Daebak Real Estate (2021)

MORE EMOTIONAAL THAN HORROR

I was skeptical if I want to watch it or not since gothic occult is somewhere I avoid but this drama proved me wrong.

Sell your haunted house is no doubt one of the best gothic occult drama. The ghost appearance makes you less scary and feels realistic at the same time.

The plotline: Of course, never seen such plotline before. It was a fresh concept which make the story unique. There were not even one scene which made me skip any part, every part was connected, entertaining and felt important to continue the story. I love the emotional rides it gives throughout the story which seemed so important and genuine for the story. And that's what it makes it special since you can't except such things in this genre.

Characters: I cannot stop appreciating Jang Nara who plays the lead role as Hong Ji Ah in this drama. I have never seen her act before and right now I cannot imagine how smoothly and well equipped she was in the drama. Her bold, adrk and yet heart warm personality will steal your heart. She makes the emotional scene so catchy with her skills that will make you cry for all obvious reason. Other characters also played a good role. I personally want to thank all the guest appearances who were shown ghost. It takes efforts to act that way and make it seem real.

Recommendation: I 100% recommend watching this drama. Trust me, you won't waste your time and feel entertained till the end.

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The ghosts are in town

(Completed)
Probably the most unique Supernatural dramas I've watched in a while. Three pointers could probably summarise why you should watch this drama here.
1. The plot was kept unique and interesting with enough twists and turns till the end
2. The acting and action was great and perfectly to the point
3. The romance was not overdone but at the same time the chemistry was excellent.

About the action sequence, the cgi, most of you would agree with me that they were on point and nothing really seemed fake. I was drawn in and I found few or close to no flaws. It is also important that if you create a fantasy world, the rules and logic of that world must be strongly binding it together, and this plot definitely did that perfectly. This you often times see missing in Chinese fantasy or supernatural drama, where their abilities just exist and they are strong, and super powerful without logic or reason. That aside I would like to speak about the romance aspect for a bit since I am a big romance fan myself. I can tell you that even though there was no visible romance in this drama, there was very apparently visible chemistry between the two leads. It was their friendship and partnership given prominence over skin ship, that lead to the chemistry being so good. Because wether or not overpowering romance is true in this world, the probability of you naturally relying, trusting and enjoying the company of someone from the opposite sex happens a lot. Besides, if there were romantic situations created for the sake of pleasing the people, it would have definitely broken the cold, calm, and so alluring a character that Jung Na Ra gave life to. Frankly speaking, I hated most of her roles in the past, some of you might hate me for saying that but I am being honest here. But in this role she nailed it pretty damn hard. Being a short, slender, and overall a cute little bunny kinda person naturally, she must have spent good efforts to do this character so well and not let it come off as a parody instead because of her physical appearance. She was everything and more in this drama, and she betrayed all my precognitions about her.
This drama will get a fair and square 9/10 from me, in other words, definitely a must watch!

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So much more than a ghost story

The acting was superb both main and support characters. The storyline and pacing were great. The ghost graphics were done very well. The topics of grief and greed were handled perfectly, and I spilled my share of tears while watching this drama. I really enjoyed the earlier episodes were there were story lines about different haunted properties, but this seemed to disappear in later episodes, and I missed it. The weakest part of the drama for me was the overarching theme of the villainous construction company and its greedy CEO.
Jang Nara is one of my favorite actresses and she does not disappoint in this drama. Jung Yong Hwa also give us a great performance. I really like the development of his character throughout this drama. The chemistry between the two main actors was exceptional and I liked that this is not a romance but a story of two people each learning how to trust each other.

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OK, I'll admit I'm a big chicken and I don't watch horror shows too often and was going to give this a pass but I've been hitting Kdrama slumps lately. I don't do the cliche rom-coms and I avoid dramas that have romance in it. I also avoid the horror genre altogether.

I recognized the main female character from Hello Monster and I liked her. Surprise, I know because I usually don't care for female Korean actresses. They're always whiny, love sick, broke, and stupid. This female had none of these portrayals. As a matter of fact I like female actresses who have mad fighting skills. There's not a lot out there but I'm glad I can find a few.

As I mentioned I don't like horror because if I watch a horror show that show will be incorporated into my brain and it will be the last thing I think about which will lead to nightmares. It messes up my sleep routine tremendously so...yeah.
I jumped on several occasions like a wuss. One particular episode I was watching close to my bedtime that had me jumping on several occasions so I had to stop watching that and had to watch something that made me laugh. I wanted that to be the last thing on my mind instead of restless spirits.

