Chapter 167
Chapter 167
The show Park Moon-dae and Seon A-hyun were appearing on, The Past Calls, featured a cast of about five or six people filming together.
Naturally, there were fixed cast members who acted as MCs to ensure the proceedings went smoothly.
‘Ah, I can see exactly how this is going to go.’
That was the thought of the veteran MC, a giant in the variety world, as he checked the lineup of guests for this episode.
‘A top-tier idol and an idol from an elite university? There’s no way we can pass up that material. We’ll have to subtly compare them.’
Having hosted over twenty episodes, he could already see the final edit in his head.
Of course, if they compared them too bluntly, they would face a massive backlash from the fans of that popular group, TeSTAR. Besides, since it was technically an educational program, it wouldn't be too overt.
They would make sure to highlight the TeSTAR members' active moments, or at the very least, edit them to look cute if they didn't do much.
‘Man, but a Korea University student versus a middle school dropout? That’s a tough gap.’
The MC chuckled to himself, thinking the production team would have a hard time trying to make the edit look warm and flattering for everyone.
Just then, the signal came.
“Ah, they’re coming, they’re coming!”
He shouted toward the camera and quickly moved to his standby position in the corner of the set.
“When can we take these off?”
“Where are we?”
The six cast members, their faces completely covered by hoods, waddled along as they were guided forward.
The MC gave a thumbs-up to the camera, got into character, and bellowed, “What is the meaning of those garments?!”
“Waaah!”
“You scared me!”
“Hurry and strip off those hideous things!”
“Uh, okay...”
Amidst the confusion, the cast members fumbled to pull off their hoods. Then, they gasped in surprise.
“Whoa, where are we??”
“It looks like a hanok...?”
“It’s definitely the Joseon era.”
The cast members huddled together, whispering to those they were close with—or those they wanted to seem close with.
Meanwhile, the MC focused his attention on the man of the hour: Park Moon-dae, who was listening to Seon A-hyun’s whispers without much agitation.
‘He’s remarkably calm.’
He had black hair and a handsome, composed face. For some reason, he didn't give off the impression of someone with a short academic background. The MC found himself making a biased observation.
‘Idols these days really are good-looking.’
He nodded inwardly at the blonde Seon A-hyun, then quickly delivered his lines before the confused cast members could start cracking jokes for screen time.
“A great event is to take place today! Clad yourselves in proper attire and attend without delay! Now, I shall take my leave.”
Mixing in a bit of modern speech, the MC tucked his hands behind his back and slunk out through the paper-covered sliding doors.
“Wait, where are you going?!”
“Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!”
“Wow, this show really has no plan.”
The door slammed shut, leaving the bewildered cast members behind.
“Aha! Another big catch today!”
The MC threw out a practiced comment and moved toward the monitoring room with a grin.
His job as the MC was to watch the guests’ awkward blunders or heroic feats from here, providing reactions and commentary.
‘Let’s see... they’ll probably spend about twenty minutes talking nonsense and failing to get a grip on the situation. That’ll give us plenty of footage.’
Predicting the usual trend, the MC plopped down in front of the monitor.
Then, he saw an exception.
[I’ve been thinking about what the official who looked like the MC said. It seems our goal has three steps: find out what the event is, get dressed, and attend without being late.]
[Right, right.]
[As expected of someone from a survival show, Moon-dae is so calm.]
[Then we have to get out of this room first... It feels like an escape room. There’s a locking mechanism next to this door.]
[Oh? You’re right!]
Park Moon-dae had progressed the mission in an instant.
“Whoa, he’s fast! Really fast!”
The MC clapped his hands and let out an exclamation as per his role, but he was actually taken aback.
‘What’s with this kid?’
He didn't give the others time to talk nonsense or wander around the room. It was a blitz.
What was even more surprising was the next scene.
[Alright, alright, I’ll read it. Listen up, everyone.]
A veteran comedian pulled a sheet of traditional paper from a small box attached to the door and read out their first quiz.
