If Klem Was a Kdrama

As someone who spends quite some time on MDL, I have often thought about writing an article myself someday. But for a while, I struggled to find a topic that was interesting enough for me to write about. That was until I read the MDL article “If The Woman Behind The Counter was a J-Drama” written by user Ebisuno92. In this article, the writer asks the question what if the Czechoslovakian TV show from the 70s called “The Woman Behind The Counter” was remade into a modern Jdrama. It just so happens that I recently asked myself a very similar question while watching TV. What if Klem was a Kdrama?

“Klem”, meaning stuck in English, was a Dutch TV thriller/crime series that ran from 2017 to 2020. The series ran for three seasons and was quite successful as it was even broadcast in Belgium (on the TV channel Eén) and in the UK (on-demand on Channel4 under the name The Blood Pact).

The series follows two men, the first is the recently widowed father of two, Hugo Warmond. He’s an economist with a high position within the government’s taxation department who lives a simple life in a quiet suburb in Amsterdam. The other is Marius Milner, a criminal who has just been released from prison after completing an 8-year sentence for murder. His wife Kitty hopes his return will be the start of normal and happy family life, but quickly finds out her husband’s criminal past isn’t left behind so easily. The two men couldn’t be living in more different worlds, except for the fact that their 8-year-old daughters are not only attending the same school but are in fact best friends. Hugo, who at first is appalled by the discovery of the identity of the father of his daughter’s best friend, tries to keep the two apart, but quickly takes pity on them. And when he finds out the Milner family is in deep financial trouble, he feels, as a financial expert and fellow father, obliged to help them out. This causes Hugo to slowly but surely get stuck (Klem) in the tangled nets of Marius and his dirty dealings.

The slow descent into the criminal world reminded me greatly of Korean thriller dramas with their grim portrayal of society and the powerful people that run it with their dirty money. Shows like the My Mister (2018) similarly tell the story of how a hardworking everyday man can get tangled in shady business despite his good intentions. Besides the criminal themes in the show, Klem also examines the many hardships that come with family life like losing a partner either to death or to prison. All these themes and more made me believe Klem could work very well as a Kdrama.

This brings me to the potential Korean cast of this imagined remake.  Most of the characters were more complicated than I had initially realized, which made it hard for me to decide on the final cast. So in the end I went for multiple options (posted in no particular order) so that maybe people in the comments could help me choose.

Hugo Warmond seems, at first glance, to be a very normal, maybe even bland man. The type of guy you’ve probably seen on the subway on his way to work in a grey suit, looking bored. Having become a single father, he struggles to balance his increasingly demanding job and his children. But regardless, he is determined to make it all work. He’s an honest man with a strong sense of justice and responsibility. But these traits are also his weakness since he’s a people-pleaser that doesn’t know when to walk away. He believes that if he just carries on and puts his own needs in the background, everything, especially in relation to his family, will be okay. But just as with the character of Walter White in the American series Breaking Bad, his principles get challenged again and again. The question is whether he will stay on the right path or lose his way.

For the Korean version of this character, multiple actors came to mind, all with their own positives and negatives. My main criteria were that they had to be around 40 years old, would be believable as an everyday working dad, and were not too pretty ( as one of the main aspects of Hugo’s character is how ordinary he is).

Park Hae Soo  My first thought for casting Hugo went to Park Hae Soo. His performance in Prison Playbook (2017) convinced me of his acting skills and showed his ability to play a somewhat oblivious but lovable character. This, together with his age and his unglamorous appearance, makes him a good fit for the role. He has a kind of disarming quality about him that makes him very believable as a salaryman and dad. The only apprehension I have for this casting is that I don’t know if he would be able to pull off the more emotionally complicated scenes.

Lee Sun Kyun Someone who can pull off emotionally complex scenes with ease is the actor Lee Sun Kyun. His impressive resume, including his great performance in the Oscar-winning Parasite (2019), make him an experienced and attractive actor to play the part. In his role in My Mister (2018), he showed his ability to play a hard-working office worker that struggles to balance his personal and professional life. His age and appearance also suit the character well. My only objection to his casting would be that maybe precisely because of his role in My Mister, he would be too much of an obvious choice.

