A Comprehensive Look at Work Later Drink Now Seasons 1&2
Dive Into the drunkenn World of 'Work Later Drink Now'
Explore every aspect of ‘Work Later Drink Now’ in this comprehensive review. Dive into character insights, strengths, and weaknesses. If you haven’t seen the drama yet and are looking for a spoiler-free review, check out the link below.
Spoiler Alert
Please be advised that this review contains significant spoilers about the plot and characters of ‘Work Later Drink Now’. If you have not yet watched the drama, we recommend viewing it first to avoid any spoilers.
Series Details
General Information
Air Dates: October 22 – November 26, 2021 & December 9, 2022 – January 13, 2023
Episodes: 24
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Starring: Lee Sun Bin and Choi Si Won
The Story
A variety show PD and her two college friends are living the life of single women in their 30’s. And as they juggle the pressures and demands of work and dating, they rely on their friendship to keep them from falling into despair. Most days, the trio find themselves drinking together at their favorite bar and restaurant, where they had won free drinks for life back in university. But as life becomes more and more complicated for each of them, their relationships with each other will be challenged and they will be forced to make some important decisions about what is really important.
Meeting the stars: Lee Sun Bin and Choi Si Won
Lee Sun Bin as Ahn So Hee
Ahn So Hee grew up with a father who loved to live large and drink a lot. She learned to drink alcohol from him at an early age. But as she got older, she began to use drinking as an emotional crutch. In college, she enters a dancing contest offering free drinks for life at a local club. She decides to partner up with two of her competitors, who quickly become her best friends and favorite drinking buddies.
Now, as the trio enter their thirties, the club has become a small neighborhood bar and restaurant, but the owner still honors their life-long prize. So Hee works as a varitety show writer for a television station, and is known for her impulsive nature. But when a new PD,who is better known for his failures than successes, joins her team, she finds herself ridiculously drawn to his pathetic life choices. As the pair grow closer, they will have to decide if romance is really for them and if it is possible to balance work and attraction.
Ahn So Hee is positive and daring. She is known as the glue and sanest of their friend group, but she has her own struggles. A betrayal by her former boyfriend and a mother that could be emotionally distant, left her with trust issues and a desperate need for affirmation. Lee Sun Bin is a seasoned actress with great comic timing. This role was perfect for her, and she brought just the right amount of chaos to this friend trio.
Choi Si Won as Kang Buk Gu
Kang Buk Gu joins So Hee’s team at the television station. As a PD, he is famous for knowing how to pick the wrong program. But he is passionate about his work and determined to get out of his current slump. He secretly has a crush on So Hee, based on an audition she did when she was just starting out. But So Hee doesn’t remember him from that time and Buk Gu hides his feelings from her by fighting with her constantly.
But when So Hee’s father dies suddenly, he finds himself going to her hometown to check up on her and breaking into her inner circle, by meeting her friends and mother. Slowly, Buk Gu begins to win So Hee’s trust and affection. Buk Gu steps in as kind of a big brother to the trio of friends, keeping them safe and watching over them, particularly after long nights of drinking. But Buk Gu has his own past scars, and his fear to commit to So Hee may cost him any chance to have a future with her.
Kang Buk Gu is unkempt and clumsy. Even at work, he comes off as unorganized and rude. But his lax appearance and behavior stem from past rejections and a painful childhood. Choi Si Won is a fun actor who seems to excel at these diamond in the rough roles. I especially enjoyed his interactions with Sun Hee’s friends.
Supporting characters
Han Sun Hwa as Han Ji Yeon
Han Ji Yeon works as a yoga instructor. She is bubbly and ditsy. She has no real career aspirations, and enjoys taking life one day at a time. But when she faces a serious health crisis, her friends will drop everything to help her survive.
Jung Eun Ji as Kang Ji Gu
Kang Ji Gu is from a rich family, but she refuses to talk to them. She is a homebody who works as a youtuber folding origami for hours a day. Her brash, abrasive attitude often clashes with Ji Yeon, which is a constant source of friction between the trio.
