Ch.323Confirming the Wish

Frankly speaking, Disney’s recent trajectory couldn’t exactly be called positive.

They attempted bold expansions based on the power of IPs built over 10 years.

And within those bold expansions, rather than following their proven formula for success,

They ignored mass appeal in favor of establishing diversity.

Making all existing protagonists look like fools was just the beginning.

Due to lack of time to properly develop new protagonists,

They made their narratives extremely simple and convenient.

Simple and convenient.

Newcomers who suddenly rise to world-class power levels out of nowhere.

And existing members who grew stronger through years of narrative development.

Disney’s works claiming that these two groups have equal power, or that the newcomers are stronger,

Was enough to make longtime loyal fans feel betrayed.

“…If only they had succeeded, it would have been fine.”

In truth, none of that matters.

The most crucial element, ‘entertainment,’ was overwhelmingly lacking.

Simply put, current works are less entertaining than past ones.

Without entertainment, popularity declines, and with declining popularity comes massive losses.

As this vicious cycle was clearly set to continue,

The performance of their recent films was predictably poor.

“Everything is saturated with PC… same with their TV shows.”

Sigh.

A deep breath stretches out like cigarette smoke.

The good news was that they hadn’t gone bankrupt yet.

Though rumors of instability were circulating,

The company’s situation wasn’t actually that bad.

Because while new works were failing,

The old works were still solidly supporting the company.

Of course, even that was gradually reaching its limit.

‘Murciélago.’

Melvin Fye, president of Marvel Studios, thought of the current best superhero film.

An Asian Batman and an Asian Catwoman.

Just hearing these words, it might sound no different from the usual PC approach, but…

“Kim Donghu… Chisako.”

When filled with beautiful people, even the ‘P’ in ‘PC’ couldn’t be pronounced.

And how incredibly well they acted.

Not only did they perform impossible action scenes in single takes,

But using two obviously enormous pistols in akimbo style,

People were going wild over this new hero’s appearance.

And.

“Is this limited to just movies?”

What if the protagonist is actually good at fighting in real life?

Not just good, but holding the title of world’s strongest?

Well.

It would be hard NOT to be popular at that point.

His price tag skyrocketing to ridiculous levels was just the beginning.

Now the standard for ‘handsome’ was definitively Kim Donghu,

Making him naturally an object of admiration for people.

In games that supported mods, the Kim Donghu version of male protagonists was the most popular,

And there were even rumors of a game being made with Kim Donghu as the model.

‘Where was it… Happy Note? Come to think of it, their CEO is Korean too.’

Korea has a lot of talent.

Muttering this, Melvin nervously tapped the table.

His attitude showed he understood how significant his current decision would be.

He had delayed making a decision while considering various factors,

But now it was truly time to give a definitive answer.

Click.

Melvin picked up the phone on the table.

An unspoken rule in superhero films.

A choice no one had ever attempted before.

Something never even considered because the risks far outweighed the returns.

“…Ask Donghu Kim if he’d be interested in continuing Iron Man’s legacy.”

Offering a superhero role to someone already playing in a superhero film?

No, there were precedents for that.

What Melvin was proposing was:

“…Tell him we don’t mind if he holds the Batman role concurrently.”

He was offering concurrent roles as two heroes.

+++++++

While there have been cases of actors who played heroes for DC

Starting fresh at Marvel,

Actors simultaneously filming for both DC and Marvel were almost nonexistent,

And if they did, they never took “leading roles.”

Because, quite obviously,

The risk of brand collision was too high.

Of course, this wasn’t strictly “forbidden!”

But for leading roles, it was advantageous to build popularity with just one,

So cases of doing both were extremely rare.

But now,

Melvin’s decision had the superhero film industry buzzing.

It would have come out eventually anyway.

Because Melvin had publicly offered the position of the next-generation Iron Man,

The successor to the original Iron Man.

ㄴBut don’t we already have Ironheart?

ㄴHuh? Was there such a hero…?

ㄴWonder how they’ll set it up

ㄴMarvel leaks stuff so well, it’ll be revealed soon

ㄴWow, he’s going to play two leading roles simultaneously?

ㄴThat shows how desperate they are~

ㄴThis feels like Marvel acting independently, while Disney wants Star Wars ㅇㅇ

ㄴKim Donghu using the Force Holy Shit

People’s reactions were naturally heated.

