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Review: Prison Playbook (슬기로운 감빵생활) (2017)
This was the first Kdrama that I finished. It was alright. It was definitely fun, but there were some things in the drama that prevented it from being as tight of a story line as I'd expected from such a highly rated drama.
I'd still recommend this drama as the comedic bits definitely had me cackling, but I had higher hopes for the story as a cohesive whole.
Spoilers.
Story
I think my favourite parts of the story were the shenanigans taking place inside the prison, from the more serious things like gang alliances, to the more lighthearted trivia competitions and dorm fights. In fact, quite a few of the comedic bits had me laughing out loud, especially with the charming way in which they were filmed.
This drama was one of the most highly rated Kdramas on MDL, so I admit I was a bit disappointed with some of the aspects of the writing that just didn't feel as tight as it could have been.
I think the way that the drama started could've been handled better. The dorm mates that Jehyuk had in his first cell did not end up being the supporting cast. There were several people in that first cell who were only introduced briefly and never seen again. This felt a little confusing to me, as I wasn't sure who I was supposed to pay attention to. Most of the major supporting characters were in Jehyuk's second cell. Basically, I think the beginning of the drama didn't handle the introduction of supporting characters well, because it introduced a bunch of less important characters before we got to the important supporting characters.
I could've done without the romantic subplots in this drama, but that's mostly because I don't love romance a whole lot. In any case, Jehyuk and Jiho's romantic subplot was probably the least interesting one out of all of the couples. It was a very generic dating subplot. It relied on the flashbacks too much (which was pretty generic in my opinion), and the struggles in the current timeline, with Jehyuk in prison, still didn't have much depth to them. This might've also been because I didn't feel much for their relationship. It was mostly just Jiho bullying Jehyuk.
In contrast, Jehee and Junho had a more interesting romantic subplot. For starters, there was more of a back-and-forth interaction and banter between the two, and I could actually start to feel them falling in love, whereas I definitely couldn't say the same for Jehyuk and Jiho.
That being said, I think the supporting characters had more potential for interesting romantic subplots. While Hanyang and Jiwon didn't have too dramatic of a relationship, Hanyang was under the impression that Jiwon had turned him into the authorities but still loved him. At the very least, they had ongoing communication while Hanyang was still in jail, and we could see that Jiwon wasn't trying to be too hopeful, but leaving the silver lining for Hanyang to encourage him to get better. We got to see glimpses of Minchul's relationship with his then-girlfriend, and it was probably the sweetest romantic subplot of all of the ones we saw throughout the drama. Even Kang Chuldoo's broken marriage with his ex-wife was worthy of more spotlight because of the emotional depth of that subplot.
I am also not sure if it was intended for some of the characters to have such abrupt departures from the show. Many of the characters were either suddenly transferred to other penitentiaries, left the show in the middle, etc. I suppose it was supposed to be realistic, that inmates would be moved very easily in this manner without much notice. It's just that some characters had a much bigger fanfare than others and I'm not sure what set them apart. We also had some characters with very pessimistic endings and some with optimistic endings. Again, I'm sure that real life is like that, unfair on who gets the blessing, but it was just kind of jarring to have my emotions all over the place.
As this was a drama, there was also a lot of sudden drama that didn't seem to matter much to the plot. Jehyuk having cancer seemed ultimately not too important to the story. I know we were supposed to find out that he'd battled illness to become a pitcher, but the writers didn't need to add cancer to drive that point home, especially because cancer never came back in the story. There were a lot of random things that seemed to just be added to manipulate feelings, which I always dislike.
I know it sounds like I hated this story. I think that this drama was probably intended to be more of a "daily show," as opposed to one tight story. A lot of the "filler" episodes with fun shenanigans were actually the more entertaining episodes, probably because this show was supposed to be enjoyed on a longer run, without as much regard for the overall storyline. What I mean by that is that I think it was intended to be consumed like a daily soap as opposed to a miniseries, which might be why I was let down.
Production
Cinematography
The filming style was pretty solid, nothing stuck out. As I briefly mentioned, the way the drama was filmed really brought out the comedic elements of the drama.
Casting
I don't have an issue with most of the adult actors that were casted. I think they fulfilled what the script probably asked of them.
I mentioned this on one of my side blogs, but I have a bit of a gripe with casting of younger actors in Kdramas. I know I don't have much to go off of because this is only the first Kdrama that I truly finished, but I still want to discuss it because it happened in this drama.
