‘Radiant Office’ Debut: ‘Rude, Sexy Superior’ Ha Seok Jin To Bring Ratings

When it comes to acting in general, actors and actresses try to diversify their repertoire and range in hopes of not getting pigeon-holed. However, there are certain actors and actresses who thrive and succeed in their pigeon-hole. Case in point: Ha Seok Jin.

Since the latter half of 2016, Ha Seok Jin has thrived playing a male lead character who isn’t just handsome but also rude and aggressive, which can be seen in Drinking Solo, also known as Let’s Drink. In it, he played Jin Jung Suk, a prodigy civil service teacher students often seek out when they pursue their civil service license. Later on, Seok Jin was in 1% Of Anything, where he played Lee Jae In, a son from a wealthy family. What do both male lead characters Ha Seok Jin have in common? They are “rude, sexy superiors” in their own right.

Apparently that is what K-drama fans want out of Ha Seok Jin. In his latest K-drama Radiant Office, he once again plays a “rude, handsome superior” and it is starting to get attention and the ratings seem to be improving.

For those who don’t know, the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has suffered the last two seasons coming in near last place with their K-dramas. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo and its predecessor Missing 9 averaged around 5 percent for both the nation and the Seoul National Capital Area for both AGB Nielsen Korea and TNMS Media Korea. For K-dramas airing on a Korean public network, such viewership is bad. Having such two seasons in a row is worse.

But MBC might finally have a winner, either it be by circumstance or mere popularity among K-drama viewers, with Radiant Office. Once again Ha Seok Jin will be playing a “rude yet handsome superior,” Seo Woo Jin, a 38-year-old man who is the head of the marketing team. He is an elite workaholic with perfect qualifications and work results. Just like his characters Jin Jung Suk and Lee Jae In, he has an uncompromising personality and sharp tongue and is at odds with his co-workers at times.

Go Ah Sung should be mentioned too though as she is a phenomenal actress and is known for her roles in Master of Study and Heard It Through The Grapevine. So far, her character Eun Ho Won is very interesting as she’s a working hopeful who is subordinate to her bosses but wants to become a boss herself. It is also refreshing to watch her play a character who wears her heart on her sleeve but not in a way viewers will hate her (a problem Park Hye Soo had playing Chae Ro Woon in Introverted Boss).

Ultimately, fans will see if the viewership starts to improve starting with the third and fourth episodes. At this point, it is possible that MBC just wants to break the 10 percent viewership threshold over anything else.

Radiant Office, which is also known as Self-Radiation Office and Self-Dazzling Office, airs on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10 p.m. KST for 16 episodes. For those who do not have access to Korean public channels, it can be seen exclusively on DramaFever depending on region availability. The first two episodes are free but subsequent episodes starting with Episode 3 are only available for DramaFever Premium members.

[Featured Image by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)]