Kim Dae-myung kept both his principles and his friendship.

Kim Dae-myung is currently acting in the role of Oh Soon-young, a negotiation expert lawyer, in the JTBC weekend drama ‘The Art of Negotiation’ (written by Lee Seung-young and directed by Ahn Pan-seok). Oh Soon-young is active with her insight that sees through cases and delicate empathy in the M&A process where one cannot shake off the tension due to unpredictable incidents and accidents.

In the meantime, episodes 9 and 10 that aired last week depicted the story of the M&A team that had rushed to sell the Greenview CC golf course. This M&A, which was personally ordered by Chairman Song Jae-sik (played by Sung Dong-il), was an important mission that depended on Yoon Joo-no‘s (played by Lee Je-hoon) promotion review, and more than anything, it was a matter of the direct livelihood of his hometown friends, so Oh Soon-young could not help but feel an even greater sense of responsibility.

To make matters worse, Lee Hoon-min (played by Yoon Je-moon), the former CEO of Sanin Construction who had a bad relationship with the M&A team, appeared as the buyer of Greenview CC, which seemed to be in a crisis, but Oh Soon-young and the other M&A team members went into the investigation with the determination to risk their lives and suppressed Lee Hoon-min’s momentum. However, the M&A team‘s crisis did not end there. A suspicious withdrawal record was discovered in the golf course’s financial statements. At that split second when she had a gut feeling that her friend Jeong Bon-ju (played by Jang So-yeon) might be involved in the embezzlement case, the complex and subtle expression that quickly crossed Oh Soon-young‘s face only added to the confusion.


Later, it was revealed that Jeong Bon-ju’s embezzlement was related to the corruption of Greenview CC CEO Lee Hyung-taek (played by Son Jong-hak). At a moment when there was only circumstantial evidence regarding the case and decisive evidence was needed, Oh Soon-young drew out the testimonies of the Gyeonggi Department employees with meticulous psychological warfare worthy of a lawyer. As a result, Oh Soon-young finally received the return of 1 billion won in embezzled money from Lee Hyung-taek. She went through the process of dismissing Jeong Bon-ju‘s embezzlement case and quickly resolved the issue of her friend’s settlement money. He maintained his principles as a lawyer and his friendship as a human being, Oh Soon-young, at the same time.

The series of events surrounding Oh Soon-young during the Greenview CC sale process created a tense atmosphere that made your palms sweat. And Kim Dae-myung‘s acting skills in portraying Oh Soon-young in crisis were perfect. When he realized that his old friend had committed a crime, he delicately portrayed Oh Soon-young’s appearance of being shocked and worried, thereby increasing the immersion of the drama. In this way, Kim Dae-myung enriches the drama with his heavy presence and expressiveness in every scene.

In the meantime, the ending of the last 10th episode depicted the M&A team facing an audit crisis. Expectations are focused on how Oh Soon-young and the other M&A team members will overcome this audit crisis, as well as Kim Dae-myung‘s performance in portraying Oh Soon-young in the story that will unfold in the future.

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.