The Nice Guy
착한 사나이
JTBC - Disney+ / HULU (14 Episodes)
Crime Family, Reformation & Romance
Grade: B+
Korean Drama Review by Jill, USA
(No End Spoilers)
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The Nice Guy (2025) Korean drama aired on JTBC Cable Channel in South Korea, and was released internationally on Disney+ / Hulu online. In the Korean drama market, where poignant family and workplace themes are often combined with flair, this new combination drama appeared quite old-school at first, but with the further unusual addition of a largely spiritual love relationship it seemed to be breaking some new ground in K-Dramaland. I love it when the romances in Korean dramas are slow-building and based on the mutual admiration of good character and sweetness, instead of just sexual attraction.
The drama tells the story of an introspective man from an old-time gangster family, played beautifully by Lee Dong Wook (Scent Of A Woman, Goblin, Kang Goo's Story, My Girl, Loving You, Partner, Roommate) who desires to break free of their crime-filled lives and live a more positive, traditional life, hoping to reunite permanently with his first (and only) love, played so well by Lee Sung Kyung (It's Okay, That's Love, Cheese In The Trap, Doctors, Call It Love, Sh**ting Stars). This gentle role of hers was easily my top favorite that she has played so far in her acting career.
Some of the supporting characters are played quite brilliantly by first-rate actors Oh Na Ra (My Mister, Remember, Chicago Typewriter), senior actors Cheon Ho Jin (The Snow Queen, Bridal Mask, Twinkling Watermelon) and Park Myung Shin (Queen Of Mystery, Tunnel) as well as handsome, gritty Park Hoon (Soundtrack #1, Descendants Of The Sun, Naked Fireman), plus several actors who often tend to play criminal types, such as Lee Moon Sik (Empress Ki, Rooftop Prince) and Han Jae Young (Curtain Call, Dinner Mate).
The Director Song Hae Sung (who directed the 1999 masterpiece film Calla) said that watching The Nice Guy is like enjoying "Pyongyang cold noodles": the taste is light when you first sample it, but the more you eat it, the more addictive it becomes. I partly agree with him: when it came to the mesmerizing romance in the story I was addicted, but when it came to the crime elements in the story I tended to become rather impatient, hoping they'd fly by. More time spent on the unusual romance itself would have been preferable; if that goal had been accomplished more seamlessly I would have given the drama an A instead of a B+. The pace is slow but the emotions expressed by the characters / actors are perfection.
The Story:
We meet Park Seok Cheol (Lee Dong Wook) the eldest grandson of a third generation gangster family. Despite being raised in a family that has been synonymous with criminal activity, he has a kind and affectionate heart, loves literature and poetry, and has always loved just one woman, the beautiful Kang Mi Yeong (Lee Sung Kyung), an aspiring professional musician and singer. However, their love story doesn't always go smoothly, mostly due to family and financial stresses that prohibit them from making a serious romantic commitment. The two of them constantly find themselves gingerly navigating through family duties, sentimental love, and economic survival in an unforgiving world.
Although Seok Cheol aspires to be a novelist and a poet himself, he often has to accept the reality of being the financial backbone of his family, including supporting his now elderly parents Park Sil Gon (Cheon Ho Jin) and Jo Mak Soon (Park Myung Shin), and his financially struggling single parent older sister Park Seok Kyung (Oh Na Ra), her little son Hyeong Geun (Choi E Jun), and his idealist younger sister Park Seok Hee (Ryoo Hye Young, Law And The City). Mi Yeong herself has an ailing, aging mother (Park Mi Hyun) to watch over as well.
Professionally, Seok Cheol works at Myeongsan Industries, a construction company, but he often has to compete with the leader of Samjun Construction, a jealous rival named Kang Tae Hoon (Park Hoon). Tae Hoon had been Seok Cheol's former colleague in the same organization but fate had separated them rather bitterly. Tae Hoon has also had the hots for Mi Yeong, which of course does nothing to smooth over their rivalry in love or business, and both begin to fall into the trap of using gangsters to accomplish their professional and personal goals.
It gets to the point where Seok Cheol's very life is threatened. Mi Yeong continues to work hard at her music and starts to use social media to make a name for herself, yet her concerns about Seok Cheol's safety sometimes interferes with any budding musical success she begins to experience.
Despite the ensuing gangster themes, when the romance does appear between our two leading characters, it’s a total delight. Seok Cheol’s huge, awkward grin whenever he sees Mi Yeong is heart-melting. Their cafe meetings, where his eyes crinkle in unguarded joy as he watches her sing, are pure serotonin. Lee Dong Wook and Lee Sung Kyung bring a unique chemistry in this drama that’s playful yet earnest, making the audience root for them from the first moment they are in the same scene together.
The Nice Guy is more than just another family gangster tale with a main character trying to break away from a dangerous lifestyle. It’s a poignant storytelling about day-to-day life, but without being preachy, romantic without being saccharine, and funny without undercutting the emotional weight of the scenes.
This is a drama worth watching, not for its dark scenes, but for its touching, growing human heart. Enjoy!
