[비즈한국] ‘Good or Bad Dong-jae’, starring Seo Dong-jae, has come to an end. Seo Dong-jae was a supporting character in writer Lee Soo-yeon’s hit series ‘Stranger’ (Secret Forest). Until the mid-portion of Season 1, he occupied a position close to a semi-villain, but by the end and into Season 2, he became a character who captivated viewers as much as the lead, earning nicknames like "Our Dong-jae" or "Ug-Dong-jae" (a portmanteau of "your Dong-jae" and "our Dong-jae"). Beyond the binary of good and evil, Seo Dong-jae flourished into a compelling character through actor Lee Joon-hyuk, eventually leading to the birth of the spin-off drama ‘Good or Bad Dong-jae’.
‘Good or Bad Dong-jae’ (Good-Bad Dong-jae) is naturally completely different in tone from ‘Stranger’ (Secret Forest), where Hwang Si-mok (Cho Seung-woo) was the protagonist. In the drama’s opening, which starts with a BGM full of gravitas, Seo Dong-jae looks at his computer screen with a very serious expression, only to be frustrated a moment later. Did he miss a major criminal? Did he get an unfair verdict? No, no. What frustrates Seo Dong-jae is simply (?) being passed over for a promotion. When his junior in the next office, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jo Byeong-geon (Hyun Bong-sik), pretends to console him while actually teasing and provoking him, Dong-jae tries to maintain his composure, but once alone in the elevator, he erupts into curses and screams. It was an opening that made us realize, ‘Ah, we are watching a drama where Dong-jae is the main character.’
The charm of ‘Good-Bad Dong-jae’ lies absolutely in the character of Seo Dong-jae. In ‘Stranger’, Seo Dong-jae was a detestable figure—a corrupt prosecutor who took bribes without hesitation and bullied or threatened others whenever things didn't go his way. However, unlike the typical villains in recent dramas, he doesn't kill anyone or commit crimes of that magnitude. He’s just your average "bad" person, perhaps? Even in ‘Good-Bad Dong-jae’, he no longer takes bribes, but he is far from being an upright prosecutor trying to root out criminals to realize justice. Seo Dong-jae is still glib, and his social maneuvering is flamboyant. Yet, that appearance somehow comes across as pitiful.
Come to think of it, Seo Dong-jae has an abundance of elements that ordinary people can relate to (more so than Hwang Si-mok). He is definitely a prosecutor, part of the social elite, but he is not treated as such in their exclusive league. His surrounding colleagues, such as Lee Chang-jun (Yoo Jae-myung), who married a chaebol's daughter, Young Eun-soo (Shin Hye-sun), who had a father who was a former Minister of Justice, and Hwang Si-mok, who is considered a "brain" due to his extraordinary memory, are mostly graduates of Seoul National University. Seo Dong-jae, on the other hand, is a graduate of a local university and has no powerful connections, limiting his upward mobility.
In Season 2 of ‘Stranger’, Dong-jae even had to endure the miserable situation of being called out to be a designated driver for a drunken superior at a Seoul National University alumni gathering. That is why Seo Dong-jae’s desperate clinging to Lee Chang-jun in ‘Stranger’ and to Chief Prosecutor Jeon Mi-ran (Lee Hang-na) in ‘Good-Bad Dong-jae’ is so poignant. His waist and knees are infinitely flexible, but ordinary people deeply empathize with the weight of life hidden behind that lightness. Isn't that how ordinary life goes? Isn't my own meal and my own promotion more precious than crying out for grand justice?
In the traffic accident case assigned early in the drama, unlike Prosecutor Jo Byeong-geon, who correctly deduced that the victim didn't intentionally send high-end artwork via "special delivery," Seo Dong-jae fails to realize it. If it were Hwang Si-mok, he would have known instantly, or even if he didn't, he would have asked his junior simply without a second thought. But Seo Dong-jae, trying to find out what his junior knows, approaches him by casually offering a cup of instant coffee, only to be met with ridicule. Isn't it a common experience to have a junior more capable than you subtly look down on you? The same goes for the fact that he doesn't receive proper recognition even after solving a long-term cold case serial murder. Above all, when Dong-jae simulates the case as if possessed by Hwang Si-mok while watching CCTV footage, only to eventually hit a wall and curse, "Aish, I really don't know, damn it," his appearance is nothing short of human. That’s right. Most of us are closer to Seo Dong-jae than Hwang Si-mok.
The scene in ‘Good-Bad Dong-jae’ where Seo Dong-jae, after belatedly remembering that he was gifted rural land that was worth 150,000 won per pyeong in the past by construction contractor Nam Wan-sung (Park Sung-woong), agonizes over it also feels human. Who would cast stones at Dong-jae for seriously contemplating whether he should just shamelessly become a building owner if he's never going to get ahead in his career anyway, upon realizing that the land he didn't even remember would be worth billions due to redevelopment? And yet, see how he pulls himself together after meeting a senior who trusts him despite his unreliability, saying, "Yeah, let's not lose face." While Seo Dong-jae’s past wrongdoings cannot be defended, we all know one thing: everyone makes mistakes, makes poor judgments, and sometimes acts even worse to cover them up. We also know how difficult it is to overcome those, reflect, and try not to repeat the same mistakes. Perhaps that is why, even if we click our tongues at Seo Dong-jae, we still treat him with a shred of pity.
‘Good-Bad Dong-jae’ is a work where the efforts of actor Lee Joon-hyuk, who vividly brings the grounded character of Seo Dong-jae to life, are deeply felt. The passionate performance of Lee Joon-hyuk, who has met his "character of a lifetime," is truly the alpha and omega of ‘Good-Bad Dong-jae’. Lee Joon-hyuk appears as Seo Dong-jae himself—someone who is difficult to judge by the binary of good and evil, showing the veteran prosecutor's experience while overflowing with goofiness. His quick-wittedness in alternating between seriousness and lightness in an instant, and his comedic acting, are particularly outstanding.
Other characters also display diverse charms. Everyone at the Cheongju District Prosecutors' Office, including Hyun Bong-sik as Jo Byeong-geon, who creates a frenemy chemistry with Seo Dong-jae; Lee Hang-na as the charismatic yet calculating Chief Prosecutor Jeon Mi-ran; and Jung Woon-sun as the chic junior Prosecutor Kim Ji-hee, is multi-dimensional. Park Sung-woong, who had been heavily consumed as a villain in many works, succeeded in creating a villain who seems cliché but isn't through the character of Nam Wan-sung, and Jung Hee-tae’s performance as Nam Wan-sung’s lawyer, Joo Jung-gi, is also excellent. It is also nice to see Park Sung-geun as Kang Won-chul, who is responsible for the connection to ‘Stranger’.
In a world where everyone dreams of being a protagonist (and everyone claims to be the protagonist of their own life), but not everyone can be a cool one, Seo Dong-jae has proudly carved out his own place. Even if it didn't become a hit as big as ‘Stranger’, it is enjoyable enough. Isn't it a successful spin-off if it makes you wish for a Season 2? Additionally, being able to fully enjoy the increasingly radiant looks of Lee Joon-hyuk is another appealing point.
Who is the writer Jung Soo-jin?
She has worked at various magazines, covering and writing about movies, travel, and pop culture. She doesn't want to fall behind trends, but she has become an "old person" who anticipates only the predictable clichés in the next scenes while watching the latest dramas. She is drifting through the vast world of OTT, trying to regain her lost sense, and her current wish is for a comprehensive OTT subscription plan.