Written byChoi Min-ki Country of originSouth Korea
Also known asBirth of the RichBirth of a Rich Man StarringJi Hyun-wooLee Bo-youngLee Si-youngNamgung Min SimilarWild Romance (TV series), I Can Hear Your Voice, Man from the Equator
Becoming a Billionaire (Hangul: 부자의 탄생; RR: Bujaeui Tansaeng; lit. "Birth of the Rich") is a 2010 South Korean television series starring Ji Hyun-woo, Lee Bo-young, Lee Si-young and Namgung Min. It aired on KBS2 from March 1 to May 4, 2010 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.
Choi Seok-bong believes he is the son of a billionaire, from a one-night stand with his mother. While working as a bellboy at a luxury hotel, Seok-bong practices the qualities he thinks a billionaire's heir would have; all these efforts are for the day he meets his birth father. But one day, Seok-bong is diagnosed with breast cancer, which only has a 50 percent survival rate. Seok-bong doesn't have enough money for treatments, and finds it absolutely ridiculous that a billionaire's heir would die because he has no money. Finding his biological father may be Seok-bong's only hope. So he turns for help to Lee Shin-mi, the heiress of Ohsung Group and a notorious penny-pincher.
Main characters
Ji Hyun-woo as Choi Seok-bong, bell boy at Ohsung Hotel in first few episodes.
Lee Bo-young as Lee Shin-mi, the heiress of Ohsung Group, and a strict and frugal person. Ohsung Hotel director in first few episodes.
Namgung Min as Chu Woon-seok, an ambitious man whose goal is to revive their company Frontier Group and is interested in Shin-mi. But coming to the end of the drama, he silently declared his love for Tae-hee when she visited him in prison.
Lee Si-young as Bu Tae-hee, spoiled heiress of Buho Group and is interested in Woon-seok. / Bu Tae-hee's mother (ep. 11)
Supporting characters
The CEO's
Yoon Joo-sang as Lee Jung-hyun, CEO of Ohsung Group, father of Shin-mi
Kim Eung-soo as Bu Gwi-ho, CEO of Buho Group, father of Tae-hee
Park Young-ji as Chu Young-dal, CEO of Frontier Group, father of Woon-seok
Ok Ji-young as Bang Soo-jin, weekly magazine reporter
Sung Ji-ru as Woo Byung-doo, a homeless wanderer with an interest in rare metals, Seok-bong's irksome acquaintance, uninvited roommate, and later, business partner
Jang Yoo-joon as Woo Bung-eo, Byung-doo's son who is musically talented
Its Japanese broadcasting rights were sold to NHK (along with another KBS drama The Great Merchant) for US$3 million. It also aired on Fuji TV as part of the network's "Hallyu Alpha Summer Festival," and on cable channel KNTV beginning July 2, 2014.
It aired on Thailand on Workpoint TV from March 10, 2014 to April 4, 2014.
