Misaeng

by Tae-ho Yoon (Cartoonist)

Many of us had dreams when we were younger about the the life we want to lead when we grow up. For Jang Geu Rae, it was to become a professional baduk player (a game that involves chess-like strategies and skills). But when his life took an unexpected turn and he couldn’t pursue his gaming plans, the down-and-out Geu Rae is forced to get an office job and goes to work as an intern at a large company.
There, he feels like a fish out of water and relies heavily on the kindness of the reserved fellow intern Ahn Yeong Yi, tries to please his new boss, Section Chief Oh Sang Sik, and keep up with the ambitious intern Jang Baek Gi. Geu Rae also faces animosity from the other interns because they think he is a nepotism hire — getting the highly coveted internship position with only a GED and no work experience.
As Geu Rae tries to keep his head above water in the cubicle world, can he use the strategies from the game of baduk to survive in the corporate world?

Genres: Manhwa

Webtoon and Comic Book

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[John Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't speak for the graphic novel (which to the best of my knowledge is available only in the original Korean version) but I found the Korean TV adaptation, available with English subtitles on several services, to be absolutely wonderful - in fact, maybe the best K-dramas I have ever seen.