Chapter 169
Chapter 169
Park Moon-dae’s appearance on The Past Calls was only revealed when the teaser dropped. This was due to the schedule being rushed to fit the earliest possible broadcast date.
[(Teaser) TeSTAR and Golden Age become Sungkyunkwan scholars? 〈The Past Calls〉 EP36 | SBC Culture]
Naturally, a wave of concern immediately swept through the underground public opinion. It was a mix of worrying about poking a sleeping dogs and a gut feeling born from past experiences.
Among the fans who kept an eye on public sentiment, many had already realized that Golden Age was intentionally clinging to TeSTAR.
When considering Park Moon-dae’s past—his family history and his unfortunate story of dropping out—there was no way they could be happy about him appearing on a "brainy educational show" alongside a student from Korea University.
They felt like they would lose their minds from the injustice if the editing subtly compared their academic backgrounds to provoke him.
However, not everyone looked that deeply into it.
For those who didn't peer into the abyss and simply enjoyed their fandom in a lighthearted way, the general sentiment looked more like this:
A graduate student currently suffering through a grueling master’s program was among those in the latter camp.
‘The joy of my life...’
The graduate student grinned with hollow eyes.
She was truly grateful that it aired late at night. It was because she was stuck in the lab even on weekend afternoons...
‘I’m watching the live broadcast too!!’
She was so excited she wanted to jump around on her sofa, but lacking the energy, she sat down quietly and turned on the TV.
“It’s starting!”
The broadcast began shortly after.
[What is the past that calls to them?]
The graduate student watched with interest, from the opening where they removed their blindfolds to the MCs sitting in the monitoring room. Then, unable to hide her excited smile, she followed Park Moon-dae’s every move.
Just watching Park Moon-dae talk and laugh was healing in itself.
‘I was a bit sad he had black hair for this promotion, but I still want to see him in that scholar’s robe soon!’
However, this composure was shattered in the very next scene.
[‘Gap’ and ‘Gi’ are working at the Jiphyeonjeon.]
[!!]
“Uwaaaah!”
It was because Park Moon-dae had solved the first problem at lightning speed.
“What? What’s going on? What’s wrong with Park Moon-dae??”
And this exclamation wasn't just the graduate student’s thought. The timeline of the social media account she had clumsily made for her fandom was filled with similar comments.
But the shock had come too early.
[Um, I think it’s... three birds, one land animal, two sea creatures, and one bird.]
[How about we bring the item on the third shelf?]
Park Moon-dae’s performance didn't end throughout the entire broadcast.
“Whoa.”
The graduate student watched the screen with her mouth agape.
The show didn't use any particular editing magic. True to the culture department, it maintained a sophisticated yet refreshing atmosphere that wasn't overly provocative.
Because of that, Park Moon-dae’s problem-solving felt more real, as if it were happening in real-time, which made it even more impressive.
[Wait? Isn't he supposed to do that??]
[You’re originally supposed to solve that after going around once...]
[〈The Stirring Monitoring Room〉]
The production crew and the MCs’ raw reactions and sighs at his nonsensical level of ability set the mood.
“Wow...”
The graduate student stared at the screen, speechless, before her heart suddenly swelled with emotion.
‘I don’t want to express this with a bland word like "smart"!!’
Wouldn't he be the ace even if he went on a quiz show where they gathered smart celebrities to solve problems?
The cast members seemed to feel the same way, as exclamations and hollow laughter erupted from everywhere.
[Moon-dae, come here. Yeah. Let’s be honest. ...You’re a Mensa member, right? Just tell me!]
[Huh? No way.]
‘It really seems like it, though!!’
The graduate student shook her head back and forth, thinking he definitely seemed like one, so why was he giving an answer like "no way"?
And just like her, the fans who had been worried about his appearance were pouring out posts about Park Moon-dae’s insane performance, which far exceeded their expectations.
In fact, because Park Moon-dae progressed so quickly, they didn't even have to cut much of the problem-solving parts. If anything, they added more.
[The first problem is actually simple if you organize it with logic symbols. Um, could I have a pen... Thank you.]
By having Park Moon-dae explain his solution in an interview, they reinforced the explanation segment, which would have been there anyway, making it more interesting.
It was so detailed that those looking for a reason to hate couldn't even bring themselves to say things like "It’s so obviously scripted" or "Didn't they already give him the answers?"
[I find it easier to organize identical symbols by overlapping them. Then, there are things like this... that don't match and stick out.]
Anyone could see that Park Moon-dae had solved it himself and understood it completely.
And as the finishing touch, a background story was prepared to explain "why he was so good."
[I like this program... so I’ve watched it a lot. I studied quite a bit on my own while thinking about how to solve the problems.]
Park Moon-dae honestly confessed that he had studied hard for the show.
Of course, the truth was that he had simply narrowed down the scope of the Korean history questions for this episode to make them easier to memorize, but because he mixed in a reasonable amount of truth, it seemed more sincere.
An excuse for his Korean history skills, which were overshadowed by the logic puzzles, was also added with a mix of truth.
[Actually... I wondered what it would be like to become a civil servant, so I studied Korean history a bit before becoming an idol.]
It was a statement that could make anyone who knew Park Moon-dae’s circumstances feel a bit choked up.
And considering that everyone who had even a slight interest in Park Moon-dae knew those circumstances, it was a statement so well-crafted it was almost unfair.
Thanks to that, the viewers' reactions were filled with comments like "He’s so admirable," "Oh no," and crying emojis.
It was because the national sentiment, which burns with a passion for education, had been poked in the side.
