tvN‘s weekend drama ‘Retirement Year’ (directed by Jung Ji-in/written by Choi Hyo-bi) came to a close with a splendid curtain call. Along with this, ‘Retirement Year’ broke its own highest viewership ratings and ended on a high note. According to Nielsen Korea, a viewership ratings research company, ‘Retirement Year’ Episode 12 broke its own highest viewership ratings and broke through the 15% barrier, ending on a high note. It surpassed the metropolitan area average of 17.1%, the highest 18.8%, the national average of 16.5%, the highest 18.2%, the metropolitan area highest 5.3% for those aged 20-49, and the highest 5.9% for those aged 20-49 nationwide, defending the title of #1 in all channels including terrestrial channels in the same time slot.

In the final episode of ‘Retirement’ on the 17th, the ‘Maeran National Theater Company’, which is in dire financial straits to the point of no recovery, squeezed out all its energy to stage the new and experimental national theater ‘Ssangtap Legend’, which is Maeran’s last performance and the first of its kind that Maeran has ever shown. Through an audition, the role of the main character, Baekje stonemason ‘Asadal’ went to Jeong Nyeon-i (played by Kim Tae-ri), and Yeong-seo (played by Shin Ye-eun), who accepted the result cleanly, gladly took on the role of stonemason ‘Dalbi’, who admires Asadal‘s talent but is also jealous of him. And Jeong Nyeon-i and Yeong-seo went up on stage to the cheers of all those who cherish Mae-ran and showed off their best acting, and the passion of all the stars that lit up the stage made us guess that Mae-ran’s stage will never end here. In particular, Jeongnyeon-i, who has reigned as the ‘Prince of Maeran’ until now, is a 180 degree different person from Ok-kyung (played by Jung Eun-chae), and has become the ‘new Prince of Maeran’ and the brightest star on stage by showing a refreshing male role as a madman artist.

● The restored golden age of women‘s national theater, driving global popularity

‘Jeongnyeon-i’ has emerged as the hottest topic of conversation, breaking various box office indicators day after day, to the point where it would not be an exaggeration to call it a ‘record maker’. In addition to the viewer ratings that were about three times higher than the first episode, various box office indicators were also overwhelming. According to Kinolights, an integrated content search platform for OTT content, it ranked 1st in the integrated content ranking, according to Good Data Corporation, it ranked 1st in the integrated TV-OTT topicality ranking, and it ranked 1st in the number of views for all domestic dramas on YouTube, and it ranked 1st in the ‘October Koreans’ Favorite Programs’ published by Gallup Korea, and it ranked 1st in the ‘November Drama Brand Reputation Rankings’ published by the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, and ‘Jeongnyeon’ has always occupied the brightest spot.

Interest in the ‘Women‘s Gukgeuk’ genre has also heated up. In addition to drama videos, there is a ‘pull phenomenon’ of gukgeuk-related content, and veteran women’s gukgeuk actors are being reexamined, which has also brought a warm breeze to the actual performing arts world. In addition, the number of mentions of ‘Guguk’ in online communities and SNS increased fivefold from 600 in September to 3,000 in October in just one month.

The response from overseas was also enthusiastic. It was ranked in the top 6 of the Disney+ Global TV Show category, and also ranked 1st in the Disney+ TV Show category in various countries around the world, including Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and 4th in Japan, gaining popularity. In addition, influential foreign media outlets paid attention to the ‘Retirement’ craze and focused on ‘Guguk’. Japanese media Oricon News published an article recommending watching ‘Retirement’, saying, “A must-see this fall”, “The guguk performance scene in particular is unforgettable because all the actors‘ spirit is so great”, and American media Forbes introduced guguk in an article titled, “The real star of the K-drama ‘Retirement’ is Pansori”. In this way, ‘Jeongnyeon-i’ contributed to introducing our country’s shining art and culture, ‘Gukgeuk’, to the world.

● 1/2 of the running time, a whole new world for the home theater presented by the play-within-a-play

The secret to ‘Jeongnyeon-i’ being able to bring back the golden age of women‘s gukgeuk is not that the play-within-a-play is consumed as a simple scene from a drama, but rather in its sincerity in dedicating it to gukgeuk. ‘Jeongnyeon-i’ showed its ‘sincerity for gukgeuk’, devoting as little as 15 minutes of its 60-minute running time per episode, and as much as 30 minutes in the final episode.