I fell in love with all the characters on here both good and bad. As I say all the time I look for the chemistry with the cast members and this series really had it. I especially loved both the male leads. Their bromance was truly awesome. I wish a lot more guys got along this way.
I laughed, nearly bawled, and was heavily dismayed when the series came to an end. This series was so great I may watch it again even though that's not my thing.

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Stories revolve around Jang Nara's exorcist character and Jung Yong-hwa's con-man character, who team up once she realises he's actually pyschic too, to help free vengeful spirits from properties people then want them to sell.
The different stories are often touching and pretty mixed.
There's also the mystery surrounding her own mother and Yong-hwa's character's past too.
A gangster property developer and shrouded memories all add to the mix.
It's fun, dark at times and an entertaining watch, with a good cast.
A little more on the romance front would not have gone amiss.

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An amazing drama from start to finish ❤❤❤❤

When I first heard of the concept of the drama, I immediately thought about a minor plot point from Korean Odyssey where the FL used her supernatural ability to make a living by selling haunted houses after cleansing them out of bad spirits. That idea was quite underused in that drama since it's more focused on the character and its Monkey King lore so to have an actual series that focusing on the exorcism itself and the stories of haunted houses and ghosts was really a great thing.

I love the fact that Hong Jia was not just a gifted exorcist but also a strong fighter (which is necessary considering the nature of their jobs) unlike how the character in Korean Odyssey who can't really fight on her own. It was a refreshing change to have a strong FL character like Jia who could stand on her own, despite some disadvantage that she may have. Jang Nara really brings out Jia's strength of character as well as vulnerabilities to the fullest and made us want to care about Jia's journey throughout the series.

Oh Inbeom also was quite an interesting character as well as a strong psychic who ended up becoming a conman due to his past. And it was fun seeing how Hong Jia and Oh Inbeom's life started to change the more they work together as a team.

The ghosts and haunted houses and the plot revolving around them also were quite interesting as we see the different reasons why these people become unrested spirits and how Jia and Inbeom would try to release them from suffering. And we also get to see some sad or despicable tales on why the deaths happened and see how some evils from one's greed and selfishness brought harm onto themselves. And by trying to ease those spirits' suffering, our leads continued to learn more about themselves and attempt to break free from their sorrowful pasts that caused them to lock their hearts away from others.

Sell your Haunted House is a refreshing tale about exorcists in modern times and it had been an enjoyable journey for me to be able to get to know these lovable characters and stories.

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HUGE missed opportunity

I loved the characters of this series; the male lead who was super soft and gentle who worked with the female lead who was so strong and gorgeous, they work with each other to exorcise evil spirits.
it was a nice series full of fantasy with a bit of ghost hunting and action. I expected that it will be a romantic one Unfortunately, it wasn't it is a HUge miss like there were so many moments of lovely intimacy that they shared, and I really felt like they’d be a stunning couple but they really have more of a friend vibe by episode 10 (after a ton of teasing that there would be romance). I’m guessing he’ll kiss her at the very end or something, but the show really has very little in the way of established romance.

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Amazing detective drama with supernatural aspect

If you love Supernatural dramas but with a detective touch here it is
the drama is all about un resting spirits in real estates
they hunt places and our leads capture the ghosts and send them away clearing the real estates from the unrested spirits
then sell these places so it's a win win ... logical that the main leads are still humans need actual paid work not just hunting ghosts
What I loved about this drama that it has amazing leads ,, Both of the actors are really stunning visually and acting wise
the male lead is so charismatic and charming ,,,, it's story is very thrilling with every week there is a new case to solve ,, spirit to rest
Also the main leads have their own spirits related case ,, their personal unsolved problem that they try so hard to solve with gritty emotions and unique entanglement
their bond seemed romantic in so many episodes but they never acted on it or said to each other that they love each other or care about each other they did care in their own way but still no love scenes in any way
Over all I love this drama so much ,, it was so much fun and exciting one
also I recommend it to anyone because it really worth your time

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Solid drama that is neither lacking or giving. Jang Nara is best!

When I first saw Jang Nara and Jung Yong Hwa in the trailers of this drama, I saw the semblance of Hotel Del Luna and Mystic Pop Up Bar as it reminded me greatly of a mythical place where a cold, strong vibe (tsundere) female lead had to stay in order to serve a purpose whilst the male lead in this case are much more prone to being scared by the "ghost" that surrounds this storyline as evident by the title inclusion with "Haunted". Since I was watching the drama around the time after it aired which was around 9:30 pm in KST time, the combination of the night and ghost will always bring out the best in us as we get scared along the way (even when it isn't just meant to be "only horror"). Props to the makeup team and the effect editing team as they did a tremendous job. FYI, it shouldn't be too scary to watch and if you are looking for an immediate romance-comedy story in this, then you are out of luck.