What is up with casting super young girls with much older guys for flashback childhood episodes? It seems to me that Kdramas tend to cast younger for girls and cast older for boys, so the age difference ends up being large, which wouldn't be a big deal for adults, but would be for kids. There was one scene in which Jiho was graduating from junior high, and Park Haesoo was probably supposed to play a young adult. That age difference was way too big in my opinion. It would've worked fine if we just had the teenage Jehyuk portray a young adult Jehyuk. In fact, it would've made the scene more believable than a grown ass Park Haesoo.
Characters
Kim Jehyuk
Jehyuk was a quiet and not so intelligent but kind man. He kept most of his emotions under wraps, and only saw them at various times throughout the drama (e.g. yelling at church, celebrating with his fellow inmates when something good happened).
I don't think Jehyuk changed much emotionally, but his time in prison was more about how he affected those around him. Obviously he touched a lot of people who'd never been treated well by others. Jehyuk was a bit clueless so I think he felt it was fine to treat everybody cordially, even if he didn't know what their background was.
Jehyuk also had to fight off the inmates trying to extort him. In particular, Yeom Sangjae was always trying to get him to submit, resorting to threatening his friends, which was what enraged Jehyuk in the last episode.
By the end of the drama, I think we were supposed to see how well-loved by all Jehyuk was, whether it was the friends he'd missed from the outside world, to the inmates he'd come to see as friends from within.
Though he was a good guy, I will admit that Jehyuk wasn't the most interesting character. He was perhaps more interesting from a comedic standpoint, but as we can see, he was portrayed as an angel throughout the show, and so there wasn't much conflict for his character internally.
Lee Junho
Junho was a livelier character compraed to Jehyuk. He'd suffered trauma in his past that caused him to give up his baseball career, so that was likely what led him to be more carefree, just focusing on the present instead of dwelling on the past.
Now that I think about it, Junho had nearly no conflict for his character as well. Most of his actions were related to helping Jehyuk and not for himself, except for his romantic subplot.
Ko Parksa/Dr. Ko
Dr. Ko took all of the blame for some corporate shady dealings that his company had done. In return, his family was being paid, and to Dr. Ko, that seemed like a good deal at the time.
By the end of the drama, he decided to no longer take the blame for the things he didn't do, but was transferred to another prison, probably in retaliation by his company.
During the drama, Dr. Ko was the rules man. He'd petition higher ups when the inmates weren't being treated properly. He was very earnest and serious, which also made him a good mentor for the younger honest inmates like Minsung who just needed a bit of care.
Kim Minchul
Kim Minchul had expected to live most of his life in prison. Despite being a gangster who was convicted of murder, he was shown to be a pretty regular dude.
Minchul found out that he had a daughter towards the end of the drama. And though he didn't have much confidence in what he could do in the outside world, I think knowing that his girlfriend was raising their child all this time was encouraging to him. I'm kind of disappointed that we didn't get to see him meet his family in the outside world, considering it was such a big deal for Minchul who'd been inside for so long.
Kang Chuldoo/Kaist
Kaist was an engineer who was convicted on gambling charges. He was a crafty but brash man, and was easily riled up by Hanyang. Kaist had left his wife and child to be with a wealthier woman. The others had no qualms in calling him a scumbag for his immoral behaviour.
It was revealed that Kaist's son had organ failure, and though his son wanted nothing to do with him, his ex-wife had asked him to do this one thing for their son.
Though his son received his liver, he still didn't want to see his dad. This was a blow to Chuldoo, but his ex-wife told him that this was his punishment for abandoning the family. I don't think that his ex-wife hated anymore, but she was just neutral to him.
Kaist also had a bit of an abrupt departure to the show. The last I remembered of him, he was recovering in hospital and then transferred to another penitentiary with better medical help.
Yoo Hanyang/Looney
Looney was named thusly because he'd taken a lot of drugs and his mind was not entirely there. Looney was apparently turned into the authorities by his then-boyfriend, but it was later revealed that it was his mother, with whom he had an estranged relationship because she was always working at the restaurant.
I can't say for sure whether I was totally convinced by Hanyang's portrayal. He was such a different person before and after his drug usage. I think it would've made more sense to perhaps have Looney be a bit more serious, or the flashback Hanyang to be a little more carefree. There just wasn't enough for me to connect these two characters as the same person.
