bookpower Chapter 287
Chapter 287
Before the mission was revealed.
The first thing the viewers saw—
ᄂOh, people are coming in
ᄂAre those the contestants?
ᄂLooks like they stand in front of their own torso?
It was a scene of contestants chatting as they found their respective torsos.
With 300 people in total, it was impossible to show everyone like in the teaser.
So, they aired pre-interviews of the standouts, introducing their professions and hinting at what kind of performance they might show.
As a result, viewers would usually—
ᄂOh? This guy’s kinda...
ᄂLooks strong
ᄂMight actually make ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) for a good match
—carry a decent amount of anticipation.
Some would even become fans.
They’d get emotionally invested.
But right now, things were far from “usual.”
ᄂIs Kim Donghu coming out last?
ᄂDa Dong Hu, is it you again
ᄂEveryone’s blatantly gawking at Kim Donghu’s torso ????
ᄂIsn’t this too much favoritism? He’s standing alone in the center with spotlight;
ᄂ“This is what real physicality looks like” < That’s way too obvious;
ᄂThe producers are pushing him, what do you expect ????
ᄂMad your country’s not featured?????
ᄂOh, you're from that country?????
It was like the PD had gone mad wanting a pure physical showdown.
They dragged in everyone around the world known for their physique.
Naturally, once sorted by results, Koreans were few and far between.
And even among those few Koreans, none were really being called a winner candidate—until Kim Donghu suddenly popped up.
ᄂHurry up and show Kim Donghu!!!
ᄂStill, the others all look intense ????
ᄂCan he even win this? Was it a mistake to make this a Korean show;;
ᄂRight? But damn, the contestants are savage ????
ᄂGood that he’s getting attention, but I’m worried about the result.
People were split between excitement and anxiety.
Sure, Kim Donghu was incredible—but the other contestants’ résumés weren’t exactly ignorable either.
But then.
—“A candidate to win? Who do I think that is? Hmm, they all seem weaker than me... But if I had to pick someone—”
Kim Donghu?
One name consistently appeared in the pre-interviews of the top contenders.
—“Do you think anyone's stronger than me? Physicality is power! Obviously me! But if I had to choose... Kim Donghu.”
It was.
—“A balanced build... in that aspect, as of now... hmm, Kim Donghu, I suppose.”
Kim Donghu.
It made sense, actually.
ᄂHmm?
ᄂWhy are they picking Kim Donghu?
ᄂDidn’t expect that ????
To Koreans, it was a surprising answer.
That was because of an image gap.
In East Asia—specifically in Korea—Kim Donghu was seen as an actor.
But to the rest of the world, he was a boxer first.
No matter how amazing his acting was, or how great his movies were—the intensity of Tarzan couldn’t beat the image burned into 200 million people from that boxing match.
The footage from that fight was still circulating.
Some analysts were still studying Kim Donghu’s boxing style.
And there was another, more subtle reason.
“Can’t pick another Western guy.”
“You think I’m gonna name a guy from the rival country next door?”
“Hell no, I’d never choose you.”
In interviews like this, they simply didn’t want to mention rival neighbors.
Who benefits from that?
Anyway.
For various reasons, Kim Donghu was the silent favorite.
And when he finally showed up at the end—you could feel the shift in the air.
ᄂWow look at everyone’s eyes ????
ᄂAs soon as Kim Donghu appeared, all the chatter stopped
ᄂAnd wow ???? he doesn’t get overshadowed even among the juiced-up guys
ᄂYo bro ever pulled a plane with your bare hands
ᄂYo bro could literally beat someone to death
ᄂYo bro is Batman
ᄂYo bro can eat for 17 hours straight
ᄂWhy is all of this actually true though ????????????????????
Owner of the perfect torso.
That man, Kim Donghu, appeared.
Immediately, the screen in front of them lit up.
The rules for the pre-test—long-distance running—were explained.
ᄂ100 people per group, 3 groups ????
ᄂGroup A has Kim Donghu and Kade Walker
ᄂOh so this is how they measure the time?
ᄂIf they run this 3 rounds, that’s basically an hour of running
ᄂLegend ????
As soon as the explanation ended, the groups were split.
And without a second of delay, the long-distance run began.
BEEP!
At the signal, contestants began running in formation.
ᄂAt the start, it’s better to stay in line
ᄂ???? gotta conserve energy for 3 rounds ????
ᄂAnyone sprinting now is an idiot ????
ᄂLooking at Group B, they’re all pacing it ????
ᄂSame with Group C. All 3 groups’ll probably play out the same
ᄂMakes sense. The running strategy is pretty similar across the board
Things were going about as expected—and just as viewers’ interest was starting to dip—
Tatadadada!
Suddenly, someone burst ahead on screen.
