Dead-End Job (꿀알바), Netflix's mystery-horror series led by Lee Jae-wook, premieres on Friday, October 30, with all eight episodes released at once. Netflix first announced the series under the working title Perfect Job.
Dead-End Job release time
Netflix originals typically go live at 12 a.m. Pacific Time, according to Netflix's help center. US clocks stay on daylight time until November 1, so on October 30 that works out to:
| Where | Time |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles (PDT) | 12 a.m. Fri |
| New York (EDT) | 3 a.m. Fri |
| London (GMT) | 7 a.m. Fri |
| India (IST) | 12:30 p.m. Fri |
| Manila (PHT) | 3 p.m. Fri |
| Seoul (KST) | 4 p.m. Fri |
What Dead-End Job is about
Byeon Hyeok-jun is deep in debt when he answers a flyer for a part-time job. It leads him to the Spider Staffing Agency, which pays 50 times the minimum hourly wage and has one rule: never reveal what happens on the job. His first posting looks like an ordinary convenience store, and Netflix's synopsis says every shift there could cost him his life.
Each episode moves to a different workplace. The Busan International Film Festival's programme note mentions a night shift at the convenience store, an event gig with a clown that turns into a deadly race, and a movie theater where Hyeok-jun's younger sister, Ji-yun, takes a job and finds horrifying memories replaying on the screen. Meanwhile Yeon-ju, who says she works for a labor safety institute, wants to know what the agency's jobs really involve. The festival describes horror and comedy mixed together under the pressure of earning a living.
Dead-End Job cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Lee Jae-wook | Byeon Hyeok-jun |
| Ko Min-si | Yeon-ju |
| Kim Min-ha | Byeon Ji-yun, Hyeok-jun's sister |
| Lee Hee-jun | Head of the Spider Staffing Agency |
Kim Da-min directs. It is her first series; she co-wrote the screenplay for Netflix's A Killer Paradox. Han Jun-hee, known for D.P. and Weak Hero Class 2, is the creator and led the overall creative development. Kyung Min-sun and Lee Shin-ji wrote the screenplay.
The Busan premiere
Dead-End Job had its world premiere in the On Screen section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival, with screenings on October 7, 9 and 13. The festival rated those screenings 19+.
If eight episodes of debt-driven dread are not enough for Halloween weekend, our guide to Korean horror dramas has more, and the series' page lists similar deadly-game shows such as The 8 Show and If Wishes Could Kill.
Mina's Take
I think Dead-End Job makes Netflix's global Top 10 for non-English shows in its first two weeks. What I'm hoping for is the funny side: something light that doesn't wear me out. I'm less sure about the new-job-every-episode format. Korean procedurals rarely manage to keep a line like that going.