Hanyang also had a somewhat disappointing end. He was picked up by a person who was probably an old drug dealer. He was tempted to inject himself with drugs, which he did, and was immediately arrested. I don't necessarily have an issue with Hanyang getting a pessimistic ending, but the Hanyang who was in the car taking the drugs from the dealer felt like a different person from the Looney who'd left the penitentiary just before. Again, there was disconnect in how this character was portrayed.
Lee Joohyung/Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean was an inmate who was convicted of stealing bread, thus his nickname. He had a normal enough story line. He had the opportunity to pick up a trade in the outside world. Through that job, he met a welder and asked him about his job. When he left the penitentiary, he went into welding, and even came back to visit Minchul. Funnily enough, I think his character had the most closure because not only did we see him leave prison, but we saw how he was doing on the outside.
Yoo Jungwoo/Captain Yoo
Jungwoo was a military man who was wrongfully convicted of murder. The true murderer used his family's connections and his own notorious influence to pressure others to change their testimonies or alter evidence.
Jungwoo was a more serious man, but as the series went on, he became more lighthearted, often being baited into fights with Looney. I honestly think that Jung Haein was supposed to be the token cute young guy that all the ladies could thirst over. I mean, that's not wrong, but I also think his character would've been likeable even if he wasn't played by a cute young man.
Dongho/Crony
Crony's name was self-explanatory. He really only knew how to take direction, and that was one of the reasons as to why he'd started off on the opposite side of Jehyuk, having tried to kill him. Later on, when he joined Jehyuk's new cell, Jehyuk used the power of friendship and common courtesy to win him over onto his side.
Honestly, Crony was a bit of a stereotype, the overly loyal henchman to the unwilling boss. At least it only happened in the last handful of episodes though.
Kim Youngchul/Beobja
I had initially expected Beobja to be a major supporting character and was surprised when he made an early exit. He then came back but wasn't in the same cell as Jehyuk so he didn't get as much screen time.
He was involved in crime because of his family's financial struggles. Jehyuk paid for his mother's surgery, which Beobja was incredily grateful for. Afterwards, we saw that Youngchul came to see Jehyuk as an older brother figure, both in terms of helping Jehyuk, and seeking emotional affection from him.
In the end, I think Beobja became Jehyuk's new agent, replacing the older man, which I did think was a bit too idealistic considering the timeline.
Yeom Sangjae/Chief
I guess you could call him the main antagonist, though he disappeared for a period of time. He was the chief of the woodcutting workshop, and had tried to take advantage of Jehyuk, including attempting rape. He was gotten rid of due to him being framed for stealing prize money in a competition.
He came back as an visiting inmate who'd be observing the penitentiary's greenhouse operations, but he soon fell back into old habits, allying himself with a gang, and extorting Jehyuk for money. However, he was beaten by the "Lifer," and he was exposed for blackmailing Jehyuk and wanting to betray his gang. So we can assume he got what he deserved.
Paeng Seyun
Other than Junho, Lieutenant Paeng was the officer with the most screen time. He was seemingly short-tempered with the inmates, but it was shown that he wasn't totally unfeeling towards them, going so far as to treat Minchul and others as friends.
Na hyungsu
Captain Na was super serious and strict. While he was usually a roadblock to the officers who were sometimes acting leniently, he wasn't exactly an antagonist, just an inconvenient bureaucrat.
Kim Yongchul
Yongchul was a higher up officer in the prison. He was the kind of guy who would be easily distracted by shiny things, including Kim Jehyuk. Jehyuk cozied up to him and was able to get favours from him.
Kim Jiho
Jiho was technically a childhood friend of Jehyuk and Junho, but only started dating Jehyuk when they were both adults. Jiho was understanding of how Jehyuk as a person, but she also teased him often.
Kim Jehee
Jehee was Jehyuk's sister. Jehyuk had gone to prison because he'd hunted down Jehee's rapist and assaulted him. For that, Jehee felt guilty. That being said, I didn't like Jehee's introduction as a character. The first few times we saw her, she was always crying because she was upset that her brother was going to jail.
However, throughout the show, we saw that she was a fun-loving and easygoing girl. I guess the reasoning could be that Jehee only ever cried when she thought about the events of the crime, but I still think it was a bit of a disservice to who Jehee was as a character.
