[So you’re saying you’ll protect us until we can return to our planet?]
[There is one condition.]
Agent Kim Uju cautions them.
[The existence of aliens on Earth must remain a secret. You absolutely must not reveal your identities.]
[Ah, that’s no big deal...]
[Isn’t that easy for us?]
[Ha ha ha ha ha!]
The alien family, transferred to the National Intelligence Service before being handed over to the Bureau, laughed in self-congratulation.
Kim Uju’s gaze cooled in real ti.
[And during your three-month stay on Earth, you must not cause any problems.]
[We’re confident we can manage that. Shall we shake on it?]
...And that concludes Episode 1.
At the start of Episode 2, the UFO disguised as a thatched cottage halfway up Gwanak Mountain is reported to the authorities.
[Soone called to report an unauthorized structure here.]
[...]
Kim Uju stares at the alien family in stunned disbelief; the family averts their eyes like guilty puppies.
The perfect blend of deadpan calm cracking for a mont drew quiet laughter from the actors.
Sotis in a sitcom, a single expression can be hilarious—and this was one of those monts.
Lead actor Seo No-eul glanced at Uju’s profile.
‘That face is really expressive.’
At news of the unauthorized structure, Uju’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly.
‘He’s saying “I’m about to board this as nonsense, but I have more urgent matters,” all with one look.’
Though this was clearly his first acting role, his expressions flowed as naturally as a seasoned pro.
The other actors were impressed.
‘They’ve gathered all the advantages of an idol.’
Strong vocal delivery, crisp pronunciation, practiced expressive acting, and years of on-cara experience that let him adapt to the set effortlessly.
His facial cody nailed the sitcom tone, and everyone involved couldn’t stop smiling.
‘This will work. It has to work.’
They’d brought in the ace for ratings—and he could do cody just as well.
anwhile, to move the UFO, Kim Uju considers various options.
[Is relocation difficult?]
[There’s no power.]
[Could we transform it into sothing else...]
[No power for that either.]
[So... no plan at all...!]
Kim Uju briefly loses his composure—a flicker of raw emotion—and the alien family notices.
They whisper together.
[I know the phrase for monts like this.]
[Oh?]
[Go on, say it out loud.]
[Agent, are you sulking~?]
[...]
Taken aback, the grey-faced human flushes briefly before shaking his head.
[...I’m not angry. I don’t get angry.]
Together, they brainstorm until the youngest alien, Ara, chirps innocently:
[But we can just carry it, right?]
[Ah! That’s true.]
Kim Uju sighs.
[How is that possible? This thing weighs at least several tons...]
[One, two, three! Heave!]
The thatched cottage lifts off.
[...]
At that mont, Kim Uju’s eyes go blank with shock—a beat of perfect codic timing that left writer Hwang and director Hwang beaming.
Thus the opening of Episode 2 flew by.
In the dark pre-dawn, the alien family carries the thatched cottage through a dense residential area; a key supporting character, a neighborhood high school student, glimpses them between curtains and gasps. The “move” is accomplished.
[What on earth? A thatched cottage just appeared?]
[Must be soone moved in!]
The next morning, neighbors crowd in front of the house, murmuring; high schoolers stare suspiciously. And the title for Episode 2 appears:
Our Family Is Aliens – Episode 2: We Want to Be Good Neighbors!
Episode 2 follows the alien family trying to befriend the neighborhood—and turning it into chaos.
[Submit to , you lowly beings!]
[Woof woof woof!]
The Maltese played by Teacher Song Hoon conquers the local dogs and becos “king of the alley.”
[Why are they doing that?]
[Oh, you new bride don’t know? Today’s the anniversary of that old man’s death in that house last year.]
[Is that so? Where did he go?]
[...]
A small misunderstanding snowballs into a bit where the aliens claim “humans travel in gaseous form,” prompting them to wander neighborhoods as mist.
The episode is set during Chuseok. The alien family, now a fluffy cloud of mist, waves at neighbors performing ancestral rites.
[Hello~]
[Eeeek!]
People call the police, reporting “ghosts,” so the family invents a ti machine to travel to the past—ending Episode 2.
Each hilarious scene produced waves of laughter.
“All right, let’s move on to the next episode.”
In that joyous mood, the script reading barreled on. These readings—where everyone gathers to run through the flow—usually last three to four hours, and fatigue sets in. Yet at the Our Family Is Aliens reading, laughter never stopped.
‘This is going to be a hit.’
