4 Reasons Why We Are Obsessed With The Premiere Of "Search: WWW"

It feels like there’s a brand new office drama every week, but if you only have time for one this year, check out the new tvN drama “Search: WWW.” The level of storytelling and fleshed-out characters in this women-centered drama is shockingly good.

Bae Ta Mi (Im Soo Jung) — the fierce manager of Unicon, the most popular portal site in South Korea — might not be the sweet, naive, and clumsy K-drama heroine you’re used to, but that’s exactly what makes her interesting. Driven and calculating yet confused about whether or not she’s doing the right thing, cold but easily touched by Park Mo Gun (Jang Ki Yong), a lonely workaholic, Ta Mi believes that she’s neither good or bad. Ta Mi’s fluid moral code gets her into a lot of trouble with her former friend and current boss, Director Song Ga Kyung (Jeon Hye Jin), and Scarlet (Lee Da Hee), the manager at the second most popular portal site Barro.

Here are four reasons why we love the first two episodes.

Warning: minor spoilers below!

1. A refreshingly strong, charismatic heroine who’s relatable

Ta Mi (Im Soo Jung) is the kind of woman who cries over “Produce 101” in one scene and drags her rivals in the next. Her moments of fearlessness fall perfectly in place between faded, bittersweet memories of a broken friendship and sparkly flashbacks of Mo Gun. Although Ta Mi is obviously very observant and can read people easily, she doesn’t acknowledge her loneliness (when she’s sober). We can’t help but admire her — flaws and all.

2. Brian Min, the CEO of Barro

Quirky and strangely endearing, Brian (Kwon Hae Hyo) is the cool boss you wish you had. He hangs out with his employees in his Google-like office. Even when Brian admits to not knowing anything, he is clever enough to recruit the right people. Perhaps he’s not who he seems to be.

3. Characters that you hate and pity at the same time

Director Song Ga Kyung (Jeon Hye Jin) is smart, rich, powerful, and married to a chaebol. Literally, those are all the typical characteristics for a perfect villain, yet we see glimpses of the old Ga Kyung, the hardworking, honest woman who believed in free, open internet and her best friend Ta Mi. Every time we see a bit of warmth or vulnerability, it gets suppressed by her fear of failure or desire for more power. Or maybe there’s more to it. Her mother-in-law is the stereotypical chaebol villain and mother-in-law, but it’s clear that the portal companies are pressured by those in power.

Then there’s Scarlet (Lee Da Hee), a competitive manager at Barro who has anger management issues and jumps to conclusions. You can’t help but hate and love her ridiculousness. It’s hilarious how everyone including her boss Brian Min is scared of her. Scarlet believes in more government regulation of internet cafes and seems to be more righteous than Ta Mi. We don’t know what her problem is, but her antics are hilarious, and we can’t wait to see how her relationship with Ta Mi will evolve.

4. The funny scene-stealing sidekicks

Choi Bong Ki (Woo Ji Hyun) and Jo A Ra (Oh Ah Yeon) make the perfect sidekicks for Ta Mi. They’re funny, witty, and flexible. It’s easy to see that Ta Mi loves their bright personalities and the fact that they don’t lie to her. We haven’t seen such a fun team of misfits since “Chief Kim“!

Who’s really loyal and who’s not? We can’t wait for the next two episodes to see Ta Mi form and break alliances!

What did you love and hate about the first two episodes? Let us know in the comments below! 

If you haven’t already, catch the first episode of “Search: WWW”:

Watch Now

EvaCh10 enjoys watching unconventional office K-dramas and roots for Ta Mi and Ga Kyung. She is always on the lookout for BTS gifs, K-dramas with complex plots or mysteries, and videos and gifs of Lee Kwang Soo on “Running Man.” 

Currently watching: “Running Man,” “Search: WWW“
All-time favorites: “Healer,” “W,” “Fight My Way,” “Go Back Couple,” “Chief Kim”
Looking forward to: “Strangers From Hell”