Lee Jundol
Jundol was Junho's younger brother, apparently a reporter. Honestly I thought his character was pretty cute? He was a bit of a Jehyuk fanatic, but not to the point where he couldn't interact with Jehyuk normally. He helped Jehyuk, Junho, and even Jehee on several occasions, running errands and such. I wish we could see his character in a bigger capacity than just how he was involved in their social lives.
Song Jiwon
Jiwon was Hanyang's boyfriend. Hanyang was under the impression that Jiwon had turned him in for drug usage, but Hanyang understood that Jiwon had done it for his own good. (Again, this was revealed to apparently be untrue)
Jiwon visited Hanyang every week. Though he didn't say much, it seemed to be more because he was wary of whether Hanyang would revert to his old drug habit, rather than him not caring about Hanyang. The fact that he was making those visits was proof that he at least cared for the other man, but I do think that it'd take some time before he would feel safe enough to be dating Hanyang again.
When Hanyang was to be released from prison, Jiwon and Hanyang's parents were supposed to meet him at the restaurant. Jiwon said that he'd have a gift for Hanyang. However, Hanyang never showed up because he was caught again for drug usage.
Yoo Jungmin
Jungmin was Jungwoo's brother. We found out that Jungmin and Jungwoo had a very awkward relationship in their younger years because of their large age gap. However, they were both good and upright young men who'd come from humble beginnings. Jungmin because a professor and Jungwoo because a soldier.
After Jungwoo was convicted of murder, Jungmin spent most of his time trying to fight for Jungwoo, so much to the point that he was dismissed from his post as a professor. However, during this time, Jungwoo found that he was closer to his brother than ever before. Of course, he felt guilty that his brother lost his job because of him, but Hanyang told him that he should just say what he really felt. In actuality, Jungwoo was thankful for his brother's support and belief in him when no one else did.
Jungwoo and Jungmin had a happy ending, with Jungmin and the lawyer finally being able to get a retrial for Jungwoo, and Jungwoo being cleared of the crime he didn't commit.
Overall
This was a fun show, but again, it would be better enjoyed as a daily soap rather than a thriller drama with a tight story. My favourite parts of the show were mostly the comedic bits, and that was thanks to the acting as well as the fun way the show was filmed.
I'd still recommend this drama as the comedic bits definitely had me cackling, but I had higher hopes for the story as a cohesive whole.
Spoilers.
Story
I think my favourite parts of the story were the shenanigans taking place inside the prison, from the more serious things like gang alliances, to the more lighthearted trivia competitions and dorm fights. In fact, quite a few of the comedic bits had me laughing out loud, especially with the charming way in which they were filmed.
This drama was one of the most highly rated Kdramas on MDL, so I admit I was a bit disappointed with some of the aspects of the writing that just didn't feel as tight as it could have been.
I think the way that the drama started could've been handled better. The dorm mates that Jehyuk had in his first cell did not end up being the supporting cast. There were several people in that first cell who were only introduced briefly and never seen again. This felt a little confusing to me, as I wasn't sure who I was supposed to pay attention to. Most of the major supporting characters were in Jehyuk's second cell. Basically, I think the beginning of the drama didn't handle the introduction of supporting characters well, because it introduced a bunch of less important characters before we got to the important supporting characters.
I could've done without the romantic subplots in this drama, but that's mostly because I don't love romance a whole lot. In any case, Jehyuk and Jiho's romantic subplot was probably the least interesting one out of all of the couples. It was a very generic dating subplot. It relied on the flashbacks too much (which was pretty generic in my opinion), and the struggles in the current timeline, with Jehyuk in prison, still didn't have much depth to them. This might've also been because I didn't feel much for their relationship. It was mostly just Jiho bullying Jehyuk.
In contrast, Jehee and Junho had a more interesting romantic subplot. For starters, there was more of a back-and-forth interaction and banter between the two, and I could actually start to feel them falling in love, whereas I definitely couldn't say the same for Jehyuk and Jiho.
