The first episode of Jung Kyung-ho's Oh My Ghost Clients is here, and it's actually quite funny. The series, which also stars Seol I-Na, tells the story of a discouraged man who lost his job and all his savings after making a stupid decision, but ultimately turned things around when he found himself in a life-or-death situation. I'm not entirely sure, but judging by the title, this series could very well be considered a spin-off of the popular Oh My Ghost.
In Oh My Ghost Clients, No Mu-Jin is at her wit's end after losing all her money in cryptocurrency and needs a new degree to get a decent job. Eventually, after listening to the advice of some of her colleagues, friends, and acquaintances, No Mu-Jin decides to pursue a law degree in order to get a job, relying on a close acquaintance. Obviously, this isn't possible so quickly, so she ends up passing an entrance exam. But while the shocking montage of his one-year qualifications flashes by, his close acquaintance ends up being reported for sexual harassment, leaving Mu-Jin back where he started.
Stars: Jung Kyung-ho, Seol In-ah, Cha Hak-yeon
Mu-Jin isn't just ruined; his wife also disappears from his life because he can't keep his composure. Mu-Jin ends up getting a license as an employment lawyer, only to discover that the job that was waiting for him is no longer waiting, because the person who offered it to him is a jerk who sexually harassed one of his employees. Looking back, Mu-Jin realizes he was a victim too, but he didn't realize what was happening. Mu-Jin is now stuck with a glorified role and no job, so what does he do next? He starts his own law firm, offering help to workers. Of course, very different from the typical K-drama scenario, where the lawyers are high-profile and never interested in helping the locals, right? But the stereotype can still be criticized, because Mu-Jin doesn't care about having the power to help people; all he wants and needs is money. He's a selfish man, and he knows it very well, but we'll get to that in a moment.
On the other hand, we have Na Hee-Joo. Hee-Joo works for Mu-Jin, practically for free, as she's also his sister-in-law. In a realistic representation of routine, Hee-Joo is a content creator, but she hasn't achieved fame. Still, she has about 500 subscribers, which is pretty good. She lives with a fellow content creator named Gyeon-Woo, who creates super-patriotic content. I don't know what that means, but he's being demonetized for spreading misinformation. So they're all in a mess, so what can the three of them do? The grand plan Hee-Joo and Gyeon-Woo come up with is to help Mu-Jin inspect factories that force their employees to work in terrible conditions, disregard safety regulations, and essentially break labor laws, and then bribe them.
So, if they gave these factories tips and tricks on how to keep their workers safe, it's like the factories were paying a small amount to prevent Mu-Jin and his team from posting videos online about their mistreatment of their workers, etc. Although Mu-Jin is initially very skeptical of this plan, it works quite well, because as soon as the camera pans out, everyone panics and complies. Until they end up at one particular factory where the boss isn't one to give up easily. This is the factory with the highest number of accidental worker deaths. Upon arriving, Mu-Jin immediately saves a migrant worker from a Final Destination-style end right in front of Mu-Jin. The team splits up because Gyeon-Woo needs to use the bathroom, and Hee-Joo goes to convince the boss that what they're doing will help him, not something illegal like bribery. But Mu-Jin continues with her work, meeting with the workers and trying to explain what to do to stay safe. However, as they do so, there's another Final Destination moment, and a bunch of steel beams are about to fall on Mu-Jin before the screen cuts out.
Mu-Jin's eyes open to an old birthday celebration, where he sees himself as a child celebrating with his family. But the scene quickly shifts to his wife visiting his mother and telling her that Mu-Jin will die soon and that he's still useless. I think Mu-Jin knows he's a flawed human being; that's why he sees his flaws manifest as conversations between his wife and his mother, the two people who are supposed to love him unconditionally.
Anyway, he suddenly finds himself in a place where a man much younger than him stands in front of him and speaks to him casually. But he's not an angel; he's someone who works for ghosts. This man, Bo-Sal, is tired of this job and offers him his place, but of course, on one condition: if she replaces him, she gets to live; if not, she'll die. Mu-Jin has no choice but to sign the contract floating in the air in front of him, without reading it completely. He will now be a labor lawyer for ghosts. Also, I'm guessing the statue Mu-Jin put his card in when his friend vomited on it was Bo-Sal himself, which gave him the idea to find a replacement.
The first episode of this series is hilarious and wastes no time getting into the action. We already know the main cast will be fantastic, but there are also cameos from the Hospital Playlist doctors, reminding us how deep that bond runs. But we haven't seen any ghosts yet; we've only seen Mu-Jin almost die, so that's what I'm most excited about. I think we can expect a cameo from Jo Jung-Seok, considering Oh My Ghost was his drama.
Also, no, this isn't a romance series, and I don't even think it has a side plot, so keep that in mind if you're considering it when choosing a new K-drama. Honestly, I'll watch it every week for a fun comedy with ghosts, because it rarely goes wrong. I think there will be some jump scares, and the relationship between Mu-Jin and Hee-Joo is very funny, and I look forward to seeing more of it. I'd give the first episode of Oh My Ghost Clients 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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