Life is Easier If You’re Handsome-Chapter 282

I don’t remember when I started living with Bruce Wayne’s face.
Was it when I came to Gotham? Or from the moment I was born?
I’m not sure. But honestly, it doesn’t matter.
Because there’s nothing fun about that.
“Khhk—k-hahahahahaha!”
I can’t hold back the laughter. Is it possible for something to be this funny?
That I have the same face as the heir who built Gotham?
“Then maybe... I can be the master too, right?”
Wayne.
Wayne.
Wayne.
No matter how many times I say it, it rolls off the tongue so perfectly. Then what kind of Wayne should I become?
Ah... just thinking about it is enough to drive me mad. I can’t calm this excitement.
Of course, to do it right, I need preparation. To be precise—preparation for fun.
All games have rules. Even a child’s play has unspoken ones.
After sorting out my thoughts, I slowly looked down. There lay a man, limp like a fish out of water.
“So that’s why you need to join me. You get what I’m saying, right?”
“...Kuh, kuh... You’re that guy they call Smile?”
“Smile? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m the Joker.”
Crack.
I broke the wrist of the guy spouting nonsense.
“GAHHHHHHH!!!”
“Come on now. It’s already crippled—why so dramatic? Phantom pain?”
“Th-the nerves are still alive, you bastard!”
“Oh—oh. My bad, then.”
Gotham’s three bridges. Its two tunnels. And the five subway tracks beneath them.
What used to be a subway system for public transport—was now a smuggling route.
They brought in all sorts of things. If it made money—or if someone paid for it—it came through here.
The moment you noticed it, the sharp stench of ammonia would hit your nose. This place, which used to be guarded by five strong organizations.
Those who’d lost their past glory—could no longer smuggle with the same boldness.
“Wouldn’t it be better to just kill you like this?”
“What?”
“Batman, I mean. He claims not to kill, and yet... he left you all crippled.”
The moment I said it, the face of the man guarding the first track—the so-called First Train—froze solid.
More severe than when I crushed his wrist. He began to shake, as if recalling the moment.
“Judgment exists to prevent,”
He recited Batman’s old line word for word, eyes darting obsessively around him.
You’d think someone who lived underground would be used to darkness—but like a child scared of what’s beneath the bed, or that fleeting moment of blindness while shampooing your hair, First Train trembled uncontrollably just hearing the name.
“Is he really that scary?”
“What’s so funny to you, huh? This situation? The fact that your one-man show took down our entire group?”
“I mean... yeah, that is kind of funny. It’s a decent joke.”
But that’s not what I asked, is it?
Bang!
“GAHHHHHHH! YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHY’D YOU SHOOT ME?! I WAS ANSWERING!”
“Shh. Just hold on a second.”
A bullet, casually fired, drew another scream. Did I just sever the muscle and avoid the bone? Nice shot.
“Batman... Batman... Hmm. That has a good ring to it. I like it.”
Might even roll off the tongue better than “Wayne.”
Click click click.
I tried to fire another round, but I was out of bullets. Damn. Did I go overboard with the fun?
“Anyway, about my proposal—what do you think?”
“Proposal? You mean that was a proposal?”
“To be exact, you’d be working under me. I need a lot of manpower right now.”
“You really think you can kill Batman? What’s the goal here?”
The goal?
At that question, I paused a moment.
Was this something so serious it needed a “goal”? No. Not at all.
It’s just a joke.
“Break a symbol, take a city. It’s just... comedy. You’re supposed to laugh at it.”
“And after that?”
After that? Ahh—
Crack!
I shattered the jaw of the one who kept asking. Why plan things out so meticulously?
What kind of idiot thinks about what happens after a comedy show ends?
“I’m not some man of tomorrow. Don’t be such a stick in the mud.”
I smiled brightly at the frozen man. And whispered gently—
“Why so serious? Just enjoy it.”
First, I take the rail line. The depths of Gotham—its lowest level. Then, you’ll show yourself.
Because bats always do.
“Khhk... haha... AHHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
Just thinking about it makes me laugh.
Let’s waltz in Gotham’s night. A delightful waltz. One that’ll never come again, and never be forgotten.
Batman, I hope you laugh too.
The laughter spreads—
Across the tracks, rising into Gotham above. So even the bat who lives in the darkness can hear it.
***
While Kim Donghu was immersed in the script, Choi Seokho and the Warner Bros. representatives sat in a conference room.
