Hometown (South Korean TV series)

For the 1985 American television series, see Hometown (American TV series).

Hometown
Promotional poster
Hangul
홈타운
RRHomtaun
MRHomt'aun
Genre
Written byJoo Jin[a][3]
Directed byPark Hyun-seok[3]
Starring
ComposerChoi Seong-kwon
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes12[4]
Production
Executive producerKim Geon-hong
Producers
  • Kwon Byung-wook
  • Baek Chang-joo
Running time60 minutes[4]
Production companies
Original release
NetworktvN
ReleaseSeptember 22 (2021-09-22) –
October 28, 2021 (2021-10-28)

Hometown (Korean: 홈타운; RR: Homtaun) is a 2021 South Korean television series starring Yoo Jae-myung, Han Ye-ri and Uhm Tae-goo. It aired on tvN from September 22 to October 28, 2021.[5][6]

Synopsis

Set in 1999, Hometown tells about a bizarre murder in a small town. It finds the truth of a recording tape containing mysterious serial killings.[7][8]

Plot

The series follows Jung-hyun, a young woman living in the town of Saju in 1999 with her adoptive mother and her niece Jae-yeong. She is the younger sister of Kyung-ho, a notorious hypnotist responsible for a nerve gas terrorist attack at a train station in 1987 that killed more than 200 people. Because of her connection to him, Jung-hyun and her family live under constant suspicion and hostility from the townspeople.

Detective Choi, whose wife died in the 1987 attack, remains deeply traumatized by the tragedy. His life becomes entangled with Jung-hyun’s when a high school student murders her mother after encountering a mysterious woman who appears to command her to do so. Around the same time, Jae-yeong and her classmates receive a strange audio tape containing distorted sounds and static, which begins to circulate among students.

As Detective Choi investigates the murder and Jung-hyun searches for her missing niece, the story alternates between 1999 and events in 1987. During their high school years, Jung-hyun and her classmates had explored abandoned buildings marked with strange symbols and ritual tables connected to a secretive organization known as the Yongjin cult. The group worships a mysterious figure called the “Guru” and distributes unusual tapes and candies linked to drugs imported from Japan.

Gradually, the present-day investigation reveals that many of the people connected to those earlier events have forgotten what happened in 1987. When some of Jung-hyun’s former classmates begin receiving the mysterious tapes again, they experience vivid hallucinations and disturbing dreams about the woman they once encountered. Several individuals connected to the past soon die under unexplained circumstances, deepening the mystery surrounding the cult and its influence in the town.

Detective Choi’s investigation uncovers connections between the Yongjin cult, organized crime, and powerful political figures, including his former father-in-law, the influential politician Im In-gwan. At the same time, Jung-hyun learns that her niece Jae-yeong may have been chosen by the cult as a successor connected to her brother Kyung-ho.

The investigation ultimately leads Jung-hyun and Choi to an abandoned factory where the cult gathers for a ritual involving the mysterious tape. As members prepare for what appears to be a mass suicide, Jung-hyun and Choi attempt to stop the event. However, Im In-gwan intervenes and releases nerve gas into the facility, killing most of the cult members.

In the aftermath, Jung-hyun confronts Kyung-ho in prison, where further revelations emerge about the past and the true origins of the cult’s influence. Detective Choi also learns that his late wife had secretly been involved in Kyung-ho’s plans, forcing him to reconsider everything he believed about the tragedy that shaped his life.

Following Kyung-ho’s death and the collapse of the Yongjin cult, the truth behind the mysterious tapes, the hallucinations, and the events of 1987 remains only partially understood. Jung-hyun and Jae-yeong attempt to move forward with their lives, while Detective Choi is left confronting the unresolved questions and psychological scars left behind by the case.

