[비즈한국] I find myself shaking my head without even realizing it. The exclamation, “Wow, still?” comes out naturally. I burst into laughter at the chillingly accurate portrayal of reality, only to feel a sudden hit of "reality check" (hyeonta) that leaves me holding my forehead. These are the things that happen when you watch the short-form drama 'Lee Gwa-jang's ChonChonSo' (hereinafter 'ChonChonSo'), which was released on YouTube and has an extended version available on WATCHA. 'ChonChonSo,' a shorthand for "a really crappy SME," is a drama that vividly depicts the reality of small-to-medium enterprises (the name itself evokes the term 'X-rated company'). It follows the events that unfold after 29-year-old unemployed Jo Chung-beom (Nam Hyun-woo) gets a job at 'Jeongseung Network.'
Jeongseung Network is a company that aggregates all the shortcomings of a poorly organized, subpar SME. The owner, President Jeong Pil-don (Kang Seong-hun), who suddenly demands a same-day interview and then force-feeds songs to the candidate in the middle of it, is just the beginning. The characters are realistically familiar: the clueless, young "blue-blood" Director Jeong (Jo Jung-woo), whose actual work duties are a mystery; the company's oldest employee, Manager Lee Gwa-jang (YouTuber’s activity name: Lee Gwa-jang), a "corporate slave" who would pretend to die for the president but has zero presence; and Deputy Lee Mi-na (Kim Tae-young), hailed as the company’s ace but who spends all day searching shopping malls. To Chung-beom, who has a four-year degree in English literature but a TOEIC score in the 500s and nothing to show for his career besides a part-time job at a golf course, Jeongseung Network feels weird from the start, yet it's the only place he can go.
Once he joins, he hates everything: doing national calisthenics every morning, wearing a weird vest to clean the office, and the irrationality of being ordered to work overtime just before clocking out to create a PPT presentation for a client. When he asks for an employment contract, they suddenly cut his salary, contrary to the job posting, and there are no benefits beyond a refrigerator and some snacks. In episode 5, the finale of season 1, Jo Chung-beom valiantly attempts to "Chuno" (to ghost or run away), but he eventually returns to Jeongseung Network. The problem is that this unlaughable, grim reality—never seen in previous workplace dramas—tugs at the heartstrings of most office workers. I was definitely laughing, but why are my eyes stinging?
If I may take a trip down memory lane, I’ve worked at several small companies, so like the comments section, I felt genuine PTSD. Fortunately, my companies didn't go bankrupt or withhold pay, but I worked at places where the only "welfare" was after-work drinks. I’ve called a new hire repeatedly when they suddenly ghosted us during a deadline (take responsibility for the article you failed to finish!), worked in offices with gender-neutral bathrooms that made me cringe, and used MS Office versions that showed warnings because they weren't authentic. The absolute peak was working at a company where the owner couple kept a dog. I remember the moment when I was working on a weekend for a deadline, chased down their dog that escaped, got bitten on the hand, and after I finally got the dog back, the representative laughed and said, "Good thing it didn't bite a human (outsider)." At the time, I brushed it off at drinking sessions as a joke, saying "I’m not a human," but the more I think about it, the more absurd it was.
Is this absurd experience unique to me? A 2019 survey found that 99% of domestic companies are SMEs, and 17 million people—83% of all workers—work at SMEs. Of course, not all SMEs are hellish, and many are great companies. However, we all know that subtle nuance depicted in 'ChonChonSo.' That’s why I can't help but feel my eyes sting and experience PTSD. But is a large corporation the answer? It’s just as common in large corporations as it is in SMEs that employees are treated like "corporate slaves" in a broader sense. Everyone just wants to join a large company based on the theory that "if I'm going to be a slave anyway, it's better to be a slave for a wealthy household," but large corporations aren't necessarily places overflowing with dreams and hopes (do check out the blog novel 'Manager Kim who works at a large corporation and lives in his own apartment in Seoul,' which was recently a hot topic online).
'ChonChonSo' garnered huge attention by uploading 5 episodes of its first season, each about 8 minutes long, to its YouTube channel. The first episode, uploaded on January 6, surpassed 2.21 million views (as of April 19), and other videos also average over 1 million views. Starting from Season 2, consisting of 10 episodes around 13 minutes each, it entered the OTT platform WATCHA, gaining attention by pre-releasing an extended version that included previously unreleased scenes. It goes without saying that it ranked in the 'Top 5% of shows watched in the last month.' Surprisingly, 'ChonChonSo' was not made by broadcast experts. It was created by travel YouTuber 'Pani Bottle,' who couldn't focus on his main job due to COVID-19, joining forces with his best friend and fellow YouTuber 'GwakTube,' and YouTuber 'Lee Gwa-jang,' famous for calling himself 'Jong-na-goe' (a monster born from an SME). YouTubers with no directing or screenwriting experience gathered to create 'ChonChonSo,' which is being praised endlessly as the "real-life version of Misaeng."
It’s also surprising that, aside from a few leads, the cast is largely non-professional, including YouTubers. The performance of YouTuber Lee Gwa-jang, who also produced the show, is astonishing. His expression of utter despair when his salary is frozen is chillingly similar to our own. The performance of stage actor Kim Kyung-min, who played Deputy General Manager Baek Jin-sang starting from episode 9, is a highlight. After showcasing condescending and villainous behavior that rivals Park Gwa-jang from 'Misaeng,' he left Jeongseung Network in a spectacular(!) fashion in episode 15, the finale of Season 2 uploaded on April 14. Because it ended with a hint that he would soon fall into a quagmire, there is intense interest in whether he will appear in Season 3.
But let's not misunderstand. 'ChonChonSo' warns against the reaction of, "So if you don't like it, work harder and go to a large corporation." It’s not just mocking SMEs, but a drama that argues SMEs need to change. After all, isn't 'ChonChonSo' itself a work by an SME, made by YouTubers rather than "broadcasting station people," and entering the OTT platform WATCHA, which is also an SME? I am already looking forward to Season 3 produced by this excellent "strong small enterprise." Please come back soon!
Who is the writer, Jeong Su-jin?
She has worked for several magazines, covering and writing about movies, travel, and pop culture. She doesn’t want to fall behind trends, but has become an old soul who only expects predictable clichés when watching the latest dramas. She is drifting through the vast OTT world, trying to regain her lost instincts. Her current wish is for the release of an integrated OTT subscription plan.