From Wikipedia: “Happiness” is a South Korean television series starring Han Hyo-joo, Park Hyung-sik, and Jo Woo-jin. It is an apocalyptic thriller that takes place in a time in which infectious diseases have become the new normal. Produced by Studio Dragon, it was premiered on tvN on November 5, 2021 and airs every Friday and Saturday. It is also available for streaming on iQIYI in selected territories.
The drama is written by Han Sang-woon (“The Good Wife”) and directed by Ahn Gil-ho (“Record of Youth,” “Memories of the Alhambra,” and ”Stranger”).
Genre: action, drama, thriller, fantasy.
It takes place in a time in which infectious diseases have become the new normal. In a newly constructed apartment in a large city where the higher floors are up for general sales and the lower floors are rented out, the series depicts the subtle psychological battle and the class discrimination that occurs. The city hits rock bottom when an impending apocalypse hits in the form of a new type of infectious disease in which people suffer from unabated thirst.
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. I followed this structure all throughout, except for Ep. 12 (Finale) where I included spoilers. Reason — most people want to know if the drama has a good/happy ending or a sad ending before they invest the time in watching it.
Episode 1
Flashback ... The police department and school authorities lock down a high school because a distraught student threatens to jump off from the rooftop.
Twelve years later ... Yoon Sae-bom is a corporal in the SOU (Special Operations Unit); on the other hand, her high school classmate, Jung Yi-hyun, is a homicide investigator for the Seyang Police Station.
Yi-hyun calls up Sae-bom, warning her that a new SOU member has been implicated in a homicide where a tenant in an apartment killed two men. Sae-bom subdues the new SOU member, but afterwards, she’s taken by Lt. Col Han Tae-seok of the Central Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters to a facility that’s heavily guarded by soldiers.
Yi-hyun finds out that the drug he found in the crime scene is an anti-pneumonia drug that was widely distributed but later discontinued because of severe adverse effects. He goes to the facility where Sae-bom was taken, but at the gate, soldiers stop him.
Episode 2
| Ep. 1 recap:
The homicide suspect killed two men in his apartment by biting them. The SOU member, on the other hand, bit another officer and scratched Sae-boom’s hand. Lt. Col. Tae-seok brings Sae-boom to the Wonjung University campus, which is now a military research facility for infectious diseases. She’s tested if she has been infected; unknown to her, the whole students’ dormitory has been locked down because the students have been infected. After the SOU member tries to attack Sae-boom again, she learns from Lt. Col. Tae-seok that infected people become thirsty but that water doesn’t satisfy them. In exchange for her cooperation, Sae-boom asks Lt. Col. Tae-seok to help her get one of the apartment units offered to police officers. Remembering what Yi-hyun told her during their high school days, she asks him if they can get married. |
As Sae-bom and Yi-hyun prepare to move into the new apartment, Yi-hyun finds out from his fellow officer that Lt. Col. Tae-seok once worked for a pharmaceutical company and was charged for assaulting a company executive.
In exchange for money, Sae-bom’s partner at the SOU, Seung-young, agrees to provide a reporter with information about what happened with the SOU officer who went berserk. Unknown to Sae-bom and the SOU, he was scratched on the neck during the incident.
At the Seyang Forest Le Ciel Apartments, Sae-bom learns about the division between tenants — the higher floors are up for general sales and the lower floors are rented out. As she gives rice cakes to her neighbors, she meets a lawyer and a woman who runs several dermatological clinics.
Under orders from his captain, Yi-hyun follows Lt. Col. Tae-seok’s instructions to pretend that he’s the SOU member who went berserk and to arrest whoever supplied the “Next” drugs.
Episode 3
| Ep. 2 recap:
Yi-hyun and Lt. Col. Tae-seok meet the drug dealers, but when one man hiding in the trunk of the drug dealers’ car turns out to have been infected by the “mad dog disease,” Lt. Col. Tae-seok shoots him repeatedly. Seung-young tricks Sae-bom into taking him into the military research facility for infectious diseases. He escapes from the treatment room where he was handcuffed to a chair. He ends up inside a refrigerated truck that’s filled with people infected by the “mad dog disease.” As the soldiers struggle to keep the infected people from escaping from the refrigerated truck, Sae-bom sees that Seung-young has also become infected. |
Yi-hyun goes to Unit 601 to complain about the noise. But the owner (a doctor) apologizes, saying that his wife has been sick; he also brings out the assistant manager of his wife’s dermatological clinics as his witness.
After seeing the TV news reports of how the “mad person disease” is spreading, Sae-bom goes to the supermarket to stock up on food, water, and other supplies. At the elevator, she meets the representative of the tenants’ association, who complains about her kicking the stairway door open. She insists that the association can lock the door, but they cannot barricade it.
Sae-bom goes to Unit 601 to investigate the noises she and Yi-hyun have been hearing. She barges her way into the unit, despite the owner’s objection. When the owner admits that his wife is sick with symptoms of the “mad person disease,” she says that his wife may be normal at that time and could be talked to. She opens the bathroom door and calls out to the wife. But the owner pushes her into the bathroom and locks the door.
Episode 4
| Ep. 3 recap:
Yi-hyun finds the “Next” drugs in Unit 601; later, after finding out from the National Forensics Service that the doctor used his golf club to strike his wife’s head, he goes to Unit 601 to arrest him. Lt. Col. Tae-seok finds out from the drug dealer that he sold the “Next” drugs to the tenants-owners who frequented Le Ciel’s gym. He orders the military to cordon off all the buildings of Le Ciel; the tenants (whether owners or renters) are free to return to their units, but no one is allowed to leave. Sae-bom chooses to return to her unit; she’s surprised to see Yi-hyun coming out of the elevator, escorting the handcuffed doctor. |
During the tenants’ meeting, only a few people arrive; the tenants from the other buildings hold their own meetings because they’re afraid to come to the building where the first case of infection took place.
Yi-hyun and Sae-bom question the gym instructor about his connection to the drug dealer; later, they quarantine him as a precaution.
The drug dealer confesses to Lt. Col. Tae-seok the name of the person who supplied the “Next” drugs to him. Lt. Col. Tae-seok then goes to see the CEO of the pharmaceutical company that manufactured the drug; the CEO is the one he had assaulted.
Episode 5
| Ep. 4 recap:
The assistant manager of the dermatological clinics changes her story after she was bribed by the doctor whom Yi-hyun arrested. Lt. Col Tae-seok organized the blockade of the Le Ciel apartment complex so that children would still be in school when the blockade started. He tells Sae-boom that the parents of the young girl Seo-hyeon have probably been infected. The CEO of the pharmaceutical company that manufactured the "Next" drug is infected with the “mad person disease.” He gave the drugs to the drug dealer hoping that, as more people get infected, the research into a cure would be accelerated. He had also infected Lt. Col. Tae-seok’s wife. Sae-bom and Yi-hyun barricade their building when the infection begins to rage through the Le Ciel apartment complex. |
At an emergency meeting, Lt. Col. Tae-seok and his aide-de-camp brief government officials and news reporters on the “mad person disease” aka “Lytta virus.” The aide-de-camp tells them that because of the “Blood-Brain Barrie, there is no known cure for the disease as yet.
Concerned about the residents in the other buildings of the Le Ciel apartment complex, Yi-hyun decides to go with the people who accepted the bribe. But Sae-bom stops him, saying that he should not break the quarantine; she tells him to choose between her and the residents.
Episode 6
| Ep. 5 recap:
The condition of the old woman who was scratched by Oh Joo-hyeong’s wife becomes worse. At the barrier, Sae-bom recognizes the security officer as one of the infected people. She, Yi-hyun, and the others then go to the supermarket to stock up on food, water, and other supplies. But there, they’re chased by three infected people. Oh Joo-hyeong knew that Yi-hyun would go with the people he bribed to go outside the building. As Yi-hyun, Sae-bom, and the others who went outside plead with or threaten the tenants’ representative to open the door into their building, Oh Joo-hyeong plays on his cellphone the recorded sounds of his wife as she became infected with the disease; he hopes to attract the infected persons into attacking Yi-hyun and the others with him. Protesters gather outside the quarantined Le Ciel apartment complex to demand that the mayor apologize and that the quarantine be lifted. Lt. Col.Tae-seok orders his aide-de-camp to release an infected person they have caught into the ranks of the protesters. |
Oh Joo-hyeong finds out from his mistress that his wife bought some kind of drugs from the gym. He goes to the gym and finds the instructor who’s handcuffed to a beam. When the instructor denies selling drugs to his wife, he starts pelting him with balls. Enraged, the instructor turns into a zombie.
The lawyer gets a call from a man from another building in the Le Ciel apartment complex, who’s asking for legal help. He goes down to the basement and opens the door for his potential client.
The vlogger bribes the girl from the supermarket to go out of the building and retrieve his lost phone.
Lt. Col. Tae-seok finds out from the infected CEO that the government plans to cut off power in the quarantined areas.
Episode 7
| Ep. 6 recap:
Oh Joo-hyeong finds the stash of “Next” pills hidden by the gym instructor. The lawyer’s call for a vote to expel the gym instructor fails with the Unit 1501 owner voting with Sae-bom, Yi-hyun, and their group. Because of the reckless vlogger, two zombies enter the building and start attacking people. Yi-hyun finds out from the gym instructor that the Unit 1501 owner bought some “Next” drugs. (The owner is the guy who wanted an SOU T-shirt from Sae-bom). He goes to the unit, looking for Sae-bom, but the owner refuses to let him enter. |
Eager to escape, Ms. Ma, the aspiring novelist, gives in to the gym instructor’s pleas and tosses to him the key to the handcuffs.
Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok goes to the Le Ciel apartment complex; after saying that he’s going to take Seo-hyeon out of the complex, he tells Sae-bom that her wound hasn’t healed because the virus is still in her body. He reassures Sae-bom that the virus hasn’t reached her brain yet.
During a meeting with the residents, Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok tells them that power will soon be cut off; meanwhile, with the worsening situation, martial law is declared in Seyang city.
At the rooftop, Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok allows the infected security officer to escape.
Episode 8
| Ep. 7 recap:
Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok and his staff find a monoclonal antibody in Sae-bom’s blood. He releases the infected security officer to test if Sae-bom will get infected if she gets bitten. At the last moment, however, he shoots the security officer on the shoulder and then injects Sae-bom with a powerful sedative. Yi-hyun stops Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok from taking Sae-bom out of the apartment complex. Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok tells his aide-de-camp that because Sae-bom overcame the strong sedative, the virus might have already reached her brain. Oh Joo-hyeong (the doctor in Unit 601 who killed his wife) confirms with Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok that people become infected with the “mad person disease” by taking the “Next” drug. Later on, he melts the “Next” drugs that he got from the gym instructor and pours them into water bottles. Somebody opens the door of the building and allows the infected brother of the novelist to come inside. |
At their headquarters, Lt. Col.Han Tae-seok and his aide-de-camp check up on Seung-young, Sae-bom’s partner at the SOU. He also tells his aide-de-camp to keep secret the results of Sae-bom’s blood test.
Detective Jung-guk tells Yi-hyun that he’s worried about his wife and her medical condition; he also becomes religious after spending time with the husband of the residents’ representative, who’s a minister.
The vlogger reveals to the supermarket cashier that his mother has been infected with the “mad person disease.”
D-Day ... At the gym, Oh Joo-hyeong distributes the bottled water that he had spiked with the “Next” pills to all of the residents, the maintenance staff, Sae-bom, and Yi-hyun.
While Sae-bom and Yi-hyun are at the barricade and the residents and staff are in the gym, the siren starts blaring.
Episode 9
| Ep. 8 recap:
The lockdown continues when martial law in Seyang City is extended. Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok has given Yi-hyun some flash bangs, handcuffs, and snacks but not a gun. The vlogger tells everyone that his mother has been infected. Unknown to Oh Joo-hyeong, Yi-hyun had replaced the “Next”pills with his digestive pills. Manipulated by the minister and the residents’ representative, Detective Jung-guk threatens Sae-bom and Yi-hyun with his gun and says that Sae-bom should be locked up. |
The pastor-husband of the residents’ representative visits the infected brother of Ms. Na; he asks the infected brother to testify that Sae-bom and Yi-hyun have been infected. After he returns to his unit, he sees the mini-trail of blood on the floor.
Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok’s aide-de-camp tells him that mutations in the virus have been detected among the critically ill patients, including the infected CEO. With the need for more research on the mutations, Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok orders his aide-de-camp to open the barricade at Le Ciel so that any infected person with the mutated virus can escape.
While checking up on the infected brother of the novelist, Yi-hyun and Jung-guk become suspicious about why the infected persons didn’t attack the pastor.
Episode 10
| Ep. 9 recap:
The supermarket cashier and the pastor have both become infected with the “mad person disease.” Sae-bom locks up the cashier on the rooftop, while the minister dies after Oh Joo-hyeong sets him free and he plunges from the 6th floor to the ground below. Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok’s aide-de-camp tells him that he has to choose between his wife and his unborn child. She also says that the tests reveal that Sae-bom has antibodies. During the struggle with the pastor, Yi-hyun is scratched below the neck. |
Sae-bom fails to find Kim Se-hoon, the eccentric guy who owns Unit 1501. During a confrontation among everybody outside the unit, Andrew says that he saw Kim Se-hoon leave the building early in the morning. Later on, the resident’s representative and the male maintenance staff connive with Oh Joo-hyeong on how to get the food and water from Unit 1501.
While searching for Kim Se-hoon, Sae-bom and Yi-hyun find the lawyer and Oh Joo-hyeong’s mistress in an empty unit on the 11th floor. In one room, they also find a decomposing body that’s covered with white lime.
Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok’s wife and her “mad person disease” symptoms become worse. Despite his aide-de-camp’s warning, Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok plans to use Sae-bom’s blood sample with the antibodies on his wife. But the men sent by the Prime Minister take the sample with them.
Sae-bom begins to suspect that Yi-hyun has been infected.
Episode 11
| Ep. 10 recap:
Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok’s wife becomes better after she’s injected with Sae-bom’s antibodies. Yi-hyun arranges with Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok to evacuate Sae-bom and Seo-hyeon from Le Ciel; Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok deduces that Yi-hyun has been infected. Andrew stole the identity of the cleaner and disguised himself by always wearing goggles and a mask. He kills the cleaning lady and Kim Se-hoon. He also shoots Jung-guk as he barges into Sae-bom and Yi-hyun’s unit. |
During a meeting at the gym, the residents’ representative admits that she knew from Oh Joo-hyeong about the murders that Andrew committed in their building. Later, Andrew orders Sae-bom and Yi-hyun to turn on the building’s emergency power.
Andrew waits to ambush and kill Sae-bom and Yi-hyun; while they’re in the elevator, Yi-hyun tells Sae-bom that she has the antibodies that can be the cure for the “mad person disease.” As they open the elevator, several infected people charge at them.
After finding out that the emergency power in the building has been turned on, Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok orders his men to move the barriers closer to the building and to shoot Yi-hyun if he threatens Sae-bom.
Episode 12 (Finale), with spoilers
| Ep. 11 recap:
Oh Joo-hyeong’s mistress bashes his head with a golf club and tries to decipher the password to his cryptocurrency account based on the tattoo on his back. But when Oh Joo-hyeong regains consciousness, he pops a “Next” pill into his mouth. Yi-hyun finally succumbs to the “mad person disease” and bites Andrew. Meanwhile, Sae-bom, Seo-hyeon, Jung-guk, the lawyer’s wife, and the supermarket cashier escape from the building. Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok knocks Sae-bom out by injecting her with a sedative. Before totally losing consciousness, Sae-bom sees that people are out on the streets; martial law has been lifted. At the research facility, Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok tells Sae-bom that she will be taken by the government to a secure facility the next day. But Sae-bom says, “The world can wait. I have to save Yi-hyun.” |
Oh Joo-hyeong becomes infected with the “mad person disease” and runs berserk, biting the lawyer and chasing after his mistress.
The wife of the cleaner who was stabbed by Andrew takes a “Next” pill from Oh Joo-hyeong and makes her husband take it. In the parking garage, Yi-hyun finds the vlogger, who has been bitten by the infected persons, and takes him back to his parents.
Lt. Col. Han Tae-seok and his soldiers enter Le Ciel apartment complex. They evacuate Ms. Na’s brother, who has the antibodies. Meanwhile, in the hallway, Sae-bom confronts Andrew, who’s holding Yi-hyun as a hostage.
Lessons in photography from “Happiness”
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| Natural frame |
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| Quality and direction of light |
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| Converging lines |
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| Dutch angle or Dutch tilt |
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| Lead room, lines of direction |
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| Scale, keystoning |
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| Low angle shot |
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| Reflections |
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| Reflections |
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