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Reborn Rich in the 1980s, Song Joong-ki is out for vengeance

by stroopwafel

As we inch closer to the premiere date for Reborn Rich, the latest promo drop is a video teaser laying out the tangled fate leading man Song Joong-ki (Vincenzo) must deal with.

Adapted from a web novel, the fantasy drama is shaping up to be an epic tale of revenge and rebirth. Our protagonist Yoon Hyun-woo (Song Joong-ki) is every inch the company man in service to the powerful Soonyang Group. However, his loyalty is repaid with betrayal, and while on a mission for the clan that owns Soonyang, he’s framed for a crime and murdered. His death sets into motion a reincarnation, and in his second life he finds that he’s been thrown back to the 1980s and his new form is Jin Do-joon — the youngest grandson of the Jin family. From chaebol company man to chaebol grandson, he’ll have to outmaneuver the ruthless people he once served to solve the mystery of who framed him and ordered his death.

The teaser gives us a look into the the lives of Hyun-woo and Do-joon, and Kim Kang-hoon (When the Camellia Blooms, Racket Boys) takes on the role of young Do-joon. Lee Sung-min (Shadow Detective) will play nemesis and grandfather, Jin Yang-chul, founder of the Soonyang Group. Jin Yang-chul’s life story is a true rags-to-riches tale but even though he’s reached the apex of the financial world, his thirst for money is unquenchable.

His oldest grandson, Jin Sung-joon will be played by Kim Nam-hee (The Law Cafe). We also meet Shin Hyun-bin (Monstrous, Hospital Playlist) in the teaser. Her character, Seo Min-young, is a prosecutor with the anti-corruption unit. Though she hails from a family with generations of lawyers and judges, she has a passion for justice all her own. She’s incredibly dogged when she senses unfair dealings; so much so that she’s earned herself the nickname “Soonyang’s Grim Reaper.”

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The teaser starts with a voiceover of Yoon Hyun-woo introducing himself as he walks out to meet a gaggle of reporters. He’s a team leader in charge of asset management at Soonyang. Another voice jumps in, describing Hyun-woo as the kind of person who doesn’t need to be told twice to do something. Basically, if Soonyang says jump, Hyun-woo will ask how high. The reporters aren’t there for him though, they’re desperate to catch a glimpse of the chaebol in their midst: Jin Yang-chul. And taking a page out of the Chaebol Fake Apology handbook, Jin Yang-chul is acting frail, covered up in a blanket and relying on a wheelchair (it’s a huge hint that some shady dealings have become public knowledge).

The teaser shifts to show Hyun-woo searching for something. We get a quick cut of Hyun-woo meeting with Prosecutor Seo and he looks smug in contrast to her dismayed face. The scene shifts to her throwing down a file in frustration. Though Hyun-woo strides away from her office briskly, his face betrays some worry.

He’s truly a jack-of-all-trades troubleshooter, which is emphasized when we see Hyun-woo installing and cleaning a fancy bidet cover. We hear oldest grandson Sung-joon mockingly ask in voiceover, “I heard you only finished high school. Isn’t this the right place for you?” Another man’s voice agree that Hyun-woo is easy to boss around. Suddenly it’s like we’re watching “Chaebols Gone Wild” and Sung-joon smashes aquariums with a golf club, drenching Hyun-woo in the process and leaving him with a bleeding cut on his face. (Won’t someone think of the fish?!) We see Hyun-woo bow again and again, and we linger on a frame of him bowing and shaking hands with Sung-joon.

Hyun-woo is then asked a question that will change his life: “Do you have a passport?” And with that, he’s told to go overseas and retrieve funds that have been siphoned away. He smiles as he accepts a limitless company credit card. We get a shot of a foreign locale and the chaos of Hyun-woo’s mission is unveiled. He’s made it overseas but some thugs are chasing through the city streets. There’s no escape and he’s brought to the edge of an oceanside cliff. He demands to know who they are and who sent them. The answer comes in the form of a single bullet and darkness.

The darkness lifts and when Hyun-woo opens his eyes, he’s in the backseat of a car. A man and women who ask if “Do-joon” has woken up. It seems impossible, but he’s back in Seoul — and it’s 1987. When the car stops, he’s arrived at an awards ceremony to honor Jin Yang-chul for his contributions to the business world. Everything comes to a stop as he realizes the entire Jin family stands before him. Young Do-joon wanders around a huge fancy home during a post-award congratulatory party and stops short when he sees himself in a mirror. When he spots a family portrait hanging nearby, a piercing screech sounds in his ear as he realizes he’s in the family portrait. Young Do-joon stands in front of the Jin family once again as we hear Hyun-woo think to himself, “The person who killed me is standing here.” As the video ends, adult Do-joon (formerly known as Hyun-woo) stares into our souls.

I have questions. So many questions. I’m always drawn to actors playing multiple roles in dramas so I’m excited to see what Song Joong-ki will do and how the drama will (or won’t) visually differentiate between Hyun-woo and Do-joon. But does that mean we’ll see an adult Joong-ki dressed as a kid while in-drama people will see his form as Kim Kang-hoon? Will we be getting mostly Kim Kang-hoon while we live through the ’80s again? The possibilities are endless and my wish is that the show goes bold and wild in how they show us these two souls.

Jung Dae-yoon (I’m Not a Robot, W—Two Worlds) will be directing with scripts being handled by Kim Tae-hee (Designated Survivor: 60 Days, Sungkyunkwan Scandal) and rookie Jang Eun-jae. Airing Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, Reborn Rich will premiere on November 18 on JTBC. (Sidenote: I am in full support of JTBC’s initiative to make a three-day weekend a Thing.)