Disney+ K-drama Adamas: Ji Sung plays double roles in stylish high-society mystery

High-society shenanigans, mystery and revenge are the subject matter of Adamas, the latest major K-drama to hit our screens this summer. Ji Sung leads the cast in a dual role, and its slick visuals and narrative intrigue draw the viewer in. The individual elements of Adamas are reminiscent of a number of recent shows, and while this tvN drama does not add anything novel to the mix, its confidence, flair and fast-paced plotting – so far – are reason enough to watch. Cascading down into the Seoul nightscape, raindrops patter against the umbrella of a grieving man returning from a funeral in the show’s opening. Even before a voice-over offers a sense of what is going on in this ominous and stylish scene, one thing is clear: someone will be seeking vengeance before long. The Korean high-society saga doubles down with its next scene as a camera swoops through a prison until it settles on a guard investigating strange sounds. He opens a door to discover a floor littered with the bloodied corpses of inmates. After a surprise knife attack that sprays blood from an artery into the night air, he joins them on the ground. 7 new Korean drama series to look out for in August 2022 Next, we meet the twins during their morning routines, one a bestselling author, the other a cocky prosecutor, and both played with devilish charm by The Devil Judge himself, Ji Sung. Also binding these siblings together is the untimely death of their father, whose killer has been on death row for years. It is a big day for both of them. Ha Woo-shin, the author, meets his publisher and considers an offer to ghostwrite the biography of a reclusive corporate CEO. It is beneath his station as an acclaimed writer, but the money is good, and a twinkle in his eye suggests there may be something else in it for him. He signs. Prosecutor Song Soo-hyun has been offered a major assignment connected with the mooted reinstatement of the death penalty in South Korea, a hot-button issue sparked by the prison massacre that is likely to impact the next presidential election. The principled Soo-hyun sees the case as a political ploy and turns it down. Woo-shin moves in to the sprawling compound of Haesong Group chairman Kwon (Lee Kyoung-young) – a bit like the complex in Mine but bigger and with lots more security. Kwon’s matronly butler (Hwang Jung-min) takes an instant dislike to Woo-shin, who discovers many strange things around the grounds, including a maidservant brought to hospital after experiencing a convulsive fit, a rifle-totting head of security (Squid Game’s Heo Sung-tae) who is not what he seems, and Kwon’s mysterious daughter-in-law (Seo Ji-hye of Kiss Sixth Sense). Back in Seoul, dogged reporter Kim Seo-hee (Lee Soo-kyung) keeps pestering Soo-hyun. She believes that the man languishing in jail accused of killing his father may be innocent. Soo-hyun brushes Seo-hee off at first, but her tenacity soon inspires his curiosity, and he jumps back on the now very cold trail. All of that only covers part of the first episode, but the show is never in danger of being too contrived, perhaps because we know what to expect from the familiar situations presented to us. Soo-hyun’s escapades in Seoul have not taken up much screen time, which is for the best, since – truth be told – they are dull compared with the rest of what we’ve seen so far That means the lion’s share of the running time is given over to the action in Chairman Kwon’s sleek and creepy complex. Woo-shin does not get much writing done as he spends all his time exploring the compound’s nooks and crannies and going head-to-head with its crackpot residents. There’s never a private moment, with everyone spying on everyone else. Small wonder, since staff are handed bundles of cash whenever they reveal some interesting dirt on someone else. Despite the constant espionage, most of the characters manage to guard their secrets closely. Most of the action is taking place in the compound for now, but since the Haesong Group is pulling strings behind the scenes for the upcoming election and is most likely connected to the death of the father of Woo-shin and Soo-hyun as well, it is sure to jump around quite a bit throughout the series. Early in the series premiere we get an extended scene of Woo-shin and Soo-hyun together, but their relationship remains fairly opaque. There is very little we know about them – for example, why do they have different surnames? As their backstories come to the fore and their current investigations draw closer to each other, they will surely share the screen again before long. Adamas is streaming on Disney+.