[Ahem. ‘Six successful candidates are to be assigned to the Jiphyeonjeon. They are A, B, C, D, E, and F. The conditions are as follows...’ What on earth is this?!]
Below that was a series of conflicting conditional statements, starting with: ‘If B and A are assigned to the Jiphyeonjeon together, C must also be assigned.’
It was a fairly complex logic puzzle, the kind used in actual logic exams.
It was a sudden attack from a historical-educational variety show.
“Hahaha! Look at their faces!”
Just as the MC began to enjoy the horrified reactions of the cast members...
[‘A’ and ‘F’ are the ones working at the Jiphyeonjeon.]
[...??]
[I-Is that so?]
[Yes. And if we list them in order... since it’s A, B, C, D, E, F.]
Park Moon-dae simultaneously pressed the first and sixth buttons on the six-step wooden locking mechanism.
Click. It unlocked.
[Ooh?!]
[What? How?!]
“Wait, what?!”
It hadn't even taken three seconds to find the answer. The MC stared at the monitor with his mouth agape.
He almost turned to the production staff sitting in front of him to ask, “Was that guy the one from the elite university?”
“Is that something you can normally solve just by hearing it?”
The staff members shook their heads and made ‘X’ signs with their arms. The MC let out a hollow laugh. He screamed internally.
‘I thought he was a middle school dropout!’
Even on the monitor, the guy who was actually from Korea University was just standing there clapping. It meant he couldn't have solved it that fast.
And this situation repeated several times.
[How about we look around the room for anything else before we leave?]
[That’s a great idea~]
[T-This...!]
After a quick search of the room, Seon A-hyun found a hidden box and a problem, then handed the task of reading the options to the elite university student.
[I’ll read it! ‘The way to catch a winged beast is to shoot an arrow, and the way to catch a land beast is to throw a spear. A sea beast is to a soil beast as...’]
It was a logic problem that required a bit of wit and lateral thinking, but as soon as the reading was finished, Park Moon-dae spoke up.
[Hmm. It seems to be: winged beast three times, land beast once, sea beast twice, winged beast once... And if we think of the beasts as the Four Guardian Deities... they can be substituted with the directions of East, West, South, and North.]
[The Four Guardian Deities? Like the Blue Dragon and stuff?]
[Ah! I get it! The winged beast is the Vermilion Bird! Like that?]
[Yes. Something like that.]
The locking mechanism, which could be pulled up, down, left, or right, was solved in an instant by the excited cast members who had caught on.
[Waaaaah!!]
[Hey, Moon-dae! Your brain is spinning like crazy! You’re insane!]
[Thank you.]
“Wait, wait. Isn't that supposed to be impossible to solve like that??”
On the monitor, Park Moon-dae bowed politely as the cast showered him with praise and high-fives, while the production staff buzzed at the MC’s comment.
“They were supposed to have to go around the set once to solve that...”
It meant he had solved it using only his own wit and logic, without the feng shui or location hints.
At the PD’s words, the MC feigned outrage.
“Hey! If you were going to cast someone that smart, you should have cranked up the difficulty and given him a bitter taste of real education!”
The camera captured the PD looking defeated. The attempt at humor worked perfectly, but the MC was secretly impressed.
‘Man, I guess natural brains really are the most important thing in stuff like this!’
He was half right and half wrong.
In reality, Park Moon-dae on the monitor looked slightly unimpressed.
‘Hmm. They copied questions from the LEET and PSAT.’
He had thought it felt familiar when he watched previous episodes for preparation; they had just added some period-appropriate vocabulary and extra steps, but the core was the same.
‘Once you’ve solved a problem, it stays in your head somehow.’
That was the only reason his speed was so much faster.
And even without that, the odds were honestly stacked in Park Moon-dae’s favor.
‘As long as you know logic symbols, you can summarize it in one line.’
For Park Moon-dae, who had taken a senior-level logic course to prepare for the PSAT in his final semester and received a good grade, this was almost embarrassing.
‘It’s not fair to compare me to someone who took a leave of absence before even finishing their freshman year.’
