Chapter 30…
Becoming a Scene Stealer (2):
Park Solmi, who ran a YouTube reaction channel called Jjang Funny Reactions, was watching the drama Righteousness! Touching the Sky.
The K-drama craze had even spread into historical dramas.
Recently, the show’s “undercover beggar” marketing had helped her a lot too.
That campaign had also captured the interest of overseas reactors.
They would first see stills of the beggar and mysterious characters, then watch the drama and react to it like a “spot the difference” game, trying to identify hidden roles.
Because they knew these small events boosted viewership, they were especially enthusiastic.
But the funny thing was, since they weren’t Korean, many couldn’t catch the hints as quickly as Korean viewers.
Some even saw the official “answer sheet” from Korea later and kept repeating “W.T.F.” in shock.
Though the initial hype had cooled down, it still lingered.
And the drama itself was solid.
Lead actor Kim Daeseong’s performance as a man battling the powerful on the king’s orders had matured, raising the overall quality.
The lack of the usual sweet K-drama romance might have seemed like a weakness, but instead, people were calling it a well-made drama.
“Hmm?”
Watching the drama, Solmi suddenly frowned.
It was right after Oh Juhwan—who’d recently improved a lot as an actor—crashed into a secret rendezvous scene and delivered a line.
On screen, the bent-over beggar slowly straightened up.
[Haa… Aren’t you sick of this?]
The line sounded almost annoyed.
“Huh?”
The camera began zooming in on the beggar’s face.
His expression was changing, bit by bit.
A moment ago, it was just a beggar’s face—unmistakable.
Hard not to stare.
After all, this actor was known as the undercover beggar.
But now, though his clothes screamed beggar, his expression was completely different.
Different from the other roles he’d previously been spotted playing.
Not the same as the traveling merchant.
Not the same as the courtesan’s suitor.
“What the…?”
His face seemed to change as if CGI had been used.
More precisely, his expression did.
Gone was the pitiful, miserable look.
[Sir, please go ahead first.]
The protagonist stared at him in shock.
The beggar took a step forward and spoke.
At those words, Daeseong—the lead—wore a face of horror.
Then a scene from earlier in the series flashed back.
Back then, a masked man had suddenly appeared in front of a fleeing Daeseong and said the very same line:
[Sir, please go ahead first.]
“You… it’s you!”
Daeseong shouted, realizing at last the beggar’s true identity.
And he wasn’t the only one.
“Huh?! No way!!”
Solmi also screamed out loud.
Inside the show, Juhwan’s eyes widened as he recoiled in shock, crying out:
[Y-you!]
[Didn’t I tell you to stop following me?]
[Gasp!]
“This is insane! Totally insane! Kyaaaa!”
Solmi screamed, not as a reactor sniffing for content, but as a pure, thrilled viewer.
Online forums blew up.
“Am I the only one who freaked out? I was watching Righteousness last night and OMG. The masked man was the beggar? Am I the only one who didn’t see this coming?”
┖ Don’t worry. I was shocked too.
┖ Crazy. But that face-change scene—that was CGI, right?
┖ Are you kidding? That wasn’t CGI!
┖ How did I not see this?
┖ Someone predicted this ages ago!!
The community was on fire.
The “undercover beggar” marketing, which had been cooling off, reignited instantly.
Old posts jokingly attaching the beggar to every character suddenly became pilgrimage spots—especially one that asked, “Isn’t the masked man the beggar?”
“Isn’t that beggar under the mask? When it came off, I thought the face looked like his. Strong-featured handsome type… doesn’t he look similar?”
┖ Bruh, weren’t you the one who said even the king was secretly the beggar?
┖ Your crap’s thicker than ever.
┖ Wow, vintage dad joke energy. “Your crap is thick.”
┖ This is the same dude who swore Daeseong was double-cast.
┖ No, but seriously—look at it. Two eyes, one nose, two ears. He’s even male.
┖ LOL true.
┖ OMG, pilgrimage spot confirmed!
┖ Wait… was he actually right?!
┖ Wow… thought he was a clown, but turns out he nailed it?!
Reactions flared.
Some reactors admitted they felt defeated.
Some even claimed they must have face-blindness for missing it.
As a result, Righteousness’s ratings soared.
“Twenty-one percent?! Did you say twenty-one?!”
Writer Choi Miseon leapt to her feet upon hearing the call.
She’d already been shocked while reviewing the edited episode.
The drama was twelve episodes long, now past episode eight.
Episode seven had revealed the beggar’s identity. Then episode eight showed a montage of how he’d been gathering intel all along, disguised in many roles.
That reveal sent ratings skyrocketing—episode eight hit 21%.
“Do you realize what 21% means? This is huge!”
Director Kim Hyuncheol’s voice on the phone was giddy.
Back in 2024, the blockbuster Empress of Tears had hit 24%.
Considering OTT platforms had lowered ratings across the board, 21% was unbelievable.
And the drama wasn’t just killing it on TV.
On Netflix, it ranked #1—not just in Korea, but in 31 countries worldwide.
And it was a historical drama.
All because of the beggar’s reveal.
