The epidemic is finished in Happiness, one of the most popular K-dramas of 2022, but symptoms of another outbreak loom large, perhaps echoing our own collective fears about new varieties. A failing medicine dubbed ‘Next,’ starring Park Hyung-Sik and Han Hyo-Joo, becomes the next ailment to struggle with, with side effects including a hunger for blood and brief flashes of insanity.
Happiness, like its previous predecessor All of Us Are Dead, does not enjoy depicting mad zombies doing complex, horrific vivisections of the human body. Both programs have the same undercurrent: a biting societal commentary on the primordial aspect of human life.
When the epidemic broke out in the actual world, most of us had a hard time empathizing with people who were afflicted. Getting “infected” meant being isolated in every way—society members saw you as a burden, trusted friends couldn’t assist, and the crushing loneliness of it all felt like a blow in the gut. In Happiness, Sae-Bom and Yi-Hyun attempt, but fail, to restore order to an apartment complex whose tenants are literally out for blood. When survival is on the line, adulterous husbands, a mistress, a cynical father, and a dreamy daughter don’t matter.
Another “odd sickness” becomes the final straw in the K-drama Sweet Home, as fears surface and old friends search deep into each other’s pasts to convince themselves that killing is acceptable.
All of Us Are Dead, a popular Korean drama, is unrepentant in its portrayal of adolescent toxicity. The program begins with a scenario in which two bullies are on the verge of killing their junior, which sets the tone for the remaining 10 episodes. It was then revealed that the victim’s father created the virus that is currently causing havoc on the school in the hopes of inspiring the pupils to finally stand up to their bullies.
If All of Us Are Dead demonstrated that zombies are the least of our concerns when compared to teen toxicity, and Flu addressed administrative and bureaucratic inertia, the Korean drama My Secret, Terrius demonstrated how viruses may be “weaponized” to boost fatality rates. The show premiered in 2018 and soon became popular following the coronavirus epidemic.