Gong Yoo  The most glamorous of my options is that of Hallyu’s golden boy, Gong Yoo. In all honesty, he would not have crossed my mind as a possible candidate for this role were it not for his performance in the movie Kim Ji Young: Born 1982 (2019). Instead of playing a hero or mysterious love interest, he plays an ordinary middle-class father and husband who slowly realizes his wife is sinking into depression and he wakes up to the reality of the patriarchal society she lives in. Although I initially thought he was a bit too pretty for this role, I realized his boyish looks might actually add to the naiveté of Hugo’s character.

Marius, the villain of the story (or is he?), is a complex character. Once a feared top dog in the criminal underworld, he finds himself in a whole different world when he is released from prison. His loyal wife has had to build a life without him and his young daughter grew up not knowing him. When he tries to reconnect with his old underworld connections, he realizes that not only does he no longer hold the same position and respect as before, some of his contacts have unfinished business with him. This causes him to revert back to his old street ways. On one hand, Marius is an impulsive and sometimes manipulative man with a short fuse that doesn’t mind using intimidation and violence to get his way. But on the other hand, he loves his family and tries to be a good and loving husband and father, and wants to give his family a good life.

The casting of this role might be the most difficult because the actor needs to accurately portray both Marius’s ruthless and gentle side. His appearance should not be chic or too well put together but a bit rough looking.

Jang Hyuk I will admit that I am a Jang Hyuk fan so he quickly came to mind for this role. His performance in Voice (2017) left a very strong impression on me. Although he plays the good guy, he brought his character so much intensity that at times he made you think he would lose all control and go down a dark path. Through this role, he showed he is more than capable of portraying a complex character with an ugly past. In addition to his age, his scruffy but not too scary appearance would also make a good choice for the role of Marius.

Kim Sung Oh  When I tried picturing a Korean Marius, the actor that visually fit the best was Kim Sung Oh. Probably best known to Kdrama fans as Ko Dong Man’s trainer In Fight For My Way (2017). His piercing eyes and facial hair match the scruffy look of Marius’s character. He proved his ability to play an intimidating bad guy with his role as the villain in the famous thriller movie The Man From Nowhere (2010). His portrayal as the psychotic criminal was thoroughly convincing and scary at times. This, together with his loveable appearance in Fight For My Way, suggests to me he could accurately portray the different sides of the character of Marius.

Joo Jin Mo Another actor that has experience playing bad guys is Joo Jin Mo. His appearance in the second installment in the aptly named series Bad Guys: City Of Evil (2017) showed the actor as a man with many dark sides. This, together with his rough appearance in the series, convinced me he would make a good candidate for the role of Marius. His award-winning appearance in the movie The Frozen Flower (2008) as the lovestruck king who slowly grows mad with jealousy confirms he has the acting chops to pull off the character successfully.

Kitty is a cheerful, slightly ditzy stay-at-home mom who lives a quiet life in a posh neighborhood awaiting her husband’s release from prison. Even though she doesn’t fully condone the way her husband makes his money, she is prepared to look the other way if it means she can enjoy a luxurious lifestyle. So she’s created her own little happy bubble away from unpleasantness. But just like her dear husband, she’s used to getting her way and is prepared to get nasty if it means achieving her goal. Deep down, though, she is a loving mother and wife who worries about the path her family is heading down because of her husband’s mess.

With the casting of this role, I think it would be important to choose an actress who is not too sweet or innocent. Preferably someone who has a bit of spice and isn’t afraid of acting unrefined.  

Kwon Nara When I tried thinking of Korean actresses that successfully pulled off a ditzy character, the real standout to me was Kwon Nara. Her appearance in My Mister (2018) as the slightly ridiculous failed actress Choi Yoo Ra was very funny and convincing. And with her recent successful main roles in hit dramas such as Iteawon Class (2020), she is quickly growing as an actress. I think it would be interesting to see how she would pull off the more mean and cunning side of Kitty’s character.

Shin Hae Sun An actress that can definitely pull off a cunning character is Shin Hae Sun. Her impressive resume shows she’s a very experienced actress. There is no doubt she knows how to play a mean girl but her more recent roles in dramas such as Angels Last Mission: Love (2019) and Stranger (2017) revealed she is also very versatile. I believe talent and range wise she would be one of the best actresses for the role of Kitty.

