While You Were Sleeping (2017)

What is While You Were Sleeping?

While You Were Sleeping (Korean: 당신이 잠든 사이에; Revised Romanization: Dangshini Jamdeun Saie) is a 2017 South Korean television series that aired on SBS from September 27 to November 16, 2017. The drama was directed by Oh Choong-Hwan and Park Soo-Jin, with the screenplay written by Park Hye-Ryun. The series broadcast on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00, with each installment running 35 minutes and two episodes airing per day.

The series was produced in two distinct formats: a television version comprising 32 episodes and an online version condensed into 16 episodes. The drama occupied the Wednesday and Thursday 22:00 time slot following "Into the World Again" and preceded "Judge vs. Judge," which began airing on November 22, 2017.

While You Were Sleeping combines elements of mystery, romance, drama, and supernatural genres. The narrative centers on Nam Hong-joo, portrayed by Bae Suzy, a young woman endowed with the ability to foresee future events through her dreams. She resides with her widowed mother, who operates a small restaurant. Despite possessing precognitive abilities, Hong-joo frequently finds herself unable to alter the outcomes she witnesses.

The story unfolds when Jung Jae-chan, played by Lee Jong-suk, a rookie prosecutor, and his younger brother Seung-won become Hong-joo's new neighbors. An unusual dream involving Hong-joo, ruthless attorney Lee Yoo-beom (portrayed by Lee Sang-yeob), and a life-saving intervention leads Jae-chan to realize their destinies are interconnected. The characters begin sharing dreams and connecting through mysterious circumstances.

The production timeline commenced with the first script reading on January 20, 2017, in Mokdong, Seoul. Filming began in February 2017 and concluded on July 27, 2017, at Wonbang set in Paju, South Korea. The series featured special cameo appearances, including Kim So-hyun, as well as Yun Kyun-sang and Lee Sung-kyung, who had previously collaborated with director Oh Choong-Hwan in the 2016 SBS drama "Doctors".

Plot and Synopsis

The Precognitive Dream Ability

The central narrative device of the drama revolves around precognition, the supernatural ability to witness future events during sleep. Nam Hong-joo, born in 1988, possesses this power from childhood, experiencing visions of deaths and tragic events that invariably manifest in reality. The dreams take effect exclusively during sleep, presenting themselves as vivid experiences that the dreamer perceives as authentic occurrences. Hong-joo witnessed her father Nam Chul-doo's death at the hands of a runaway soldier through such dreams, establishing the immutable nature of her visions.

The ability functions as a transferable power between individuals under specific circumstances. When Hong-joo saved Jung Jae-chan from drowning while preventing police officer Choi Dam-dong from committing suicide, Jae-chan inadvertently acquired the same precognitive capacity. Correspondingly, Han Woo-tak obtained this power when Jae-chan intercepted Hong-joo's car driven by Lee Yoo-beom, preventing Woo-tak's destined death in a car accident on Valentine's Day. Each recipient experiences physical sensations from altered futures, as Woo-tak felt the impact of a collision that never occurred after Jae-chan's intervention.

The Main Story Arc

The drama combines romance, legal proceedings, and fantasy elements through the interconnected lives of three characters who share precognitive abilities. Nam Hong-joo works as a field reporter, Jung Jae-chan serves as a 29-year-old rookie prosecutor, and Han Woo-tak functions as a police officer. Their dreams reveal crimes requiring investigation and catastrophic events threatening one or more of them. Consequently, the trio collaborates to prevent ominous visions from materializing and to defeat Lee Yoo-beom, a corrupt attorney who serves as their primary antagonist.

How the Dreams Work

The dreams manifest specific future events with precise details rather than symbolic imagery. Some visions show criminal activities that Jae-chan must prosecute, while others depict personal disasters affecting the dreamers themselves. The dreams present complete scenarios that the characters must interpret and act upon to alter predetermined outcomes, demonstrating that the future remains mutable despite the visions' clarity.

Main Cast and Characters

The four principal roles feature established and emerging actors who portray characters sharing precognitive abilities and interconnected destinies.

Lee Jong-suk as Jung Jae-chan

Lee Jong-suk portrays Jung Jae-chan, a 29-year-old rookie prosecutor whose father, Jung Il-seung, served as a police chief officer before being murdered by a runaway soldier. During his adolescent years, Jae-chan exhibited carefree behavior with minimal concern for academics, but his reconciliation with his father prompted a transformation that led him to pursue a prosecutorial career. He acquired precognitive abilities from Hong-joo when she saved him from drowning in a lake while preventing Choi Dam-dong, the runaway soldier's older brother, from committing suicide. Born in April 1988 with blood type B, Jae-chan appears cold and humorless but demonstrates foolish and comedic tendencies in certain situations. His lack of recognition that Hong-joo was his childhood acquaintance "Bamtori" stemmed from remembering her with tomboyish mannerisms and a short, boy-like haircut.

