Stream K-Dramas at OnDemandKorea

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Radiant Office" Episode 12

Office politics and battles take the fore as managers cheat and lie their way to the top and fall accordingly. Woo-jin, the man who walks the straight and narrow, is also under pressure to earn his keep and potential promotions by catering to the whims of those above. But he is not a pushover and proves to be a light in the night for the trio of interns.

Advertisement

Those interns are in boiling water at the moment as those around them gossip, fight, and reel from major changes in the company. Ho-won threatens to sue Hyeon for using her story and her name and receives the promise to be fairly judged for a permanent position at Hauline. Her gumption takes Hyeon by surprise and pleases him - and yet he continues to be a jerk. There is no other way to put it. He puts on a veneer of civility and uses it to manipulate. Only with Ho-won does he seem sincere, and yet he still used her. I want to see how the drama redeems him and/or paves his path to his most-definite emotional demise. Romantic enemy and character foil Woo-jin, on the other hand, becomes more earnest with each and every interaction with Ho-won. He avoids hurting her and his emotions are clocked by a senior at work in an adorable moment. This romance is so wonderfully fulfilling because the two people are growing close, understanding each other, and enjoying each other. We get to watch it develop and feel a part of the sweetness.

Radiant Office 1Radiant Office 2Around them Manager Park and his boss are battling for the approval of Hyeon and the other higher ups, giving bribes, hiding their misdeeds and exposing their competition's. When one higher up is very publicly removed from office and throws a fit, the trio and their co-workers see what the pressures of working for a company that condones bad behavior for nearly thirty years can create - a very miserable man. Obviously, this is commentary on the current office environment that is pervasive in South Korea.

As with most newbies, the trio wants to compete for the spot in the company fairly, living up to the ideals of the young that Woo-jin has lost sight of despite the fact that he works rigidly by his own set of standards. This can be seen in Gi-taek when he turns down Ji-na's offer to begin dating again. He wants to make something of himself and be hired before he dates her. It's an admirable sentiment, especially since she dumped him once already for being jobless.

Radiant Office 3Radiant Office 4

I'm more into this show than ever. There is a special heart to it that grows as the show progresses.

Written by: Lisa Espinosa AKA Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Radiant Office" is directed by Jeong Ji-in and Park Sang-hoon-III, written by Jeong Hee-hyeon, and features Go Ah-seong, Ha Seok-jin, Lee Dong-hwi, and Hoya.

❎ Try Ad-free