Seo Ji Hye In her role in Crash Landing On You (2019), Seo Ji Hye played the slightly scary, self-assured Seo Dan. Asserting herself as someone who can convincingly play an intimidating person. But she also managed to show the more insecure and vulnerable sides of the character, which made me believe she would be able to accurately showcase the loving, motherly side of Kitty as well as her tough, selfish side. I think she has much potential and that this role could reveal a new path for her as a rising actress within the industry.

Laura Warmond, 17 (originally played by Marie-Mae van Zuilen)

The eldest daughter of Hugo and very much the rebellious teenager that likes to make life difficult for her family, Laura is just starting out to find her independence and the world of dating. But she is also very protective of her younger sister and isn’t afraid of calling out grown-ups on their crap.

Jung Da Bin  Her thoroughly convincing and heart-breaking role as troubled teenager Seo Min Hee in Extracurricular (2020) showed Jung Da Bin knows how to play a difficult and impulsive character. Together with her sweet face, I think she would make a good Laura.		Hong Seung Hee  In her role as the cute and energetic Yoon Na Mu in the series Move To Heaven (2021), Hong Seung Hee found a spot in my heart but also made her ability to play a character with an iron will very clear. Something that would fit the role of Laura very well.

Hannah Lopez Diaz, 25 (originally played by Jamie Grant)

We discover early on in the series that Hugo has secretly started seeing a girlfriend for the first time after losing his wife, who he has met at the choir they both sing in. Hannah is an ambitious medical student who quickly falls for Hugo, but despite her young age, she understands the complexity of revealing their relationship to his family. Although she struggles with keeping the relationship hidden, especially when Hugo starts drifting further away from her as he gets caught up in Marius’s dealings.

Choi Seung Eun  Her very impressive performance in the thriller Beyond Evil (2021) left me with a strong impression. I think her ability to portray a determined character would fit this role well. And to be honest, I would just want her in the show because she’s so talented.		Kim Seol Hyun Having played in intense movies such as Gangnam 1970 (2015) and Memoir Of A Murderer (2017), I think Kim Seol Hyun would have the experience to stand her own in a thriller drama. Besides that, I think her visuals would fit the character well.

While researching the recasting, I came to realize I know very little about child actors, so the ones that I chose, in the end, we’re mostly done so for their talent. If any readers would know of better-fitting actresses to play these characters, their suggestions would be much appreciated.

Suus Warmond, 8 (originally played by Yenthe Bos) The youngest child of Hugo, she is still getting over the death of her mother. She also struggles with her father’s increasingly busy schedule and consequently acts out from time to time to get her father’s attention. She can be a bit sneaky and selfish but beneath, she is a sweet child who takes her friendship with her best friend Chrissy very seriously.		Chrissy van Mook, 8 (originally played by Zoe Cusell) The more bratty of the two, Chrissy can be a bit of a princess. Just like her parents, she knows what she wants and comes across as a bit entitled. But her unconventional home life is partially to blame for that. In reality, just like any other child, she just wants her parents’ love and attention. And just like for her best friend Suus, their friendship is an important stabilizing force in their complicated home-life.
Kim Soo In Despite her young age, she showed a strong performance in the drama It’s Okay Not To Be Okay (2020). And her delicate face would fit well with the vibe of the Warmond family and the original actress.		Heo Yool For this character, I choose Heo Yool. She showed much promise in her role as Kim Su Yeong in Sweet Home (2020) and her role in the acclaimed movie Mother (2018).

To close off this article, I would just like to say how much fun it has been trying to imagine this fictive remake. It made me respect casting directors a lot more than I did before. I had no idea how hard their job was. I would also like to thank Ebisuno92 for opening my eyes to writing an “If _ Was A _Drama” type of article for a European series. Now let’s hope that one miraculous day, this remake actually happens. If it does, they know where to find me!

Mar Xx

^{Edited by: devitto (1st editor), BrightestStar (2nd editor)}

kdrama
jang hyuk
gong yoo
kwon nara
park hae soo
seo ji hye
lee sun kyun
kim sung oh
klem
dutch
fictive remake
joo jin mo
shin hae sun