'Parasite' Actress Park So-Dam Stars in New (Highly Bingeable) Show on Netflix
If you've officially hit the end of your Netflix queue (or the thought of deciding what to watch next is taxing), we have just the show for you: Record of Youth, a new Korean drama that is dominating in viewership ratings overseas and is an absolute must-watch this fall.
What's it about?
Record of Youth is a coming-of-age story that follows three 20-somethings as they fight to pursue their dream careers in the entertainment industry. The series, which premiered on September 7, offers a bit of something for everyone: light comedy, angst, plenty of eye candy, escapism, friendship, complicated family dynamics, a love triangle and a catchy soundtrack featuring some of K-Pop's finest.
It's a feel-good show that really draws you in without drowning you completely (as many addictive shows tend to do). Each episode is well-paced at a satisfying length of just over an hour and the characters are multi-dimensional with no true antagonist in the mix. Rather, you find yourself relating to and rooting for each of them.
Who's in it?
Park So-dam, whom you may recognize from Parasite, plays An Jeong-ha, a hard-working aspiring makeup artist who is constantly challenged by her jealous boss, who is in turn threatened by her sudden ascension. She's also a superfan of a once-popular fashion model named Sa Hye-jun, played by Park Bo-gum (a Korean actor who, in real life, is so beloved that he's been dubbed "the nation's boyfriend").
Sa Hye-jun is a pragmatic young man from a working-class family who has big dreams of becoming a successful actor. This causes tension within his family, who wants him to lead a stable life. His best friend, Won Hae-hyo (actor Byeon Woo-seok), on the other hand comes from privilege and has an overbearing momager who stops at nothing (including buying thousands of Instagram followers and wining and dining well-known directors and entertainment journalists) to further her son's budding career. Hae-hyo finds his mom's meddling irksome and struggles to prove himself as an actor by his own merit.
Although Hae-hyo is a direct career rival of Hye-jun's, the two have a deep, childhood bond and Hae-hyo is a big support to Hye-jun, even refusing jobs unless they hire his friend to do them with him. The two men cross paths with An Jeong-ha (So-dam) backstage at a fashion show and quickly strike up a friendship that is evidently going to cause further strain on the trio.
When and where can I watch it?
As of publication, there are six episodes that are available to stream on Netflix. New episodes drop every Monday and Tuesday (and thank goodness, too, because it forces a bit of pacing on our end).
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