Because This Is My First Life

Because This Is My First Life

Because This Is My First Life (Korean: 이번 생은 처음이라) is a 2017 South Korean television series starring Lee Min-ki and Jung So-min that explores different points of view on careers, relationships, marriage, and love. The series marks Lee Min-ki's first small-screen lead role since 2007. It aired on tvN from October 9 to November 28, 2017, every Monday and Tuesday at 21:30 (KST).

Synopsis

Because This Is My First Life

Socially awkward IT employee Nam Se-hee (Lee Min-ki) and broke homeless writer Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min) agree to a marriage of convenience by signing a contract of two years, wherein they agree to the terms and conditions of only being landlord and tenant, sharing their home based on common goals and values. Things do not go as planned when the housemates' pact of platonic cohabitation is interfered with by their trauma, social expectations, and familial interventions.

Cast

Main

• Lee Min-ki as Nam Se-hee, a quirky and apathetic computer designer who has bought an expensive townhouse and rents out his extra room to help with the mortgage. He spends his days at work or home with his cat and has no plans to date or marry. After a series of bad tenants, he rates Ji-ho very highly and, believing she is a male, he offers her the room. • Jung So-min as Yoon Ji-ho, an assistant screenwriter who moves out of the home she shares with her brother when he marries his pregnant girlfriend. Currently between projects, she rents the room from Se-hee (who Ji-ho thinks is female) because the rent is affordable and no deposit is required. After working hard at her career throughout her twenties, at age 30 she has never dated and has a career crisis that causes her to rethink her goals.

Supporting

• Esom as Woo Su-ji, a school friend of Ji-ho who works in a corporate office. Her dream was to be the CEO of her own business but she is trapped in a well-paying position where she must bear with frequent sexual harassment from her male colleagues. • Park Byung-eun as Ma Sang-goo, Se-hee's friend since college and CEO of the company where Se-hee works. • Kim Ga-eun as Yang Ho-rang, a school friend of Ji-ho who is a hostess at a restaurant/bar and dreams of becoming a wife and mother. • Kim Min-seok as Sim Won-seok, Ho-rang's long-time boyfriend and a school friend of Ji-ho and Ho-rang, who is the CEO of a startup company which is having problems getting an investor.

People around Nam Se-hee

• Kim Eung-soo as Nam Hee-bong, Se-hee's father who is a former high school principal. • Moon Hee-kyung as Jo Myung-ji, Se-hee's mother who is a full-time housewife.

People around Yoon Ji-ho

• Kim Byeong-ok as Yoon Jong-soo, Ji-ho's father who is a car center operator. • Kim Sun-young as Kim Hyun-ja, Ji-ho's mother who is a full-time housewife. • Noh Jong-hyun as Yoon Ji-suk, Ji-ho's younger brother. • Jeon Hye-won as Lee Eun-sol, Ji-suk's pregnant wife.

Extended

• Kim Min-kyu as Yeon Bok-nam, a colleague of Ji-ho's. • Lee Chung-ah as Go Jung-min, Se-hee's ex-girlfriend, a successful businesswoman. • Yoon Bo-mi as Yoon Bo-mi, a data analyst who works with Se-hee. • Hwang Seok-jeong as Writer Hwang.

Special appearances

• Yoon Doo-joon (Episode 1) • Yoon So-hee (Episode 1) • Kim Wook as a director

Episodes

Because This Is My First Life

<table><thead><tr><th>Episode</th><th>Title</th><th>Synopsis</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>Because This Is My First 30th Birthday</td><td>Ji-ho becomes homeless on her 30th birthday after her brother moves his pregnant girlfriend into their shared home. Se-hee, an IT professional seeking a roommate to pay his mortgage, mistakenly believes Ji-ho is a man. They agree to live together without meeting in person. After a chance encounter at a bus stop where they share a deep conversation about their "first lives," Ji-ho impulsively kisses Se-hee before fleeing.</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Because This Is My First Kiss</td><td>Ji-ho and Se-hee discover each other's true identities when they finally meet at the apartment. Despite the awkwardness of the kiss, they initially decide they cannot live together due to gender. However, Se-hee realizes Ji-ho is the most efficient and clean tenant he has ever had, and Ji-ho realizes she has nowhere else to go.</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Because This Is My First Proposal</td><td>Se-hee proposes a "contract marriage" to Ji-ho to satisfy his parents' pressure to marry and her need for a stable home. Ji-ho is confused but considers it after facing more career setbacks. Meanwhile, Su-ji and Sang-goo reunite, though Su-ji pretends not to remember their past encounter.</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Because This Is My First Marriage</td><td>They decide to go through with the marriage. Ji-ho introduces Se-hee to her family as her "boyfriend"; he must work hard to gain her father's approval. Won-seok tries to reconcile with Ho-rang by buying her a sofa, but misinterprets her desire for marriage.</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Because This Is My First Promise</td><td>The couple's parents meet. While Ji-ho and Se-hee want a simple contract, their parents demand a traditional wedding ceremony. They eventually agree to the ceremony to keep up appearances.</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Because This Is Our First Time</td><td>The wedding takes place. Ji-ho becomes emotional after reading a moving letter from her mother. Se-hee comforts her, marking a shift in their strictly business relationship.</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Because This Is My First YOLO</td><td>Ji-ho gets a job at a cafe with the help of a young man named Bok-nam. Se-hee begins to feel unexpected jealousy when he sees the two together.</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Because This Is My First Desire</td><td>Se-hee's protective instincts kick in regarding Bok-nam, whom he suspects of being a stalker. Sang-goo continues to pursue Su-ji, but she maintains her professional walls.</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Because This Is My First Husband</td><td>Se-hee saves Ji-ho from a potentially dangerous situation with Bok-nam, who later clarifies he is not malicious but was caught in a phishing scam, making him seem knowledgeable about Se-hee and Ji-ho's life, including their marriage. Se-hee apologizes to him for jumping to the wrong conclusions. Back home, Se-hee and Ji-ho have an honest conversation about their arrangement and their growing comfort with one another.</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Because This Is My First Time Having In-laws</td><td>Ji-ho realizes she is developing romantic feelings for Se-hee. This is complicated by a surprise visit from Se-hee's mother, forcing them to navigate the realities of being "in-laws".</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>Because This Is My First Beach</td><td>Se-hee takes his first-ever day off from work to travel to Ji-ho's hometown, Namhae, to help her family make kimchi. This experience brings the two closer as they share more about their personal lives.</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>Because This Is My First Desire</td><td>The romance between Ji-ho and Se-hee deepens, leading to their first real romantic kiss. Meanwhile, Won-seok and Ho-rang's relationship reaches a breaking point over their conflicting views on marriage.</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>Because This Is My First Time Visiting Your Room</td><td>Ji-ho receives a job offer from a production company. Su-ji and Sang-goo's relationship evolves as he defends her from workplace harassment, and she begins to open up about her personal life and her mother.</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>Because This Is My First Love</td><td>Ji-ho discovers Se-hee's past relationship with Jung-min and the trauma that caused him to shut down emotionally. She deals with the weight of this revelation while also facing professional challenges.</td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>Because This Is My First Interruption</td><td>Ji-ho decides to terminate the marriage contract, feeling that their relationship is built on a "broken foundation" and wanting Se-hee to face his feelings honestly. Se-hee is devastated by her departure but finally begins to process his long-buried emotions.</td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td>Because This Is My First Life</td><td>After Ji-ho moves out, Se-hee sells his house. Eventually, they reunite and decide to build a relationship on their own terms, rather than following societal expectations. Su-ji starts her own business, and Won-seok and Ho-rang find their own paths to happiness.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Production

