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Start Up is a South Korean Rom-Com that centers around Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy), a university dropout who dreams about being like Steve Jobs, Nam Do-san (Nam Joo-hyuk), founder of SamSan tech with limited vision and lots of struggles, and pragmatic Han Ji-pyeong (Kim Seon-ho), a well known investor who holds the power to determine the rise and fall of start ups.

As you may have guessed, this is a business themed series centred on upcoming entrepreneurs and budding dreams, but it also maintained its circle around romance and friendship. This has to be the second best K-drama series I saw in 2024 after Twenty-Five Twenty-One.

The characters wove a thread of fondness deep in my heart. The interactions of every one of them meant something. Nothing was meaningless or a filler, every single action, decision made, course taken was deliberate and I have to give it to the writer who brought these characters to life.

The Characters - Interactions & Relationships

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First, I must gush over the connection and pure love between Han Ji-pyeong and Hamolni (Grandma). Watching their interaction brought tears to my eyes almost every time (it was also that time of the month…lol) and I admired as well as marveled at how one woman had so much love to give that it poured and enveloped even the next stranger.

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The next relationship I couldn’t help but love was that of Nam Do-san and his friends. It is rare the kind of friendship they have and it was beautiful how they all navigated conflict together. Friends that stick with you through thick and thin are definitely hard to come by, especially in business. Money changes people, but these three changed and for the better.

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Another relationship I really loved to watch was that of the main characters. Especially Nam Do-san and Han Ji-pyeong. Many people said that Han Ji-pyeong overshadowed Do-san, but I don’t agree. Do-san was perfect and his character both added to the story and also took away from it. I have no idea how else to explain it. He was just that good.

And then we have the two sisters. Their rivalry was just that. Sibling rivalry born from the need to prove themselves. I understood that a lot and in the end, watching the both of them, I also understood what it means to join them if you can’t beat them.

Then the last but not the least was the father of the girls, who realised his dream a little too late.

The Actors - Roles

Frankly, I don’t think any of the actors were bad, especially NJH. Given his role in Twenty-Five Twenty-One, many of the audience had reason to believe that this was a shadow compared to that and that Kim Seon-ho overshadowed his character.

I think that these two stood out because of that contrast. One was unsure of himself, docile and nearly pitiful, while the other was fiery, confident and full of criticism. I think it worked perfectly fine. Suzy also smashed her role. I watched her once in Doona, and I believe that she landed this part. She brought her sass and life to her part on with full force. Kim Seon-ho? Don’t get me started on that man. I found myself shipping him with our Suzy at some point. Why, because he was just that good!

My Thoughts - Ending Remarks

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I think this movie was well written. It wasn’t just to entertain the audience, it was also very informative and I found myself pausing the movie to read the definition of a new term I did not understand. However, what touched me most was the relationships, especially Han Ji-pyeong and Halmoni. I don’t think I can ever forget that kind of love soon.

In conclusion, Start-Up is a series for a laid back weekend. Unwind with the interwoven stories of friendship, love and family.