Sothing you can’t feel just reading the script revealed itself in performance: the chemistry among principal cast, the director’s envisioned staging vivid in everyone’s mind, and above all...
[How to summon ghosts?]
Every ti the aliens road the world, a “spice” character popped up to support the acting—the versatile Kim Uju.
[I looked it up online! They say if you hold a pencil and chant a spell, you can reach out to ghostly beings?]
[That can’t possibly work.]
[Agent, you try it!]
No sooner did he recite it than shrouded ghosts lunged at Kim Uju.
[Incredible! It works...?]
[Breathe... breathe, sobody help ...!]
The cast chuckled. The all-capable agent even summoned real ghosts.
His dazzling credentials popped up now and then for laughs.
[Hello, I’m Kim Uju. I’ll be teaching math from today.]
Disguised as a teacher to help the aliens adapt to school, he infiltrates classes.
[Teacher! Please partner with Vitus...!]
[...and join our Daebak Study...!]
His extraordinary lecturing skills exploded his reputation in both private academies and online courses.
And at the fried-chicken shop where he took a temporary job:
[This is the famous “drug chicken” with the secret sauce!]
[Dear Tube viewers, Mihwah here. I’m here to taste the fad “drug chicken!”]
[Excuse , this is the Gwanak Police Station.]
He was accused of hiding narcotics in his chicken and called in for questioning. The alien coworkers, forced to undergo hair-testing for marijuana, glared at him as he turned away.
[...I’m sorry.]
He’s supposed to monitor the aliens closely, but his side hustles constantly interfere. He warns them not to cause trouble—yet he causes plenty himself. That contradiction is Agent Kim Uju’s charm.
The show even depicts the grey-suited bureaucrat’s slowly thawing heart as he’s colored by the vibrant aliens.
[Yes, sir... I’m sorry... Chief.]
At the mont when the reading reached its final quarter, the actors noticed Uju’s peculiar trait:
‘He’s morized all his lines.’
Just as they were about to help him turn a page stuck by tteokbokki sauce, Uju recited the next line without missing a beat.
While heads turned in surprise, senior actress Yang Ok-bun quietly smiled.
‘Then as now, he’s so diligent. He’s a fine one.’
They rembered how dedicated he’d seed when they first t. For an idol of his status—busy day and night—to morize three to four episodes’ worth of lines is remarkable.
He felt like a precious grandson who visits, brings nice clothes, and gives gentle massages.
In everyone’s minds, “Ujuseon” the composer evolved into “Uju” the lovable maknae.
‘He even drinks water properly.’
‘When did he prepare props like that~?’
‘You can’t trust an idol’s public image. He seed to tornt people at the company, but he’s so kind and sincere.’
Hearts lted with puppy love.
“All right, that concludes our script reading. Thank you all for your hard work.”
“Whaaaa!”
Director Hwang Jeong-gu’s declaration prompted thunderous applause. We stood, bowed to senior colleagues, and stretched.
“Ahhh...”
Having been tense for nearly three hours, exhaustion washed over . Ara yawned beside and laughed.
“Tired?”
“A bit. It was my first ti.”
“The first reading is always the most nerve-wracking. You’ll get used to it... yawn...”
“Nee-un-nee, you’re letting mosquitos into your mouth...”
“It’s fine~”
With far more acting experience than , Ara seed completely unfazed.
“But did I make any mistakes?”
“Uuuuh... plenty.”
“Plenty?”
“You were amazing. Seriously amazing.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
I felt I’d done my best, but it’s hard to judge when you’re not on cara. As Ara paused—about to reassure —
“Uju, a behind-the-scenes cam interview, please.”
“Oh, okay.”
The crew mber filming the actors turned the cara on .
“How do you feel after today’s script reading?”
“Reading with all the seniors I’ve only seen on TV made feel like I’m really acting in a drama. I’ll work even harder going forward!”
“Do you think you did well today?”
“Hmm... I think it was so-so...”
At that mont, Jung In-woo—playing the alien son—shouted from behind.
“What do you an, ‘so-so’? You were great!”
“Ha ha ha hot!”
“Did you hear him? He said he wasn’t good. I was so stunned.”
The room erupted in laughter. The cast looked at with proud smiles, and I smiled at the cara.
“He says so!”
Just then, the actors gathered round . Teacher Song Hoon laughed and pinched my cheek.
“Oh my goodness! Our Juseon~ Where have you been hiding~”
“T-thank you.”
I’m Uju... not Juseon. But as an octogenarian, he doted on like a grandchild.
