Union workers band together in JTBC's webtoon adaptation Awl

25 September 30, 2015July 19, 2021

Union workers band together in JTBC’s webtoon adaptation Awl

by girlfriday

This drama totally flew under my radar, but I’m interested to see if it can really become the next Misaeng like it’s clearly angling to be. Cable network JTBC’s adaptation of the webtoon Awl, about union workers fighting back against The Man, is gearing up to premiere in October; it’ll be added on as a Friday night drama in addition to its currently airing disaster drama D-Day.

Ji Hyun-woo (Angry Mom) headlines the adaptation of the webtoon by Choi Kyu-seok, about a group of employees at a large supermarket who fight a massive layoff. The story is based on real-life events in 2002, when a group of union workers fought back after being fired by a large supermarket chain. The webtoon focuses on the daily struggles of workers and the difficulties they face when they attempt to fight back against the system.

Ji Hyun-woo’s character is the manager of the produce section of the supermarket, who seems like a cold and stiff rule-follower on the outside, but has a heart warmer than anyone on the inside. He’ll be the one to lead the other workers in this fight against their company, aided by union counselors Ahn Nae-sang (My Daughter Geum Sa-wol) and Kim Ga-eun (Joseon Gunman).

Fellow supermarket workers will be played by Hyun-woo (There Is a Cat), Super Junior’s Yesung, and singer Park Shi-hwan of Superstar K 5, who will be a trio of friends working under Ji Hyun-woo. And of course we need a bad guy to represent the corporation: Misaeng’s Kim Hee-won is the head of the company who orders the layoff.

The teasers feature drawings that fade into our actors, and highlight some key quotes from the webtoon. Ji Hyun-woo: “In every place, I have always been someone’s stumbling block.” Ahn Nae-sang: “Don’t waste your time pretending to be an adult and just worry about feeding yourself,” and “If you change where you stand, the view will change too.”

I expect it to be a really well-made human drama that highlights some harsh but realistic conditions. I just hope it’ll be as uplifting as it is realistic when all is said and done.

Awl airs on Friday nights and premieres October 23.

Via IS Plus

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1 Arhazivory

September 30, 2015 at 2:44 PM

Feels like forever since I've seen Ahn Nae Sang. This plot is right up my alley so I think I'll be fitting this in. jTBC has been doing well this year too.

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2 rinoak

September 30, 2015 at 2:48 PM

Aww, I love Ji Hyun Woo and I might just watch it for him. I will have to try really hard to forget Kim Ga Eun's horrible character in I Order You (a disappointing show on the whole) and just remember that I liked her in I Hear Your Voice.

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alua

September 30, 2015 at 4:53 PM

I Order You... terrible show, terrible characters... and her acting was... I'm not sure I want to call that acting.

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rinoak

September 30, 2015 at 7:36 PM

Yeah, let's hope she's improved since then. (It was way back two months ago, after all. lol) And if she's given a likable enough character I can probably deal with her.

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alua

October 1, 2015 at 2:58 AM

I sort of didn't pay much attention to her in that show... I just assumed she was a very green idol shoved into a terrible web drama by her agency. But now that this came up, I looked up her credits... and she appears to be an actress (not an idol) with quite a few credits to her name. I don't remember her from anything else (though I've seen I Hear Your Voice & What's Up), so maybe she wasn't that terrible there but serviceable enough... Maybe she's okay in a small role, but just can't carry a drama as a lead?

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Alessar

October 1, 2015 at 7:11 AM

I was too distracted by Youknow's love handles to pay attention to her acting. (Don't get me wrong I still wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crackers but I was shocked a dancey idol about to go into the military had packed on that much weight. It actually made him look like a handsome normal guy instead of an idol.)

korini

October 1, 2015 at 1:11 PM

I doubt in this particular show she'll be "a leading actress". I get a Misaeng vibe. And I disagree with you. The girl was fine in "Order You" (of course depending on exactly what you expect from a web-drama) and she was very good in Brain and Abiding. Besides it must be hard in that star-system to find an actress willing to play a "non-glamorous" part like a Carrefour employee.

Sammy

October 1, 2015 at 3:03 AM

That show was terrible...oh so terrible. Kim Ga Eun's bubbliness/overall performance in it made me want to break some glass and go on a rampage. It was that irritating.

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3 alpha

September 30, 2015 at 3:32 PM

Can somebody recommend me some webtoons? So far I am reading:-
- Cheese in the trap
- DICE
- Winter woods
- UnTouchable

So something like that. Please. And to those interested, the webtoons I mentioned above are total gems.

