Based on the 2007
Japanese dramaPride of the Temp (ハケンの品格, Haken no Hinkaku), the comedy/drama series uses the modern Korean workplace culture as a backdrop and revolves around charismatic perfect employee Miss Kim, who's good at everything that even her bosses are a little afraid of her. But her life is shrouded in mystery and she always disappears after her three-month
temp contract is up.[3][4][5]
Always wearing a neutral-colored business suit and with her hair firmly in place, Miss Kim is a
non-regular worker. She holds 124 skill certifications in all sorts of fields, executes work with perfection, and speaks a bunch of languages including Russian. She traverses the jungle of office buildings and suddenly disappears after her three-month work contract ends. Her very name inspires awe in her colleagues, and even her superiors are afraid of her. Miss Kim goes to work at 9 a.m., and leaves at 6 p.m., unwilling to spend a microsecond more. She refuses to do work outside of her job description, never misses her lunch break, and the company wouldn't dare ask her to come in on weekends. Miss Kim says that if the company doesn't approve of her actions, it should hire three more regular employees since she does three people's work in a limited period of time. Her life outside work is shrouded in mystery: No one knows her first name, her age, or her background. Miss Kim's confidence about her ability, and also the frustration from her contract situation, allows her to be protective about her private life and blatantly reject after-work drinking sessions and other oppressive traditions of the macho corporate culture. She avoids all personal interactions, and instead chooses to live her life in her own way.
Jang Gyu-jik works in the upper management of Y-Jang Food Company (his name is a
pun on jung gyu-jik, the
Korean phrase for
permanent employee). He finished his
MBA in the United States, then returned to Korea. Upbeat and energetic and armed with professionalism and good work ethics, Gyu-jik is strongly devoted to his company, and puts everything on the line for his work. But he treats temps dismissively, thinking they only exist to assist regular employees with menial chores. Hot-headed and with a rather childish mentality, Gyu-jik keeps attempting to humiliate Miss Kim, but he is frequently stymied by her unexpected reactions. Gyu-jik and Miss Kim engage in numerous conflicts and confrontations, but gradually feelings of respect and love grow between them, two seemingly incompatible people.
Jung Joo-ri has failed countless job interviews because she came from a third-rate university and has a less-than-stellar resume. Thus, she gets hired at Y-Jang Food Company only as a temp. She tries her hardest at everything but keeps making mistakes, and she lapses into saturi (or regional/rural dialect) during stressful moments. Joo-ri has a crush on her boss Jang Gyu-jik.
He entered the company at the same time as his friend and colleague, Jang Gyu-jik. But as Gyu-jik moved up the ranks, Jeong-han kept getting left behind. Jeong-han is cold and serious (his name literally means "heartless" in Korean), and different from Gyu-jik in every way, from attitude, nature, to personal values.
Geum Bit-na (her name means "shines like gold") was hired at the same time as Jung Joo-ri. But unlike Joo-ri, she has all the right qualifications and a first-rate education, and gets hired as a regular employee. She also happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Jang Gyu-jik.