Login in to Alandal

“Swiftly cutting meat, sculpting other people's faces, putting out candles with chopsticks, playing the leaf flute..."

"The agency wasn't exaggerating? This is not even a circus show."

The show staff brought a large chunk of meat, a cutting board, and a knife. The hosts seemed startled. 

"So… you're doing it for real?"

"You can do it!"

Jung Se-ho and Lee Seung-ku cheered as Kyu-ha picked up the knife and stood in front of the meat hanging just above the table. 

"I’ll start.”

Kyu-ha began to cut the meat calmly as if he were slicing through butter. He used the knife efficiently and appeared relaxed, although his pace was rapid. 

Swift, split, thunk 

“This is sirloin.”

Split, split, swoosh, thunk 

“This is brisket, and this is tenderloin.”

The hosts watched blankly as Kyu-ha sectioned the meat at a tremendous speed. 

It was like they were catching a glimpse of an art show. 

“Wow… Can cutting meat be this cool? It’s amazing. Thank you! I enjoyed it. What about the next skill? Sculpting? This is the first personal talent ever seen on this show. Could you make a sculpture for one of us?”

“Sure. I’ll sculpt Mr. Tak Seong-min.”

Kyu-ha picked up a large rubber and prepared a carving knife. He began to carve it into Tak Seong-min, the most senior of the three hosts.

Slash, slash, slash

Usually, when carving with rubber, people typically make a simple stamp piece, but here was Kyu-ha creating a three-dimensional work.

Again, the speed at which he was cutting was incredible. 

"Is a sculpture supposed to be made that fast?"

After only ten minutes, Kyu-ha held up the rubber sculpture resembling Tak Seong-min, the host. 

“Wow… look at the quality. This is spectacular. Could we see other skills too?”

“The next one is… putting out candles with chopsticks… Is this possible? Are you from the Special Forces?”

"I used to do it for fun when I was younger, and now I can do it well.”

“Who does such a thing at such a young age!?”

As if on cue, the staff started setting the candles and chopsticks. 

“In one of the previous episodes, we had a guest from the Special Forces, and we watched him throw chopsticks at apples. But now we’re looking at an actor trying something even harder. Let’s go!”

The distance between Kyu-ha and the candles was about five meters, which was not close. But he remembered when he was Lee Hyun, the assassin, and recalled his training.

Kyu-ha stared at the candle momentarily before throwing the chopstick without hesitation. It flew straight at the candle and loosely got stuck to the wall behind it. 

The hosts were surprised to see him get it right on his first try and showed their surprise visibly, but they cheered and applauded him nonetheless. 

“Whoa, this is unbelievable. I didn’t actually think you would succeed. What on earth…! I can’t even say anything. You are something. Truly something. This episode is lit!”

“I agree. No one who wrote outrageous things as their skills ever succeeded in pulling them off on the show, but Mr. Kyu-ha has broken everyone’s expectations!”

“Now, we look forward to you playing the leaf flute.”

As soon as the hosts said that, two staff members emerged with a relatively sizable wooden pot.

Kyu-ha picked a leaf that was the most convenient size for him to play with.

“Wow, this is live leaf music.”

“Ok, I’ll do a short song.”

Kyu-ha performed a song that he had written during his time living as a professional poet-singer. 

The studio was filled with a musical sound that seemed to be emanating from a leaf. It was full of sorrow and mourning. 

Pip, tootle-too.

The sound the leaf made was somewhat gloomy, but it was also a mysterious song as it had undertones of bright vibes. 

The short performance stopped after a minute, and heavy silence filled the air. 

Kyu-ha's leaf flute performance so engrossed everyone on set that the show's flow was interrupted for a moment.

Tak Seong-min, a seasoned host, quickly composed himself. 

“W…Wow, that was beautiful. I didn’t know that this small leaf could evoke so much emotion. What is that song?”

“It’s not that good. I wrote when I was young. I wrote it because I was bored, but thank you for listening."

"I believe it will go extremely viral on the internet. Thank you for the music. Let’s give an ovation to three charming and talented actors from ‘In the Name of the Devil’!”

The episode was nearly at its conclusion after the end of the individual talent segment, and the writers behind the cameras used a sketchbook to signal to the hosts that it was time for the next part of the show.

