Misaeng: Incomplete Life
2014 South Korean TV series
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Misaeng: Incomplete Life[1] (Korean: 미생 - 아직 살아 있지 못한 자; RR: Misaeng - ajik sara itji mothan ja) is a 2014 South Korean television series based on the eponymous webtoon series by Yoon Tae-ho. It aired on tvN from October 17 to December 20, 2014, on Fridays and Saturdays at 20:30 (KST) for 20 episodes.[2][3][4]
Drama
by Yoon Tae-ho
| Misaeng: Incomplete Life | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Also known as | An Incomplete Life |
| Genre | Workplace Drama |
| Based on | Misaeng by Yoon Tae-ho |
| Developed by | Choi Jin-hee and Park Ji-young for tvN |
| Written by | Jung Yoon-jung |
| Directed by | Kim Won-seok |
| Starring | Im Si-wan Lee Sung-min Kang So-ra Kang Ha-neul Byun Yo-han Kim Dae-myung Shin Eun-jung Park Hae-joon |
| Music by | Kim Joon-seok Park Seong-il |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Kim Mi-na Lee Chan-ho |
| Producers | Lee Jae-moon Ham Seung-hoon Lee Esther |
| Production locations | Korea, Jordan |
| Cinematography | Choi Sang-mook |
| Editor | Kim Na-young |
| Running time | 65 minutes |
| Production company | Number 3 Pictures |
| Original release | |
| Network | tvN |
| Release | October 17 – December 20, 2014 |
The title translates to Go terminology meaning "an incomplete life" (literally "not yet" (미) "living/birth" (생), meaning "not yet alive"). Misaeng: Incomplete Life was the first Korean drama to film on location in Jordan, where actors Im Si-wan and Lee Sung-min shot the series's prologue in Amman, Petra, and Wadi Rum.[5] Yim reprised his role as the protagonist, which he played in an earlier film adaptation, Incomplete Life: Prequel (2013).[6][7][8]
The series became a cultural phenomenon and recorded high viewership ratings for a cable network program in Korea.[9][10][11][12][13][14]
Synopsis
Since he was a child, the board game baduk has been everything to Jang Geu-rae (Im Si-wan).[15] But when he fails at achieving his dream of becoming a professional baduk player, Geu-rae must leave his isolated existence and enter the real world armed with nothing but a GED high school equivalency diploma on his resume. Through an acquaintance's recommendation, he gets hired as an intern at One International, a large trading company.
There, Geu-rae meets his boss, manager Oh Sang-shik (Lee Sung-min), who's a workaholic and has a warm personality; fellow intern Ahn Young-yi (Kang So-ra), who attracts her colleagues' ire because of her impressive educational credentials and by being extremely competent at any task; and Jang Baek-gi (Kang Ha-neul), a geeky co-worker whose anxious nature masks his inner ambition. Geu-rae learns to navigate and adapt to corporate culture, with baduk as his guide.[16]
Cast
Main
- Im Si-wan as Jang Geu-rae[17][18]
- Kim Ye-jun as young Jang Geu-rae[19]
- He formerly aspired to be a professional baduk player, to which he had devoted his life since childhood, but, unable to achieve this goal, he joins One International, although he has no formal skills or training. He joins Sales Team 3 as a two-year contract employee at One International.
- Lee Sung-min as Oh Sang-shik
- Kang So-ra as Ahn Young-yi[20] She joins Resource Team as permanent employee at One International.
- Kang Ha-neul as Jang Baek-gi[21] He joins Steel Team as permanent employee at One International.
- Byun Yo-han as Han Seok-yool. He joins Textile Team as permanent employee at One International.
Supporting
One International Sales Teams
Team 3 (to which Geu-rae is assigned)
- Kim Dae-myung as Kim Dong-shik
- Park Hae-joon as Chun Kwan-woong
- Kim Hee-won as Park Jong-shik[22]
- Seo Yoon-ah as Lee Eun-ji (ep. 14)
- Kim Won-hae as Park Young-ho (ep. 20)
Team 1
- Shin Eun-jung as Sun Ji-young
- Kim Sang-won as Mr. Um
- Shin Dong-hoon as Cha Soo-jin
Team 2
- Ryu Tae-ho as Go Dong-ho
- Park Jin-soo as Assistant Manager Hwang
- Kim Ga-young as Jang Mi-ra
Others
- Yoon Jong-hoon as Lee Sang-hyun
- Yeo Eui-joo as Jang Ki-seok
- Kim Jong-soo as Kim Boo-ryun
- Kim Kyung-ryong as Lee Shin-tae
- Nam Kyung-eup as CEO of One International
- Lee Geung-young as Choi Young-hoo
- Son Jong-hak as Ma Bok-ryul
- Jung Hee-tae as Jung Hee-seok
- -- as Cha Jung-ho
- Jang Hyuk-jin as Moon Sang-pil
- Choi Gwi-hwa as Park Yong-gu
- Shin Jae-hoon as Yoo Hyung-ki
- Jeon Seok-ho as Ha Sung-joon
