Ch.282Mursiela

I don’t remember when I started living with Bruce Wayne’s face.

Was it when I came to Gotham?

Or was it from birth?

I’m not sure.

Actually, it doesn’t matter.

Because that’s not fun.

“Kheuk, kuhahahahaha!”

I can’t hold back my laughter.

How can something be this amusing?

To think that I have the same face as the descendant who created Gotham.

“Then, doesn’t that mean I could become the owner too?”

Wayne.

Wayne.

Wayne.

No matter how many times I say it, it’s a word that rolls off the tongue.

So what kind of Wayne should I become?

Ah, whenever I imagine this, I feel like I’m going insane.

The excitement doesn’t subside.

Of course, preparation is needed for that.

To be precise, preparation to play is needed.

Games originally have rules.

Even children’s pranks have implicit rules.

After organizing my thoughts, I slowly lowered my gaze.

There was a man sprawled out like a fish out of water.

“So you need to be on my team, you understand what I’m saying, right?”

“…cough, cough… Are you the infamous Smile I’ve heard about?”

“Smile? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m the Joker.”

Crack.

I broke the wrist of the guy spouting nonsense.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Why the dramatics? It’s already a disabled part, why are you screaming? Phantom pain?”

“The nerves are still alive, you bastard!”

“Oh, oops… then I’m sorry.”

Three bridges connecting Gotham.

Two tunnels.

And five railways beneath them.

The subway that once served as public transportation

Now doubles as a smuggling route.

They bring in various things.

Anything that makes money or gives money.

The moment you become aware of it, an unpleasant ammonia smell stings your nose.

A space that should be guarded by five powerful organizations.

Having lost their past glory,

They can no longer smuggle as actively as before.

“At this rate, it would be better to kill them.”

“What?”

“Batman, I mean. He claims not to kill… yet he’s made you disabled.”

The moment he heard those words,

First Train, who was in charge of the first railway, froze.

With a more serious face than when I crushed his wrist,

Trembling as if recalling that time.

“The purpose of judgment is prevention.”

Reciting that line Batman once said,

He compulsively scanned his surroundings.

Living underground, he should be more accustomed to darkness than anyone.

Like a child fearing under the bed,

Like recognizing that brief darkness when washing your hair as terror,

First Train trembled violently after spitting out those words.

“Is he that scary?”

“What’s so funny to you? This situation? Is it amusing that our organization was taken down by just one person?”

“No, well… yeah, that’s funny too. It’s quite a good joke.”

But that’s not what I asked just now.

Bang!

“Aaaaargh! You bastard! Why are you shooting! I was answering you!”

“Shh, wait a moment.”

The casually fired bullet draws another scream.

Did it precisely sever just the muscle? He’s skilled.

“Batman, Batman… hmm. It has a nice ring to it. I kind of like it.”

Perhaps it rolls off the tongue even better than Wayne.

Click click click.

I tried to fire another shot, but the bullets were gone.

Oh dear, did I play around too much?

“Anyway, what do you think about my collaboration proposal?”

“Collaboration? You call this collaboration?”

“To be precise, it’s about you coming under me. I need a lot of manpower.”

“Do you really think you can kill Batman? What’s your purpose?”

Purpose?

At those words, I pondered briefly.

Is this something serious enough to have a purpose?

No, it wasn’t.

This is just a prank.

“Break the symbol, take over the city. It’s just… just like a comedy, you just watch and laugh.”

“And after that?”

After that? Ah.

Thud!

I broke the jaw of the guy who kept asking questions.

Why plan so meticulously and rack your brain?

What kind of stupid audience thinks about what happens after a comedy show ends?

“You’re not the man of tomorrow, don’t be so uptight.”

I smiled broadly at the frozen man.

And whispered very affectionately.

“Why so serious? Just enjoy it.”

First, take over the railways.

The bottom of Gotham, the deepest place.

Then you’ll appear on your own.

Because that’s what bats do.

“Kheuk, haha, uhahahahaha, kuhahahahaha!!!”

Just thinking about it makes me laugh.

Let’s waltz through Gotham’s night, a joyful waltz.

Let’s dance a waltz that will never happen again, one you’ll never forget.

Batman, I hope you laugh happily too.

The laughter spreads.

Beyond the railways, up toward Gotham.

So that the bat living in darkness can hear.

++++++

While Kim Donghu was immersed in the script,

Choi Seokho and Warner Brothers representatives were in the conference room.

“You’re saying a 16% running guarantee?”

“Batman and Joker should be considered separately.”

A 16% running guarantee.

Meaning the individual would take 16% of the total revenue.