Cast

Main

  • Yoo Jae-myung as Choi Hyung-in, a veteran violent crime detective with fifteen years of experience who is living in misery after losing his wife to a horrific terrorist crime.[1][7]
  • Han Ye-ri as Jo Jung-hyun, Kyung-ho's sister who lives with the social stigma of being a terrorist's family. Ironically, her life was destroyed by her brother's crime, but was reconstructed through his daughter.[5][7]
    • Song Ji-hyun as young Jo Jung-hyun[9]
  • Uhm Tae-goo as Jo Kyung-ho, a convicted terrorist who is sentenced to life in prison for committing a gas attack in the town's train station in 1989.[1][5]

Supporting

People around Hyung-in

People around Jung-hyun

  • Lee Re as Jo Jae-young, Kyung-ho's daughter who is a middle school student. She is living with her aunt Jung-hyun, but suddenly disappears.[13]
  • Park Mi-hyeon as Kim Kyung-sook, Kyung-ho's mother and Jae-young's grandmother.[14]
  • Lee Hae-woon as Jung Young-seop, Jung-hyun's classmate and head of the editorial department of Gyeongcheon High School.[15]
  • Kim Jung as Jung Min-jae, Jung-hyun's classmate and member of the editorial department of Gyeongcheon High School.
  • Cha Rae-hyung as Kang Yong-tak, Jung-hyun's classmate and member of the editorial department of Gyeongcheon High School.
  • Kim Ye-eun as Choi Kyung-joo, Jung-hyun's best friend since high school.[16]

Gyeongcheon Girls' Middle School students

  • Heo Jung-eun as Moon Sook, Jae-young's best friend.[17]
  • Park Si-yeon as Production Director Jung
  • Park Seo-jin as DJ Han
  • Kim Ji-an as Lee Kyung-jin[18]

Others

  • Kim Shin-bi as Kim Hwan-gyu, a Chinese restaurant employee who lives an honest life after leaving a bad past behind.[19]
  • Yoo Seong-ju as Pastor Woo
  • Kim Soo-jin as Jung Min-sil

Production

Hometown was first announced to be aired on OCN.[1] It was also included in OCN's promotional video for its 2021 line-up.[8][20] However, in July 2021, it was confirmed that the series aired on tvN instead.[5]

Viewership

Hometown : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)
SeasonEpisode number
123456789101112
1674693515386466372287N/AN/AN/AN/A295
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[21]
Average TV viewership ratings
Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
(Nielsen Korea)[21]
Nationwide Seoul
1 September 22, 2021 2.827% (2nd) 3.090% (2nd)
2 September 23, 2021 3.307% (2nd) 4.303% (2nd)
3 September 29, 2021 2.582% (2nd) 2.781% (2nd)
4 September 30, 2021 2.043% (2nd) 2.376% (2nd)
5 October 6, 2021 1.970% (3rd) 2.246% (2nd)
6 October 7, 2021 1.644% (3rd) 1.845% (2nd)
7 October 13, 2021 1.326% (N/A) 1.245% (9th)
8 October 14, 2021 1.277% (8th) 1.330% (7th)
9 October 20, 2021 1.055% (N/A) 1.142% (N/A)
10 October 21, 2021 1.074% (N/A) 1.030% (N/A)
11 October 27, 2021 1.163% (N/A) 1.242% (N/A)
12 October 28, 2021 1.520% (6th) 1.494% (7th)
  • In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
  • N/A denotes that the rating/ranking is not known.
  • This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).