- Oh Min-suk as Kang Hae-joon
- Tae In-ho as Song Jeon-shik
- Park Jin-seo as Shin Da-in
- Hwang Seok-jeong as Kim Sun-joo
- Jo Hyun-sik as Kim Seok-ho
- Kim Jung-hak as Lee Seok-joong
- Kwak In-joon as Audit team leader
- Han Kap-soo as One International Jordan branch manager
- Choi Jae-woong as One International Jordan branch employee
- Sung Byung-sook as Geu-rae's mother
- Nam Myung-ryul as Geu-rae's baduk teacher
- Lee Si-won as Ha Jung-yeon
- -- as Senior colleague Kim
- Oh Yoon-hong as Oh Sang-shik's wife
- Lee Seung-joon as Shin Woo-hyun
Cameo appearances
- Cho Hun-hyun (cameo)
- Yoo Chang-hyuk (cameo)
- Oh Jung-se as Husband of Chungsol's CEO (cameo, ep. 20)
- Yoo Jae-myung as Factory worker (ep. 16)
Original soundtrack
Part 1
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Roman" (로망) | Taibian | Vladimir Vysotsky | Rose Motel | 4:05 |
| 2. | "Roman" (Inst.) | 4:05 | |||
| Total length: | 8:10 | ||||
Part 2
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tomorrow" (내일) | Seo Dong-sung | Park Seong-il | Han Hee-jung | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Tomorrow" (Inst.) | 3:34 | |||
| Total length: | 7:08 | ||||
Part 3
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fly" (날아) | Park Asher | Park Asher | Yi Sung-yol | 4:46 |
| 2. | "Fly" (Inst.) | 4:46 | |||
| Total length: | 9:32 | ||||
Part 4
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hidden Road" (가리워진 길) | Yoo Jae-ha | Yoo Jae-ha | Bolbbalgan4 | 4:22 |
| 2. | "Hidden Road" (Inst.) | 4:22 | |||
| Total length: | 8:44 | ||||
Part 5
Ratings
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nielsen Korea | |||
| Average rating | Peak rating | ||
| 1 | October 17, 2014 | 1.7% | 2.8% |
| 2 | October 18, 2014 | 2.5% | 3.1% |
| 3 | October 24, 2014 | 3.4% | 4.6% |
| 4 | October 25, 2014 | 3.6% | 4.9% |
| 5 | October 31, 2014 | 4.6% | 6.0% |
| 6 | November 1, 2014 | 3.7% | 5.4% |
| 7 | November 7, 2014 | 5.2% | 6.4% |
| 8 | November 8, 2014 | 5.0% | 6.6% |
| 9 | November 14, 2014 | 5.2% | 6.7% |
| 10 | November 15, 2014 | 5.9% | 7.0% |
| 11 | November 21, 2014 | 6.1% | 7.1% |
| 12 | November 22, 2014 | 6.3% | 7.8% |
| 13 | November 28, 2014 | 7.9% | |
| 14 | November 29, 2014 | 5.8% | |
| 15 | December 5, 2014 | 7.2% | 9.4% |
| 16 | December 6, 2014 | 7.4% | 8.6% |
| 17 | December 12, 2014 | 7.6% | 9.7% |
| 18 | December 13, 2014 | 8.0% | 9.5% |
| 19 | December 19, 2014 | 7.6% | 9.3% |
| 20 | December 20, 2014 | 8.4% | 10.3% |
| Average | 5.6% | 7.1% | |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 9th Cable TV Broadcasting Awards[28] | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Misaeng: Incomplete Life | Won |
| Star Award - Best Actor | Yim Si-wan | Won | ||
| Kang Ha-neul | Won | |||
| 51st Baeksang Arts Awards[29] | Best Drama | Misaeng: Incomplete Life | Nominated | |
| Best Director (TV) | Kim Won-seok | Won | ||
| Best Actor (TV) | Lee Sung-min | Won | ||
| Best New Actor (TV) | Yim Si-wan | Won | ||
| Kim Dae-myung | Nominated | |||
| 10th Seoul International Drama Awards | Best Miniseries | Misaeng: Incomplete Life | Won | |
| Best Director | Kim Won-seok | Nominated | ||
| 8th Korea Drama Awards | Best Drama | Misaeng: Incomplete Life | Won | |
| Best Production Director | Kim Won-seok | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Jung Yoon-jung | Nominated | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actor | Yim Si-wan | Nominated | ||
| Excellence Award, Actor | Kim Dae-myung | Won | ||
| Special Jury Prize | Yim Si-wan | Won | ||
| 4th APAN Star Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Lee Sung-min | Won | |
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Yim Si-wan | Won | ||
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Kang So-ra | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Kim Dae-myung | Nominated | ||
| Lee Geung-young | Won | |||
| Best New Actor | Byun Yo-han | Won | ||
| Kang Ha-neul | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Best Actor | Lee Sung-min | Won |
| Best Content Award, Drama | Misaeng: Incomplete Life | Won | ||
| Made in tvN, Actor in Drama | Yim Si-wan | Nominated | ||
| Made in tvN, Actress in Drama | Kang So-ra | Nominated | ||
| Scene-Stealer Award, Actor | Byun Yo-han | Nominated | ||
| Kang Ha-neul | Nominated |
Remake
- Hope: Kitai Zero no Shinnyu Shain
- Ordinary Glory; starring Bai Jingting, Mark Chao and Qiao Xin.[30][31]