That being said, I think the supporting characters had more potential for interesting romantic subplots. While Hanyang and Jiwon didn't have too dramatic of a relationship, Hanyang was under the impression that Jiwon had turned him into the authorities but still loved him. At the very least, they had ongoing communication while Hanyang was still in jail, and we could see that Jiwon wasn't trying to be too hopeful, but leaving the silver lining for Hanyang to encourage him to get better. We got to see glimpses of Minchul's relationship with his then-girlfriend, and it was probably the sweetest romantic subplot of all of the ones we saw throughout the drama. Even Kang Chuldoo's broken marriage with his ex-wife was worthy of more spotlight because of the emotional depth of that subplot.
I am also not sure if it was intended for some of the characters to have such abrupt departures from the show. Many of the characters were either suddenly transferred to other penitentiaries, left the show in the middle, etc. I suppose it was supposed to be realistic, that inmates would be moved very easily in this manner without much notice. It's just that some characters had a much bigger fanfare than others and I'm not sure what set them apart. We also had some characters with very pessimistic endings and some with optimistic endings. Again, I'm sure that real life is like that, unfair on who gets the blessing, but it was just kind of jarring to have my emotions all over the place.
As this was a drama, there was also a lot of sudden drama that didn't seem to matter much to the plot. Jehyuk having cancer seemed ultimately not too important to the story. I know we were supposed to find out that he'd battled illness to become a pitcher, but the writers didn't need to add cancer to drive that point home, especially because cancer never came back in the story. There were a lot of random things that seemed to just be added to manipulate feelings, which I always dislike.
I know it sounds like I hated this story. I think that this drama was probably intended to be more of a "daily show," as opposed to one tight story. A lot of the "filler" episodes with fun shenanigans were actually the more entertaining episodes, probably because this show was supposed to be enjoyed on a longer run, without as much regard for the overall storyline. What I mean by that is that I think it was intended to be consumed like a daily soap as opposed to a miniseries, which might be why I was let down.
Production
Cinematography
The filming style was pretty solid, nothing stuck out. As I briefly mentioned, the way the drama was filmed really brought out the comedic elements of the drama.
Casting
I don't have an issue with most of the adult actors that were casted. I think they fulfilled what the script probably asked of them.
I mentioned this on one of my side blogs, but I have a bit of a gripe with casting of younger actors in Kdramas. I know I don't have much to go off of because this is only the first Kdrama that I truly finished, but I still want to discuss it because it happened in this drama.
What is up with casting super young girls with much older guys for flashback childhood episodes? It seems to me that Kdramas tend to cast younger for girls and cast older for boys, so the age difference ends up being large, which wouldn't be a big deal for adults, but would be for kids. There was one scene in which Jiho was graduating from junior high, and Park Haesoo was probably supposed to play a young adult. That age difference was way too big in my opinion. It would've worked fine if we just had the teenage Jehyuk portray a young adult Jehyuk. In fact, it would've made the scene more believable than a grown ass Park Haesoo.
Characters
Kim Jehyuk
Jehyuk was a quiet and not so intelligent but kind man. He kept most of his emotions under wraps, and only saw them at various times throughout the drama (e.g. yelling at church, celebrating with his fellow inmates when something good happened).
I don't think Jehyuk changed much emotionally, but his time in prison was more about how he affected those around him. Obviously he touched a lot of people who'd never been treated well by others. Jehyuk was a bit clueless so I think he felt it was fine to treat everybody cordially, even if he didn't know what their background was.
Jehyuk also had to fight off the inmates trying to extort him. In particular, Yeom Sangjae was always trying to get him to submit, resorting to threatening his friends, which was what enraged Jehyuk in the last episode.
By the end of the drama, I think we were supposed to see how well-loved by all Jehyuk was, whether it was the friends he'd missed from the outside world, to the inmates he'd come to see as friends from within.
Though he was a good guy, I will admit that Jehyuk wasn't the most interesting character. He was perhaps more interesting from a comedic standpoint, but as we can see, he was portrayed as an angel throughout the show, and so there wasn't much conflict for his character internally.
Lee Junho
Junho was a livelier character compraed to Jehyuk. He'd suffered trauma in his past that caused him to give up his baseball career, so that was likely what led him to be more carefree, just focusing on the present instead of dwelling on the past.
Now that I think about it, Junho had nearly no conflict for his character as well. Most of his actions were related to helping Jehyuk and not for himself, except for his romantic subplot.
Ko Parksa/Dr. Ko
Dr. Ko took all of the blame for some corporate shady dealings that his company had done. In return, his family was being paid, and to Dr. Ko, that seemed like a good deal at the time.
