WHO’S WHO
IN
LEE JOON GI’S
TELEVISION SERIES
AGAIN MY LIFE
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SBS’s Again My Life is an action-legal-supernatural-time travel tale about politicians, prosecutors, lawyers, real estate brokers, bankers, heads or scions of conglomerates or chaebols (or their third generation), showbusiness celebrities or bigwigs et cetera. Lee Joon Gi, the leading male actor, portrays Kim Hee Woo, in the other-worldly tale which will be told from the chief character’s perspective. Although the talented Director Han Chul Soo, who helms the television series, will work closely with the two scriptwriters, J (제이) and Kim Yool-II (김율), he may favour a radical approach in the telling of the tale. Lee Soon Jae (L) and Yoo Dong Geun Lee Kyeong Yeong (L) and Park Cheol Min The show stars some of the most famous and biggest names in the Asian showbusiness industry and popular expectations for the television show have heightened. Other than global star Lee Joon Gi, the show parades impressive and accomplished veteran actors, Lee Soon Jae, Yoo Dong Geun, Lee Kyeong Yeong and Park Cheol Min. The stellar cast also includes experienced actors Kim Hee Jung, Lee Kyu Han, Cha Joo Young, Kim Jae Kyung and also one of the fastest rising stars, Kim Ji Eun.
Left: Lee Kyu Han (T) Cha Joo Young (B) Right: Kim Hee Jung (T) Kim Jae Kyung (B)
Kim Ji Eun (C) The television series will study in detail the prosecution service, the private legal practice, politics, the broadcasting and showbusiness industries, the banking and financial industries, business conglomerates, the real estate sector, nepotism, absolute power and the tyranny of the powerful, the gullible masses, human organ trafficking, sex offences, the manipulation of the mass media including the internet and how these are inter-related. Conspiracy theories - people are in for a rude awakening when conspiracies to deceive the public are revealed. The wisdom of the aged, the young and the reckless, university life: finding one's life purpose, juggling full-time study with part-time work and the rewards of honesty, diligence, perseverance and determination will be examined. The question of whether geniuses or leaders are born or made will probably be answered. The tale also shows us that people see things through the wrong end of the telescope. One must single out an interesting aspect of the tale. Again My Life gives the viewers A Short Course on The Banking / Financial Industry: High-level and Rampant Corruption. Ailing Banks. Speculative Investment. Electronic and internet Banking. Hostile Takeovers. Secret Channelling of Funds into Ill-conceived Schemes. Slush Funds. Money Laundering. And so on and so forth. The layman or common people who may have little understanding of the shadowy, complex and convoluted dealings and transactions in the business world would be intrigued by the wheeling and dealing in the tale. Stories within stories would make such complicated stuff more intelligible to them. The characters portrayed can be described as: astute, shrewd, corrupt, greedy, evil, heinous, power-hungry, powerful, shady, lecherous, depraved, shameless, dishonourable, superficial, wise, competent, incorruptible, determined, high-minded, virtuous, benevolent, honest, genuine, respectable, upright, geniuses, multi-talented, first-rate, mysterious and preternatural. One interesting fact is a nefarious ‘King-Maker’ exerts his mind-control tactics on his weaker subordinates and the public. He has the power to put an entirely different interpretation or spin on the unhealthy happenings in the government service. An evil air permeates the Prosecution Service which grows a ‘a circle of evil’, the seeds of which had already been planted at university level. The circle comprises new law graduates from the Korea University, the top university in the country; talented law undergraduates who are recruited by senior students, senior prosecutors and the top leaders of the nation. In fact, a net has been cast earlier on; the recruitment and training had already started at High School level. Impressive top students at High School level are secretly recruited and their services are enlisted to organise student campaigns. The shocking tale is the top-notch section of the student population who have an elite education are secretly recruited to join a network of self-serving legal professionals. The television series will not disappoint. It is expected to have ‘a story within a story’, ‘a plan within a plan’, ‘a character within a character’, a system within a system or perhaps ‘a corporation within a corporation’.
The tale also throws light on what the young must do in order to achieve academic, career and personal success in the future as exemplified by the successful students of the schools, including the top students. Non-academic students can turn out to be useful citizens or can also rise to the top.
