From Wikipedia: “Start-Up” is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Bae Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Seon-ho, and Kang Han-na. The series revolves around a woman who has dreams of becoming an entrepreneur like Steve Jobs, a man who is secretly her first love, and another man who is pretending to be her first love. It premiered on tvN on October 17, 2020. It is available for streaming on Netflix.
“Start-Up” is written by Park Hye-ryun; her previous dramas are “Dream High” (2011), “I Can Hear Your Voice” (2013), “Pinocchio” (2014-2015), and “While You Were Sleeping” (2017).
How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers
1. I assumed that you will be reading these summaries and watching the videos chronologically.
2. I narrated some of the main actions in each episode, without revealing the plot’s twists and turns.
3. At the beginning of each summary starting with Episode 2, I placed in a table a recap of the major twists and turns of the previous episode. But because you have already watched the video of the previous episode, they aren’t spoilers anymore.
4. With Episode 16 (Finale), however, I included spoilers. Reason — people who have not seen this drama want to know whether it has a good/happy ending or a sad ending before they invest their time in watching it.
Episode 1: “Start-Up”
Flashback, 15 years ago ...
Dal-mi and her older sister plead with their grandmother, Choi Won-deuk, to patch things up between their parents — their father wants to resign from his job and start his own business, but their mother threatens to divorce him. Their grandmother, however, says that she can’t do anything about the situation.
After her parents get a divorce, Dal-mi stays with her father, while her sister goes with her mother. Later on, she fights with her sister when their mother marries a rich businessman and decides to immigrate to the USA.
Dal-mi’s grandmother gives Ji-pyeong, a talented but homeless, orphaned high school student food and a place to stay. Concerned about how lonely Dal-mi is with her parents’ divorce and her separation from her sister, she asks Ji-pyeong to write friendly letters to Dal-mi; they use the name of Nam Do-san, a young genius who had just won the Math Olympiad, as the letter sender.
Ji-pyeong secretly uses Grandma Choi’s bank account and succeeds in getting huge returns on his investments. But to his dismay, Grandma Choi withdraws all the money and closes the account; she gives the money to Dal-mi’s father who’s still struggling to promote his business idea.
Episode 2: “F F F (Family, Friends, Fools)”
| Ep. 1 recap:
While he’s rushing to a business meeting, Dal-mi’s father gets hit by a car; he dies on the way home. Grandma Choi gives Ji-pyeong all of the money that he earned from his investments. She tells Ji-pyeong never to visit her even if he becomes a successful businessman. Present times ... While working as a temporary employee, Dal-mi helps her grandmother in the corn dog stand, but she dreams of becoming a successful businesswoman. Meanwhile, her sister In-jae has become the CEO of The Morning Group, with her stepfather Won Doo-Jung as Chairman. In-jae scorns Dal-mi for her choices in life; to further humiliate Dal-mi, she invites her to attend The Morning Group’s networking party. Dal-mi impulsively accepts the invitation and says that she’ll attend the party with her business partner, Do-san. Later, she regrets taking up In-jae’s challenge because she has never met Do-san in person and it has been 15 years since their last letters to each other. The real Do-san is a struggling entrepreneur working on an image-recognition technology for his start-up Samsan Tech. After the lecture, Ji-pyeong follows Dal-mi and sees her with Grandma Choi. |
At the tea bar where she has been assigned by her company, Dal-mi and her fellow workers are overwhelmed when fans of a boy band jam the bar during a concert.
Do-san and his partners in Samsan Tech are berated by Do-san’s parents for failing to make a return on their investment. But Do-san’s partners cling to the miniscule hope that they will win the grand prize in the CODA competition for their image-recognition technology.
Based on Grandma Choi’s desperate plea for help, Ji-pyeong looks for Do-san. But as he reaches the Samsan Tech office, he sees Do-san being chased by his father and threatened with a baseball bat.
The next day, Ji-pyeong reports to Grandma Choi that Do-san is a loser who will never be able to help Dal-mi impress In-jae; he says that it’s better if Dal-mi and Do-san never meet. But then, Grandma Choi gets a call from Dal-mi, who happily says that she has found Do-san and is meeting him. Ji-pyeong rushes to the meeting place, hoping to intercept Do-san.
Episode 3: “Angel”
| Ep. 2 recap:
Ji-pyeong explains to Do-san the situation with Dal-mi and asks him to go the networking party. But Do-san and his partners (Chul-san and Yong-san) insist that, in return, Ji-pyeong must invest in their company. Ji-pyeong, however, refuses. Moved by Dal-mi’s letters, Do-san borrows a suit from his partners and meets Dal-mi at the party. Samsan Tech’s image-recognition technology wins the CODA competition. |
Grandma Choi tells Ji-pyeong that she will reveal everything to Dal-mi, so as to keep her from relying on false hopes and dreams.
Dal-mi resigns from her job and tells Do-san that she will establish her own company. Meanwhile, In-jae’s stepfather (Chairman Won Doo-jung) tells her that she must give way for her stepbrother, Sang-su, who will now become the CEO of the Morning Group.
Do-san assures Ji-pyeong that they can make things work for Dal-mi’s sake. Ji-pyeong says, however, that Samsan Tech has no business model that can attract investors and that Sand Box will not accept Samsan Tech into its residency program. But then, they get the news that Samsan Tech has won the CODA competition.
Episode 4: “Sand Box”
| Ep. 3 recap:
Dal-mi’s mother asks for her forgiveness for everything that has happened to their family. Despite Ji-pyeong’s warnings, Do-san begins to fall in love with Dal-mi. In-jae confronts her stepfather and stepbrother during the board meeting and then quits from the company. She then applies for Sand Box’s residency program. Grandma Choi asks Ji-pyeong if he’s starting to have feelings for Dal-mi, but he denies it. During the CODA awarding ceremony, Do-san’s cousin goes over the top with editing the acceptance-message video, making it appear that all Do-san wants is lots of money. |
Do-san continues the masquerade as he meets Dal-mi in a bookstore. When Dal-mi remembers that his birthday is tomorrow, they make plans to celebrate it.
