Ch.74Hey, what’s wrong with you?

<Eclipse> episode 10 ratings 41%.

This news quickly spread across the country.

It was still an era when TV’s influence was overwhelming.

That time when even variety shows would get 40% ratings.

When everyone watched the same program together every Sunday,

And shared how funny things were on Monday.

Breaking the 40% ratings barrier.

It naturally meant becoming everyone’s ‘common topic’.

Plus, dramas watched by most citizens naturally earn a title.

An obvious name, but one that proves popularity better than anything: ‘National Drama’.

The characters appearing in it also naturally earn the ‘national’ title prefix.

And the title given to Kim Donghu at this time was.

ㄴNational Prince Kim Donghu Has Arrived

National Prince.

A name naturally given because he played the crown prince role so well.

An extremely cringeworthy title that would make anyone curl their toes.

But there was no better description for the current Kim Donghu.

ㄴThey kept saying he’s handsome until he became excessively handsome

ㄴWhere did such a kid come from…

ㄴPlastic surgeon says: That look can’t be bought with money

ㄴOf course, it’s a face sculpted by God, how dare mere humans try

In an age where rumors travel fast.

Awareness of Kim Donghu rose like it had wings.

The power of 40% ratings.

Even people who didn’t know the drama,

Would at least have heard the name Kim Donghu.

Perhaps because of this, people began to grow curious about Kim Donghu.

His fan cafe saw a tremendous influx of new members,

And posts about Kim Donghu began to appear actively.

And currently, the most popular post was,

『 [Question] So how handsome is Kim Donghu really?

Author: BCAQ152

I’m a new fan who joined today,

So how handsome is Kim Donghu really?

And I’d like to know what it’s like seeing him in person, not just on TV 』

It was a post that started with a single question.

ㄴAfter seeing Kim Donghu in person, everyone else looks like squids and potatoes

ㄴThis is so true, I recommend not seeing him, your ideal type will be permanently fixed

ㄴWhen people ask what Kim Donghu looks like in person, just say rainbow reflection

ㄴWhat does that mean?

ㄴIt means he’s more handsome than whatever you’re imagining

ㄴI asked my grandma who’s more handsome between me and Kim Donghu, and she said Kim Donghu without hesitation; I’m her only grandson for three generations holy shit.

Kim Donghu’s fans described in various ways how differently handsome he was,

And among them were so many funny comparisons that articles were written capturing these reactions.

With his popularity boiling like a hot pot.

Kim Donghu’s break period matched perfectly like a divine move.

At this moment when people were most curious about Kim Donghu.

There were often cases where celebrities would overexpose themselves and satisfy all curiosity, causing popularity to cool.

But Kim Donghu?

He declared a break.

He also rejected all variety show appearances.

But what if there was already one program where Kim Donghu uniquely appeared?

Rrrrrrrring.

Ding-ding-ding-ding.

It meant he was destined to receive attention with insane firepower.

Rrrrrrrring.

Ding-ding-ding-ding.

The KBC Cultural Programming Director frowned at the incessant ringing of the phone.

“I can’t even unplug the phone line, this is driving me crazy.”

“But it’s good, we’ve never received this many sponsorships while producing a program.”

At his subordinate’s words, the Cultural Director exhaled with a snort.

“They never cared before, but now that Kim Donghu is appearing, they’re all rushing in…”

If it was this easy all along, why did they say it was so difficult?

Kim Kijin, the Cultural Director, laughed emptily as he realized Kim Donghu’s popularity.

“No wonder Cherry Pie kept singing Kim Donghu’s praises.”

“Indeed, we don’t even need statistics to know this is a record amount of sponsorships.”

“Anyway, we lucked out. Everyone’s desperate to get Kim Donghu, but he came to us naturally.”

“Right, right… I wonder if our ratings might suddenly jump back to double digits.”

“Haha, sounds good just hearing it. If that happens, I might even call Kim Donghu ‘hyung’.”

+++++

40% ratings, National Prince, <Eclipse> special fan meeting, and so on.

In the midst of busy flowing time,

March finally arrived.

“Now, let’s begin! Challenge! Golden Bell – Middle School Genius Special!”

I participated in <Challenge! Golden Bell>.

To cut to the conclusion,

“Student Kim Donghu! Has rung the Golden Bell!”

I became the last one standing and won.

“Kim Donghu is insane!”

“So handsome!”

“Want! To! Have! Kim! Dong! Hu!”

Hearing my friends’ passionate cheers,

I thanked everyone around me with the most humble expression I could manage.

‘Come to think of it, it’s 2012 now.’

Not ten years,

But an era of rapid change where even a single year transforms everything.

