START UP 스타트업 (2020)

What is Start-Up K-Drama?

Start-Up is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Bae Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Seon-ho, and Kang Han-na. The series revolves around a woman who dreams of becoming an entrepreneur like Steve Jobs and her involvement in a love triangle between a man who is secretly her first love and another man who is pretending to be her first love. Directed by Oh Choong-Hwan and Bae Hyun-Jin, with Park Hye-Ryun as the writer, the drama aired on tvN from October 17 to December 6, 2020, broadcasting every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 (KST). The series comprises 16 episodes and is available for streaming on Netflix.

Set in South Korea's fictional Silicon Valley called Sandbox, the drama tells the story of people navigating the world of startup companies. The narrative centers on Seo Dal-mi, portrayed by Bae Suzy, a bright and ambitious young woman who dreams of becoming Korea's Steve Jobs. Dal-mi dropped out of university to pursue her entrepreneurial aspirations, taking up part-time work to raise USD 90,000 to open her own business. Despite lacking a fancy background, she demonstrates passion for her work, bright energy, and great vitality, having gained experience through a wide range of part-time jobs.

The male lead, Nam Do-san, played by Nam Joo-hyuk, serves as the founder of Samsan Tech. Characterized as a math genius and former child prodigy who was once the pride of his family, Do-san faces the harsh reality that his business has been struggling for the past two years since its inception. The plot takes a turn when Do-san discovers that Dal-mi mistakenly remembers him as a secret pen pal whom she considers her first love. Rather than correcting this misunderstanding, he decides to work his way up in hopes of transforming the false perception into reality.

The series introduces Han Ji-pyeong, portrayed by Kim Seon-ho, who serves as Dal-mi's actual pen pal from the past. Ji-pyeong used Nam Do-san's name when exchanging letters with Dal-mi and later asked Do-san to play along with the deception. The fourth main character, Won In-jae, played by Kang Han-na, adds another dimension to the story as Dal-mi's sister, with both siblings eventually finding themselves on the same entrepreneurial path despite their vastly different upbringings.

The drama took over tvN's Saturday and Sunday 21:00 time slot previously occupied by "Stranger 2" and was followed by "Mr. Queen" on December 12, 2020. Before its official release, the series carried the working title "Sandbox," reflecting its central setting.

The story behind Start-Up Korean drama

The narrative structure of the series centers on family separation, entrepreneurial ambition, and deception. The story begins with Dal-mi and In-jae's family divorce, which divided the two sisters based on their choice of parent. Dal-mi chose her father, who pursued his dream of becoming a business owner but died in a car accident shortly after, leaving her alone. In-jae, on the other hand, chose her mother, who married the CEO of a major business corporation in Korea, granting In-jae a lavish lifestyle. This divergence in circumstances shapes both characters' motivations as they eventually converge in the startup world.

Sandbox setting

The series creator(s) potentially fashioned Sandbox after MIT University's Sandbox Innovation Program, which provides seed funding, mentorship, and tailored entrepreneurship education empowering student innovators. Within the drama, Sandbox functions as a competitive start-up incubator that funds and enables entrepreneurs with winning ideas to pitch and hone their business models. Inspired by Dal-mi's father Seo Chyeong-Myeong, Seon-Hak's firm underwrites this incubator program. The setting serves as the central meeting point where Dal-mi, Do-san, Ji-pyeong, and In-jae's worlds collide as they navigate Korea's most promising entrepreneurial opportunities.

Startup business theme

The drama presents authentic aspects of the business world, particularly the constant battle for funding and the harsh truths entrepreneurs face. Characters confront difficult realities about business plans and the importance of reading the fine print of contracts. The series demonstrates how start-ups can naively make bad decisions that ruin everything simply because founders lack the experience to notice trickery. Real-life Do-san emerges as a struggling tech entrepreneur who serves as the mastermind behind innovative, award-winning artificial intelligence technology his company develops for image recognition. As a result, the drama explores the debate between genuinely trying to better the world versus chasing after money and greed.

Romance and first love

Character motivations intertwine guilt, revenge, and redemption throughout the romantic storyline. Ji-pyeong initially befriends Dal-mi out of guilt but later develops romantic feelings for her. In-jae's drive stems from revenge and the desire to prove herself, wanting to take down her sister while demonstrating she doesn't need a wealthy CEO father to succeed in business. Do-san's motivation shifts toward guilt regarding his lack of true prodigy status. Dal-mi maintains agency in her romantic choices, never regretting her decisions despite the pen pal deception. She gravitates toward Do-san's brilliance, calm and logical approach to life, sense of principle and justice, and his compassion in developing NoonGil, an app designed to help patients like her grandmother who have limited to no vision.