Strictly speaking, the reveal was about the “masked man’s” identity. But the shock value was the same.
“This really happened?”
Even Miseon herself had gotten chills writing that scene.
She’d planted other red herrings, but even she hadn’t expected the twist to hit this hard.
And now, the fallout was beyond anything she imagined.
“Wow… then the MVP of our drama is Suhan, right?”
“Exactly. We expected surprise, but not this. Especially the overseas response—huge.”
“And his acting was even better than expected. Do you think we should push his character more? He delivers lines so well.”
“Yeah, I think so. Honestly, the other actors can’t complain. Even Daeseong seems to like him.”
Miseon smiled.
When the lead actor—who held great sway over production—approved of a character, it gave the writer freedom to add more scenes.
“Really?”
“The funniest part? Remember what I told you about Juhwan?”
“The two of them hanging out?”
“Turns out, he’s been learning facial expressions from Suhan.”
“Really? That explains it.”
“Yeah. That pretty-boy who only did ‘pretty acting’ now actually uses his face properly.”
“No wonder.”
Miseon felt satisfied.
At first, the beggar role had just been a minor twist.
Later, thanks to a failed movie role, it became a marketing gimmick.
And now, it had pulled the drama’s ratings to the highest of the year.
“Our exec is whining that it’s not a 16-episode drama. Why are there so many 12-episode shows these days, he says.”
“Hahaha. At least he’s not forcing us to stretch it like a rubber band.”
“Oh, he asked. I refused. Instead, we’ll do a special epilogue after the finale.”
“That’s not bad.”
It meant they’d release behind-the-scenes footage and a short epilogue.
“So tweak the scripts for episodes 11 and 12.”
“Leave it to me!”
Miseon cracked her fingers. With momentum this strong, she had to row while the tide was high.
“Excuse me?”
“Huh?”
…What now?
I was buying bread at a convenience store when someone spoke to me.
“The masked man!”
“Eh?”
Masked man? …Me?
“Oh—maybe not?”
The woman who spoke looked embarrassed.
I was, too.
Lately, since the drama aired, I sometimes got asked if I was the beggar.
Thanks to the reveal that the courtesan’s suitor and the beggar were the same, people recognized me.
They’d ask: “You’re the beggar, right?”
Every time, I flinched.
I almost wanted to say, “I’m not doing beggars anymore.”
The role was so impactful, everyone asked if I was that beggar.
From my side, hearing it really did make me feel… like a beggar.
But today—for the first time—someone asked if I was the masked man.
“Sorry.”
Maybe I’d paused too long.
“Haa… Aren’t you sick of this?”
“Ah!”
My reflexes kicked in.
At that line, the woman who had been walking away turned back with a huge smile.
“Kyaa! Can I take a picture with you?”
“Of course!”
Yes, this is it!
Finally, someone wanted a photo—not calling me just a beggar!
Even people who guessed my role before hadn’t asked for pictures.
“Can you do the beggar face?”
“…Sure.”
Ah, there it goes.
Still, after snapping a photo with the beggar face, I switched to the masked man’s expression, then even did the flirty courtesan suitor face.
Luckily, she didn’t ask for the peddler or servant faces.
I even signed an autograph.
Good thing, too—I’d made a batch of autographs recently and today I finally got to use one.
When the short fan meeting ended, I muttered as she left:
“She could’ve at least bought me bread.”
For all the excitement, she didn’t even buy me a snack.
“Check out, please.”
“Can I get a photo too?”
“Are you buying me bread?”
“Huh?”
“Even leftover bread’s fine.”
I pulled a beggar face.
But no luck—the clerk didn’t buy it.
Didn’t believe I actually wanted expired bread.
And yet, it felt good.
Because even if I looked like a beggar, people didn’t actually think I was one.
It felt like my life was changing.
Then my phone rang.
“Haa… calling me when I’m in a good mood.”
The name on screen deflated me.
-Baksoo-
It was Park Mansoo—aka shaman Baksoo, aka self-styled fortune-teller Yonghwa-doryeong.
“What.”
“Oooh, Woo Star!”
“Don’t call me that. Sounds like a sauce brand.”
“You’re blowing up lately!”
“Heh. It was bound to happen eventually.”
“So, about my favor…”
“Sounds like my patience is what’s about to blow.”
“Hey, come on! I sent a coffee truck, a meal truck, even free fortune-telling! I paved the way for you to befriend Kim Daeseong!”
“Sure. But I was the one who became the dog.”
Damn guy. I was the one who solved that case, sniffing through men’s cosmetics.
He just wants credit.
Though, I admit, he helped a little.
“Want me to send a snack truck this time?”
“…Not bad.”
That’s fine. Been a while. Wouldn’t hurt.
“Then give me your filming schedule. I’ll come myself.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why? To be there, of course! Realized we never took a photo together.”
“You… you just want to use me for promo, don’t you?”
“…Ah, bad connection. Must be the elevator. Anyway, text me!”
Beeeeep.
Yeah, 100%.
Still… snack truck’s worth one photo.
This is the life of a star. Better get used to it early.
