Mr. Baek – I’m Young Again and Might Go To Jail?
“Mr. Baek” (or “Mr. Back”) is a 2014 Korean drama series, with 16 episodes, and categorized as Fantasy, Supernatural, Crime, Corporate or Office Drama, Family, Romance, and Comedy.
SUMMARY: A 70-year-old man barely escaped death and survived a car accident, only to regain consciousness and find out that he has been accused of embezzling $5 million. Being framed for a crime is a shock. But the real shock is when he looks in the mirror and realizes that he’s now 30 years younger. Nobody knows about his transformation and reports him as missing. So he gives himself a new identity and then sets out to prove his innocence.
♦ That Grumpy Old Man Fired Me!
In “Mr. Baek”, Choi Go-Bong is 70 years old and runs a large hotel conglomerate. His greedy relatives are waiting for him to die so they can divide his wealth. He has only one son, Choi Dae-Han, who should inherit the business. But he’s too busy trying to avoid doing any work or learning how to run the hotel. He knows his father disapproves of him, but unlike his father’s siblings, he loves his father.
It became clear to the son who the people were who truly cared for his father when he went missing.
Eun Ha-Soo first worked at a home for the elderly. She mistook Choi Go-Bong for one of the people at the home and although he was an extremely grumpy old man, she served him cheerfully without complaint. Later on, she got a better job working at the hotel. One day she was in the room checking to make sure it was clean enough for another person to occupy when Choi Dae-Han burst into the room. He was trying to hide from his father, who was opening the doors to all of the rooms searching for him.
Eun Ha-Soo is surprised but tries to stay calm and asks if she could help him. Before she knew it, Choi Dae-Han lunged at her, they fell onto the bed, he covered them both up and put his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. His efforts to conceal himself failed. His father caught him and the young woman together, and completely misjudged the situation.
Choi Go-Bong fired Eun Ha-Soo immediately without even giving her a chance to explain. In all of the confusion, she accidentally yanked off a necklace that the son was wearing. He contacted her and asked her to return it. Eun Ha-Soo said she’d be happy to return it, IF he made sure she got her job back. After all, it was his fault she was wrongfully terminated. He agreed. That necklace was very precious to him.
♦ The Sinkhole
Eun Ha-Soo was on her way back to the hotel. Choi Go-Bong and his driver were on the same road but headed in the opposite direction. A sinkhole opened up, and they both tried to avoid it, but there was a tragic accident. Both cars fell into the sinkhole, and they were both injured and partially unconscious.
Choi Go-Bong’s doctor had given him medicine to take, and in his bewildered state of mind, he picked up something small, thinking it was his pill. But it was something else. Not sure what it was. There was a meteor shower that night, and the thing he swallowed was glowing like a bright blue star!
Eun Ha-Soo was also in a bewildered state of mind, but she could see someone near her. She crawled out of her wrecked car and reached for the person, begging him to save her, and managed to grab his hand.
Choi Go-Bong was aware that someone was holding his hand, but he didn’t know who. They both became completely unconscious. Fortunately, the ambulance and rescue team arrived, they were taken to the hospital, and they both survived. The rescuers had pulled them out from the wreckage just in the nick of time. Choi Go-Bong’s car exploded and money started floating through the air. Five million dollars was in the trunk of his car.
♦ I Escaped Death Only to Get Framed for Embezzling?
Eun Ha-Soo regained consciousness, and because she felt well enough, she left the hospital. She contacted Choi Dae-Han to re-arrange a meeting with him to return his necklace, so that she could get her job back. By this time, Choi Go-Bong had been brought home and was lying comfortably in his own bed. He is surrounded by his siblings, who are hoping he’s knocking on death’s door, and his only son, who is hoping he will regain consciousness. Choi Go-Bong did open his eyes. Of course, his siblings were disappointed, but his son felt relieved. That grumpy old man was back! The accident had not changed his attitude. But Choi Dae-Han’s relief did not last long.
Everyone left his room and Choi Go-Bong had enough strength to get into the bathtub and soak. No doubt he had a few aches and pains resulting from the car accident. He is 70 years old. One wouldn’t expect him to bounce back as if he were 40 years old. But the strangest thing happened while he was soaking in the tub.
There was nobody around to witness his transformation.
Choi Go-Bong is already in shock because he doesn’t know what happened to his body. But his shock is amplified when he hears reports accusing him of embezzling funds from his own business. Why was there money in the trunk of his car? Is someone trying to frame him to get rid of him because he wouldn’t just DIE?
Choi Go-Bong got dressed and left his house immediately. He needed to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, when his relatives came back into his room to check on him, they realized he wasn’t there. HE WAS MISSING!
Choi Go-Bong did not run away. But since nobody recognized him, he gave himself a new name: Choi Shin-Hyeong. He got a job working at his own hotel to figure out who stole the money and tried to frame him for the crime.
Main Characters:
*Shin Ha-Kyun Kdramas:
Viewership and Rating:
- IMDb: 6.8 of 10 stars
- My Drama List: 7.1 out of 10 stars
My personal rating is 8 out of 10 stars.
I became a fan of Shin Ha-Kyun when I first saw him in “The Auditors”. Now, I can’t pass on a Kdrama if he is part of the cast. He is a versatile actor and shows his comedic genius talent in “Mr. Baek”.
LINKS OF INTEREST:
Mr. Back’s presto abs and bathtub full of gold | Dramabeans
[First Impression] Mr Back | The Accidental Drama Qween
[HanCinema’s Drama Review] ‘Mr. Back’ | HanCinema
New Dramas: Pride and Prejudice, Birth of a Beauty, and Mr. Baek | Kdrama Fighting
TRAILER/TEASER:
Seung Mi Noona. “Mr Baek / Mr Back (Korean Drama, 2014).” YouTube, 13 Nov. 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzWBHzHXWgU.
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