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Poster for tvN’s TV series “Our Unwritten Seoul.” / Courtesy of tvN |
In the fictional rural village of Duseon-ri, South Chungcheong Province, lives Yoo Mi-ji (played by Park Bo-young), born in 1995. Miji does not shy away from any job, including cleaning at schools, working in the fields, and doing part-time jobs at local supermarkets. Her cheerful demeanor and signature yellow bob haircut have earned her the nickname “Candy.” The older villagers admire how she lovingly cares for her grandmother, who is hospitalized, though they secretly worry about her future.
“Thirty isn’t that old, but it’s not that young either. It’s the age when you need to make choices, not just explore. Sure, it’s never too late to start, but there’s still such a thing as the ‘right time.’”
This advice, offered by Yeom Beon-hong (played by Kim Sun-young), the mother of Mi-ji’s former crush, Lee Ho-soo (played by Park Jin-young), may not be entirely wrong by conventional standards. But is it really true?
tvN’s TV series “Our Unwritten Seoul,” which is set to conclude on June 29, challenges the pressure to conform to societal expectations and instead asks, “What’s so wrong with living at your own pace?” With its message that it is okay to pause or run away sometimes, the series struck a chord with viewers, starting with a 3.6 percent viewership rating for episode 1 and climbing to 7.7 percent by episode 10.
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In tvN’s TV series “Our Unwritten Seoul,” Park Bo-young plays identical twins Mi-ji (left) and Mi-rae (right), whose differences outweigh their similarities. While Mi-ji is cheerful and known as “Candy” in her hometown, Mi-rae appears outspoken but often swallows her words. / Courtesy of tvN |
At the heart of the series is Park Bo-young’s compelling performance in dual roles as identical twins Mi-ji and Mi-rae. Mirae, Mi-ji’s older sister, was born with a congenital heart defect and spent most of her childhood in hospitals. She was a diligent student, not due to extraordinary talent, but sheer perseverance. Now working at a public enterprise in Seoul, Mi-rae contrasts her cheerful sister with her quiet, reserved demeanor. After participating in a whistleblower case at work, she has endured over a year of workplace bullying. Still, burdened by the need to support her family, including her grandmother’s care, she cannot leave the company.
“Our Unwritten Seoul” takes a dramatic turn when Mi-ji, learning of her sister’s suicidal thoughts, proposes a bold idea of “Let’s switch our lives for a while, until your heart feels better.” So begins a role reversal. City slicker Mi-rae heads to Duseon-ri to tend fields, while free-spirited Mi-ji pretends to be a company employee in Seoul. Only after walking in each other’s shoes do the sisters come to understand the weight of the other’s life. Park Bo-young essentially plays four versions of her characters, Mi-ji, Mi-rae, and each impersonating the other, with delicate nuance.
The series was written by Lee Kang, who also penned “Youth of May,” a KBS series set just before the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. Known for rich characters and emotionally resonant dialogue, Lee now turns his focus to the more than 500,000 young Koreans categorized as “doing nothing,” those not in education, employment, or training. But as the show suggests, there is no such thing as “just doing nothing.” Everyone has a story.
“I wanted to write about people who seem fine on the outside but are already shaken and worn down on the inside,” said Lee. “I began with the idea that maybe we’re all fighting our own battles.”
The series follows characters who are either recovering from failure or simply taking a break, illustrating how the anxiety of needing to be “on time” in life can be paralyzing the young people. Mi-ji, once a track star who won gold medals in school, had dreams of attending college in Seoul. But an injury shattered that dream, and she ended up shutting herself in her room for three years.
“I regret everything. I’m so worried that I can’t do anything. I know I have to go out, but I’m afraid of becoming nothing again. I feel so pathetic and tired. I feel like I have too many days left, and I can’t face them, Grandma.”
This line from episode 4 reveals Mi-ji’s internal struggle as she confides in her grandmother, Wol-soon (played by Cha Mi-kyung), while hiding under a blanket. Wol-soon responds, “Does hiding make a hermit crab a coward? Isn’t everyone just trying to survive? Even if it looks messy and pitiful, anything done to survive is courageous.”
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Ho-soo (played by Park Jin-young), Mi-ji’s former crush, in tvN’s TV series “Our Unwritten Seoul.” / Courtesy of tvN |
“Our Unwritten Seoul” shows love and compassion for those who are retreating from the world, including the male leads connected to Mi-ji and Mi-rae. Ho-soo, Mi-ji’s longtime crush, lost his father in a car accident during high school and suffered hearing loss in one ear. Not wanting to be a burden, he became a top lawyer at a major law firm, but now questions whether this life suits him.
Se-jin (played by Ryu Kyung-soo), who owns the strawberry field where Mi-rae works, returned to his late grandfather’s hometown after growing disillusioned with life in Seoul, where he could not even be there for a loved one’s final moments. While other stories, such as “Little Forest” or “Welcome to Samdal-ri,” have shown burned-out urbanites finding healing in the countryside, “Our Unwritten Seoul” does not romanticize rural life. Instead, it depicts Duseon-ri as a real place with real labor. Se-jin struggles with a failed first-year strawberry crop, and Mi-ji’s eyes sparkle at the promise of high-paying field work.
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Se-jin (played by Ryu Kyung-soo), the owner of the strawberry farm where Mi-rae works pretending to be Mi-ji, in tvN’s TV series “Our Unwritten Seoul.” / Courtesy of tvN |
Both Seoul and Duseon-ri are portrayed realistically, not idealized, and the characters who drift between them reflect the uncertainties of contemporary life. The story does not focus solely on young adults in their 30s. Older characters like the twins’ mother Ok-hee (played by Jang Young-nam) and Ro-sa (played by Won Mi-kyung), a poet who runs a local restaurant, also carry their own narratives. Together, they portray a world where everyone, regardless of age, faces fears and insecurities.
“Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is far away, and today is unknown.” This mantra, repeated by Mi-ji when she tries to summon courage, encapsulates the series’ message: Don’t be too afraid of the uncertain “today,” just take one step forward, as much as you can. And even if you cannot move forward, or if you take a step back, that is okay too.
※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.
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