‘The plot was so well-woven’: Song Joong-ki on the appeal of Reborn Rich, fantasy revenge K-drama, and how he sees his dual role in the series
- The Korean drama series is about a drudge for a business-owning family who is framed for embezzlement and killed, then reborn as a grandson of the patriarch
- Song plays the put-upon Yoon Hyun-woo and the grandson Jin Do-joon seeking revenge on Yoon’s betrayers, and says he was drawn to the series by its fantasy plot
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actor Song Joong-ki is set for another series, taking on a double role in K- drama Reborn Rich, after scoring a hit with the crime drama Vincenzo last year.
“The (series’) most appealing aspect is that it is a fantasy, the plots of which stirred up my imagination,” the actor says. “From my character’s perspective, what connects (the two characters) – one from the past and the other from the present – is family. And I liked that part of the story.”
The fantasy series revolves around loyal, hard-working Yoon Hyun-woo (Song), who is born underprivileged and has dedicated his life to working for the wealthy conglomerate Soonyang Group and its owner family.
Although he has taken on all the dirty work for the family, he gets betrayed and killed after being framed for embezzlement. But upon dying, he wakes up in the 1980s and finds himself in the body of the family’s youngest member, Jin Do-joon, the grandson of the company’s chairman, Jin Yang-chul (Lee Sung-min).
Living a completely new life, he seeks to take revenge on the family while trying to discover who is behind his death.
Reborn Rich: Song Joong-ki scores again with fantasy revenge K-drama
The series, based on the web novel of the same name, is led by director Jung Dae-yoon, who directed the hit series W and She Was Pretty, and is scripted by screenwriter Kim Tae-hee.
The actor said that reuniting with writer Kim was one of the biggest reasons for taking the role.
“I’ve worked with Kim before. I have faith in the writer and the plot was so well-woven, which was the first reason (for taking the part),” he said.
The plot of the series – its lead character being reincarnated and getting a second chance in life – may seem similar to that of another recent series, Again My Life.
The director said such a concept is becoming more popular in web novels, web comics and TV series, but noted that Reborn Rich will be different in the way it develops the story.
“Unlike other series with this concept, which focus on the character’s background and story, Reborn Rich weaves in major events of Korea’s history which occurred throughout the 1980s.
Revenge of Others: high-school revenge K-drama needs to sharpen up
“What makes this series interesting is that you will get to see some of the important incidents (in history),” he said, adding that the colourful characters will also entertain the viewers.
“There are relatively many characters compared to other series, but each of them has unique traits. It is interesting to see how (the lead) character changes in a span of 30 years and follow the decisions he makes.”
Song added that although he plays two characters as Hyun-woo and Do-joon, he considered those two characters as one.
“I know how difficult it is to play a double role, so it came as a pressure … But (in a way) I didn’t think of it as a double role. It’s about this person being born again into a different person so I thought of it as one person when I was acting.”
Reborn Rich is streaming on Viu and Disney+.
