The village square had never been this silent before.
Even the wind seemed awkward.
In the middle of the courtyard—
Gyu-seok sat heavily in a wooden chair, arms resting on his cane like a judge preparing a death sentence.
In front of him stood—
Hye-jin.
And beside her—
Se-Jun.
Still wearing the shaman robes.
Still looking painfully handsome for someone about to get exposed.
Hye-jin's mother pointed aggressively.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET INVOLVED IN THESE THINGS!"
"I know!" Hye-jin snapped back. "I know what I did was wrong!"
"Then WHY did you do it?!"
"Because nobody else was helping!"
The villagers murmured loudly among themselves.
One old woman looked betrayed enough to start a soap opera career.
Meanwhile, Se-Jun stood there quietly, hands clasped together.
Gyu-seok slowly raised his head.
His eyes landed on Se-Jun.
"How much did she pay you?"
Silence.
Even the chickens nearby looked nervous.
Se-Jun lowered his eyes.
"At first… I came for money."
Gasps.
One auntie literally grabbed her chest.
"But—"
He looked around at everyone.
"What I did here… wasn't fake."
The villagers froze.
"I may not be Il-sung."
He smiled weakly.
"But everything I did for this village…"
His voice cracked slightly.
"…that was me as Se-Jun."
One man scoffed loudly.
"So all of this was acting?!"
Another villager shouted—
"You made us believe you were chosen by the gods!"
Hye-jin suddenly stepped forward.
"AND WHAT DID THE REAL SHAMANS DO?!"
Everyone turned toward her.
Her eyes were red now.
"When I was little, and someone got sick, we had to drive HOURS just to find a hospital!"
She pointed around the village.
"You all keep saying blessings and rituals will save people!"
Her voice shook.
"But people ALSO need roads! Hospitals! Schools! Medicines!"
Nobody spoke.
The truth hit harder than expected.
Hye-jin looked toward her grandfather.
"Grandpa wanted approval from a shaman because the villagers trust tradition."
She clenched her fists.
"And your step-brother used that to block everything!"
Right then—
A slow clap echoed from behind.
CLAP.
CLAP.
CLAP.
Everyone turned.
Sang-Ook stood there smiling coldly.
K-drama villain mode: ACTIVATED.
"I knew something was suspicious," he said casually.
Beside him stood Rowoon.
Hands awkwardly in pockets.
Avoiding eye contact like a man who knew he had messed up.
Hye-jin narrowed her eyes.
"You knew?"
Sang-Ook smirked.
"That's why I sent Rowoon here."
Collective gasp.
Rowoon rubbed the back of his neck.
"…Surprise?"
Hye-jin looked ready to throw him into the ocean.
Sang-Ook stepped forward dramatically.
"They brought a fake shaman into the village."
He pointed at Se-Jun.
"A fraud."
The villagers murmured again.
"And look what happened!"
He spread his arms wide.
"The village flooded for the first time in forty years!"
One old man whispered—
"Actually, floods happen because of climate—"
His wife elbowed him immediately.
Sang-Ook continued confidently.
"If you stand with me, I'll build hospitals. Schools. Houses. Everything."
Hye-jin scoffed.
"Using our village as your business project?"
Sang-Ook smiled.
"At least I'm honest."
Then suddenly—
An old grandfather stepped forward holding his granddaughter's hand.
The same little girl Se-Jun once carried to the hospital.
The old man stopped directly in front of Se-Jun.
His eyes trembled slightly.
"You said my granddaughter would be okay."
Se-Jun froze.
The old man gently took Se-Jun's hand…
…and placed it on the little girl's head.
"If everything was fake…"
His voice softened.
"…then say this was fake too."
Se-Jun's lips trembled.
And suddenly—
He dropped to his knees.
The entire village froze.
Tears spilled from his eyes instantly.
"I'm sorry…"
His shoulders shook.
"I'm really sorry…"
The little girl blinked in confusion.
Se-Jun looked up, crying openly now.
"I lied about being a shaman…"
His voice cracked harder.
"But I swear…"
He pressed his hand against his chest.
"…I never lied when helping you people."
Silence.
One tiny kid suddenly ran toward him.
"Hyung…"
Se-Jun looked down.
The child wiped Se-Jun's tears using his tiny sleeve.
"Don't cry."
The kid sniffed proudly.
"I'm still on your side."
Even Hyuk turned away, pretending dust got into his eyes.
Hye-jin quietly wiped her tears too.
Then—
Gyu-seok slowly stood up.
Everyone became silent instantly.
He walked toward Se-Jun.
Step.
Step.
Step.
And—
SLAP!
The sound echoed through the courtyard.
Hye-jin flinched.
"Grandpa!"
But Se-Jun quietly stopped her.
He accepted it.
Gyu-seok stared at him for a long moment.
Then finally—
"Bring me the papers."
"…What?"
"The land documents."
Se-Jun blinked in confusion before quickly running inside.
A minute later—
He returned with the papers.
Gyu-seok opened them slowly.
Everyone waited nervously.
