Penthouse Season 1 is a South Korean drama released in the year 2020. This show got on air on October 26, 2020, and got off air on January 5, 2021. The show revolves around the life of rich people and how puzzles up their lives are. The story revolves around the theme of jealousy and hunger for success. The drama is also called by different names like The Penthouse Season 1, The Penthouse S1, Penteu Hauseu, Penteuhauseu Sijeun 1. The drama is available on the online platform. You can watch the drama on Viki. The drama is not available on Viu and Netflix. So if you want to stream you can stream the drama either online or you can go for the application.
The rating of the drama is quite good it has done great on the online platform. The series has a total number of 21 episodes in one season. The duration varies with each episode. The maximum runtime of a single episode is one hour 25 min. The series is quite big yet interesting to watch. There is the second season too it is still ongoing. The genre of the series is Suspense, Thriller, Crime, Drama, and Family.
Character list of Penthouse season 1
The drama Penthouse season1 is starring Lee Ji Ah as Shim Soo Ryun, Kim So Yeon as Cheon Seo Jin, Eugene as Oh Yoon Hee, Uhm Ki Joon as Joo Dan Tae, Yoon Jong Hoon as Ha Yoon Chul, Shin Eun Kyung as Kang Ma Ri, Bong Tae Kyu as Lee Gyu Jin, Yoon Joo Hee as Go Sang Ah. These are the main lead of the drama. The drama revolves around the lives of these people and the murder and revenge game.
The supporting cast of the drama is Kim Young Dae as Joo Seok Hoon [Dan Tae & Soo Ryun’s son], Han Ji Hyun as Joo Seok Kyung [Dan Tae & Soo Ryun’s daughter], Choi Ye Bin as Ha Eun Byul [Seo Jin & Yoon Chul’s daughter], Kim Hyun Soo as Bae Ro Na [Yoon Hee’s daughter], Jin Ji Hee as Yoo Je Ni [Ma Ri’s daughter], Lee Tae Vin as Lee Min Hyuk [Gyu Jin’s & Sang Ah’s son], Jo Soo Min as Min Seol Ah / Anna Lee [Math teacher].
Seo Hye Rin as Wang Mi Ja [Gyu Jin’s mother], Lee Chul Min as Yoon Tae Joo [Dan Tae’s personal assistant], Kim Do Hyun as Secretary Do, Kim Dong Kyu as Secretary Jo, Kim Jae Hong as Secretary Hong, Kim Ro Sa as Yang Mi Ok [Maid], Na So Ye as Joo Hye In [Dan Tae & Soo Ryun’s daughter] and Park Eun Seok as Gu Ho Dong / Logan Lee.
The other support cast stars of Ha Do Gwon as Ma Doo Gi [A high-end opera teacher], Kim Dong Hyun as Kim Chi Soo [Principal], Jung Sung Mo as Cheon Myung Soo [Seo Jin’s father], Ha Min as Kang Ok Gyo [Seo Jin’s mother], Kim Young Joo as [Private investigator].
There is some major Guest Role too like Hwang Joo Ho as [Veterinarian], Ki Tae Hwa as [Shim Soo Ryun’s ex-husband], Park Yong as Seo Joon Yong [Police chief], Kim Chan Lee as [Police officer], Jo Mo Se as [DUI checkpoint police officer], Choi Jong Yoon as [Medical examiner] and many other on the list.
Synopsis of Penthouse Season 1
The story Penthouse season 1 revolves around the residents of Hera Palace. It is a luxury penthouse apartment with 100 floors. There have been many secrets and hidden ambitions that can be a witness from the beginning. Sim Su Ryeon is the one who was born into wealth.
She is the queen of the penthouse apartment (owner of the apartment). Cheon Seo Jin is the prima donna of the residence. She does all she can to give everything and a better life to her daughter. Oh Yoon Hee is someone who comes from poor family background.
She strives to enter high society by putting in her hard work and it reflects by becoming the queen of the penthouse. She has the pinnacle of success in her eyes the hunger and thirst for the position. There is a battle for wealth, power, and prestige at Seoul’s most coveted penthouse that begins.
