Agency (2023)

Seen it twice now and the battle between Go Ah-in (Lee Bo-young) and Cho Seong-ha (Choi Chang-su) remains a thrilling endavour. Looking at the title you might think this is a slice of life about people working at an advertising agency, but that's not it. It's about the struggle of someone abandoned as a child to overcome her self doubt, abandonment issues and child abuse trauma. You see her two sides, the confident executive versus the nervous wreck, heavily medicate and sleep deprived. The frustration uttered at various stages by veteran in office politics Choi can be felt and is very entertaining and not cheesy like in some other dramas. Jo Eun-jung and her son are a refreshing intermezzo at times it's needed. As is common in Korean drama it touches on social issues and the main thread is that promotion and status isn't based on skills but background and people you know. It also portrais how Korean chaebols approach common people, masterfully done by Jeon Kuk-hwan and probably no one is better at it. All in all a good watch and I'd also recommend it as "your first K-drama" for those new to the genre.