Edited by Kim Won Hee
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
Ji Sung, who played seven different personalities in the drama Kill Me, Heal Me, has once again returned with a dual role in tvN’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama Adamas. The drama follows the twin brothers who set out to find “Adamas,” the weapon and the evidence of their father’s murder 22 years ago. We’re all used to the story digging into a corrupt chaebol family, but the performances of the actors, including Ji Sung, spice up the series for sure.
First, Adamas is a well-crafted chase drama that captures the charm of the genre well. At first glance, the story may seem complicated and difficult since it’s very intricately intertwined. The drama follows twin brothers Ha Woo Sin and Song Soo Hyun chasing the truth of the case using their own methods.
The younger brother Woo Sin’s story takes place within Haesongwon. Mystery novel writer Woo Sin enters Haesongwon, the residence of Chairman Kwon, to steal the diamond arrow “Adamas,” the symbol of Haesong Group. And there, Woo Sin collaborates with Choi (Heo Sung Tae), the mansion’s head security officer and undercover detective, and Eun Hye Soo (Seo Ji Hye), the wife of the Haesong Family’s eldest son, and finds out that “Adamas” is actually the weapon that was used to kill his father and that Chairman Kwon (Lee Kyung Young) is the evil mastermind.
The older brother Soo Hyun pursues the truth outside Haesongwon. As a prosecutor, he joins hands with reporter Kim Seo Hee (Lee Soo Kyung), the witness of his father’s case who never came forward, and after following up on witnesses and the culprit who confessed to the murder, he realizes that the real killer is still out there. The two are also put in a situation where their lives are threatened by Lee (Oh Dae Hwan), the team leader of a Haesong Group’s secret organization closely monitoring the brothers.
The brothers got a hint of the real killer of the murder case 22 years ago and the identity of the weapon by the fourth episode, but there’s still a long way to go. The man who confessed to the murder still denies the existence of a real killer and insists that he’s the killer, and the connection between Chairman Kwon and the brothers’ father is still under a veil. Unlike the fast-moving dramas which became a new trend, Adamas take things slow, and although there is less pleasure in the sense of “speed,” it’s easy to understand the story as it painstakingly unravels a large amount of information one by one. As the tension rises, key clues are revealed one by one and the pieces slowly come together, doubling the pleasure of the investigation genre.
The actors’ performances also add to the fun. Ji Sung, who’s always surprised us in all his works, once again catches the attention with his dual role. They look the same on the outside, but their voices, expressions, and attitudes all have subtle differences. The actor brilliantly portrays twin brothers Woo Sin and Soo Hyun with opposite personalities and auras. The performances of other actors are also impressive, especially the characters in Haesongwon. Unlike the outside world, Haesongwon gives a bizarre vibe as if it was built on a remote island with its own independent hierarchy, and Butler Kwon (Hwang Jung Min) plays the biggest role in creating this eerie vibe. Her ridiculously exaggerated, eccentric personality, cruel attitude, and oddly obsessive loyalty toward Chairman Kwon heighten the tension and add to the drama’s charm.
The only disappointment is Lee Kyung Young, who plays Chairman Kwon. He has appeared in five dramas this year alone, including Again My Life, Why Her? �and Doctor Lawyer, and in all of them, he played villains with power and wealth. Seeing one actor playing similar roles over and over again without a big difference in his acting, the fun for the viewers is halved, and all the scenes that he appears in seem a bit dull.
Now that the drama has aired one-fourth of its episodes, Woo Sin and Soo Hyun face threats to their lives as they directly confront the forces of evil. Will they be able to work with their helpers from their respective positions and get their hands on Adamas, the crucial evidence? Will they finally be able to take down Chairman Kwon, the final boss? I can’t wait to see what kind of story Adamas will tell. (6/10)
Edited by Kim Won Hee: I am a person who needs more than 24 hours in a day because there are so many things I love. I am amassing various genres in the jewelry box in my heart.
