"Did You See It?" is a review column where we watch trending movies firsthand and share honest impressions and key takeaways. <Editor’s Note>

[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] “Who creates the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), and how are the questions formulated?” You’ve probably wondered this at least once. This very idea has been turned into a movie.

The movie “The Secret Behind the College Scholastic Ability Test” is a mission-driven comedy about Maeng Bo-ram, a Korean language teacher from a small provincial town who unexpectedly joins the test-setting headquarters—which is sealed off for 40 days to create the “College Scholastic Ability Test,” a Level 2 state secret in South Korea—and goes through all sorts of mishaps in her quest to create “flawless questions” free of typos or controversy.

The film uses the secretive subject of the CSAT as fodder for comedy. It begins with the story of Maeng Bo-ram, who, through a ridiculous mistake, ends up joining the question-setting committee for the “CSAT,” a Level 2 national secret of South Korea. The fact that it is set in a space that everyone has probably wondered about at least once makes it intriguing from the very start.

Even over a single passage or topic, various “political” maneuverings take place, and the CSAT question-setting process—which must be fairer than ever—is distorted by connections based on school and regional ties. The goal of creating “flawless questions” ironically reveals the struggles of people who are bound to create problems.

Above all, the film’s greatest strength lies in the actors’ chemistry. Lee Seon-bin, Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Young-min, Jeon Seok-ho, Kim Kyung-min, Lee Jin-hee, Hwang Bo-ra, Jung Soo-young, Lee Jung-ok, and Ryu Kyung-hwan—a cast whose names alone generate anticipation—come together to showcase their individual personalities.

Laughter ensues as characters with different personalities and problem-solving styles clash. The actors’ chemistry comes alive with every interplay of dialogue and reactions. Their back-and-forth alone deserves a perfect score of 100.

In particular, Yoo Jae-myung and Kim Young-min leave a strong impression as Lee Chang-joon from *Secret Forest* and Leslie Cheung. If I had to describe their chemistry in one phrase, it would be, “I hate to say it, but it’s bromance.” Jeon Seok-ho’s absurd eyebrow and front-tooth antics are also on the horizon.

The film also takes jabs at so-called “old-fashioned middle-aged men” with authoritarian attitudes and outdated ways of thinking. By targeting familiar, hypocritical hierarchies and stereotypes as the subject of its comedy, it leaves a small sense of catharsis behind the laughter. However, rather than expecting sharp satire or a heavy-handed message, it’s best to simply enjoy the characters’ zany antics and the actors’ chemistry.

Amid all this, how can one describe the gaze of Lee Seon-bin, who remains at the center of it all? Some might mock her as “clueless” or a “nuisance,” but she reminds me of the Maeng Bo-ram-type teachers from my own school days.

Maeng Bo-ram is not so much an elite who provides perfect answers as she is someone who doesn’t easily give up on what she believes to be right. Because she is unfamiliar with the practices and hierarchies of the exam-setting world, she is often viewed through the lens of the “MZ generation,” yet her very presence creates cracks in that order. Lee Seon-bin navigates between the character’s quirkiness and sincerity, ensuring that Maeng Bo-ram isn’t reduced to a mere source of laughter.

Consequently, the humor the film delivers doesn’t stop at mocking someone; it challenges the ways we’ve taken for granted. What we discover in the process of uncovering the secrets behind exam questions isn’t so much a brilliant correct answer as the realization that, ultimately, it is people who create the questions.

“The Secret Behind the College Scholastic Ability Test” combines the familiar yet unfamiliar subject of the CSAT with the actors’ deadpan performances to create a lighthearted comedy that’s easy to enjoy. Directed by Lee Yong-jae. Runtime: 99 minutes. Opens October 28.