For good reason—if this offer were accepted,

Kim Donghu would become the first person to play Batman, Joker, and Iron Man.

ㄴThere was a leaked script before, wonder if they’ll use that

ㄴㄴWhat was it?

ㄴㄴThat Iron Man kid… Harley Keener with an Asian friend < that’s the setup

ㄴThat sounds weird? Maybe it’s just the one-line summary

ㄴWe’ll have to wait and see

ㄴSo will Kim Donghu film Iron Man while doing Murciélago 2?

ㄴNo official word yet lol don’t get ahead of yourself

ㄴThey’ve only made the offer so far

It was just a casual mention,

But the internet was already going crazy trying to connect Kim Donghu with Iron Man.

A hero who had been a pillar supporting Marvel all this time.

The face of the perfect successor to that legacy is Kim Donghu?

With such irresistible conditions, articles poured out.

“…I think we announced it too hastily.”

This level of firepower just from making an offer.

Honestly, even Melvin hadn’t anticipated this response.

Just a slight hint, and this happens.

It was excessive, far too excessive.

Enough to make it understandable if the actor felt pressured and declined.

Moreover:

ㄴAre they just trying to piggyback on an already successful franchise?

ㄴThey’re just trying to ride the popularity wave

ㄴBut if it’s Marvel’s Iron Man, can you really call it piggybacking?

ㄴWith his stock so high as Batman right now, they’re obviously trying to capitalize on that

ㄴCan Marvel even afford Kim Donghu’s price tag?

ㄴThey’re probably just stirring up controversy with empty talk

They were also getting a lot of criticism.

Starting with “Where were you all this time, and now you jump in?”

To “You ignored Tarzan until your feet caught fire, and now you’re desperate?” and so on.

Many felt they were trying to exploit Kim Donghu.

But actually,

The person at the center of all this, Kim Donghu:

“…Still, doing it every day would have been a bit tough even for me.”

“W-what? Tough? ‘Would have been’? ‘A bit’? Does that even make sense?”

“I was really cutting it close. Everyone’s stamina will need to increase a bit more or it’ll be overwhelming.”

“…How can you say that while standing like that?”

Was still enjoying his indulgent lifestyle.

+++++

A very simple daily schedule.

Wake up in the morning, make eye contact, enjoy like newlyweds.

Those with schedules leave first, those without stay and play.

After repeating this for about a month,

When I came to my senses, only Jaerin remained by my side.

Honestly, with everyone being so famous and busy,

Taking a month off was already extraordinary.

Even Jaerin beside me will be leaving in a few hours.

“What does it matter, I have my honey here.”

“…Seriously, you say that while smiling and then suddenly pounce on me, you’re such an animal.”

“But you love me for it.”

“I love you despite that.”

Jaerin said this while kissing my cheek.

The sound of a peck.

“My honey will be getting busy soon too.”

Jaerin continued while gathering a towel to shower.

“Me?”

“Yes, seeing the news about Iron Man and all.”

“I told them not to expect any answer yet.”

“Yet?”

“Yeah, I think it can simmer a bit longer.”

To be honest, I wanted to rest more.

Having just finished that big title a month ago,

I wanted to relax, meet people around me, and have fun.

I was planning to get back to work after playing a bit more.

Though I apologize to the fans who are waiting.

‘Come to think of it, it’s already 2025…’

Time flies so fast.

Already twenty-nine years old.

‘I should start thinking seriously about marriage at this age.’

Frankly, living together without officially registering the marriage was an option.

Having a wedding ceremony and children but not filing the paperwork.

A method used by many world-famous stars.

‘Maybe I should do that too.’

Now that I don’t have to worry about dying,

I wanted to get married within this year,

But putting that desire aside for now.

“Before you go, one last time…”

“Truly, no one treats idols as roughly as you do.”

Gotta do what needs to be done.

++++++

Kim Donghu’s non-response.

Though he had officially announced a break,

Disney didn’t think he would ignore them as well.

“Is he playing hard to get?”

“Pardon?”

“He might be testing how far we’ll go to get him.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Should we… increase his pay? Or offer other conditions…?”

Is it because the contract terms aren’t enough?

Should we add something more?

Should we ask DC how they contracted him?

While pondering these questions,

-[Wish confirmed]

-[Activating polygamy plan.]

-[May your life be paved with gold.]

The Sims quietly moved to fulfill what Kim Donghu wanted.