As investors begin showing their interest in Samsan Tech, Ji-pyeong warns Do-san and his partners that they do not have the expertise in running a company or dealing with investors.
Dal-mi, In-jae, and Do-san are accepted into Sand Box’s residency program. To Dal-mi’s surprise, In-jae reveals to her that Do-san lied about being a hotshot CEO.
Episode 5: “Hackathon”
| Ep. 4 recap:
Ji-pyeong tutors Do-san on social etiquette to prepare him for his date with Dal-mi. After their date, Do-san asks Dal-mi her reasons for liking him. To his disappointment, the reasons that Dal-mi gives pertain to Ji-pyeong. Keeping in mind what Ji-pyeong said about his lack of expertise, Do-san chooses Dal-mi as the CEO of Samsan Tech for the Hackathon portion of Sand Box’s residency program. |
The rivalry between Dal-mi and In-jae increases when In-jae brings into her team two young developers who graduated from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Dal-mi, meanwhile, takes Jung Sa-ha, a lawyer-design artist, into her team.
Do-san’s parents meet a weird guy from the USA who wants to invest in Samsan Tech. Meanwhile, Grandma Choi accidentally meets her former daughter-in-law. As they’re talking in the Sand Box cafeteria, Ji-pyeong overhears their conversation about Dal-mi.
Dal-mi and In-jae make their respective pitches for their companies’ apps; later, one of the judges asks what would happen if the app from Dal-mi’s company is used to verify the authenticity of a sample document produced by the app from In-jae’s company. Do-san hesitates, but Dal-mi confidently says that Samsan Tech’s software will be able to do the job.
Episode 6: “Key Man”
| Ep. 5 recap:
Samsan Tech’s app fails to detect that the sample document produced by In-jae’s app is a forgery. Dal-mi asks Ji-pyeong his reasons for the lies, but before he could answer, Do-san runs over to them and announces that Samsan Tech has been accepted into the Sand Box residency program. |
Later, when they meet their mentor, the team members begin fighting with each other over the number of shares for each member because their mentor says that Dal-mi, as the CEO, should get at least 80% of the shares. In disgust, Chul-san and Yong-san storm out of the office.
In-jae steals the credit for having inspired the “little girl on a swing” logo of Sand Box.
Flashback ... Do-san, Chul-san, and Yong-san form Samsan Tech.
Samsan Tech’s mentor challenges Dal-mi to choose between being a good person or a CEO.
Wanting to try to keep their team intact, Chul-san goes back to their Sand Box office, but he injures both of his eyes in an explosion.
Episode 7: “Burn Rate”
| Ep. 6 recap:
Dal-mi stubbornly chooses Ji-pyeong, instead of Alex, as Samsan Tech’s mentor. Meanwhile, In-jae rebuffs her stepfather and chooses Yoon Seon-hak (Sand Box executive officer and Ji-pyeong’s boss) as her team’s mentor. After the accident, Do-san, Chul-san, and Yong-san reconcile as friends and agree with Dal-mi’s plan for the distribution of the shares. Grandma Choi signals Do-san not to tell Dal-mi about their meeting in the eye clinic; they continue to pretend that Do-san really wrote the letters to Dal-mi. Yoon Seon-hak remembers the man whom she saw commit suicide by jumping from the bridge. One of the participants in Sand Box’s residency program is somehow related to that man. |
Dal-mi becomes confused when Ji-pyeong begins avoiding her and rejecting her calls. She decides to visit him at his office.
Dal-mi discusses with her team how they should allocate their start-up fund so that it could cover their expenses for the next six months. For their fund-raising project, Do-san discusses an app that fits with their image-recognition technology. But Dal-mi decides instead to submit an AI (artificial intelligence) solution for the downsizing plan of The Morning Group.
When Ji-pyeong finds out about Dal-mi’s plan, he orders his assistant to find out more about The Morning Group’s AI capabilities.
Episode 8: “Back-Up”
| Ep. 7 recap:
Ji-pyeong and Grandma Choi pretend that they don’t know each other. Ji-pyeong becomes defensive when Do-san asks him if he’s jealous of his relationship with Dal-mi. As Ji-pyeong suspected, The Morning Group only wants Samsan Tech as cheap labor for gathering image data files. During the meeting, Do-san loses his cool and shatters Chairman Won’s glass nameplate. Dal-mi decides to pursue Do-san’s original project of using their image recognition app to help the visually impaired. |
While Do-san and the rest of the team test their new app (aka “NoonGil”) with a volunteer who goes around with a guide dog, Dal-mi begins approaching potential investors. Meanwhile, Chairman Won asks his wife to coax In-jae into going back to Morning Group.
With the success of the “NoonGil” app, Do-san and the other team members decide to upload it; they happily make bets on how many downloads they’ll have in a week.
The next day, there are only less than 10 downloads. When Do-san’s cousin assures the team members that he will take care of the advertising, they remember the fiasco with the CODA acceptance video. To make matters worse, Chairman Won files criminal charges against Do-san for damage to property and threats.
Episode 9: “Risk”
| Ep. 8 recap:
Samsan Tech’s voice and image-recognition app becomes a hit after legendary baseball player Park Chan-ho promotes it in a TV interview. Chairman Won backs down from humiliating Do-san and Dal-mi when Dal-mi threatens to release to the reporters her recording of Chairman Won’s disdain for young entrepreneurs. During an assembly at Sand Box, he announces that The Morning Group will finance Samsan Tech’s app. Dal-mi finds out from Do-San that her grandmother is losing her sight. She also becomes confused when she finds out that Ji-pyeong’s handwriting is similar to the handwriting in the letters that Do-san sent to her 15 years ago. |
In-jae is attacked in her office by a man who has lost his job because of the AI solution that her company has provided to a client; later, her mentor Yoon Seon-hak advises her to differentiate between danger and risk. Meanwhile, Dal-mi becomes more confused about the identity of the person who wrote to her 15 years ago.