Of course, this was for two roles,

So looking at each one separately, it’s 8%.

Even that alone was incredibly significant.

But double that?

“…That seems excessive.”

Honestly, it was difficult to accept readily.

But Choi Seokho, with a face suggesting this was the minimum,

Calmly explained Kim Donghu’s career.

Like that long community post that was circulating,

But using PowerPoint to present it in a very clean manner.

“It’s not excessive. Rather, it’s appropriate.”

“Even if we lower the appearance fee, this…”

“The Batman project you’re planning… if it succeeds, it becomes a series, right?”

<Murciélago>

The name of the Batman series Kim Donghu will appear in,

And the name DC wants to use again for Batman.

“That’s correct.”

“Then we simply want proper treatment from the start.”

In superhero movies, sometimes the villain is more important than the protagonist.

A well-crafted villain plays an extremely important role in driving the plot.

But now <Murciélago> has entrusted both the lead and villain roles to one person.

So this level of treatment is, in a way, only natural.

The Warner Brothers representatives exchanged glances at Choi Seokho’s logic.

They thought he wouldn’t be easy to deal with, but

They didn’t expect him to come on this strong.

Just as they were thinking they should also take a strong stance,

“Actor Kim Donghu really likes the Batman Another script. He said he definitely wants to do it.”

Choi Seokho suddenly started a stream of praise.

“Th-thank you.”

“So he’s doing his best to research the role… and is prepared to take any screen test.”

“Is, is that so?”

“Yes, but if you can’t even provide this level of treatment… honestly, we can only feel disappointed.”

What is this person who was talking numbers suddenly appealing to emotions?

The Warner Brothers representatives seriously pondered the reason,

And as they pondered, their eyes darted quickly,

And at the end of those quickly darting eyes,

‘…Marvel?’

They saw the logo of a competitor they didn’t particularly like.

It was on a document that couldn’t be seen unless looked at carefully.

At the edge of the conference room.

A position visible only if you rolled your eyes.

And simultaneously, a very conspicuous logo.

‘Could Marvel have made an offer too?’

DC has already officially announced they want Kim Donghu.

Because they don’t want to lose him to someone else,

And because if someone else wants him, that itself becomes an issue.

But what if Marvel had approached him?

No, more precisely, even higher up.

What if Disney had contacted Kim Donghu?

‘Damn, that puts us at a disadvantage.’

At this point, DC superheroes lack persuasiveness regarding success.

Even though Marvel is being ruined by PC,

Iron Man’s halo still illuminated Marvel.

But what about DC?

‘Too, too disadvantageous.’

They can’t invoke the formula for success.

Box office success is too much a thing of the past,

And the current top superheroes don’t come from DC.

The Warner Brothers representatives’ minds raced.

‘Does “disappointed” mean perhaps?’

‘Are they setting the bottom line for the contract from the start, against us?’

‘It’s a huge contract. But he’s too calm, as if this situation is too familiar.’

‘He looks ordinary… smiling kindly while being as meticulous and calculating as someone who’s swallowed a snake.’

‘Is he saying he’ll go to Marvel if necessary? To Disney? Become their hero?’

‘All the scripts are already based on Kim Donghu, it has to be him.’

If the contract terms fall through, they just pass the script to another actor.

<Murciélago> is not a script that can be tossed around so lightly.

They talk about an Asian protagonist,

But that’s an expression referring specifically to Kim Donghu among Asians.

Boldly incorporating long-take filming techniques,

A monster who performs all action without stunts.

Someone who doesn’t need coaching from the action director.

A role only a heavyweight boxing champion could handle.

That’s the Batman of <Murciélago>.

And they’re going to scrap it?

No, not just scrap it but lose it to another organization?

‘What role would they have given Kim Donghu?’

‘…If it’s Marvel, what is it? What did they offer? An Asian Iron Man? Or Iron Fist?’

‘Whatever it is, it can’t happen.’

They absolutely cannot allow it.

That’s why they quickly reached a conclusion.

“We accept Veritas’s contract terms.”

Let’s just do it this way.

There’s nothing to lose anyway.

It’s just a matter of achieving a major box office success.

“Thank you.”

After the contract was smoothly concluded,

Choi Seokho and the Warner Brothers representatives smiled and shook hands,

And the Warner Brothers side, as if they had been waiting,

“Kim Donghu to become the new Batman. Its name is <Murciélago>”

Immediately broke the news,

ㄴ???????

ㄴAn Asian Batman?

ㄴThen will Joker appear too?

ㄴWho will play Joker?

ㄴSeriously, an Asian????

And the community exploded.