GalaxyTL
It was an undeniable fact that Kim Donghu was handsome.
In Korea, "handsome = Kim Donghu" had practically become a universal truth.
However, this truth had yet to transcend borders. Since Kim Donghu had no prior experience working abroad, he was a nobody outside Korea.
In other words, Japan was about to experience his looks for the first time, completely unprepared.
"I’ve never seen anyone that handsome before."
"An actor? Maybe the guy next to him is his manager?"
"Is he a fighter? His physique looks incredible."
"He could be a model, you know."
Glances and murmurs began to ripple through the ramen shop.
Like salmon swimming upstream, everyone diverted their attention from their ramen to Kim Donghu.
But for Kim Donghu, this level of attention didn’t faze him.
In fact, it would be more accurate to say he didn’t even notice it.
He was so used to being the center of attention that he no longer found it uncomfortable.
Sure, Seokho-hyung helped block some of the stares by positioning himself strategically, but the weight of the attention was undeniable.
Yet still—
Slurp.
Kim Donghu, unbothered, polished off his fifth bowl of ramen on the spot.
"This place is great!"
"That’s the fun of traveling. Stumbling into hidden gems like this!"
"So true."
As they finished their meal and prepared to leave—
"E-Excuse me, would it be okay to take a photo?"
A sudden voice in Japanese stopped Kim Donghu in his tracks.
"Huh? A photo? With me?"
Thanks to his special ability, flawless Japanese rolled off his tongue, so natural it could fool a native.
The person who had approached him was visibly startled.
"W-Wait, are you Japanese?"
"No, I’m not. But didn’t you think I was when you approached me?"
"Ah, n-no, that’s not it. I just... was caught off guard. I thought you were Korean."
"You’re right, I am Korean. Anyway, would you like me to take the photo for you?"
"Y-Yes?! Please! Absolutely, thank you!"
It was a situation he could have brushed off, but Kim Donghu, ever the professional, decided to oblige.
It wasn’t difficult, and he still had some time to spare.
But then—
"C-Can I get your name, by any chance?"
"It’s Kim Donghu."
"K-Kimu Donghu-san... W-What’s your profession?"
Caught off guard by the question, Kim Donghu paused briefly.
"Isn’t this a good opportunity for promotion?"
Deciding it was worth a shot, he replied with a smile.
"I’m an actor. I came to Japan for a dubbing project."
"D-Dubbing? Really?!"
"Yes, the trailer is already out in Korea. It’s for a movie called The Traitor: Roots of Corruption. It’ll be released in early November, so please check it out!"
"Absolutely! I’ll definitely go see it! No question about it!"
The person who had asked for the photo left, beaming with joy.
"M-Me too! Can I get a photo too? I overheard your conversation, and I’ll definitely watch the movie!"
"Thank you. Well, in that case, I absolutely must take a photo with you!"
What followed was a cascade of photo requests, all of which Kim Donghu handled gracefully.
Before long—
【 Found out the name of the super hot guy wwww It’s Kim Donghu!!! I’m a fan starting today! 】
(Photo of Kim Donghu smiling with fans)
【 Found the trailer for The Traitor: Roots of Corruption. Is this it? (Link) Looks incredible, especially the swordsmanship! 】
【 He’s so polite wwww I nearly fainted when he smiled while taking the photo 】
【 I’m officially a fan now. And he can eat so much ramen—huge plus! He ate five bowls! 】
【 Being next to him makes me feel so plain (sob). In Korea, they call this “squid syndrome,” right? I think I’m a squid wwww 】
As expected, the photos with Kim Donghu began flooding Twitter.
Handsome and polite? There was no way he wouldn’t be popular.
Of course, there were a few who disliked him purely out of jealousy.
Real-Time Trends
The tidal wave of trending tweets left detractors powerless.
Thanks to Twitter’s tendency to amplify viral moments in short bursts, the chatter quickly spiraled further.
【 The list of voice actors for the dubbing project came out a while ago 】
【 Promotion for this movie has been so lacking! He’s this handsome! 】
【 The cast for the dubbing is actually solid. Good job. 】
【 Of course the senior voice actors will treat Donghu-san kindly, right? Help him out? 】
【 It’s a Japanese virtue to treat foreigners with kindness! No bad behavior allowed! 】
【 Japan is naturally hospitable; there’s no need to even bring it up. 】
【 He might even be surprised by how warm Japan is! 】
This wave of public sentiment inevitably reached the Japanese voice actors.
"Have you seen the tweets?!"
"Huh? What tweets? What’s going on?"
"The trending ones! About Kim Donghu! It’s crazy!"
"Kim Donghu? Him? Why? What happened?"
"Well, um..."
Among the group of voice actors plotting to intimidate him, the youngest, Iguchi Ryota, struggled to explain.
