[WEBTOONS REIMAGINED] 'Business Proposal' finds the sweet spot of clichés

Television

Published: 05 Apr. 2022, 17:16 Updated: 05 Apr. 2022, 18:29

[WEBTOONS REIMAGINED] 'Business Proposal' finds the sweet spot of clichés

The popular rom-com drama series "Business Proposal," which airs on SBS, is adapted from Kakao Page's web novel and webtoon "The Office Blind Date," that centers around a romance between a conglomerate CEO Kang Tae-moo and his employee Ha-ri. [SBS]

Webtoon, a compound word of web and cartoon, refers to a type of digital comic read on smartphones. This genre has become a treasure trove for creators who adapt their narratives into a live-screen format. The concept has been popular with Korean viewers since the early 2000s, but foreign viewers are now finding out their favorite films and drama series, such as Netflix’s “Hellbound” (2021), “Sweet Home” (2020), “Yumi’s Cells” (2021),“My Roommate is a Gumiho” (2021) on tvN, “Itaewon Class” (2019) on JTBC, “The King’s Affection” (2021) on KBS and most recently “All of Us Are Dead” on Netflix, have all been adapted from webtoons. In Webtoons Reimagined, the Korea JoongAng Daily attempts to compare and contrast the adapted works and the webtoon originals to take a closer look at the narratives that have seen success with Korean and international viewers alike.

“This drama is the best way to be entertained after all the crazy things going on these days.”

“The perfect silly, goofy romcom drama with our favorite clichés.”

“It’s so cliché that it’s to the point of being cringy, but that’s what makes it entertaining. I find myself laughing along [to the narrative] without thinking too much.”

“[Watching this drama series] has become my guilty pleasure.”

These comments are only a few among many that reflect the general consensus about why SBS drama series “Business Proposal” has become a global hit.

The series has struck a chord across the globe for its clever twist on common clichés and tropes that often appear in the rom-com genre.

The series centers on the fantasy that an ordinary woman is able to capture the interest of a dashing prince and it turns out that he only has eyes for her. He's initially drawn to her unusual qualities that are different from countless other women that he’s met who merely ooh and ahh over his good looks and wealth, and the pair eventually fall in love.

Kang Tae-moo, CEO of food conglomerate GOFood (played by Ahn Hyo-seop) plays the part of the prince. His good looks often earn him attention but Kang focuses on his work and forgoes any romantic relationships.

That is until he meets Shin Ha-ri (played by Kim Se-jeong) on a blind date arranged by his grandfather. Unbeknownst to Tae-moo, Ha-ri is an employee in Tae-moo’s company who ended up on the date in place of her friend Young-seo.

The narrative is full of obvious clichés as Ha-ri struggles to keep the fact that she is an employee hidden, but despite her efforts, is discovered by Tae-moo. The two form a contract in which Ha-ri will act as Tae-moo’s girlfriend to deceive the eyes of his persistent grandfather who wants to see him married, but during the process they hopelessly fall in love.

The poster for webtoon "The Office Blind Date" [KAKAOPAGE]

This Cinderella story is adapted from “The Office Blind Date,” a highly popular web novel (2017-18) and webtoon (2018-) published on Kakao Page.

Originally a web novel written by Haehwa, its popularity led to its adaptation into a webtoon. The total number of views for the web novel and webtoon surpassed 450 million worldwide by February 2022. The webtoon is currently being serviced in eight countries including the U.S., China, Japan, Indonesia, France, Thailand and Taiwan. According to Kakao Page, the webtoon recorded the most views on the platform in Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan.

“Amongst our local viewers, the mainstream readership were women in their 20s to 40s,” an insider from Kakao Page told the Korea JoongAng Daily. “But our data surprisingly showed that men in their 40s also took up a considerable proportion of the readership.”

That popularity translated over to the drama series adaptation. Episode 1 recorded a viewership rating of 4.9 percent which steadily increased to 10.6 percent by Episode 11. The series, which is also available on Netflix, topped the platform’s Global Top 10 list of most-watched non-English shows for two consecutive weeks, with 30.94 million hours of streaming in the latest period from March 21.

