There are footsteps that pass through the alley every night. The one who appears, dragging his slippers, is Bang Dong-gu, whom the locals call "Fool Hyung". He helps out at the mart by distributing flyers, tidies up the convenience store at night, and supports drunk uncles back to their homes. To the adults, he seems pathetic, but to the children, he is more like a friendly older brother who plays with them.
Kakao Webtoon 'Secretly Greatly' plants a subtle crack in this seemingly ordinary character from the very beginning. Just as Jason Bourne from the 'Bourne Series' lost his memory and tried to live a normal life, Dong-gu also pretends to be an ordinary young man. The only difference is that Bourne did not know he was a killer, while Dong-gu is fully aware of it.
At night, Dong-gu goes up to the rooftop to do pull-ups and walks through the dark alleys without fear, patrolling with precise movements. The reader will soon learn that Bang Dong-gu's real name is Won Ryu-hwan, a top-notch undercover agent from North Korea's Unit 5446. If Eggsy from 'Kingsman' went through the process of becoming a gentleman spy, Ryu-hwan goes through the process of becoming a fool.
The Most Mundane Mission - Becoming the Village Fool
Ryu-hwan's first mission is surprisingly 'mundane'. He is to infiltrate the lowest class neighbourhood in South Korea, blend in completely, observe their lives and ideologies, and report back. This is on a different level from Tom Cruise infiltrating the Kremlin in 'Mission Impossible' or James Bond playing poker with villains in a casino. There are no grand explosions or assassinations. Just observation. A mission akin to an anthropologist's field study.
So he chooses to act like a fool. He deliberately stutters, exaggerates his eye smiles, and makes his gestures clumsy. With the body of a killing machine trained in the military, he folds laundry, takes out the trash, and moves the jars of the local grandmothers. It might be harder for Ryu-hwan to act like a fool than for Captain America to wake up after being frozen for 70 years.
By day, he rolls around like a gardener in the alley, but at night, in a streamlined posture, he does pull-ups and sharpens his knife, making the reader feel the layers of violence and loneliness stacked within this character. If Matt Murdock from 'Daredevil' was a lawyer by day and a vigilante by night, Ryu-hwan is a fool by day and an agent by night.
The Gift from the Locals... Unexpected Warmth
The people in the alley completely accept him as 'one of their own'. The boy next door who raises his younger sibling alone, the old-fashioned elders trying to protect the neighbourhood, and the youth eager to escape this area. They are wary of Dong-gu, yet in crucial moments, they still say, "But he is a good kid."
Just as the people of Ssangmun-dong embraced Deok-seon in 'Reply 1988', the residents of the hillside village also embrace Dong-gu. Initially, they were merely subjects of his mission, but at some point, they begin to transform into 'people he must protect'. This is a record of warmth that will not be noted in his reports, but is etched into his body. Just as Léon regained his humanity through Mathilda, Ryu-hwan discovers the person 'Won Ryu-hwan' through the local people.
The peaceful life of infiltration is disrupted by the arrival of fellow agents from the same Unit 5446. Lee Hae-rang, who has been ordered to come to South Korea and become a top star, and sniper Lee Hae-jin disguised as an idol trainee. The three are originally 'weapons trained to die for their country', but their roles in South Korea are aspiring comedians, high school students, and the village fool.
If the 'Avengers' gather to save the world, these three gather to... cook ramen. The extreme imbalance between their skills and identities creates the comedy of the early webtoon. When the three are together, their playful scenes resemble a sitcom, much like the trio in Central Perk from 'Friends'. However, the reader knows that they are people who can switch to 'John Wick' mode at any moment.
As the story progresses, signs emerge that the political situation in the North and the inter-Korean relations are becoming increasingly unstable. Even if there are no major news headlines on the screen, the tone of the orders coming from the North and the indirect dialogue indicate a shift in the atmosphere. Just as the phrase "Winter is coming" is repeated in 'Game of Thrones', the signal that "the situation has changed" is echoed in the webtoon.
From the first stage mission focused on infiltration and observation, shadows of more overt operations and elimination orders loom. From this moment on, Ryu-hwan, Hae-rang, and Hae-jin's expressions change. The day they had anticipated has finally arrived. Just as dreams begin to collapse in 'Inception', the peaceful daily life starts to gradually disintegrate.
Ryu-hwan finds himself torn between his identity and his mission. On one side are the alley people who first accepted him, on the other side are the orders from his country and superiors, and on yet another side is the sense of responsibility towards his fellow agents who came down with him. If Peter Parker from 'Spider-Man' pondered, "With great power comes great responsibility", Ryu-hwan contemplates, "With a great lie comes great guilt".
The webtoon pushes this conflict with dazzling action while simultaneously delving into intricate psychological lines. The chase on the rooftops, the skirmishes on the alley stairs, and the close combat in cramped rooms possess the urgency of the 'Bourne Series' and the raw impact of the corridor scene in 'Oldboy'. It is so meticulously crafted that one cannot take their eyes off it.
However, amidst those scenes, there are cuts where Ryu-hwan suddenly recalls the laughter of local children or very mundane moments. It feels as if violence and affection are simultaneously pulling his hand in different directions. If Batman in 'The Dark Knight' was forced to choose between "dying a hero or living long enough to see himself become a villain", Ryu-hwan is forced to choose between "living as an agent or dying as a human".
A 'Tragedy of Youth' Beyond Genre
As the story progresses into the latter half, 'Secretly Greatly' gradually distances itself from being a simple spy action piece. It reveals how Unit 5446 was raised, who turned them into 'monsters', and how the lives of people breathing in the lowest places collide with the whirlpool of politics and ideology.
