The 2009 blockbuster series, “My Wife is a Superwoman,” takes a comic and melodramatic look at two housewives who devote their entire lives to their husbands’ social success.

Cheon Ji-ae is a former prom queen who had many courters during her school days. Her friend, Yang Bong-sun, was a plain girl covered in freckles and wearing thick glasses. Many years have passed, and Ji-ae married a good-natured man who graduated from a prestigious university. Much to Ji-ae’s disappointment, it turns out he is a less-than-ideal husband who gets a pink slip in every company he works for. Ji-ae is now a desperate housewife struggling to make ends meet; she begs for money from her mother-in-law, stops hanging around with her friends, quits shopping and even sells her wedding ring. One day, her husband enters a large food company. With great joy, Ji-ae visits the wife of her husband’s boss to help him make a good impression. To her surprise, she discovers the boss’s wife is her high school friend, Yang Bong-sun. At first, Ji-ae does not recognize Bong-sun because the once-geeky and unpopular girl has miraculously transformed herself into a beautiful, stylish lady. More surprisingly, Bong-sun’s husband—Ji-ae’s husband’s boss—is none other than a man who loved Ji-ae in their younger days. In fact, Bong-sun, who was always envious of Ji-ae and also had a crush on the man Ji-ae loved, deliberately separated the couple and succeeded in marrying him later. Of course, the couple never really knew Bong-sun’s plot. Now, the situation is quite the opposite of the past. Ji-ae, a dowdy homemaker, has to flatter Bong-sun, the elegant wife of a powerful man who could determine the fate of her socially inept husband at the workplace.

The 20-episode TV series was a big hit, bringing in high ratings for its Monday and Tuesday night slot. The phenomenal success of the soap demonstrated the popularity of housewife-themed dramas, especially those depicting a headstrong “ajumma,” or middle-aged woman, who supports her husband from top to bottom. Many viewers deeply empathized with the two homemakers disillusioned by the challenges of married life and their under-appreciated efforts.

Actress Kim Nam-ju made a successful comeback to the small screen after an eight-year absence portraying a dedicated wife who tries hard to help her unemployed husband get a proper job. Kim was synonymous with a sophisticated, urban career woman in the 1990s, but the veteran actress in her late 30s successfully embodied an ordinary housewife in a hilarious yet convincing way. Kim was named one of Asia’s top ten actors and actresses chosen by China Entertainment TV in June of 2010. Co-star Yoon Sang-hyun earned himself a flock of female fans by performing the role of the attractive yet unsuccessful suitor of the heroine. The singer-actor sang the song “Never Ending Story” himself in the drama. After the TV series aired, the charming song enjoyed huge popularity with local audiences.