“The Penthouse” has been wildly attracting people’s attention. The fact that two seasons of it have already aired in a row and the third is on its way is enough to prove its worth continuing. The series has also gained popularity for its so-called ‘makjang’ storyline, where ‘makjang’ is a modifier used for the shows with lots of improbable, extreme, over-dramatized and sometimes messed-up stories. In the case of “The Penthouse,” much stronger word ‘Gaemakjang,’ with a slang prefix ‘gae‘ meaning ‘completely,‘ would work better to match its reputation.
I wonder if there has been a show that brought such a colorful feast of evil in one series. It is said that most viewers have watched “The Penthouse” on time, enjoying the awesome and shocking development of the stories. What makes “The Penthouse” unique is that it breaks up the dichotomy of characters, which is ‘if good, it’s a main character, and if evil, it’s a supporting character.’ That way, it opens up new horizons for villain characters. There are no good persons in this show. Only less evil or more evil. If they are not evil yet, they are only left to grow evil. Each episode of the series is like a fierce competition among villains.
Bad girls of Kim Sun-ok
Could a writer be this serious about creating villain characters? Kim Sun-ok, the writer of “The Penthouse” has been loved for long by the public as her name guarantees high viewership rate. Her shows such as “The Last Empress,” “Sister is alive,” “My daughter, Gum Sawol,” “Jang Bo-ri is here!” and “Temptation of Wife” are among those that boast their ‘makjang’ storyline, or in a more recent term, stories with the taste of ‘mara.’ (Mara soup is a Chinese food gaining popularity in Korea for its addictive and tangy spicy flavor.)
Among these, “Temptation of Wife,” which is about a woman taking revenge against her unfaithful husband, wearing a simple disguise of a spot on her face, made a big hit with a daily viewership rate of 40% in 2008. It even earned a nickname ‘go-home clock’ that led you to go home right after leaving your work on time. This show was remade in China and broadly advertised the appeal of K-makjang shows.
From the list of the characters that writer Kim Sun-ok favors, Yeon Min-jung should not be missed. Villain Yeon Min-jung was such an influential character in “Jang Bo-ri is here!” that it even brought the best performance award to the supporting actress who performed the role, not to the main actress. The serious and evil wrongdoings Yeon committed in the show became the talk of the town among the viewers to the extent that Korean Ministry of Justice even put up a post on its blog summarizing what kind of crimes she committed and how she could be punished for those. According to it, she could be convicted of 5 different felony charges.
Still, the addictive tanginess of “Jang Bo-ri is here!” could be rather mild compared to that of “The Penthouse.” Unlike “Jang Bo-ri is here!” where Yeon Min-jung’s sole evil deeds stand out, “The Penthouse” delivers fantastic vicious chemistry among the three female protagonists, Cheon Seo-jin, Oh Yoon-hee and Shim Su-ryeon. The show made a splendid achievement, eventually bringing the trio the best performance award in SBS Drama Awards 2020. The long genealogy of villains in K-drama series has never been so rich like this before. Catching three birds with one stone!
Vengeance is the ladies’
It is interesting that people think exceptionally more of women when talking about impressive villains in shows. They are usually women abandoned by their men, or women grieving over their failure in love, and they turn wicked to seek revenge. Is it that men and love are that important in women’s lives? Come to think of it, unrivaled college entrance exam consultant Kim Joo-young in “Skycastle” (2018) who keeps saying “You should completely trust me” also has a tragic family history deep inside her. With her powerful charisma, Kim controls the moms of wealthy elite families living in the village called Skycastle where only families of the highest social positions are admitted to live in the show. Her power, however, turns out to have originated from the sense of guilt that she killed her husband and caused her child a mental disorder. Oh, can we not find any female villains who work to win themselves a success out of sheer ambition? Are there only pitiful women who waste their lives in seeking revenge on someone, devoured by grudges?
