Episode 34
Episode 34: Baek Seung-chan’s Birthday
The night market was crowded.
The pickpocket weaved through people at high speed as he ran.
"If I just jog casually, I might lose him."
At that moment, Baek Seung-chan’s movement changed.
He avoided people with minimal motion, to the point it looked like he was passing straight through them.
His movements were ghost-like.
What he used was a martial technique called “Ghost Step.”
From the moment he used it, the distance between him and the pickpocket rapidly closed.
"······."
Seeing Baek Seung-chan approaching like a ghost, the pickpocket’s face twisted.
Grab—.
In the end, Baek Seung-chan caught his shoulder.
At that moment, the pickpocket pulled something from his inner pocket and swung it at him.
Baek Seung-chan frowned slightly as he dodged it with ease.
It was a small dagger with a crescent-shaped blade.
"Aah!"
People nearby screamed and stepped back.
"This bastard…"
The pickpocket glared at him, breathing heavily.
"If you don’t want to die, get lost. You Koreans are rich anyway. You won’t miss this much, right?"
Baek Seung-chan responded in fluent English.
"Stop talking nonsense and hand over the wallet. And that knife—put it away if you don’t want to die."
His voice remained calm.
If this were his past life, he would have killed him without hesitation.
But this was the modern world.
There were too many witnesses, and they were overseas.
So he gave him one chance.
But the pickpocket ignored him.
"If you don’t want to die, get lost. Last warning."
The moment the warning was ignored, Baek Seung-chan’s eyes turned cold.
"······."
The pickpocket felt instinctive fear from that gaze.
But he convinced himself it was just his imagination.
The wallet was too valuable to give up.
"Then it can’t be helped."
Baek Seung-chan let out a small breath and moved.
"Seung-chan!"
A staff member called out from the crowd.
"What’s going on…?"
He was confused at the sight of Baek Seung-chan confronting a man with a knife.
"Good timing. You’re still filming, right?"
"Y-yes…"
"Keep filming. It might be needed as evidence."
"Evidence? Wait—Seung-chan!"
Ignoring him, Baek Seung-chan stepped forward.
"D-don’t come closer! If you do, things will get dangerous!"
The pickpocket panicked.
"Back off!"
"What is he doing?"
People shouted in alarm.
But Baek Seung-chan didn’t stop.
"You bastard!"
The pickpocket swung the dagger.
"Watch out!"
People shut their eyes.
But nothing happened.
Tap—.
Baek Seung-chan lightly grabbed his wrist.
It was a grappling technique.
"Huh?"
The pickpocket froze in shock.
"I told you—you’d get hurt if you swung that."
"W-wait…"
Facing those cold eyes again, he realized the fear was real.
But it was too late.
Thud—! Crash—!
With a sharp strike to the ankle, his body lifted into the air before slamming to the ground.
He lost consciousness instantly.
"······."
The crowd stood in stunned silence.
It looked like a scene from an action movie.
Baek Seung-chan had grabbed his wrist and lightly kicked his ankle, yet the man flipped in the air and collapsed.
Then—
"Seung-chan, good work."
Ma Dong-gi arrived, breathing heavily.
"If I caught him, he’d be dead."
He tapped the unconscious pickpocket’s cheek and retrieved his wallet.
"Wow!"
"Amazing Korean!"
People finally reacted, cheering and clapping.
Soon, the police arrived, and the situation was resolved cleanly.
The recorded footage and the fact that the pickpocket was a repeat offender helped.
Aside from that small incident, the overseas filming went smoothly.
Most scenes were flashbacks, focusing more on story than action.
After finishing, Baek Seung-chan returned to Korea and took a proper break for the first time since his discharge.
He planned a family trip for his upcoming birthday.
They went to Jeju Island.
"It’s nice to be back."
"It really is."
His parents enjoyed the scenery.
Meanwhile, Baek Seung-hui pouted.
"We should’ve gone to Busan…"
She had just visited Jeju on a school trip.
"You could’ve stayed home."
"No way! You’re going to eat good food without me?"
She quickly brightened up at the thought of food.
"Oppa! Let’s have pork noodles."
"We haven’t even checked in yet."
"You know what they say—food comes first."
"Fine…"
They went to a famous restaurant.
"See? It’s already crowded."
"Alright, you win. I’ll park. Go inside first."
"Okay!"
When he entered, his mother waved.
"Seung-chan! Over here!"
People inside looked at him.
"Isn’t that him?"
"It’s ‘The Outcast Legend’ guy."
"He looks even better in person."
They recognized him.
The drama had surpassed 10 million cumulative views.
"Mom…"
"What?"
"She just wants to brag about you," Seung-hui said.
"Your mom has no restraint," his father added.
Both parents turned red.
"But Dad does the same thing," Seung-hui added.
"What?"
"You call his name loudly on purpose during calls."
Silence.
Baek Seung-chan smiled.
"Son, does it bother you?"
"Not at all. I’ll just become even more famous so it won’t matter."
It wasn’t just words.
For parents who had only known hardship, this joy mattered.
The trip became a food tour led by Baek Seung-hui.
From noodles to bakeries to desserts, they visited countless places.
"How do you eat so much?"
"There’s a separate stomach for dessert."
Even eating five meals a day, she stayed slim.
It amazed even him.
Finally, on his birthday night—
"Oppa, let’s go to the convenience store."
"I’m not eating anymore."
"Just come with me."
She led him to a quiet beach.
"Wait here!"
She pulled out a Bluetooth speaker and a mic.
"It’s your birthday present. The song is called ‘Glass Doll.’"
The music started.
A melody of guitar and piano filled the air.
"Not bad."
A lonely yet powerful tone.
"Don’t come closer to me, I’m more comfortable alone."
Hearing the lyrics, he realized—
It was ‘K’s heart.
"I pretended not to notice… because I was afraid you might break like a glass doll…"
The song ended.
"How is it?"
She asked nervously.
After a moment—
He smiled.
"It’s really good."
"Really?"
"Really. It perfectly captures ‘K.’"
"That’s a relief."
"I’ll send you the file later."
"Thank you."
Their parents loved it too.
It became an unforgettable birthday.
While actors rested, the production team worked on post-production.
Music director Yang Bok-seon sat in his studio, troubled.
"There’s nothing that clicks…"
He had reviewed over ten songs, narrowed them to five—
But none felt right.
"I should talk to Seung-chan."
Since Baek Seung-chan would sing the OST himself, his input mattered.
Yang Bok-seon picked up the phone.