This week’s K-drama review is about dreams, growth, life and a lot more. Today we are talking about the 2020 tvN production ‘Start-Up’.
The story behind the person
Written by Park Hye-ryun and directed by Oh Choong-hwan, ‘Start-Up’ tells the story of Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy), a girl with a bubbly personality who dreams to become the next big CEO of South Korea; and Nam Do-san (Nam Joon-hyuk), a math genius who founded his on tech company with his best friends, however, they lack investors to grow their company.
Dal-mi comes from a humble background and she was raised mostly by her father (Kim Joo-hun) and her grandmother (Kim Hae-sook) after her parents divorced and she decided to stay with her dad.
Dal-mi’s father is an entrepreneur who dreams about having his own business, however, he unfortunately passes away after an accident caused serious brain injuries. Her mother, played by Song Seon-mi, leaves the house with Dal-mi’s older sister (Kang Han-na) after the divorce and marries a rich man.
On Do-san’s side, he also comes from a humble background and he is the pride of his family. Him and his best friends played by Kim Do-wan and Yoo Su-bin, try their best to get investors for their company Samsan Tech, but they aren’t successful.
Family, Friends, Dreams
After her parents’ divorce and her sister leaving with her mom, Dal-mi becomes quite lonely. Her grandmother, trying to make her happy, asks a young man she has helped to write letters to Dal-mi. He does it using Nam Do-san’s name instead of his, Dal-mi and him become close friends through the letters, but he leaves town after a misunderstanding with Dal-mi’s grandmother.
Dal-mi has treasured the letters they exchanged for years and misses the exchanges with her friend. After a meeting with her now successful and well-off sister, she decides to try and find her penpal once more. Things get complicated after her real penpal Han Ju-pyeong played by Kim Seon-ho asks Do-san to pretend he is the one who wrote the letters.
Do-san accepts even though he has to lie about his life and situation, but continues on with the story because he starts liking Dal-mi. His lies fall apart after they all decide to enter Sandbox’s annual entrepreneur program, where he and his friends along with Dal-mi try to achieve their dreams.
Entrepreneurial Activities
‘Start-Up’ is a drama that touches on second chances in life. All the characters are fighting for a second chance in life to achieve their dreams, and they are working and fighting for it.
Throughout the full series we get to watch the development of the characters at a professional and personal level, while being surrounded in a dream-like environment where brainstorming is key and taking action is priority.
One of the aspects I enjoyed the most is how the entrepreneurial aspect of the series is authentic and keeps it mostly real throughout the full series.
One character that really caught my attention was Kim Seon-ho’s one. He is an orphan who is aided by Dal-mi’s grandmother after he leaves the orphanage where he lives. With the little money he has, he decided to start investing in stock and is able to make it big by studying hard and trying again and again.
He is able to make a name of his own and become a big player in the investment sector, however, he is ruthless with entrepreneurs and always tries to keep them down to earth.
Second Lead Syndrome
Throughout the years I have watched dramas, I have had the second lead syndrome with some stories. However, ‘Start-up’ took it to the next level, Seon-ho’s character was so well-written and it was captivating to see the growth of Ji-pyeong, and how wholesome the relationship he had with Dal-mi’s grandmother was.
This character was supportive, smart, honest and absolutely adorable. An absolute legend in the second leads lists.
Final Thoughts
‘Start-Up’ managed to balance life, work and love in one single drama. It is an excellent drama that was well-written and flawlessly played by the actors. This drama keeps it real and that was something very refreshing to watch.
You can watch it on Netflix, and check out the trailer below.
