Seo In-gook challenges Park So-dam in Death’s Game

by solstices

Holy moly, this lineup is impressive! TVING original Death’s Game has kickstarted promotions by announcing its extensive, star-studded cast — led by Seo In-gook (Cafe Minamdang) and Park So-dam (Record of Youth) — and if I weren’t already intrigued by its premise, I’d certainly be drawn in by these names alone.

Fed up with seven years of chronic unemployment and penniless from a recent bitcoin scam, protagonist Choi Yi-jae (Seo In-gook) has had enough of what he deems a pathetic life. Wanting to end his suffering once and for all, he decides to take his own life — but his blasé attitude towards dying incenses the powers that be.

Yi-jae ought to be taught a lesson, and who better to do it than Death herself? Played by Park So-dam, Death sentences Yi-jae to trial by demise — he’ll have to experience dying through thirteen different lives. If, and only if, Yi-jae manages to avoid kicking the bucket, then he’ll be able to live out the full duration of that lifetime. The drama’s title is an amusing pun that perfectly encapsulates this scenario — drawn from the phrase “now, you will die soon,” the word for “now” (yi-je) has been cleverly replaced with “Yi-jae,” describing his impending doom.

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Barely any information has been released about the supporting roles, which is being described as the “secret cast” by the production team — I’m guessing they’ll be playing Yi-jae’s various reincarnations? First, we have Kim Ji-hoon (Money Heist: Korea — Joint Economic Area), looking dapper in church with a fresh haircut. Joining him are Choi Siwon (Work Later, Drink Now 2), Sung Hoon (Woori the Virgin), and a young Kim Kang-hoon (Reborn Rich).

Elsewhere, a clean-cut Jang Seung-jo (The Good Detective 2) dons a sharply-pressed suit, while Lee Jae-wook (Alchemy of Souls 2) is dressed more casually with a fence at his back. Meanwhile, Lee Do-hyun (The Good Bad Mother) wears a melancholic expression amidst a rainy day, and Go Yoon-jung (Alchemy of Souls 2) seems to be a college student getting her daily caffeine fix.

Last but not least, we have the two names I’m most excited for. Kim Jae-wook (Crazy Love) has returned to grace our screens, gazing soulfully into a mirror, and this single snapshot is already reminding me of his beautiful brooding in The Guest. Finally, we have Oh Jung-se (Revenant) in what looks like a broadcasting station, and I’m eager to see him back on my screen so soon after his impressive performance in Revenant.

Presumably, given the long list of supporting actors, Yi-jae will fail multiple times in his effort to thwart Death’s trials. Still, there’s light at the end of the tunnel — past all the action, melodrama, and thrills of Yi-jae’s various lives, the drama promises a healing tale that will offer comfort to those exhausted by life itself.

Helmed by PD Ha Byung-hoon (18 Again, Go Back Spouses), who also wrote the drama’s scripts, the webtoon adaptation Death’s Game is slated to premiere this December.