It was an atmosphere where even those trying to stir up controversy about manipulation felt awkward saying anything.
Still, there were occasional ambiguous comments like "It feels artificial," "Hmm lol," or "He’s trying too hard," struggling to become a spark, but they didn't stand a chance.
This was because the level of trust this program originally held was high.
Furthermore, even if they tried to find fault by saying "He’s hogging all the screen time," there was little evidence.
This was because Park Moon-dae didn't particularly step forward except when solving problems.
In role-playing, action, or heartwarming scenes, he instead pushed Seon A-hyun to the front.
[Whoa! Whoaaa!]
[I want to try something like that too...]
For instance, the scene where Seon A-hyun gracefully and nimbly completed a mission to take a hint without touching the hanji and persimmons hanging from the ceiling was quite a sight to behold.
His clean movements made it suit him even more.
‘He looks like some kind of immortal.’
The graduate student was certain that all sorts of edited clips of that scene in slow motion would appear on her timeline within a few days.
Moreover, Seon A-hyun even brought some small talk to life.
[Would you... like one of these?]
[Oh, oh. I’m fine... No, I am fine, Your Grace.]
Seon A-hyun, holding a piece of rice cake dipped in honey with his other hand supporting it and offering it to a court lady who was blankly staring at the rice cake Park Moon-dae had grilled, was a picture in itself.
His expression, which clearly showed his internal conflict over whether it was okay to do this during filming, even added a touch of cuteness.
Even the court lady, who appeared as an NPC to set the mood, almost forgot her role for a moment as her real-life self nearly popped out.
‘I see why his nickname is Angel...’
The graduate student promoted Seon A-hyun from the "Moon-dae’s Friends" folder in her mind to the "Moon-dae’s Cute Friends" folder.
In the meantime, the cast members on the screen were warmly solving the case.
[Our atmosphere is great, isn't it?]
[Good, good! Now, shall our youngest give it a try too?]
[Yes! I’ll try to solve it!]
Of course, as Park Moon-dae had prepared, the Korea University student from Golden Age also got some screen time in problems or role-playing.
However, because he was stiff from the unfamiliar solo appearance and talk, it wasn't very interesting.
He did reasonably well in the problem-solving parts, but naturally, he didn't have as much impact as Park Moon-dae, who had solved them at lightning speed from the start when there were no expectations.
In the first place, because they had emphasized the information that he was a Korea University student, that much was expected.
[Oh~ Good, good!]
[Thank you!]
The broadcast flow simply continued with these kinds of generic scenes lacking personality.
So, the Korea University student was categorized by viewers as "not a laughingstock to the point of causing unnecessary trouble or becoming a topic of conversation," but "bland enough to have all the spotlight stolen."
It was the best result for Park Moon-dae’s fans.
Thanks to that, their private communities and social media were in a festive mood.
Since Golden Age’s agency, which would normally have made subtle provocations about "the tyranny of a large corporation," was as quiet as a mouse, this atmosphere was fixed as the established theory without any backlash.
And the climax exploded at the end of the episode.
[This book.]
[Doesn't this look exactly like Hangeul?]
It was Park Moon-dae’s display of Korean history knowledge and his parade of deduction.
[‘Gap’ and ‘Gi’ of the Jiphyeonjeon have come to present the 〈Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon〉 to His Majesty.]
This scene, accompanied by a calm vocal delivery and a faint smile, came out as impressive as a climax cut from a drama or movie.
Thanks to that, as soon as it aired, it became a clip and was posted on all sorts of social media and communities.
[A masterpiece scene that anyone who watched today’s 〈The Past Calls〉 would agree with]
[??? : Doesn't this look exactly like Hangeul?]
[〈The Past Calls〉 Park Moon-dae’s goosebump-inducing final deduction scene]
Normally, it would have been a title that attracted trolls until it exploded, but instead of trolls, it received countless agreements and quickly became a popular post.
It was because it was the simple truth.
It was the moment when Park Moon-dae’s image of an "unfortunate past," which had been a weakness, was sublimated into something more multi-dimensional by accepting his "good brain."
It meant that Park Moon-dae’s plan had been carried out without a hitch and without any variables.
‘Clean.’
I put down my smartphone. It had been a while since I had seen results so refreshing without any unexpected incidents.
“Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon! Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon!”
From the next room, I heard Cha Yu-jin’s voice excitedly shouting the words like some kind of cheering slogan. It was the result of the guys with free schedules monitoring The Past Calls together, saying they were bored.
‘Is it an American habit?’
His pronunciation was accurate, so it seemed that the scene had left quite an impression even on Cha Yu-jin, who was ignorant of Korean history.
“Hahahaha!”
I also heard the sound of Keun Se-jin, Cha Yu-jin’s roommate, bursting into laughter. The content for reassigning roommates was just around the corner, and I really hoped I wouldn't get stuck with those two.
But anyway... it was a night with nothing to calculate for the first time in a while.
I dully ignored the noise from the next room and closed my eyes.
The sensation of relaxation was so dominant that I didn't think I would even need earplugs. I was planning to go to bed a bit early today.
It was then.
Vrrr— Vrrr—
My smartphone began to vibrate steadily.
It was a call.
‘What?’
There shouldn't be anyone who would call me.
But since I had set it to block calls from numbers not registered in my contacts, it wasn't spam either.
Ah...
I held back a sigh and picked up my smartphone again, bringing it before my eyes. Naturally, the person calling was displayed on the screen.
[Golden Age Ha Il-jun Hyung]
“...?”
For some reason... it was Gold 1 in the middle of the night.