The TVING original series ‘Good or Bad Dongjae’ (directed by Park Gun-ho, creator Lee Soo-yeon, written by Hwang Ha-jeong and Kim Sang-won) has ended.

Episodes 9 and 10 of ‘Good or Bad Dongjae’ were released on the 7th. The case seen through the eyes of the main character ‘Seo Dong-jae’ (played by Lee Joon-hyuk) was interesting until the end, and the black comedy added to the tight story added fun unique to the spin-off series, different from the ‘Secret Forest’.

The bloody confrontation between Seo Dong-jae and Nam Wan-seong (played by Park Sung-woong) kept the tension high until the end. Seo Dong-jae solved the case in his own way, sometimes sharply, and sometimes showing his opportunistic side. Although he was unable to avoid dismissal, Seo Dong-jae was given another chance as a member of the inspection team. The ending of the bold declaration of war that was so ‘Dong-jae-like’ made us look forward to Seo Dong-jae‘s future, as he rose from ‘Corruption Prosecutor’ to ‘Corruption Catching Prosecutor’.

That day, Seo Dong-jae ran bare-handed to solve the case even though he was suspended from his job. He went undercover at the construction site where Nam Wan-seong was suspected to have dumped the body. Seo Dong-jae visited the ‘Lee Hong Construction’ construction site and applied for a job under the name of ‘Hwang Si-mok’, and began to search for traces of the missing worker at the site while getting information from the workers. Then, a golden opportunity came to Seo Dong-jae. A notice was issued to stop work due to a safety inspection, and that night, Seo Dong-jae and Jo Byeong-geon (played by Hyun Bong-sik) went undercover at the construction site. The prediction was right. The subordinates who received Nam Wan-seong’s orders showed up with a crusher. Their intention was to dig out the body that had been dumped underground and grind it up on the spot. Seo Dong-jae, who had already figured out every nook and cranny of the construction site, pulled out the power cord of the shredder and thwarted their plan, but Jo Byeong-geon was caught and a crisis came. Seo Dong-jae ran around the construction site to buy time, and the detectives raided the scene and sorted out the situation.


At the same time, prosecutor Kim Ji-hee (Jung Woon-sun) arrested Nam Wan-seong on charges of instigating murder and concealing a body. However, Nam Wan-seong did not easily admit to the charges. Cornered, Nam Wan-seong requested Seo Dong-jae as a witness, following Park Chan-hyeok (Heo Dong-won). Nam Wan-seong‘s lawyer Joo Jung-gi (Jung Hee-tae) brought up the rivalry between Seo Dong-jae and Nam Wan-seong and claimed that the prosecutors were colluding to force the case without evidence. On the other hand, Seo Dong-jae presented solid evidence. Nam Wan-sung found a recording of a phone call in which he had contacted his son Nam Ki-rae (played by Kim Soo-kyum) and asked him to erase the black box. Seo Dong-jae pointed out the connection between the date on the black box that Nam Wan-sung had contacted his son Nam Ki-rae (played by Kim Soo-kyum) and the date of death of the victim, and induced Nam Wan-sung’s confession through Nam Ki-rae.

Although he played a major role in arresting Nam Wan-sung, Seo Dong-jae was also unable to avoid dismissal. Although he tried hard to escape from his past, his past mistakes eventually caught up with him. A new prosecutor was appointed to the Cheongju District Prosecutors‘ Office, and the National Assembly members, the mayor, and Chief Prosecutor Jeon Mi-ran (played by Lee Hang-na) moved to cut off the wrong connection with CEO Nam.

However, Seo Dong-jae’s life took an unexpected turning point. Seo Dong-jae went to the Ministry of Justice Correctional Service, which the disciplinary committee had guided him to, and there he was given another chance. An inspection team was formed to investigate prosecution corruption, led by Kang Won-chul (played by Park Sung-geun), and Seo Dong-jae was put in charge of one axis. Kang Won-chul‘s words, “Those who have taken bribes catch those who will take them,” made sense. In the name of the inspection team, Seo Dong-jae caught prosecutors who committed corruption like his past self. The ending of Seo Dong-jae confidently declaring war by going to the head prosecutor Jeon Mi-ran to reveal the corruption was exhilarating.


‘Good or Bad Dong-jae’ is a spin-off of the ‘Secret Forest’, and as each episode progresses, it grows in size and intertwines interesting cases, a solid story, and black comedy that are exquisitely woven together, further enhancing the pleasure of the genre. Lee Joon-hyuk’s colorful portrayal of Seo Dong-jae‘s ’good or bad‘ mental changes at the crossroads of endless choices stood out within the black comedy genre. The way Seo Dong-jae solves cases, which is only possible with his accident, brought out the character’s unique wit and resourcefulness, creating dramatic fun.

More than anything, Lee Joon-hyuk‘s performance caught the eye. Returning as the main character, he flew around in the character of ’Seo Dong-jae‘. Park Sung-woong, playing the opposite of Lee Joon-hyuk, heightened the tension of the play and increased its appeal. Here, the acting of actors Hyun Bong-sik, Lee Hang-na, Jung Woon-sun, Park Sung-geun, Jung Hee-tae, Lim Hyung-guk, Heo Dong-won, Kim Soo-gyeom, Baek Seon-ho, and Choi Joo-eun also received attention.

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