tvN "Typhoon Family" every episode subtitle has a hidden secret. It is the title of a drama that was much loved in that era.
When you look closely at the subtitles of the tvN weekend drama "Typhoon Family" (directed by In A-jung and Kim Dong-hwi, written by Jang Hyun, planned by Studio Dragon, produced by Imaginus·Studio PIC·Tris Studio) something stands out. "Season of the storm," "Asphalt man," "Moon of Seoul," "The wind blows," "Our paradise," "Legend of ambition," etc., the subtitles for episodes 1–6 that have aired so far are all titles of dramas that aired at the time. The subtitles, which organically align with each episode's story, have become a talking point that leads viewers to predict and speculate about the title of the next episode, becoming another source of enjoyment unique to "Typhoon Family."
"Typhoon Family" opened with episode 1, in which Gang Tae-pung (Lee Joon-ho), a rebellious young man from Apgujeong who loved dance, song and flowers, entered the "season of the storm" of his life when his father Gang Jin-young (Sung Dong-il) suddenly died amid the turmoil of the IMF foreign exchange crisis. In episode 2, Tae-pung's desperate fight to save the collapsing company unfolded. The ending, in which he lay down on the asphalt to stop a cargo truck carrying fabric, condensed the desperate fighting spirit of youth in the IMF era. That day's subtitle was "Asphalt man."
In episode 3, facing the bankruptcy crisis at Typhoon Company, Tae-pung chose to become the boss rather than close the business and decorated the ending with a heartwarming proposal to Oh Mi-seon (Kim Min-ha) under the "Moon of Seoul," asking her to become a company man, creating a moving finale. The passion of the two youths who try to get back up after falling conveyed a moonlight-like hope that shines even in the darkness.
In episode 4, Tae-pung, who repaid Pyo Bak-ho (Kim Sang-ho), the boss who conned him with a planned fraud, by striking back and raising funds, met safety shoes "Shubak" in Busan and finally had products to sell, showing the process of enjoying being a company man. But he faced a crisis when his Apgujeong apartment went to auction and he was driven into the street. As that day's subtitle "The wind blows" implied, the continuing winds shook him, but Tae-pung burned with an unbroken will.
Episode 5 "Our paradise" represented the process in which Tae-pung and Mi-seon struggle to find a sales channel for safety shoes while creating their own "paradise" where they share affection and support each other. Tae-pung practicing business manners and Mi-seon studying business English in tandem transmitted the energy of youth intact. That fighting spirit led in episode 6 to an all-out effort by Tae-pung and Mi-seon to sell 7,000 pairs of safety shoes with a single palm print on an IOU. With sparkling ideas and boots-on-the-ground passion, they also achieved the successful result of an export contract for safety shoes. At the end of the broadcast, they faced a crisis when they could not send goods because they were on a shipping company's blacklist, but Tae-pung found an opportunity in a "deep-sea fishing vessel," raising expectations about whether he could again write a "legend of ambition" that bloomed amid the IMF era.
Thus, the episode subtitles of "Typhoon Family" function not as mere nostalgia but as part of the narrative, precisely reflecting each episode's theme and emotional line.
Writer Jang Hyun said, "Beneath the dazzling bloom of K-drama today were 1980s and 1990s Korean dramas," and added, "To me, Min-chi and Yoon Yeo-ok's love that jumped over the barbed wire (Eyes of Dawn), Tae-soo's trembling eyes asking 'Am I shaking?' (Sandglass), the smiles of the pretty-boy trio (Feeling) are as vivid as if I watched them yesterday. The subtitles of 'Typhoon Family' are like a small tribute I, who now write dramas, send to the dramas of bygone days."
The production team said, "The subtitles for episodes 7 and 8 are 'Living is' and 'Sunny spot of youth,' respectively. They depict the meaning of 'living' in the midst of the IMF and the story of youths walking again toward the sunny side," adding to curiosity about future developments. "Typhoon Family" airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:10 p.m. on tvN.
[Photo] tvN
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