History of the Salaryman 샐러리맨 초한지 is the thirty-second drama I've seen. Lee Bum Soo and Hong Soo Hyun made a guest appearance on one of my favorite variety shows, Running Man. I really enjoyed watching them and became interested in History of the Salaryman. I concluded that History of the Salaryman was a drama that I needed to watch after I saw Lee Deok Hwa and Park Sang Myun on a later episode of Running Man. Both men played important characters in this drama and were highly respected seniors in the acting industry. After finishing History of the Salaryman, I discovered that the main actress, Jung Ryeo Won, was also the actress featured in Epik High's music video, One. As an Epik High fan, I'd have to say that this was a pleasant surprise and I've become a fan of Jung Ryeo Won.
History of the Salaryman first begins with Yoo Bang (Lee Bum Soo) entering a dark villa during a thunderstorm with only a flashlight. He finds out Chunha Group's vice president, Jin Hohae (Park Sang Myun) is dead. As he leaves, he finds Baek Yeochi (Jung Ryeo Won), Hohae's niece, hiding behind the curtain. At the funeral, both Bang and Yeochi are taken by the police as murder suspects. The drama goes back three months in time to explain the events that led to this point. Yoo Bang volunteers at a clinical trial for new drug being produced at Chun Ha Pharmaceuticals. He meets Choi Hangwoo (Jung Gyu Woon) who is attempting to obtain confidential information regarding the drug development as a spy for his company, Jangcho Group. Yoo Bang also meets Senior Research Analyst, Cha Woohee (Hong Soo Hyun) who is in charge of the new drug development project for Chunha Group. At the end of the clinical trial, Yoo Bang meets Baek Yeochi. Yeochi is the granddaughter of Jin Shihwang (Lee Deok Hwa), the chairman of Chunha Group. Shihwang does not think his son Hohae will be a suitable successor to Chunha Group, so he plans on having Yeochi trained to take his place. Only problem is that Yeochi has absolutely no interest in the company. History of the Salaryman follows Yoo Bang and his interactions with the others that lead to Hohae's murder and the subsequent events that depict Yoo Bang's hardships as a salaryman.
The story behind History of the Salaryman references the Chinese classics. The relationship between rival pharmaceutical companies, Chunha Group and Jangcho Group, is analogous to rival kingdoms from ancient times. Later on, Bang and Hangwoo go head to head in battle in the same way. History of the Salaryman demonstrates an excellent example of why people still use Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" in modern politics and businesses. The tactics were referenced a number of times throughout the drama, even displaying both the Chinese and Korean characters alongside the meaning of the idiom. This drama also does a great job of exposing the harsh reality of the business world. The wealthy executives use the working class like pawns in a game of chess. Then the salarymen are thrown away when deemed useless. Alliances are formed from close relationships such as lovers, work mentors and family members in order to conspire against those that took advantage of them. Such intricacies are a strength to the plot of History of the Salaryman. Baek Yeochi is one of the most interesting characters in this drama. My opinion of Yeochi started off as annoying due to her rude personality. However, she turned into a pitiable character when I learned about her background. After that change, her rude personality became rather amusing to watch. History of the Salaryman is quite possibly the first drama I've ever seen that used the censoring 'bleep' when Yeochi is cursing. Yoo Bang is also one of my favorite characters in this drama. Despite being a "country bumpkin" according to Yeochi, Bang's high IQ with his knowledge of the Chinese classics sets him apart as one of the smartest characters in the drama. Both Yeochi and Bang's bickering relationship contrast the rest of the main characters and dark feel of the drama, providing comic relief. History of the Salaryman also features short epilogues at the end of each episode referencing jokes from the episode. They're really funny and serve no purpose other than to provide fan service.
There are four main songs featured on the soundtrack for History of the Salaryman. "The Little Match Girl 성냥팔이 소녀" is sung by Yoon Gun featuring Misty. "Because of You 너 때문에" is sung by Jea of Brown Eyed Girls. "I Waited For It 기대했단 말야" is sung by JOO. These three songs are ballads. "Bravo" is the ending theme, sung by Leeteuk of Super Junior and Key of Shinee. This song is very upbeat and fun to listen to.
Having watched so many dramas at this point, it's hard not to compare History of the Salaryman to the dramas I've previously watched. History of the Salaryman felt like a combination of a number of the dramas I've seen. The humor in this drama was similar to that of Fugitive: Plan B. Yoo Bang's wits are comparable to Yoonsung from City Hunter. The relationship between Bang and Yeochi was like Taewoong and Bora from The Snow Queen. Lastly, the dark nature of the drama was similar to Resurrection. I prefer to think of the drama as taking my favorite parts from each of the previously mentioned dramas and combining them together. I highly recommend watching History of the Salaryman. It's a drama that seems average at first glance, but all it takes is one episode to grab one's full interest. All the actors and actresses are extremely experienced and skilled. History of the Salaryman could have easily been a serious and dark drama. However, with Yoo Bang's silly nature, this drama turned out to be a comedy that satirizes modern business politics as a war between kings from ancient times. Out of all the dramas I've watched, History of the Salaryman is by far the funniest one. The complexity of how two companies are fight using a ridiculous number of spies, double agents coupled with traitors seeking vengeance is an absolute thrill to watch.
