One the Woman
One the Woman (Korean: 원 더 우먼; RR: Won Deo Umeon) is a South Korean television drama series that premiered on SBS on September 17, 2021, and concluded on November 6, 2021, consisting of 16 episodes broadcast on Friday and Saturday evenings.[1][2] The series stars Lee Ha-nee in dual lead roles as Jo Yeon-ju, an elite prosecutor known for her aggressive pursuit of corruption cases within the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, and Kang Mi-na, the estranged daughter of a powerful chaebol family who shares her physical appearance.[3] Directed by Choi Hyeong-hun and written by Kim Yoon, the plot centers on Yeon-ju's sudden amnesia following a mysterious accident, leading her to awaken in Mi-na's life amid a web of family intrigue, corporate scandals, and identity deception within the wealthy Hanse Group conglomerate.[4][5] Supporting cast includes Lee Sang-yoon as the chaebol heir entangled in the ensuing chaos, with the narrative incorporating body-swap elements, legal investigations, and comedic mismatches between Yeon-ju's brash personality and Mi-na's expected demure role.[1][6] The drama garnered strong domestic viewership, achieving nationwide ratings exceeding 12 percent for several episodes and peaking at its highest levels in the key 20-49 demographic, contributing to its status as a ratings success for SBS in the 2021 fall season.[6][7] Lee Ha-nee's performance earned critical praise for embodying the contrasting characters, though the series faced typical makjang tropes of exaggerated family conflicts and plot twists.[3] No major controversies marred its production or broadcast, with international availability on platforms like Netflix expanding its global reach.Plot
Synopsis
Jo Yeon-joo, a tough and corrupt prosecutor known for her aggressive tactics, suffers severe memory loss after being struck by a vehicle during a high-stakes investigation on September 17, 2021, the premiere date of the series. Awakening in a hospital, she is mistaken for Kang Mi-na, a mild-mannered and timid daughter-in-law of the influential Hanju Group chaebol family, due to their striking physical resemblance. Mi-na, who had fled her oppressive family environment prior to Yeon-joo's accident, leaves Yeon-joo to impersonate her amid the family's strained relations and hidden agendas.[1][4][8] Thrust into the opulent yet treacherous world of the Hanju conglomerate, Yeon-joo leverages her innate prosecutorial instincts to probe corporate intrigue and familial betrayals, all while piecing together fragments of her erased past. The core conflict revolves around her dual existence, balancing the facade of a compliant heiress with her drive for justice against those who orchestrated her downfall. Romantic tensions emerge, particularly with Han Seung-wook, an ostracized family heir who grows wary of her inconsistencies and aids in unraveling the conspiracy enveloping the group.[4][8] The narrative interweaves comedic mishaps from the identity swap, high-octane action confrontations, and melodramatic revelations of power struggles within the chaebol dynasty, propelling Yeon-joo's arc toward reclaiming her agency without resolving underlying mysteries.[1][4]Cast
Main Cast
Lee Ha-nee stars in the dual lead role of Jo Yeon-joo, a tenacious prosecutor known for handling corruption investigations, and Kang Mi-na, the sheltered daughter-in-law of a powerful chaebol family whose identity Yeon-joo assumes following an incident causing amnesia, driving the central identity swap and adaptation to elite family dynamics.[1] [9] Her experience in physically intensive roles, including action sequences in the 2018 film The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, equipped her for the demanding portrayal requiring shifts between investigative grit and comedic social navigation.[10] Lee Sang-yoon plays Han Seung-wook, the third-generation chaebol heir who returns from abroad to uncover the circumstances of his father's death, becoming entangled in family intrigues and the protagonist's disrupted life as he navigates loyalty and unresolved affections.[1] [11] Lee Won-geun portrays An Yu-jun, a colleague prosecutor whose professional ties and personal stakes contribute to the unfolding legal and interpersonal conflicts surrounding the lead's dual existence.[12] [4] Jin Seo-yeon appears as Han Seong-hye, a key family member whose ambitions and rivalries within the chaebol hierarchy intensify the power struggles and deceptions at the plot's core.[12] [1]Supporting Cast
