It's Okay to Not Be Okay () is a 2020 South Korean romantic comedy drama television series written by Jo Yong, directed by Park Shin-woo, and starring Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Yea-ji, and Oh Jung-se. The series follows Ko Moon-young, an antisocial children's book writer who moves to her hometown to pursue her love interest Moon Gang-tae, a psych ward caretaker, who has dedicated his life to taking care of his autistic older brother Moon Sang-tae. It aired on tvN from June 20 to August 9, 2020, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions.
According to Nielsen Korea, the series recorded an average nationwide TV viewership rating of 5.4%. It was the most popular show of 2020 in the romance genre on Netflix in South Korea. Critical response were primarily positive; some commentators criticized the writing in the latter half of the series but praised the acting by the cast.
The New York Times named It's Okay to Not Be Okay one of "The Best International Shows of 2020". At the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards, it received eight nominations with two wins (Best Supporting Actor – Television and Best Technical Achievement – Television for costume design). It received a nomination at the 49th International Emmy Awards in the Best TV Movie or Miniseries categories.
Plot Moon Gang-tae lives with his older brother Moon Sang-tae, who has autism. They frequently move from town to town ever since Sang-tae witnessed their mother's murder. Gang-Tae works as a caregiver in a psychiatric ward at every place they settle in. While working in a hospital, he meets a famous children's book writer, Ko Moon-young, who is rumored to have antisocial personality disorder.
Circumstances lead Gang-tae to work at the OK Psychiatric Hospital in the fictional Seongjin City, the same city where they all lived when they were young. Meanwhile, Moon-young forms a romantic obsession for Gang-tae after finding out that their pasts overlap. She follows him to Seongjin, where the trio (including Sang-tae) slowly begins to heal each other's emotional wounds. They discover many secrets, seek comfort from each other, and move forward with their lives.
Cast and characters
Main Kim Soo-hyun as Moon Gang-tae Moon Woo-jin as young Moon Gang-tae An orphaned caregiver working at OK Psychiatric Hospital. While he is empathetic to everyone around him, he struggles with self-esteem as a result of his past experiences and avoids having close relationships with anyone other than his older brother. Seo Yea-ji as Ko Mun-yeoung Kim Soo-in as young Ko Mun-yeoung A popular children's book author with antisocial personality disorder. She had a troubled childhood and a turbulent relationship with her parents. She develops a romantic obsession over Gang-tae after a coincidental encounter, and often goes to extreme lengths to get his attention. Oh Jung-se as Moon Sang-tae Lee Kyu-sung as young Moon Sang-tae Moon Gang-tae's older brother that has autism, who is an aspiring illustrator and a fan of Mun-yeoung. He was the sole witness of his mother's murder, which resulted in his irrational fear of butterflies, as they remind him of his traumatic experience. His fear develops into nightmares every spring, and forces Gang-tae to move towns with him in order to "run away from the butterflies".
Supporting SangsangESang Publishing Company Kim Joo-hun as Lee Sang-in The CEO of SangsangESang Publishing Company, which publishes Moon-young's children's books. Park Jin-joo as Yoo Seung-jae The art director at SangsangESang Publishing Company who assists Sang-in.
OK Psychiatric Hospital Officials Kim Chang-wan as Oh Ji-wang The director of OK Psychiatric Hospital. Despite his use of unconventional methods, he genuinely cares for his patients and often succeeds at helping them get better. Park Gyu-young as Nam Ju-ri Park Seo-kyung as young Nam Ju-ri A nurse and Gang-tae's co-worker at OK Psychiatric Hospital. She has an unrequited crush on Gang-tae, and is shown to be shy and easily jealous of others who are close with her romantic interests. She dislikes Moon-young, with whom she had a brief friendship in elementary school. Kim Mi-kyung as Kang Soon-deok A skilled chef at the hospital and Ju-ri's mother. Jang Young-nam as Park Haeng-ja The head nurse of the hospital. Jang Gyu-ri as Sun Byul A nurse with three years of experience who is Ju-ri's co-worker and friend. Seo Joon as Kwon Min-seok A psychiatrist at the hospital. Choi Woo-sung as Oh Cha-yong A young and careless caregiver who often sleeps at work. He is the son of hospital director Oh Ji-wang.
OK Psychiatric Hospital Patients as Ko Dae-hwan Moon-young's father, who is a patient at the hospital. He suffers from dementia and is bedbound. He was an architect who designed the Ko's family house, which is nicknamed the "Cursed Castle" after his wife Do Hui-jae's disappearance. as Kan Pil-ong A kind-hearted yet troubled Vietnam War veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Jung Jae-kwang as Joo Jeong-tae A patient content with life who was originally admitted to the hospital for alcoholism. He is Lee Ah-reum's boyfriend. Ji Hye-won as Lee Ah-reum A shy patient who was admitted for anxiety after escaping from her abusive ex-husband. She is Joo Jeong-tae's girlfriend. Kang Ji-eun as Park Ok-ran A mysterious fan of Hui-jae who torments Dae-hwan. Joo In-young as Yoo Sun-hae Ko Do-yeon as young Sun-hae (ep. 13) A patient with dissociative identity disorder that she developed as a coping mechanism because of the troubled relationship with her father.
