Won the lottery, still clocking in: Why this K-drama is striking a nerve
Summary
The Ordinary Jackpot follows Gong Eun-tae, the youngest team leader at Hongseong International, as a lottery win gives him a financial safety net and pushes him to rethink his suffocating office life. The Tving series has resonated for its hyperrealistic portrayal of ordinary work life, especially since its Sept. 10 premiere. ENA’s New Recruit 4: Sabotage is also drawing viewers with realistic military detail and a series-high 4.6 percent rating. Both dramas are attracting viewers who see their own lives reflected on screen.
Key Facts
- Gong Eun-tae has won a 1.3 billion won jackpot, which he treats as a financial safety net rather than a way to stop working.
- Director Yoon Young-bin said he wanted to make the most realistic office drama possible and described the lottery first prize as a tribute to people who have worked hard all their lives.
- New Recruit 4: Sabotage has reached a series-high viewership rating of 4.6 percent.
- Some episodes of New Recruit 4: Sabotage draw on real-life incidents, including the 2011 group assault of soldiers in Yanggu, Gangwon Province.
- Drama critic Gong Hee-jung said viewers are increasingly drawn to dramas that make them feel, This is my story.
'The Ordinary Jackpot,' other dramas draw fans with relatable, real-life stories
Lee Jun-hyuk in scene from Tving's original series “The Ordinary Jackpot ”/ Courtesy of Tving
Played by actor Lee Jun-hyuk, Gong Eun-tae is the youngest team leader at major corporation Hongseong International, yet he has risen through the ranks at lightning speed thanks to his characteristic diligence.
He has endured a series of unreasonable situations without ever losing his temper. He is looked down on by team members who joined the company before him, while office politics above him leave him saddled with difficult assignments. Now on the verge of burnout, his mundane life takes an unexpected turn when he wins the lottery.
The 1.3 billion won ($950,000) jackpot is not enough for him to spend the rest of his life doing nothing, but it is more than enough to serve as a financial safety net. With the windfall in hand, Gong decides to turn his suffocating corporate life upside down.
There is no absolute villain to take revenge on, nor is there a Cinderella-style romance. Instead, a new wave of hyperrealistic dramas depicting the everyday lives of ordinary people is making its way onto television screens. Far removed from the cathartic storylines currently in vogue, these dramas are quickly gaining word-of-mouth popularity by offering viewers a sense of empathy and comfort amid the hardships of everyday life.
Posters for “The Ordinary Jackpot” / Courtesy of Tving
The Tving original series “The Ordinary Jackpot” portrays the trials and tribulations of Gong, an ordinary Korean office worker, with striking realism from the outset. Shortly after its premiere on Sept. 10, online communities were flooded with viewer comments saying the show “triggers PTSD among office workers in their 30s to 50s.”
While winning the lottery jackpot is a near-fantastical premise, the way Gong uses his newfound fortune not as a direct solution to his problems but as a psychological shield that tells him he no longer has to put up with everything is remarkably realistic. Director Yoon Young-bin said his goal was “to make the most realistic office drama possible,” adding that “the first-prize lottery win is a tribute to people who have worked hard all their lives.”
The three-dimensional supporting characters add to the show's sense of realism. Yang Joon-ho (Seo Hyun-woo), a senior associate who is consumed by inferiority complex, and Jung Sun-hyuk (Oh Dae-hwan), a veteran team leader who has devoted himself to the company but has seen his career stall, each struggle to carry out their jobs amid their own circumstances, leading to clashes.
“Few people act out of malice in everyday life,” Yoon said. “It may simply be that we failed to communicate, that someone is anxious or that they think differently. I set up all the conflicts in this story as clashes between people who are each trying to do the right thing.”
A scene from ENA's “New Recruit 4: Sabotage” / Captured from YouTube
'New Recruit 4' draws on real-life military incidents
ENA's “New Recruit 4: Sabotage,” which has returned for a fourth season, is also drawing viewers with its intense realism. The series has already built a loyal following among discharged soldiers, as it is known for its meticulous depiction of life in the Korean Army in the 2010s.
The new season introduces a variety of changes, including the protagonist's promotion to corporal, a veteran sergeant returning in the final stage of his military service, and a new battalion commander and recruits. It has set a new series-high viewership rating of 4.6 percent.
Some episodes have also drawn on real-life incidents, including the 2011 group assault of soldiers in Yanggu, Gangwon Province, to take a sharp look at human rights issues in the military.
Drama critic Gong Hee-jung attributed the popularity of these series to growing demand among viewers for dramas that make them think, “This is my story.”
She noted that as over-the-top streaming platforms continue to pour out highly polished genre dramas, while weekday and even weekend TV dramas have increasingly turned toward sensational storylines, it has become harder to find realistic dramas offering small moments of comfort.
“If dramas capture the lived-in details of everyday life and the diverse, non-stereotypical psychology of people, and use them to create unexpected messages, they can broaden the scope of empathy,” she said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.
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