Do-san’s cousin warns him that his father has found out that Dal-mi is the CEO of Samsan Tech; after Do-san gets drunk, Chul-san and Yong-san call and ask Dal-mi if she can take him to her house.
Ji-pyeong finally admits to Grandma Choi that he has feelings for Dal-mi; despite his earlier promise, he wants to reveal everything to Dal-mi about the letters she got 15 years ago. But Grandma Choi pleads with him not to ruin Dal-mi’s relationship with Do-san.
Episode 10: “Demo Day”
| Ep. 9 recap:
Do-san won the Mathematical Olympiad because he copied an answer from a fellow contestant. That event made him lose all his self-esteem. Dal-mi finds Ji-pyeong in front of her grandmother’s old corn dog stall, near the birdhouse where she and “Do-san” placed their letters 15 years ago. |
In-jae confronts the workers who are protesting their impending layoff because of her company’s AI solution. Despite the tension, she invites the leader of the workers to attend the negotiation between her company and the workers’ company.
Alex offers Do-san a job with the 2STO headquarters in Silicon Valley. Meanwhile, Director Yoon Seon-hak finds out that the brother of the Sand Box resident who committed suicide several years ago is part of the current residency program.
With the tension between Dal-mi and Do-san, the other members fear that their start-up is about to break up. Before the start of Demo Day, Dal-mi also finds out that In-jae stole the story of her father laying out the sand so that she wouldn’t hurt herself if she fell from the swing.
Episode 11: “Exit”
| Ep. 10 recap:
Yong-san is the brother of the Sand Box resident who committed suicide; he blames Ji-pyeong for his brother’s suicide. Refusing to accept Ji-pyeong’s help in case no investor becomes interested in Samsan Tech during Demo Day, Do-san accepts Alex’s offer. |
During Demo Day, somebody interrupts In-jae’s presentation. Later, Alex asks for a twin-track test of the apps offered by In-jae’s company and by Samsan Tech.
To the delight of Dal-mi, Do-san, and the other team members, Alex offers to invest three billion won in Samsan Tech.
Episode 12: “Acqhire”
| Ep. 11 recap:
Do-san’s father interrupts In-jae’s presentation and says that innovation should be slowed down to prevent the dislocation of employees. Grandma Choi allows Dal-mi’s mother to live with her and Dal-mi. Do-san brings Dal-mi to the old Samsan Tech office, where they find Chul-san and Jung Sa-ha. There, Dal-mi gets an insight into a new project. Ji-pyeong warns the team members that Alex will break up Samsan Tech once the contract is signed. |
Ji-pyeong’s worries, however, come true; Alex fires Dal-mi and Jung Sa-ha from Samsan Tech. When Do-san objects, Alex warns him that there’s a penalty of six billion won if Samsan Tech cancels the contract.
Episode 13: “Comfort Zone”
| Ep. 12 recap:
Ji-pyeong and Do-san fight over the breakup of Samsan Tech. Later, after learning that the “NoonGil” app was designed because of Grandma Choi, Ji-pyeong visits her. During his birthday celebration, Do-san keeps talking about filing a case against Alex and 2STO. But Dal-mi breaks up with him. In-jae confesses that she was not the girl on the swing. Do-san, Chul-san, and Yong-san leave for the USA. Meanwhile, Dal-mi applies for a job in In-jae’s company. |
Present times ...
Through Cheongmyeong Company, Dal-mi and In-jae plan to develop and market a self-driving system. But their project is beset with problems.
Ji-pyeong continues to pursue Dal-mi romantically, but Do-san returns to Korea.
Episode 14: “Elevator Speech”
| Ep. 13 recap:
Do-san saves Cheongmyeong Company from the ransomware attack. |
After finding out that The Morning Group is pirating her developers, In-jae confronts her stepfather. She also threatens to fire Dal-mi if she cannot recruit Do-san, Chul-san and Yong-san.
Dal-mi musters her courage and talks with Do-san. But after reminding Dal-mi of her hurtful words three years ago, Do-san walks away.
Episode 15: “Minimum Viable Product”
| Ep. 14 recap:
Yong-san tells Ji-pyeong that he no longer blames him for his brothe’s death. On the mountain, Dal-mi and Do-san reconcile and rekindle their romance. |
Chairman Won vows finds out that In-Jae has rescinded her adoption. He vows to to humiliate her by sabotaging Cheongmyeong Company’s bid proposal.
Episode 16: “Scale Up” (Finale, with spoilers)
| Ep. 15 recap:
The reporter wants to publish a story of the ransomware attack against Cheongmyeong Company to prove that the company is vulnerable and unreliable. When Ji-pyeong finds out about it, he rushes to warn Dal-mi. |
Ji-pyeong invests in a start-up that aims to help orphans, but he insists on not having any controlling shares.
Cheongmyeong Company wins the bidding against Morning AI.
Ji-pyeong makes a clean break with Dal-mi.
After rejecting her stepfather and using her “Seo” surname again, In-jae reunites with Grandma Choi.
Ji-pyeong urges Do-san to scale up Cheongmyeong Company’s business by accepting SH Venture Capital’s investment offer. They shake hands after agreeing to present the investment offer to Dal-mi.
Do-san, Chul-san, and Yong-san visit their old Samsan Tech office, which is now occupied by a struggling start-up.
As she presents Cheongmyeong Company’s technology at the bidding presentation, Dal-mi flashes back to her early days in Sand Box.
2020 ...
