Golden Time (TV series)

Plot

After spending two years teaching in the country, Lee Min-woo (Lee Sun-kyun) returns to a city hospital to complete his residency and face his own uncertainties about being a doctor. Free-spirited and goofy, he is jaded about his job and just wants it easy. He is then jolted out of apathy when a traumatic incident forces him to rethink why he wanted to be a doctor in the first place. First-year resident Kang Jae-in (Hwang Jung-eum) comes from a rich family that owns hospitals, but she just simply wants to be a doctor who can support herself and help others. Both Min-woo and Jae-in work in ER under the guidance of Choi In-hyuk (Lee Sung-min), a famously astute workaholic surgeon who puts his patients before himself.

Main characters

Background

The series was praised for its verisimilitude and social commentary on the country's lack of trauma centers. The character of trauma specialist Choi In-hyuk was based on real-life doctor Lee Guk-jong, who became famous in 2011 when he saved the life of Captain Seok Hae-kyun after Seok received multiple gunshot wounds during a rescue mission from Somali pirates.

Ratings

With a rise of 5.1 percent in the third week of July 2012, Golden Time landed its first win on the Monday and Tuesday primetime ratings chart after drawing in 12.6 percent of the total viewers, according to data compiled by the TNmS (Total National Multimedia Statistics). The series, which had been struggling at the bottom for its first two weeks with single-digit ratings, made this leap as the former chart-topper The Chaser and runner-up Big wrapped up their runs. With average ratings of 13.3-15.5 percent, it thereafter topped its timeslot for ten consecutive weeks, despite the rival channels' London Olympics 2012 coverage and the premieres of Faith and Haeundae Lovers.

Originally slated at 20 episodes, it was given a 3-episode extension, and discussions are underway for a possible second season.

Soundtrack

This was director Kwon Seok-jang's third collaboration with music director Moon Sung-nam, after Pasta (2010) and My Princess (2011). The soundtrack features songs by indie musicians 10cm, Verbal Jint and Every Single Day. It was released by WinOne Entertainment and LOEN Entertainment.

1. 모래시계 (Hourglass) - Every Single Day
2. 어느날 (One Day) - 10cm
3. 두 뺨에 닿기전에 (Before It Touches Both of My Cheeks) - Byul
4. 오아시스 (Oasis) - Pia & Zico (of Block B)
5. 약한사람 (Weak Person) - Verbal Jint feat. Heo In-chang
6. 해주고 싶은 말 (Words I Want to Tell You) - Melody Day feat. MC Jinri & Zeenan
7. I Miss You - Yoon Gun
8. 너를 되뇌다 (Piano ver.) - Son Seung-yeon feat. Romantisco
9. 그댄 아나요 (Do You Know?) - Scenery with Riding Bicycle feat. Lee Ji-min and Kim Yoo-jin (of W.H.O)
10. Father - Every Single Day
11. 사랑아 가지마 (Love, Don't Go) - Islander
12. I'm in Love With U - Yisun
13. Deep in My Heart - In a Band
14. Cold - Every Single Day
15. 너를 되뇌다 - Son Seung-yeon feat. Romantisco
16. 어느날 (One Day) (Unplugged ver.) - 10cm
17. 오아시스 (Oasis) (Acoustic ver.) - Pia & Zico (of Block B)

International broadcast