So why did I start this drama?
Because I had just finished watching Jang Nara's previous drama called Go Back Couple recently and the acting she showed there evoked many emotions out of me. I felt that with the theme similar to HDL and Jang Nara as the main female lead, I had to give it a shot and for the most part, I am glad I did because it went swimmingly well. I don't think Sell Your haunted House will be my favorite/top tier drama but it will be a great pick from 2021. There is plenty to love about what went down with the drama ranging from decent cinematography, solid storyline, memorable cast and the OST sounds alright for me (if you enjoy Jung Yong Hwa and Jang Nara's song, that is a bonus for you). It's a high quality drama that feels like it is operating under a smaller budget and less flair.

Plot/Storyline:
Having seen multiple Kdrama with ghost theme in the past, this drama does have a solid writing that revolves around a major mystery which is solved through the smaller cases that pops out which the exorcist has to deal with, "To exorcise ghost that remains and haunting the place, where the exorcist would be a real estate agent and sell the place afterward, completing both their duty to the dead and the one that remains alive". I can safely say that the vibe is similar to Hotel Del Luna but the approach is executed differently in ways where it is less about the romance and more about the intertwining unfortunate fate that links both our leads which need to be cured and released. HDL focuses on the romance aspect more whilst SYHH went the opposite direction. The romance is underwhelming but the story feels more realistic albeit it is a fantasy story. They won't sugarcoat your mistake and instead, reveal it in their entirety. As the audience, you will be the judge if they are correct or wrong. There is enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge though there is still some cliché such as trusting the wrong guy and the villain having too much authority over the police. Out of the genres listed, I would have ranked it like this "Mystery, Fantasy, Thriller, Horror, Comedy and Romance being the last". There is short breaks in the form of humour which balance out those heavier emotional scenes but could be the reason why I didn't feel the emotional impact at times. The drama has thought-provoking themes/ideas of 'letting go', 'resentment', 'unselfish love' and 'forgiveness' which are present in storyline like these and they tackle it meaningfully. The key takeaway here is that "you should do it without any regret before it is too late" and "truth can be unimaginably painful but you have the right to know it." The screenwriter and director has somewhat already provided the answer to the smaller cases for the audience so you wouldn't have to think too much other than watch our cast work out and make mistakes in their journey to solve those. My experience with the drama is that it is a smooth ride.

Cinematography:
Honestly having seen amazing cinematography in many fantasy drama such as Goblin, my short summary are that it is dark, negative with the colour scheme being dull. It's a lot of moonlight shed on the pale skin of Jang Nara as she wore yet another Black Jacket adorned with her cryptic accessories. That isn't bad per say but it is not memorable enough to remember any specific location other than the house where Jang Nara lives in. That sharp contrast in colour make me focus only on her facial expression rather than what she wore or where she has gone to. Jung Yong Hwa would wear opposite colour mainly being white or beige but that doesn't really counteract with Jang Nara colour. What I focused and is intriguing to me are the action choreograph that is much more exciting to watch. I praise that more as Jang Nara shows us what's up and her giving a punch or kick with force is satisfying to watch. Just like how I have mention about the makeup and special effect in my opening statement, they did an amazing job making the alive more dead than ever. I get shivers when I do see those ghost the first time and I became less scared only after they started appearing more. The ritual they create with the item prop and symbol are made to my liking and I would buy if I have the chance to.

Acting:
I am sure I gushed about how much I like Jang Nara's acting seeing the enthusiasm I have for her. She is irreplaceable to the story and is a veteran in acting. Jang Nara's agony, headstrong yet muted personality is done convincingly so I will focus on the other character. The Mom Character (Baek Eun Hye) is just so outstanding first off because you get to see her throughout the story whether she is just standing there quietly or is expressing her sorrow, you can feel the weight and presence behind it. Her face is so positively looking that I can't help but to want to look at her despite the circumstance she got into. I started looking for her as the camera shot at different angle and movement. Her chemistry with Jang Nara is the standout.
Moving forward, you may be wondering how I thought Jung Yong Hwa acting went since I had little to talk about in the previous statement I made. In fact, I actually liked Jung Yong Hwa acting because he has to embody many different character of all ages, gender and method of talking. I have not seen his previous work so I can't judge if he improved or not but he did a convincing work. I did remember his Running Man appearances way back in the days and his other variety show so I have an expectation for the personality he has to which this character is essentially him. Out of the many idol actors/actress, he is the better ones but I can still feel some slight stiffness during the emotional scenes. That's why I feel like he did not let himself go when he cries, thus, making me less incline to cry. I feel his sadness but not to the degree where Jang Nara display her emotion. He put in commendable effort in embodying his character but I didn't feel connected to him when he is depressed. I have this lingering feeling where his sad scene are actually fulfilling the comedic genre. There is a small dedicated side characters that appears frequently enough for you to remember by and they do well in their role.

