PowerPoint when an employee hesitantly raised a hand.

“Oh, yes? You have a question?”
“Well, it’s sort of… just a small observation, really.”
“What is it? Don’t hold back, just say it.”
“Um… since this is a story about commoners cutting down the roots of corruption—essentially a rebellion…”
“Correct.”
“…Don’t you think the corrupt nobles look… too handsome?”
“What?”

Joo Myunghwa turned her gaze toward the screen.

There, projected in all their glory, were Jin Yoosung, a current paragon of handsomeness in the industry, and Kim Donghu, the rising star whose flawless looks could hardly be compared to anyone.

Looking at the two of them together, the idea of them playing villains felt utterly wrong. Instead, it made the rebels—who were supposed to be the heroes—seem like the bad guys.

“But, but handsome guys grouped together are amazing!”
“In what way?”
“Well, it’s like having two roses instead of one—more is always better!”

Joo Myunghwa tossed her long hair confidently as she spoke.

The employees couldn’t entirely argue with her logic. Still, the roles of the corrupt nobles had to be played by Jin Yoosung and Kim Donghu. Especially Kim Donghu, whose character was pivotal to the film.

“Who else could play the role of a young master born with absolute privilege, someone who has no understanding of what it means to be powerless, but slowly becomes aware of the situation around him? Only Kim Donghu can pull that off!”

Joo Myunghwa’s unwavering character vision left the employees speechless. When she got like this, no one could stop her.

“Contact Kim Donghu immediately!”
“Uh… boss?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“He’s already replied.”
“What?! It hasn’t even been a full day since we sent the proposal!”
“Well… he responded anyway.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he’s interested.”

While the detailed terms would need to be negotiated in person, Kim Donghu had expressed a strong desire to take on the project.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Joo Myunghwa clapped her hands in delight.

“We’re going for ten million viewers this time!”

Recently, a certain rumor had been circulating in the entertainment industry. Though it sounded absurd, Kim Donghu’s track record made it feel almost like a superstition.

“If you make a movie with Kim Donghu, it’s guaranteed to be a hit.”

Praying that this "law" would apply to their film as well, Joo Myunghwa hoped fervently for their success.

+++

 

<The Traitor: Roots of Corruption, B>

I glanced at the freshly received script's grade and had a rough sense of its potential.

‘At the very least, ten million viewers.’

I wasn’t sure if the synergy from my involvement boosted it to a B-grade, or if it was a B-grade to begin with. What I did know was that this movie had immense potential.

‘It’s been a while. Let’s dive in.’

Without hesitation, I grabbed the script.

‘Immerse.’

And I dove straight into the world of the script.

 

Whoosh!

The surrounding scenery shifted in an instant.

The first thing I saw—

“Please… please spare my life. I’m begging you.”

A slave lay on the ground, his body soaked in blood.

“No, I can’t do that. If I let you live, the others will see you and start hoping too.”

A cold, arrogant laugh.

Without hesitation, I plunged a blade into the back of the groveling slave.

Squish!

The blade pierced his lung from behind, silencing any cries he might have made.

“Hhhggghh….”

And just like that, another life was extinguished in vain.

But it didn’t matter.

Could you even call a slave’s existence a life?

Life held value, and these things before me held none.

Like passing weeds, crushed leaves, or dog excrement on the side of the road—they were of the same worth.

“How I despise the look in your eyes these days.”

They say even a worm will writhe when stepped on?

What a ridiculous notion.

Even if it writhes, a worm remains a worm. How dare it bare its teeth at a dragon?

Such audacity. That’s why I stepped in myself.

Normally, I’d have a butcher take care of such matters, but there was a reason I personally picked up the blade this time.

Slice!

“Where did you think you were going if you managed to escape here? Did you have somewhere to go?”

With just two slashes, the worthless flickers of life were extinguished.

Their fate was to crawl beneath others’ feet. Perhaps it was a blessing for them to die early and return to the soil.

Five remained. Not one of them answered my question, as if by unspoken agreement.

Was it because their lives held so little value? Even in the face of death, they clung to some meaningless conviction.

“Judging by your eyes, you’re planning to become traitors, aren’t you? To defy heaven itself in hopes of rising in status?”
“What would someone like you, born with everything, know about the suffering of commoners? About how we struggle to survive?!”
“Stating the obvious, are we?”

I couldn’t help but laugh loudly.

Even with their limbs bound, their words were laughably pitiful.

And besides—

“Why should I care to know such things?”

The notion itself was utterly insignificant.

“Why should a phoenix trouble itself with the thoughts of a sparrow?”

Disgusting lowlifes.

I wouldn’t be satisfied until they were all dead.

Slice!

The blade of the Joseon-era delinquent noble danced, mercilessly crushing the commoners beneath his feet.