Jeon Gook-hwan portrayed Han Yeong-sik, the chairman of Hanju Group, whose deteriorating health and directives on succession fuel internal power struggles and manipulations over corporate assets.[12][13] Na Young-hee played Seo Yeong-won, Kang Mi-na's mother-in-law, whose persistent doubts about Mi-na's altered personality prompt family confrontations that advance revelations of identity discrepancies.[12][14] Song Won-seok depicted Han Sung-un, the second son and Mi-na's nominal husband, whose self-serving alliances and bids for inheritance control exacerbate tensions within the Hanju family hierarchy.[13][12] Song Ha-yoon as Han Chae-won, a family relative entangled in the inheritance disputes, supports antagonistic efforts to consolidate influence against the presumed heir.[13] Among associates of the Han family, Jo Dal-hwan acted as Choi Dae-chi, Seung-wook's secretary, who handles operational logistics and gathers intelligence aiding corporate defenses and personal inquiries.[14] In Jo Yeon-ju's prosecutorial network, Kim Chang-wan portrayed Noh Hak-tae, a retired senior prosecutor leading a law firm, whose expertise and connections facilitate probes into corruption cases tied to Hanju Group's rivals.[8][12]Special Appearances
Kim Nam-gil and Jin Sun-kyu made special cameo appearances in episode 1, which aired on September 17, 2021.[15] Kim Nam-gil portrayed a priest in a heavenly sequence, echoing his role alongside lead actress Honey Lee in the prior drama The Fiery Priest.[16] Jin Sun-kyu appeared as a chicken delivery man, alluding to his comedic persona from films like Extreme Job, also featuring Lee.[16] These one-off roles, leveraging the actors' prior collaborations with Lee, injected early humor and fan service into the series premiere without advancing the core plot.[17] Behind-the-scenes content captured their lighthearted on-set reunion, emphasizing the cameos' playful intent.[15] No additional verified special appearances by other celebrities were documented across the 16-episode run.[13]Production
Development
The screenplay for One the Woman was penned by Kim Yoon, centering on a corrupt prosecutor who develops amnesia following an accident and inadvertently assumes the identity of an identical-looking chaebol housewife, incorporating identity swap conventions alongside legal investigation and comedic elements.[18] Early discussions of the project surfaced in December 2020, with SBS confirming its development as a 2021 production under director Choi Hyeong-hun.[19][1] SBS greenlit the series for a standard 16-episode run in its Friday-Saturday 22:00 KST primetime slot, positioning it as a blend of action-oriented prosecutor realism and familial intrigue within a chaebol setting.[1] No significant script revisions were documented prior to filming, though the narrative emphasized the prosecutor's high-stakes professional background to ground the trope-driven plot in procedural authenticity.[18] The creative approach prioritized dual-role dynamics to explore themes of deception and redemption, with production announcements accelerating in mid-2021 ahead of the September premiere.[19]Casting
Lee Ha-nee was confirmed for the dual lead roles on June 17, 2021, selected for her demonstrated range across genres including action thrillers and comedies in prior projects.[20] Her casting emphasized the demands of portraying both a high-powered prosecutor and a mistaken-identity housewife, drawing on her established comedic timing and physicality from earlier works.[9] Lee Sang-yoon joined as the male lead shortly thereafter, with his agency's CEO recommending the role due to its alignment with his strengths in stable, romantic characters and the script's engaging humor, which he described as the most enjoyable he had read in recent years.[11] This selection reflected a merit-based approach prioritizing actors' prior successes in ensemble dynamics and light-hearted narratives. Supporting roles, including those for family ensemble members like Jin Seo-yeon and Lee Won-geun, were finalized around the same announcement period, focusing on performers with track records in dramatic and comedic supporting parts to ensure cohesive chemistry without reported auditions or tests.[21] No casting controversies, replacements, or initial alternative considerations were publicly documented in production disclosures.[22]Filming and Technical Aspects
Principal photography for One the Woman began in the summer of 2021, ahead of its September 17 premiere on SBS, and wrapped on November 12, 2021, shortly after the series finale aired on November 6.[23] [24] The production followed the Korean drama industry's live-shoot system, involving concurrent filming and broadcasting, which necessitated rapid episode turnaround times of approximately one to two weeks per pair of episodes to align with the Friday-Saturday airing schedule.[25] Filming occurred primarily in Seoul, utilizing urban locations for street and action sequences, alongside studio sets designed to replicate affluent chaebol family estates and corporate environments. Specific sites included Paju First Garden, a popular outdoor set evoking luxurious residential areas.[26] Car chase and hospital scenes were shot on location to enhance realism in action-oriented segments.[27] The series employed practical effects and stunts, with lead actress Lee Ha-nee performing her own action sequences without a stunt double, including demanding physical feats amid a tight production schedule.[28] [29] This approach contributed to the dynamic portrayal of the protagonist's tough prosecutor persona, emphasizing authentic physicality over heavy reliance on CGI for combat and pursuit scenes. Cinematographic techniques supported the narrative's identity-swap premise through careful framing and editing to distinguish the dual roles, though specific innovations like split-screen were minimized in favor of performance-driven duality.