Unexpected Synergy
In truth, there were massive problems with Kang Min playing Hitler.
First off, the sheer sensitivity of the character itself.
Since it was just buzzing around in Korean living rooms with Unbelievable, there hadn't been much issue. But if it had been some regular Western broadcast spewing out Hitler conspiracy theories left and right, he wouldn't have gotten a warm reception.
Second, and more obviously, race.
Even nowadays it's no picnic, but back in Hitler's era, treating East Asians like "yellow monkeys" was par for the course. And considering who Hitler was, an East Asian playing him? It wasn't just sensational—it bordered on the astral plane.
Third, Unbelievable was currently drawing overseas attention.
It was still just a handful, but give them any opening, and that handful would balloon hundreds of times over, burying MBS under a pile of "those fucking bastards." Their terrestrial broadcasting rivals—those blood enemies—would gleefully grab shovels and lead the charge.
No wonder the vice president had screamed like a Protoss spotting a scout from StarGate when he finally grasped the situation.
—But for Kang Min, all these downsides flipped into advantages.
Kang Min smiled contentedly.
The issue with the previous episode was that my acting wasn't quite Unbelievable-enough.
Well, maybe just a tad.
And that might've sparked a very, very tiny backlash.
But mistakes can be fixed.
Hitler was the symbol of Unbelievable, but he was also the perfect trump card Kang Min could play right now.
An East Asian playing Hitler—hell, with conspiracy theories thrown in! Of course people will go, 'What the hell is this...!'
Flip the chessboard.
Instead of agonizing over how to act in a way that fits Unbelievable, rig the board so he has to deliver Unbelievable-worthy acting.
Han Ye-seul PD was the crowning touch.
Han Ye-seul of Black Forest was a monster. But that monstrous talent lay in seamlessly harmonizing every element without letting anything stick out.
Han Ye-seul would never let Kang Min shine alone like in the Pavlovsk Experiment episode. She believed that wasn't proper drama.
Still a bit uneasy, Kang Min had subtly hyped her up, trashed KBC, and stroked her ego.
Given the shoestring budget and Unbelievable's concept, her options were obvious.
Kang Min grinned slyly.
How could I let a chance like this slip away and get booted?!
Everything was falling perfectly into place.
Who could make a monster not hate an East Asian playing Hitler?
The game was already won!
I'm burying my bones in Unbelievable...!
...And yeah,
Kang Min's perfect plan—cackling to himself as always—started creaking from the get-go, just like clockwork.
It began with the most crucial element: the production team.
#
"Hello, Writer Baek."
"...Hello, PD Han Ye-seul."
"......."
"......."
After their first meeting, things hadn't improved between Han Ye-seul PD and writer Baek Chae-i.
Han Ye-seul didn't like Baek Chae-i.
No, honestly, anyone would think she was a crazy bitch.
Barging into a men's meeting going, 'I'll write the script for you?' Who does this grande dame think she is?
And fuck, why's she glaring like that? What's MBS's deal, okaying her on the spot?
Six years younger than me... Shit, wanna punch her?!
And Baek Chae-i didn't like Han Ye-seul either.
No, honestly, anyone would think she was a crazy bitch.
Dangerous... That woman's really dangerous!
There's limits to stalker fandom!
And acting all innocent about it...!
Of course, OlivePenguin—as the top admin of MinLove—had personally selected the tribute volunteers. She couldn't reveal she was Baek Chae-i, so she'd only watched from afar on set.
A few days later, Baek Chae-i spotted a weirdly dressed woman pretending not to know Kang Min and chatting him up.
Any sane person would freak out.
A famous producer stalking an actor like that?! Is she insane?!
Oh, our writer-nim. Now she's straight-up flirting?
Min doesn't even notice...! Gotta find some dirt...!
Knock it off for real...!
Seo Bom's little grenade had snowballed into bizarre misunderstandings and even weirder situations.
And unfortunately for Kang Min, both women were pros.