Penthouse depicts the story of wealthy families living in Hera Palace and their children at Cheong-ah Arts School. It revolves around Shim Su-Ryeon (Lee Ji-ah) who is an elegant, wealthy woman with a tragic past. She gets married to Joo Dan-Tae (Uhm Ki-Joon) who is a successful businessman.
After some time she learns about her husband hiding something from her. The story revolves around different people one of them is Oh Yoon-hee (Eugene). Eugene comes from humble and respectful family background. She has a heated relationship with Cheon Seo-jin (Kim So-Yeon) since high school. She grows up to be a famous soprano.
Her father is the head of Cheong-ah Arts School. Also, they get involved in a love triangle relationship with Ha Yoon-Cheol (Yoon Jong-hoon). Everyone has some grand ambitions and desires for their children and their life. Everything starts to turn head over heels when there is the death of a mysterious young woman name Min Seol-ah (Jo Soo-min).
The woman crashes to her death at a party at Hera palace. The life of every person crumbles up as it beginning to be a suspecting phase. Residents of Hera palace try to cover the death but dying on the premises they cannot help to save each other and start doubting. It is to be seen who is suspected of the death and how these ugly secrets of Hera Palace reveal.
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Plot Overview Penthouse Season 1
The plot of Penthouse Season 1 revolves around the dirty secrets and truth hidden inside the Hera palace. The drama starts with fireworks filling the sky with dazzling colors and loud bangs. There is a backdrop that informs about the palace. The story takes place inside the 100-floor apartment suite which is called as Hera Palace. This is a luxurious building in South Korea where the rich and elite people reside.
Su- Ryeon who while taking down the elevator to the first floor sees a girl suddenly topples falls all the way down to her doom. She crashes down to the glass below and the blood spatters around the fountain of an angle. She died lying on the angel and lies motionless.
The drama goes back to two months prior where we can see Yoon –Hee getting dressing up. A man Sang-Heon is there to buy out a property and questions her why she is wearing a scarf around her neck. She was hiding a scar and pulls always from his advances. He tries to take advantage of her and she pulls her back.
Sang Heon is a mean man and is not happy about her idea of brokerage. He warns her to destroy her career. Doing all the hard work for finding the property she was paid zero and was unhappy. The scene changes to Jenny who is a cool girl learning classical music the operatic singing. Her teacher scolds her for going to the karaoke night a day before.
There is another student Ro- Na who is also there and there a heated relation between them. Jenny pokes and makes fun of her and her financial situation. She leaves Ro Na while whining about her mother and how she invested in the music room. After that, she tells her mother everything about Ro- Na.
Ro Na comes out to be the daughter of Yeon Hee. She is quite upset about her choosing music as the field of interest and continuing the passion for it. A little fight can be seen between them. Her mother wants her to study hard and focus on her score.
For proving her mother wrong Ro Na recites the operatic singing perfectly which brings out the painful; memories of her past life. Hera Place starts to come into focus again as this is the key place where every incident will take place. Seo Jin shows up while teaching the lesson to her students Min Hyuk.
The voice breaks in between and this causes her to snap. She asks him about his seriousness toward art and if he really wants to be a singer. She decides to leave the program with him and snap the class. Jenny’s mother Ma RI shows up and sweet talks to find a way for her to get enroll in the lessons for the music. After bidding everyone goodbye Seo Jin heads up to her floor.
She gets ready in all dazzling ways and shows up to her husband Yoon Cheol who is not at all happy about it. He scoffs her off and told her she is overdressed. Sang A gets home to see her mother and sister-in-law in the home which makes her exhausted.
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Plot Continuation
The couples join to dinner where a heat-up moment can be seen between Seo-Jin and Yoon-Cheol. They all together take their place while Ma-Ri joins Sang-A and Kyu-Jin at the table.
There are many unspoken issues her, especially between Kyu-Jin and Yoon-Cheol. Su-Ryeon and her husband Joo Dan-Tae join the dinner that shows too. It can be seen how heated up the table begins to be when Yoon Cheol appreciates Su Ryeon.