Note

  1. ^ Joo Jin is the pen name of director Cho Hyun-hoon, who was pointed out as one of the perpetrators of the Me Too movement in 2018.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Lee, Gyu-lee. "'Minari' star Han Ye-ri confirms role in OCN's thriller 'Hometown'". The Korea Times. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  2. ^ "tvN's "Hometown" Writer Turns Out to Be Director Cho Hyun-hoon From the 'Sexual Assault Issue'". HanCinema. Retrieved October 7, 2021 – via Segye.
  3. ^ a b c Kim, Bo-young. 유재명·한예리·엄태구 '홈타운' 티저 포스터... "극강의 스릴". Naver (in Korean). Edaily. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Hometown (2021)". CJ ENM. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Yoo Jae-myung, Han Ye-ri and Um Tae-goo in tvN's "Hometown"". HanCinema. Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via News1 Korea.
  6. ^ Shin, Young-eun. 유재명X한예리 '홈타운' 9월 22일 첫방송 확정 [공식]. Naver (in Korean). Retrieved August 18, 2021 – via Maeil Business Newspaper.
  7. ^ a b c "Yoo Jae-myung, Han Ye-ri and Um Tae-goo in OCN's "Hometown"". HanCinema. Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via Bridge News.
  8. ^ a b "OCN Reveals Its Best Line-up". HanCinema. Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via MoneyS.
  9. ^ Park, Soo-in (September 16, 2021). 송지현 '홈타운' 한예리 어린시절 캐스팅 "외모 많이 닮아 [Song Ji-hyun casts in 'Hometown' as young Han Ye-ri]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved September 16, 2021 – via Naver.
  10. ^ Yoo, Byung-cheol (September 17, 2021). 김새벽, tvN '홈타운' 출연... 미스터리극의 깊이 더한다 [Kim Sae-byuk will appear in mystery drama 'Hometown' on TVN]. Korea Economy TV (in Korean). Retrieved September 17, 2021 – via Naver.
  11. ^ Jang, Ah-reum. [단독] '열일' 조복래, OCN '홈타운' 합류...유재명과 호흡. Naver (in Korean). Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via News1 Korea.
  12. ^ Yoo, Soo-kyung (August 24, 2021). 배우 조복래, tvN '홈타운' 합류... 유재명과 콤비 호흡. Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Hankook Ilbo, Co. Retrieved August 24, 2021 – via Naver.
  13. ^ Son, Jin-ah. 이레, '홈타운' 출연 확정... 엄태구 딸로 등장(공식). Naver (in Korean). Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via MK Sports.
  14. ^ Choi, Hee-jae. 박미현, '홈타운' 출연 확정... 엄태구X한예리와 호흡 [공식입장]. Naver (in Korean). Retrieved August 2, 2021 – via Xports News.
  15. ^ Lee, Jae-eun (October 13, 2021). 배우 이해운 '홈타운'서 맹신도 '정영섭'으로 파격 변식 [Actor Lee Hae-woon casts in 'Hometown' as Jung Young-seop, a blind believer]. Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). Kyunghyang, Co. Retrieved October 13, 2021 – via Naver.
  16. ^ Yoo, Byung-cheol (August 26, 2021). '독립영화계 진주' 김예은, tvN '홈타운' 출연... 친근함 속 강렬 캐릭터로 깜짝 변신 [Kim Ye-eun plays the role of Choi Kyung-joo in 'Hometown' on TVN]. Naver (in Korean). Retrieved August 26, 2021 – via Korea Economy TV.
  17. ^ Yoo, Sung-yeol. 허정은, tvN 새 드라마 '홈타운' 출연..이레 단짝 친구 役 [공식]. Naver (in Korean). Retrieved July 31, 2021 – via Star News.
  18. ^ Son, Bong-seok (October 22, 2021). 신예 김지안, 아우터코리아 전속계약 [공식] [Official: Rookie actress Kim Ji-an Signs an Exclusive Contract with Outer Korea]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Kyunghyang, Co. Retrieved October 22, 2021 – via Naver.
  19. ^ Yoo, Byung-cheol (September 2, 2021). 신예 김신비, tvN '홈타운'→넷플릭스 '모범가족' 출연 확정... 본격 안방 접수 예고 [Rookie actress Kim Shin-bi confirmed to appear in TVN drama 'Hometown' and Netflix series 'Exemplary Family']. Korea Economy TV (in Korean). Retrieved September 2, 2021 – via Naver.
  20. ^ 2021 OCN 오리지널 라인업 최초 공개. YouTube (in Korean). Google, Inc. Event occurs at 0:38 – via OCN.
  21. ^ a b "Nielsen Korea (Nationwide)". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). Retrieved October 29, 2021.
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