The Atypical Family

Lore & Background

The Atypical Family follows Bok Gwi-ju and his family, who have inherited superpowers from a long line of ancestors. Gwi-ju can travel back to past events he experienced, his sister Bok Dong-hee can fly, and his mother Bok Man-heum sees the future in dreams, which has made the family wealthy through the office building they own. However, as the series opens, their powers are waning due to chronic diseases and modern lifestyle issues such as depression, insomnia, drinking, and obesity. The family is dysfunctional and struggling financially despite owning a large office building, and Gwi-ju is raising his teenage daughter Bok I-na alone after his wife's death.

The plot shifts when Do Da-hae, a beautiful con artist, enters their lives. She initially seeks to marry Gwi-ju to gain a share of the family fortune for her unpleasant step-family led by her mother Baek Il-hong. But as Gwi-ju and Da-hae interact, they fall for each other, interrupted by scheming families, near-death experiences, and time travels. Meanwhile, I-na hides her own power—reading minds through eye contact—and is bullied at school, addicted to her smartphone, and wears glasses because she is nearsighted, not to mask her ability. A side plot follows her coming-of-age story as she eventually reveals her power to the family.

Reader's Guide

The Atypical Family explores themes of family dysfunction, loss of identity, and the struggle to maintain supernatural gifts in a modern world. Its significance lies in blending fantasy with realistic portrayals of depression, obesity, and addiction, showing how personal and familial crises can erode even extraordinary abilities. The series uses time travel and precognitive dreams as narrative devices to examine relationships, grief, and redemption. The central romance between Gwi-ju and Da-hae serves as a catalyst for the family's recovery, as Da-hae helps Gwi-ju overcome depression and regain his time-traveling power. The show also highlights generational conflict through the sparring matriarchs, Bok Man-heum and Baek Il-hong, who vie for control over money and their children. Its legacy is as a character-driven K-drama that uses superpowers as metaphors for emotional and psychological states, resonating with audiences seeking both escapism and relatable human struggles.

Did You Know?

• The series aired on JTBC every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST) from May 4 to June 9, 2024.
• Bok Man-heum's precognitive dreams have allowed the family to amass a fortune through the office building they own.
• Bok I-na, Gwi-ju's daughter, can read minds if she makes eye contact, but she avoids eye contact to hide this ability and wears glasses because she is nearsighted.
• Not all family members have superpowers; Eom Soon-gu and Bok Man-heum's husband both lack powers, as abilities are inherited through the maternal line.

The Superpowered Bok Family

The Atypical Family centers on the Bok household, a multigenerational lineage in which nearly every member possesses a distinct supernatural gift. Bok Gwi-ju, played by Jang Ki-yong, can travel backward in time to relive moments he has personally experienced. His elder sister Bok Dong-hee, portrayed by Claudia Kim, once had the power of flight. Their mother Bok Man-heum, played by Go Doo-shim, sees the future through vivid dreams—ranging from family tragedies to winning lottery numbers and stock picks, which she used to build the family's considerable wealth and maintain their large office building. The sole exception is the father, Eom Soon-gu (Oh Man-seok), who carries no supernatural ability whatsoever. By the time the series begins, however, the family's powers have largely faded. Chronic depression, insomnia, alcohol use, obesity, and general incompatibility with modern life have stripped each member of their gifts, leaving them financially strained despite their property holdings and emotionally fractured following the death of Gwi-ju's wife.

Romance, Schemes & the Battle of Matriarchs

The emotional engine of the series is the volatile, on-and-off romance between Bok Gwi-ju and Do Da-hae (Chun Woo-hee), a charismatic con artist who initially approaches the family with the calculated goal of marrying Gwi-ju to secure a share of the Bok fortune for her difficult step-family. Her mother, Baek Il-hong (Kim Geum-sun), is a scheming figure who pressures Da-hae toward this arrangement. Yet as the two characters grow closer, genuine feelings develop, repeatedly tested by their respective families' machinations, near-death experiences, and the disruptions of Gwi-ju's time-travel ability. A persistent undercurrent of conflict exists between the two matriarchs—Bok Man-heum and Baek Il-hong—who constantly clash over financial control and influence over their children. Da-hae's younger sister Grace (Ryu Abel) and uncle Noh Hyung-tae (Choi Gwang-rok) round out her side of the story, adding further layers of family tension to the central love story.

Bok I-na's Coming-of-Age Story

Running parallel to the adult romance is a deeply personal coming-of-age arc for Bok I-na, Gwi-ju's thirteen-year-old daughter, played by Park So-yi. I-na harbors a secret power: when she makes direct eye contact with another person, she can read their thoughts. To conceal this ability, she wears glasses and keeps a low profile at school, where she is nonetheless bullied and socially isolated. Her daily life is further complicated by a heavy smartphone addiction and a general sense of misery that distances her from both her classmates and her own family. A pivotal moment in the series comes when she finally reveals her mind-reading gift to the Boks, shifting the family dynamic and forcing them to reckon with yet another member of their lineage carrying a supernatural trait. Her friend Han Jun-woo (Moon Woo-jin) provides a small anchor of connection outside the household. I-na's arc grounds the show's fantastical elements in the very real anxieties of adolescence—belonging, self-acceptance, and the struggle to be seen for who one truly is.

Broadcast, Streaming & Soundtrack

The Atypical Family aired on South Korea's JTBC network from May 4 to June 9, 2024, with new episodes released every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 KST, giving it a two-episode weekly cadence typical of weekend dramas. The series also became available for streaming on Netflix in select international regions, broadening its reach beyond the Korean-speaking audience. The show's original soundtrack album was released on June 9, 2024—the same day as the series finale—serving as a musical capstone to the run. The production was handled by SLL, whose official website maintained both English and Korean information pages for the series. Additional reference materials for fans include the show's official website (in Korean), its IMDb listing, and its HanCinema profile. The ensemble cast—Jang Ki-yong, Chun Woo-hee, Go Doo-shim, and Claudia Kim in the lead roles, supported by Park So-yi, Oh Man-seok, Kim Geum-sun, Ryu Abel, Choi Gwang-rok, and Moon Woo-jin—anchored a production that blended supernatural family drama with romantic comedy and teen coming-of-age storytelling.