Historical / cultural backgrounders and other information
1. In Ep. 1, the young Ji-pyeong says to Dal-mi’s grandmother, “If you give someone shoes, they’ll run away.” Ji-pyeong is referring to a Korean superstition that if you give shoes to someone special to you, that person will run away. For more information about Korean superstitions, please read “10 Strange Korean Superstitions To Avoid.”
2. In Ep. 1, Dal-mi walks towards the Sand Box auditorium to attend a lecture with Ji-pyeong and In-Jae as speakers. That outdoor scene was filmed at the “Oil Tank Culture Park” aka “Mapo Cultural Depot Park” which has a multipurpose pavilion, information center, amphitheater, and areas for concert performances, workshops, and exhibitions.
For more information about this park, please read “Decades-old oil depot reborn as new cultural complex in Seoul” (The Korea Herald) and “Oil Tank Culture Park” (Korea To Do).
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| Sand Box facade |
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| Oil Tank Culture Park |
3. The filming location for the Sand Box auditorium is in Robot Land, Incheon.
Robot Land is “the world’s first robotics theme park, located an hour west of Seoul on a 1.15 million square meter waterfront site. It has a robot exhibition hall, convention hall and education center, robotic water rides and roller coasters and robot-themed parades, shows, restaurants and hotels.”
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| Sand Box auditorium |
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| Robot Land overview |
4. “Sand Box” is the drama’s fictional center for helping young entrepreneurs build their start-ups by providing the training, mentorship, and initial funding. “Sand Box” is inspired by Y Combinator, an American seed money startup accelerator launched in March 2005. It has been used to launch over 2,000 companies, including Stripe, Airbnb, Cruise Automation, DoorDash, Coinbase, Instacart, Dropbox, Twitch, and Reddit The company's accelerator program is held in Mountain View, California. (Wikipedia)
The Yoonmin Foundation helps start-ups in Korea. It was established in 2016 by Son Joo-eun, founder of the MegaStudy cram school in Korea.
From “The guilt of a South Korean cram school mogul” (The Korea Herald):
Last year, [Son Joo-eun] established a 30 billion won foundation to support young entrepreneurs and startups.
The Yoonmin Foundation, named after his daughter, who died in a car accident in 1991, helps innovative minds to turn their ideas into real business. This year, 500 individuals and groups applied for the grant.
“We need a change in mindset to support more innovative activities by young people,” Son said. “Even with a simple, creative idea that doesn’t catch the eyes of investors, they can knock at our door for support.”
5. The setting for the drama’s “Sand Box” is Nodeulseom Island located under the Hangangdaegyo Bridge that connects Yongsan and Noryangjin. Opened in September 2019, it has a cultural complex focusing on ecological forests and music.
6. In Ep. 3, Do-san uses Ji-pyeong’s car to drive Dal-mi home. The bridge they’re driving on is the Dongjak Bridge. Other K-dramas have also used this bridge as filming site.
Dongjakdaegyo is a bridge over the Han River in Seoul, South Korea. It carries road traffic and Seoul Subway Line 4, and Dongjak Station is located at the southern end of this bridge. It is a blue truss bridge. It is the 11th bridge overall, and the fifth railroad bridge to be completed across the Han River. (Wikipedia)
7. The corn dog stand of Dal-mi’s grandmother is located in Yeouido Hangang Park.
Part of the Yeouido Hangang Park is the floating stage (shown below). In Ep. 1, as Ji-pyeong follows Dal-mi, you can see the floating stage in the background (frame right).
8. In Ep. 1, Ji-pyeong gets irritated with the AI (artificial intelligence) speaker named “Yeong-sil” because of its wrong answer to his question. He tells his assistant that the AI speaker is an insult to their ancestors.
“Yeong-sil” refers to Jang Yeong-sil (1390 – after 1442) who was a “Korean engineer, scientist, and inventor during the Joseon Dynasty. Although Jang was born as a peasant, King Sejong allowed Jang to work at the royal palace. Jang’s inventions, such as the Cheugugi (the rain gauge) and the water gauge, highlight the technological advancements of the Joseon Dynasty.”
For more information, please read “Jang Yeong-sil (c.1390-c.1443): Korean Scientific Genius.”
Ji-pyeong’s assistant says that the AI speaker is the product of “Jiphyeonjeon Tech.” In history, “Jiphyeonjeon” refers to “The Hall of Worthies” which was a royal research institute set up by Sejong the Great of the Korean Joseon Dynasty in March 1420.
9. In Ep. 2, Dal-mi and her date watched the movie “Assassination” (2015) starring Jun Ji-Hyun aka Gianna Jun; it is currently the eighth-highest-grossing movie in Korean film history with over 12.7 million admissions. It won “Best Film” awards from the 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards and the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards.
10. In Ep. 2, Ji-pyeong refuses to invest in Samsan Tech. Yong-san then encourages Do-san with the Les Brown quotation “Don’t let someone else’s opinion of you become your reality.”
Leslie Calvin “Les” Brown (born February 17, 1945) is an American motivational speaker, author, former radio DJ, and former television host. He was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1976 to 1981. As a motivational speaker, he uses the catch phrase “It’s possible!” to encourage people to follow their dreams. (Wikipedia)
11. Park Chan-ho is mentioned and shown several times in this drama. He is a South Korean former professional baseball pitcher and the first South Korea-born player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
12. In Ep. 4, Dal-mi met Jung Sa-ha for the first time. While arguing over a copy of a book about Sand Box, Dal-mi asked Sa-ha why a lawyer was interested in Sand Box. How did Dal-mi know that Sa-ha was a lawyer?
Answer: Because of the pin or lapel badge on Jung Sa-ha’s coat. You can also see that lapel badge worn by characters in legal K-dramas such as “Lawless Lawyer.” The inset shows the biggest and clearest image that I can find of that pin or lapel badge from a picture in a Yonhap News article.