If they couldn't jab for their own goals, pros throw uppercuts.
Han Ye-seul fired first in the meeting.
"Writer Baek, sorry, but is this what you call a script right now?"
"...Pardon?"
She'd jumped in hastily since she couldn't ignore it, but naturally, Baek Chae-i had zero understanding or respect for Adolf Hitler.
...Well, having any might've been worse, but anyway, the script was predictably crude.
Han Ye-seul—nearly exploding from inexplicable hostility—chewed it up gleefully.
"As we said in the meeting, this shoot's about conspiracy theories. Hitler didn't actually die—he disguised himself as an Ecuadorian priest and lived out his life."
"...Yes."
"If you know that, shouldn't you inject some urgency? This feels like Tinky Winky and Po's spat in Teletubby Land."
Host PD Wi Min-jun thought, This script slaps, what's the problem? And why Tinky Winky of all things? But Baek Chae-i was pissed anyway.
Unable to retort, she bolted to the library post-meeting.
The bored librarian rubbed her eyes repeatedly at the sight of a college girl grinding her teeth while copying Mein Kampf by hand.
Of course, days later, the tables turned.
"As you know, our gear's crap, and the topic's too heavy for straight drama. Could Actor Kang dial back his intensity, or we edit it lightly—"
"Ah."
"...Something to say?"
"No, just... got it."
"......."
The next day, a fuming Han Ye-seul stormed the bureau chief's office, vented at the bald guy, and yanked a ton of equipment.
As time passed, Baek Chae-i's reading list turned mustache-heavy: Mein Kampf, Goebbels Diaries, Michael, The International Jew, Prussianism and Socialism. In contrast, Han Ye-seul's storyboards grew intricate and bold.
Wi Min-jun, reduced to a rice straw, couldn't help but think blankly.
This is... Unbelievable...?
What was it? That vibe.
Hand over a brush to "help with a quick sketch," and suddenly it's Picasso and Braque.
Wi Min-jun, master of cheap landscapes, watched in dazed horror as his canvas filled with bizarre, badass cubist abstraction.
"Those who want to live must fight. In this eternal world of struggle, those who refuse to fight have no right to live..."
"Imagine what Hitler would've thought of Fluxus—that 1960s avant-garde art movement. Pull it straight out like that!"
"The Jew lacks his own culture, so his intellectual base always derives from other peoples. His mind developed solely on the cultures around him across all eras—never the reverse..."
"Old-school blowup print vibes. Intellectual montage! Slam that bounce lighting! Light on depth! Make it feel deliberately stretched! No budget? Fake it till you make it!"
And in this madhouse, the root of all evil—Kang Min's take?
"It's a bit off from what I imagined, but it'll be fine, right?"
A bit? Had this lunatic predicted even a sliver of this insanity?!
Three days later, the startled vice president rushed in, stared blankly, and fled. With final hopes dashed, Wi Min-jun popped cheongsimhwan and St. John's wort daily in agony.
Damn it, just hand them full control and let 'em run wild...!
Every clash had him inwardly screaming that.
But that was just the beginning.
Days later, Han Ye-seul went even crazier.
"PD Wi, got a proposal."
"...Shoot."
"We need a legit German actor. Any leads?"
"......."
Wi Min-jun squeezed his eyes shut.
This was Unbelievable...!
#
While Kang Min's hoped-for Unbelievable dream team veered into monstrosity, something even worse brewed.
This was main base, not a proxy war.
MBS King and Sovereign conference room.
Veterans like Yi Hoon and Park Seong-ho rarely frowned as they cornered the PD.
"PD Yu."
"...Yes."
"Frankly, isn't the network going too far?"
"......."
No excuses—MBS brass had zero desire to prop up Unbelievable, not even a speck. It was just handed over reluctantly due to Kang Min's stubbornness.
The Pavlovsk hit, Kang Min insisting on Hitler, even writer Baek Chae-i jumping in—no one at MBS intended any of it.