Tak Seong-min looked at Kyu-ha and asked. 

“Mr. Song Kyu-ha, is there anyone you want to thank now that you are on this show?”

“Yes. So many people helped me throughout my life. Especially, I want to sincerely thank the monks at Doseon Temple who raised me. 

“The monks? That’s unexpected. Can I ask what you are thankful for?”

Kyu-ha summarized his childhood, narrating how he was taken to the temple by a monk and his life there.

The atmosphere became solemn after Kyu-ha’s story, while the video message further saddened the audience.

Kyu-ha looked into the camera and said. 

“I would like to thank all the monks at Doseon Temple. But especially, I show my gratitude to Elder Monk Cheong-myung. I could have given up on life with all the uneasy experiences I had to take in at a young age, but you took me in and taught me to endure. I have always wanted to thank you properly. Thank you so much for letting me live my life.”

Clap clap clap 

The recording of the Star Café Star episode with the three actors of ‘In the Name of the Devil’ was wrapped up well. Two weeks after it was aired on TV, it caused a more significant ripple than expected. 

When the show aired on TV, everyone began searching for Kyu-ha online. So much so that the top live keyword rankings on a search engine showed Kyu-ha’s name. 

Nave Keyword Search Ranking 

1. In the Name of the Devil Song Kyu-ha

2. Song Kyu-ha’s past

3. Song Kyu-ha’s talent 

4. Lee Seung-ku’s mimicking 

5. Song Kyu-ha and monks

6. Song Kyu-ha sculpturing 

Also, various gifs were posted on YouTube and SNS, which helped promote ‘In the Name of the Devil’ even more.

Eventually, ‘In the Name of the Devil’ hit 5.18 million views and ranked fifth among R-rated movies. The lead actor, Cha Kyung-seok, was also highly praised for his performance. 

The other actors, Jung Se-ho, Lee Seung-ku, and Song Kyu-ha, also gained recognition from the audience, making their names recognizable to the film industry's stakeholders. 

Kyu-ha’s display in the Star Café Star episode was such a resounding success that it was about to trigger a massive butterfly effect that neither Kyu-ha nor this agency could have anticipated. 

***

An excellent barbeque restaurant called One Heart Korean Beef in Mapo district is famous for being the place of staff gatherings of Stellar Entertainment.

Considering celebrities frequented it, they often rented the entire venue for gatherings. Today was the congratulatory party for the rookie Kyu-ha’s five-million-view hit movie. 

“Let’s toast to congratulate Kyu-ha and Stellar’s bright future!”

CEO Han Jeong-chul made the toast and raised his glass.

Cheers!

Around forty people were at the dinner. Stellar Entertainment kept its team small, although it had a long history in the industry. 

There were around ten actors managed by Stellar Entertainment, including Kyu-ha. Most had started their careers at the agency and had deep-running relationships with the company built on mutual trust. 

Kyu-ha went around the tables to get to know others. 

Lastly, he sat at the table with other senior actors, whose average age was around 45. They all looked at him eagerly. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Song Kyu-ha, and I’ve recently joined the agency. Please take care of me from now on.”

“Ah, our new rookie! We meet, finally! Come one, take your seat.”

Choi Min-chul, who looked like a middle-aged man with gray hair and thin gold-framed glasses, let Kyu-ha sit next to him. 

“I love the show Star Café Star, and I enjoyed your episode! You have charm and many talents! I especially loved the tune you played with the leaf!”

That was Jung Ok-joo talking. She sat across from Kyu-ha, her eyes full of curiosity. She typically acted as a housewife in a large family or a successful woman entrepreneur.

“Thank you for the compliments. Please, don’t be formal with me. Let me pour you some drinks.”

Kyu-ha poured drinks for his seniors, and they made a toast together. He also answered their questions calmly and precisely. 

“I’ve seen it on TV. I heard you were raised in a temple. I’m a Buddhist, so I was even more proud of you. It’s great to see you reach for your dream. And as we’re in the same agency, I had to see you in person!”

“Thank you. One of the monks told me, ‘Happiness is not something others bring to you, but you have to make it yourself.’ So I knew I had to do something, and I tried to learn anything I could get my hands on. So now I’m full of small skills.”

Kyu-ha neither spoke fast nor loudly, but his collected tone made the listeners pay him attention.