Yang Ok-bun added, “He did so well. He seed like a completely different person from two years ago.”
“Thank you.”
“And he’d morized all his lines.”
“Yes, I figured I should at least try...”
“If you think you did well, say so confidently. Humility isn’t always best.”
I thanked her for the sincere advice. Seo No-eul and the other leads patted my back, praising too.
But everyone’s eyes felt oddly familiar... Where had I seen that gaze before?
As I wondered, Director Hwang Jeong-gu stepped up, smiling.
“Uju, want a drink?”
“Nooooo!”
The alien family collectively erupted.
“Director, he can’t drink alcohol~!”
“Why are you trying to get a kid drunk, Director Hwang?”
“Tsk tsk. Director Hwang, you know we shouldn’t pressure kids to drink in Korean society. Boss, two more bottles of soju please!”
Director Hwang, who’d unwittingly offered alcohol, left empty-handed and perplexed. I gave him a wistful smile.
Teacher Song Hoon poured a glass of cola.
“Drink cola.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“Oh my, our Juseon even drinks cola so prettily~”
I wondered what ntal shift happened during the reading that turned them into doting seniors calling “maknae.”
We headed to a nearby barbecue restaurant near the TBC studios.
“Let’s give a round of applause to Director of Entertainnt Kim Hee-yong for graciously treating us with the corporate card!”
“Whaaaa!”
“Say a few words!”
“Uh, um...”
He hesitated, then cracked a mischievous joke:
“We’d planned pork belly, but after seeing today’s reading, I was certain you needed beef.”
“Whaaaa!”
“Enjoy to your heart’s content!”
While the at was being prepared, Ara and I hurriedly set out napkins and utensils on the seniors’ table. Everyone laughed at the busy juniors.
As usual, soone reached for the tongs—
“Uju.”
Jung In-woo slid the tongs out of my hand.
“You let adults grill the at.”
“Oh...? Okay.”
“Right. Sit back and let them cook~”
Seo No-eul chid in lightly.
At the sa table, the actors playing the alien family bustled around.
“Did you wash your hands? Shall I get a wet tissue?”
Yang Ok-bun handed a wet wipe.
“Juseon~ Do you eat a lot of veggies? You need veggies to stay healthy!”
Teacher Song Hoon offered carrot sticks from the vegetable basket.
The two veteran actors playing a married couple spoke to as well.
“Where did you learn to act?”
“I had a brief stint at an agency... but mostly I taught myself.”
“Oh really? From whom?”
“Teacher Kim Seok-mun...”
“He’s very strict—if he’s not satisfied, he won’t teach at all, right?”
He’d given a special lecture at TJ Ent. once. They smiled warmly, saying he’d seen promise in .
“So that’s our Uju.”
“Our Uju really has talent.”
...Our Uju?
Their warm smiles slowly made sense.
“Uju, have so at.”
“Yes, senior.”
“Call hyung—call hyung.”
Jung In-woo piled at on my plate.
“Juseon, try wrapping this.”
“Yes, um, Teacher.”
Teacher Song Hoon extended a massive lettuce wrap.
“Teacher, he’s at the age for at, not veggies.”
“Oh? How old is Juseon?”
“I’m twenty-four this year.”
“My dear child! A baby! Oh, a baby indeed!”
Staff burst into laughter at Teacher Song Hoon’s “baby” shout. Ara—only two years younger than —turned away, giggling.
Familiar lines began to overlap in my mind:
– Jiho, eat your veggies.
– Jiho, go ahead and try wrapping—hyung made one for you.
– Oh my, don’t touch that! Jiji! Oh dear, Jiji!
– I’m not a baby! People are staring and laughing! I’m actually nineteen!
– Ha ha ha ha! He says nineteen! Nineteen! A full adult~!
I realized how they perceived .
Director Hwang Jeong-gu approached, smiling.
“Uju, want a drink?”
“Nooooo!”
The alien family instantly protested.
“Director, he can’t drink alcohol!”
“Director Hwang, you shouldn’t pressure a kid to drink.”
“Tsk tsk. Director Hwang, we need a no-drinking culture here. Boss, two more soju bottles, please!”
Again Director Hwang was left empty-handed. I offered him a fond smile. Teacher Song Hoon poured another cola.
“Drink cola.”
“Yes, Teacher.”
“Oh my, Juseon even drinks cola so prettily~”
I still wondered what had shifted in their minds during those few hours. But as the laughter continued, I blinked at the endless affection—not sure what caused it, but grateful nonetheless.
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