If 'Full Metal Jacket' showcased the madness of the Vietnam War, 'Secretly Greatly' reveals the madness of division. I will not explicitly state what choices they ultimately make and what repercussions those choices leave in this piece. The final scene of this work is akin to a moment that only fully operates when you turn the page, much like the twist in 'The Sixth Sense'.
What makes 'Secretly Greatly' interesting is that, while it heavily borrows from genre tropes, it ultimately converges into a story about people. Structurally, it is a work that intertwines spy, espionage, action, coming-of-age, and division narratives. It contains the spy action of 'Kingsman', the identity conflict of the 'Bourne Series', the local sentiment of the 'Reply' series, and the class issues of 'Parasite' all in one webtoon.
However, the webtoon does not lean entirely towards any one of these. In the beginning, it thoroughly rides the rhythm of comedy. Watching Dong-gu, who deliberately bumps his head against a utility pole due to his fool act and tries to gain recognition from the local grandmothers with exaggerated gestures, makes the reader laugh heartily, much like watching 'Mr. Bean'.
Yet gradually, it begins to show how much he is undermining his own pride and identity to maintain that laughter. The same scene reads as a gag in the first half and as a tragedy in the latter half, which is the most significant feature of this work. While 'Joker' mixed laughter and madness, 'Secretly Greatly' mixes laughter and sadness.
The design of the character's duality is solid. Ryu-hwan is both a "soldier prepared to die for his country" and a "good young man running errands while being scolded by the local elders". Neither of these is fake. Just as one cannot tell which is real between 'Bruce Wayne' and 'Batman', one cannot discern which is real between 'Won Ryu-hwan' and 'Bang Dong-gu'. Thus, he cannot define himself until the very end.
Lee Hae-rang and Lee Hae-jin are also spies who yearn for the entertainment industry and ordinary youth. For them, the world of South Korean dramas, music, and idols is not merely a disguise but a world they are genuinely drawn to. Just as Ri Jeong-hyuk from 'Crash Landing on You' was curious about South Korean culture, they too become immersed in it. This duality also reflects the face of youth consumed by the division system.
Trained for ideology, yet what they truly hold onto in their hearts is something else, leaving a rather lonely resonance in this work. Just as Winston from '1984' lived under the surveillance of Big Brother, they too live under the watch of their country. The difference is that Winston resisted, while they are... forced to choose.
The illustrations and direction effectively utilise the advantages of the webtoon format. In loose comedic cuts, exaggerated expressions, simple backgrounds, and round character designs are used, while in action scenes and emotional climaxes, proportions are maintained with heavy lines. Just as 'One Piece' oscillates between comedy and seriousness, this webtoon freely traverses between comedy and tragedy.
By leveraging the vertical scroll structure, when the body rolls down narrow stairs or jumps from the rooftop to the ground, the reader feels the character's fall along with their scrolling fingers. If 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' reinvented animation media, 'Secretly Greatly' reinvents webtoon action.
Thanks to the restrained colour palette centred around black and one or two hues, the darkness of the alley and the characters' sense of isolation are conveyed more strongly. It evokes the black-and-white aesthetics of 'Sin City' or '300'.
Not a Regular Spy Story, but a 'Daily Spy Story'
If you enjoy spy themes like the 'Bourne Series' or 'Kingsman' but are tired of the same old spy dramas, 'Secretly Greatly' will feel quite fresh. This webtoon shows the neighbourhood bathhouse, supermarket, and rooftops more often than information agency conference rooms or secret bases.
Instead of the sounds of gunfire and explosions, the sounds of hanging laundry and boiling ramen come first. If you enjoy the moment when a brutal command drops in the midst of that ordinary life, this work will suit you well. If you liked the scene in 'No Country for Old Men' where ordinary life is infiltrated by violence, you will also enjoy this webtoon.
Moreover, it is recommended for readers who want to feel through the expressions and lives of people rather than dealing with division and ideological issues in a heavy and textbook manner. 'Secretly Greatly' brings both North and South Korea down from being "countries that appear in the news" to "worlds of individuals who eat and work". Just as 'Reply 1988' depicted 1988 through people's stories, this webtoon portrays division through people's narratives.
Just by observing what choices the youth are forced to make and what they lose, the word division comes much closer.
Finally, I would like to hand this webtoon to those who feel they are always caught between their 'true self' and their 'acting self' in their lives. If you have ever felt like you wear different masks at work, among family, and in front of friends, the image of Won Ryu-hwan wearing the mask of the village fool will not seem like someone else's story.
Just as Ralph from 'Wreck-It Ralph' said, "I am a villain, but I am not a bad guy", Ryu-hwan might say, "I am an agent, but I am not a villain". After following the story to the end, you may find yourself asking this question at least once: "Whose orders am I living under right now, and what is it that I truly want to protect?"
Even if that question feels a bit bitter and unfamiliar, if you want to face it head-on, 'Secretly Greatly' will be a webtoon that lingers in your heart for quite some time. And the next time you see someone walking down the street dragging their slippers, you might wonder if they too are wearing a mask. As if we are all living a little bit, secretly, and greatly.
Thanks to its tremendous popularity, 'Secretly Greatly' was also adapted into a film in 2013, starring Kim Soo-hyun, Park Ki-woong, and Lee Hyun-woo. Both the webtoon and the film are remembered as works that translate the tragedy of division into the language of youth. And even now, someone is probably reading this webtoon, gaining the courage to take off the mask they wear.
