Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Sun-ho, Kang Hanna
It looks like another youth drama is in the works. Called Start-Up (formerly known as Sandbox), this project has finalized its main cast to Suzy (Vagabond), Nam Joo-hyuk (The Light in Your Eyes), Kim Sun-ho (Catch the Ghost), and Kang Hanna (Designated Survivor: 60 Days). Let me just say, I’m getting a strong Itaewon Class-for-techies vibe, so hopefully it’ll be as good.
Suzy plays a poor girl named Seo Dal-mi with nothing but big dreams of becoming the next Steve Jobs. So far, she’s experienced all different kinds of part-time work in order to save up to accomplish her big dream. She invests in a start-up hoping to reverse her fortunes and hit it big.
Playing opposite Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk has been tapped to play computer genius extraordinaire, Nam Do-san. Having won international math competitions at a precociously early age, he used to be the pride of his family, but after founding his tech company, he’s become the shame of his family. It’s been two years and counting that he hasn’t been able to pay them back for their financial investment. However, Suzy remembers him fondly as her brainy childhood first love and decides to invest in him.
Kim Sun-ho plays a man who decides to join the start-up in order to pay back his debt to the one person that showed him kindness before he was successful. His character is a manager for a top venture capital firm, and he has the Midas touch when it came to investments, so much so that he is called the “Gordon Ramsey” of the financial world.
Last but not least, we have Kang Hanna who plays a badass CEO with everything—top education, knockout appearance, and wealth. She thinks that her title as a second-generation chaebol is actually holding her back from getting recognized for her true potential. Despite working like a dog so she can to prove herself, she is betrayed by her father after she does his dirty work. She promises herself that she won’t be used again and joins the start-up.
Upcoming Saturday-Sunday tvN drama Start-Up, directed by Oh Choong-hwan (Hotel Del Luna) and written by Park Hye-ryun (Pinocchio), will begin airing in October.