Koo Kyo-hwan's Powerful Declaration: 'I Am Not a Monster!' in JTBC Drama

Koo Kyo-hwan roared, 'I am not a monster!' as the weekend drama 'Secret Inspector' starring Shin Hye-sun on tvN recorded a viewership rating of 2.1%, a slight drop from last week's 2.2%.

In the third episode of JTBC's weekend drama 'Everyone is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness' (hereafter 'EFW'), aired on the 25th, Hwang Dong-man (played by Koo Kyo-hwan) defined himself as a 'destructive human' in response to others' tragedies and the world's downfall. He confessed to Byun Eun-ah (played by Go Yoon-jung) that he was convinced he was a monster due to his emotional reactions to events like car accidents, terrorist news, and world leaders' rescue, yet he concluded, 'Let's not pretend to be good anymore,' with a smirk.

Byun Eun-ah responded to these monstrous words with a high-five and laughed as if amused. She then gave an honest 'review,' saying Hwang Dong-man seemed more animalistic and impressive than the protagonist of his script, recognizing his destructive nature as genuine and vibrant 'humanity.' Though unfamiliar with compliments, Hwang Dong-man's eyes blinked as if caught in a glitch, but his emotion watch flashed green again.

Park Kyung-se (played by Oh Jung-se) struggled in despair after his fifth film 'The Armless Second Sister' flopped. Lead actress Jang Mi-ran (played by Han Sun-hwa) drove the nail in by saying, 'The director's debut was the best,' and he became an outcast, with no one speaking to him in the waiting room. In despair, Park Kyung-se climbed Mount Jiri, muttering and swallowing each harsh review of his film, fearing they would haunt him forever.

After eight hours of this, he reached the summit, somewhat composed, only to discover that a third of the comments he swallowed were written by Hwang Dong-man. Unaware that Park Kyung-se had rejoined the group chat after declaring his departure, Hwang Dong-man's critical messages were the same as the reviews. His harsh words about the criteria for becoming a director being whether the producer's wife was involved or not shattered Park Kyung-se.

However, this time, he didn't take it lying down. Park Kyung-se struck back at Hwang Dong-man, who had never experienced the hardship of making a film or the public's ridicule, calling him 'nothing.' Hwang Dong-man, hit by his own worthlessness, fell into deep self-loathing. Despite senior director Park Young-soo's (played by Jeon Bae-soo) advice to 'be kind like a human,' no one recognized him like Byun Eun-ah did.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that the first person to cause Byun Eun-ah to have a nosebleed was none other than her 'mother,' adding to the shock. The closest person had marked her with an 'X,' and she couldn't even utter the word 'mother,' referring to it with just 'E' and 'M,' indicating a wound too deep to measure. Her ex-boyfriend Ma Jae-young (played by Kim Jong-hoon) also returned, having collaborated on a script with her but intending to take sole credit.

Byun Eun-ah, who accurately grasped his petty intentions, stood her ground, refusing to be victimized again, but the pain was so intense it felt like acid on her heart, causing a nosebleed severe enough to require hospital care. At that moment, Hwang Dong-man's words about picking up even a 500 won coin when feeling down flashed through her mind.

For Hwang Dong-man, who was torn between being a 'monster' or 'nothing,' the ending of episode 3 became a decisive turning point in facing his true self. Upon seeing a car speeding towards Byun Eun-ah, his body moved before his mind. The words on his emotion watch were pure 'concern' and 'surprise.' Hwang Dong-man shouted, 'I am not a destructive human! I am not a monster!' breaking the chains of self-hatred. Byun Eun-ah, holding up a bundle of 500 won coins, cheered him on, saying, 'Where's your home? I'll scatter these for you!' This raised expectations for their future narrative as they discovered each other's value and became each other's strength.

Tae Yuna, TenAsia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr