I am not a huge science fiction Korean drama buff, but I loved the two main actors here in so many other Korean dramas so I decided to check out Blood Free (2024) on Disney+ / Hulu to see if it would hold my interest, and amazingly, it did! The theme centers around the people who are involved in the production of meat and fish substitutes in South Korea, with the focus here mainly on the female CEO who is a serious investor in the business titled BF Corporation (Blood-Free, meaning the meat and fish substitutes were created in the laboratory using stem cells, and no real animals or fish were killed in the process). Just a fair warning, however: if you have a thin skin when it comes to how real animals and fish are killed to make your traditional protein meals readily available then seriously consider skipping the first five to ten minutes of this drama; those scenes are very graphic!

Actress Han Hyo Joo (Spring Waltz, Shining Inheritance, Dong Yi, W, Happiness, Moving, films Love Lies, Love 911, Golden Slumber) gave an unusually introverted performance in this drama (usually her characters are more lively!), and her male lead actor Ju Ji Hoon (Trauma Code, Mask, Item, Jirisan, Light Shop, Princess Hours, films Along With The Gods, Antique, Ransomed) gave an equally quiet, deep performance playing her bodyguard.

As you can imagine the real meat and fish industries in South Korea would not be too thrilled with substitute protein products cutting into their enormous profits. There could even be violent activists who might wish to harm or kill these kinds of alternative food business CEOs, and so a bodyguard would definitely be required for their protection.

The Story:

Yun Jayu (Han Hyo Joo) is the head of a successful alternative protein production company called BF (Blood Free). The company specializes in the production of cultured meat: meat that is grown in a laboratory using stem cells from animals. The company wants to expand into alternate artificial fish products as well. This would cost many workers in the real fish industry their jobs.

Some violent activists therefore threaten Yun Jayu with death. The situation worsens when Jayu decides to continue producing alternative fish products from their stem cells despite the warnings her company constantly receives. At one point an activist throws his body off a building onto the top of a vehicle Jayu is riding in and the force of his body almost kills her. He loses his life but doesn't achieve his goal: Jayu is back at work soon enough, even on her computer in the hospital as she is recovering!

Jayu's strong motivations and ambitions are crystal clear from the first moment we meet her in the series. She runs her business with nothing but good intentions for the world and her concerns about climate change. Yet it does take a while before she gains people's trust, particularly investors'. She feels it is so incumbent on people to distrust politicians or people in the private sector meat and fish industries with a lot of power and capital. The series uses this psychology in an interesting way by consistently showing that she has a clear conscience about her profession. It does get her in lots of trouble, however. It is sad to see that her mission becomes increasingly difficult due to diplomatic and political posturing in the people surrounding her. In this way the series draws a clear parallel with reality, in which concrete steps to tackle an environmental crisis with alternative food sources invariably comes to nothing due to politicians' and activists' interference.

Yun Jayu may be the head of this mega-company, but she is a withdrawn, introverted person. She does talk a lot in her professional life, like on stages to possible investors, but in her private life she needs peace and quiet. This restraint ensures that you rarely quite know what's going on inside her head, which makes for an interesting viewing experience. However, every now and then a voice-over of her thought processes can be heard that brings us a little closer to her. Yet the series subtly keeps us at some distance from her through at least half the drama. I can't think of many other dramas that accomplish this delicate balance so well.

Jayu comes to the point where she knows she has to hire a bodyguard. She hires Woo Chae Woon (Ju Ji Hoon), a man who weighs his words carefully like she does, a typical trait of an introvert. He was once in the military and was brutalized while serving. A private bodyguard position is therefore the best fit for him after his difficult military service is over.

Besides the fact that the ensuing personal relationship of Chae Woon and Jayu provides a lot of mystery, it is also good at contrasting a cultural difference. Western viewers experience introversion very differently than Asian viewers. In the Western world there is a stereotype that introverts are boring, not social, and too distant to be trusted. In many Asian countries, however, this is reversed, and introversion is a sign of wisdom and respect; a positive trait. This creates an interesting culture shock in watching this series, from which we Westerners can learn quite a lot about Asians and their cultural mores.

The series often brings up the issue of climate change, in arguing for the need for alternative protein sources that don't kill animals or fish. It argues that the climate crisis is a paradoxical situation for which there seems to be no solution. Even if we manage to set it up in such a way that we are no longer dependent on factory farming, as shown in the series, this would still have catastrophic economic consequences for millions of people. It's a rather pessimistic view that assumes that people are not open to change at all. While it is important to make series and films about climate change, and environmental impacts of animal and fish slaughtering, a too strict conservative approach threatens to undermine hopes for improvement.

I felt far more comfortable when the series showed the two main characters' romantic relationship developing. With true love comes more wisdom and flexibility in other areas of life, and I think Blood Free succeeded at showing that philosophy very well. I think it is one of Han Hyo Joo's best performances. If you are interested in this type of realistic story do check the drama out on Disney+ / Hulu. I can guarantee it will be something you don't see a lot of in the Korean drama world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RETURN TO KDRAMALOVE REVIEWS

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~