Others Kang Ki-doong as Jo Jae-soo Moon Gang-tae's best friend, who follows him and Sang-tae whenever they move. Choi Hee-jin as Moon Sang-tae and Moon Gang-tae's mother A single parent murdered over a decade ago under mysterious circumstances. / Jang Young-nam as Do Hui-jae A best-selling novelist and Moon-young's mother. She was emotionally abusive to Moon-young and is a big part of the reason why she is the way she is. She disappeared under mysterious circumstances over a decade before Moon-young meets Gang-tae again.
Special appearances Kwak Dong-yeon as Kwon Ki-do A patient at the hospital diagnosed with mania and the son of an assemblyman. Bae Hae-sun as Kang Eun-ja A patient at the hospital diagnosed with psychotic depression after losing her daughter in a car accident. Jung Sang-hoon as a love motel owner Choi Daniel as CEO Choi Daniel A fan of Ko Moon-young.
Episodes
Production
Development It's Okay to Not Be Okay was planned by Studio Dragon, written by Jo Yong, directed by Park Shin-woo, and produced by Story TV and Gold Medalist. Jo Yong based the drama on her relationship with a man who had a personality disorder. She developed Moon Sang-tae's character by listening to the stories of people with autistic brothers and referred to the books recommended by the CEO of Bear Better, a social enterprise where people with developmental disabilities work. Fashion director Cho Sang-kyung managed costumes, while fashion designer Minju Kim designed some of Ko Moon-young's dresses.
Casting In the second half of 2019, Kim Soo-hyun considered It's Okay to Not Be Okay to be his comeback drama following his obligatory military enlistment, and his casting was confirmed by his agency in February 2020. At the press conference for the drama, he said that he joined the project after being drawn to its title and Moon Gang-tae's character. In the same month, Seo Yea-ji was confirmed to be cast as Ko Moon-young. In March 2020, veteran actor Oh Jung-se accepted the role of Moon Sang-tae; when asked about his character at the press conference, he commented that "autism isn't an illness, but something you're born with".
Filming The filming was completed on July 31, 2020, without a wrap party out of concerns for the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming locations for the drama included Cafe Sanida in Wonju, Gangwon, which provided the background for the "cursed castle", completed with CGI effects, and Secret Blue Cafe in Goseong County, Gangwon, which was transformed into OK Psychiatric Hospital for the shooting using props. Outside locations included streets and beaches in Goseong, as well as locations in Yangju (Gyeonggi Province) and Incheon. Some of the furniture used in the drama were antiques and 100 to 200 years old.
Media
Tie-in literature The five children's storybooks that appeared in the drama were written by Jo Yong and illustrated by concept artist Jamsan. They were published in Korean by Wisdom House in July and August 2020. According to the Kyobo Book Centre and YES 24, all five books were listed in the top 20 bestselling books of the month. Due to its popularity, Kyobo Book Centre recorded a ninefold increase in the number of drama and film-related books. In 2021, all five books were translated by Woo Jae-Hyung into Brazilian Portuguese and published by Intrínseca in March and May.
Title (English translation) Pages Publication date 1 The Boy Who Fed on Nightmares () 16 July 18, 2020 2 Zombie Kid () 24 July 13, 2020 3 The Dog of Spring Day () 16 July 30, 2020 4 The Hand, the Monkfish (손, 아귀) 20 August 15, 2020 5 Finding the Real Faces () 24 August 31, 2020
The series' script, also illustrated by Jamsan, was published in two books; each covering eight episodes.
Title (English translation) Pages Publication date 1 It's Okay to Not Be Okay 1 () 504 July 30, 2020 2 It's Okay to Not Be Okay 2 () 520 August 27, 2020
Soundtrack
The It's Okay to Not Be Okay soundtrack album, executively written by music director Nam Hye-seung, was digitally released on August 9, 2021. It contains sixteen songs (including singles) and twenty score pieces from the series. It features vocal performances from Janet Suhh, Heize, Sam Kim, Park Won, Lee Su-hyun, Kim Feel, Cheeze, Yongzoo and Elaine. Pre-orders for the physical version began on August 5, and was officially released on August 13. The physical version debuted at number fourteen on the weekly Gaon Album Chart for the week ending August 15, and peaked at number ten the following week.
Tracklist
Singles Title Artist(s) Peak chart position KORGaon"You're Cold"–"Breath"–"My Tale"–"In Your Time"–"Hallelujah"–"Little By Little"– KORHot"You're Cold"–"Breath" and "My Tale"–"In Your Time"–"Hallelujah"–"Little By Little"– "You're Cold" Heize 62 57 "Breath" Sam Kim 59 61 "My Tale" Park Won 92 62 "In Your Time" Lee Su-hyun 31 32 "Hallelujah" Kim Feel 80 67 "Little By Little" Cheeze 107 86 "Puzzle" Yongzoo – –
Reception
Commercial performance According to the big data analytics firm Good Data Corporation, It's Okay to Not Be Okay was the most talked about drama online in South Korea for eight consecutive weeks. It became a hot topic on social media when Oh spent a day with an autistic fan. It also topped CJ E&M and AGB Nielsen Media Research's Content Power Index (CPI) report during its eight-week run with its highest CPI of 373.2 in the first week of August; it was the highest rated tvN drama of 2020 in CPI. Smart Media Rep (SMR), which distributes VoD (video on demand) clips of major broadcasters to online platforms like Naver and YouTube, reported the drama had over 110 million cumulative views as of December 10, 2020. An analysis performed by SMR found that the majority of viewers were in their 20s.