There is the sound of footsteps passing through the alley every night. The one who appears, dragging his slippers, is Bang Dong-goo, whom the neighborhood people call "Fool Hyung." He helps 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 kids, he is more like a neighborhood 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-goo also pretends to be an ordinary young man. The only difference is that Bourne did not know he was a killer, while Dong-goo knows it all too well.
At night, Dong-goo goes up to the rooftop to do pull-ups and walks through the dark alleys without any fear, patrolling with precise movements. The reader will soon learn that Bang Dong-goo's real name is Won Ryu-hwan, an elite 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 Neighborhood Fool
Ryu-hwan's first mission is surprisingly 'mundane.' He is to infiltrate the lowest class neighborhood in South Korea, completely blend in, observe their lives and ideologies, and report back. This is a different dimension 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 neighborhood 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.
During the day, he rolls around like a neighborhood gardener, but at night, in a streamlined posture, he does pull-ups and sharpens his knives, making the reader feel the layers of violence and loneliness stacked within this character. If Matt Murdock from 'Daredevil' is 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 Neighborhood People... Unexpected Warmth
The people in the alley completely accept him as 'one of their own.' The boy next door raising his younger sibling alone, the old-fashioned elders trying to protect the neighborhood, and the youth eager to escape this neighborhood. They may doubt Dong-goo, but at crucial moments, they embrace him saying, "But he is a good kid."
Just as the people of Ssangmun-dong embraced Deok-seon in 'Reply 1988', the people of the hillside village also embrace Dong-goo. Those who were initially just targets of the mission gradually become 'people to protect' for Ryu-hwan. This is a record of warmth that will not be noted in the report but is etched into his body. Just as Léon regained his humanity through Mathilda, Ryu-hwan discovers the person named 'Won Ryu-hwan' through the neighborhood people.
The peaceful life of infiltration is disrupted by the appearance of fellow agents from the same Unit 5446. Lee Hae-rang, who was 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 neighborhood fool.
If the 'Avengers' gather to save the world, these three gather to... cook ramen. The extreme imbalance between their skills and identities creates comedy in the early parts of the webtoon. When the three gather and play around, it feels almost like a sitcom, akin to the trio in Central Park 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 of the unstable political situation in the North and the inter-Korean relationship begin to emerge. Even if there are no major news events directly shown on screen, the tone of the orders coming from the North and the indirect dialogue change the atmosphere. Just as the phrase "Winter is coming" is repeated in 'Game of Thrones', the signal that "the situation has changed" is repeated 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 that "I knew would come someday" has finally arrived. Just as dreams begin to collapse in 'Inception', the peaceful daily life starts to gradually crumble.
Ryu-hwan finds himself torn between his identity and his mission. On one side are the neighborhood people who first accepted him, on the other side are the orders from his country and superiors, and on 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 and intricate psychological lines. The chase on the rooftops of the hillside village, 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 hallway scene in 'Oldboy' simultaneously. 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 neighborhood 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 story. 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' showcases the madness of division. I will not reveal what choices they ultimately make and what ripples those choices leave in the conclusion. The final scene of this work is something that only fully operates when you turn the page, much like the twist in 'The Sixth Sense.'
What makes 'Secretly Greatly' interesting is that it uses the shell of genre while ultimately converging into a story about people. Structurally, this is a work that intertwines spy stories, espionage, action, coming-of-age, and narratives of division. It contains the spy action of 'Kingsman,' the identity conflict of the 'Bourne Series,' the neighborhood sentiment of the 'Reply' series, and the class issues of 'Parasite' all in one webtoon.
However, the webtoon does not completely lean towards any one of these. In the early parts, it thoroughly rides the rhythm of comedy. Watching Dong-goo, who deliberately bumps his head into a utility pole due to his fool act and tries to gain recognition from the neighborhood grandmothers with exaggerated gestures, makes the reader laugh heartily, much like watching 'Mr. Bean.'
However, gradually, it begins to show how much he is degrading his pride and identity to maintain that laughter. The structure where the same scene reads as comedy in the first half and tragedy in the latter half is the biggest 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 neighborhood elders." Neither of them is fake. Just as one cannot tell which is real between 'Bruce Wayne' and 'Batman,' one cannot tell which is real between 'Won Ryu-hwan' and 'Bang Dong-goo.' Therefore, 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 just a means of disguise but a world they are genuinely attracted to. Just as Ri Jeong-hyuk from 'Crash Landing on You' was curious about South Korean culture, they too become immersed in South Korean culture. 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 in '1984' lived under the surveillance of Big Brother, they too live under the surveillance of their country. The difference is that while Winston resisted, they are... forced to choose.
The illustrations and direction make good use of 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 and heavy lines are employed. Just as 'One Piece' oscillates between comedy and seriousness, this webtoon freely traverses between comedy and tragedy.
By utilizing the vertical scroll structure, when showing the body rolling down narrow stairs or jumping from the rooftop to the ground, the reader feels the character's fall along with the fingertips scrolling down. If 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' reinvented the animated medium, 'Secretly Greatly' reinvents webtoon action.
Thanks to the restrained color palette centered on black and one or two colors, 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 and espionage themes like the 'Bourne Series' or 'Kingsman' but are tired of similar spy dramas, 'Secretly Greatly' will feel quite fresh. This webtoon shows the neighborhood 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 like the moment when a brutal command drops in the midst of that ordinary daily life, this work will suit you well. If you enjoyed the scene in 'No Country for Old Men' where ordinary life is infiltrated by violence, you will also like this webtoon.
Additionally, 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 depicts division through people's stories.
Just by watching what choices the youth are forced to make and what they lose, the word division comes much closer.
Finally, I want to hand this webtoon to those who feel they are always caught between their 'true selves' and their 'acting selves' 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 neighborhood 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 might 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 a while. 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 movie 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.
