MBC’s Monster adds Park Ki-woong, Jo Boa as spoiled chaebols
by javabeans
Oh great, now I HAVE to watch Monster. I mean, yay I have to watch Monster? I’m not even sure anymore. (It isn’t that it sounds bad; it’s that this is one of those serious, sprawling 50-episode dramas, and man, those take work.)
But with Kang Ji-hwan (Incarnation of Money, Big Man) headlining the series and now Park Ki-woong (Gaksitaaaaal) choosing it as his army comeback drama, who am I to fight it? I’ll just block off April through September on my calendar and settle in for the long haul…
Monster, which comes to us from the writer team (Jang Young-chul, Jung Kyung-soon) who gave us Empress Ki, Incarnation of Money, and History of a Salaryman, kicks off in the late ’90s after the IMF crisis hits, and follows a man who sets out for revenge against society’s top 0.001%, those privileged movers and shakers with all the power. I’m guessing those are the people responsible for the hero’s early tragedy, which kills both his parents and almost him as well. He comes back with a vengeance, for vengeance, and falls in love along the way. The drama has yet to secure a heroine after initially courting Hwang Jung-eum, who didn’t sign on, but is likely to do so soon. We hope.
Park Ki-woong, who will be discharged from military service on February 7, will play the youngest son of a chaebol group chairman who turns increasingly wild and violent. He’s gonna be so good at that and it’ll probably break my heart because I love him. Just don’t go full Namgoong Min on me, okay? I’m not sure I’ll be ready for that much affluenza-induced brutality so soon.
Park’s character is cast aside by his family because he’s born to a concubine (er, I suppose that just means non-wife in this day and age, but chaebol clans do tend to mimic royalty), and he grows up with his mother in America. He comes back and successfully reclaims his position, evicting the opposition that had cut him out, and then transforms into a cold-hearted, dissipated tyrant. Hm, so perhaps he’s the one the former title Tyrant referred to, though it’s entirely possible that with so many corrupt chaebols running around, it could be any of a number of them.
Jo Boa (Missing Noir M), meanwhile, is currently in talks (though not yet finalized) to play the chaebol chairman’s daughter. She’s fussy and rather vain, but falls for Kang Ji-hwan’s charm and complicates his loveline with the heroine, making for a tangled love triangle. (Something tells me she’ll be doing most of the tangling, as the lovelorn one who happens to wield lots of money and privilege.) I like Jo Boa more in bubbly, sweet roles (see: Surplus Princess), but perhaps she can make this potentially difficult-to-like character more approachable, the way Jung So-min did in Bad Guy.
Monster will follow Dazzling Temptation as MBC’s next Monday-Tuesday drama, premiering in April.
Via Star News, Sports Chosun
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Tags: Jo Boa, Kang Ji-hwan, Monster, Park Ki-woong
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1 songsong
February 1, 2016 at 3:12 AM
Mon-Tue slot is getting really hot!
We have Monster, Neighbourhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho and Daebak. I like the cast of all 3 dramas. Oh dear which to pick to see live???
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2 lordseungri
February 1, 2016 at 3:16 AM
This looks so good. Now they just cannot mess up the lead actress and it'll be amazing
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3 Boomboompow
February 1, 2016 at 3:26 AM
Now I am (slightly) disappointed that Joo Won said no to be the lead guy.
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mimi
February 1, 2016 at 3:37 AM
me too
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Pink Noise
February 1, 2016 at 3:54 AM
Me three
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redfox
February 1, 2016 at 5:10 AM
CURSES. currrsezzz.
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lordseungri
February 1, 2016 at 6:07 AM
He was offered it and he said no?? AHH why?!!!! He'd have been so good omg
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Pink Noise
February 1, 2016 at 4:21 PM
Maybe because it's 50 eps long and he is going to enlist soon? :(
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4 plumwine
February 1, 2016 at 3:38 AM
Namgoong Min........ I know that name but where?
Sounds interesting but too long. I'm still holding back on the 6FD.
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Boomboompow
February 1, 2016 at 3:58 AM
Hottie chef in Girl Who Sees Smells with killer abs. Pun intended.
Also in Remember as villain.
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bbstl
February 1, 2016 at 2:30 PM
Namgoong Min! It's going to be a while before anyone can knock him off my "best kdrama villain" spot. What a talent, I'm watching Remember only for him.
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5 Miri
February 1, 2016 at 4:10 AM
Loved Park Ki-woong in Bridal Mask. He should have been the lead here. Kang Ji-hwan as a lead is not exciting at all. Jo Boa is beyond unbearable in "All about My Mom." Can we get a break from her, please...? The writer is good, as is the director, and the subject sounds interesting. But why such an uninspiring cast over all?