Because This Is My First Life

The series is directed by Park Joon-hwa, and written by Yoon Nan-joong. The first script reading session of the cast took place on August 25, 2017 at Studio Dragon in Sangam-dong.

Original soundtrack

Commercial performance

<table><thead><tr><th>Title</th><th>Year</th><th>Peak</th><th>Sales</th><th>Remarks</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Gaon</td></tr><tr><td>"I Want to Love" (사랑하고 싶게 돼)</td><td>2017</td><td>—</td><td></td><td>Part 3</td></tr><tr><td>"Marriage" (결혼)</td><td>51</td><td>—</td><td>Part 4</td></tr><tr><td>"Can't Go" (갈 수가 없어)</td><td>23</td><td></td><td>Part 8</td></tr><tr><td>"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Ratings

Because This Is My First Life

<table><thead><tr><th>Ep.</th><th>Original broadcast date</th><th>Title</th><th>Average audience share</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Nielsen Korea</td><td>TNmS</td></tr><tr><td>Nationwide</td><td>Seoul</td><td>Nationwide</td></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>October 9, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Time Being Thirty (서른은 처음이라)</td><td>2.023%</td><td>2.491%</td><td>2.3%</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>October 10, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Kiss (키스는 제가 처음이라)</td><td>2.647%</td><td>3.738%</td><td>2.5%</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>October 16, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Proposal (프로포즈는 제가 처음이라)</td><td>2.292%</td><td>2.825%</td><td>3.0%</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>October 17, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Marriage (결혼은 제가 처음이라)</td><td>3.841%</td><td>4.702%</td><td>3.6%</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>October 23, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Promise (약속은 처음이라)</td><td>2.725%</td><td>3.263%</td><td>2.9%</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>October 24, 2017</td><td>Because This Is "Our" First Time ('우리'는 처음이라)</td><td>3.636%</td><td>3.889%</td><td>4.5%</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>October 30, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First YOLO (욜로는 처음이라)</td><td>3.266%</td><td>4.179%</td><td>3.2%</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>October 31, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Husband (남편은 처음이라)</td><td>3.779%</td><td>4.242%</td><td>4.0%</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>November 6, 2017</td><td>Because This Is the First Time I Belong Somewhere (소속감은 처음이라)</td><td>3.652%</td><td>5.030%</td><td>3.3%</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>November 7, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Time Having In-laws (시월드는 처음이라)</td><td>4.197%</td><td>5.177%</td><td>5.0%</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>November 13, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Beach (오늘의 바다는 처음이라)</td><td>3.528%</td><td>4.082%</td><td>3.8%</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>November 14, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Desire (욕망은 처음이라)</td><td>3.940%</td><td>4.814%</td><td>5.0%</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td>November 20, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Time Visiting Your Room (당신의 방은 처음이라)</td><td>3.545%</td><td>4.411%</td><td>4.1%</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td>November 21, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Confession (고백은 처음이라)</td><td>4.236%</td><td>5.273%</td><td>4.7%</td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td>November 27, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Intermission (인터미션은 처음이라)</td><td>3.786%</td><td>4.982%</td><td>4.2%</td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td>November 28, 2017</td><td>Because This Is My First Life (이번 생은 처음이라)</td><td>4.931%</td><td>5.862%</td><td>5.0%</td></tr><tr><td>Average</td><td>3.463%</td><td>4.271%</td><td>3.8%</td></tr></tbody></table>

Awards and nominations

Because This Is My First Life

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Award</th><th>Category</th><th>Recipient</th><th>Result</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2018</td><td>MBC Plus X Genie Music Awards</td><td>OST Award</td><td>"Can't Go"</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>