Original: 커튼콜: 나무는 서서 죽는다
A drama about an elderly woman from North Korea who doesn’t have much time left to live and a theatre actor who acts as her grandson in order to fulfill her final wish.
The Chair of Nakwon Hotel, Ja Geum-sun, yearns to meet her family left behind long ago in North Korea. There is tension in her South Korean family: her grandson Se-jun tries to sell the hotel, while granddaughter Se-yeon fights to stop her brother. Meanwhile, someone seeks out Jae-heon, an unknown theater actor, for an unusual task.
As Se-yeon tries to stop the disposal of hotel, her ex-fiancé, Dong-je, appears. Meanwhile, after accepting Sangcheol’s proposal, Jae-heon considers who to recruit to help carry out his mission. The curtain finally rises on a grand play, created and performed for one particular person.
Geum-sun greets the arriving couple, Jae-heon and Yoonhee, with a face full of excitement and touched emotion. However, each member of the household has their own opinions and feelings about the newcomers, especially since Jae-heon will receive a stake in the hotel. Se-yeon takes Jae-heon on a tour of Seoul, hoping to influence him to her side.
Jae-heon and Yoonhee try their best to maintain their cover as Geum-sun’s grandson and his wife. They put their heart and soul into acting as Ri Moon-seong and Jang Jinsook, trying to bring joy to Geum-sun while avoiding the suspicions of her family and others who could reveal their true identities.
Se-yeon persuades Geum-sun to have Jae-heon work at the hotel. Since he has plenty of experience working in part-time jobs, Jae-heon quickly adapts and shows his talents. But not everyone welcomes Jae-heon, and they are trying to make things difficult for him.
Se-jun accelerates his plan to sell the hotel. Se-yeon meets her ex-fiancé Dong-je, who owns a 4% stake and will become the casting vote for the disposal of hotel Nakwon. Meanwhile, Jae-heon, Yoon-hee, Se-yeon, and Dong-je have an unexpected dinner together.
Geum-sun holds her own farewell party, inviting the special people in her life. Se-jun, Se-gyu, and Se-yeon greet their guests at the entrance of the banquet hall. As the time of the party draws near, Jae-heon and Yoon-hee encounter some unexpected personnel working at the event.
Geum-sun hides the fact that her health is getting worse. Jae-heon and Yoon-hee begin feel guilty about their deception, as Geum-sun is treating them with love and kindness. In the meantime, Tae-joo learns the secret of Ri Moon-seong that Sang-cheol has been hiding.
Se-yeon hesitates about whether to tell Geum-sun about Jae-heon’s secret. Jae-heon feels embarrassed at Se-yeon’s awkward behavior towards him. Meanwhile, Tae-joo and the real Ri Moon-seong arrive in South Korea.
Jae-heon notices that Se-yeon and Se-jun have somewhat changed their attitude towards him. He realizes that his identity and plans has been discovered, and becomes distraught. Meanwhile, Se-jun bonds with Moon-seong and puts pressure on Se-yeon.
When Se-yeon learns about the plan, she decides to become part of it and joins Jae-heon, Yoon-hee, and Sang-cheol. The four cooperate to stop Se-jun’s plan of unveiling the real ‘Ri Moon-seong’ and to allow a happy ending to the performance.
Ri Moon-seong is back. Sang-cheol informs three people that Se-jun is plotting for Geum-sun and Moon-seong to meet. To counter Se-jun’s plan and discover Moon-seong’s intentions, Se-yeon assigns a task to Jae-heon and Yoon-hee.
Jae-heon, Yoon-hee, and Sang-cheol reveal the truth to the family, except for Geum-sun. Finally, the fake grandson leaves and the real one enters, but there is an awkward silence. At that time, Jae-heon prepares another scene for Geum-sun.
Geum-sun recovers consciousness and looks for Ri Moon-seong. Family members face a dilemma on whom they should bring to Geum-sun. Se-yeon asks Jae-heon one last time to act as if he were Ri Moon-seong. However, when Jae-heon meets Geum-sun, he discloses the fact that he is not her grandson.
After Moon-seong returns from a trip with Jae-heon, Moon-seong visits Geum-sun. He resolves the misunderstandings and feelings which have been built up for decades. And finally, the curtain rises on the last scene prepared by Jae-heon, and the audience for this play is only the family of Ja Geum-sun.
