The Childhood Friend's Tears
The trend of short-form videos was only just beginning to take hold in Korea. TikTok had stumbled a bit at first due to its shaky marketing, but as more people took an interest and flocked to the app, demand for short clips steadily grew. Because the videos were quick and easy to make, countless users tried uploading their own, and in no time the platform was flooded with content. Most of it, however, was crude—relying on the app’s built-in effects and basic editing tools.
Amid the sea of ordinary clips, one video stood out immediately. Its quality was on another level from the very first frame. In short-form content, you have only a second to hook the viewer before they swipe away. This video didn’t rely on upbeat music or flashy effects. It was simply a girl. A girl in such raw, believable pain that viewers couldn’t look away after that first second. By the second second, they were completely drawn in. The depth of emotion reached straight through the screen, leaving them staring blankly at her face. Fifteen seconds later the video ended and looped from the beginning. Only then did people snap out of it and notice the title: [Five Years After Breaking Up with My Childhood Friend].
The drama that instantly came to mind was Playground Childhood Friend. That was when viewers finally recognized the girl—she was the child actress who had played the female lead as a child. Fans who had enjoyed the drama began sharing the clip on the Playground Childhood Friend community, their comments filled with nothing but praise.
└ My drama stopped at Childhood Friend.
└ I have to go rewatch the drama now.
└ Me too
└ 22222
└ If it were official promotion, shouldn’t it come from the official account?
└ This looks like Bom’s personal account.
└ You’re right?
└ These days even personal SNS accounts promote dramas, so maybe that’s it?
└ Then why promote a finished drama?
└ idk lol
(Screenshot of reply)
They said they don’t know anything about it either. Looks like Bom just filmed and uploaded it herself.
└ Is this noise marketing?
└ What’s the point of noise marketing a drama from five years ago?
└ So Bom acted, filmed, edited, and uploaded it all herself?
Dancing Raccoon? So this person edited it. Seems like they worked on it privately with some PD she knows.
└ Make it three scoops of cuteness please
└ I agree
└ Well, she’s done quite a few dramas, so she probably has some close PDs.
└ That username looks familiar.
└ Right? Where have I seen it before?
└ Oh wait—
He suddenly blew up on YouTube a while back. His editing skills are insane. Maybe it’s the same person?
└ I checked—he does edits for streamers. The style’s a bit different, though.
└ I checked too. Still, it’s ridiculously good.
└ He’s actually insane. He pumps out two videos a day at that quality?
└ Stop exaggerating. How is that even possible?
└ I watch Oh Serin’s streams a lot, and she said it herself, so it must be true.
└ Why is my Raccoon showing up here?
The short clip didn’t stay confined to the drama’s community. Titled “Spin-off of the hit drama from five years ago,” it spread across the internet. Everyone who had enjoyed the drama back then, and even those who hadn’t but were captivated by Choi Bom’s first-person performance, ended up watching it. Views climbed at an explosive rate. While short-form videos were known for racking up views quickly, this level of growth was extraordinary. The TikTok algorithm pushed the video even harder, eventually showing it to people who had never even heard of the drama. Once it reached that point, the clip had become a full-blown issue.
Broadcast networks never missed an opportunity like this. Choi Bom was invited onto her second variety show. The MC introduced her with a warm, friendly tone.
“Wow, the little girl who once touched all our hearts has already grown up so much. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“I was in first grade back then. It’s already been five years.”
“Time really does fly… We get sad watching ourselves age, but it’s nice to see you growing up so beautifully, Bom.”
“Thank you.”
Choi Bom responded with practiced ease, but her heart was pounding. She had never imagined that a single video she’d filmed for fun would cause such a massive ripple effect. Even though it was a TikTok clip, she had treated the acting seriously and performed properly. Yet the reaction was this big?
Recognizing the chance to boost her visibility, her agency had immediately booked her for a talk show. On set, Choi Bom desperately hid her panic behind a calm smile.
“You’ve all seen that video, right? The scene from episode one of Playground Childhood Friend, five years after the childhood portion. I almost cried watching it myself. What did you think, Actor Kang Minseok?”
