A glamorous district in Seoul caught in the web of drug crimes, prostitution, gang violence, and corrupt prosecutors. Gangnam B-side is a series that takes viewers straight into chaos.
The plot;
In the dark and criminal world of Seoul's Gangnam district, the entertainment industry imported illicit hard drugs, distributed them to people, making them addicted to it. Call girls were no longer 'just' call girls—they were given these hard drugs without their knowledge to make them addicted while the cure was withheld for monetary gain. This was the daily routine nightlife of Gangnam city. Yoon Gil-Ho (Ji Chang-Wook) was a pimp who protected the girls under his guidance, from the perils of the dark criminal world. Even though he was a pimp, he had a sense of justice and never introduce his girls to hard drugs or allow anyone else to. The distribution of hard drugs was secretly sponsored by top celebrities and politicians.
Bibi, in her role as Jae-hee, then joined Gil-ho's group of call girls with the goal of making money to survive. In the process, Gil-ho developed a soft spot for Jae-hee—which added depth to his character. Jae-hee started meeting with Gangnam's top figures and began making money out of it.
On one night while Jae-hee was meeting with important figures, she recorded a crucial evidence linked to the illicit activities of gangnam's nightlife and the brutality exacted on humans. The powerful figures aware that Jae-hee was in possession of such evidence, stopped at nothing in pursuit of it, thereby endangering Jae-hee's life.
Gil-ho intervenes and sought justice within the corrupt city of Gangnam, he decides to protect Jae-hee at all costs—plus, he had developed feelings for her.
Jae-hee was constantly on the run—tired of fleeing , she stayed back to fight but…she couldn't survive the backlash from corrupted and dangerous environment. Ultimately, she committed suicide.
Before dying, she handed the evidence over to a friend she deeply trusted and left a letter for Gil-ho, apologizing to him.
Gil-ho was terribly devastated by Jae-hee's death and blamed the police for not being able to protect her even when he had told them she was in grave danger. Well no one could be trusted—they were all on the take.
Jae-hee's death acted as a catalyst for Gil-ho's determination in seeking revenge, despite the powerful figures that were involved.
The final battle raged on with unrelenting intensity. It was a fight to the finish.
Jae-hee was a character I loved so much, broke my heart that she had to die that way. Bibi’s character was one with no flaws.
Ji Chang-Wook has won the hearts of many people with his acting skills, in this movie and in others and I must say, my heart has been won also. In this series, Ji Chang-Wook portrayed as a bad-ass, a commanding vigilante-like figure. He stands tall in Korean acting industry and I hope he knows how much he is loved and how great of an actor he is!
An 8.5/10 and available to watch for free on loklok.
Thank you for reading.