Kim Soo-hyun. Photo: tvN, courtesy of Gold Medalist.
Kim Soo-hyun headlines each time he takes on a project. The master of character emersion that he is, the actor’s unerring performances drive stories he’s a part of, let alone his onscreen equations with co-stars—fetching to a fault—akin to his most recent smash Queen of Tears. His chemistry with Kim Ji-won and realistic acting cement the tearjerker romance as one of the best K-dramas of this year thus far.
With bated breath, his and K-drama fans, for that matter, including myself, are looking forward to Kim Soo-hyun’s new undertaking, Knock Off—an upcoming television series—written by Han Jung-hoon and directed by Park Hyun-seok—officially premiering on Disney+ next year.
If you’re into black comedies, then Knock Off is more your thing. As the 1997 Asian financial crisis swept through the region, it left a trail of economic upheaval and personal adversity as a result, as in Knock Off—the story of an ordinary office worker, Kim Sung-joon (Kim Soo-hyun), whose life goes for a toss because of the International Monetary Fund crisis, leading him on an unexpected journey from obscurity to becoming “the” unlikely “king” of the global counterfeit market.
In the shadowy, seedy realm of fraud, Sung-joon—driven by desperation—his need for survival—discovers a chance to come out of the slump—and a profitable one at that. In the course of what follows, he rapidly makes it big using his analytical skills and sharpness to rise to the top of his game and becomes the one wielding the scepter in the corrupt market of fake goods.
Knock Off looks like a fascinating dark humor of how Sung-joon transforms—going from being a jinxed guy—a victim of circumstances—to a shrewd, [if] unscrupulous, big shot. His journey must be moments of irrationality, moral ambiguity, and unexpected twists as he steers through the lanes, the legal and ethical boundaries of his newfound “business.”
The plot twist, meanwhile, comes from the presence of Sung-joon’s ex-lover, Song Hye-jung (Jo Bo-ah), a cop entrusted with blocking the sale of counterfeit goods and perhaps tearing apart the web of deception he has painstakingly built. The dark world of the global counterfeit market that Knock Off presents, I believe, questions the essentials of morality and is one where truth and the remnants of a past relationship play an integral part when deciding the course of events with Sung-joon at the heart of things.
When he and Hye-jung are confronted with their shared past in their divergent present realities, Knock Off in my estimation will surely probe the subtleties of human relationships, moral dilemmas, mental strains, and emotional conflicts that follow. The drama, in keeping with the elements of black comedy, is certain to be stuffed with cutting humor and unabashed social critique, revealing hard truths about existential experiences. I’m eager to see Kim Soo-hyun’s characteristic charisma again, as I genuinely think that he’s very efficient at expressing the complexity of feelings in a way that he practically rips emotions out, getting one with the aspects of his characters and their circumstances.
Also, there has to be this [romantic] tension between Sung-joon and Hye-jung through Knock Off‘s intriguing scenario, the story’s chef’s kiss, an intellectual duel of brains where each uses his or her strengths and resources to outmaneuver the other. The king of counterfeits, equipped with an extensive roster of skills, finds himself up against his ex-lover’s, the cop’s steadfast resolve and investigative prowess, who intends to expose the truth that has so far eluded authorities.