[30] Production faced logistical hurdles from COVID-19 protocols enforced in 2021, including mandatory testing, social distancing on set, and occasional delays to isolate crew or actors, which compressed the already demanding live-shoot timeline.[31] These measures, while ensuring safety, heightened the empirical pressures of daily script revisions and on-site adjustments to maintain the 16-episode run without significant postponements. For depictions of legal and corporate intrigue, the team drew on consultant inputs from legal experts to ground procedural elements in realistic practices, avoiding unsubstantiated dramatizations.[32]Music
Original Soundtrack
The original soundtrack for One the Woman was released in multiple parts during the series' airing from September 24 to October 2021, culminating in a full compilation album on November 6, 2021, featuring 38 tracks by various artists including vocal ballads and instrumental compositions.[33][34] These parts typically included 2-3 songs each, with vocal tracks emphasizing melodic pop ballads suited to the drama's themes of personal transformation and interpersonal conflict.[35]| Part | Release Date | Key Tracks | Artists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | September 24, 2021 | "Ride a Bike by Guitar"; "I'll Hug You" | Soulman; Jungyup[36][37] |
| Part 1 (additional) | September 2021 | "Someday" | Chungha[37] |
| Part 2 | October 1, 2021 | "Tell Me"; "Still in My Heart" | Min Su; Jo Jang Hyuk[38][39] |
| Part 4 | October 23, 2021 | "Tell Me" | Min Su[40] |
Singles and Chart Performance
The original soundtrack for One the Woman included several singles released episodically to align with the drama's broadcast schedule on SBS, starting in September 2021. The lead single, "Ride a Bike by Guitar" (기타로 오토바이를 타자) by Soulman, debuted as Part 1 on September 24, 2021, featuring acoustic guitar-driven instrumentation tied to key dramatic scenes.[42] This track emphasized themes of freedom and pursuit, but did not enter the top positions on the Gaon Digital Chart (now Circle Digital Chart). Subsequent releases included "Let Me Hug You" (안아줄게요) by Jungyup as Part 2, a ballad highlighting emotional reconciliation, issued around early October 2021 to coincide with mid-series developments.[43] Similarly, Chungha's "Someday" from Part 3, released on October 15, 2021, offered introspective vocals suited to the protagonist's identity crisis, yet failed to chart within the Gaon Digital Chart's top 200.[44] Other singles like Minsu's "Tell Me" (Part 4) followed in late October, focusing on relational tension without notable chart breakthroughs.[45] These OST singles prioritized narrative integration over commercial dominance, with download and streaming metrics remaining modest compared to mainstream K-pop releases. No certifications from the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA) were awarded for digital sales or streams, reflecting limited empirical traction amid competition from non-drama tracks on the Circle Chart.[46] Their primary role supported promotional tie-ins, such as music videos and episode syncing, rather than standalone hits.Broadcast and Release
Airing Schedule
One the Woman premiered on Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) on September 17, 2021, with the first episode airing on Friday at 22:00 KST.[1][2] Subsequent episodes aired weekly on Fridays and Saturdays in the same time slot, following the standard double-episode format typical for Korean dramas during primetime.[1][47] The series comprised 16 episodes in total, maintaining a consistent schedule without interruptions or preemptions, and concluded on November 6, 2021, with the final episodes broadcast on that Saturday.[2][1] Each episode had an approximate runtime of 70 minutes, aligning with the SBS Friday-Saturday drama block from 22:00 to 23:10 KST.[1][48]Viewership Ratings
"One the Woman" garnered progressively stronger viewership ratings over its 16-episode run, as tracked by Nielsen Korea's nationwide measurements. The series debuted modestly with 8.2 percent for episode 1 on September 17, 2021, followed by 7.6 percent for episode 2 the next day.[49] Ratings climbed into double digits by episode 3, achieving 12.7 percent on September 24.[7] Fluctuations occurred, including a mid-season dip to 13.4 percent around episodes 11-12 in late October, before a sharp recovery driven by escalating plot developments.[50] Peak performance came in the latter episodes, with 16.9 percent for episode 13 on October 29 and a series high of 17.8 percent for the finale on November 6.[51][52] The overall average hovered between 14 and 16 percent, reflecting sustained audience engagement.[53]| Episode Range | Approximate Nationwide Rating (%) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 7.6-8.2 | Premiere phase |
| 3-6 | 12.7-14.6 | Initial growth |
| 7-10 | 14.1-15.7 | Steady mid-run |
| 11-12 | ~13.4 | Mid-season dip |
| 13-16 | 16.9-17.8 | Recovery and peak |