What Are You Doing Here? Spot the Hidden Actors in 'Baram'

The unofficial 10-million-admissions film 〈Baram〉 spawned the spin-off 〈Jjanggu〉, which opened on the 22nd. Actor Jung Woo has insisted that 〈Jjanggu〉 is not a sequel to 〈Baram〉, but since it’s based on the autobiographical story of the protagonist Jjanggu (played by Jung Woo), 〈Jjanggu〉 inevitably recalls 〈Baram〉 in many ways. With the release of 〈Jjanggu〉, revisit 〈Baram〉 and you’ll be surprised by how many familiar faces pop up. Actors such as Son Ho-jun, who played Jjanggu’s friend Kim Young-joo, went on to appear in numerous hit projects after 〈Baram〉, so many performers the film helped spotlight are still active today. Let’s take a look at the familiar faces in 〈Baram〉 that are even more fun to spot now.

Yoo Jae-myung : Student Affairs Teacher / Jjanggu's Private Tutor — Two Roles in One

Now regarded as one of Korea’s most dependable actors, Yoo Jae-myung makes two brief appearances in 〈Baram〉 — an impressive double turn. He appears first as the student affairs teacher and later, disguised with glasses, as the private tutor who gives Jjanggu extra lessons, delivering rich performances in an authentic Busan dialect. The student affairs teacher is nicknamed "Munjapjong" — a local epithet for a disciplinarian who administers punishment without letting emotion get involved. The scene in which he "neatly" and "decisively" hits a student is one of the film’s funniest moments. As the tutor, Yoo delivers a punchy Busan-accented line — "You won’t get anywhere like this! You’re a completely useless good-for-nothing, man!" — thrilling audiences with its sharp dialect and timing. Yoo Jae-myung left such a strong impression in 〈Baram〉 that he was later cast in 〈Reply 1988〉, where he again played the head of student affairs.

Kim Jong-soo : Owner of a Cosmetics Shop with a Dragon Tattoo

Before Ma Dong-seok’s memorable turn as the owner of 'Artbox', there was Kim Jong-soo’s cosmetics-shop owner. Kim Jong-soo, who has recently made strong impressions in 〈Smuggling〉 and 〈Moving〉, began his career in small supporting roles, and 〈Baram〉 is one of those early appearances. When a brawl breaks out between Jjanggu and students from another school at the coffee shop, a striking man appears shouting, "What are you kids doing, damn it?" and then, "You little bastards rushing in all together—what the hell are you doing?!" He quickly lays down the law, rips open his shirt to reveal a dragon tattoo across his chest, and the dragon even has a cute tiger (or perhaps a cat) riding on it — a sight that makes both Jjanggu and the audience laugh. It turns out he’s the owner of a cosmetics shop. A Busan native himself, Kim Jong-soo delivers a short but powerful performance with realistic dialect, making the scene tailor-made for memes.

Kim Jae-chul : Leader of the ‘Monster’ Circle

Do you remember the day Jjanggu first went to the ‘Monster’ meeting? The scene where they sit in a row at the Chinese restaurant, clenching their fists and chanting, "We are the monsters of Gwangsang settled in Seomyeon, Gwangsang’s monsters 🎵 We live and die by justice and loyalty 🎵 We are Gwangsang’s monsters," stands out. At the center, leading the Monster group, sits a character played by an actor who would later become one of the performers associated with a 10-million-ticket hit. In 〈Exhumation〉, Kim Jae-chul played Park Ji-yong, a man whose family has suffered a strange hereditary illness for three generations and who seeks help from the shaman Hwarim (Kim Go-eun), leaving a memorable impact even amid the film’s twists. In 〈Baram〉, the Monster leader Kim Jae-chul portrays is unexpectedly gentle for a high school senior and unusually refined for the head of an illicit circle — later appearing at the graduation ceremony in a Grandeur car, becoming someone Jjanggu looks up to.

Ji Seung-hyun : Jjanggu’s Monster Senior Kim Jung-wan

Ji Seung-hyun — who became widely known as Korea’s notorious onscreen adulterer after 〈Good Partner〉 — also left a strong impression in 〈Baram〉. Ji plays Kim Jung-wan, a student a year above Jjanggu and a member of the illicit circle 'Monster'. Though his screen time is limited, Ji Seung-hyun’s presence is especially strong in the brawl scene. Facing off menacingly with the rival group, tensions reach a breaking point, and Kim Jung-wan moves through the confrontation with commanding charisma like "a cool guy," ending the fight with a single line: "Shut up, you fucking bastard." Later, Kim Jung-wan turns up at Jjanggu’s father’s funeral.