Start-Up kdrama cast and main characters

The four principal actors deliver performances that bring depth to their respective characters, each embodying distinct personalities shaped by their backgrounds and aspirations.

Bae Suzy as Seo Dal-mi

Bae Suzy portrays Seo Dal-mi as a clever, cheerful, determined, and ambitious woman who demonstrates her father's influence through her personality and dreams. Family holds significant importance to her character, particularly given her limited family connections throughout most of the series. Her character exhibits talent, skills, and determination, though she struggles with assertiveness as a CEO. Dal-mi's tendency to avoid confrontation and difficulty in making decisive leadership choices persist despite the narrative highlighting these weaknesses. She never learns from these shortcomings or demonstrates growth in her executive capabilities. Suzy's performance captures Dal-mi's bright energy and great vitality, shaped by her experiences across a wide range of part-time jobs and her unstable mentality resulting from maternal and sisterly abandonment at a young age.

Nam Joo-hyuk as Nam Do-san

Nam Joo-hyuk portrays Nam Do-san, the youngest champion of the Mathematical Olympiad for high school students at age 10. Despite early recognition as a genius, Do-san dropped out of college and returned to regular school. Following his Olympiad victory, he experienced no subsequent peaks in life. Do-san struggles with social interactions, fails to recognize basic social cues, and exhibits extremely low self-confidence reflected in his mannerisms. He knits when stressed and demonstrates the most significant character growth while maintaining his core earnestness. Do-san's desire to excel and make his parents proud drives his actions. When attracted to Dal-mi, he openly displays his feelings through his actions without concealment. Nam Joo-hyuk demonstrates considerable range in his performance, with viewers noting they could not recognize him as the same actor from his previous work in School 2015. His portrayal captures Do-san's personality through subtle details including eye contact, jaw positioning, and overall posture.

Kim Seon-ho as Han Ji-pyeong

Kim Seon-ho plays Han Ji-pyeong, an orphan who ascended to professional success through exceptional investment skills, earning the nickname "Gordon Ramsay of investments." At 18, when forced to leave the orphanage with minimal funds, Dal-mi's grandmother provided him shelter. During his stay, he wrote letters using Nam Do-san's name as a favor to comfort Dal-mi following her family separation. His investment activities during this period generated sufficient funds for college education and established his prosperous life. Ji-pyeong's relationship with the grandmother proves central to his character, as she consistently responds with kindness to his defensive outbursts triggered by unexpected generosity. His character maintains warmth toward this one special person while displaying prickliness toward others. As a homeless teenager who received this grandmother's favor, he never forgot her kindness. Ji-pyeong demonstrates the least character development among the principals, maintaining consistent behavior patterns without a substantial character arc. His professional success contrasts with his emotional stagnation, as he harbors feelings for Dal-mi without taking action when opportunities arise.

Kang Han-na as Won In-jae

Kang Han-na portrays Won In-jae, who changed her surname from Seo to Won following her mother's marriage to a wealthy businessman. In-jae never questioned her decision to accompany her mother after the divorce until her stepfather, the majority shareholder of her company, terminated her employment to install his son in her position. This betrayal motivates her determination to build an independent company without assistance. Her character exhibits ambition, cleverness, versatility, and drive. In-jae's flaws manifest more openly than other principals, as she displays selfishness and readily diminishes others when convinced of her correctness. Her character arc unfolds quietly and gradually, culminating in satisfying growth. The final episode demonstrates her substantial development from her initial appearance, showcasing how far she has evolved.

Impact and reception of Start-Up South Korean TV series

Reception for the series varied across viewership metrics, critical analysis, and industry recognition, generating significant discourse within the Korean drama community.

Viewership ratings

The premiere episode achieved a nationwide rating of 4.5 percent when it launched on tvN. By October 25, the fourth episode reached the series' highest viewership ratings, recording average nationwide ratings of 4.3 percent and 5.0 percent for its two parts according to Nielsen Korea. User ratings on tracking platforms showed an average rating of 7.9 out of 10 across 16 episodes, with individual episode scores ranging from 6.9 to 8.5. The first episode garnered 464 total votes with an 8.5 rating, while the fifteenth episode received the lowest score of 6.9 despite accumulating 307 votes. Viewership interest demonstrated fluctuation throughout the series run, particularly declining in the final episodes based on user engagement metrics.

Critical reviews

Critical assessment of the series revealed polarized opinions centered primarily on narrative execution and character development. Reviewers noted the series started strongly with engaging character introductions and an appealing depiction of startup culture but lost momentum in the middle episodes. The romanticization of startup culture and workaholic tendencies received appreciation, particularly how the series portrayed the competitive, busy, and exhilarating aspects of building new businesses.

