He’s a hero fighting against greedy corporate heirs by giving them a taste of their own medicine – he clobbers them with illicitly gained wealth and power.

Reborn Rich: Song Joong-ki scores again with fantasy revenge K-drama

Normally K-drama vigilantes act out of more than self-interest – they stand up for the little guy, helping disenfranchised characters get back what’s rightfully theirs.

Do-jun is presented in a similar light, except that he’s really only out to get revenge for himself. He makes a show of caring about the plight of the working-class people abused by the system but, despite the vast wealth he accumulates, few of his actions have a positive impact on those who need it the most.

Korean screen vigilantes are always one step ahead of their powerful opponents and though we have little doubt that they will succeed, the pleasure of watching these shows is often derived from seeing how they outsmart the villains.

Reborn Rich operates in much the same way, but it’s a bit less effective in that specific regard. Do-jun knows what’s going to happen, so there’s almost no tension as his prolonged battle with the Soonyang Group clan unfolds.

The only mystery is waiting to see which historical event he uses to his advantage, whether it be the IMF crisis, Y2K or 9/11.

Do-jun’s tools may be different, but his actions are really no different from those of the villains. But whereas he is portrayed by the suave, charming and handsome Song, his opponents are played by supporting actors who deliberately ham up their crass behaviour.

Among them are Kim Shin-rok, who devours the screen as Jin Hwa-young, Yang-cheol’s third child and only daughter.

But this is what makes Reborn Rich work so well (it’s already the fourth highest rated Korean cable drama of all time). It dances marvellously along a paradox that drives society – eat the rich unless you become them.

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What also makes the show work, particularly in its native Korea, is its obsession with anything related to money. The stock market and other kinds of investment drive every aspect of the story, and they are discussed in a level of detail that might be daunting unless you have prior experience in investment, which many local viewers do.

Reborn Rich is also filled with other entertaining elements. Among them is the burgeoning romance between Do-jun and budding prosecutor Seo Min-young (Shin Hyun-been), which cycles through textbook Korean drama romantic checkpoints, including the guy-appears-with-umbrella-on-a-rainy-day scene.

Do-jun’s systemic approach to tearing down Soonyang involves attacking the clan heir by heir, as he targets the departments they’re in charge of until he can absorb them.

At the same time, although his ultimate target should be Yang-cheol himself, Do-jun has so much respect for the chairman that it isn’t entirely clear what his endgame is.

By episode 11, the pair are closely aligned, as they’ve both survived an attempted assassination by car crash mounted by someone else in the family.

As the episode ends they’ve formulated a plan to foil the rest of the family’s successional ambitions for Soonyang, but Yang-cheol’s hidden brain illness suddenly comes to the fore, rendering him delirious.

Will he be able to hold the delirium at bay long enough to chair install Do-jun as his successor?

Regardless of what happens in these final episodes a huge chunk of Korea’s TVs seem likely to tune in until the finale airs on Christmas Day.

Reborn Rich is streaming on Viu.