Radiant Office is a slice of life story about a marketing director (Ha Suk Jin) and a rookie office worker (Go Ah Sung) at a furniture company. After a failed suicide attempt by the rookie, she discovers she may be terminally ill and decides to live life to the fullest at her new job.
Radiant Office was solid and enjoyable and was just my kind of office drama! After recently having a disappointing experience with another office drama, Chief Kim, I was a bit hesitant to jump into another one.
But my fears were for naught as Radiant Office contained just the elements I like in this genre of drama. It’s very much a slice of life story that deals with issues many people face while trying to find a job as well as keep one. It mixes in touching stories of the workers struggles with comedic elements.
Go Ah Sung plays our rookie office worker Eun Ho Won. After struggling to find a job for so long, she hits rock bottom. But then after learning she may be terminally ill, she lands a job at a top furniture company.
And she does what she can to embrace the opportunity and be a good worker. I found Go Ah Sung to be so down to earth and relatable with this adorable charm. I really loved her character and was always rooting for.
Ha Suk Jin plays Seo Woo Jin, a marketing director at the company. He’s arrogant and demanding and gets off on the wrong foot with Ho Won. But of course, underneath that gruff exterior is a very warmhearted man. Ha Suk Jin plays roles like this perfectly. He’s always so convincing playing a jerk, but then he just warms you right up as you get to know him.
Woo Jin and Ho Won were a very sweet couple. The romance is very subtle though, so don’t go in expecting much. Their relationship has a very slow and natural progression. They begin as enemies then move to a thoughtful friendship and finally to a sweet romantic relationship. I really enjoyed their thoughtful conversations as well as the small romantic gestures between the two towards the end of the drama.
The drama connected me with the characters on an emotional level right from the first episode. I immediately felt their plight and their pain. This sort of connection is very important for me in a drama like this.
Office and business dramas are not a favorite genre of mine, so in order to get through some of the more boring office politics, I must be invested in the main characters. And this drama did have it’s share of office politics, but because I enjoyed the characters so much, I even found myself somewhat interested in it.
Which brings me to the supporting characters. The other office workers did what they were supposed to do by adding humor as well additional heartwarming moments to connect with them.
Ki Taek (Lee Dong Hwi) and Kang Ho (Hoya) are fellow workers and friends of Ho Won. Ki Taek struggles while working in the same office as his ex-girlfriend who recently dumped him. Kang Ho’s timid personality has made finding a job difficult, and when he finally gets one, he needs to do what he can to keep it.
These three friends bond over their shared struggles and then become very supportive friends to each other. I really enjoyed the camaraderie between the three and found their friendship very refreshing.
The other office workers tend to create obstacles for our main trio, but they also have their own stories to give them a little depth. They also add in some nice humor to really compliment the story.
Then there’s Seo Hyun (Kim Dong Wook) who is a doctor that helps Ho Won early on and sort of befriends her. But he has some secrets that make you wonder just what his motives are.
It would have been nice if the drama had explored a few stories more in depth. There are several small plot lines that are introduced but then don’t get much attention. The last couple episodes also felt a bit rushed and messy. But these were minor complaints for me.
The drama deals with several issues facing people in the workforce as well as a variety of personal issues. They are all handled in a very realistic way that just further enhanced the development of the characters.
There’s nothing really exceptional about Radiant Office, but it’s simply a good solid drama. By delivering compelling characters that are easy to root for, I found myself very invested in their lives. It was heartwarming and humorous which brought a nice balance to the office happenings. Overall, Radiant Office was more than enjoyable.
My Rating: 7/10
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