Kim Seon-ho's portrayal of Han Ji-pyeong emerged as the most consistently praised element across reviews. Critics described his character as layered, restrained, and deeply human, with his quiet loneliness and moral integrity forming the emotional core of the narrative. However, the romantic pairing between the female lead and Nam Do-san faced substantial criticism for lacking chemistry and emotional weight. The narrative's treatment of Han Ji-pyeong's character arc, which left him isolated without support despite being characterized as most deserving, generated disappointment among viewers and critics.

The love triangle element proved addictive for audiences, though the series' attempt to subvert traditional drama tropes by creating confusion about the final romantic outcome divided viewer reception. Online discourse became dominated by fans of the second male lead's character, which overshadowed broader discussion of the series' startup business themes.

Awards won

The series received recognition at the 16th Seoul International Drama Awards, where it won Outstanding Korean Drama. Bae Suzy secured the Outstanding Korean Actress award, with her performance earning placement at sixth rank in the 2020 Gallup drama actors list and the 2021 First Brand best actress award. Kim Seon-ho won Character of the Year, while Nam Joo-hyuk received a nomination for Outstanding Korean Actor.

Start-Up soundtrack and music

The original television soundtrack comprises 85 songs with a total runtime of 4 hours and 3 minutes, released in December 2020. The complete OST follows a two-disc structure, with the first disc containing 34 vocal tracks alongside their instrumental versions, while the second disc features 51 musical scores composed specifically for the series.

The soundtrack features contributions from prominent Korean artists including Red Velvet, Jung Seung Hwan, Kim Feel, Seunghee, Jiho, and Binnie from OH MY GIRL, Gaho, 10CM, Davichi, CHEEZE, Ailee, Sandeul, Wendy from Red Velvet, BOL4, Jamie, Suzy, Kassy, Jeong Eun Ji, and K.Will. The production team released the soundtrack progressively through 17 separate parts prior to the full album compilation.

Red Velvet's "Future" served as the opening track, debuting at #21 on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales Chart. The song incorporates synthwave sounds with melodic guitar riffs, establishing an uplifting texture aligned with the series' startup theme. Gaho contributed "Running," characterized as a motivational track with lyrics emphasizing hope and determination. The acoustic folk band 10CM performed "Where Is Dream," which audiences associated with the relationship between Dal-mi and Ji-pyeong characters, featuring a tender yet melancholic composition.

Wendy's "Two Words" stands out for its emotionally charged ballad style, showcasing both powerful and soft vocal techniques. BOL4's "Love Letter" features electropop elements with synths and guitars, reflecting the coming-of-age romance theme. Bae Suzy, who portrayed Seo Dal-mi, performed "My Dear Love," demonstrating vocal abilities beyond her acting role. K.Will concluded the series with "Care About You," described as one of the standout tracks.

The musical scores were composed by Park Sejun, Kim Dong Hyeok, Lee Nyeom, Song Jae Kyeong, and other collaborating composers. These instrumental pieces include titles such as "Sandbox," "Start Up," "Time To Write A Letter To Dalmi," and "Dream A Dream," with the longest score "Dream A Dream" running 5:19 minutes.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions about the series address thematic elements, business lessons, and critical perspectives that emerged during and after its broadcast.

What business lessons does the series teach?

The drama emphasizes the crucial role of contracts in business operations. A contract functions as an agreement between two or more parties that obligates them to perform or refrain from specific actions. Contract law confirms that agreements create binding obligations between parties. Legal requirements for valid contracts include the capacity of the parties, mutual agreement, existence of certain objects or things, and lawful cause that does not contradict applicable law, decency, or public order.

The signing of acquisition contracts in the series demonstrates significant legal consequences, particularly the principle that contracts apply as law to the parties who create them (pacta sunt servanda). When Seo Dal-mi agreed to the acquisition contract, both parties became legally bound to fulfill their obligations. If Samsan Tech failed to meet its contractual duties, 2STO could sue for default. Furthermore, signed contracts must be executed in good faith and with proper intentions. Essential elements that require consideration in contracts include background information, purpose and objectives of the agreement, type of agreement, parties involved, rights and obligations of each party, and settlement procedures for disputes or differing interpretations.

What themes does the series explore?

According to critical analysis, the series conveys themes centered on emotional decision-making and competitive dynamics. The narrative presents messages suggesting that love operates independently of rational considerations, that individuals demonstrating kindness may not achieve desired outcomes, and that timing proves advantageous in pursuing goals. These thematic elements reflect traditional storytelling conventions rather than innovative narrative approaches.