OST:
I am not sure if this set of OST connect with me too much. Actually, the OST is very much under-utilised in this drama. I remember hearing Jung Yong Hwa - I got Ya many times during the drama but all the other OST was totally not present in my brain until I go search for it on Youtube to which I am not sure if it is significant enough to invoke the memory of me watching a certain scene. OST served the purpose whereby I would remember the scene for years to come just by listening to a song. This set of OST was alright but not to the level I would listen to the song after the drama finish. Take my word for this part with a grain of salt as I notice the song doesn't fit with my personal preference (which is different from all others). Although the song doesn't really fit with my drama experience, Jang Nara Daydream is a nice interesting song that I would not mind a standalone release. The instrumentals does create an eerie vibe throughout the story.

In conclusion, the drama is worth a watch and I recommend giving it a try. With all of what I critique about, they have done just about everything right with substance. Neither it is lacking or giving. I don't feel a strong emotional connection but it also gives me enough feeling to contemplate further on my life choices, to look back in the past and my decisions made. If you are a Jang Nara fan, I believe she plays a vastly more different role than her past and she did well.

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BOO!

The cursed case-of-the-week format! I was more interested in the FL's mother case which is the main case that was developing in the background than whatever case the ML threw himself in. I really wish this was a one big coherent case to follow or at least have the side cases directly connected to the main one. What made matters worse was the poor dynamic between the leads, they just didn't bounce off each other well. There was a weird constant disconnect between them. Thank god they didn't add romance into the mix. The side characters were an embarrassment to label them as a supporting cast. They were just a white noise blended in the background, completely forgettable and faceless. One of the most important things about horror is to set up the atmosphere which this drama forgot to do most of the time. It was more like a flashy horror with some horror elements. This was probably my least favorite Jang Na Ra drama.

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A fantasy drama done right

i’m not a big fan of ghost themed dramas but WOW this drama took my breath away! my initial thoughts upon starting this drama is there’d be scary ghosts and violent scenes but this drama put a unique twist on the supernatural genre: hong ji ah a mysterious, strong enigma who owns daebak real estate, a company that specially sells haunted houses. her abilities to exorcise ghosts were awesome ( the way she’d remove that hairpin from her hair made her look so cool ) but she always holds a mysterious aura that simply pulled you in to her character and made you wonder just what weight does she carry on her shoulders. i love the fact that the ghosts ji ah encountered all had a backstory and gave some depth and meaning to the plotline, which leads us to our other lead: oh in bum, a conman that ji ah encounters. and guess what: in bum specializes in exorcism fraud. what a coincidence.

this drama was packed with action and never was there a dull moment, and the acting especially blew my mind — jang na ra was simply out of this world! she wore a stoic expression but upon meeting her gaze you could see the deeply buried pain that would briefly resurface; when she cried your heart would constrict with her just as much as it would soar upon seeing her have a moment of happiness. jang na ra’s acting was flawless, she fit the role of hong ji ah so well i can’t imagine anyone else playing the role. another thing i loved about this drama was the characters and their portrayals. as ji ah and in bum slowly got to know each other you could see they had developed romantic feelings but nothing needed to be said: they had each other’s backs and i love the maturity they both had ( ex: when ji ah found out her mother’s death was connected to in bum’s uncle’s death and she lashed out at IB, she swallowed her pride and apologized to him, showing her maturity and that she truly cared for in bum ). they worked amazingly together as exorcist and psychic, especially their fight scenes! there was no actual romance but the drama was okay without it, the characters were still enjoyable.

the recurring antagonist, do kak sung, is one that certainly infuriated me with his horrid crimes and manipulative tendencies — the actor did will on his role as I found myself hating DKS more and more as the drama progressed. he played a large role in the deaths of many characters, IB’s uncle as well, and DKS is a prime example that when allowed, greed can poison a person’s heart and lead them to do despicable things; till the end our gang dealt with him and his evil, the ending showing DKS getting sealed away eternally — the villain getting defeated and the characters finally being able to move on well, a satisfying ending in my book. overall this drama was paced well, i found it difficult for me to say goodbye to this drama; i’ll miss the characters greatly, i enjoyed every episode thoroughly, a 16 hours well spent in my eyes. if you’re looking for a good supernatural / ghost themed plot with a steady storyline and no-filler episodes i 100% recommend this drama! congratulations to the actors + directors / producers that helped in creating a truly amazing drama and, in my opinion, one of the best 2021 dramas.

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