100 Days of Deception Has Become the K-Drama Everyone Can’t Stop Talking About

October has been a very busy month for K-drama fans. So many shows to watch and so little time. Among these, Kim You Jung’s spy drama 100 Days of Deception is creating quite the buzz everywhere, and rightly so. The sixth episode, which released on Sunday, October 25, recorded an average of 9.5 per cent with a peak of 10.4 per cent nationwide, its highest yet. At the centre of the drama is a story set against one of Korea's most difficult periods.

What Is 100 Days of Deception About?

Set in 1930s Korea, when the country was under Japanese occupation, the spy drama follows Lee Ga Kyeong, a skilful pickpocket and master of deception who gets tangled with the Korean independence movement. Even though she isn’t willing to fight for the cause, she agrees to spy on the Japanese colonial government to fulfil her lifelong dream of moving to America. Joining as an interpreter trainee, she crosses paths with Sato Hideo, a Korean-born man who was adopted by Sato Shinichi, Political Affairs Director of the Japanese Government-General of Korea. What follows is deception, loyalty, romance, revenge and the fight for a free Korea.

If Kim You Jung’s powerful dialogue delivery on “If I have someone behind me, it is twenty million people of Joseon. Long live Korean independence!” has not convinced you to watch the show, here are a few more reasons the drama has been getting so much attention.

The show doesn’t shy away from showing the horrors of occupation. The atrocities, killings, discrimination and how the Joseon people are treated as less than human in their own land are depicted with considerable depth.

Instead of focusing on only one community or people, the show has people from different backgrounds and social classes coming together for the movement. A Korean American journalist, a mother who lost her child at the hands of the occupation, a chaebol daughter and ordinary people. The drama lets us see how different people with different privileges view the occupation and how they fight in their own way.

Special mention must go to the cast for bringing these characters to life.

Kim You Jung, as the skilled pickpocket Lee Ga Kyeong, with her own complicated past, slays her role with enough vulnerability and bravado. Park Jinyoung as Sato Hideo flawlessly embodies the complexities of a Korean-born man living in a Japanese home with multiple identities. Beyond the leads, Kim Hyun Joo as Yoo So Ran and Lee Moo Saeng as Yoo Philip bring the much-needed realism and emotional weight to the drama.

Jin Sun Kyu as Sato Shinichi is, to say the least, an embodiment of pure evil. His performance makes you forget that he played the lovable ex-husband in Husbands in Action earlier this year. The rest of the cast is just as memorable, with the supporting actors making sure their characters leave an impression.

The Chemistry Between the Leads

Park Jinyoung and Kim You Jung are sharing the screen for the first time, and yet they have managed to build a chemistry that feels effortless. They make you root for them before they even get together. But it is not just the main leads who share a spark. Kim Hyun Joo as Yoo So Ran and Lee Moo Saeng as Yoo Philip, the fake husband and wife, also make your hearts melt with their yearning.

But with the chemistry comes the dread, because has there ever been a spy drama with a happy ending?

A Plot That Keeps You Guessing

The drama manages to hook you into the story from the first episode. The story becomes less predictable as each episode brings more complex situations and backstories to light. The pacing is fast, and strong emotional scenes are paired with lighthearted moments to keep us invested. However, the story is bound to get more intense in the coming episodes as the stakes are rising for everyone with each passing day.

With just six episodes done, it is still early to give a verdict. Yet 100 Days of Deception has managed to win the hearts of the people. As both Lee Ga Kyeong and Sato Hideo are asked to get closer to each other, the series is set to get more intense in the coming episodes. The new episode will drop at 9:10 p.m. KST on Saturday, October 31. All six episodes are now available on Netflix.