Ch.335At this rate, we could even form four teams, couldn’t we?

“Okay! Cut! Donghu Kim! That was great. We’re almost done, so let’s take a short break!”

“Yes, sir.”

Time had already flown by quickly to October 2025.

‘This isn’t easy.’

I realized that filming “Arkbone” was no simple task.

And we hadn’t even started filming “Murciélago – Black Smoke” yet.

I wondered how much harder things would get when both projects ran simultaneously.

‘Some of this disaster is self-inflicted.’

Of course, it was my choice to minimize CG usage.

Deliberately throwing my body around constantly was certainly part of what made it difficult.

“Donghu, good work!”

“…But don’t you not need to come anymore, hyung?”

“What are you talking about? I may be the CEO, but you know? Can’t lose my original mindset.”

As Seokho hyung brought me a drink,

I felt half grateful, half apologetic.

While Veritas wasn’t a large agency in terms of personnel,

each of their entertainers was top-tier,

which must make management incredibly challenging.

And here he was, handling CEO duties while also acting as my manager.

I was newly impressed by Seokho hyung,

who was handling everything without Sims’ help.

“Donghu, remember when I asked you to join my agency during High Dream?”

“I remember. It was my building, after all.”

“…Right, that’s right. How funny that was.”

Seokho hyung briefly reminisced about the past,

then took a sip of his drink before continuing.

“That’s how we started, and somehow I feel like I need to keep that going.”

“And you’re always working hard reviewing everyone’s projects too.”

I just nodded awkwardly at his words.

‘Reviewing projects doesn’t really bother me though.’

Since I couldn’t mention Sims’ existence,

if others saw me evaluating project ratings,

it would look like I was seriously analyzing and studying the works.

‘When really, I’m just checking ratings with a click.’

After we exchanged some words about each other’s hard work,

about an hour passed.

“Let’s resume filming!”

“Yes, sir.”

With the signal that break time was over, filming continued.

+++++

The key to filming “Arkbone” until the middle part was “not appearing heroic.”

Unlike Jean Wayne, to emphasize the character of an ordinary person lacking resolve,

we decided to highlight a somewhat frustrating but realistic portrayal.

So.

“I got a reply from Morgan! She says she’ll let us tour the house! Mr. Stark’s house!”

“Hah… What are you going to do there in your condition? Just decline. Say you’re sorry.”

“No, she saw our article! About how we took down those gang members!”

“Yeah, I get it. But you, with your injured back that needs at least a year in the hospital, where do you think you’re going?”

“That’s why you should go alone, EJ.”

“…I told you not to call me by that name when asking for favors.”

Unlike typical heroes who recover quickly after a battle and jump right back in,

Hallie was confined to a hospital bed.

“You say that, but you’ll go anyway.”

“…”

I, or rather EJ, looked uncomfortably toward the TV.

It was showing news about two unidentified individuals who had annihilated a gang.

Two unidentified individuals, really.

They were just two kids who quietly graduated from college.

Muttering that to myself,

“Fine, fine.”

I finally promised to visit Morgan Stark’s house.

I wondered what kind of email she had sent to get this response.

So I just asked directly.

“What did you write to her?”

“That we want to continue Mr. Stark’s legacy… not through hacking or theft, but legitimately! That we want to learn how!”

“…You really wrote that? Are you crazy? I’m surprised you even got a reply.”

“Because I sent her all the research materials we had. And you know Morgan is super smart, right?”

“I know, how could she not be with that blood?”

But Morgan being smart and

why she would want to share knowledge with us were completely different matters.

I wondered what she had written to get this response.

I wanted to check the email immediately, but I couldn’t.

Because.

“Um… anyway, we need to leave right now.”

“What?”

“I already booked the flights, and there’s not much time left, so let’s go.”

Thanks to Hallie’s ridiculous proactiveness,

I didn’t even have time to check the email.

“Cut!”

And simultaneously came the OK sign.

Director Zenker indicated there was no need for additional takes,

and we exchanged some opinions about the upcoming filming.

“Ah, so then…”

“The lines that need to be included at the end of the movie…”

As we were exchanging ideas,

“Hello everyone!”

