《더 케이투》 / 《The K2》 is a 2016 Korean action and romance drama starring 《Ji Chang Wook》 and 《Im Yoon Ah》. It tells the story of a former mercenary who was framed for the murder of his girlfriend and was later given a second chance in life as a security bodyguard for the secret daughter of a presidential candidate.

The next 《James Bond》 and 《Mission: Impossible》.

Synopsis

Kim Je-ha is a former mercenary soldier for the PMC Blackstone. While in Iraq, he gets framed for the murder of his lover Raniya, a civilian. As a result, he runs away and becomes a fugitive. He returns to South Korea and by chance, gets offered to work as a bodyguard by Choi Yoo-jin, the owner of JSS Security Company and wife of the presidential candidate, Jang-Se joon. He accepts the job in exchange for resources that he needs in order to get his revenge on another presidential candidate, Park Kwan-soo, who previously ordered the killing of his lover.¹

In the meantime, Je-ha gets assigned to guard Go An-na, the hidden daughter of Jang Se-joon, whose life is always threatened because of Yoo-jin, her stepmother. An-na, who has been reclused and lonely all her life, starts relying on Je-ha, who shows concern for her and protects her at all costs. They slowly fall in love with each other, which makes Je-ha torn between having to work with his ally, Yoo-jin, in order to get his revenge and protecting his new found love, An-na, against his own ally.¹

Story

When you thought you have guessed the twists and turns, a new layer is introduced to prove your guesses wrong. This is rare in this genre and the writer, Hyuk Rin Jang, wrote a masterpiece.

While “The K2” was mainly about the political game, it was also about family relationships and the politics that is common in large clans with huge money at stake. This type of story is usually told by showing a dragging drama but in this TV series they approached it from an “outsider” view or as a secondary story. THe family politics was there but they were careful in keeping it from becoming the main story.

Performance

Excellent acting from the veteran and younger actors. The fight scenes, especially in episode one, were beyond Western choreography, 《James Bond》 and 《Mission: Impossible》 can never match what they did.

I was also impressed by YoonA’s acting of her character. At first it looked like her role was easy but as we get into the middle episodes, her character was challenging–she had to be a totally different person, someone with PTSD and deep hatred.

Music

The background music were perfect. It adds to the impact of an already powerful scene. It was good because BGMs should act as an amplifier for scenes and not as “the scene”.

Production

Great production. Clearly every centavo was spent to create a realistic show which captivated the audience and made the boundary between reality and fiction non-existent.

Verdict

With all things considered, 《더 케이투》 / 《The K2》 received 9.5 stars out of 10 from 《YourOnly.One》.

Official trailer