The first episodes of 'Misaeng' are pretty miserable. It's not miserable because it's badly acted or badly written. On the contrary, both the excellent writing and the acting very expertly convey a painful situation. It's that the main character played by ZE:A's Im Si Wan is so miserable, that it's difficult to watch.
His earnest character Jang Grae seems so lost, so ill equipped to function in an office setting, and so without friends, that it's heartbreaking. He wears a secondhand suit that he swims in and he's trying to do a job he has no training in.
Im Si Wan played a chaebol with a cool exterior and shaky inner life in "Triangle" but his character in "Misaeng" has no cool exterior to protect him. He's so clearly at a loss that others see him as an easy target for bullying. And they treat him badly.
If "School 2013" was a drama about the horrors of bullying in high school, "Misaeng" is a drama about bullying in an office setting. His office is not a desirable place to work, but offices like that must exist.
Jang Grae is not only bullied by his superiors, but he's made fun of by his fellow interns, no matter how hard he tries to learn the ropes of his new job. They are all annoyed that they worked so hard in school to get where they are when he only has a GED and has been mysteriously recommended for a job.
What they don't know about Jang Grae is that he's a genius at the game Baduk or Go. It's a skill that may transfer well to other settings.
K-dramas often start out with characters that are having such a hard time coping. If they are so down and out at the beginning of the drama and they try so hard to improve their lot, viewers will naturally cheer for them to succeed.
That's the case with Jang Grae, as he has nowhere to go but up.
Im Si Wan has been acting for four years, with his most significant role being the youngest of three brothers in the drama "Triangle." In that drama he held his own against veteran actor Lee Bum Soo, who played his oldest brother, and JYJ's Kim Jaejoong, who had a breakout role as his middle brother.
In "Misaeng" his portrayal of the lonely introverted Jang Grae proves that he can also be a leading man.