Bae Suzy as Nam Hong-joo

Bae Suzy embodies Nam Hong-joo, a 29-year-old journalist and field reporter born in 1988 who possesses precognition abilities that manifest during sleep. Hong-joo earned the nickname "Bamtori" (밤톨이; lit. 'Chestnut') during her tomboyish childhood when she aspired to become a baseball player. Her father, Nam Chul-doo, died at the hands of the same runaway soldier who killed Jae-chan's father, with both funerals conducted jointly on the same date. Her short haircut and tomboyish characteristics caused many people, including reporters and Jae-chan, to mistake her for a boy. She operates her mother Yoon Moon-sun's samgyeopsal restaurant after leaving her reporting position to prevent dreamed deaths from occurring.

Lee Sang-yeob as Lee Yoo-beom

Lee Sang-yeob performs the role of Lee Yoo-beom, a 34-year-old prosecutor turned lawyer born November 20, 1983. Yoo-beom served as Jae-chan's private tutor during adolescence, coaxing him into falsifying report cards for financial gain. He operates at Haekwang Law Firm, accepting lucrative cases regardless of client guilt and fabricating evidence to achieve desired outcomes. His criminal activities included murdering Ha Joo-an to conceal fabricated evidence that wrongly convicted a doctor for 19 IV drip serial killings. Yoo-beom received a life sentence after being found guilty of murder and evidence fabrication.

Jung Hae-in as Han Woo-tak

Jung Hae-in interprets Han Woo-tak, a 29-year-old police officer who ranked first in his academy class. Despite exemplifying ideal officer qualities through intelligence and physical capability, Woo-tak conceals color blindness that could jeopardize his career, which remained undetected due to assessment errors. Born in September 1988 with blood type O, he acquired precognitive abilities when Jae-chan prevented his destined death in a Valentine's Day car accident. Woo-tak developed affection for Hong-joo but concealed these feelings upon recognizing her developing relationship with Jae-chan.

Supporting Characters

Division 3 Prosecutors

Several prosecutors and staff members comprise the Criminal Division 3 team at Seoul Han River District Prosecutor's Office where Jung Jae-chan works. Go Sung-hee portrays Shin Hee-min, a prosecutor who serves as Jae-chan's direct senior. Despite being one year junior to Jae-chan in university, she possesses two years more experience as a prosecutor, creating tension over seniority titles. Hee-min demonstrates skilled interrogation techniques and maintains a high prosecution rate.

Min Sung-wook performs the role of Lee Ji-kwang, a prosecutor characterized as the son of a building owner who enjoys teasing colleagues with humorous jokes. His outwardly loud and tough demeanor conceals a humane and compassionate nature. Son Woo-joo, portrayed by Bae Hae-seon, functions as chief prosecutor of Division 3 and raises an 11-year-old son as a single mother. Known for efficient and organized work methods, she marries Lee Ji-kwang in the final episode.

Lee Gi-young embodies Park Dae-young, the Division Chief who maintains a gentle personality while enforcing strict standards in practice. As a devout Christian practicing tithing, he conducts prayers before meals, creating discomfort among junior prosecutors despite respecting their investigative autonomy. Kim Won-hae plays Choi Dam-dong, an investigator whose extensive case experience provides superior investigation and legal knowledge compared to most prosecutors. Park Jin-joo appears as Moon Hyang-mi, Jae-chan's office manager who initially develops attraction to him but becomes increasingly disappointed observing his behavior. Son San portrays Min Jung-hee, the eldest working-level officer in Division 3 who operates in the chief prosecutor's office. Lee Bong-ryun performs as Go Pil-suk, the working-level officer in Shin Hee-min's office.

People Around the Main Characters

Shin Jae-ha depicts Jung Seung-won, Jae-chan's younger brother and third-year student at Kiyeong High School. Unlike his brother, Seung-won exhibits consistency and manages household responsibilities independently. Hwang Young-hee portrays Yoon Moon-sun, Hong-joo's mother who operates a pork belly restaurant. She raised Hong-joo alone following her husband's early death and possesses culinary skills across Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese cuisines. Oh Eui-shik appears as Bong Doo-hyun, a diligent SBC Han River Line reporter who serves as Hong-joo's direct senior.

Recurring Special Appearances

Kim So-hyun featured in episodes 3-8 and 32. Lee Sung-kyung and Yoon Kyun-sang appeared as a couple in episode 21, having previously collaborated with director Oh Choong-hwan.

Episode Breakdown and Major Cases

Armed Deserter Incident

Nam Chul-doo, Hong-joo's father, served as a bus driver when a runaway soldier boarded his vehicle. Hong-joo dreamed that the deserter would detonate a bomb, killing all passengers including her father. During the actual incident, passengers evacuated the bus, but Nam Chul-doo died alongside the deserter in the subsequent explosion. The same soldier had previously murdered Jung Jae-chan's father, a police officer, in a convenience store shooting.

