# Incomplete Life (2014)

> A washed-up baduk prodigy with only an equivalency exam to his name joins a trading company and learns the harsh rules of corporate life.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/54951

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 20
- Episode runtime: 75 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, drama
- Created by: Kim Won-suk, Yoon Tae-ho
- Network: tvN
- Cast: Yim Si-wan, Lee Sung-min, Kang So-ra, Kang Ha-neul, Byun Yo-han, Kim Dae-myung, Park Hae-joon, Lee Kyung-young
- TMDB rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4240730/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: none
- Tone: earnest, wry, bittersweet, comforting, tense, sincere

## What critics say

Audiences broadly acclaim the series for its sincere workplace drama, strong ensemble performances and faithful, emotionally resonant portrayal of corporate life.

## Synopsis

Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014) is a South Korean workplace comedy-drama created by Kim Won-suk and Yoon Tae-ho for tvN, adapted from a popular webtoon. Yim Si-wan plays Jang Geu-rae, a former baduk prodigy who abandoned his dream of turning professional and now enters a Seoul trading company with nothing but a high school equivalency exam. Lee Sung-min plays Oh Sang-shik, a veteran manager who becomes an unexpected mentor, while Kang So-ra plays Ahn Young-yi, a fellow new hire with her own ambitions. Kang Ha-neul and Byun Yo-han round out a close circle of colleagues. The engine of the series is Geu-rae's struggle to prove his worth among rigid hierarchies, demanding superiors, and high-stakes deals, with each episode built from meetings, negotiations, late-night overtime, and the small victories and humiliations of junior staff life. Told as a single continuing story across one twenty-episode season, the show carries a bittersweet, earnest register and a warm sense of camaraderie beneath its sharp office satire. Its blend of corporate politics and go-inspired strategy will resonate with fans of The Office, Mad Men, and Suits, and its tone fits viewers who enjoy grounded, character-driven workplace stories set in modern Seoul.

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