“Oh, Morgan!”

Natalie Beltman, the actress playing Morgan, visited the set.

Despite having no scenes to film today,

she consistently visited the set whenever she had free time.

There were two reasons for this.

First, as a rookie actress, she wanted to make an impression on as many industry people as possible.

And second,

‘Is it really me?’

I couldn’t help but wonder.

Was she seriously coming because she was interested in me?

Unless I was Kim Donghu from a past life or something.

After being an actor for so long,

it wasn’t hard to recognize when someone had strong feelings for me.

‘But… honestly, it’s not like people who like me are rare.’

So I decided to just let it go.

There was no need to take any action.

After all, throughout my acting career,

there had been plenty of people who said they liked me,

and DMs were common.

A rookie actress visiting the set and giving me passionate glances?

That was nothing unusual.

‘I should start preparing for marriage soon anyway.’

I wondered if I would soon officially become a married man.

With that thought,

“Let’s move to the next set!”

“Yes, sir!”

I diligently continued filming.

+++++

Time flew by quickly to January 2026.

Many things had happened, and

to briefly summarize what had occurred during that time:

The filming of “Arkbone” was nearly complete,

and “Murciélago – Black Smoke” was entering full production preparations.

The NFL had entered the official playoffs starting January 10th.

A fierce battle for the Super Bowl.

As everyone was striving for the great achievement that would take place on February 8th,

at this magnificent game called the Super Bowl:

“…Are you serious about making this event match real football instead of flag football?”

“Yes, assuming we can recruit Donghu Kim.”

A new wind was trying to blow.

Originally, the Super Bowl held a 7-on-7 flag football event match with influencers, celebrities, actors, and singers

to secure younger audiences, create viral content, and change its image.

Unlike regular football with physical contact,

flag football is a non-contact version where players pull flags from belts instead of tackling,

resulting in fewer injuries and simpler rules that encouraged participation from various professions.

That’s why the Super Bowl regularly used flag football for event matches.

But now.

“You want to change that tradition just for Donghu Kim?”

That tradition was now being challenged.

“No, we already have top-tier players playing real football… why do we need another football event?”

“To properly showcase Donghu Kim’s abilities, we need real football.”

“Honestly… okay, let’s say we do it. But will celebrities actually participate if we do real football?”

Let’s say we do real football for Donghu Kim.

But the problem was recruiting participants.

Many people already avoided flag football for fear of injury.

Real football? Where serious injuries could happen?

In this case, beginners and newcomers would be filtered out,

creating an enormous barrier to entry.

They needed to gather 22 people, including Donghu Kim, who:

Had some experience with American football,

Had the guts to play an official football game at the Super Bowl event match,

And possessed enough public recognition.

All this when they didn’t even know if Donghu Kim would agree?

“So… should we assume he won’t do it? Or assume he will?”

Why not just ask Donghu Kim directly,

and keep the event match as flag football as usual?

That was the original plan.

But.

“No, we need to show Gen Z… the coolness of influencers playing a proper, real game!”

Cade Walker, currently the most popular NFL player, kept disrupting the plan.

“Okay, let’s say Donghu Kim agrees. But it’s impossible to handle all those schedules in just one month!”

Why was the Super Bowl event match always flag football?

As mentioned earlier, it was because the rules were simple.

Easy to understand, you might say.

But real football?

“We’d need at least two, no, five regular practice sessions… with two teams of 11 people each! Is that even possible during the Super Bowl period?”

Everyone was so busy.

But as these thoughts lingered,

Matchto, the Super Bowl event match director, stared at Cade and said:

“Fine, let’s do this. I’ll ask around to see if there are celebrities willing to play real football in the Super Bowl event match with Donghu Kim as the centerpiece.”

“So if people show up, we do it, and if not, we don’t?”

“That’s the plan, because it seems like the only way you’ll stop bothering me.”

After roughly concluding the discussion,

Matchto, to show Cade Walker how ridiculous this plan was,

immediately started contacting people while Cade was still present.

About 5 minutes later:

“Matchto, at this rate we could form four teams!”

Matchto stared blankly at Cade, who was snickering beside him.