"So, uh, a guy eating ramen turned out to be ridiculously handsome, and he’s now trending on Twitter...?"
It sounded absurd, but there wasn’t a single falsehood in his statement.
"How did it come to this?"
The answer was simple:
"Because he’s too handsome."
His looks were so outlandishly perfect that they seemed like a divine gift. That alone had caused all of this.
"You’d better just see for yourself."
Iguchi Ryota showed them the tweets instead of attempting further explanation.
"What the hell is this?"
"This all happened in less than a day?"
"Could this have been staged? No, it doesn’t make sense!"
From praising his good looks to demanding that senior voice actors guide him kindly, public sentiment had overwhelmingly shifted in Kim Donghu’s favor.
As the voice actors who had planned to put him in his place began to spiral into chaos—
"Maybe it’s a good thing we haven’t started yet."
Iguchi Ryota thought the current flow of events wasn’t so bad.
Had they already mocked him, they’d need to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
But since they hadn’t started anything yet, they could easily backtrack.
"No need to even backtrack, right? Just pretend nothing happened and greet him with a smile."
Honestly, though, he was a little scared.
【 Oh my, Donghu-kun is tough as nails. Won a boxing tournament! (video link) 】
【 The embodiment of masculinity 】
【 Get hit by him and you’d die. Instant KO 】
【 So glad Donghu-kun chose the path of light wwwww 】
【 After the visual invasion, we almost suffered a military one too (sobs) 】
The tweets coming in were terrifying.
Especially the clip from Rushman! where he did handstand push-ups—it was pure fear incarnate.
"What if we mocked him and he got angry? Wouldn’t we die?"
One video in particular, of him delivering a punch that made his opponent’s head snap back violently, sent chills down Ryota’s spine.
And he was only 18? Was this some kind of joke?
"Is this an Isekai protagonist or what?!"
It was hard to know where to even start critiquing the absurdity of it all.
As everyone stood frozen in indecision, Iguchi Ryota stepped up.
"Senpais! I have an idea! Please trust me!"
"An idea? What kind of idea?"
"Well, here’s the plan..."
Fanfare.
"Donghu-kun! Welcome to Japan! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!"
"What the—?"
The moment Kim Donghu opened the dubbing studio door, he was met with confetti and warm greetings.
He was caught off guard by the unexpected welcome party.
He’d been worried about standing out as an outsider and risking hostility.
"Turns out I didn’t need to worry."
He immediately bowed to express his gratitude.
"Thank you! I know I have a lot to learn, but I’ll do my best to keep up!"
Gratitude and humility were essential to navigating professional settings.
"Wow, but your Japanese is really good."
"Right? It’s impressive. Did you study in Japan before?"
"Honestly, you could fool me into thinking you’re Japanese."
As the compliments poured in, Donghu marveled again at the power of his special skill.
"It’s like speaking Korean—effortless."
He couldn’t help but be amazed at how naturally the words flowed, as if his thoughts were being seamlessly translated.
Even reading Japanese felt like seeing it written in Hangul.
"This is seriously unbelievable."
As he exchanged pleasantries, a sharp cough cut through the air.
An elder voice actor who hadn’t joined the greetings cleared his throat, instantly drawing attention.
With a stern expression, the elder slowly approached Donghu, radiating authority.
"So, not everyone here is happy to see me, huh?"
It wasn’t surprising. Expecting no resistance as a foreigner in this industry was naive.
The atmosphere grew heavier with each step the elder took.
"As long as it doesn’t interfere with the work, I can handle anything with a smile."
Donghu steeled himself for whatever criticism or hostility might come.
"Usami Kenji... I’m Chisako’s father."
The elder’s statement was completely at odds with the tense mood.
"My daughter is a big fan of yours, Donghu-kun. Could you... maybe video call her?"
"Eh?"
Everyone around them reacted with utter disbelief.
"Chisako? Wait, Usami Chisako? The first-year rep at Daejong High?"
Information quickly pieced itself together in Donghu’s mind.
Why had the name Chisako seemed so familiar?
Why had the name Usami caught his attention?
The answer hit him like a bolt of lightning.
"The Usami family."
A prominent name in Japanese politics, known for their influence. Usami Kenji was a highly respected veteran voice actor, having married into the family.
And Usami Chisako, his daughter, was a rising star expected to lead the next generation of voice actors.
And she was a fan of his?
"I-I only just found out myself! It’s, uh, because of that tweet! My daughter called me, asking why I didn’t tell her about this... So, please, if you could just... video call her..."
This intimidating veteran was now humbly making such an earnest request?
The conclusion was obvious.
"Territorial hostility? Completely resolved. Game over."
A dreamlike scenario, perfectly in his favor.
Thanks for the chapters!