Then—
He folded them…
…and handed them directly to Hye-jin.
"Keep it."
Silence.
Hye-jin stared at him.
"…Grandpa?"
Gyu-seok sighed deeply.
"Don't bring another actor next time."
A few villagers accidentally laughed.
Then Gyu-seok turned sharply toward Sang-Ook.
"And YOU."
His eyes became cold instantly.
"Don't ever step foot on my land again."
One villager immediately pointed dramatically.
"YEAH!"
Another picked up a potato.
"GET OUT!"
Within seconds—
Village children began throwing pebbles.
Then potatoes.
Then one slipper.
Sang-Ook shouted—
"ARE YOU PEOPLE INSANE?!"
One grandma screamed—
"THAT WAS MY FAVORITE SLIPPER!"
Rowoon quietly backed away from the chaos.
"Yeah… I'm gonna go."
Meanwhile—
Hye-jin handed the documents to Hyuk.
"You and Aunt deserve this."
Hyuk's wife burst into tears.
"But we don't even have children…"
From behind—
Tae-yang suddenly appeared dramatically.
"WHO SAID THAT?!"
He pointed proudly at himself.
"I'M YOUR SON NOW."
Hye-jin sighed.
"…Unfortunately, me too."
Nearby—
The old woman from earlier approached Se-Jun gently.
"So your real name is Se-Jun?"
He nodded shyly.
"…Yes."
She smiled warmly.
"It suits you better."
The villagers slowly smiled, too.
For the first time—
Nobody looked at him like a fake shaman.
Just—
Se-Jun.
And honestly?
That somehow felt scarier.
MONTHS LATER
ASIAN STAR AWARDS 2026
Flashbulbs exploded everywhere.
Celebrities walked across the red carpet dramatically as rent depended on it.
Inside the award hall—
Hye-jin's parents sat beside Gyu-seok.
Her father suddenly gasped.
"Oh my god, that actress is prettier in real life—"
His wife immediately smacked his arm.
"Control your jaw before it falls."
Then—
The announcer smiled brightly.
"And the award for BEST MALE ACTOR goes to…"
Pause.
Massive screen lights up.
"SE-JUN — The Prince Warrior!"
The entire hall exploded into applause.
Fans screamed.
Se-Jun stood frozen in shock.
Then slowly walked onto the stage wearing a sleek black suit.
The same village actor who once lied for survival…
now standing beneath golden lights.
He accepted the trophy carefully.
Then stood in front of the microphone.
"…Wow."
The audience laughed softly.
"This is my first movie."
He lifted the trophy slightly.
"And my first award."
More applause.
"People think I'm lucky because I succeeded fast…"
He smiled faintly.
"But the truth is…"
His eyes softened.
"…the ten years I spent working backstage as an extra actor…"
A pause.
"…this is the reward for surviving those years."
The audience clapped warmly.
The camera cuts to his mother crying proudly.
Se-Jun grinned.
"My mom still acts surprised whenever she sees me on TV."
The audience laughed.
"Thanks, ma."
Then—
His expression changed slightly.
"There's also one person I need to thank."
"She believed in me before anyone else did."
Audience: OOOOOOH.
"She almost went to jail because of me."
LOUDER LAUGHTER.
"And…"
Se-Jun smiled softly.
"…she's the person I want beside me forever."
The audience SCREAMED.
Hye-jin's parents nearly ascended spiritually.
Gyu-seok just smiled knowingly.
Se-Jun suddenly checked his watch.
"…Oops."
The audience blinked.
"I think I already wasted enough of your time."
He bowed quickly.
"Thank you, everyone. I love you!"
And before anyone understood—
HE RAN OFF THE STAGE.
The cameras lost their minds.
Outside—
Se-Jun jumped into a taxi.
"SPS office, please!"
The driver looked shocked.
"…Aren't you—"
"DRIVE PLEASE."
Meanwhile—
Inside SPS Entertainment.
The watchman nearly fainted seeing him.
"CONGRATULATIONS, SIR—"
"WHERE'S HYE-JIN?!"
"Roof!"
DING.
13 th floor.
Se-Jun sprinted through the hallway, still holding the trophy.
Employees stared like NPCs.
Finally—
Rooftop.
Hye-jin stood near the railing under the night sky.
She turned slowly.
And froze.
Se-Jun dropped onto one knee immediately.
Holding a ring.
Completely out of breath.
"Hye-jin…"
He looked up, smiling.
"Will you marry me?"
Hye-jin stared at him.
Then crossed her arms.
"To whom exactly?"
She tilted her head.
"The fake shaman?"
Se-Jun grinned.
"No."
He lifted the trophy proudly.
"To the Best Actor of 2026."
Hye-jin burst into laughter.
Then slowly bent down—
…and kissed him softly.
Se-Jun pulled her closer instantly.
The city lights are glowing around them.
Far away—
Fireworks exploded across Seoul's skyline.
And somewhere in the village—
One grandma screamed proudly at the television—
"THAT'S OUR FAKE SHAMAN!!!"