It is inevitable that there will be a perpetual struggle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. Not many subordinates dare to oppose the tyrannical powers at the top. There are official versions of happenings that few dare to question except the minuscule headstrong prosecutors who end up looking like babbling imbeciles. These unfortunate creatures would eventually end up in Kim San, a backwoods centre for the exiled prosecutors. Others who resist or combat these evil forces are marginalised and have very little success in their careers.
The Pecking Order in the power struggle in the tale is clearly laid out. Guess who are in this chart.
But, the surprise is, ‘Who will, in the end, be at the top of Pecking Order?’
CHARACTERS
There are many interesting characters in the television series and we are given an idea as to who will play the main roles and the important supporting roles. Guess who will portray the other good or evil characters in the series. It must be stated that sometimes the names in the manga are a confusing mess. The writer / translator / illustrator is not consistent with the spelling of the names. Hee Woo is sometimes spelled as Hee Wu. Someone has also taken the liberty of westernising the Korean names. Instead of putting the family name or surname first, he sometimes places it last. At other times, the original Korean name is left untouched.
KIM HEE WOO
Kim Hee Woo, born in 1980, is killed in his Present life. He is given another chance to live and is resurrected by Lady Death. The mysterious Lady Death has destined him for greater things.
THE FUTURE CHANGER
He returns to the Past to hone his skills for the Future war against evil.
To change the Future, the intelligent and multitalented Kim Hee Woo needs to think like a Futurist. He has to be ready for the challenges ahead of him. He has to imagine how he will transform the world. Having the benefit of hindsight and foresight, he looks back to see forward. Kim Hee Woo undergoes a drastic transformation; he has a new way of perceiving and doing things. There would not be any Future Shock waiting for him, would there? The Future Changer’s arsenal to fight evil does not comprise of weapons but skills and intelligence (fighting, mental, emotional and social skills), a thorough and deeper understanding of the legal, economic and business world, knowledge based on exhaustive research on crimes, past criminal cases and criminal justice, and the power of imagination - imagining and planning effective and successful strategies against evil. Kim Hee Woo’s combination of sincere friendship, compassion, love and generosity win him an army of talented, intelligent, dedicated and loyal friends who would be his allies in the Future. One of Kim Hee Woo’s strategies in the Future is to root out evil beginning from the bottom and ending with the top when powerful individuals are rendered ‘wingless’ and ‘legless’. The imprisonment and punishment of all the corrupt, powerful and evil tyrants will spell the destruction of the entire crime network and conspiracies. There is a call for the Death Penalty.
In his Future life, the outstanding law graduate would land himself as a prosecutor in Kim
San, a place for exiled prosecutors. Kim Hee Woo, by all accounts,
is an upright, determined prosecutor, whose remarkable personality, innate
talents, acute intelligence, outstanding
academic achievements and aptitude for hard work set him apart from the
others. His work stint at Kim San, which gives him a chance to flaunt
his talents, sparks a lot of interest in the higher-ups and subsequently, he is
transferred to the Seoul Central District Office. A turbulent future awaits
him.
QUESTION POSED
When we think of Kim Hee Woo whose life has been rebooted, we ask ourselves, ‘What would you do if you were given a chance to reset your life? Would you do anything differently?’
KIM HEE AH
 Kim Ji Eun portrays Kim Hee Ah, the love interest of Kim Hee Woo. They both share the same family name. Their romance pales in comparison with the romances in Lee Joon Gi’s other television series. It is hoped that Director Han Chul Soo will strive hard to remedy that.
The meeting of the couple is fated and they bond over studies at school when she requests for his help with her report. Perhaps, it is her ruse to get to know him better.
Kim Hee Ah is the youngest daughter of Kim Gun Yung, the Chairman of Chun Ha Group, a business conglomerate or chaebol which controls several groups of companies and subsidiaries, including cars, construction and real estate. She has 15% share in Chun Ha.
Described as a genius, she is the President of the Research and Development (R&D) arm of Chun Ha.
    
