Lee Je-hoon has opened the door to the world of fierce negotiations that determine the existence of a company.

In the JTBC weekend drama ‘The Art of Negotiation’ (directed by Ahn Pan-seok, written by Lee Seung-young), which first aired on the 8th, the great project of M&A team leader Yoon Joo-no (played by Lee Je-hoon) to save the Sanin Group that was on the verge of bankruptcy began. The first episode recorded 3.6% in the metropolitan area and 3.3% nationwide. (Based on Nielsen Korea paid households)

The first episode of ‘The Art of Negotiation’, which opened with someone‘s voice saying “Hey, Yoon Joo-no, it’s here”, captured attention with the appearance of the white snake of the negotiation world, Yoon Joo-no, and the people of the Sanin Group who were in an uproar. The return of Yoon Joo-no, who is currently in charge of corporate mergers and acquisitions, has brought dangerous clouds to the company amid the massive debt of 11 trillion won.

In particular, Ha Tae-soo (Jang Hyun-sung), the CFO (chief financial officer) and number two man at Sanin Construction, the parent company of Sanin Group, has openly expressed his antipathy toward Yoon Joo-no. This is because he thought that Yoon Joo-no, who had once been his subordinate but returned as a team leader after being scouted by Chairman Song Jae-sik (Sung Dong-il), was threatening his position.

To make matters worse, as soon as Yoon Joo-no arrived at the company, he shocked the executives by declaring that he would sell Sanin Construction, the foundation and cash cow of Sanin Group. In particular, Ha Tae-soo, who had been focusing on Sanin Construction, strongly opposed Yoon Joo-no‘s actions, believing that they were aimed at him.

Chairman Song Jae-sik also increased Yoon Joo-no’s anxiety by demanding a bigger price from him, who predicted that the market value of Sanin Construction, which he had initially created, would be 7 trillion won, and provoking him by asking, “Aren‘t you confident?” Yoon Joo-no, who had announced a huge reform that would shake the foundation of Sanin Group from his first day at work, is drawing attention to whether he will be able to satisfy Song Jae-sik and Ha Tae-soo’s demands and lead the sale of Sanin Construction.


In addition, the chemistry of the M&A team members personally selected by Yoon Joo-no also garnered attention. Oh Soon-young (Kim Dae-myung), a negotiation expert with outstanding empathy, Kwak Min-jung (Ahn Hyun-ho), who has excellent mental calculation and memorization skills, and Choi Jin-soo (Cha Kang-yoon), an energetic intern, have joined the M&A team, completing a solid balance. Accordingly, expectations are rising for the M&A team‘s ‘Project M’, which will become a new momentum for the Sanin Group as they take on the impossible mission of raising 11 trillion won.

In this way, ‘The Art of Negotiation’ quickly portrays the situation of the Sanin Group, which has reached a new turning point with the return of Baek Sa-yoon, and leads the viewers into the world of negotiation. It presents a fresh perspective on M&A between companies, while also presenting a tense atmosphere that will keep the viewers on the edge of their seats as it unfolds the tense war of nerves and complicated conflicts of interest within the Sanin Group.

Episode 2 of ‘The Art of Negotiation’ will air on the 9th at 10:30 PM.

Hong Se-young, Donga.com reporter projecthong@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.