—But to outsiders, it looked different.
"King and Sovereign ain't wrapped yet. Pulling Kang Min and the writer? For a 40% drama?"
"Hmm..."
"I agree with Seong-ho. If that junior was doing variety tours for cash, fine. But this?"
"What payoff did the lead actor demand mid-drama to do Unbelievable crap?!"
...It was a payoff. Just inverted roles.
As mentioned before, Kang Min had explained to everyone. Hell, he'd scheduled an interview declaring Unbelievable acting was his dream.
No one bought it.
Bullshit.
Total bullshit.
Who'd believe that crap?
And amid the suspicion, a blatantly shady article dropped.
"TV Yoruhie CBC... Their game's obvious."
"PD Yu, you gotta speak up."
"CBC's MBS buddies, right? Colluding to pimp actors?"
MBS-CBC ties ran deep—deep enough to overlook MBS ripping off their news concepts wholesale once.
Suspicion was inevitable.
And, well—
Execs would've flipped hearing it, but PD Yu Ho-hyeon thought much the same.
Networks demanding token gestures from 'promoted' actors is common. But here, Actor Kang promoted us...
Black Forest would've been Black Forest sans recast, but no Kang Min meant no King and Sovereign.
If it hit 5% tops, Yu deserved 20%, writer 25%, Kang Min over 50%.
Yu couldn't help but resent the brass's heavy-handed(?) pressure.
—Ho-hyeon, you might not believe it, but that damn Unbelievable was his idea.
—...I see.
—This punk's eyes scream he doesn't buy a speck.
With mid-tier vets storming in fuming over the drama's weight.
Yu soon decided on support fire. Producers must never forget favors, unlike people.
"Everyone knows a finale special's planned post-run, right?"
"Out of left field—what's that got to do with Min—"
"Thinking of centering it on Actor Kang Min. Thoughts?"
"...?"
The vets exchanged glances.
The drama had rolled on Hui-yul till mid-run. Starting with Kang Min's special? Ending on him too? Not bad.
But that wasn't the point.
"Several guests lined up. The kid and mom Actor Kang saved in ep 4 agreed; action director, VFX lead, stuntman Kim Ho-jin..."
"Ah, that guy showed?"
"Not yet—suspended indictment confirmed. No record, bawled in remorse, public's warming. Could return."
"Huh."
"Anyway, it'll be chill talk. Popularity's nuts—three eps planned."
Yu Ho-hyeon smiled slyly.
A tad shady.
"In that cozy spot, slipping in some pointed jokes okay, right?"
"...Like, that junior + Unbelievable combo was off?"
"Perfect."
"Hmm."
Terrifying stuff. Kang Min would've screamed unwittingly.
But not the end.
Yi Hoon—as Grand Councilor—spoke up thoughtfully.
"Feels weak. No guest ideas? Topical, chatty guy I know."
"Who?"
"Choi Bong-man. The ten-million director."
"......Pardon?"
"He's hot on junior Kang lately but striking out. Recall his Unbelievable rant last week? Juicy visuals—thoughts?"
"Hoo..."
Thus,
as the world plotted to roast Kang Min's Unbelievable smoothly,
two days later, the roast's apex appeared.
Yangju MBS Unbelievable set.
A tall, sturdy German-American offered a handshake.
"Pleased to meet you. Stefan Geisler."
"Kang Min."
Hmm...
He sighed softly at the calm-faced actor before him.
I owe that director big. Ending up helping some East Asian play Hitler? Insane.
Of course, Stefan had watched last week's Unbelievable.
Impressive.
But that's why this shoot felt like peak stupidity.
The historical warrior, lab doc—grounded humanity. Cool exterior hiding soft innards. Maybe born for it.
But,
Hitler's madness incarnate.
Less man, more monster.
Less monster, more devil.
Overwhelming insanity—enduring death for goals, nay, welcoming it.
Can this young actor summon that madness?
Stefan smirked inwardly.