Moon-dae looked at the Korea University student with a hint of pity, but soon realized he had his own problems to worry about.
‘Anyway, things are going smoothly.’
While Moon-dae was feeling reasonably satisfied, the people around him were busy checking the contents of the box.
[What’s inside??]
The item wrapped in silk was... a book that looked like it had just been made.
Both the cover and the inside were filled with Hanja (Chinese characters).
[Ooh, uh...]
[I have no idea. It’s all Hanja.]
[You’re right.]
[Just in case... should we take it with us?]
[Sure, sure. A-hyun, you carry it... Shall we head out now?]
[Yes!]
Just then, Park Moon-dae spoke to A-hyun.
[Can I take a quick look at that?]
[O-Oh, sure!]
Moon-dae quickly flipped through the book he was handed, then let out a small smirk.
[...?]
[Ah, thanks.]
[Alright, everyone. Let’s open the door together!]
[Yes!]
Seon A-hyun tucked the book back into his robes, and the cast members crowded around the door, opening it after a countdown.
[3, 2, 1, open!]
[...!?]
[...!!]
Then, they froze.
Outside the door was... a corridor bustling with palace servants moving to and fro.
[Oh my god, I think we’re in the palace.]
[Everyone is dressed exactly like in a historical drama...!]
It was time to move on to the next stage.
“Ah, it’s about to get interesting~”
Just as the MC watching the monitor predicted, the full-scale roleplay began.
[A group of people in such bizarre attire...!]
[Aaah!]
The members who stepped out of the room were scolded by the palace servants and began to wander around the massive, enclosed palace, trying to hide.
[Wow, this is crazy.]
[Shh! Let’s move quietly.]
[Ah, t-this door is open...!]
[Good job, A-hyun!]
Finding an unlocked door, they discovered garments inside a wardrobe.
[Oh, is this an official’s uniform?]
[Doesn't it look cool?]
It wasn't.
[Is that not the blue robe you wore at Sungkyunkwan? I heard you have just passed the civil service exam and come from Sungkyunkwan.]
[This program really goes all out on the backstory.]
[Pardon?]
[Ah, n-nothing~]
Through their interaction with the palace servants, the cast realized that what they were wearing was a type of uniform worn by Sungkyunkwan scholars.
And through an official who claimed to be their Sungkyunkwan teacher, they learned that the event they were to attend was a royal ceremony.
[You must enter the royal presence immediately!]
[The royal presence?]
[The King! We were supposed to go see the King!]
[Holy crap, I see!]
[However, before that... is there not something you must do? Ahem.]
[Pardon...?]
After obtaining some small food items to offer their teacher as a form of tuition fee—a tradition at Sungkyunkwan—they finally secured real official uniforms and moved to the next stage.
“That Park Moon-dae kid is even good at cooking.”
The MC, sipping a product-placement drink while watching the monitor, spoke in a tone of pure resignation.
Groans of frustration erupted from the production staff here and there.
The cast’s progress this time was nothing short of a high-speed chase. If they only looked at the puzzle-solving, they were actually worried about having enough footage.
Of course, it was entirely Park Moon-dae’s fault, but that wasn't even the most shocking part.
As quickly as the problems were solved, he was fully committing to the roleplay to fill the time.
[What was the game you enjoyed most at Sungkyunkwan?]
[What was it?]
[M-Moon-dae...?]
While Seon A-hyun was flustered by Moon-dae’s deflection, his earnest attempts to answer were quite cute.
‘That guy is making sure the younger ones get their comedy screen time.’
The MC, mistakenly thinking Seon A-hyun was younger, felt a mix of warmth and awe at how Moon-dae yielded the spotlight or subtly encouraged Seon A-hyun and the Golden Age main vocalist during the skits.
‘He didn't win first place in that audition for nothing.’
He was clearly a guy with god-tier intuition.
[Hmm... what do you think?]
[Oh, uh. Just a moment. I’ll try to calculate it!]
In some quizzes, he even stepped back to give the elite university student a chance, though it didn't have the same impact as the lightning-fast, accurate Park Moon-dae.