Choi Bom turned slightly toward the dignified man seated beside her. Kang Minseok—a veteran actor and acclaimed film director, widely regarded as a master of the industry. The reason she was fighting so hard to keep her hands from trembling was because she was sharing the stage with an actor she had long admired.
Kang Minseok spoke in his low, steady voice. “It was truly remarkable.”
“Even a great actor like you thinks so?”
“Of course. At that age, I couldn’t have come close to that level of performance. The acting in Playground Childhood Friend five years ago was already impressive for a child, but this was far more polished.”
Choi Bom clenched her fists under the desk, barely containing her joy. A legendary senior actor was praising her!
“If it’s all right, Bom, I have a question.”
“Ah—yes, of course!”
“I personally found the way you conveyed emotion through tears very compelling. The tears shed in the dark bedroom carried the fear of death, longing for the boy, and guilt over leaving. But the tears in the bright bedroom right after waking up were nothing but love for him. Was there a specific reason you chose to portray it that way?”
Even while listening nervously, Choi Bom couldn’t help but be impressed. Emotional acting was subtle, and viewers often interpreted an actor’s intent differently. Affection could be read as wistfulness, excitement as joy. A single shift in interpretation could change the character entirely, which was why actors poured everything into their performances. For someone to grasp the exact intention meant either the acting had been crystal clear or the viewer possessed an exceptional eye for nuance. Feeling proud that her acting had improved, Choi Bom looked at Kang Minseok with admiration.
“There’s a line in the drama that’s mentioned in passing—something about multiple surgeries, and how the final one nearly cost her life. I think the female lead had a vague sense of her feelings for the protagonist even back then. But as her health declined, she buried those emotions. Revealing them would have been too heavy a burden for him. So she kept them hidden.”
“After several surgeries, she sensed that this one would be her last. Still, she didn’t show her feelings. She simply thought of their happy memories and held onto her guilt. Then, when the surgery succeeded and she opened her eyes, she was completely cured. Only then did she allow herself to show the love she’d hidden all along. By surviving her terminal illness, she finally felt worthy of loving him. I wanted to show the shift from childhood friends drifting apart to something more—love.”
If the boy and girl had promised each other love before parting, and if the girl had died from her illness, the boy would never have been able to believe in love again. Fearing that, the girl had refused to make any promise. Only after that fear was gone could she finally think of him and embrace her love. That was the image of the female lead Choi Bom had wanted to portray—and the direction Seo Sua had envisioned.
Kang Minseok smiled warmly and applauded. “Remarkable. To understand a character so deeply and express those emotions so clearly at such a young age… I’d love to cast you in one of my films someday.”
“Th-thank you!”
“That wasn’t just polite talk. I’ll give you my contact information. When I make my next film, please come audition.”
Choi Bom’s mind spun. “Ah, right—one more question.”
“Y-yes! Ask me anything!”
“The person who directed that video—Dancing Raccoon, was it? Do you know their real identity? The framing, color grading, and directing technique don’t seem like something an amateur would produce.”
Kang Minseok was both an actor and a film director, so while the acting had caught his eye, it was the clean yet striking direction that had truly held his attention. This was clearly the work of someone with real industry experience. Yet he had never heard of anyone using the odd alias “Dancing Raccoon.”
Choi Bom hesitated for a moment. ‘Sua did say it wouldn’t matter if I mentioned her in a situation like this… though without giving away her real identity, of course.’ She decided to keep it vague.
“It’s someone I know personally. They haven’t entered the broadcasting industry yet. With how popular personal YouTube channels are these days, they work as a freelance editor for those.”
“Hmm… You’re saying this level of skill isn’t from a professional?”
“Oh? So the rumors floating around online were true?”
The internet gossip claiming that Dancing Raccoon edited for a certain broadcaster and was the same person who had edited Choi Bom’s video. Choi Bom swallowed hard. ‘Since I got permission, it should be fine.’ She nodded.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
. . . . . .
Right after the variety show featuring Choi Bom aired—
“H-huh…?”
Oh Serin, who had booted up her computer as usual, let out a dumbfounded sound. Her very first video had somehow rocketed to #5 on the trending chart.