K-drama to watch - Reborn Rookie

In the past month, I also finished My Royal Nemesis and Fifties Professionals. They were OK but felt like drag at times.

In comparison, I really enjoyed Reborn Rookie.

It ticked all the boxes. It is rated 92 on Asianwiki. Its domestic rating went up through the run (4% to 14%). Plenty of cliff hangers and I ended up pushing on. Binged the final 3 episodes as well.

It was adapted from a Webtoon, a swap-body fantasy. The main character was a soccer player whose career was cut short because of an accident with the scions of a chaebol. The father/Chairman tried to cover up the accident to save his son and daughter. He ended up swapping body with the soccer player. The Chairman lived on as the soccer player and he himself (his body with the spirit of the soccer player) was in a coma. A power struggle ensued within the chaebol. The soccer player/chairman joined the chaebol as a trainee in his plot to protect his legacy.

This was not a rom-com fantasy. Much more about corporate intrigue. The main characters had their ups and downs, very much a roller coaster ride.

But an important arc of Reborn Rookie was the relationship between the chairman and his 3 kids. A thought provoking question was a father's love may be perceived differently by the kids. The third kid was sent away when she was young because the chairman wanted to protect her from the siblings. The third kid (main female lead) thought she wasn't loved. It was touching to see the chairman (in the body of the soccer player) looked to protect the female lead at every turn.

Reborn Rookie also ticked the box when it came to having truly despicable baddies. There were two main nasties in the drama. Arguably, both got the ending they deserved.

The drama had 12 episodes. Fast paced. The ending was happy. The chairman and the soccer player both swapped back.

This K-drama is worth watching. Highly recommended. Available on Viu for free.