What Drives Them Mad, Ratings (3)
[Haegeuk Ends with Astonishing 39.1% Ratings.]
Meanwhile, the VilLab community was exploding with all sorts of breadcrumbs and theories.
Go Seung-eun is a former Jeonjo royal who returned to the shadows. Park Su-madang is also a key Jeonjo figure, but seems more like a loyal retainer than royalty.
<Comparison photo of skeletons unearthed from the two pine trees>
The first skeleton blatantly emphasizes the skull. The second hides the skull and blatantly emphasizes the feet.
This implies the body of one person was cut in half and buried separately. And that body belongs to the shaman.
Right before death, she probably left a will to use her own corpse as a sacrifice for a curse, and Go Seung carried it out.
In other words, Go Seung and the shaman were in cahoots from the start, aiming to dismantle the royal family from within.
Pay attention to how Go Seung carries the exact same Jeonjo royal accessories found with the skeleton.
(…omitted…)
Evidence gathered from multiple rewatches.
The shaman appears in scenes with others 12 times total. But even assuming she's not there in all 12, the other characters' dialogue flows naturally. This is 100% intentional directing.
Remember when the Grand Prince first went to meet the shaman and brought two guards? Neither had actually seen her.
Meaning the other characters only heard about her existence from the Grand Prince's mouth.
(…omitted…)
In actual Joseon history, there's a view that from the point Yeonsangun dismantled the national system, scholarly power ran wild, leading to later regency politics and the start of the dynasty's decline.
That's when Joseon's downfall snowball started rolling steadily.
The writer seems to have adopted that theory, combining it with Jeonjo's curse and the era's superstition that eating liver cures leprosy.
Decisively, the writer publicly claims descent from a slave who swept Kim Jong-seo's courtyard—that's ironclad proof.
Three-line summary:
1. Go Seung and the ghost shaman plotted from the start to ruin the Grand Prince and collapse the royal family from inside as revenge on Jeonjo.
2. The scholar showed growth in acting once again.
3. Don't go to grad school ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-I'm a VilRapper. That song around the middle of the finale felt weirdly intriguing. Not Baek Hyeo-seon, though.
-10-year Baek Hyeo-seon fan here, you're right. Not her voice.
-Huh? The style and vibe screamed her, I thought it was a different recording version?
-The scholar singing it?
-No way, that was top vocalist level.
-Too natural for machine-pitched highs.
-No freaking way;;; Thought at concert guest spots she always did highs cuz scholar's weak there ㅠㅠㅠ
-Checked again after this. Compared to concert version too. Yeah, scholar sang it.
-lololol wtf is this guy? ScholarNew ㅠㅠ
-Not human lol whoa he's a Celestial Dragon lolol
Unable to shake the finale's afterglow, Oh So-hee was chattering away on the VilLab community when she let out a shriek.
"Kim Da-hye! MV for At That Place dropped!"
"Hurry up! What're you doing, play it!"
"Fuck. Why's the TV YouTube app so goddamn slow. Calling this a smart TV my ass."
"Total false advertising. Gotta sue the Fair Trade Commission and everyone."
The rumor that Jeong Seo-hoon appeared in the music video had already become fact among fans, thanks to leaked photos of him in exile attire with Baek Hyeo-seon on set.
A poignant instrumental faded in softly, followed by Baek Hyeo-seon's deep, emotive voice.
The young Grand Prince's wife (Han Seo-hee), eyes brimming with tears, clutched the Grand Prince's hand as familiar drama scenes flashed by in quick cuts.
'The storyline feels... different?'
They sensed the divergence.
Left Prime Minister (Lee Min-soo) surrounds the Grand Prince's residence with soldiers, bellowing for him to come out.
In the original drama's Jeongnan arc, it was the exact opposite.
Then came the deep kiss with Han Seo-hee.
"You bastard! If you're gonna do that, pay for the MV!"
"Calm down. She's a minor. Getting mad just makes our scholar look even more devastating."
"Ugh... ugh... aaah...."
Oh So-hee wailed, while Kim Da-hye soothed her from the side.
The Grand Prince, who seemed poised to seize the world, departs alone to a distant exile. Even in confinement, he never forgets his love and longing for his wife.
The two exchange tearful letters over grueling distances every night.
As the wife shifts from Han Seo-hee to Lee Seo-hyeon, it naturally shows much time has passed.
The Grand Prince, with thick beard and haggard face, reveals exhaustion from prolonged exile.
Finally returning to the capital after long exile—but only because his young nephew has resolved to kill his uncle.
In the capital prison, he shares a final kiss with his wife (Lee Seo-hyeon) through the bars, bidding farewell to this world.
He bows toward where the young king is, then drinks the poisoned wine.
"...Why's this so heartbreaking."
"Me, crying over an MV at this age..."
