The Item – An Item That Has Inexplicable Power

“The Item” is a Korean drama series, released in 2019, with 32 episodes, categorized as Crime, Mystery, Fantasy, Supernatural; and based on a webtoon of the same name.

SUMMARY: My innocent niece found an “item” that washed up on a rock at the beach and she picked it up. Turns out it’s an item with inexplicable power that humans don’t know how to control. Who knew?

♦ The First Time I Saw the Item a Crazy Guy Was Wearing It

In “The Item”, Kang Gon is at a train station trying to get the people to evacuate. No matter how loud he yells, nobody listens. In desperation, he jumps onto the train tracks. Nobody I going to leave now. They’re going to hang around to see what this insane man is trying to do. The people kept yelling out that he was the “murderer prosecutor”. What’s that all about? He is a prosecutor. Half of what they are yelling is true. But … ???

Kang Gon jumps onto the train track, in front of a stationary train. Another train is approaching from a different direction but on the same track as the train that’s not moving. The train will collide with the other unless … Kang Gon tries to stop the train. HOW? He’s got an “item” that gives him inexplicable power. Did he stop the train? Uuhhh … ?? Not sure. It might have been a dream. He was called to a crime scene where a woman had been assaulted. That was not a dream. But it would be where he would have a life-changing experience. He had an encounter with a crazy man.

The woman who had been assaulted said the man who attacked her was a monster and pointed to the building where Kang Gon could find him. The man was there just like she said. But what he was doing was unbelievable. The man had super-human power. Nevertheless, Kang Gon tried to overpower him so that the man could be arrested. He’s a prosecutor and should have waited for the police to arrive. But he didn’t want the criminal to get away.

Unfortunately, the criminal was not brought to justice. During the scuffle with Kang Gon, he fell to his death. Before he died, Kang Gon noticed that the man had an “item” and he deduced that it was the “item” that had given him super-human power. What Kang Gon didn’t know was that his niece was going to find that “item” washed up on a rock at the beach and pick it up. But what would he do if he possessed the “item”?

♦ Where’s the Item?

Jo Se-Hwang was a man of considerable wealth and power. Even so, he went to jail, thanks to the hard work and diligent efforts of a prosecutor named Kang Gon. Most of the other prosecutors were his lackeys who did his bidding. But he couldn’t buy Kang Gon’s integrity. When he was released from prison, he returned to his luxurious mansion that was equipped with a top-of-the-line state-of-the-art security system. It should have been impossible for anybody to gain access to a particular room where he kept an assorted collection of “items”.

But while he was away in prison, somebody got into that room and took one of his “items”. The people who work for him KNOW that he does not like anybody touching his property! The only reason he did not kill the man who was in charge of ensuring that everything in his house ran smoothly was because he chose to give him a chance to FIND THAT ITEM AND BRING IT BACK!

♦ It’s Not a Kidnapping or a Missing Person. It’s Murder!

Shin So-Young is a criminal profiler and a very good one. However, her boss and other members of the violent crimes team thinks she thinks she’s all that when she’s not! A person has gone missing and the team is treating it as either a missing person or a kidnapping. Shin So-Young suggested that they reclassify the case as a murder. If it is a suspected homicide it elevates the priority of the investigation and they will have additional resources they can use to solve the crime. Her boss brushes her off, insisting that it’s a missing person or a kidnapping case.

Shin So-Young had developed leads using her criminal profiling skills, so she pursued the search on her own. Her boss was unwilling to let her have additional manpower. She is certain that the man has been murdered and they need to find the body. While her team followed up with information that was supposed to lead them to the missing person, Shin So-Young found the dead man and reported it. Her boss was not pleased with her efforts and initiative (because it made him look bad). But he had to acknowledge that she had done her job and she did it well.

She found the dead body but what Shin So-Young didn’t know was his death would connect her to Kang Gon and Jo Se-Hwang.

• Jo Se-hwang not only uses his power and wealth to control his lackeys, but he collects “items” that have supernatural powers that he uses to eliminate anyone who tries to get in his way.

• Kang Gon is a prosecutor and Shin So-Young is a criminal profiler. As a result of both of them investigating suspicious deaths, they become entangled in the mystery that involves these supernatural “items”.

Last but not least, Koo Dong-Young is a priest who also possesses an “item”. He’s not one of Jo Se-hwang’s lackeys. But he is an integral part of the mystery.

Main Characters:

• Kang Gon (played by Ju Ji-Hoon, , “Along With the Gods 1 and 2”, “Blood Free”, “Jirisan”, “Hyena”, “Confession”, “Love Your Enemy”, “Light Shop”, “Kingdom 1 and 2”)
• Shin So-Young (played by Jin Se-Yun, “Bad Memory Eraser”, “Queen: Love and War”, “Grand Prince”, “The Flower in Prison”, “The Duo”) )
• Jo Se-Hwang (played by Kim Kang-Woo, “The Tyrant”, “The Childe”, “High Society”, “The Vanished”, “Wonderful World” )
• Koo Dong-Young (played by Park Won-Sang, “When The Phone Rings”, “Doctor Slump”, “W: Two Worlds Apart”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 6.3 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.3 out of 10 stars
• Dramabeans: 7.3 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this series 8.8 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is 9 out of 10 stars.

I was browsing the platform looking through Fantasy and Sci-Fi and this series popped up. It stars Ju Ji-Hoon and Jin Se-Yun and the trailer hooked me! I’m like: ‘OK! I gotta know what this “Item” is.’ Plus, I am usually curious about webtoon adaptations. One reviewer said “The Item” had “impressive visual effects”. Yeah. The special effects were pretty cool!

LINKS OF INTEREST:

The Item – Korean Drama Review | Kdrama Love

K-Drama Premiere: “Item” Begins A Bit Cluttered Nonetheless Baits With Interesting Plot & Characters | Hello KPop

“Haechi” VS “The Item” What To Watch? | KOCOWA+ Blog

Joo Ji Hoon and Jin Se Yeon Accept Lead Roles in Korean Drama “Item” | Kdrama Kisses

Superpowered ‘Item’ debuts with eye-pleasing visual effects | The Korea Times

TRAILER/TEASER:

K.Drama. “[ITEM] Korean Drama – Trailer.” YouTube, Video, 12 Mar. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIfkVPoR3WU.

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