More promotional material has been published for ENA’s upcoming fantasy Midnight Photo Studio, featuring the offbeat operations of this bizarre business. Starring Joo-won (Stealer: The Treasure Keeper) and Kwon Nara (Bulgasal: Immortal Souls), the drama promises lots of laughter with a dash of romance and healing.
Along the border between life and death, there exists a place that only allows the truly desperate onto its premises. As the sun sets and the witching hour approaches, the mysterious establishment opens its doors… to jaunty music and a long line of impatient clients.
Behold the titular photo studio, where the seventh-generation owner Seo Ki-joo (Joo-won) offers portrait photography services to a peculiarly unique clientele. Blessed — or cursed — with the ability to see and interact with ghosts as if they have corporeal forms, Ki-joo lives out his mortal days behind the camera for those who cannot cross over into the afterlife.
Despite his twenty years of experience, though, Ki-joo isn’t above jumping in fright at the unexpected sight of a whole crowd of ghosts. The amusing scene has the lawyer Han Bom (Kwon Nara) stifling a snicker, but her confidence doesn’t last long. A grotesquely bloody apparition has her fleeing and screaming for Ki-joo, whose surly scowl immediately stops any troublemaking terrors in their tracks.
Acting as a makeshift counselor for ghosts with grievances may have worn Ki-joo down to a prickly temperament, but luckily for him, he’s not alone in his business endeavor. Serving their otherworldly guests in chronological order of expiration, the affable assistant manager Go Sung-ho — played by Yoo In-soo (Death’s Game) — greets the studio’s latest visitors with a bespectacled smile and a sales pitch up his sleeve.
Working alongside him is the perennially-tired office gopher Baek Nam-gu, played by Eum Moon-seok (Good Job). As a former Marine and violent crimes detective, Nam-gu’s problem-solving skills come in handy when dealing with particularly pesky customers. Together, the three of them are ready to provide top-tier service, inclusive of rose petals, fist bumps, and an enthusiastic thumbs up from business buddy Bom. In addition to the stills of our plucky photographer, the drama has also released shots of his poltergeist partners, gearing up for the studio’s grand opening next month.
Helmed by PD Song Hyun-wook (The Golden Spoon) with scripts penned by Kim Yi-rang (Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency), Midnight Photo Studio will raise its shutters on March 11.