Oh So-hee and Kim Da-hye were already tearing up.
The music video focused entirely on the Grand Prince and wife's tragic love and painful parting—from start to finish.
A farewell song of aching love, barely touched in the original drama.
"Lyrics hit so hard."
"Haegeuk could've been like this."
"Kim Sang-hee's fault."
"She's always bad. Agreed."
"Seriously the worst. Our scholar's so good at tragic love, why..."
"Kim Sang-hee wasted his face big time."
After looping the MV several times, they logged back into VilLab.
The boards were ablaze with MV hype.
-lololol Fans New to Original from MV Gonna Freak, I Can See It lolol
-pffft imagining it, burst out irl lolol
-rofl that'll be hilarious lololol
-When's At That Place Audio Dropping? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-ㅠㅠ Release Single + Mini Album Plz, I'd Buy 10 ㅠㅠㅠ
Oh So-hee hammered away on her phone.
"Hey, probably up on NetPrime now?"
"Way past time. Let's check."
"Wait. Beer first."
"Checked earlier, plenty. No convenience run needed."
"Ok. Go go."
Oh So-hee fired up NetPrime on the TV.
The finale from tonight's broadcast was now public.
With excitement cooled, they watched calmly this time.
"After MV, feels unfamiliar."
"Yeah. MV was total What If?"
"If Grand Prince lost, and Haegeuk was romance sageuk."
"Exactly. MV's core theme. Whoever the producer, nailed it."
At That Place OST—lyrics alone make it a tragic love ballad.
Seems mismatched with Haegeuk at first, but interpret as Grand Prince's endless pursuit of power, fits perfectly.
Remixed with twisted plot and ending, fans couldn't resist.
As that infamous scene hit, they held their breath, eyes glued to the screen.
The uncle's gaze closes in, swallowing the screen in black. From the darkness, chewing sounds emerge, ending with blood-red subtitles: Devoured the roasted nephew.
Only after the screen changed could they exhale.
"Scholar's gaze acting is killer."
"No wonder bro says he must've killed tons IRL."
"If Oh Tae-woo thinks so, scholar's murder acting is spot-on."
"Why's the board on fire? Fuck! Scholar posted! It's him, himself!"
"What?"
Kim Da-hye whipped out her phone in shock, hitting VilLab.
Sure enough, a post under 30 minutes old had already hit 200k views.
-Dear fans, hello. Actor Jeong Seo-hoon here.
Always grateful for your excessive love.
As a rookie, receiving major awards and three straight hits is all thanks to you. Truly thankful.
For finale commemoration, considering a casual fan meet-and-greet.
(…omitted…)
"Fuck! Fuck! Fan meeting!"
"Going. Going. Gotta go. Fuck. Absolutely going!"
"Seo-hoon-ah, wait! Unnies coming!"
Oh So-hee and Kim Da-hye bounced around in ecstasy.
At that moment, parents nationwide heard eerie screams from their daughters' rooms.
Kim Sang-hee downed shots with a sullen face.
The two actresses and child actor eyed her boozing alone at the bar.
"Writer-nim, you're really bummed, huh."
"39.1% is insane. Unbelievably high."
"No one else will break it anytime soon. Maybe not even you."
Jeong Seo-hoon spoke quietly.
"That's why stopping at 39.1% stings. 3 and 4 in the tens place are worlds apart."
"Ah, yeah. Oppa."
"Seo-hoon-ssi thinks on a whole other level. Korea University top, huh?"
Child actor Yoon Jin-won puzzled over the connection but stayed mum.
"Oppa, you posted on VilLab?"
"Yeah, just now. Why?"
"Whoa, really you. Thought it was another impersonator."
"Ah, impersonation? Tricky if fans mistake my greeting for fake."
"No private selfie? Add one, clears it up."
"Don't take selfies."
"Then I'll snap one now and send."
Jeong Seo-hoon posed; Han Seo-hee shot several with her phone, edited lightly, and sent.
"Thanks. Comments asking if it's really me piling up."
"Attach to post and reply too. No doubts then."
Yoon Jin-won watched: Lee Seo-hyeon glaring subtly at Han Seo-hee with boiling eyes; Han Seo-hee basking in victor's smile; Jeong Seo-hoon oblivious to the vibe war.
'Jealous. Can I become an actor like hyung someday?'
Truth was, Yoon Jin-won quietly crushed on Han Seo-hee.
But three years older and 10cm+ taller, she saw him as no man. Plus, her crush on Jeong Seo-hoon was obvious.
Unstarted puppy love, already crushed.
'Gotta grow taller fast...'
Jeong Seo-hoon read Yoon Jin-won's mood without glancing.
'Kid's crushing on Han Seo-hee. Fair enough.'
"How many for the fan meet?"
Lee Seo-hyeon's question.
"Just invite whoever wants to come."
"No? It'd never happen."