They are discussing their kids their future and ambitions. After this, the conversation gets heated up on the dessert. Seo Jin asks Yoon Cheol to bring the bottle of wine and follows her.
She has an argument with Yoon Cheol which later was heard by Su Ryeon. The drama sets back everyone was drunk when Seo Jin seduces Dan Tae. She opens up her buttons and seduces him while pouring the glass of wine. Then she asks him to follow her to the room where she asks him to zip the back of her dress. This moment turns sensual but Su Ryeon watches out for her husband.
The next scene is set in the school where Jenny has a fight with Ro Na and she outs up a show. She blames jenny to drug her and this turns out to be heard in Ro Na. Jenny’s mother put up a drama and ask the community to take the proper action against Ro Na back at Hera Palace there is another dinner at Su Ryeon place where everyone joins. In the evening, all the men have their own plans for business expansions, discussing construction plans together. While they do, the girls gather and toast to drinking together in Hera Palace.
Suddenly Su Ryeon gets news of her mother’s health going down she heads to the hospital and everyone stays there and has a party. They call were busy when Seo Jin and Dan Tae has some kiss moments and some heated moments they were about to be caught by Yoon Cheol.
Getting back to past Seo-Jin and Yoon-Hee both competed for a vocal prize but the former won. Yoon-Hee was annoyed by the decision. They both fought over the trophy, which leads to Yoon-Hee telling Seo-Jin she pities her. She tells her she is using her father’s name to fabricate the results in her favor. Seo Jin is the one who slashed Yoon-Hee’s throat with the trophy.
A similar incident happens at the school with Ro Na. Yeon Hee has to again go through a similar phase of her life. The tension spills over the whole room when Ro Na is going to get kicked out. This makes her mother angry and she kicks one of the men in the face.
She sticks up for her daughter and berates the others and promises to help her daughter graduate. Yoon-Hee walks out with her daughter and heads straight back to Seo-Jin’s apartment. In front of Seo-Jin, she tells Ro-Na that she’s going to Cheong Arts School. This ends on the trophy and she says she will get the trophy back again.
Last Episode Overview
Episode one played an important part in building up the plot everything starts from the first episode. From the fights to the past everything is shown in the episode. It is the building of the plot. The plot revolves around how Seo Jin holds her place and what not she does to hold the position. There is an affair of Sui JI with Tae. They have private meetings and have their moments.
This turns out to be ugly when Su Ryun gets to know that her husband is hiding something from her. Everything gets mess up. Ro Na with help of her mother tries to clean her skill. Yoon Hee tries her best to provide Ro Na with every help that can be done to lead her to the art school.
Meanwhile, a friendship between Yoo Hee and Su Ryun is also depicted. Everyone gets on Hera Place. Things start unfolding and the secrets start to reveal. Everything turns out dirty and filthy. There is a love angle also between Ro Na and Joo Seok Hoon which ends on the ending note.
The ending of the drama is quite hustling. Su Ryun gets murder and the blames goes on Yoon Hee. She is taper into the incident as she is holding the bloody knife. Yoon Hee accepts the murder on her head. She also says she hates her and wants her to die.
Dan Tae also blames himself but he is allowed to leave the room and head home. He acts all selfish and self-centered. Ro Na here is someone who does not know what to do next. Everyone tries to brush up their relationship with the richer party to get help afterward.
Meanwhile, Seok-Hoon and Seok-Kyung decide to leave the penthouse. Seo jin kicks Yoon-Cheol out of the hospital and suspends his license. Eun-Byeol starts to come around to her Father’s way of thinking and throws a cake Seo-Jin brings for her in the bin.
Logan awakens sees himself all tied up to a chair thanks to Joo’s goons. Logan screams at the Chairman asks him who killed Su-Ryeon, Joo and walks away, and heads back to the Palace to spend time with Seo-Jin. Yoon-Hee threw the knife in the bin but Secretary Cho picked it up.
