‘Dead-End Job’ Tops Netflix’s Global Top 10 for Non-English Shows, Makes Top 10 in 76 Countries

According to Netflix’s Top 10 website (netflix.com/tudum/top10), this livelihood horror series follows young Hyuk-jun as he is sent to nightmarish workplaces after walking into a strange employment agency that only offers “sweet” part-time jobs paying 50 times the usual hourly wage 〈Dead-End Job​〉​ recorded 8,700,000 views (the total viewing time divided by the title’s runtime) in its second week of release, rising to No. 1 on the global Top 10 list for non-English shows. The series topped the charts in 22 countries, including South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong, and made the Top 10 list in 76 countries overall, underscoring the intense interest it has drawn from viewers around the world.

Behind-the-scenes photos released alongside the news capture the actors’ passion for their work and the warm atmosphere on set. Lee Jae-wook, praised for his all-out survival action as he tries to escape a nightmarish part-time job, commands attention. His intense performance on the so-called “tumbler” set, where an entire officetel hallway rotates, vividly conveys the desperation of the extreme situation. Moments of Ko Min-si reviewing footage between takes offer a glimpse of the effort and thought she put into bringing her own distinctive interpretation to Yeon-joo.

Kim Min-ha adds energy to the series as Ji-yoon, who plunges into the world of “sweet” part-time jobs to save her older brother, Hyuk-jun (Lee Jae-wook), showcasing her boldness and spirited charm. Lee Hee-jun also draws the eye as the formidable owner of Spider Employment Agency. Though he appears to be on the company’s side, sending people into dangerous workplaces, he also steps into the worksite himself—an ironic twist that adds a fresh note of fun to the series.

Lee Seong-hyeong, who plays the “Pierrot” and has sparked buzz since the series premiered, also stands out. A veteran mime artist and circus performer, Lee brought the role’s performance to life himself, creating realistic horror and drawing viewers deeper into the story. The photos also feature Choi Hyun-wook and Yoon Kyung-ho, who made strong impressions in the early episodes, offering a vivid look at a set filled with distinctive characters.

Production stills have also been released, transporting viewers straight into the nightmarish part-time job sites. The distinct production design for each workplace and the eerie, unsettling visuals catch the eye. As director Kim Da-min put it, “We chose a key color for each job and reflected it in the lighting and production design to create a different atmosphere for each one.” From the moment the characters leave familiar surroundings and enter a workplace, the series creates an uncanny sense of stepping into another world. The officetel featured in the milk-delivery episode is particularly striking: each floor has its own spatial character, heightening the strange atmosphere.

From unsettling murals covering the walls to visuals that shift subtly from one space to the next, the setting transforms an ordinary milk-delivery route into an unpredictable arena of horror. The cold laboratory where clinical trials take place and the grotesque tower of human bones add to the chill, while the TV-show set in Hyuk-jun’s traumatic memories prolongs the sense of dread.

From the seminar where viewers glimpse the Pierrot’s unsettling side to the Three Little Pigs, which grotesquely twist a storybook scene, the varied workplaces move between reality and fantasy. The theme park, built on a 1,000-pyeong set, is both dazzling and subtly strange, further enriching the series’ distinctive world.