The Unfortunate Drama Locked in the Warehouse Finally Comes to Light A new original series, Villains, has been released on TVING. In fact, this drama went through quite a rough process before seeing the light of day. It was a highly anticipated work that had already finished filming in 2022 and was targeting a release in 2023. However, everything went awry when one of the lead actors, Kwak Do-won, was involved in a drunk driving incident. It was a bolt from the blue for the production team, and the drama was indefinitely relegated to the warehouse. Usually, when a lead actor causes a social scandal, the work itself is often scrapped or re-filmed, but since filming was already complete, they were in a difficult situation where they couldn't do either. Now, after nearly two years have passed, TVING has cautiously unsealed it for the year-end season.
Kwak Do-won's Declaration of Return, and the Subtle Timing of the Release Coincidentally, Kwak Do-won announced his return to the industry right around the time of the drama's release. After a period of self-reflection, he revealed his intention to resume activities through his agency. Some view this as a strategic move aligned with the release schedule of Villains. Although the public's reaction remains cold, for both the actor and the production team, this drama was likely a "troublesome child" that they could no longer keep hidden. In the drama, Kwak Do-won plays a corrupt detective, a role that is his specialty, but it remains to be seen how this will be received by viewers in light of the real-life controversy. Regardless, this work has become a significant stepping stone for him to stand before the public again, whether for better or worse.
Ultra-Precision Counterfeit Bills 'Supernote', A Machine Printing Desire The core subject of the drama is the ultra-precision counterfeit bill known as the 'Supernote'. While one might easily think of counterfeiting as simply printing money with a copier, a Supernote refers to the highest grade of fake dollars, crafted so exquisitely that even experts find it hard to distinguish from the real thing. It is known that counterfeiting the Korean Won is also nearly impossible due to world-class anti-counterfeiting technology. However, the drama starts with the assumption: "What if a perfect technician exists?" In a capitalist society where money equates to power and survival, the story of people creating fake money that is more real than the real thing is undoubtedly an intriguing subject that stimulates endless human desire.
Forgery Technician Han Soo-hyun, Lee Min-jung's Transformation Shedding Ordinariness Actor Lee Min-jung, who plays 'Han Soo-hyun', shows the most notable transformation in this drama. Shedding the lovely image she usually displayed in romantic comedies or melodramas, she has transformed into a criminal with genius forgery skills. Initially, she lives a quiet life using her skills for small-time forgery, but her life is shaken to its core when she meets the big-time planner 'J'. To pay for the hospital bills of Yang Cheol-jin (played by Jung In-gi), who is like a father and mentor to her, and for a bigger score, she accepts J's proposal. Her appearance as she creates counterfeit bills with delicate hand skills evokes a strange tension, crossing the boundary between artist and criminal.
Planner J's Betrayal, The Prelude to a Cruel Crime 'J', played by Yoo Ji-tae, is a criminal architect with a genius brain. He approached Han Soo-hyun because he needed her skills, but as soon as his goal was achieved, he revealed his cruel nature. He commits a betrayal by burning down the counterfeit money factory where Han Soo-hyun and Yang Cheol-jin were working hard, leading to Yang Cheol-jin's death. The sweet offer to "set up a big board and take a share" was an invitation to hell. Yoo Ji-tae's unique cold and intellectual image creates synergy with the villain role, completing the character of J as an emotionless psychopath. This betrayal becomes the decisive trigger that makes Han Soo-hyun harbor a desire for revenge and turn to the dark side.
NIS Agent Cha Gi-tae, A Chasing and Being Chased Pursuit Where there is crime, there must be a pursuer. 'Cha Gi-tae', played by Lee Beom-soo, is the team leader of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Financial Crimes Unit, a figure who is frantic to catch J. He has a painful memory of arriving at the counterfeit factory fire scene in the past but missing J by a hair's breadth. For him, arresting J is closer to an obsession than a simple mission. Lee Beom-soo holds the center of gravity of the play with his unique serious yet somewhat toxic acting. Although he stands on the side of law and justice, his eyes, which seem ready to use any means necessary to catch the criminal, show another form of madness.
Corrupt Detective Jang Joong-hyuk, Kwak Do-won's Role Reduced by Editing 'Jang Joong-hyuk', played by Kwak Do-won, is a corrupt detective who has an incredible nose for money. He is a realistic and greedy character more interested in lining his own pockets than in realizing justice. In fact, Kwak Do-won is an actor unrivaled in this type of acting. However, perhaps due to the drunk driving controversy, his screen time in episodes 1 and 2 felt significantly small for a lead role. Efforts to minimize his face in marketing such as posters and trailers were evident, and he seemingly couldn't escape the editing blade in the main episodes as well. Since scenes were cut except for those necessary for the flow, there was a side effect where the character's narrative felt somewhat roughly connected.
Supernote Resurfaces After 5 Years, The 'Villains' Gather Again The drama illuminates the year 2023, five years after the past betrayal incident. Han Soo-hyun spent her time in despair but awakens upon hearing the news that the Supernote has appeared in the world again. J, who was thought to be dead or in hiding, has started moving again. J shows off his existence by distributing counterfeit bills ostentatiously and even creates a sense of fear using a corpse with counterfeit bills in its mouth. In response, Han Soo-hyun tries to start a dangerous cooperation by providing information about J to Cha Gi-tae, the NIS agent who chased her in the past. The process of 'Villains' with their own agendas gathering again towards the single goal of the Supernote is the main content up to episode 2.
War of Those Crazy for Money, Regret and Anticipation for the Short Runtime Planned as a total of 8 episodes, Villains shows a somewhat unconventionally short running time of 45 minutes for episode 1 and 35 minutes for episode 2. It is speculated that this was an inevitable choice caused by cutting out a large portion of the controversial Kwak Do-won's scenes. As a result, the development of the story sometimes feels a bit rushed or choppy. However, the thematic consciousness that "anyone can become a villain in front of money" is clear. The biggest charm of this drama is that all the characters are three-dimensional figures who move solely according to desire and profit, rather than the dichotomy of good and evil. Although the start was creaky, I look forward to every Thursday to see how the actors' acting depth and the unique tension of the crime thriller genre will explode in the remaining episodes.
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