This was a frame to get Yoon Hee as the suspect for the murder and the entire picture frame incident to make it look like Yoon-Hee was deranged. Ro Na once wants to meet her mother and ask her what happens. This turns the time Ro Na finds some disturbing words written on the door calling her a daughter of a murderer.
Spending days and nights in the police station she has been starving. Jenny gave her a hand ask her to join her and to have food. Ro Na cries for her situation. The episode takes a leap and now. Chairman Joo is a free man and his charges have been dropped. Kyu-Jin is groom by his parents to be a politician and to lead the country; Seo-Jin is back at school with everyone happy over her return.
Eun-Byeol remains silent and turns away from her mother and refuses to talk. Eun-Byeol suddenly asks her about her Grandfather and the past is portrayed where Seo Jin is killing her father. Eun Byeol has a video of the incident. Seo-Jin seems to understand her daughter knows something about her. Joo decides to send Seok-Hoon and Seok-Kyung abroad to study and live a life there.
It was their decision which is hard to digest. Back in prison, the trial goes ahead. The letter is delivered to Yoon Hee confirms that she is a warm and kind-heart person. Yoon-Hee stands up and pleads with them all saying that she’s not responsible and asks for the investigators to look at the case again. Ro-Na help, Yoon-Hee and is transfer to prison.
Logan hijacks the police escort. He flips the car upside down and takes Yoon-Hee. Yoon-Hee awakens, she finds herself with Logan. She pleads and requests him to stop and asks him to get revenge on Seo-Jin and Joo those are the real duo responsible for what’s happen there. Yoon-Hee admits to killing Seol-A though and proceeds to stab herself in the throat. She collapses to the ground, blood seeps all over the floor as Logan stands over her.
The season ends on a very unclear note where it is not clear if she died or not. What happens to the murderer and what is going to happen next for the trial? The drama ends on a confusing note which will be clear in the ongoing season 2 of the penthouse where the entire dark secret reveals and everything comes out to be clear.
Final verdict
The Penthouse Season 1 is a crazy drama based on a crazy journey of people their self advantages and how far they can go to hold a position in life. It is a crazy drama from beginning to end a whole ride of a roller coaster. This requires a truckload of suspension disbelieves as it serves to twist who kills whom and for what reason the murder is being carried out.
There is blackmail, the love triangle the dirty politics and the betrayal is all you will see in season one. Season 2 will more be like a revenge plot. The central theme of the drama is quite clear as it makes people clear about the rich ahs insatiable greed and this greed can make people led to take the worst decisions. Also, the presentation does lack at a bit but the screenplay and the story are all you can vouch for.
No character is decent and has zero bad connection except Soo-Ryeon (Lee Ji-ah). The only mistake in life was agreeing to an engagement to Joo Dan-Tae (Uhm Ki-Joon). This is thought of as an eloping relationship. She chooses this way with another guy and thought calling off the engagement will be the solution. Dan-Tae is a narcissistic psychopath who is selfish and the scum bag.
Verdict Continuation
He cannot stand losing anything that he thinks. This drama is quite mysterious as it also shows a point Soo-Ryeon’s biological child, Min Seol-ah (Jo Soo-min). He was eventually murdered by someone at The Penthouse where all our characters are living at.
The story is mysterious and it will take a thing to find out if the murder really was Yoon Hee or Madam Yang is the one who carries on the murder of Su Ryeon. Many questions are not answered in this season that may get clear in the next season. The season was a plot of all the evil deeds and season 2 maybe be the plot for revenge and truth.
There is also un resolve blackmailing of Ha Eun-byeol (Choi Ye-bin) on her mother Cheon Seo-jin (Kim So-Yeon), for the murder of her grandfather. The entire plot is full of mystery.
Overall if you want to see something that is long interesting and brings out different dimensions then Penthouse Season 1 is a perfect series. This is full of every possible genre from thriller to murder to revenge and romance. This is a drama that is a shed for the entire genre. The dram is interesting will leave you to think at the different point what happens who conducted what and how everything is setting up and down. Moreover, You can surely add Penthouse Season 1 to your watchlist.
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