Why does 각색 (脚色) mean "dramatization"?

 ANSWER: I'm not sure.

Dong-A's Prime Korean-English Dictionary defines 각색  as "dramatization," "stage version," and "cinematization," but 각색 (脚色) literally means "leg (脚) color (色)," so how did "leg color" come to mean "dramatization"? I can only guess.

각광 (脚光) literally means "leg (脚) lights (光)" but is defined as "footlights," which are lights placed at the front of a stage to illuminate actors from foot level. Footlights allow the audience to see the actors without any obstruction, and the "color" of the lights can also effect the mood of a scene.

So my guess is that 각색 (leg color) is related to 각광 (leg lights), which implies a stage performance. In other words, if you are going to make a novel into a play (dramatize a novel), you will need a stage and footlights to highlight the actors, so maybe that is how "lighting" or "coloring" legs came to mean "dramatization"?

I have read that the modern meaning of 각색 has something to do with corrupt officials in ancient China, but I don't buy that explanation.

From Dong-A's Prime Korean-English Dictionary