'Branding in Seongsu' or 'Branding in Seongsu-dong' is a drama that could have been a decent rom-com if you remove the detective, horror, and everything else. We talk about an unconventional love story and figure out who the narcissist is here.

'Branding in Seongsu' was released earlier this year but went unnoticed at the time. Now the K-drama has managed to attract a wide audience, including in Russia. At the center of the plot is a classic story. Kang Na-yeon (Kim Ji-eun) is a cold-blooded woman, head of the marketing team, who has made enemies. So Eun-ho (Park Solomon) is an intern who unexpectedly appears in the heroine's life.

One night, an assassination attempt is made on the girl, she loses consciousness, and a body swap occurs between the characters. Now the heroes must solve the company's problems, find who had a grudge against Kang Na-yeon, and sort out their personal relationships. They will have to deal with all issues while in each other's bodies, which adds significant inconvenience.

The plot of the drama is not new and doesn't reach for the stars. The story could have been a decent romantic fairy tale about a workaholic and a clumsy intern, but the writers decided otherwise. By their will, a detective line with horror elements appeared in the drama. 'Branding in Seongsu' starts briskly, the investigation line of the assassination attempt on Kang Na-yeon adds intrigue. Through this plot device, the writers add a point of intersection for the main characters. Thanks to this, their eyes are opened to the abundance of those who have long been enemies of Kang Na-yeon.

The problem lies in its poor execution. Throughout the series, Kang Na-yeon and So Eun-ho try to investigate the assassination case, but only for show. The writers miscalculated their strength, making the investigation feel empty, without evidence, and with an unexpected finale where the main villain appears only in the last episodes.

Roman Kovalev

From 'Zodiac' to 'Knives Out': The Best Detective Stories of the 21st Century

Want to tickle your nerves, solve mysteries, and taste spine-chilling adrenaline? Then sit back and relax: here are the brightest detective stories of the 21st century.

Open material

If the characters had actually searched for the criminal and gathered evidence, the storyline would have had a chance to be well-implemented, but as a result, we get empty assumptions and an unexpected ending that adds nothing good to the narrative.

The detective element is not the only bad component of the series. Sharp plot twists that had no prior setup start emerging towards the finale. Such tricks spoil the picture—they are illogical and artificially attached to the story. Perhaps if the writers had scattered 'Chekhov's guns' throughout the series, much would have looked better. But alas, this did not happen, making the finale with its excess of actions in the last episodes look absurd.

The foundation of 'Branding in Seongsu' is still romance, so let's return to it. Obviously, the main idea of the romantic line is the metaphor of 'walking in someone else's shoes.' To understand a person's thoughts and feelings, you need to be in their body. In these moments, the story moves much more successfully. Due to this swap, the characters begin to empathize with their surroundings and truly change, but with varying success.

What is it like to be the one you dislike or hate? 'Branding in Seongsu' answers this question and shows what can happen. The body swap theme fits well into the characters' personalities. Kang Na-yeon has a masculine side; she is not prone to feminine worries or kind and sweet treatment of others.

The heroine does not know how to be afraid or embarrassed, so when she finds herself in So Eun-ho's body, she skillfully handles all duties and problems as if she feels no fear or discomfort. At the same time, So Eun-ho's character includes soft traits. The hero is kind and courteous with people, easily finding common ground with colleagues. Through this body swap decision, the creators showed not only the difference between the heroes but also their similarity to each other.

The only moment that strongly stands out and raises more questions is the spark between the heroes when they are in each other's bodies. This oversight by the writers leads to philosophical reflections: can you attract yourself, would you want to kiss and fall in love...? In fact, throughout the viewing, it is difficult to abstract from the lack of thought in such moments, making them more laughable and raising questions about narcissism rather than tenderness.

One of the good features of the series is the concept of a marketing company. The abundance of diverse characters, different casts, and interesting orders for rebranding give the drama liveliness, making it watch briskly without significant slowdowns in pacing. The overall atmosphere of the story is conveyed well; at one moment you easily sympathize with the characters, and at another, you rejoice at their successes in implementing new projects.

You can watch 'Branding in Seongsu,' but if you remove the unexpected twists in the finale and leave the rom-com and detective elements, the project would look better. The illogical moments would disappear, leaving only a decent love story. If you look at the work as a whole, it's not surprising that after its launch, the project couldn't quickly attract attention.