Circle (TV series)

Circle[1] (Korean: 써클: 이어진 두 세계; RR: Sseokeul: i-eojin du segye; lit. Circle: Two Worlds Connected) is a 2017 South Korean science fiction television series starring Yeo Jin-goo, Kim Kang-woo, Gong Seung-yeon, and Lee Gi-kwang. The series features two parallel plots set in the years 2017 and 2037, both centered on a twin brothers' struggle with the discovery and development of an advanced alien technology that could either be a boon or bane for the entire humanity.

Circle
Promotional poster
Hangul써클: 이어진 두 세계
Genre
Created byLee Myung-han
Written by
  • Kim Jin-hee
  • Yoo Hye-mi
  • Ryu Moon-sang
  • Park Eun-mi
Directed byMin Jin-ki
Creative director(s)
  • Jun Min-ho
  • Noh Jung-hoon
  • Park Hyung-won
  • Wi Sung-yun
  • Kim Geum-nan
Starring
Theme music composer1601
Ending theme"Alive" by UJi feat. Andup
Composer(s)Kim Soo-jin
Country of originSouth Korea
Original language(s)Korean
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producer(s)Park Sung-jae
Producer(s)
  • Choi Jin-hee
  • Jang Jin-wook
Cinematography
  • Choi Sung-tae
  • Park Sung-young
Editor(s)
  • Na Hee-soo
  • Jung Mi-sook
Camera setupSingle-camera setup
Running time60 minutes
Production company(s)
DistributortvN
Release
Original networktvN
Picture format1080i (HDTV)
Audio formatDolby Digital
Original releaseMay 22 (2017-05-22) –
June 27, 2017 (2017-06-27)
External links
Website
Production website

It aired on tvN for 12 episodes at 23:00 KST on Mondays and Tuesdays from May 22 to June 27, 2017.[2][3][4]

Synopsis

In the year 2007, before the main events of the drama, 11-year-old fraternal twin brothers Kim Woo-jin (Jung Ji-hoon) and Kim Bum-gyun (Kim Ye-joon), along with their neuroscientist father Dr. Kim Kyu-chul (Kim Joong-ki), witness the arrival of a female humanoid alien (Gong Seung-yeon). Out of pity and curiosity, the family brings the alien with them and adopts her like a real member of the family. The twins become fond with her, especially the younger twin Woo-jin who names her Byul.[lower-alpha 1] By chance, Dr. Kim discovers Byul's secret: she had brought with her an advanced form of technology that can record, and even lock, memories and convert them into video. In order to closely study this alien technology, Dr. Kim isolates himself from his family to work secretly on Byul in what he calls the "Beta Project." Dr. Kim never went back home since then, making the elder twin Bum-gyun think Byul has taken their father captive, though Woo-jin believes their father has abandoned them.

In 2017, Woo-jin (Yeo Jin-goo), now a 21-year-old college student in neuroscience, notices that a series of suicides in his university is somehow linked to Bum-gyun (An Woo-yeon), who is already in a mad search for aliens, particularly Byul. While in pursuit of the case, he meets Han Jung-yeon (Gong Seung-yeon), a computer science student who, to his great shock, looks very much like Byul. She is also investigating the multiple suicides, all of which she thinks are actually murder.

In 2037, South Korea is now divided into Normal Earth,[lower-alpha 2] a heavily polluted place where crimes are rampant, and Smart Earth,[lower-alpha 3] a clean, peaceful, and crime-free city. Kim Joon-hyuk (Kim Kang-woo) is a Normal Earth crimes detective who tries to get into Smart Earth to investigate a case of twin brothers who went missing in 2017. In doing so, he starts to uncover the dark truth lurking behind Smart Earth being “crime-free.”

