My Mister

My Mister is a 2018 South Korean television drama that aired on tvN from March 21 to May 17, 2018. Its sixteen episodes were written by Park Hae-young and directed by Kim Won-seok. The series centers on Park Dong-hoon, played by Lee Sun-kyun, a structural engineer at a construction company, and Lee Ji-an, played by singer-actress IU. Their relationship develops not as a conventional romance but through shared exhaustion and acts of quiet solidarity.

Ji-an is a contract employee burdened by debt to loan sharks and responsible for her deaf grandmother, whom she cares for in a nursing facility. She works in Dong-hoon's office while secretly monitoring him for Do Joon-young, the company's ambitious executive portrayed by Kim Young-min. Do wants Dong-hoon removed as a rival and exploits Ji-an's precarious circumstances. The show establishes this conflict alongside Dong-hoon's strained marriage to lawyer Kang Yoon-hee, played by Lee Ji-ah. Yoon-hee has an affair with Do Joon-young, a betrayal that deepens Dong-hoon's isolation.

Dong-hoon's family life is equally important to the drama. He is the middle of three brothers, with Sang-hoon played by Park Ho-san and Ki-hoon played by Song Sae-byeok. Once marked by professional disappointments, the brothers spend long evenings at their neighborhood bar and retain a close bond with their mother, portrayed by Go Doo-shim. Ki-hoon's abandoned film ambitions and Sang-hoon's unemployment give the household a specific social and economic texture. Meanwhile, Ji-an's former schoolmate Gwang-il, played by Jang Ki-yong, pursues her over unpaid debt and violent history.

The drama's title reflects Dong-hoon's status as an ordinary salaried worker addressed as “mister,” yet the Korean title Naui Ajusshi more directly means “My Mister.” Ji-an initially wiretaps Dong-hoon's phone and records conversations, then gradually uses the access to protect him from Do Joon-young's maneuvering. Dong-hoon discovers the surveillance, but does not respond by exposing her to the company. Instead, the story tracks how his recognition of her hardship changes the balance between them.

After Ji-an leaves Seoul to escape her creditors, she eventually returns to meet Dong-hoon again years later. By then, Dong-hoon has become an executive at his company, while Ji-an has found steady work and a more secure life. The closing reunion maintains the drama's restrained tone rather than converting their connection into a conventional romantic resolution. The series also features Oh Na-ra as Jung-hee, the brothers' longtime friend and proprietor of their regular bar in their neighborhood.