While ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo continues to dominate headlines with his alleged ₩20 billion tax evasion scandal, an unexpected ripple effect is taking place in the K-drama world specifically with Im Siwan’s 2022 series Tracer, which has found itself back in the spotlight.
As revelations about Cha Eunwoo’s case deepen including claims that his entire family was involved in a tax evasion scheme using a shell company the drama Tracer, which revolves around tax authorities hunting financial criminals, has gone viral once again.
The Seoul Regional Tax Office’s infamous Investigation Bureau No. 4, often referred to as the “Grim Reapers of the business world,” is at the center of Cha Eunwoo’s case. The bureau reportedly uncovered suspicious activities involving a one-person agency allegedly established by Eunwoo’s mother, ultimately slapping the idol with a massive tax bill believed to be the largest ever imposed on a Korean celebrity.
This real-world drama has inadvertently boosted interest in Tracer, a show in which Im Siwan plays a relentless and razor-sharp tax investigator working in a division known as Taxation Bureau No. 5 a fictional counterpart to the very unit investigating Eunwoo.
A recent viral post on Korean forum theqoo praised the drama’s relevance, with viewers lauding Im Siwan’s character Hwang Dong Joo as fiercely intelligent, relentless, and satisfying to watch. Many commenters joked that they discovered or rediscovered the show thanks to Cha Eunwoo’s scandal.
– “This drama is ridiculously good.”
– “Thanks to Cha Eunwoo, I found my next binge.”
– “Hwang Dong Joo is such a brilliant character. I want to rewatch it now.”
– “Im Siwan’s performance is top-tier. He nailed the role.”
– “The storyline is sharp, the pacing is perfect, and the message hits hard.”
Some fans even compared Tracer to other notable dramas about financial justice, like 38 Task Force, which also tackled unpaid taxes and white-collar crime.
While Cha Eunwoo’s legal battle may be just beginning, Tracer has earned renewed praise as a gripping, relevant, and entertaining watch in the midst of real-life controversy proving once again that life imitates art, and vice versa.
Sources: theqoo