Each episode of the drama, except the last, contains two parts: Part 1: Beta Project,[lower-alpha 4] which contains the plot set in 2017, and Part 2: A Great New World,[lower-alpha 5] which contains the plot set in 2037. The two plots merge in the twelfth and final episode of the series, titled Circle: One World.[lower-alpha 6]

Cast

Main
a 21-year-old second-year university student in the Department of Neuroscience in Handam University of Science and Technology in the year 2017; Bum-gyun/Joon-hyuk's younger twin brother and son of Dr. Kim Kyu-chul
In his younger years, Woo-jin was an enthusiast about UFOs and extraterrestrial life. He witnessed (with Bum-gyun and Dr. Kim) the arrival on Earth of a female humanoid alien, which he names "Byul." His passion faded when his father left with Byul and never came back. In 2017, he meets Byul (now Han Jung-yeon) once again and together they investigate the serial suicides in the university, with the help of Detective Hong Jin-hong. In latter parts of the series, Woo-jin is cloned and named "Circulate 3".
  • Kim Kang-woo as Kim Joon-hyuk (born Kim Bum-gyun)[3]
    • An Woo-yeon as 21-year-old Kim Bum-gyun
    • Kim Ye-joon as young Bum-gyun
(A Great New World) a 41-year-old violent crimes detective from Normal Earth in the year 2037; Woo-jin's elder twin brother and son of Dr. Kim Kyu-chul
Joon-hyuk enters Smart Earth to investigate cases happening within the supposedly "crime-free" city, with the help of Detective Hong Jin-hong and the alien hacker Jung-yeon a.k.a. Bluebird. Thirty years before, in 2007 (Beta Project), he was an aspiring pâtissier who had no interest in UFOs or aliens. But after being abandoned by their father, he became preoccupied with aliens and kept on hunting down Byul, whom he thinks had abducted their father. In 2017, he investigated the series of suicide in Handam University of Science and Technology which he thought was brought about by aliens. He loses his memories later on; Detective Hong gives him his new name "Joon-hyuk" and makes him enter the police force.
a humanoid extraterrestrial being whose arrival on Earth was witnessed by the Kim twins and their father.
During her arrival in 2007, Byul appeared naked to the Kims and was also mute, having no knowledge of any human language. She becomes close to Woo-jin, who gave her the name "Byul," and she steadily learns how to speak Korean. She is a semi-immortal being, i.e. she never ages and will look the same as long as she lives. She had brought with her an advanced form of alien technology that can record, and even lock, memories and convert them into video. She was taken advantage for scientific research by the twins' neuroscientist father and was separated from the twins since then. She lost her memories a year later and is adopted by Professor Han Yong-woo who named her Han Jung-yeon. She began studying computer science in Handam University of Science and Technology. She became classmates with Woo-jin in 2017, and together they investigate a series of suicides in the university.
In 2037 (in A Great New World), she becomes a hacker under the codename Bluebird, based from Maurice Maeterlinck's L'oiseau bleu.
(A Great New World) an intelligent 26-year-old government employee in Smart Earth in the year 2037
Ho-soo is unbelieving at first on the possibility of criminality in Smart Earth and would side with the government. He is tasked to keep watch on Joon-hyuk who is investigating cases in the "crime-free" city. Upon learning the truth from Joon-hyuk, he becomes confused, but later on he sides with Joon-hyuk and Bluebird to take down the unjust powers controlling Smart Earth.

Supporting

Part 1: Beta Project
People around Woo-jin
a 21-year-old medical student who fell in love with Bum-gyun in 2017. She helped Bum-gyun, Woo-jin, Jung-yeon, and Detective Hong Jin-hong in investigating the serial suicides in the university.
He is a police detective who began investigating the serial suicides in Handam University of Science and Technology, along with Woo-jin, Jung-yeon, and Min-young. He becomes suspended due to his involvement with the case.
He is the father of the twins Kim Woo-jin and Kim Bum-gyun (Kim Joon-hyuk). He is a neuroscientist specializing in treating trauma, working together with fellow neuroscientist Han Yong-woo, taking advantage of Byul's special memory-controlling technology.
Detective Hong's junior who is working for another boss
Handam University people
He is a professor and the dean of the Department of Neuroscience in Handam University of Science and Technology. He once worked together with Dr. Kim Kyu-chul in treating traumas using Byul's special technology. He became Byul's father a year after she came on Earth.
an associate professor of the Department of Neuroscience in Handam University of Science and Technology
a third-year student and research assistant in the Department of Neuroscience in Handam University of Science and Technology.