Park Jun-mo Domestic Violence Case

Park So-yoon, portrayed by Kim So-hyun in episodes 3-8, functioned as a talented pianist whose father Park Jun-mo subjected her mother Do Geum-sook to systematic physical abuse. Attorney Lee Yoo-beom consistently defended Park Jun-mo, falsifying evidence to prevent prosecution. So-yoon contemplated patricide before Jae-chan, Hong-joo, and Woo-tak intervened through their shared dreams. Jae-chan reopened the case despite opposition from his supervisor, ultimately proving the assault charges and enabling So-yoon and her mother to relocate abroad. So-yoon later attended a wedding as piano accompaniment, confirming her relationship with Jae-chan's brother Seung-won.

Kang Dae-hee Murder Case

Kang Dae-hee operated a chicken restaurant and orchestrated his brother's murder to collect 2.7 billion won (approximately USD 2.00 million) in insurance payments from seven companies. He poisoned his brother before staging a fatal car accident, identically executing a scheme to poison stray cats throughout the area. Yoo-beom defended Kang Dae-hee by exploiting procedural loopholes, securing acquittal on murder charges. Consequently, Kang Dae-hee attempted to murder his youngest sister Kang Cho-hee and kidnapped Hong-joo before Jae-chan arrested him with an additional warrant for poisoning. The court sentenced Kang Dae-hee to life imprisonment following conviction on all charges.

Yoo Soo-kyung Death Investigation

Yoo Soo-kyung, an archery gold medalist, died under suspicious circumstances that initially suggested murder. Do Hak-young, an internet installation engineer and Woo-tak's friend, became the primary suspect as the sole person entering Soo-kyung's residence during her death. Autopsy results revealed otolithiasis and cerebral hemorrhage as the actual cause, establishing the death as accidental rather than criminal.

IV Drip Serial Killing Case

Ha Joo-an, a long-term hospital patient suffering from Crohn's disease, murdered nearly twenty patients using IV drip tampering. Dr. Myung received wrongful conviction for these killings after Yoo-beom fabricated evidence, specifically planting drugs in the physician's office. Ha Joo-an killed victims occupying her shared hospital room, motivated by resentment toward patients who recovered while her condition deteriorated.

Production and Behind the Scenes

Cast Selection and Script Reading

The production assembled cast members with established connections to screenwriter Park Hye-Ryun. Lee Jong-suk participated in his third collaboration with Park Hye-Ryun, having previously starred in "I Hear Your Voice" and "Pinocchio". Bae Suzy accepted her second leading role in a Park Hye-Ryun drama following her acting debut in "Dream High". The first script reading occurred on January 20, 2017, in Mokdong, Seoul, South Korea. Directors Oh Choong-Hwan and Park Soo-Jin led the production, with Oh Choong-Hwan having previously directed "Doctors," which featured cameo performers Yun Kyun-sang and Lee Sung-kyung.

Filming Timeline

Principal photography commenced in February 2017 and concluded on July 27, 2017, at Wonbang set in Paju, South Korea. The production operated on a pre-production schedule, completing all filming and editing before airing the pilot episode. This approach allowed the creative team to finalize the entire series prior to broadcast, contrasting with simultaneous filming and airing methods employed by many Korean dramas. The five-month filming period enabled comprehensive post-production work on visual effects and narrative refinement.

Pre-Production Approach

The series adopted a fully pre-produced format, distinguishing it from standard Korean drama production practices. Pre-production methodology provided the directors and editing team complete control over pacing, continuity, and visual consistency across all episodes. This structure eliminated common issues associated with live-shoot dramas, such as script revisions during broadcast or inconsistent production quality. The completed filming and editing before the September 27, 2017 premiere date ensured narrative cohesion throughout the 32-episode television format.

FAQs

Viewers frequently question unexplained narrative elements within the drama's storyline. The series leaves certain backstory details unresolved, particularly regarding Jung Jae-chan's mother's death. The drama extensively references Jae-chan's father's murder by the runaway soldier but never explains how his mother died, with only a single flashback appearance and no clarification provided.

The mechanics of dream transmission raise additional questions among the audience. In episode 10, Hong-joo prevented a university student from severe burns, yet the rescued individual never experienced dreams about Hong-joo despite Woo-tak feeling phantom collision impacts after Jae-chan saved him. This inconsistency in how saved individuals acquire or fail to acquire precognitive abilities remains unexplained within the established rules of the supernatural system.

Mr. Choi's absence during critical moments presents another narrative gap. Despite possessing dream abilities, Mr. Choi apparently never received visions about Jae-chan and Hong-joo during the years they faced numerous dangerous situations, only intervening during the fire incident. Similarly, Jae-chan experienced no precognitive dreams during the 13-year period before reuniting with Hong-joo, with his abilities mysteriously activating only upon their reunion.

The origin of Hong-joo's precognitive powers lacks explanation throughout the series. The drama never establishes how she initially acquired this ability or why it manifested in her specifically. Equally puzzling for viewers, Jae-chan's younger appearance featured blond hair, a stylistic choice that contradicts typical Korean student appearances and drew criticism for its unnatural look. These unanswered questions demonstrate that while you were sleeping drama prioritized certain plot elements over comprehensive backstory explanations, leaving the while you were sleeping kdrama cast portraying characters with partially explained supernatural abilities.