Because This Is My First Life () is a 2017 South Korean television series starring Lee Min-ki and Jung So-min that explores different points of view on careers, relationships, marriage, and love. The series marks Lee Min-ki's first small-screen lead role since 2007. It aired on tvN from October 9 to November 28, 2017, every Monday and Tuesday at 21:30 (KST).
Synopsis Socially awkward IT employee Nam Se-hee (Lee Min-ki) and broke homeless writer Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min) agree to a marriage of convenience by signing a contract of two years, wherein they agree to the terms and conditions of only being landlord and tenant, sharing their home based on common goals and values. Things do not go as planned when the housemates' pact of platonic cohabitation is interfered with by their trauma, social expectations, and familial interventions.
Cast Main Lee Min-ki as Nam Se-hee, a quirky and apathetic computer designer who has bought an expensive townhouse and rents out his extra room to help with the mortgage. He spends his days at work or home with his cat and has no plans to date or marry. After a series of bad tenants, he rates Ji-ho very highly and, believing she is a male, he offers her the room. Jung So-min as Yoon Ji-ho, an assistant screenwriter who moves out of the home she shares with her brother when he marries his pregnant girlfriend. Currently between projects, she rents the room from Se-hee (who Ji-ho thinks is female) because the rent is affordable and no deposit is required. After working hard at her career throughout her twenties, at age 30 she has never dated and has a career crisis that causes her to rethink her goals.
Supporting Esom as Woo Su-ji, a school friend of Ji-ho who works in a corporate office. Her dream was to be the CEO of her own business but she is trapped in a well-paying position where she must bear with frequent sexual harassment from her male colleagues. Park Byung-eun as Ma Sang-goo, Se-hee's friend since college and CEO of the company where Se-hee works. Kim Ga-eun as Yang Ho-rang, a school friend of Ji-ho who is a hostess at a restaurant/bar and dreams of becoming a wife and mother. Kim Min-seok as Sim Won-seok, Ho-rang's long-time boyfriend and a school friend of Ji-ho and Ho-rang, who is the CEO of a startup company which is having problems getting an investor.
People around Nam Se-hee Kim Eung-soo as Nam Hee-bong, Se-hee's father who is a former high school principal. Moon Hee-kyung as Jo Myung-ji, Se-hee's mother who is a full-time housewife.
People around Yoon Ji-ho Kim Byeong-ok as Yoon Jong-soo, Ji-ho's father who is a car center operator. Kim Sun-young as Kim Hyun-ja, Ji-ho's mother who is a full-time housewife. Noh Jong-hyun as Yoon Ji-suk, Ji-ho's younger brother. Jeon Hye-won as Lee Eun-sol, Ji-suk's pregnant wife.
Extended Kim Min-kyu as Yeon Bok-nam, a colleague of Ji-ho's. Lee Chung-ah as Go Jung-min, Se-hee's ex-girlfriend, a successful businesswoman. Yoon Bo-mi as Yoon Bo-mi, a data analyst who works with Se-hee. Hwang Seok-jeong as Writer Hwang.
Special appearances Yoon Doo-joon (Episode 1) Yoon So-hee (Episode 1) Kim Wook as a director
Episodes Episode TitleSynopsis1Because This Is My First 30th BirthdayJi-ho becomes homeless on her 30th birthday after her brother moves his pregnant girlfriend into their shared home. Se-hee, an IT professional seeking a roommate to pay his mortgage, mistakenly believes Ji-ho is a man. They agree to live together without meeting in person. After a chance encounter at a bus stop where they share a deep conversation about their "first lives," Ji-ho impulsively kisses Se-hee before fleeing.2Because This Is My First KissJi-ho and Se-hee discover each other's true identities when they finally meet at the apartment. Despite the awkwardness of the kiss, they initially decide they cannot live together due to gender. However, Se-hee realizes Ji-ho is the most efficient and clean tenant he has ever had, and Ji-ho realizes she has nowhere else to go.3Because This Is My First ProposalSe-hee proposes a "contract marriage" to Ji-ho to satisfy his parents' pressure to marry and her need for a stable home. Ji-ho is confused but considers it after facing more career setbacks. Meanwhile, Su-ji and Sang-goo reunite, though Su-ji pretends not to remember their past encounter.4Because This Is My First MarriageThey decide to go through with the marriage. Ji-ho introduces Se-hee to her family as her "boyfriend"; he must work hard to gain her father's approval. Won-seok tries to reconcile with Ho-rang by buying her a sofa, but misinterprets her desire for marriage.5Because This Is My First PromiseThe couple's parents meet. While Ji-ho and Se-hee want a simple contract, their parents demand a traditional wedding ceremony. They eventually agree to the ceremony to keep up appearances.6Because This Is Our First TimeThe wedding takes