Part 2: A Great New World
Normal Earth people
In 2037, she has become a skilled doctor and Joon-hyuk/Bum-gyun's girlfriend. She would always help him during investigations, especially in times when her expertise is needed.
He is reinstated in the police force as a member of the cybercrimes unit. In 2037, he helps Joon-hyuk in his investigations in Smart City.
a skilled hacker whom Joon-hyuk usually enlists during investigations. He was Woo-jin's former tutee.
Smart Earth people
In 2037, he is now an employee in Human B
In 2037, he becomes the South Korea's Minister of Science and Economy
Mayor of Smart City

Others
Lee Ho-soo's deceased girlfriend.

Original soundtrack
Circle OST
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
Released2017
GenreSoundtrack
LanguageKorean, English
LabelCJ E&M

Part 1
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Walk With Me" (같이 걸을까)Lee Juck
  • Lee Juck
  • Kwak Jin-eon
Kwak Jin-eon03:11
2."Walk With Me" (Inst.) 
  • Lee Juck
  • Kwak Jin-eon
 03:11
Total length:06:22

Part 2
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Alive"
  • 1601
  • Andup
  • Kim Mi-jin
1601UJi (Bestie) feat. Andup02:59
2."Alive" (Inst.) 1601 02:59
Total length:05:58

Ratings

In this table, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
AGB Nielsen[8] TNmS[9]
Nationwide Seoul Nationwide
1 May 22, 2017 2.883% 3.771% 2.7%
2 May 23, 2017 2.337% 3.116% 2.1%
3 May 29, 2017 2.133% 2.646% 2.2%
4 May 30, 2017 2.250% 2.735% 2.3%
5 June 5, 2017 1.702% 2.104% 2.0%
6 June 6, 2017 2.188% 2.688% 2.6%
7 June 12, 2017 2.053% 2.309% 2.0%
8 June 13, 2017 1.866% 1.972% 2.2%
9 June 19, 2017 1.587% 1.986% 2.1%
10 June 20, 2017 1.820% 2.175% 2.0%
11 June 26, 2017 2.160% 2.812% 1.9%
12 June 27, 2017 2.455% 2.776% 2.2%
Average 2.125% 2.591% 2.2%
  • This drama airs on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).

International broadcast

Notes
  1. Hangul: 별, RR: byeol, lit. "star"
  2. Hangul: 일반지구, RR: Ilbanjigu
  3. Hangul: 스마트지구, RR: Seumateujigu
  4. Hangul: 베타 프로젝트, RR: Beta peurojekteu
  5. Hangul: 멋진 신세계, RR: Meotjin sinsegye
  6. Hangul: 써클: 하나의 세겨, RR: Sseokeul: hana-ui segye

References
  1. "Circle 여진구x김강우! tvN 최초 SF추적극 써클 이어진 두 세계 170414 EP.1". YouTube (in Korean). tvN Drama via Youtube. 2017-04-14. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  2. "tvN이 새롭게 선보이는 SF 추적극 <써클>이 여진구, 김강우로 남주인공 캐스팅을 확정 짓고 본격적인 제작에 돌입한다". imBC. 2017-03-03.
  3. "Yeo Jin-goo, Kim Kang-woo to star in tvN's new drama 'Circle'". The Korea Herald. 2017-03-03.
  4. "Alien sci-fi drama 'Circle' enjoys fandom". The Korea Times. June 18, 2017.
  5. "[단독] 공승연, tvN '써클' 여주인공 확정..김강우·여진구와 호흡". Naver. 2017-03-02.
  6. "[단독] 이기광, tvN '써클' 합류…하이라이트 후 첫 드라마". Naver. 2017-03-03.
  7. "송영규 '써클: 이어진 두 세계' 출연…여진구·김강우와 호흡". news.chosun.com. 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  8. "Nielsen Korea". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  9. "TNMS 홈페이지에 오신 것을 환영합니다". www.tnms.tv. Archived from the original on 2016-04-11. Retrieved 2017-05-15.
  10. "Circle: Two Connected Worlds". Kandorastart.
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