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Mrmz
February 1, 2016 at 5:48 AM
I'd love for him to be the lead but I think the character itself would be great and interesting for him to play. After all he made Shunji such an unforgettable character even when he was the villain.
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pogo
February 1, 2016 at 8:51 AM
....considering Jo Boa just got herself a Grimae award (voted on by all PDs at all the major stations, this is not your standard end-of-year popularity awards) for that very role in All About My Mom, I think you may be way off base about her.
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pogo
February 1, 2016 at 10:43 AM
Also, I would prefer that Jo Boa doesn't take this, but that's because she should be getting lead roles by now, not second leads.
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juniper
February 1, 2016 at 4:01 PM
These writers are pretty uneven, but typically they give female characters a lot to do (I say typically because Incarnation of Money wasted pretty much every female character, lead or otherwise lol). People remember Hwang Jung-eum a lot more than Park Jin-hee from Giant, and Hong Soo-hyun had about equal time with Jung Ryeo-won in History of the Salaryman. I do understand where you're coming from, but if the writers can find their way again, she'll have more to work with here than playing a lead in most dramas. I haven't seen her in anything yet, but if she's as good as you say she could really shine here.
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6 john
February 1, 2016 at 4:28 AM
I like a good revenge story and will accept crazy plots.
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7 sharkie
February 1, 2016 at 4:57 AM
ki-woong ssi! why this one?! why another troubled soul? you're going to crush my heart again?! I miss you too much though so I guess I'll have to catch this one. T_T
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8 redfox
February 1, 2016 at 5:13 AM
Ki Woong yiiiiiiiiiii
I feel like throwing a cartwheel! I still hope it is not just revenge and he can also show us bursts of cuteness, because I have missed his adorable awkwardness SO MUCH
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9 pogo
February 1, 2016 at 5:43 AM
Park Ki-woong and Jo Boa? Can we get this right now, please?
I really feel like Jo Boa doesn't get enough credit for what she does onscreen - she was the one making dim-but-sweet perv mermaid not only come alive, but sympathetic. And she can be good in more dramatic stories too, as Missing Noir M showed (her episode was one of the strongest in the entire series). I hope this show doesn't reduce her to a caricature the way Scholar Who Walks the Night did to Lee Yubi, or Warm & Cozy tried its level best to do to Kang Sora.
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dramapotatoe
February 1, 2016 at 8:14 PM
This so much. Want her to land a leading role so badly, but it doesn't seem like she's going to get it on any of the Big 3 channels.
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ahgase852
February 6, 2016 at 1:22 PM
Agreed. She knocked it out of the park with her role in KBS' weekend drama "All About My Mom"
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10 Lwx_23
February 1, 2016 at 6:54 AM
Conecting a drama to Bad Guy always brings up bad feeling to me. Although I really liked that drama, the ending just transformed all of that into bad energy.
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11 In
February 1, 2016 at 7:33 AM
Park ki woong!! Can't wait for your return.. hwaiting..
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12 My birthday
February 1, 2016 at 7:35 AM
Park Ki Woong! Omg!!
Yes yes yes..
Btw, receiving such a good news on my birthday is such a bless~
kkk
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13 Adal
February 1, 2016 at 7:51 AM
Now, I have to at least check out the first few episodes.
Sigh... there goes my resolve NOT to watch another 50 episode drama...out the window.
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14 owl
February 1, 2016 at 8:13 AM
Another "sprawling 50-episode dramas" with wild and violent and fussy and vain chaebol on the loose, hmmmm. Grapevine turned out to be phenomena that I'm giving longer dramas a chance, anyhoot.
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pogo
February 1, 2016 at 11:51 AM
Grapevine is like a unicorn among longer dramas, we can't hold all of them to standards that high!
But apparently the writer behind this also did Giant, which was good stuff and had a similar decade-spanning setting. I'll try to stay optimistic.
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juniper
February 1, 2016 at 4:05 PM
Welcome to the dark side lol. I love epic chaebol dramas. Flames of Ambition is my personal favorite, but Grapevine was very good, and so was Giant.
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15 canxi
February 1, 2016 at 8:27 AM
Damn. Now I have to watch it, too. O: Park Ki Woong is life and super underrated. Still waiting for him to get THEE lead and the girl and all that good stuff. I think he'd make for a good stoic type in a revenge drama for instance. But, he's also funny! He can do it all.
I used to looove Kang Ji Hwan but I don't know, I haven't been into anything he's done in a while and have skipped them. I think the last thing I watched with him was Lie to Me and that might have done the damage, lol.
But, I really like Jo Boa as well. So, yes I think I will give it a watch.