Kim Jung Min as Hwang Dong Bae
Hwang Dong Bae is the man who owns the restaurant the women hang out in. He has watched them grow up from young college students to working women. He is a source of safety and stability and acts as a father figure for all of them.
3 things i loved about ‘Work later Drink Now’
1.
Laugh Out Loud:
There aren’t a lot of dramas that I find myself full-out laughing, but this one is an exception. This trio of ladies is so chaotic and fun, you just can’t help but laugh at their ridiculous antics. The humor is smart and manages to pull back before becoming too slapsick, which I always appreciate. This feels a bit like Korea’s answer to ‘Sex in the City’ and I loved the realistic, but comedic tone.
2.
Opposites Attract:
The combination of these three ladies together was gold. I loved how radically different they all were, and how originally, the only thing they have in common is drinking. But opposites really do attract, even in friendship, and they love and fight in equal measure.
3.
Yoga Siblings:
The whole story around Ji Yeon becoming a yoga instructor was fun. Her ability to disrupt the quiet calm of the studio was amusing and I loved how she befriended the owner and her brother. I liked that they took the time to develop Ji Yeon’s friendship with them, and how the brother and sisters’ story slowly unfolds.
3 things i didn’t love about ‘Work Later Drink Now’
1.
Season Two Vibe:
I felt like season two had a different feel from the first season. The pacing felt slightly off and because of that, the story didn’t hold my interest quite as well. I think maybe they spent too much time on their mountain adventures, and that slowed everything else down. The concept was fun, but too much time was spent waiting for them to come back. Also saving the friendship drama for the very end seemed sudden and extreme.
2.
Lee Soo Min:
I didn’t really understand the whole Soo Min story. First, I don’t know that there was any reason to have some weird love triangle, that turned out to not exist at all. And then, to have her randomly turn out to be a childhood friend of Ji Yeon was even more weird. Especially since once they discover the fact, nothing really happens. Nothing about her character felt relevant or interesting to me.
3.
Buk Gu’s Backstory:
Okay, first of all, I wish kdramas would stop with the ridiculous looking fat suits. Buk Gu’s whole back story didn’t really fit into the current story. The explanation felt rushed and unimportant. I was much more interested by the story that he fell for So Hee after she opened a bottle with her shoe. That kind of pining crush is comedy gold.
The Conclusion of 'Work Later Drink Now'
The Ending
‘Work Later Drink Now’ ends with the same silly energy it starts with. The ending is really just more new beginnings. We finish the series with some serious friend drama, but luckily all is resolved without much of a hitch and the ladies each decide to go off on their own adventures. But we meet up with them all again a year later at Dong Bae’s wedding.
Han Ji Yeon has been traveling the world and has acquired a collection of handsome men along the way, one of them being Sun Kook, our handsome yoga photographer. She is happy in her polyamorous world and it shows. Ji Gu has also been traveling, but her approach is much more down to earth. She has been backpacking and seeing the sights with the adorable Mr. Nice Paper. So Hee is the only one who stayed close to home, working at the station and dating Buk Gu.
The final scene shows the group partying at the wedding reception. Always one to push the limits, So Hee climbs on a table to dance, and as the whole table collapses, sending her flying in slow motion, we get a last monologue. So Hee tells us that she is completely happy with her life, and if this is her end, so be it. And that’s it. Of course, I hope So Hee doesn’t ruin Dong Bae’s wedding by actually dying at it, and I suspect she will live on to drink another day!
My Personal Thoughts and Ratings
‘Work Later Drink Now’ is a chaotic romantic comedy that takes a realistic view of life as single, 30 year old women. The humor is clever and laugh out loud funny. Although the two seasons have a total of 24 episodes, each episode is only 30 minutes. So this is a great bingeable series! I loved how the three friends were all so different and quirky.
But this kind of raw humor might not be for everyone. Also, if you are the kind of person who can’t watch excessive drinking without worrying endlessly about the state of Korean drinking culture, this is definitely not for you. These gals drink…A LOT! But I enjoyed the light, humorous stories and the focus on friendship. I give ‘Work Later Drink Now’ an 8 out of 10 ramen.
🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜
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