Kim Se-jeong portrays Ha-ri, who goes on a blind date wit her boss. [SBS]

The series wrapped up with a total of 12 episodes Tuesday, with wedding bells ringing for the happy couple. As in the original works, viewers were already in the know that, despite the clashes and conflicts the protagonists faced, a happily ever after was in store. So what has made this somewhat predictable romance story resonate with audiences across the globe?

“I saw the webtoon first and although it was eye-rollingly obvious how the narrative would play out, it’s a perfect light-read when you’re between places. Although it’s full of clichés, I think that it is a talent on the author’s part to create a plot that can hook the readers,” reads one comment on an online community.

The rom-com series "Business Proposal" is full of tropes and clichés, which actually appealed to viewers around the globe. [SBS]

Just as the original webtoon did, the series often utilizes cute CGIs (computer-generated imageries) to turn the tropes into comedy. Ha-ri is a typical "Candy character" (a term which refers to the protagonist of Japanese manga ‘Candy Candy’ and is used to described a female character who always remains bright and positive no matter what obstacles she faces) who has to continuously take out loans to pay for her tuition or to support her family’s chicken store. Instead of fretting over her debt, the narrative uses CGI to fast-forward and show how Ha-ri worked hard over the years and remained positive about her situation.

The live-action series also utilized the 2-D character of Kang Tae-moo, bringing him to life in the opening sequence to imply that he’s the perfect prince charming from the webtoon. The series purposefully uses the exact settings and dialogue from the webtoon such as when Tae-moo acts as the smitten boyfriend in Episode 7 with eyes only for Ha-ri in front of her friends.

The series often tweaks popular tropes to turn them into moments of slapstick comedy.

Instead of leaving a glass slipper for Tae-moo to find, Ha-ri involuntarily smacks Tae-moo in the face with her slipper when she slips and falls. Ha-ri’s overexaggerated reactions and Tae-moo’s steely determination makes it all the more comical from the perspective of the viewers.

The chemistry between another couple — Cha Seung-hoon, the secretary and best friend of Tae-moo and Jin Young-seo, Ha-ri’s young and rich best friend — is another attraction the series offers (as it did in the webtoon) as the couple’s romantic relationship offers a completely different perspective from Tae-moo and Ha-ri's.

Tae-moo and Ha-ri left, and Sung-hoon and Young-seo from the webtoon [KAKAO PAGE]

Sung-hoon (played by Kim Min-gue) and Young-seo (played by Seol In-a) from the "Business Proposal" [SBS]

“I hoped the drama series could be like snack content,” Kim Se-jeong said during an online press event last month. “It’s not too heavy, and one can always take it out to consume it when one feels like it.”

“This drama series knows exactly what the viewers want,” a comment reads under the trailer for Episode 12. “I loved how the narrative did not beat around the bush.”

As Kim Se-jeong had hoped, the lack of serious conflict and speedy development of narrative contributed to the success of the content.

There were some updates in the drama series to make the characters more dimensional. In the webtoon, Ha-ri’s profession remains unclear except for the fact that she’s part of the Strategy and Finances team. In the series however, Ha-ri’s dedication to work as a food researcher is explicitly highlighted in certain scenes.

Although the series is “snack content,” it also included episodes that were sensitive to social issues prevalent today. The two writers of the series — Han Seol-hee and Hong Bo-hee — are the creators behind tvN sitcom series “Rude Miss Young Ae” (2007-19), an office sitcom centered around 30-year-old Young-ae who refuses to conform to social norms. As the writers did for their prior series, “Business Proposal” lightly touches upon social stigmas through conversations among Ha-ri’s co-workers, and well-describes the mental state of victims of molka (illegal filming) through Young-seo, who becomes a victim when her neighbor sets up a hidden camera inside a present.

The chemistry between the actors is another attraction the series offers.

“I think one of the appeals that our series holds [that is different from the original works] is the chemistry between the actors, which the series is packed with,” the writers said through the broadcaster.

“I love this drama that is so funny, warm and touching,” another comment reads. “I like how Ha-ri is so confident about herself and how Tae-moo only has eyes for her. They’re such a lovely and cute couple. If you love someone, love like these two!”

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]