For me, who possessed knowledge of the future,

The Golden Bell questions were extremely easy.

Of course, there were many things I wouldn’t know without studying.

‘I really spent months memorizing this stuff.’

With diligent studying in my spare time,

All 50 questions felt like multiplication tables to me.

“Student Kim Donghu will receive a prize of five million won and an opportunity for an overseas cultural tour. We should hear his thoughts, right?”

Following the MC’s question.

I recited the words I had prepared just in case.

“I really wanted to ring it once, and I’m truly happy that I actually got to ring it.”

A clean and simple response.

<Challenge! Golden Bell>, which had been prepared for quite a while and mentioned many times, came to an unremarkable end.

‘Well, it would be silly for something special to happen on a quiz program.’

The only memorable thing was perhaps the nonsense quiz.

‘What’s the name of the high school penguins attend?’

The answer was refrigerator.

It was so nostalgic of that era that I barely managed to suppress the goosebumps all over my body.

You could say my resistance to cringe almost couldn’t handle it.

‘But where should I go for the overseas trip?’

First, I’d have to go after the National Youth Boxing Championship.

‘I should go somewhere in Europe.’

It felt like this year was deliberately pushing me to take a rest.

+++++

Time flew by quickly and it was already April.

I was focusing on preparing for the National Youth Boxing Championship in May.

Originally, I had planned to meet various boxers for sparring during this period.

But after my sparring match with Kim Sansu spread everywhere, everyone avoided me.

So my opponent was always fixed.

“Donghu, today let’s prepare for when an opponent fights dirty.”

Coach Paek Sangha appeared before me, covered in protective gear.

“Fights dirty?”

“Yes, as you know, matches aren’t always fair and beautiful like in comics.”

I know you’re very skilled, but I think you might be surprised when facing these variables.

“These things can only be learned through experience.”

After Coach Paek Sangha said that.

“Begin!”

With the bell signaling the start of the round,

Grab!

He immediately tried to hug me.

I tried to break free,

But resistance was futile against his charge, bolstered by protective gear.

Eventually, I ended up in a clinch with the coach.

‘Did he wear protective gear to represent opponents with good endurance?’

While I was figuring out his intention,

Whoosh!

Coach Paek Sangha attempted a headbutt,

Stopping his forehead precisely in front of my nose.

“There are kids who do this kind of thing when consumed by competitive spirit, and the biggest problem is the referee.”

Since it’s just kids fighting, referees often judge very leniently.

So there are many kids who commit fouls, you need to be careful about this.

Coach Paek Sangha seemed disgusted just recalling past incidents.

Even while moving away from me, he continued his explanation.

“Some use elbows… I think you’ll be fine since you have good stamina, quick feet, and strong punches.”

But I’m worried.

Some win by managing the match and scoring points this way.

“Of course, these are extremely rare cases.”

But wouldn’t it be frustrating if you lost on points after all the rounds?

I nodded at Coach Paek Sangha’s words.

These were things I couldn’t know just by being skilled.

A database that could only be built through direct experience.

It was valuable information that would become part of me.

‘Plus, I have high visibility.’

Just like with Kim Sansu.

I couldn’t rule out the possibility that my opponents in the boxing championship might harbor one-sided ill feelings toward me.

Just as I felt the need to be careful,

“So I won this sparring match, right?”

The coach’s playful words followed.

“What?”

“Since you couldn’t handle the situation, could we say you lost, Donghu? Haha.”

I laughed at that too.

“You’re right, I did lose, didn’t I?”

“Some kids are really good at headbutts, and they even disguise them as accidents, you know? You need to be careful.”

Coach Paek Sangha said he would go remove his protective gear.

Now that he had given me the precautions, it was time for real sparring.

“Take a short break.”

“Yes, sir.”

At his words, I immediately got out of the ring and checked my phone.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

-[Judged that defeat occurred due to an absurd possibility]

-[Judged that defeat is absolutely unacceptable when there is a clear path to success!]

-[While Sims – The Real Life is walking through life as a companion, the word defeat is unacceptable!!]

-[Judged that overwhelming destructive power is needed to prevent such situations from occurring!!!]

-[Downloading application ‘Everyone has a plan until they meet me’]

I was bombarded with angry messages from [Sims – The Real Life].

‘Hey, what’s wrong with you?’

Are you seriously upset because I jokingly lost to the coach?

‘How much do you hate losing?’

Just as I was surprised by this unexpected competitive spirit.

I had a realization.

If my punching power increases, my opponents will be KO’d faster.

If that happens.

‘What if I can’t get an apology from Sansu again?’

Ah, if I can’t get an apology this time too, I’ll really be sad.

I was truly worried.