Relevant articles:
“Types of legal professionals in Korea” (The Korea Herald): “The five types of legal professionals are attorney (byeonhosa), labor law counselor (nomusa), intellectual property and patent counselor (byeollisa), general counselor (beommusa), and administrative counselor (haengjeongsa).”
“Badges of honor: what Japan’s legal lapel pins really mean” (The Japan Times): “Most famous is the kishō (badge) worn by trial lawyers (bengoshi). The scales at the center are an obvious symbol of justice.”
13. In Ep. 4, Dal-mi, Ji-pyeong, Do-san, and his friends play “Stop Go” card game. Learn the rules of this game from this YouTube video.
14. In Ep. 5, Do-san laments that the only thing that Dal-mi likes about him is his hands. Yong-san tries to cheer him up by reciting the quotation, “Man is most intelligent [of the animals] because he has hands”
This quotation is attributed to Anaxagoras, a famous early Greek philosopher (500-428 BCE). For more information about Anaxagoras, please read “The Children of Anaxagoras: Did hands make us human?” by Pablo Maurette (Lapham's Quarterly).
15. “Cheongmyeong” is the name of (a) Dal-mi’s father; (b) Grandma Choi’s corn dog stand; and (c) in Ep. 13, that company that In-jae established with Dal-mi as the CEO. The name “Cheongmyeong” is based on the seasonal holiday in Korea, which means “Day of Pure Brightness.”
“Cheongmyeong falls on the third lunar month. The name describes the gradual clearing of the sky, which occurs in spring around April fifth or sixth on the Gregorian calendar.”
“In the farming calendar, Cheongmyeong corresponds to the period during which rice paddies and dry fields are tilled in preparation for planting.”
What does the “wind” or “breeze” symbolize in “Start-Up”?
In Eps. 1-8 of this drama, there are references to “wind” or “breeze.” Some examples:
Ep 1: At the 3:06 mark, Yeong-sil (the AI speaker) tells Ji-pyeong that:
Today, the god of fate will send a gentle breeze into your peaceful life. You may run into someone you met briefly in the past, at an unexpected place.
Be careful. The person may seem like a spring breeze at first but may turn into a strong winter wind and change your life completely.
Ep. 2: As Do-san makes his grand entrance into the networking party at the 1:16:15 mark, the wall screen shows the Wizard of Oz quotation which says, “At the time the wind began to blow ...”
Note: The drama credits the quotation “At the time the wind began to blow ...” to “Wizard of Oz.” As far as my research goes, that quotation actually comes from “Ozma of Oz,” which is one of the books in L. Frank Baum’s Oz series.
Ep. 3: At the 19:49 mark, as Do-san accidentally raises the convertible’s roof, Dal-mi says that “The wind feels nice.” Do-san replies that he likes the cool breeze.
Ep. 4: Starting at the 21:46 mark, the wind blows away the Samsan Tech business card.
Ep. 4: At the 55:09 mark, Do-san explains to his father that it was the strong wind, not him, that slammed the door.
Ep. 5: At the 35:45 mark, the hair of Do-san’s father is blown up as Alex whizzes by on his scooter.
Ep. 8: At the 49:08 mark, a drunk Dal-mi opens the bus window and says, “Oh, my, isn’t the wind refreshing?”
Analysis:
1. In Ep. 1, the “gentle breeze” that comes into Ji-pyeong’s life is obviously Dal-mi. As later episodes show, that “gentle breeze” turns into a “strong winter wind” that upsets his whole life.
2. In Ep. 2, the “wind” refers to both Dal-mi and Do-san; after they meet for the first time during the networking party, their lives will change.
3. These references to the “wind” or “breeze” are not random because the beginning scenes of Ep. 9 tell us how Do-san feels and thinks about the “wind” or “breeze.” In these scenes, Do-san sits in his darkened room, holding Dal-mi’s scrunchie. He also remembers the events of the Mathematical Olympiad years ago. Do-san says:
Once again, the wind was turning into a storm, just like that day 15 years ago.
Back then, I had solved all the questions except for just one. I used to solve that type of question very easily, but I struggled with it that day. At that moment, a gust of wind blew in from somewhere. And that one line from the solution caught my eye. I thought that wind was a blessing. But that one line. Because I saw that line, I forgot the fact that I had solved nine questions on my own.
The medal felt so heavy. So I ended up ... That wasn’t why I gave it away. I didn’t deserve the medal.
That gust of wind in the exam room that day was not a blessing. Later on, that wind turned into an angry storm that destroyed my self-esteem.
The luck that came with the wind, I seized the luck. And once again, just like that day 15 years ago, I was falling apart, slowly but surely.
Simply stated, the “wind” or “breeze” represents someone or something that may either be a “gentle breeze” that’s a blessing to our lives or an “angry storm” (“strong winter wind”) that turns our lives upside down.
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| The young Do-san feels the gentle breeze turning into a strong wind. |
Lessons in cinematography and photography from “Start-Up”
A. In-depth analysis of the cinematography (visuals) of “Start-Up”
Studio Binder in its article “What is Cinematography? Defining the Art and Craft” enumerates the elements of cinematography as (1) lighting, (2) shot size, (3) camera focus, (4) shot composition, (5) camera placement, and (6) camera movement.
I’m using the term “cinematography” in a broad sense, however, to include (1) how the director blocked the actors and staged the scene, and (2) how the editor put the shots together to create an aesthetically pleasing narrative. Perhaps, instead of saying that “Start-Up” has excellent cinematography, I should say that it has excellent visuals.
1. One great example of the excellent visuals of “Start-Up” is this shot from Episode 4.
For the position of CEO, Do-san has to choose between Dal-mi and In-jae; he’s also torn between his affections for Dal-mi and the concerns of his friends Chul-san and Yong-san about Dal-mi’s lack of academic qualifications. To convey and reinforce Do-San’s emotional conflict, the director places him in the center of the frame (1) between Dal-mi and In-jae, and (2) between Chul-san and Yong-san. If you study this shot closely, you’ll also see that he’s framed by the two lamps and the two lines on the wall behind him.