The perfection of the play-within-a-play, where Jeongnyeon’s line, “It was a whole new world”, is also the best. ‘Jeongnyeon’ consists of a total of four plays-within-a-play: ‘Chunhyangjeon’, ‘Jamyunggo’, ‘The Fool and the Princess’, and ‘The Legend of the Twin Towers’. Depending on the type of play-within-a-play, ‘Jeongnyeon’ invested anywhere from a long of a year to a short of three months to complete one stage. Through collaboration with drama director Jung Ji-in and performance director, they created a highly complete stage that can be fully enjoyed not just as a scene from a drama, but as a national musical in its own right. Also, comparing the stage props, choreography, sounds, and character plays of each piece was a major fun part of enjoying ‘Jeongnyeoni’.

● Kim Tae-ri → Jung Eun-chae, great performances by artists who transcended realms

From Kim Tae-ri, Shin Ye-eun, Ra Mi-ran (as Kang So-bok), Jung Eun-chae, Kim Yoon-hye, and even Moon So-ri who made a special appearance, all the actors who appeared in ‘Jeongnyeoni’ garnered admiration with their passionate acting that seemed to have reached the realm of artists. In particular, Kim Tae-ri, true to the original work‘s muse, earned rave reviews such as ‘Jeongnyeoni herself’ with her irreplaceable character digestion, while Shin Ye-eun formed the duo of Kim Tae-ri’s only rival and friend. Ra Mi-ran also showed off her presence with the uprightness and weightiness befitting the leader of Mae-ran. Along with this, Jung Eun-chae, as the crown prince of the national theater world, exuded a different aura and received favorable responses such as “Rediscovery of Jung Eun-chae,” and Kim Yoon-hye also perfectly portrayed the captivating presence of the heroine and her twisted inner self heading towards a path of gradual downfall, adding tension to the play. In addition, Moon So-ri showed off her acting skills that added depth to the play as a symbol depicting the ‘The path of a miserable entertainer’.

In addition, actors with solid acting skills and fresh charms such as Woo Da-bi (as Hong Joo-ran), Lee Se-young (as Baek Do-aeng), Hyun Seung-hee (as Park Cho-rok), Jung Ra-el (as Seo Bok-sil), Jo Ah-young (as Jin Yeon-hong), Ryu Seung-soo (as Ko Bu-jang), Jang Hye-jin (as Han Ki-joo), Oh Kyung-hwa (as Yoon Jeong-ja), and Min Kyung-ah (as Heo Yeong-in) garnered attention and solidified the worldview of ‘Retirement’.

● ‘No villains or munchkins’ A three-dimensional narrative surrounding the dreams of female entertainers

It is also noteworthy that it led to exciting narrative fun without any extremely vicious villains or flawless munchkin characters.

‘Retirement’ is the main character It depicts the process in which Yoon Jeong-nyeon enters Maeran, the best women‘s national theater troupe of the time, and grows brilliantly through competition and solidarity as she progresses to become the best national theater actress. In typical dramas, the vocal genius ‘Yoon Jeong-nyeon’ is easily portrayed as a munchkin, but in ‘Jeongnyeon’, she is portrayed as a thoroughly grown-up character, turning failure and trials into nutrients called ‘the sorrow of an artist’, allowing her to bloom brilliantly on stage. In addition, Jeong-nyeon’s rival character Yeong-seo not only highlights simple competition and conflict, but also portrays solidarity and growth as an artist in a three-dimensional way, and she is portrayed as a mature character who turns her inferiority complex toward Jeong-nyeon into a stepping stone for growth, receiving enthusiastic support from viewers.

In addition, ‘Jeongnyeon’ sheds light on the stories surrounding the ‘dreams’ of women in the 1950s in a colorful and profound way. Jeongnyeon and Yeongseo, who run towards their dreams with unwavering hearts; Sobok, who finds another dream through her disciples at a moment of despair when her lifelong dream collapses; Ok-kyung, who is devastated by her fading dreams; Hye-rang, who loses precious things due to her obsession with her dreams; Joo-ran, who gives up her dreams due to the limitations of the times; and even Jeong-ja, who has never dreamed before due to reality. The dreams of women of that time, seen from such various angles, sometimes bring empathy and regret, and sometimes overwhelming emotion, leaving a deep resonance in the hearts of viewers.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com Reporter jhj@donga.com