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| The poster for JTBC series "Reborn Rich" / Courtesy of JTBC |
By Kim Rahn
JTBC's new series, "Reborn Rich," is drawing popularity, with its viewer rating continuing to rise from 6.05 percent for the first episode on Nov. 18 to 14.88 percent for the sixth episode on Nov. 27.
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There are several factors behind the success of the series.
The most visible factor may be Song, a heartthrob from series such as "Descendants of the Sun" and "Vincenzo," along with veteran actor Lee Sung-min, who plays the chairman. The acting duel of the two increases tension as Yoon, knowing what will happen in the 1990s and 2000s, seeks to interfere with Soonyang's businesses and eventually destroy the group.
The series is also based on a web novel of the same name, which had a strong fan base. The original web novel, released from 2017 to 2018, was a hit for its fresh concept about a chaebol family presented through realistic business settings such as M&As, investments and marketing activities.
Viewers in their late 30s or older also find it interesting to see how historical events in the country since the 1980s are blended into the story, such as the presidential election and bombing of a Korean Air flight by North Korean agents in 1987 and the Asian financial crisis in 1997, as well as some cultural events, including boy band Seo Taiji and Boys' retirement in 1996 and the massive box office success of the film, "Titanic," in 1998. Many chaebol family characters, including the Soonyang chairman and his rival, the chairman of another conglomerate, Daeyoung, also remind viewers of specific business tycoons in Korea.
But what fascinates viewers the most is the series' main concept: reincarnation with a time travel twist.
"If you could be born again in the past, when would you want to be born and what would you want to do?" This is a very common question that everybody may have been asked at least once. Some may want to go back to their early childhoods when they had no worries about their studies or job, while others may want to go back to see their first love and experience a different outcome.
But money is the top reason for the majority of people to want to go back to the past. Many say jokingly that they would have bought Samsung Electronics' shares some 30 years ago when one share cost less than 1,000 won (in 2022 it nearly reached 100,000 won at one time), or they would have bought land in Gangnam in southern Seoul decades ago before it underwent massive development and the original landlords amassed a vast fortune.
Such dreams come true in "Reborn Rich": teenage boy Jin, with the soul of Yoon who is from the 2020s, asks his grandfather to buy him a huge plot of land that was at that time wilderness in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, before Bundang was planned as a massive new town project on the outskirts of Seoul by the government ― a scene that brought sighs of regret and jealousy from many viewers.
Through the purchase of the plot of land, Jin gets 24 billion won at the age of 20. He does not stop there, changing the money into dollars before the 1997 financial crisis arrives, and buys the stock of a U.S. online logistics company, which is implied to be Amazon, benefiting from a 900-percent rise in the stock price after the company is listed on the Nasdaq.
Viewers' rave reactions to these scenes show that they experience "vicarious satisfaction" from the fantasy, in contrast to their reality, which is represented by the widespread, self-mocking phrase, "This life is ruined." This phrase reflects the struggles many Koreans face, especially young people: a high unemployment rate, unreachably high housing prices and financial hardship, which, all combined, make it hard for them to buy a home, marry, have children and dream of a better future.
They believe it is impossible to change their harsh lives through their own efforts and hard work, and this belief drives people to think only good luck can reverse their situation and reset their lives, as in "Reborn Rich."
Against this backdrop, it is hard to enjoy the series wholeheartedly. Watching a well-made series is good, but what lies behind its success ― Korea's notion that "this life is ruined" and the desire to be reborn rich ― makes it bittersweet.
