Stories about reincarnation never fail to fascinate us. The idea of life after death, with your soul transferring to a different person or entity's body, is as intriguing as it is fantastical.
Reborn Rich, Viu's latest K-drama offering, chronicles exactly what the title implies. Set in the late 1980s, it depicts chaebol heir Jin Do-joon scheming to take down his own family's conglomerate group. His motive, you ask? Well, his body is actually inhabited by Yoon Hyun-woo, a loyal employee of the same company. He was unjustly framed for embezzlement by the very people he worked for and was murdered in cold blood.
Fulfilling the dual role of Do-joon and Hyun-woo is an individual any Hallyu fan has grown to obsess over: Song Joong Ki. Combining the exhilarating premise with Joong Ki's honed acting chops has made ratings skyrocket, so much so that the series is already one of the most highly-appraised ones on cable TV. It's currently ranked at #2, and is making a compelling case for the top spot!
The actor himself didn't foresee the show to perform as well as it's currently doing. "Frankly, I never expected this response, since this isn’t a romantic comedy-drama," he said in a press conference in Singapore. "I heard that many Asian audiences love Korean rom-coms, but this wasn’t one [of those]."
When asked to think about, Joong Ki actually doesn't fancy the idea of being "reborn rich" like Hyun-woo. He explains that bearing tons of wealth can actually lead to some undesired conflict, and he "hates" how that can affect family dynamics. "Humans like money but that's not the number one thing [in life], so I don't want to be reborn into a rich family," he adds.
Even if he doesn't necessarilly relate to his character's story, he took on the project because of his affinity to writer Kim Tae Hee. "I did one project with her about 11 or 12 years ago. That was her first project and it went so well. So when my agent said this was her script, I immediately said I wanted to do it," the 37-year-old says.
Getting the chance to work with veteran actors Lee Sung Min and Shin Hyun Been also made Reborn Rich an enticing project for Joong Ki. Sung Min plays Yang-cheol, Do-joon's grandfather, and the man responsible for Hyun-woo's demise. Meanwhile, Hyun Been portrays detective Seo Min-young, who grows curious about the self-sabotage occuring within the Jin family.
Describing his experience filming with the actress in particular, Joong Ki shares, "Ms. Shin was incredible. I've watched many of her previous projects, and I always thought she was brave and really sincere."
Reborn Rich is currently streaming on Viu.
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