By the end of the drama, he decided to no longer take the blame for the things he didn't do, but was transferred to another prison, probably in retaliation by his company.
During the drama, Dr. Ko was the rules man. He'd petition higher ups when the inmates weren't being treated properly. He was very earnest and serious, which also made him a good mentor for the younger honest inmates like Minsung who just needed a bit of care.
Kim Minchul
Kim Minchul had expected to live most of his life in prison. Despite being a gangster who was convicted of murder, he was shown to be a pretty regular dude.
Minchul found out that he had a daughter towards the end of the drama. And though he didn't have much confidence in what he could do in the outside world, I think knowing that his girlfriend was raising their child all this time was encouraging to him. I'm kind of disappointed that we didn't get to see him meet his family in the outside world, considering it was such a big deal for Minchul who'd been inside for so long.
Kang Chuldoo/Kaist
Kaist was an engineer who was convicted on gambling charges. He was a crafty but brash man, and was easily riled up by Hanyang. Kaist had left his wife and child to be with a wealthier woman. The others had no qualms in calling him a scumbag for his immoral behaviour.
It was revealed that Kaist's son had organ failure, and though his son wanted nothing to do with him, his ex-wife had asked him to do this one thing for their son.
Though his son received his liver, he still didn't want to see his dad. This was a blow to Chuldoo, but his ex-wife told him that this was his punishment for abandoning the family. I don't think that his ex-wife hated anymore, but she was just neutral to him.
Kaist also had a bit of an abrupt departure to the show. The last I remembered of him, he was recovering in hospital and then transferred to another penitentiary with better medical help.
Yoo Hanyang/Looney
Looney was named thusly because he'd taken a lot of drugs and his mind was not entirely there. Looney was apparently turned into the authorities by his then-boyfriend, but it was later revealed that it was his mother, with whom he had an estranged relationship because she was always working at the restaurant.
I can't say for sure whether I was totally convinced by Hanyang's portrayal. He was such a different person before and after his drug usage. I think it would've made more sense to perhaps have Looney be a bit more serious, or the flashback Hanyang to be a little more carefree. There just wasn't enough for me to connect these two characters as the same person.
Hanyang also had a somewhat disappointing end. He was picked up by a person who was probably an old drug dealer. He was tempted to inject himself with drugs, which he did, and was immediately arrested. I don't necessarily have an issue with Hanyang getting a pessimistic ending, but the Hanyang who was in the car taking the drugs from the dealer felt like a different person from the Looney who'd left the penitentiary just before. Again, there was disconnect in how this character was portrayed.
Lee Joohyung/Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean was an inmate who was convicted of stealing bread, thus his nickname. He had a normal enough story line. He had the opportunity to pick up a trade in the outside world. Through that job, he met a welder and asked him about his job. When he left the penitentiary, he went into welding, and even came back to visit Minchul. Funnily enough, I think his character had the most closure because not only did we see him leave prison, but we saw how he was doing on the outside.
Yoo Jungwoo/Captain Yoo
Jungwoo was a military man who was wrongfully convicted of murder. The true murderer used his family's connections and his own notorious influence to pressure others to change their testimonies or alter evidence.
Jungwoo was a more serious man, but as the series went on, he became more lighthearted, often being baited into fights with Looney. I honestly think that Jung Haein was supposed to be the token cute young guy that all the ladies could thirst over. I mean, that's not wrong, but I also think his character would've been likeable even if he wasn't played by a cute young man.
Dongho/Crony
Crony's name was self-explanatory. He really only knew how to take direction, and that was one of the reasons as to why he'd started off on the opposite side of Jehyuk, having tried to kill him. Later on, when he joined Jehyuk's new cell, Jehyuk used the power of friendship and common courtesy to win him over onto his side.
Honestly, Crony was a bit of a stereotype, the overly loyal henchman to the unwilling boss. At least it only happened in the last handful of episodes though.
Kim Youngchul/Beobja
I had initially expected Beobja to be a major supporting character and was surprised when he made an early exit. He then came back but wasn't in the same cell as Jehyuk so he didn't get as much screen time.
He was involved in crime because of his family's financial struggles. Jehyuk paid for his mother's surgery, which Beobja was incredily grateful for. Afterwards, we saw that Youngchul came to see Jehyuk as an older brother figure, both in terms of helping Jehyuk, and seeking emotional affection from him.
