Start-Up

What a way to end my year of binge-watching K-Drama! Start-up has everything one would wish for in a good series. It is fast-paced, interesting, entertaining, relatable and most importantly ends perfectly on a high note. Though I love watching K-Drama and watch a lot of it, I am often left dissatisfied or disappointed when they end. While the K-Drama world has mastered almost every aspect of story-telling, they often seem to drop the ball when it comes to endings. Often the endings are either incomplete (open-ended), rushed, dragged out too long, incoherent, forget to tie up all the loose ends, or completely forgetting how the story even started (case in point Goong). It really felt great to finally watch a show that not only started off great with a host of interesting characters, but also maintained its momentum throughout and brought it to a satisfying conclusion not just for the main lead, but for every character in the show. What more can an audience that has invested sixteen hours of their life on the show ask for?

Start-up is about Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy), Nam Do-San (Nam Joo-hyuk), Han Ji-Pyeong (Kim Seon-ho), Won In-Jae (Kang Han-na) and Choi Won-deok (Kim Hae-sook). Not being old enough to open a bank account or rent an apartment without a guardian’s signature, or young enough to be considered a child, Ji-pyeong has nowhere to go after being discharged from an orphanage. So, when Won-deok, a corndog shop owner shows him kindness by providing him shelter and access to a bank account, he feels indebted to her for life. Dal-mi is Won-deok’s granddaughter. When Dal-mi’s parents get divorced, she loses both her mother and her sister, In-jae, who is also her best friend. To cheer up Dal-mi, Won-deok asks Ji-pyeong to help her write letters to Dal-mi as a secret pen-pal. Since the letters are fake they decide to use a fake name. The name they decide to use is Nam Do-san, a young math genius who was currently in the news as the youngest Math Olympiad Champion. When circumstances result in Ji-pyeong moving away, the letters stop, and life goes on for everyone. Start-up is about what happens when all these five characters meet fifteen years later. In fifteen years Ji-pyeong becomes a hotshot Venture capitalist, Won-deok moves her business from a shop to a food-cart, Dal-mi is a part-timer working many jobs, Do-San is a genius programmer who is trying desperately to get his company SamSan Tech on its feet, and In-jae is a CEO in her stepfather’s company.

As someone who has seen this world closely, I could relate to all that was going on in the show. From entering a Hack-a-thon to becoming a Unicorn Startup, the writers do a great job of creating a narrative that shows the progression of not just the company but also of each individual involved. Of all the characters, it is the growth of Dal-mi, Do-san and other members of the SamSan Tech that is the most interesting to watch. After all, nothing can beat a good underdog story. Of course, the duo that steal the show is without a doubt Won-deok and Ji-pyeong. Their relationship and chemistry is so endearing that you can’t help but smile and tear up every time they are together. Not to take anything away from Do-san and Dal-mi, because they both also have amazing chemistry and some great emotional scenes, but the scenes involving Won-deok and Ji-pyeong are hands-down the most heart-touching in the entire series. If not for anything, you should definitely watch Start-up for the performances of these four amazing actors. Another actor to look out for in the show is Kim Joo-hun as Seo Cheong-myeong (Dal-mi and In-jae’s father). Though his appearance is brief, he leaves a lasting impression.

So, if you are a K-Drama addict like me, or if you are someone who just likes to watch a good show, do give Start-Up on Netflix a try. It will not only entertain you, but might also end up teaching you a little about a world that you may or may not know much about. There is only one downside to watching this show. You will not only end up binge-watching it, but you will wish that you were back to being a twenty-year old, so you could go start your own company or pursue that dream that you may have given up. After all there is nothing more satisfying than following your dream.