2. “My Drama List” has an excellent series of articles from written by someone with the username “3GGG.” These articles are:
Popular Visual Cues found in K-Dramas [Part 1]: visual ways to establish a conflict, division, or fight between two or more characters; visual ways to establish trust, understanding, or an alliance between two or more characters.
Popular Visual Cues in K-Dramas [Part 2]: boxing to establish a character’s vulnerability, solitude, or fear; comfort and respite; change; danger; showdown
Popular Visual Cues in K-Drama [Part 3]: Dutch angle
2-A. Lines as visual cues to show establish a conflict, division, or fight between two or more characters
Examples:
Episode 1: The young Ji-pyeong feels deceived by Grandma Choi and decides to go to Seoul. The empty space between them and the edges of the glass window behind them create lines that reinforce visually the tension between them.
Episode 3: Chairman Won tells In-jae that Sang-san will take over from her as CEO of The Morning Group. Notice that the edges of the window panes and the walls create lines that divide In-jae from her stepfather and from her stepbrother.
Episode 5: Ji-pyeong confronts Do-san about what he told Dal-mi. The row of lights above them creates a dividing line between them.
Episode 10: Dal-mi finally finds out that the person who wrote to her 15 years ago was actually Ji-pyeong. To show the tension between them, the director placed them at opposite sides of the frame and divided by a line (formed by the edge of the glass panel).
Episode 10: Dal-mi confronts In-jae after she finds out that In-jae took the credit for being the inspiration for the Sand Box logo of a little girl on a swing. The row of lights above them creates a dividing line between them.
Episode 13: To the surprise of In-jae and her staff, Dal-mi applies for a position in her company. Notice that the edge of a window creates a dividing line between Dal-mi, on one side, and In-jae and most of her staff, on the other side. Notice also that In-jae and her staff occupy more of the space, indicating to the viewer that they hold the upper hand in this situation.
Episode 14: In-jae threatens to fire Dal-mi as CEO of Cheongmyeong Company if she cannot recruit Do-san and his friends as the company’s developers. But Dal-mi hesitates because of her broken relationship with Do-san. Notice that In-jae and Dal-mi are separated by a line on the wal behind them.
2-B. Boxing (or framing) to establish a character’s solitude, vulnerability, or fear
Episode 1: Dal-mi alternates between hysterically laughing and loathing herself after she impulsively told In-jae that she will bring Do-san to the networking party. Notice that she’s framed by the posts of the waiting shed.
Episode 2: With only a day before the networking party, Dal-mi has failed to contact Do-san. Her boss has also told her that she won’t be made a regular employee. This high angle shot shows Dal-mi framed by the broken escalator, reinforcing her sense of despair over her life.
Episode 2: Do-san and his partners begin selling off whatever they can in order to raise money for their expenses; they’re on a bus on the way to sell his autographed baseball to Dal-mi. On the way, the bus passes by Sand Box; while Chul-san and Yong-san are giddy seeing Sand Box, Do-san is in a somber mood. That mood is reinforced by the way he’s framed by the edges of the bus window, making him seem trapped by their dire financial situation.
Episode 3: After quitting from her stepfather’s company, In-jae uses her mother’s hotel room as a temporary office and prepares to enter Sand Box’s residency program. When her mother says that Sand Box is for those without money or connections, she says that she wants to succeed without her stepfather’s help. She also tells her mother to encourage her, just like the way she encouraged Dal-mi. Notice that they’re both framed by the door posts.
Episode 6: Dal-mi’s team is on the verge of breaking up because of the fight over the number of shares for each member. She has decided on a make-or-break plan for the division of the shares, but she’s not sure how the other team members will react to her plan. To emphasize her feelings of uncertainty, the director placed her (as you can see in the pictures below) within frames created by the elevator door, the elevator panels, and the square logo behind her. She walks down the corridor and stops in front of their office, where she’s framed this time by the door’s glass panel.
As you watch this GIF, try to visualize the frames that enclose Dal-mi. (Notice that the elevator door behind her remains open.)
Episode 8 (around 25:53 mark): Dal-mi is rejected by all the potential investors she talked to. To show her sense of despair and her deflated spirit, the director framed her with the elevator doors in front and behind her. That sense of despair is further heightened when we see the elevator doors closing on her until she disappears from the frame.
As you watch this GIF, try to visualize the frames that enclose Dal-mi.
Episode 8: As she returns discouraged to Sand Box, Dal-mi sees from outside their office Do-San and the other team members uploading their “NoonGil” app and happily making bets on how many downloads they will have. Her fragile emotional state (of having failed her team) is visually reinforced by the way she’s framed by the office door.
Episode 10: After changing into the suit that he wore during the networking party, Do-san hurriedly returns to the playground with the hope of reconciling with Dal-mi. But Dal-mi has already left. To visually reinforce his sense of loneliness and disappointment, he’s framed by the ropes of the swing.
Episode 13: In-jae and her staff are incredulous when Dal-mi applies for a position in their company. Notice that the edges of the windows create frames that divide Dal-mi, on one side and In-jae and her staff, on the other side. Notice also that In-jae and her staff occupy more of the space, indicating to the viewer that they are dominant in this situation.
Episode 14: In-jae leaves the room after threatening to fire Dal-mi as CEO of Cheongmyeong Company if she cannot recruit Do-san and his friends as the the company’s developers. Notice that Dal-mi is surrounded by several frames.
3. Techniques used in “Start-Up” to show passing of time: time lapse; montage; “focus in, focus out”; shots of the countdown timer; changes in the weather
3-A. Time lapse
Studio Binder in its article “What is Time Lapse? Photography and Film Definition” defines “time lapse” as:
... a technique where frames are shot much slower than a normal rate (e.g., 24 frames per minute instead of per second). This allows the action to progress much faster than in reality. This is typical for nature documentaries to capture clouds moving or plants growing but also finds use across other cinematic disciplines.