place. Ji-ho becomes emotional after reading a moving letter from her mother. Se-hee comforts her, marking a shift in their strictly business relationship.7Because This Is My First YOLOJi-ho gets a job at a cafe with the help of a young man named Bok-nam. Se-hee begins to feel unexpected jealousy when he sees the two together.8Because This Is My First DesireSe-hee's protective instincts kick in regarding Bok-nam, whom he suspects of being a stalker. Sang-goo continues to pursue Su-ji, but she maintains her professional walls.9Because This Is My First HusbandSe-hee saves Ji-ho from a potentially dangerous situation with Bok-nam, who later clarifies he is not malicious but was caught in a phishing scam, making him seem knowledgeable about Se-hee and Ji-ho's life, including their marriage. Se-hee apologizes to him for jumping to the wrong conclusions. Back home, Se-hee and Ji-ho have an honest conversation about their arrangement and their growing comfort with one another.10Because This Is My First Time Having In-lawsJi-ho realizes she is developing romantic feelings for Se-hee. This is complicated by a surprise visit from Se-hee's mother, forcing them to navigate the realities of being "in-laws".11Because This Is My First BeachSe-hee takes his first-ever day off from work to travel to Ji-ho's hometown, Namhae, to help her family make kimchi. This experience brings the two closer as they share more about their personal lives.12Because This Is My First DesireThe romance between Ji-ho and Se-hee deepens, leading to their first real romantic kiss. Meanwhile, Won-seok and Ho-rang's relationship reaches a breaking point over their conflicting views on marriage.13Because This Is My First Time Visiting Your RoomJi-ho receives a job offer from a production company. Su-ji and Sang-goo's relationship evolves as he defends her from workplace harassment, and she begins to open up about her personal life and her mother.14Because This Is My First LoveJi-ho discovers Se-hee's past relationship with Jung-min and the trauma that caused him to shut down emotionally. She deals with the weight of this revelation while also facing professional challenges.15Because This Is My First InterruptionJi-ho decides to terminate the marriage contract, feeling that their relationship is built on a "broken foundation" and wanting Se-hee to face his feelings honestly. Se-hee is devastated by her departure but finally begins to process his long-buried emotions.16Because This Is My First LifeAfter Ji-ho moves out, Se-hee sells his house. Eventually, they reunite and decide to build a relationship on their own terms, rather than following societal expectations. Su-ji starts her own business, and Won-seok and Ho-rang find their own paths to happiness.
Production The series is directed by Park Joon-hwa, and written by Yoon Nan-joong. The first script reading session of the cast took place on August 25, 2017 at Studio Dragon in Sangam-dong.
Original soundtrack
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Commercial performance Title Year Peak Sales Remarks GaonGaon Digital Chart:
"I Want to Love" 2017 — KOR: 18,273+Cumulative Sales for "I Want to Love" Part 3 "Marriage" 51 — Part 4 "Can't Go" 23 KOR: 148,493+Cumulative Sales for "Can't Go"
Part 8 "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.
Ratings Original broadcast date Title Average audience share Nielsen Korea TNmS Nationwide Seoul Nationwide 1 October 9, 2017 Because This Is My First Time Being Thirty() 2 October 10, 2017 Because This Is My First Kiss() 2.647% 3.738% 2.5% 3 October 16, 2017 Because This Is My First Proposal() 2.292% 2.825% 3.0% 4 October 17, 2017 Because This Is My First Marriage() 3.841% 4.702% 3.6% 5 October 23, 2017 Because This Is My First Promise() 2.725% 3.263% 2.9% 6 October 24, 2017 Because This Is "Our" First Time() 3.636% 3.889% 4.5% 7 October 30, 2017 Because This Is My First YOLO() 3.266% 4.179% 3.2% 8 October 31, 2017 Because This Is My First Husband() 3.779% 4.242% 4.0% 9 November 6, 2017 Because This Is the First Time I Belong Somewhere() 3.652% 5.030% 3.3% 10 November 7, 2017 Because This Is My First Time Having In-laws() 4.197% 5.177% 11 November 13, 2017 Because This Is My First Beach() 3.528% 4.082% 3.8% 12 November 14, 2017 Because This Is My First Desire() 3.940% 4.814% 13 November 20, 2017 Because This Is My First Time Visiting Your Room() 3.545% 4.411% 4.1% 14 November 21, 2017 Because This Is My First Confession() 4.236% 5.273% 4.7% 15 November 27, 2017 Because This Is My First Intermission() 3.786% 4.982% 4.2% 16 November 28, 2017 Because This Is My First Life() Average In the table above, the represent the lowest ratings and the represent the highest ratings. 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).
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref. 2018 MBC Plus X Genie Music Awards OST Award "Can't Go"
References
External links