장사의 신 - 객주 2015

Many great men come from humble beginnings. During the end of the tumultuous Chosun Dynasty, Chun Bong Sam is a poor peddler who inherits a run-down inn. Through hard work and perseverance against a corrupt bureaucracy, Bong Sam achieves great success and becomes a powerful merchant. Can he help shape the way that industry and business should be done in the emerging modern era? It is based on the novel “Gaekju” by Kim Joo Young.

It started off on a decent note but hit a major roadblock somewhere shortly after, a big nosedive out of nowhere! Disrespectful atrocious writing, to say the least. You may witness one of the worst written plot devices and tension management here. I was willing to give it a chance in the beginning despite the setback, but my interest plummeted faster than a rock when the male lead got entangled with that deplorable love interest plot. In fact, this applied to all of the four female leads. The momentum sputtered and stalled like a car running on fumes and the leads were stuck in first gear the whole time. The potential for a captivating narrative was there, hanging in the air, but the execution was practically non-existent. I'm fairly certain this is the worst drama Jang Hyuk picked up in his career, hopefully the last.