Netflix’s Gyeongseong Creature, out at midnight on December 22, is one of the most highly anticipated Korean dramas to come out this year. Starring popular actors Seo-joon Park and So-hee Han, Gyeongseong Creature tells the story of South Korea under Japan’s rule in the spring of 1945, near the end of World War II.

The historical mistreatment of Korean natives by the Japanese are highlighted, but the story takes a darker twist with experiments being conducted, creating a gruesome creature roaming a local hospital.

Park plays Tae-sang Jang, a wealthy merchant who owns one of the biggest and brightest pawn shops in the city. Tae-sang has a bit of power among the ruling Japan, as he’s the “go-to” guy for anything that needs to be found. When the Japanese commissioner knocks on his door to find his missing mistress, Tae-sang is forced to find her or else lose everything. That’s where Han’s character, Chae-ok, comes in. She is a Manchurian traveler who has a knack for finding people, while also searching for her missing mother. Together, they embark on an adventure that leads to some monstrous consequences. 

Following the historical content for the series, director Dong-yoon Chung and writer Eun-kyung Kang says the creature created was made from selfishness and greed. Humans want to gain wealth and power, therefore, creating a monster whether internally or an actual monster to represent that. But, the series also focuses on the hope and resilience of the Korean people in the town. 

“It’s a story about young people struggling to survive,” says Kang. “I wanted them to be not just figures representing a painful era but real people like us living at that time in history.”

For Kang and Chung, they wanted the show to focus on the “in-between” of characters, worlds, and decisions, whether choosing between good versus evil or survival versus humanity. Tae-sang serves as a perfect example of being caught in the “between” as he gets along with the Japanese out of survival and necessity, but at what cost? To the cost of his fellow Korean brothers and sisters suffering? To not be part of the Korean Independence movement? 

Park, who has been known for playing the egotistical “pretty boy” with the heart of gold, wanted to bring a sort of humanity to Tae-sang. Though on the exterior he’s the top dog at the House of Golden Treasure, he’s always looking after those around him and cares about his workers and friends. 

“When you consider Jang Tae-sang’s wealth, business and influence, he is certainly a self-made man of a scale that’s rare in those times,” says Park. “That period is marked by so much lack and struggle for survival, and in that context, he is a man who lives by his own rules, a man of strong will and upright character. But in some scenes, he shows that he has the flexibility to adapt to diverse situations, and that’s what makes him so appealing as the story’s protagonist. And I tried to make him witty. As the master of the House of Golden Treasure, he is well recognized everywhere he goes, looking impeccable at all times.”

For Han, who plays the hard-headed Chae-ok, she captured the essence of the character of being closed up, but didn’t want that to be her only personality. For her “between,” she had to choose between remaining cold and focused to complete her mission versus allowing Tae-sang in to help her.

“As a single-minded person pursuing one goal, she suppresses many emotions underneath her tough facade,” says Han. “It’s those traits that make her truly shine. I tried to depict her as someone who doesn’t lose sight of her mission and purpose. At the same time, I tried to provide balance so that she didn’t seem one dimensional. For Chae-ok, loving someone is a luxury she cannot afford. It’s not easy for her to open her heart and let Tae-sang in, so I focused on the details of that difficult process.”

The series’ major themes are the in-between of people and situations. It is obvious that the Japanese soldiers during that time period were the villains and it’s safe to assume the creature is as well. But, the creature is so much more than what it was made for. The creature itself is dealing with the between – becoming the monster it was made for or finding its own way. 

“There is a joint crossroads when the two concepts meet, that evokes a certain sadness,” Chung explains. “It looks glamorous, but on the other side, everything is still in between. There’s a lot of anxiety. People are living with their feet on the ground with so much confusion, and everything, just in between. There’s a lot of sadness that the historical era brings to us.” 

Chung ensured the contrast between light and darkness with the House of Golden Treasure to be bright and colorful versus the dark and ominous Ongseong Hospital, where the creature lives. 

“All historical periods have two sides to them,” says Chung. “Even during the toughest times, people find happiness and laughter in little things. So for the Bonjeong district and the House of Golden Treasure, I tried to convey the little moments of joy and kindness in people’s lives. Those were difficult times, but I wanted to show that they were living their lives to the fullest, even indulging in some luxuries. To contrast that, I wanted to highlight the other side of frightening, atrocious events taking place.”

In terms of history, the production tried to recreate the 1945 era, but did not have much data to rely on. Instead, they focused on the overall look and feeling that the time must have felt, especially with the negative sentiment from the Japanese. 

“When you look back in time, 1945 for Korea was a time where sadness and happiness coexisted,” Chung describes. “There were many other contrasting concepts that existed at the time. So I wanted to bring that and represent that stark contrast through the spaces [of the settings].”

For the cast and crew, Gyeongseong Creature isn’t just a monster genre, it’s a period drama that happens to include a creature to represent the tension, selfishness, and horrors between people.

“When I talked to writer Kang about this show, I said that I wanted to talk about this era – the Gyeongseong era,” Chung says. “I’m very intrigued by this era. When I was talking with her, I said, ‘let’s make this into a story that’s not just about us, but a story where people around the world can all enjoy.’ So that made me think of a creature genre. If it’s a creature genre, I can talk about our history but also include creatures to be more intriguing to a lot of global fans. So that’s why I wanted to mash up the two genres together.”