Director Kim Da-min and Executive Producer Han Jun-hee Reveal the Story Behind Dead-End Job, a Horror Series About the Struggle to Make a Living

Premiering Friday, October 30, the Netflix series 〈​Dead-End Job​〉​is a horror series about the struggle to make a living, set at a strange employment agency that offers only “dream jobs” paying at least 50 times the usual hourly wage. The story follows young Hyuk-jun as he is sent to nightmarish workplaces. Blending the down-to-earth subject of part-time work—something almost everyone has experienced—with supernatural mystery and horror, the series delivers bone-chilling scares and a fresh kind of fun.

Director Kim Da-min said, “When I first read the script, I thought it was really fresh and fun. I felt it was the most entertaining answer to the question of whether anything could be scarier than making a living.” She added, “It naturally weaves in things like Neapolitan ice cream urban legends and all kinds of urban legends, so it also felt like a variety pack. I thought it was a story that really fit the times.” Kim wrote the Netflix series 〈A Killer Paradox〉​ and drew attention as the director of the film 〈FAQ〉. With 〈Dead-End Job〉, she makes her debut directing a full-length series.

The person who brought the project to Kim was executive producer Han Jun-hee, a director whose distinctive body of work includes the Netflix series 〈D.P.〉 and 〈​Weak Hero Class 1〉. He recalled, “When writers Kyeong Min-sun and Lee Shin-ji provocatively showed me the script, saying it was one only Shortcake could produce, its ‘unfamiliar yet sharp appeal’ really struck me.” He continued, “I found the writers’ insight fascinating: it’s scary, funny and lighthearted, but never trivial, and it keeps setting things in collision.”

To bring out the script’s appeal, Kim said, “The thing I focused on most as a director was how to reconstruct and vary the workplaces. I put the most thought into twisting and exaggerating the familiar to create a completely different kind of strange part-time job in each episode.” As a result, 〈​Dead-End Job〉 delivers a thrilling experience with ever-changing visuals and stories. Kim said, “There’s the fun of encountering a different nightmarish workplace in each episode and meeting the characters who appear in each new job.

Above all, it’s a series that’s fun to watch as Hyuk-jun struggles to survive in those places.” She highlighted what sets 〈Dead-End Job​〉 apart. Executive producer Han added, “Most people work and live on the income they earn. That makes this a story anyone can relate to and follow with ease. I think many viewers will see themselves in Hyuk-jun, a protagonist who is fighting hard to get by.”

Alongside the strange events unfolding in familiar workplaces, the colorful characters, each with their own story, are also sure to draw interest as they drive the mystery at the heart of 〈Dead-End Job〉. Kim said, “‘Hyuk-jun’ is very down-to-earth, with a bit of a sad-sack quality. He can be clumsy and frustrating, but he’s determined to try somehow, even without any special abilities. His greatest appeal is that, no matter how many times he gets knocked down, he gets back up again.” Lee Jae-wook was the perfect casting choice to lead the series as Hyuk-jun. Executive producer Han described Lee as “an actor whose face has both elegance and strength,” adding, “He was the only actor who could play Hyuk-jun, who can be both servile and stubborn, running away one moment and standing his ground the next.”

Kim described Yeon-ju as “the most mysterious and unpredictable character,” adding, “Her appeal lies in how she can seem enigmatic one moment, funny the next, and then suddenly serious.” The casting choice followed a similar logic. Executive producer Han said, “Through Yeon-ju, who is impossible to read but always seems to have a plan and a shadow hanging over her, I wanted to show Go Min-si in a way that was the opposite of her previous roles.” Ji-yoon, Hyuk-jun’s (Lee Jae-wook) younger sister, has a completely different personality. Kim said, “She’s a very straightforward person who goes straight ahead. Rather than getting scared, she’s the type to charge in first.” She added, “I think the line, ‘Are you scared of ghosts? It’s going broke that’s scary,’ sums Ji-yoon up well.”

Han added, “I wanted to show Kim Min-ha in a raw, unfiltered way. It’s a side of her that audiences have never seen before.” Finally, Kim piqued interest in the owner of Spider Employment Agency, noting, “He has charisma and always seems relaxed, so at first glance he looks like the quintessential boss. But the owner is a worker, too. That irony is what makes the character interesting.” Executive producer Han also praised Lee Hee-jun, saying, “He kept this lively series grounded so it wouldn’t fly off in every direction. I think his gravitas made 〈Dead-End Job​〉 feel believable.”