In the end, I think Beobja became Jehyuk's new agent, replacing the older man, which I did think was a bit too idealistic considering the timeline.
Yeom Sangjae/Chief
I guess you could call him the main antagonist, though he disappeared for a period of time. He was the chief of the woodcutting workshop, and had tried to take advantage of Jehyuk, including attempting rape. He was gotten rid of due to him being framed for stealing prize money in a competition.
He came back as an visiting inmate who'd be observing the penitentiary's greenhouse operations, but he soon fell back into old habits, allying himself with a gang, and extorting Jehyuk for money. However, he was beaten by the "Lifer," and he was exposed for blackmailing Jehyuk and wanting to betray his gang. So we can assume he got what he deserved.
Paeng Seyun
Other than Junho, Lieutenant Paeng was the officer with the most screen time. He was seemingly short-tempered with the inmates, but it was shown that he wasn't totally unfeeling towards them, going so far as to treat Minchul and others as friends.
Na hyungsu
Captain Na was super serious and strict. While he was usually a roadblock to the officers who were sometimes acting leniently, he wasn't exactly an antagonist, just an inconvenient bureaucrat.
Kim Yongchul
Yongchul was a higher up officer in the prison. He was the kind of guy who would be easily distracted by shiny things, including Kim Jehyuk. Jehyuk cozied up to him and was able to get favours from him.
Kim Jiho
Jiho was technically a childhood friend of Jehyuk and Junho, but only started dating Jehyuk when they were both adults. Jiho was understanding of how Jehyuk as a person, but she also teased him often.
Kim Jehee
Jehee was Jehyuk's sister. Jehyuk had gone to prison because he'd hunted down Jehee's rapist and assaulted him. For that, Jehee felt guilty. That being said, I didn't like Jehee's introduction as a character. The first few times we saw her, she was always crying because she was upset that her brother was going to jail.
However, throughout the show, we saw that she was a fun-loving and easygoing girl. I guess the reasoning could be that Jehee only ever cried when she thought about the events of the crime, but I still think it was a bit of a disservice to who Jehee was as a character.
Lee Jundol
Jundol was Junho's younger brother, apparently a reporter. Honestly I thought his character was pretty cute? He was a bit of a Jehyuk fanatic, but not to the point where he couldn't interact with Jehyuk normally. He helped Jehyuk, Junho, and even Jehee on several occasions, running errands and such. I wish we could see his character in a bigger capacity than just how he was involved in their social lives.
Song Jiwon
Jiwon was Hanyang's boyfriend. Hanyang was under the impression that Jiwon had turned him in for drug usage, but Hanyang understood that Jiwon had done it for his own good. (Again, this was revealed to apparently be untrue)
Jiwon visited Hanyang every week. Though he didn't say much, it seemed to be more because he was wary of whether Hanyang would revert to his old drug habit, rather than him not caring about Hanyang. The fact that he was making those visits was proof that he at least cared for the other man, but I do think that it'd take some time before he would feel safe enough to be dating Hanyang again.
When Hanyang was to be released from prison, Jiwon and Hanyang's parents were supposed to meet him at the restaurant. Jiwon said that he'd have a gift for Hanyang. However, Hanyang never showed up because he was caught again for drug usage.
Yoo Jungmin
Jungmin was Jungwoo's brother. We found out that Jungmin and Jungwoo had a very awkward relationship in their younger years because of their large age gap. However, they were both good and upright young men who'd come from humble beginnings. Jungmin because a professor and Jungwoo because a soldier.
After Jungwoo was convicted of murder, Jungmin spent most of his time trying to fight for Jungwoo, so much to the point that he was dismissed from his post as a professor. However, during this time, Jungwoo found that he was closer to his brother than ever before. Of course, he felt guilty that his brother lost his job because of him, but Hanyang told him that he should just say what he really felt. In actuality, Jungwoo was thankful for his brother's support and belief in him when no one else did.
Jungwoo and Jungmin had a happy ending, with Jungmin and the lawyer finally being able to get a retrial for Jungwoo, and Jungwoo being cleared of the crime he didn't commit.
Overall
This was a fun show, but again, it would be better enjoyed as a daily soap rather than a thriller drama with a tight story. My favourite parts of the show were mostly the comedic bits, and that was thanks to the acting as well as the fun way the show was filmed.