CHO TAE SUP
Cho Tae Sup, played by Lee Kyeong Yeong, is no ordinary corrupt and power-hungry politician. Simply being a member of the National Assembly is not enough to satisfy his thirst for power. Senator Cho Tae Sup is willing to sell his soul to become the President of the country. A double-faced politician or a wolf in a sheep’s clothing, he knows how to play to the gallery. He puts on a pretence of serving the people and the nation. The gullible masses are blinded by his superficial kindness, generosity and twisted political propaganda.
THE MASTER
If one wants to be successful, one needs a Mentor. Kim Hee Woo observes a strange old man who goes to auctions to buy up real estate at low prices. He wonders what the man is up to. He requests to learn the old man’s secrets of buying and selling real estate. Later, Kim Hee Woo and the old man become staunch friends although theirs is a Mentor-Mentee relationship.
  
LEE MIN SOO 
Lee Kyu Han plays the honest, upright but hot-headed Prosecutor Lee Min Soo, Kim Hee Woo’s senior. His slovenly appearance, with his dishevelled hair and unshaven face, reveals the lack of personal grooming is one of his shortcomings.
A multi-talented person, he attends medical school and music school but does not graduate from either one.
He finally enrols in a law school and graduates. His family background may have an influence over him. His father, a former Prime Minister, has been imprisoned for taking bribes. People change and Lee Min Soo is one of them.
     
HAN JI HYUN / PARK MI YOUNG (CHIEF HAN / MANAGER HAN)
The original name of the mysterious lady who gives Kim Hee Woo a second chance to live, played by Cha Joo Young, is Park Mi Young.
She is ‘born and raised’ to be Cho Tae Sup’s lackey or running dog. As his manager or assistant, she religiously carries out his every whim, fancy and command. Kim Hee Woo could find no information about her. All he knows is she is Lady Death or Lady Grim Reaper.
  
PARK SANG MAN
Park Sang Man is Kim Hee Woo’s loyal, faithful assistant and business partner. Their collaboration begins when they are at the university.
Despite his own academic brilliance, Park Sang Man admires Kim Hee Woo’s intelligence and astonishing skills at predicting the rise and fall of real estate. He requests to come under the tutelage of the real estate genius. The mentor and mentee form a partnership to run a successful business and this includes the buying and selling of real estate.
 
KIM SEOK HOON
Kim Seok Hoon, the evil Chief Prosecutor of the Central Branch of the Prosecution Office in Seoul, is ambitious for power and aims to be the Attorney-General. A rival of Cho Tae Sup, his rise to power is truncated by the machinations of the senator.
      KIM SEOK YOUNG
Kim Seok Young is the eldest son of Kim Seok Hoon. Kim Seok Young is appointed the CEO of JS Construction. But, Kim Seok Young always goofs off from work.
He is involved in a drink-driving hit-and-run case.
LEE JONG SEOK
Kim Seok Hoon’s wife, the daughter of a rich tycoon, has a male companion constantly by her side. Lee Jong Seok. She has made a cuckold of her husband.
PARK HAN MI (NOT KIM HAN MI)
Kim Hee Woo and Park Han Mi are high school friends. The illegitimate daughter of Kim Seok Hoon, Park Han Mi, is expected to stay under the radar so that his image would not be tarnished. He treats both mother and daughter badly. Han Mi is given her mother’s family name so that the father-daughter relationship between them remains a secret.
 JEON SEOK KYU
Prosecutor Jeon Seok Kyu, in his heyday, was known as ‘The Tiger’ in Seoul but he is relocated to Kim San because he has offended some powerful people. Kim San is known as the place for exiled prosecutors. The powers-that-be want 'to pull his fangs out'.
Later, with Kim Hee Woo’s help, he is transferred back to Seoul.
    JANG IL HYUN
Prosecutor Jang Il Hyun, a corrupt Section Chief, is Kim Hee Woo’s senior. He is not bothered about the truth and justice. He would incriminate and convict any suspect as long as he is sure of a successful conviction which is an abuse of his power and authority. To him, a successful conviction rate is a sign of competence. Rotten to the bone, he has the backing of Kim Seok Hoon, his equally evil superior.
Jang is accused of having a sponsor and receiving monthly financial payments from the Sae Gae (World) Shipping Corporation.
  
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