In the vast spectrum of cable television, the channel "Dramax" might not be a familiar name to many. It's the kind of channel one stumbles upon by chance while flipping through. Surprisingly, it has a history of producing and airing its own original dramas. However, it's been quiet for the past three years, with no new original productions. Now, Dramax has broken its long silence with an ambitious new Wednesday-Thursday drama, its first in three years, titled <Danjoe> (which translates to "Conviction" or "Punishment"). At a time when the Wednesday-Thursday drama slots have all but vanished from major networks, this programming choice appears to be a clever strategy to capture a niche audience.
<Danjoe> is available not only on its home channel but also simultaneously on Wavve, one of South Korea's leading OTT platforms. This smart move to increase accessibility comes with an interesting twist. On Wavve, the episodes are released 10 minutes earlier than the broadcast, but more notably, it takes full advantage of the platform's relative freedom from broadcasting regulations. Unlike the censored version on Dramax, the Wavve edition features unfiltered profanity and raw dialogue. This allows for a more vivid and realistic viewing experience, effectively conveying the characters' raw emotions and the urgency of their situations.
The primary reason this drama is capturing viewers' attention is its incredibly timely subject matter: voice phishing. By directly addressing a crime that has recently caused significant social alarm and heightened public awareness, the drama evokes a sense of palpable, real-world fear and anger. While the specific setting and events are fictional, the series convincingly portrays the grim reality of these scams by incorporating advanced technologies like "deepfakes." This elevates the show beyond a simple crime drama, giving it the weight of a social commentary that exposes a dark facet of our modern age.
At the heart of the story is the protagonist, Ha So-min, played by actress Lee Joo-young. She is a struggling stage actress who has yet to catch her big break. Financially dependent and unrecognized by her parents, she carries the heavy burden of her reality but remains fiercely passionate about her craft. In her current play, she has taken on the role of a Joseonjok (a Korean from China), and she immerses herself in the part, practicing the distinct accent and mannerisms with relentless dedication. This commitment to her art will later become her most powerful weapon in the face of an unforeseen tragedy.
On a fateful day, while out searching for a prop for her play, Ha So-min gets involved in an unexpected incident. She witnesses a Joseonjok woman being deceived by a store employee, taking advantage of her accent. Without hesitation, Ha So-min steps in. Using the fluent Joseonjok dialect she has perfected for her role, she confronts the employee's deceptive practices and resolves the situation. This episode not only highlights her innate sense of justice but also serves as crucial foreshadowing, showing that her acting talent is more than a stage skill—it's a powerful tool she can wield in the real world.
On the opposing side of the moral spectrum is the story's villain, Ma Seok-gu, the ruthless leader of a voice phishing organization, portrayed by actor Ji Seung-hyun. He is a cold-blooded criminal who preys on people's desperation, leading them to ruin without a shred of remorse. Detective Park Jeong-hun (played by Gu Jun-hee) is hot on his trail after receiving intelligence about his entry into the country, but Ma Seok-gu cunningly evades the law. During a frantic escape, he causes a traffic accident, hitting Ha So-min's mother. Rather than showing remorse, he sees this tragedy as another opportunity for a heinous crime, setting the stage for his wicked plan.
Ma Seok-gu gets his hands on Ha So-min's mother's phone and uses deepfake technology to perfectly replicate her voice. He then calls Ha So-min's father, tricking him into believing his wife is in a desperate situation and extorting a large sum of money. For the first week, the family frantically searches for the missing mother, having filed a missing person's report. However, the innocent father is completely fooled by the call and sends his life savings. Devastated by the apparent loss of his wife and the despair of losing everything, he ultimately takes his own life.
Forced to confront the unbearable tragedy of her mother's disappearance and her father's suicide, Ha So-min is consumed by a gut-wrenching rage as she realizes it was all the work of a cruel voice phishing ring. Her ordinary life is shattered, leaving nothing behind but tears and a thirst for vengeance. To make matters worse, Ma Seok-gu shamelessly attempts to extort more money using the mother's phone. Upon discovering this, Ha So-min decides she will no longer be a helpless victim. She devises a dangerous plan to punish the criminals with her own hands.
Ha So-min begins her counterattack, using the only weapon she has: her acting ability. In a twist of cruel irony, the victim of a voice phishing scam begins to use the very same methods to hunt down her tormentors. She turns the tables by leveraging deepfake technology herself, perfectly fabricating voices and even video calls to deceive the organization's members and close in on their operation. This marks the beginning of her harrowing journey of personal justice, aimed at making them pay for their sins in the most painful way imaginable.
In essence, <Danjoe> is a cathartic revenge story where the victim turns the tables on her perpetrators. Actor Ji Seung-hyun, who has often played memorable villains, delivers a truly "all-time evil" performance that pushes the drama's tension to its peak. While the viewership ratings remain in the 0% range, an unfortunate consequence of the channel's low profile, the drama itself is a tightly-scripted, fast-paced thriller. With a concise 8-episode run, it delivers a powerful punch without any unnecessary filler, promising a satisfying watch for fans of the genre.
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