A powerful female-centric cast, dark social commentary, and macarons—where do I sign up? tvN’s latest 8-episode miniseries Birthcare Center stars Eom Ji-won (The Cursed), Park Ha-sun (Weekday Afternoon Lovers), Jang Hye-jin (Memorials), and Choi Ri (My First First Love) in a story about an incredibly successful businesswoman who becomes pregnant later in life and enters the intense world of high-risk pregnancy and motherhood.
In noir drama Birthcare Center, Eom Ji-won plays the main character who manages to rise in her company to become its youngest board member ever. Although she’s the youngest at work, she’s the oldest woman at the birthcare center.
Birthcare centers are a big thing in Korea, and it’s common for women and their babies to go straight from the hospital to a birthcare center. It’s sort of a maternity ward and hotel in one, with nurses and staff taking care of babies and mothers’ needs. (Length of stay and luxuriousness vary depending on the amount families are able to part with.)
In the poster above, Eom Ji-won enjoys a lavish tea party that’s also littered with a variety of baby toys. Park Ha-sun, Choi Ri and Jang Hye-jin stare at Eom Ji-won from the corner of their eyes, almost smirking sinisterly at her clueless state. The copy reads: “Is this really heaven?”
At the top of the birthcare center’s social hierarchy, we have Park Ha-sun playing the queen bee. Then, there’s Choi Ri playing a twentysomething pregnant woman. Finally, Jang Hye-jin rounds out the main cast, playing the director of the postpartum care center. It’ll be interesting to see how these characters form relationships within the microcosm of the postpartum care center, given their different backgrounds.
The teaser begins with dramatic music highlighting the same scene as the poster. Then, it transitions into a tour of the luxurious birthcare facilities. From indoor gardens to fancy brunch rooms to high-tech glass nurseries, the birthcare center looks like something out of a Tiffany and Co. home decor catalogue. Text flashes on the screen inviting viewers: “You have entered the world of birthcare.” As she enters the room, a knock and Jang Hye-jin’s voice can be heard: “Madam?”
Monday-Tuesday tvN drama Birthcare Center, directed by Park Soo-won (Big Forest) and written by Kim Ji-soo (Surplus Princess), will begin airing in November.