Their face wasn’t shown—only their legs.
ᄂWho is that?
ᄂWhat an idiot
ᄂWhat’s their IQ? ????
ᄂSprinting now changes nothing
ᄂIt’s a long-distance run, not a sprint—do they even know the rules?
Viewers mocked the mystery runner as a fool.
And then the face behind those legs was revealed—
ᄂAh ah...
ᄂDonghu hyung!!!!
ᄂWhy are you doing this
ᄂThis is long-distance, Donghu hyung ????????
Not just Korean viewers—audiences worldwide were stunned.
ᄂHe’s sprinting?
ᄂWhat a dumbass
ᄂMaybe he doesn’t understand the rules?
ᄂYou don’t just run randomly
ᄂWhy the hell was he saved for the finale?
ᄂThis show’s Korean, that’s why they’re overhyping the Korean dude
ᄂPhysicality’s not just about muscle—it’s mental too
ᄂJust because you have a perfect torso doesn’t mean you’re everything
ᄂIf he burns out early, that’ll be a massive embarrassment
People pounced on the opportunity to bash him.
On Netflix Party, viewers watching in real time said Kim Donghu had made a huge mistake.
But on screen, Kim Donghu surged into the lead without hesitation.
—“At first I was like, what the hell is he doing? Doesn’t he get how this works?”
Right then, interviews with Group A contestants began.
Just like the viewers—
—“Honestly, I thought he’d be some ultra-intelligent athlete... Then I realized he wasn’t. Super disappointing.”
They didn’t understand what Kim Donghu was doing.
But then suddenly, their faces changed—and they all said the same thing.
—“But turns out, we were the dumb ones.”
—“He’s a devil. I can’t believe someone could do that with a smiling face.”
Some Group A contestants looked straight up traumatized.
—“Honestly, Group A deserves a handicap. We had to run with the devil.”
—“Beep-King-Hell-Train! That’s what we got on! And we didn’t even agree to it!”
—“It was a train to hell. And Donghu? He didn’t even break a sweat.”
—“He handled 100 people like they were kids... I started to wonder if he’s just built different.”
ᄂHuh? What are they even talking about
ᄂWhat just happened??
ᄂA second ago they were calling him dumb, now they hate him?
ᄂWhat the hell’s going on ????
Viewers were confused.
Then, they saw it.
ᄂ?
ᄂ?
ᄂ?
ᄂIs Kim Donghu pacing the lead now?
ᄂIs he trying to kill off everyone who can’t keep up with the pack? ????????????
ᄂOnce you raise the pace, you can’t lower it
ᄂHe’s leading the front and setting the speed to wipe everyone out
ᄂBut how is he even doing this? How good is his stamina?
With a smiling face—completely composed—Kim Donghu steadily increased the pack’s speed.
ᄂPeople who can’t keep up are dropping like flies
ᄂIt’s like they’re falling off a cliff ????
ᄂThe way they’re looking at him with resentment is killing me ????????????????????
And those who couldn’t handle the sudden pace spike started getting eliminated.
ᄂWhere are all the people calling him dumb now?
ᄂOh right, y’all were thrilled to hate on him the moment you could ????
ᄂYou’ll see in a few minutes. Why trash someone before you know the facts ????
ᄂJealous of Kim Donghu? That’s hilarious ????
ᄂThe footage just stays locked on Group A now ????
ᄂObviously. Group B and C are just running normally—what fun is that ????
ᄂMeanwhile, Group A’s on the Hell Train driven by Kim Donghu ????????
The best of the best—99 elite physiques—couldn’t get past one man in front.
ᄂThere is one way to beat him
ᄂWhat is it
ᄂCatch up to Donghu, get in front, and control the pace ???? and you win
ᄂThat’s just a long-winded way of saying “impossible” ????
3-round long-distance test.
Kim Donghu didn’t lose the lead even once.
And Kade Walker, who ran beside him the entire time—
—“You wanna know what it felt like running next to him? You’re seriously asking me that?”
After the pre-test ended, Kade gave his verdict on Kim Donghu in the interview.
—“That guy’s just insane. His eyes—he’s gone. I’ve seen top athletes like that, trust me, I’ve been in the NFL a long time.”
With a height over 190cm and nearly 110kg of muscle—a man praised for his ultimate physique, Kade Walker shook his head.
—“What did Netflix bring him for? Rename the show. Call it 1 vs 299.”
The screen cut back to Kim Donghu running, eyes bright and clear.
—“Challenge me again in a different sport, Kim Donghu.”
That was the end of Episode 1.
And in the preview for Episode 2—
—“Mr. Kade, would you care to go one-on-one with me?”
Descending from the top.
Kim Donghu challenges Kade Walker to a duel.