The Studio Binder article differentiates between time lapse in film and time lapse in photography.
We can see this drama’s first ever use of time lapse in Episode 1 at around the 35:56 mark. Episode 5 has three time lapses to indicate the passing of the 48-hour period within which the various teams must come up with a business model:
First time lapse at around the 30:30 mark (late afternoon to early evening):
Second time lapse at around the 31:48 mark (from early to late evening) Stephanie:
Third time lapse at around the 34:30 mark (dawn to early morning)
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| First time lapse in Episode 5 |
3-B. Montage
Studio Binder in its article “What is a Montage? Definition, Examples & 6 Ways to Use Them” defines “montage” as:
... a series of separate images, moving or still, that are edited together to create a continuous sequence. Montages enable filmmakers to communicate a large amount of information to an audience over a shorter span of time by juxtaposing different shots, compressing time through editing, or intertwining multiple storylines of a narrative.In Episode 2, at around the 19:03 mark, the montage shows images of snacks, drinks, receipts, etc. in rapid succession as Dal-mi takes charge in dealing with the overflow of customers in the tea bar.
The word “montage” derives from French — meaning “assembly” or “editing.”
In Episode 5 (around the 30:30 mark), the montage shows the food and snacks consumed during the Hackathon.
In Episode 6, Dal-mi waits at the hotel lobby for her mother to brag about her being accepted into Sand Box.
3-C. “Focus in, focus out”
In Ep. 9, Do-san holds Dal-mi’s scrunchie all throughout the night. His hands and the scrunchie become out of focus, and the darkness turns to light as his hands and the scrunchie become in focus.
3-D. Shots of the countdown clock
3-E. Change in weather: In Episode 1, the young Dal-mi and In-jae meet at the same location over a period of time as shown by the changes in the weather.
3-F. Sequence of time lapse and montage
In Episode 2, Ji-pyeong hesitates on what to do after failing to convince Do-san to attend the networking party for Dal-mi’s sake. He eventually decides to attend the party. Starting at the 1:13:09 mark, a time lapse (of the Seoul skyline changing from late afternoon to evening) is followed by a montage from bird’s eye view of busy streets).
3-G. Sequence of montage, time lapse, and shot of countdown clock in Episode 5:
At around the 30:30 mark, there’s a montage of food and snacks on the table to indicate the passing of time. This montage is quickly followed by a (1) brief time lapse of the late afternoon turning into early evening and (2) shot of countdown clock.
This sequence is used for the second time beginning at the 34:31 mark with a montage (an overhead shot of Do-san’s team and then the whole auditorium), a time lapse from night to day, and ending with the shot of the countdown clock.
A variation of this sequence is time lapse followed by a shot of the countdown clock at around the 31:48 mark. The sequence moves from early to late evening, to a shot of the countdown clock, and up to Stephanie Lee taking her socks off, putting on her shoes, and tying up her hair. Okay, okay, Stephanie isn’t part of the sequence. But she is just so beautiful that I couldn’t force myself to edit her out of the GIF, okay?
4. Probably the most exciting visual in “Start-Up” is that cherry blossom leaf that’s blown by the wind from Dal-mi, across the river, and then lands on Ji-pyeong. As Ji-pyeong and Grandma Choi embrace, that cherry blossom leaf is blown across the river and into the Samsan Tech office where it lands on Do-san. (The GIF that I created does not do justice, however, to this great visual.)
A lot of you will immediately notice that this scene is copied from the feather fluttering in the wind in “Forrest Gump.” What “Start-Up” added is how the cherry blossom leaf connects the four main characters in the drama — Dal-mi, Ji-pyeong, Grandma Choi, and Do-san.
5. Other observations
5-A. Whip pan (swish pan) and whip tilt
From Wikipedia: “A whip pan is a type of pan shot in which the camera pans so quickly that the picture blurs into indistinct streaks. It is commonly used as a transition between shots, and can indicate the passage of time or a frenetic pace of action.”
According to Wikipedia, this technique is used liberally by directors Anatole Litvak, Sam Raimi, Wes Anderson, and Edgar Wright.
In its article titled “What is a Whip Pan or Swish Pan: How to Shoot Whip Pan Transitions,” Studio Binder defines “whip pan” or “swish pan” as “an intentional camera rotation on the x-axis that is so fast that it creates an often disorienting blur effect.”
Studio Binder also says: “A whip pan can be simply used to generate extra energy in your scene, and serve the very simple purpose of build momentum for your story.”
For examples of whip pans, watch these YouTube videos: “Every Whip Pan in Star Wars The Force Awakens” and “Damien Chazelle: “whip pan” camera movement.
In Episode 2, the drama uses whip pan six times to show different scenes of Dal-mi rejecting her suitors because she has idealized Do-san. The GIF below shows the first two uses of whip pan to transition between scenes. Notice that the whip pan moves from left (present) to the right (past). The succeeding whip pans move from from right to left.
In Episode 2, the drama uses whip pan to transition from Dal-mi learning that the Human Resources manager wants to talk to her to the scene where she’s stunned when the manager says she can’t be promoted to being a regular employee.
When the camera pans vertically, it’s called a “whip tilt.” In Episode 1, the drama uses whip tilt to transition from a present event to past event, as you can see in the following GIFs involving Ji-pyeong:
5-B. Arc shot with rack focus
In Episode 3, Dal-mi and In-jae both apply in Sand Box’s residency program. As the camera moves around Dal-mi in a clockwise manner, she becomes out of focus while In-jae becomes in focus.
5-C. How “Start-Up” shows characters using email, social media, and Internet search
In Episodes 1 and 2, the drama shows Dal-mi searching the Internet for information about In-jae, Do-san, and her mother. It also shows her and Do-san emailing each other about the autographed baseball that Do-san was selling.