“Are you saying 16% of running royalties?”
“Because Batman and Joker have to be treated as separate roles.”
16% running royalty. That meant Donghu would receive 16% of total gross revenue.
Of course, that was for two roles. Divided, it came out to 8% per role—and even that alone was massive.
But double that?
“...That’s far too excessive.”
It wasn’t an easy thing to agree to. But Choi Seokho calmly explained Kim Donghu’s career with a face that said this was the bare minimum.
Not just some long-winded rant like you’d find on forums, but a clean presentation—straightforward and polished.
“It’s not excessive. In fact, it’s reasonable.”
“Even if we lower the base pay, this—”
“You’re planning for Batman: Another, right? If it succeeds, it becomes a full series.”
Batman: Another.
The title of the Batman series Donghu was set to star in.
The name DC wanted to revive their brand under.
“That’s correct.”
“Then we just want proper compensation from the start.”
In superhero films, the villain is sometimes more important than the lead. A well-written villain is critical to driving the entire story.
But now, Batman: Another had both the hero and villain played by a single actor. In that case, this level of compensation wasn’t just fair—it was inevitable.
Warner Bros. glanced at each other. They knew this wouldn’t be easy—but they hadn’t expected such a hardline stance.
Just as they were thinking of pushing back—
“Kim Donghu really liked the script for Batman: Another. He said he sincerely wants to do it.”
Choi Seokho suddenly began what seemed like a wave of compliments.
“Th-thank you.”
“He’s been pouring himself into researching the roles...and he’s more than ready to undergo any screen tests.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. But if you can’t even meet this level of treatment...honestly, we’d be deeply disappointed.”
Someone who was talking numbers had suddenly turned emotional. Warner Bros. started genuinely pondering this shift in tone. Their eyes moved fast with speculation.
And at the end of that darting gaze—
‘...Marvel?’
There it was. A logo they didn’t like to see—tucked discreetly on a document in the corner of the table.
A placement you’d only notice if you turned your head—but when you did, it was glaringly obvious.
‘Don’t tell me Marvel made him an offer?’
DC had already gone public, announcing they wanted Kim Donghu. They didn’t want him going anywhere else. The moment another studio wanted him, it would become news.
But if Marvel—no, more precisely, Disney—had reached out to Donghu?
‘Shit. That would seriously put us at a disadvantage.’
Right now, DC heroes didn’t exactly scream guaranteed success. Even if Marvel was falling apart due to their own messes, the lingering glow of Iron Man still lit up the brand.
Meanwhile, DC?
‘Way, way too weak right now.’
They couldn’t play the “track record” card. Their last big box office hits were ancient history. And right now, DC didn’t have any heroes leading the genre.
The Warner Bros. reps were scrambling mentally.
‘So this whole “we’d be disappointed” thing... was that a signal?’
‘Did they lay the foundation for negotiations from the start?’
‘This is a massive contract, yet they seem far too relaxed—like they’ve done this a thousand times.’
‘He looks like a nice guy, all smiles, but it’s like he’s swallowed a snake—methodical, calculating.’
‘Are they implying they’ll just walk over to Marvel? Become their hero?’
‘Every script we have now is tailored only for Kim Donghu. It has to be him.’
If they failed to meet the terms, they couldn’t just pass the script to someone else.
Batman: Another wasn’t a light, replaceable concept.
Sure, it called for an East Asian lead— but that was just a roundabout way of saying Kim Donghu.
A project built entirely around long-take action sequences, performed without stunt doubles. A role only a heavyweight boxing champion could handle.
That was what Batman: Another was all about.
And now they were thinking of throwing it away? Letting another studio swoop in?
‘What role would Marvel even offer him...?’
‘East Asian Iron Man? Iron ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Fist?’
‘Whatever it is, it’s unacceptable.’
They couldn’t allow it. That’s why they quickly reached a conclusion.
“We accept Veritas’s contract terms.”
Let’s just do it. It’s not even a risk.
All that matters is pulling off a massive global hit.
“Thank you.”
With the contract finalized, Choi Seokho and the Warner Bros. execs shook hands with bright smiles.
And almost immediately—
『Kim Donghu to become the new Batman. The name is Batman: Another.』
They dropped the press release.
???
ㄴAn East Asian Batman?
ㄴWait, so Joker’s in it too?
ㄴWho’s playing Joker then??
ㄴNo way... he’s really East Asian??
The online community exploded.