K-Drama Business Proposal Leaps from Webtoon Pages to Your TV Screen

K-Drama fans who enjoy shows that started as webtoons have a reason to celebrate. Kakao Entertainment recently announced its global hit webtoon A Business Proposal is now available as a Netflix show. The popular webtoon has garnered over 450 million views and is available on the webtoon platform Tapas in the U.S. Now a live-action series, the show features popular Korean actors Ahn Hyoseop, who was last seen in Lovers of the Red Sky, and Kim Sejung, who was last seen in Mr. Queen.

The romantic comedy was created initially as a web novel in 2017, but Kakao Entertainment transformed it into a webtoon in 2018, leveraging its expertise in creating blockbuster webtoons. The webtoon adaptation was well-received beyond Korea in markets like the U.S., Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, and India. The launch as a Netflix Series showcases Kakao Entertainment's streamlined approach to expanding the title's lifecycle using different storytelling formats. 

A Business Proposal begins with the story of Shin Hari. One day, her friend Jin Youngseo (Seol Inah) asks her to take her place on a blind date. When Hari arrives, she sees that her friend's suitor is Kang Taemoo, the C.E.O. of the company for which she works. Taemoo is a workaholic and usually has no time for romance; however, his grandfather is the one who set up the blind date, so to appease him, Taemoo decides to go through with it. He also decides to marry whomever he's meeting just to end all the forced dates.

The day after their meeting, Taemoo calls Hari and asks for her hand in marriage. This is a problem for Hari because she's pretending to be Youngseo. The show follows the blossoming romance between the two, despite Hari taking on a false identity.

The drama also has a catchy OST already, with the first song released before the first episode aired. The special track, called "Love, Maybe" by Melomance, is an upbeat song that complements vocalist Kim Minseok’s strong yet soothing voice. The second song is "Sweet" by singer Lee Mujin. The track features an acoustic guitar that gives a lighthearted feel reminiscent of new love that matches the start of the drama. 

Haehwa, the writer of the original web novel story, said this about the live-action show: "I look forward to seeing A Business Proposal come out as a T.V. series following the webtoon. I hope the show will give viewers a new sense of excitement and joy."

Tapas Chief Commercial Officer Michele Wells said, "Tapas is thrilled to partner with Netflix on the fan-favorite series A Business Proposal. For some time, we've known that our content is uniquely positioned for adaptation in film and T.V., and this series joins our recent release of Dr. Brain in proving the appeal of webcomics across media. A Business Proposal will update each Tuesday to provide our audience with ongoing episodes of the story across platforms."

The webtoon has 108 chapters on Tapas. Currently, the first five chapters are available to read for free. If you can't wait and want to read more, you can buy Tapas Ink from their Ink Shop to unlock more chapters. The company's other webtoons that enjoyed global popularity as video adaptations on Netflix Series include Itaewon Class, The Uncanny Counter, and the movie Space Sweepers.

 The first two episodes are already available, and though they have received praise on social media, fans know how quickly K-Dramas can go from fantastic to terrible. Still, based on the webtoon, one can be cautiously optimistic. Check out the trailer below for A Business Proposal.