Why Oh Jeong-se Could Not Turn Down JTBC's New Black Comedy

JTBC's most anticipated new drama of the season aired its first episode on April 18, 2026, and it already looks like the kind of show that will stay with viewers long after the credits roll. Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness brings together one of Korean television's most acclaimed creative pairings and a cast of character actors at the top of their game — with Oh Jeong-se at the center of a study in what it feels like to be successful while never quite believing you deserve it.

The Saturday-Sunday drama, which airs on JTBC and streams simultaneously on Netflix, held its press conference a day before premiere at the Stanford Hotel in Seoul's Sangam-dong. Director Cha Young-hoon, best known for the beloved hit When the Camellia Blooms, and writer Park Hae-young, acclaimed for the emotional realism of her dialogue, have brought their sensibilities together for a story that inhabits deeply uncomfortable territory — and does it as a black comedy.

What the Drama Is Actually About

At the heart of the show is a premise that resonates with uncomfortable specificity: being the one person in your social circle who seems to have fallen behind. The central character, Hwang Dong-man (played by Koo Kyo-hwan), has spent twenty years pursuing his dream of becoming a film director while everyone around him appears to have moved on to greater success. The jealousy, self-doubt, and corrosive comparison that drive his daily existence form the emotional engine of the drama.

But the title — the idea that everyone, not just Hwang Dong-man, is fighting their own private battle with worthlessness — suggests something more layered. The ensemble structure allows the show to reveal, one character at a time, that the friends who seem to have everything are each managing their own version of the same quiet despair. It is a portrait of modern anxiety told through competitive social dynamics, and director Cha Young-hoon has shaped the tone as a blend of dark comedy and genuine emotional depth.

Oh Jeong-se's Role and What Drew Him to It

Among the cast, Oh Jeong-se's character Park Kyung-se presents one of the drama's most intriguing contrasts. Park Kyung-se is, by every external measure, a success: a star film director who has already helmed five feature films and commands influence within an elite industry circle. Yet the character is described as someone who ceaselessly tries to prove his place, haunted by the anxiety of a person who has achieved everything and still fears it might be taken away.

Oh Jeong-se, who has spent years building a reputation as one of Korean drama's most dependable character actors, was direct about why he committed to the role. "Every line of dialogue was so good that I did not want to waste a single one," he said at the press conference. "I wanted to deliver every line exactly as written." That loyalty to the material — the sense that the script itself warranted protection — speaks to the quality of Park Hae-young's writing, which those familiar with her earlier acclaimed works will find immediately recognizable.

The relationship between Park Kyung-se and Hwang Dong-man, the still-struggling aspiring director played by Koo Kyo-hwan, is expected to be one of the drama's central tensions. Their dynamic is built on inferiority, envy, and the desperate need for recognition from the very people whose success makes you feel the most inadequate — a relationship that cuts deeper than simple rivalry.

A Cast Built for Complexity

The full ensemble assembled for the drama reflects serious creative intent. Koo Kyo-hwan, who broke through internationally with his performance in the Netflix series D.P. and has since built a strong filmography, plays the ostensible protagonist Hwang Dong-man. Ko Yoon-jeong, who became a household name through the hit drama Twenty-Five Twenty-One, plays Byeon Eun-a. Kang Mal-geum, Park Hae-joon, and Han Sun-hwa round out an ensemble that gives the show genuine texture and depth.

Each character is connected to the same social circle, and the drama's structural promise is that it will steadily peel back the surface of what each one presents to the world. Given director Cha Young-hoon's track record with ensemble storytelling and character-driven drama, the format is in experienced hands. The press conference on April 17 was energized, with the cast and director appearing genuinely invested in the project they had made together.

Why This Drama Matters Right Now

Part of the anticipation for the show stems from what it represents in Korean television's current creative moment. Black comedies with psychological depth — dramas willing to be genuinely uncomfortable while also funny — have found a receptive global audience, particularly through Netflix, where Korean content regularly crosses cultural borders. Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness arrives with the structural elements that tend to travel well: a relatable premise, excellent casting, and a writing voice that refuses to be either purely dark or purely escapist.

The show's premise also touches on something particularly timely. Comparisons and self-worth in the age of social media, the invisible weight of being surrounded by high achievers, the way success from the outside can coexist with misery on the inside — these are tensions that Korean dramas have historically handled with more directness than many other national television traditions, and this production seems designed to push that quality further.

For international viewers discovering the show through Netflix, no deep familiarity with Korean entertainment conventions is required. The emotions at the center — the gap between how someone appears from the outside and how they actually feel — are universal. Whether watching from Seoul, Tokyo, or anywhere else, the premise lands with precision.

Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness airs on JTBC every Saturday and Sunday, and is now streaming on Netflix. With its ensemble of skilled performers, a story built around honesty about failure and envy, and a creative team with strong audience trust, it stands out as one of 2026's most compelling new dramas. Oh Jeong-se's performance in particular — a man of outward success navigating inner collapse — promises to be one of the year's most interesting character turns.