tvN ‘How to Become a Building Owner in the Republic of Korea’

The highly anticipated series ‘How to Become a Building Owner in the Republic of Korea’ is coming to heat up the small screen in March.

Premiering on March 14, the new tvN Saturday-Sunday drama ‘How to Become a Building Owner in the Republic of Korea’ (script by Oh Han-ki/directed by Im Pil-sung/planned by Studio Dragon/produced by Mindmark, Studio329/hereinafter ‘Building Owner’) unveiled a script reading session heated by the cast’s ‘breath-stopping acting tension’, including Ha Jung-woo, Im Soo-jung, Kim Jun-han, Jung Soo-jung, and Shim Eun-kyung.

‘Building Owner’ is a suspense drama in which a livelihood-driven building owner drowning in debt joins a fake kidnapping scheme to protect family and building that are more precious than life. Director Im Pil-sung, who directed the films ‘Antarctic Journal’ and ‘Persona’, and noted novelist Oh Han-ki, winner of the 7th Young Writers Award, have joined forces to deliver a fresh shock to the small screen with a distinctive story and directing style.

Above all, the glamorous and appealing cast raises expectations. Returning to the small screen after 19 years, Ha Jung-woo said, “It has been such a long time since I have taken part in a drama. I will try to create a truly fun work,” revealing his resolve. On the 4th, news broke that Ha Jung-woo is in a relationship with actor Cha Jung-won, drawing even more attention. Im Soo-jung is also returning to the small screen after five years. Im said, “Through this project I think I can take on a new character and show another side of myself,” expressing anticipation.

First, Ha Jung-woo plays Gi Su-jong, a breadwinner who bought a building through ‘all-in financing’ (borrowing to the very limit) and is buried in debt, and he laid out the desperate struggle of Su-jong to protect his building and family by any means. Im Soo-jung becomes Kim Sun, Su-jong’s wife who, in moments of crisis, remains composed and breaks through the situation, creating unexpected turns. Each page of the script induced chills, and the two actors delivered tightly knit performances that instantly overwhelmed the venue.

Kim Jun-han and Jung Soo-jung become a couple close to the family of Gi Su-jong and Kim Sun, and they compellingly depict the process of becoming entangled in an unexpected incident. Kim Jun-han, in the role of Min Hwal-seong, the close friend of Su-jong, unfolds a desire to succeed and delivers an impressive turn. Jung Soo-jung takes the role of Jeon Yi-kyung, who has a mother that is a major real estate investor, portraying a character who appears to lack nothing on the surface but carries inner deficiency, signaling a new face.

Shim Eun-kyung, who solidified standing as a global actor by becoming the first Korean actor to win at the Japan Academy Film Prize and, more recently, the Kinema Junpo Best Actress Award, drew attention by returning to a Korean drama after a long time. Appearing with a look as if she had leapt off the page, Shim takes on the role of Yona, an operative at the mysterious Real Capital, and radiates intense presence.

From the script reading site, the actors fully immersed themselves in their characters, heightening tension and immersion as if waging an acting war. Foreshadowing perfect synergy among the cast, ‘Building Owner’ raises expectations for a story about the building owner that every citizen in the Republic of Korea longs to be, and about the desires of people surrounding buildings, leaving not a single moment to relax.

Boosting anticipation with the script reading reveal, the new tvN Saturday-Sunday drama ‘How to Become a Building Owner in the Republic of Korea’ will premiere at 9:10 p.m. on Saturday, March 14.