‘Man, I wonder how the edit will turn out~’
The MC, who had been clicking his tongue, suddenly realized something.
‘The situation has completely flipped...?’
The production team had originally expected the elite university student to excel at the quizzes and planned to give TeSTAR the ‘warm and cute’ screen time, but the exact opposite had happened.
Furthermore, since the elite university student was from a group the MC had only vaguely heard of, the production team didn't feel a strong need to go out of their way for him anymore.
To top it off, TeSTAR’s other member, Seon A-hyun, had such a great look and elegant reactions that he looked much more like a real scholar.
‘Wow, he’s scary. Truly scary.’
The MC shook his head in amazement.
Park Moon-dae had clearly tried to take care of his junior, the elite university student, but it ended up looking like the junior just couldn't keep up.
Meanwhile, the story on the monitor progressed rapidly to the final gate.
However, the gate was already open.
[There is something you must quickly deliver... Oh, oh! You have brought it already...?!]
[Pardon...?]
The item that the person introducing himself as a Jiphyeonjeon official was about to ask them to find was the very book they had found immediately in the first room.
[Jackpot!]
[Moon-dae! Thank you!!]
[We all solved it togeth— ugh, thank you.]
Park Moon-dae once again endured a barrage of high-fives from the cast.
[Isn't this our fastest time ever?]
[Filming is going to end while the sun is still up!! Yahoo!]
The cast members moved with excitement and finally arrived at the royal presence.
Then, the hidden quiz revealed itself.
[For what purpose have you entered the royal presence?]
[We had to know that too...?]
[Uuuugh...! Everyone, retreat!]
Just as the cast members were planning a tactical retreat with trembling pupils...
[Um, I’ve been thinking.]
Park Moon-dae whispered to the cast.
“It’s you again!”
While the MC shouted joyfully, everyone in the monitoring room waited with bated breath for Moon-dae’s words.
[I think the King right now... might be King Sejong the Great.]
[...!]
[Why, why??]
[This book.]
Park Moon-dae held up the book they were tasked to deliver and flipped through the pages. A sea of Hanja appeared.
[Doesn't this look exactly like Hangeul?]
Then, Moon-dae’s hand stopped and pointed to the top of a page.
The first character of that chapter, which they had mindlessly passed over... looked exactly like the consonant ‘ㄱ’.
[Oh?]
[Wait a minute!]
The cast members carefully checked the book page by page.
It was certainly a bit unfamiliar because the shape was different from modern times, but upon closer inspection, things that looked like Hangeul vowels and consonants could be seen scattered across the top of the pages.
[Holy crap, wait. Then is this the Hunminjeongeum?? That’s why it’s King Sejong?]
Park Moon-dae gave a vague nod.
[Well, they say the Great King created the Hunminjeongeum himself. It might be strange for Jiphyeonjeon scholars to deliver it to him. So, what’s left is...]
[What’s left?]
[I think it might be the Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon.]
It was the book that explained the principles behind the creation of Hangeul and how to use it.
One might instinctively think it would be written in Hangeul, but it was actually written in Hanja.
Because it was an introduction of ‘Hangeul’ to those who used Hanja.
Moon-dae smiled faintly.
[I learned that the Jiphyeonjeon scholars created that. So I think we should go in, tell King Sejong that this book is the Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon, and then present it to him.]
It was the correct answer.
“Whoa!”
The MC marveled. The production staff in front of him were making similar noises.
The cast members on the monitor were also ecstatic.
[Whoa, Moon-dae, you even know stuff like that?]
[Wow!! I think he’s right!!]
[The context fits perfectly! No wonder I felt something when the Jiphyeonjeon appeared!]
But Moon-dae wasn't finished.
[And, I think there are two people who should perform that role.]
[Eh?]
[Do you remember the problem earlier where ‘A’ and ‘F’ among A, B, C, D, E, and F were assigned to the Jiphyeonjeon?]
[Yeah, I remember!]
Moon-dae nodded.
[I think those are us.]
[...!]
[The number of people matches, and the fact that we just passed the exam is the same.]