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Arhazivory

September 30, 2015 at 3:35 PM

Noblesse is good. That's also the only one I've ever read....wait, no...I read Orange Marmalade; wasn't bad.

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emnemone

September 30, 2015 at 5:21 PM

i was totally into webtoons for a while. I'm not really into the super intense ones. I like ones that are more cheery, romance kinda things haha

One's that I've enjoyed so far include:
-Yumi's Cells (It's more like a comic strip but it's so relatable!)
-We Broke Up (the drama is cute as well!)
-Salty Studio
-Dr. Frost
-The Stories of those around me
-Dear, Only you don't know

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raitei044

October 1, 2015 at 1:05 AM

I think Dice is a bit shounen, so I'd recommend Tower of God and God of High School.

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4 Nessie

September 30, 2015 at 3:49 PM

I'm getting Misaeng vibes from this which is great! I hope it won't be reminiscent of it too much, but the material is really different anyway. Once in awhile realistic shows like these are a good break from the all the craziness in the other shows currently airing.

I lol at the one and only main female character, please shows, we need more than one female lead at times it isn't that our attention span can't be diverted.

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5 sw33tnshie

September 30, 2015 at 5:59 PM

Hyun woo and yesung..oh yes!

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6 windsun33

September 30, 2015 at 6:29 PM

The human drama part sounds OK, but every k-drama I have seen portrays a totally unrealistic view of both businesses and unions, to the point of being almost cartoonish in how over simplified the issues are. The workers are always the good guys, the company is always the bad guy, no matter the circumstances.

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windsun33

September 30, 2015 at 6:49 PM

Forgot to mention that quite often the REAL bad guy in these disputes is the government itself, which even a late as 2008 has conveniently "overlooked" police and union thug brutality on union activities, and nearly always sided with the companies (many of them chaebols).

I will probably watch this, if nothing else to see how accurately they portray the real situation, especially the really crappy labor laws that megacorps have managed to get enacted into laws that nearly always favor the company overr the employees.

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fab

October 1, 2015 at 12:34 PM

Unless the union workers are hired by the company, then they're just the worst. Mrs Cop.
But then again realism and governments never go hand in hand.

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7 millie

September 30, 2015 at 8:02 PM

Wow! Yesung looks soo cute here as usual! Yesung Oppa Hwaiting!!! In the entire Super Junior, Y'sung is the best vocal of ALL!!! God bless!!!

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8 SoWHAT

September 30, 2015 at 8:04 PM

It's all so well that Yesung is acting here but what about my little Ryeonggu??? He sings AS well, if not better than Yesung... Anyway-- Ryeowook oppa please act sometime! I can't bear dramas anymore nowadays because I'm completely spoiled bratt with Suju's wonderful performances.

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9 genuinecity

September 30, 2015 at 8:19 PM

Ooh, sounds interesting... and oof, a lot of fighting for injustice, rights, and overall heartbreak coming our way.

Just have to say it: Ji Hyun-woo looks mighty fine in those pictures. I'm diggin' the whole look. I haven't read this webtoon, but based on the side-by-sides, I think he totally looks the part. For the most part, I see a lot of similarities between the webtoon drawings and their real life counterparts.
Although I've only seen her in Cinderella's Sister and don't really know how her acting chops are now, I immediately thought of Seo Woo when I saw the webtoon drawing of the female character. Now the resemblance there is just uncanny!

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10 Chandler

September 30, 2015 at 9:30 PM

I love all the expressions Ji Hyun-woo put on for this. It's the first time he's reminded me of Kim Boong Do! And that's enough to get me excited.

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newbie

September 30, 2015 at 11:40 PM

First time since his army duty that he remotely looks like his old self. I'm relieved.

Also, they clearly tried to match the looks of the manga characters only the girl is totally different - and not for the better. Another case of blond(e) and Asian looks don't really go together.

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11 dramapotatoe

October 1, 2015 at 4:18 AM

Getting some serious Misaeng vibes.

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12 Kiara

October 1, 2015 at 4:26 AM

If I ever watch this it'll be for Ahn Nae-sang. Everytime his name comes up it makes me want to rewatch "Conspiracy in the Court" and the movie "Poetry". One of my favorite drama of all time and the other is my favorite movie.

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13 mindy

October 1, 2015 at 1:05 PM

Oooh, looks intense! The only one in the cast that I'm familiar with is Kim Hee Won, but I'll keep an eye out for this.

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