K-drama: Will Wealth Make You Bold & Twisted?

Little Women | 작은 아씨들 (2022)

TVN | LITTLE WOMEN

Little Women is loosely based on the novel of the same name with a coming-of-age genre. So I thought this k-drama would be the same with a lighthearted storyline. It was anything but, so if you are in for another k-drama filled with mystery and crazy plots, definitely have this one on your must-watch list! 

NETFLIX | LITTLE WOMEN

Although I haven’t read the book, I have heard that it is based on the characters in the book rather than the plot itself. We are introduced to the Oh sisters in the first episode and very soon, you can tell they live in poverty. They all live in a cramped house with each sister taking a very different approach to how they see their lives and view money. Until three different incidents hit them and ultimately change their entire lives! They all get involved with the wealthiest family who, unlike how they present themselves to the public, have a dark past that the Oh sisters may just be the one to reveal. 

TVN | LITTLE WOMEN

Oh In-Ju (Kim Go-Eun) is the eldest sister and grew up with the mindset that money is the only way for her and her sisters to live a better lifestyle. Her biggest dream is to have an “ordinary life” like those around her without having to worry about money. She is an outcast at work with her only friend being Hwa-Young (Choo Ja-Hyun), another fellow outcast. Ju’s life seems mundane but this all changes when Hwa-Young disappears leaving her life behind AND with 2 billion won which she has given to In-Ju. It’s the amount of money that In-Ju could only dream of, yet the mystery behind Hwa-Young’s death and how she got the money makes her filled with guilt. We soon find out that 70 billion won of it was stolen from Park Jae-sang (Um Ki-joon), a lawyer turned politician. She also finds out that this money was not only stolen but comes from Jaesung’s company, Orchid E&C’s illegal slush fund. To prevent her from getting in trouble, she reluctantly joins forces with smart slush fund expert Choi Do-Il (Wi Ha-Jun), who just so happens to work for Jae-sung. 

TVN | LITTLE WOMEN

Meanwhile, Oh In-Kyung (Nam Ji-hyun) runs into her own problems with Jae-sang too. As opposed to Oh In-Ju, she disagrees that money is everything. Instead, she is rightful and does what is morally accepted by fighting and standing up for her beliefs no matter the consequences. As a passionate reporter, she gets in between the case of a murder that seems to have Jae-sung involved when he was a lawyer. She finds out that Jae-sang had represented four people in which all of them passed away. Whether it was a murder that was commited by Jae-sang or a pure accident, she is determined to find out! And for her, it could also mean directly confronting Jae-sang herself 💪🏻

TVN | LITTLE WOMEN

And of course, we have the youngest and talented Oh In-hye. Being the youngest, she’s constantly doted on by her sisters even with their own struggles. Being sick and tired of this, she befriends Jae-sungs’ daughter, Park Hyo-rin (Jeon Chae-eun), knowing that she comes from a wealthy family. Throughout the k-drama, she spends more time with her family instead of her own. In-hye knows by doing this that it will be the only way for her to attend a prestigious art school in Europe. With her two sisters each starting to find out more about the dark secrets of Jae Sung’s family, the danger soon creeps up on In-hye who seems to have chosen to live with this family over her sisters’. 

With each sister getting involved with the wealthiest family it creates a very interesting plot line considering their background. I also love how they incorporated a 90’s feel into the k-drama, perfectly fitting around the time the novel, “Little Women” was set. The dark and neutral-toned clothes that symbolises the low-class backgrounds the sisters came from are contrasted with the vibrancy of Jae Sung's family’s wardrobe. It’s just one way that this beautifully-shot k-drama uses colour to brighten up the dark themes of the plot. If you are in for a dark mystery full of many plot twists and turns, Little Women may just be your next watch! For some appealing visuals, give the trailer a watch here.