How to Buy a Friend
2020 South Korean television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
How to Buy a Friend (Korean: 계약우정) is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Lee Shin-young, Shin Seung-ho, Kim So-hye, Oh Hee-joon, Min Do-hee, and Cho Yi-hyun. Based on the Daum webtoon Friendship Contract by Laad Kwon, it aired on KBS2 from April 6 to 14, 2020.[3]
| How to Buy a Friend | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 계약우정 |
| Hanja | 契約友情 |
| Lit. | Friendship Contract |
| RR | Gyeyagujeong |
| MR | Kyeyagujŏng |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Friendship Contract by Laad Kwon |
| Developed by | KBS Drama Production |
| Written by | Kim Joo-man |
| Directed by | Yoo Young-eun |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Choi In-hee |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 8[a] |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Lee Hyun-kyung |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 35 minutes[a] |
| Production company | Mega Monster[2] |
| Original release | |
| Network | KBS2 |
| Release | April 6 – April 14, 2020 |
Synopsis
Two teenagers begin a contractual relationship — Heo Don-hyuk promises to protect Park Chan-hong from his bully if the latter helps him uncover the truth behind the suicide of his girlfriend.
Cast
Main
- Lee Shin-young as Park Chan-hong[4]
- Also known as Ninja among his schoolmates, he is an ordinary high school student who has a talent for writing. He has a crush on Uhm Se-yoon.
- Shin Seung-ho as Heo Don-hyuk[5]
- Also known as Iron Man, he is notoriously known for his fists and has fought 10 men at one shot. He landed in juvenile detention and came to the school that Chan-hong, Se-yoon and Kyung-pyo attend.
- Kim So-hye as Uhm Se-yoon[6]
- The prettiest and most popular girl in school.
- Oh Hee-joon as Oh Kyung-pyo[7]
- Chan-hong's best friend.
- Min Do-hee as Choi Mi-ra[8]
- Se-yoon's best friend. She was also close to Seo-jung in arts class.
- Cho Yi-hyun as Shin Seo-jung[9]
- A senior who committed suicide at school, she was an art student who was close to Se-yoon and Mi-ra when she was alive.
Supporting
Chan-hong's family
- Kim Won-hae as Park Choong-chae[10]
- Baek Ji-won as Oh Jung-hee[11]
Pyung-seop's people
- Jang Hye-jin as Jo Pyung-seop[12]
- Kim Do-wan as Kwak Sang-pil[13]
Jeil High people
- Kim In-kwon as Woo Tae-jung[14]
- Kim So-ra as Choi Jung-won[15]
- Lee Jung-hyun as Kim Dae-yong[13]
- Yoo Se-hyung as Ahn Seong-do[12]
Production
Original soundtrack
| How to Buy a Friend | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | 2020 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Language | |
| Label | Danal Entertainment |
Part 1
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It Was Spring" (그때가 봄이었더라) | Major League | Major League | Joo Ye-in | 3:48 |
| 2. | "It Was Spring" (Inst.) | Major League | 3:48 | ||
| Total length: | 7:36 | ||||
Part 2
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Friend" | Nafla |
| Nafla | 3:07 |
| 2. | "My Friend" (Inst.) |
| 3:07 | ||
| Total length: | 6:14 | ||||
Part 3
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One & Only" | Ha Sun-ho |
| Ha Sun-ho | 2:42 |
| 2. | "One & Only" (Inst.) |
| 2:42 | ||
| Total length: | 5:24 | ||||
Part 4
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Saw You in My Dream" (꿈에서 널 봤어) |
| Crazy Park | Lee Min-hyuk | 3:48 |
| 2. | "I Saw You in My Dream" (Inst.) | Crazy Park | 3:48 | ||
| Total length: | 7:36 | ||||
Part 5
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 34th KBS Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Baek Ji-won | Nominated |
| Jang Hye-jin | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor in a One-Act/Special/Short Drama | Lee Shin-young | Won | ||
| Shin Seung-ho | Nominated | |||
| Best New Actress | Kim So-hye | Nominated | ||
Ratings
In this table, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
| Ep. | Broadcast date | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[22] | |||
| 1 | April 6, 2020 | What Could You Possibly Do With a Poem? (시따위로 뭘 할 수 있겠어?) |
2.3% |
| 2 | 2.7% | ||
| 3 | April 7, 2020 | The Limits of Poetic License (시적허용의 범위) |
1.4% |
| 4 | 1.6% | ||
| 5 | April 13, 2020 | What Rhythm Has Taught Me (운율이 내게 가르쳐 준 것) |
2.6% |
| 6 | 2.4% | ||
| 7 | April 14, 2020 | N/a[c] | 1.4% |
| 8 | 1.8% | ||
| Average | 2.0% | ||
Notes
- In order to circumvent Korean laws that prevent commercial breaks in the middle of an episode, what would previously have been aired as single 70 minute episodes are now being repackaged as two 35 minute episodes, with two episodes being shown each night with a commercial break between the two.[1]
- Episodes 7 and 8 were not given any title.