Unexpectedly, the backstories were interlocking.
[So I think the two people working at the Jiphyeonjeon should present this Haeryebon. If we go by age...]
Park Moon-dae politely raised his hand.
[It would be the eldest hyung-nim and... this younger brother.]
[...!!]
With a faint smile, Park Moon-dae pointed to the oldest cast member and the youngest cast member—the elite university student.
In the monitoring room, there was nothing left but pure admiration.
“He’s incredible, seriously.”
[You’re a genius.]
[You flatter me. Honestly, I feel like I might be over-speculating.]
[No, you’re right. This has to be it. My gut is telling me!]
As the cast member said, he was right.
‘That was supposed to be something they barely figured out after failing once and getting a bunch of hints, right? Or just skipping it if they didn't know.’
“He even knows Korean history? Jeez.”
The MC was fed up with Moon-dae, who had even avoided the final sweat-inducing Q&A, but he quickly threw on his robes anyway.
It was time.
“Alright, let’s head down~”
Leading the staff dressed as a royal procession, he went to the royal presence.
Coincidentally, the cast members had also made up their minds and were passing in front of the throne.
“The ‘A’ and ‘F’ of the Jiphyeonjeon have come to present the Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon to His Majesty.”
“...Enter.”
“Yes!”
The cast members cheered and walked inside with quick steps.
And there they saw him.
The MC sitting on the dragon throne.
“Have you come?”
“Gaaah!!”
The MC thoroughly confused the cast members who had appeared triumphantly with the Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon.
“Hyung-nim! No, King Sejong!”
The filming concluded with a gag where the flustered eldest cast member called him King Sejong, only to be met with captions like: ‘Sejong is a temple name decided after death’ and ‘Extreme Spoilers’.
“Excellent work!”
With Park Moon-dae’s explanation proven correct, the shoot was over.
“Whoa~ that was amazing!”
As he said his goodbyes at the end of the shoot, the MC patted Moon-dae on the shoulder.
“Thank you.”
Moon-dae bowed with a smile.
The MC glanced back and forth between the elite university student and Park Moon-dae.
‘There’s no comparison.’
It was already a foregone conclusion that Moon-dae’s explosive screen time and incredible performance would be the highlight of the broadcast.
And Moon-dae had already considered the side effects of this.
“F-Filming was fun!”
“It was.”
I nodded. It was time well spent.
Seon A-hyun chuckled.
“M-Moon-dae... you’re even good at Korean history.”
I shook my head.
“No, I just prepared.”
“H-Huh?”
I meant it literally. I prepared.
“I watched the previous episodes of the show.”
I watched about five episodes properly. For the rest, I did something different.
First, I made a table of the titles and summaries of all 25 previous episodes of The Past Calls.
Then, excluding those, I selected impressive events in Korean history with similar question trends that occurred in eras not covered in the last three episodes.
‘The creation of Hangeul and the June Democracy Movement were the most likely candidates.’
After that, I just had to memorize everything from the achievements to the minor details of those events.
‘If the range is narrowed down that much, it’s doable.’
I had plenty of experience memorizing obscure facts while preparing for the civil service exam.
Besides, I still remembered a lot of the Korean history I had studied back then.
“Y-You worked hard.... You were r-really cool!”
“Thanks. You did well too. You were good at finding things and the skits.”
“N-No... that was all you!”
“What did I do?”
I continued to exchange casual banter with Seon A-hyun as we moved in the car.
Just before arriving at the next filming location to rejoin the group, I slipped away to the restroom.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Sure, okay~”
“G-Got it!”
But instead of going to the restroom, I headed to a secluded area behind the parking lot.
Then, I called the company.
‘The time has come.’
Today’s filming is scheduled to air late this weekend. I planned to take care of it before then.
The rat, that is.
“Yes, hello.”
Was I calling the Operations Team? No.
“This is the Management Office, right?”
The Management Office. The department that oversees the Operations Team.
“May I speak with the Chief?”
In situations like this, isn't it most effective to go directly to the highest-ranking person involved?