Kdrama 2024
High School Return of a Gangster (Kdrama Review & Summary)
High School Return of a Gangster poster
- Genre: Fantasy, School, Youth, Transmigration
- Release Date:
- Origin: South Korea
- Kdrama: 8 Episodes
Cast
- Yoon Chan Young as Song Yi Heon | Kim Deuk Pal
- Lee Seo Jin as Kim Deuk Pal
- Bong Jae Hyun as Choi Se Kyung
- Seo Tae Hwa as Choi Myung Hyun
- Won Tae Min as Kim Dong Soo
- Kim Se Won as Kim Yeon Ji
- Joo Yoon Chan as Hong Jae Min
- Ko Dong Ok as Jong Cheol
- Lee Kyung Young – [‘Seven Stars’ sect boss]
- Shin Min Jae – [Math instructor]
- Park Woo Young as Park Dong Gyoo
Snippets
- Adapted from the novel by Ho Rol called ‘I, a Gangster, Became a High Schooler’
Episode 1
The first episode is really good. Good casting.
Anyway, Kim Deuk Pal is a middle age gangster whose real ambition is to get a college education. He hired tutors who tend to not turn up after the first few sessions with him, not that he was disrespectful towards them but rather they became wary of all the bodyguards Deuk Pal had.
Anyway, he was out and about when he noticed a boy who was trying to jump off a bridge. He run towards him shouting for the boy to not do it. But the boy did jump. Deuk Pal managed to catch him but because they were in a busy road, they almost got run over by a truck. Deuk Pal managed to get them into safety, but then he got sidetrack and hit by a car.
When he woke up, he was in the body of the boy he saved, Song Yi Heon. He is now Song Yi Heon.
His former gang came to visit him and dragged him to the funeral of Kim Deuk Pal. They blamed him for the death of their master.
Deuk Pal told them that he was not Song Yi Heon that he was in fact Deuk Pal but they got so angry with him thinking that he was disrespecting their boss.
Anyway, in a brief time, Deuk Pal learned a lot of his new persona. Song Yi Heon committed suicide because of school bullying. He was actually shocked at the barbarity of what the other boys put Song Yi Heon through.
He found out that his father was the chairman of a large construction firm. However, Song Yi Heon and his mother was being bullied by the Chairman’s secretary who had every intention of becoming the next wife.
Song Yi Heon’s mother was an alcoholic who rants about regretting having had Song Yi Heon as it ended her carrer as an actress.
People began to notice how different Song Yi Heon.
Episode 2
Song Yi Heon had a make-over. He cut his long fringe and opeted for a crew cut. His schoolmates did not recognised him in his new haircut, although they thought he looks rather familiar.
There was a boy, Choi Se Khung who asked Deuk Pal what he did with Song Yi Heon. He was convinced that he was not Song Yi Heon.
Deuk Pal said that the experience of facing death on the face rather changed people.
Still Choi Se Kyung really thought that Deuk Pal is a doppelganger, twin or a relative of Song Yi Heon. He was so suspicious, he secretly took a strand of hair for DNA testing.
Deuk Pal noticed this and told Choi Se Kyung to go ahead with the test.
Despite, not trusting him, Choi Se Kyung started hanging with Deuk Pal/Song Yi Heon.
But then, Choi Se Kyung has a secret as well. One of which was that he was living with a domestic violence courtesy of his father, a prosecutor.
As to the bullies, they had their cumuppance from Deuk Pal.
Really enjoyable watch and could not wait for the next installment. Pity, there is going to be 8 episodes only.