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16 Delurker
February 1, 2016 at 8:27 AM
"Oh great, now I HAVE to watch Monster. I mean, yay I have to watch Monster?"
My feelings exactly :-) ; almost two years waiting for Park Ki Woong to get back from the military (first time, such a milestone in my kdrama record :-) ), and now I have to commit to 50 episodes?
Anyway, who am I kidding; I hope it gets subbed, I'll be there. I cannot NOT watch Park Ki Woong again playing the villain, typecasting be damned :-)
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17 Abbie
February 1, 2016 at 8:45 AM
I was debating in whether or bot to watch this at all, but with Park Ki-woong joining after coming back from the army I feel like I have to now. Decisions, decisions.
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18 coffeenlucia
February 1, 2016 at 8:55 AM
Ahhh, Jo Bo Ah!!! Yas. I actually liked her role in Missing Noir M more than I liked her in Surplus Princess or SUFBB :3
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19 no name #6
February 1, 2016 at 9:16 AM
Okay, yes. No question I will be watching this. I don't think I've ever watched a 50-episoder that wasn't either historical or family, but I've made it through at least one before, so I know I can do it, haha.
Anyway, first drama he's filmed since Gaksital, first time back in an airing drama since Full House Take 2! It's been 3+ years.
About the ladies, I totally fell for Jo Boa in Missing Noir M. Had only seen her in SUFBB before that, and she was fine there, but to me she had improved a lot since then, so I'm looking forward to her too. And if HJE accepts, we'll have a little FH2 reunion. And I liked that show (mostly), so I'm totally okay with that.
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20 TrinPie
February 1, 2016 at 9:20 AM
I don't do 50 episodes dramas but because of Park Ki-woong I am willing to watch this. Especially the role he will be playing, which sounds a lot like his Gaksital character. He did such a great job on his Shunji character where he went from innocent and sweet to being horrible and evil. You go from loving to despising him.
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21 kandie123
February 1, 2016 at 2:53 PM
OH MY GOSH I LOVE PARK KI WOONG
AHHHHH!!!!!!
LOVE HIM!!! IM SO EXCITED!!!
(Sorry for the all caps but im just that excited).
And i love kang ji hwan. He seems like such a sweet person too. I remeber during the awards show for Hong gil dong, sung yuri said that she had been really depressed because of all the hate comments online and she said kang ji hwan found all the positive comments and printed them out for her. I mean srsly who does that TT_TT.
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22 mskololia1
February 1, 2016 at 4:04 PM
Park Ki-woong needs to headline a thriller.
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23 Mary J
February 1, 2016 at 4:58 PM
Now "Monster" caught my attention. No I should rephrase that Park Ji won caught my attention. I will watch this drama and its timing is perfect for me because I'll be done almost with school and have all the time of the world to watch. :) Hope it's good, real good.. :P
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24 Kaylie
February 1, 2016 at 7:49 PM
Wow sounds like Shunji 2.0
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25 redfox
February 1, 2016 at 11:11 PM
*hyperventilates"
this is off topic, but I just read Ji Sung is also considering ten or more dramas for comeback! OMG! let it be a detective comedy!
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26 umunie
February 2, 2016 at 12:42 AM
I will definitely watch Monster because of Kang JI Hwan. Im so excited to see him again after 2 years .... The story looks interesting and the same writer as Incarnation of Money which happens to be my one of my favorite kdrama
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27 qasim
February 2, 2016 at 2:09 AM
Nice Episode
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28 missjb
February 2, 2016 at 5:58 AM
I Hope it will be another GIANT rather than incarnation of money in terms of quality.... please writers please!
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29 btsxfangirl94
February 2, 2016 at 11:44 AM
seeing park ki woong here makes me a little sad that he wasn't offered to play the lead in "goodbye mr black" I think he would've been perfect as a lead to a revenge drama..Plus I've always thought that he should act along moon chae won again with those scenes they had in "war of arrows"
but just seeing him back onscreen in a good role is good enough for me. Hopefully he is the lead in the next drama.
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30 Pearl~ai88
February 2, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Park Ki-woong! I had no idea he was already returning, this makes me so happy! <3
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31 Purrpal
February 2, 2016 at 8:21 PM
Yay Park Ki Woong! I've been missing him ever since I finished [i]A Man's Story[/i] (brilliant Kdrama, btw). Here's hoping the drama will be on par with [i]Salaryman[/i] and [i]Giant[/i]!
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32 daily drama
April 15, 2016 at 1:17 PM
Now “Monster” caught my attention. No I should rephrase that Park Ji won caught my attention. I will watch this drama and its timing is perfect for me because I’ll be done almost with school and have all the time of the world to watch. :) Hope it’s good, real good.. ?
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