Kim Nam-joo copes with grief in hopes of a Wonderful World

12 January 19, 2024March 3, 2024

Kim Nam-joo copes with grief in hopes of a Wonderful World

by solstices

Script reading stills are out for MBC’s upcoming thriller Wonderful World, featuring its four leads. Billed as a “human mystery drama,” its story centers around coping with grief and healing from loss.

Making her comeback after six years, Kim Nam-joo (Misty) stars as Eun Soo-hyun, a mourning mother determined to take matters into her own hands. As a psychology professor who’s also a famous author, Soo-hyun had once led a perfect life, until she’d lost her young son. Chafing at the injustice and mired in a hopeless outlook on life, Soo-hyun resolves to personally find the closure that the law won’t afford her.

In the process of punishing her son’s killer and pushing through her misery, Soo-hyun crosses paths with others who are just like her — grieving the loss of their loved ones, and lamenting the limitations of the legal system. As she unravels the intricacies of their cases, they’ll take their first step towards mending the wounds etched into their hearts.

One of those people is Kwon Seon-yul, played by Cha Eun-woo (A Good Day to be a Dog). Having grown up in a well-to-do family, medical student Seon-yul had been struck with tragedy when a series of events led to the loss of both his parents. Ever since, he’s spiraled into a tumulutous life.

Next to Soo-hyun, we have Kim Kang-woo (Artificial City) as her husband Kang Soo-ho, marking a Missing Noir M reunion with PD Lee Seung-young. Formerly a journalist at a major broadcasting station, Soo-ho’s exposé of a corrupt politician resulted in his unjust downfall. Branded as a whistleblower, he’s since been downgraded to an anchorman of a barely-watched cable channel. Soo-ho loves his wife with all his heart, but a single misguided choice sends him hurtling into a vortex that he can’t extricate himself from.

Rounding out our main cast, Im Se-mi (The Worst of Evil) plays Han Yoo-ri, a close friend whom Soo-hyun treasures like a younger sister. Yuri cherishes her just the same; she’s been Soo-hyun’s steadiest source of support ever since her son’s death. In the supporting cast, we also have Yang Hye-ji (Sweet Home 2) as Seon-yul’s best friend, and Cha Soo-yeon (Love Scene Number) as a single mother to a son with epilepsy.

Directed by Lee Seung-young (Tracer) with scripts written by Kim Ji-eun (Lies of Lies), the 14-episode revenge thriller Wonderful World will premiere on March 1.

Via News1, OSEN

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1 CasualDramaFan

January 19, 2024 at 2:25 PM

Things I noticed
1. Drama title - Wonderful word defined as revenge thriller. Dealing with trauma and grief doesn't actually scream wonderful to me
2. Kim Nam-joo
3. Cha Eun Woo's hair. Looks like the hair got whole new personality

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DancingEmma

January 20, 2024 at 5:27 PM

I hear you about the first one but to create a wonderful world, it isn’t enough to forgive, forget and move on. The concept of accountability is crucial to a just rule of law and when that is corrupted, vigilantism and revenge may fill its space. We see a reflection of that in fiction and RL.

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OAsia

January 21, 2024 at 4:41 AM

"Wonderful Life" (2005) is a drama about an unwanted pregnancy and a terminally ill child. "Beautiful World" (2019) is a drama telling the story of a bullied student who fell into a coma, and his parents fought for justice for him. It is visible and typical for Koreans that in dramas with ironic titles they present a world that is terrible for people.

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2 cozybooks

January 19, 2024 at 8:29 PM

I liked Missing Noir M! I'm excited to see how this plays out!

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3 Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️

January 20, 2024 at 2:22 AM

This sounds really interesting but will be a follow through weecaps for scaredy-cat me due to the potential taxi driveresque revenge element.

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4 peiyeelai

January 20, 2024 at 8:54 PM

Comment was deleted

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5 peiyeelai

January 20, 2024 at 8:56 PM

Things I like:
a. Revenge thriller and heavy plot
b. Two veteran actors (in this case, it is Kim Nam Joo and Kim Kang Woo)
c. The director (I absolutely love TRACER)

Things that I don't like: Cha Eun Woo
Do i still want to watch it: YES!!!

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6 Elinor, Team Glasses team co-captain

January 20, 2024 at 9:18 PM

I can clearly see CEW's character arc in the stills above: he will play a man who's frozen in grief, unable to express any emotions, until at the very end some cathartic resolution allows him a faint, fleeting smile. And a haircut.

Kim Kang-woo is a terrific actor who has been in a lot of not-so-good dramas and movies; I hope this is a star turn for him. The show will also have both Oh Man-suks in it. 😵‍💫

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7 PYC

January 21, 2024 at 3:52 AM

I’m not a fan of Kim Nam-joo but she has good eyes for projects. Almost anything she picked became a runaway hit for the past 10-15 years, of which Misty is unforgettable.

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8 fitra

January 21, 2024 at 10:07 PM

Cant wait for Cha Eunwoo's new drama.
He will be badass here.

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9 Charlotte

January 21, 2024 at 11:01 PM

Kim Kang Woo in anything eversince I saw him "Lovers of Haeundae"... a 2012 rom-com in which a Prosecutor falls for a gangsters daughter while undercover. It needs updating of course, but Kim Kang Woo can land in any genre and he delivers. Of course I'll try his new one!