In its 2014 video titled “A Brief Look at Texting and the Internet in Film,” the Every Frame a Painting channel analyzes how movies have progressed in showing text messages and Internet searches. It says that the trend is using on-screen text messages [or images] superimposed on the frame in unique places because it is (a) artistically efficient, (b) action and reaction are combined in the same frame, and (c) is elegant in design.
What’s interesting about this video from the Every Frame a Painting channel is that it cites as one of the pioneers in this creative use of on-screen text the 2001 South Korean coming-of-age movie “Take Care of My Cat” starring Bae Doo-na and Lee Yo-won.
But this creative use requires coordination between the director and the cinematographer so that the cinematographer can properly make allowances for negative space in framing the shots and lighting contrast; see especially the two images below of Dal-mi on the train looking at her mother’s social media posts.
The video from Every Frame A Painting narrates the progression of techniques used in showing text messages in movies. It says that the trend among filmmakers is to use floating text (with no bubble) superimposed on the frame so that the viewer can simultaneously see the character and the text message.
The only scene from “Start-Up” where a text message is shown is probably in Episode 2 of Dal-mi complaining about a suitor who wrote to her about “batch made in haven.” But in the scenes showing Do-san reading Dal-mi’s email messages, the messages are shown as floating text onscreen, similar to what the Every Frame A Painting video stated.
5-D. Voice over together with animated text superimposed on the frame
Episodes 1 and 2 have several scenes where either Dal-mi or Ji-pyeong does a voice over while animated texts are superimposed on the frame. (These animated texts were created using a technique called “masking” which makes some part of the layer transparent, “with the letters fading in left to right as the mask moves to reveal them.”) Here are some examples in GIF form:
(1) Ji-pyeong, in his letter to Dal-mi, says that they must take advantage of every opportunity to express their affection for the people around them. Dal-mi then tells her father that she loves him.
(2) With Grandma Choi’s guidance, Ji-pyeong writes friendly letters to Dal-mi.
(3) Dal-mi returns to the old location of her grandma’s corn dog store to place in the bird house a letter for Do-San.
(4) Dal-mi writes to Do-san as she remembers her father’s death; notice that an animated text is superimposed on the street, parallel to the bus.
(5) Do-san reads the emails that Dal-mi wrote to him.
Why did “Start-Up” use voice over together with animated texts superimposed on the frame?
A. The article “The Voice Over and Its Use in Film” (Narrative on a Video Games and Film) states that “filmmakers use voice overs to provide quick exposition, tell stories, narrate, and provide an intimate look into the mind of a character.” The article, however, also states:
“Voice overs have a spotty reputation in the film criticism community because they are often used poorly and without much creative insight. The command ‘Show, don’t tell’ is generally regarded as a worthwhile pursuit for a filmmaker. A beautifully composed sequence or a spectacular performance by a character actor should be easily interpreted by any audience. If the film is confusing to audiences because of shoddy editing or unclear narration, it is entirely on the shoulders of the filmmaker to remedy the situation. However, the voice over flies directly in the face of the command, ‘Show, don’t tell.’”
B. The Korean audience already know from the voice over what the character (Dal-mi or Ji-pyeong) is saying. So, what purpose does the animated text serve? Furthermore, these animated cannot be for the benefit of the international audience because they can’t read Korean.
The use of these graphics are simply for aesthetic reasons; in simpler terms, they’re eye candy.
5-E. Interesting use of animated text in Episode 2
As Dal-mi, the store staff, and the customers dance and sway with their hands, the animated texts that are superimposed on the frame also sway, with the last text also increasing in size and moving downward.
The animated texts in this scene from Episode 2 was “created using probably After Effects with skew attribute and some extra size adjustment animation.”
5-F. In the scene below from Episode 1, as the camera pans from right to left, Ji-pyeong and Grandma Choi become in focus. Notice that as the camera pans, the steel railings on the right become out of focus one after the other.
5-G. As the camera pans from left to right, the characters on the letter turn from being in focus to being out of focus. The last image shows only the middle portion of the letter in focus, with the right and left portions out of focus.
5-H. Sloppy editing: eyeline mismatch
In Episode 14, In-jae confronts her stepfather and stepbrother. Notice that in the two pictures below, the eyelines match, that is, In-jae is frame right and looking to the left, while Sang-su is frame left and looking to the right.
At the 23:14 mark, however, the eyelines do not match; both In-jae and Sang-su are frame left and looking to the right.
B. Lessons in photography from “Start-Up”
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| Background blur |
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| Cross dissolve |
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| Out of focus highlights |
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| Low angle shot, scale, off center emphasis |
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| Foreground and background blur |
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| Natural frames |
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| Symmetry and balance |
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| Establishing shot, golden hour |
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| Bokeh (aesthetic quality of the blurred areas of a photograph) |
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| Lines of direction, out of focus highlights |
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| Natural frames |
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| Leading lines |
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| Shapes, natural frames |
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| Low angle shot, reflection, converging lines |
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| Low angle shot, leading lines |
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| Low angle shot, natural frame, Rule of Odds |
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| Off center emphasis |
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| Dutch angle or Dutch tilt |
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| Low angle shot, lens flare |
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| Background blur, compressed perspective |
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| Natural frame |
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| Lower quadrant composition |
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| Patterns, natural frame |
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| Symmetry and balance |
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| Symmetry and balance |
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| Background blur |
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| Natural frame |
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| High angle shot, converging lines |
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| High angle shot |
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| Linear perspective |
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| Shooting against the light |
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| Natural frames |
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| Natural frame |
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| Balance and symmetry |
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| Cross dissolve |
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| Leading line |
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| Balance and symmetry |
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| Low angle shot, shapes |
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| Shooting against the light, low angle shot |
What a great read. I love Start-up even more now that I know so much more about it!
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