I could browse through my memory to recall Mishil in “The Great Queen Seondeok”(2009) for a model of an ambitious female villain. But she is from the ancient Kingdom of Shilla! Mishil is said to be the persona of Kim Yeong-hyeon who wrote “Dae Jang Geum”(2003), the legendary show about a woman whose outstanding culinary and medical ability was widely recognized and won her a success and honor in Joseon Dynasty. That being said, it does not help Mishil look like a proper example. She is not even from the era of Joseon Dynasty but from the era of ancient three kingdoms which is way much older! The heroic tale about Mishil who controls the king and Hwarang (a kind of elite warrior group of male youth in Shilla) with her brilliant political sense and strong charisma wielding absolute power sounds like a fairy tale of ancient times.
Shabala, the magic spell
There are more to watch than an Italian mafia lawyer in “Vincenzo,” the headline making series in 2021 that has attracted wild attention due to actor Song Joong-ki’s return to TV show. Choi Myung-hee, a senior partner of a large law firm is also there to stand against Vincenzo (performed by Song Joong-ki). Choi is a classic villain satisfying all qualifications for villain characters. Her specialties include putting false charges and instigating murders, and she accomplishes her purpose by hook or by crook. To her, law means nothing more than a fancy wrapping paper for the result she wants.
She looks similar to Yeon Min-jung or Cheon Seo-jin in that she pursues a completely purpose-oriented life. However, she lacks a heartbreaking story that would drive her to be a villain. She only acts on her desires. It is more like doing evil for her own success than for a revenge out of grudges.
Female villains so far would mostly cry out or wail miserably with emotions that could not be held back. Their trademark was the stubbornness and fragility that could make them crumble down even at a slight touch. Choi Myung-hee, however, does not lose her composure even at a life-threatening moment. Choi Myung-hee keeps to being Choi Myung-hee at anytime and anywhere.
She enjoys her life dancing Zumba wherever she wants, even in a laundromat or in her own office. For her, success is only a part of her life. She cherishes herself more than anyone else. Her daily life with plain outfit and no make-up tells us how outspoken she is in showing herself as she is. She even swears in her own style. Easily ignoring the common Korean curses that use number 18 or a baby dog, she coins up swears of her own that have never existed in the world before. “You Shabala!” As a simple human with desires, she breaks up the typicality of female villains, and build her own style of villains. Choi Myung-hee is just Choi Myung-hee.
Male villains’ class
There are typicality of female villains and prejudices on them in many shows, but male villains as well have maintained typicality as if self-duplicating their standardized images. Actor Lee Kyung-young is being told to be optimal for a power villain. Viewers feel it in their bones that he is a villain when he appears. In this regard, Jang Dae-hee in “Itaewon Class” could be remembered as a unique male villain. (Actor Yoo Jae-myung for that character also performed as prosecutor ‘Lee Changjoon,’ an attractive villain in “Stranger.”)
“Itaewon Class” that was widely watched both domestically and abroad tells a story of characters of different identities such as ex-convict, highschool grads, sexual minority, children of international marriages living their own lives with their own belief. Jang Dae-hee, the CEO of a large franchise company, who is in a hostile relation with these outsiders also shows a new kind of character, ‘a villain of belief ’ with his own philosophy.
Survival of the fittest is Jang’s belief and principle. When his son puts the company in danger, he rescues the company by sending his son to a prison. He even abandons his own son if useless, following the logic of power. When Jang’s younger son, who are chosen to be his successor later, was under repeated assault by his older brother as a kid because he was the son of a concubine, Jang ignored it. For him, it is a natural result according to the logic of power.
Jang himself cannot be an exception of the logic of the survival of the fittest that leaves only the strongest. When Oh Soo-ah sheds tears on the news that Jang is terminally ill, he glares at her in contempt and refuses her sympathy for himself. And he waits with dignity for Park Sae-ro-i to take revenge on him, saying to Park, “I can’t wait for long. Hurry.”
He never goes mean or low-down to overcome the crisis, even though he is a villain and a supporting character destined to be defeated in the end. He accepts his fate without complaint. That’s how he perishes in dignity. Oh, have we seen such an elegant villain in shows ever?
Kim Min-jung / Translated by Ok Eurom
* 《Cultura》 2021 June(Vol. 84) *
