a virtuous business
- inspired by netflix/jtbc’s “a virtuous business” (2024)
a group of four women seeking independence, purpose, and growth in their rather mundane lives set off in the world of adult product sales. through their joint business, they fight off society judgment, rediscover their self worth, and find friendship with one another.
muse a (based off han jeongsuk, played by kim soyeon): many would think with her brains and beauty, life would had been easy for her. however, she had the misfortune of meeting the wrong guy. after supporting her nearly deadbeat husband for years, she finally decided to divorce him for the sake of her and her child. however, there’s still some stigma from her divorce and now she wants to support her family better in these times.
muse b (based off oh geumhui, played by kim sungryoung): she’s been in a longterm relationship/marriage that’s lost its fizz, supporting her partner in any way possible, even becoming a housewife for him. however, she itches to find a sort of purpose and some friendship, which has her happily jumping into the business.
muse c (based off seo youngbok, played by kim sunyoung): supporting her own family and her siblings, muse c is always short on money. wanting to better support them, she sees this as a quick means to meet her goals. despite her issues, she still finds a way to stay positive.
muse d (based off lee juri, played by lee sehee): a young single mom who isn’t shy to say what’s on her mind, disregarding what people might say of her. she joins the business, thinking it would be something fun to do in her spare time.
skeleton: the prinz/prinzess of korea. king/queen of con artists
- inspired by anna sorkin, zsa zsa gabor’s husband, frederic prinz von anhalt, and heartbreakers with sigourney weaver and jennifer love hewitt
- con artist and sugar baby.
muse a grew up wanting the trendiest shoes, clothes, toys, bags, and cars. the first day of school always required the newest outfits, something to stand out. summers must include trips abroad. the only problem? muse a and their family were dirt poor. envious of their classmates, muse a decided they had to hustle for what they wanted. how? as a child, it started from cars “hitting” them and collecting damages from that. eventually the cons and ruses grew from there. a new alias always seemed to be made every six months, another new ruse, a hefty sum collected, and eventually the cycle repeated itself. at times, they were married and divorced, gaining settlements in the six figures. however, this ruse has lasted longer than the others, with muse a “adopted” by a member of the yi royal family. with the cash grabs higher than ever, muse a is addicted to this near royalty lifestyle and can’t seem to give up. however, the ruse is almost up, the cops are close on their tail.
notes
- why they're in haepung v1: to get away from the heat, they're hiding out here.
- why they're in haepung v2: they're originally from the town and hiding here
- bonus if someone can create a heartbreakers sort of partnership/con with this character
muse a is a popular social media star, who posts viral videos of the bentos and meals that they make for their kids. however, muse a is happy, single, and childless; instead opting a life with their fur children. everything is a ploy, wanting to reach a larger, more profitable niche audience. after all, people will spend like crazy for their (human) kids. look at cocomelon and peppa pig’s profits. before the "kids", muse a had little view counts on their videos. no one questions them since muse a always says that they never reveal their children for “privacy reasons”.
potential versions
- someone is blackmailing muse a, after finding out the latter has no kids.
- muse a was estranged from their family. however, they’re now in charge of taking care of their sibling’s kids after a major accident. loosely inspired by the 2004 film, raising helen, with kate hudson.
เฌณ ษขแดษดสแด: mafia, crime
เฌณ ษขแดษดแด แดส: preferably male, but not necessary
เฌณ ษดแดแดษชแด แด: yes
เฌณ แด แดแดแดษชสs: haepung has a long history and has remained true to its cultural roots even amidst westernization and gentrification of similar towns by no accident. pulling the strings from behind closed doors are a group of powerful families in haepung who keep out anything they don't like. with ties to the japanese yakuza and chinese triad, the korean government can't do anything to touch the power these family have on haepung. don't touch haepung and they won't touch you.
โโง แดแดssษชสสแด แดสแดแดs:
เฌณ rival families — among the families, there are two who rival each other at the very top, bringing opposing opinions to each town meeting. it's a constant power play to see which of the families they can pull under their influence.
เฌณ romeo & juliet — your families are at the very top and are constantly involved in power plays against each other. it's a constant push and pull between your families' power in town, but they could never fathom their heirs falling for each other and threatening to disturb the balance of haepung.
เฌณ arranged marriage — a union between your families would be the best move to gain a better hold of power in haepung. whether you like it or not, you've been arranged to marry someone from the other family.
เฌณ secret child — you get sudden news of your father's passing... but you've never known your father. your mother raised you on her own in busan and you've never heard a peep about your father's identity until now. but that's not the biggest news... you're now the rightful heir to the family and must return to haepung, where you were conceived, and take head to a family of strangers.
เฌณ you shall not pass — you're a commercial real estate agent from seoul and recently visited haepung on vacation and wondered why nobody has taken advantage of the town's beautiful scenery and built more commercial lots in town. you see potential of haepung effortlessly becoming a bustling city, but as you explore the town and voice your intentions, you're met with pushback you never could have expected from the powerful families of haepung who make it very clear they don't want you in town.
?? โโง what are you gonna do about it โงโ เผ.°
เฌณ ษขแดษดสแด: mafia
เฌณ ษขแดษดแด แดส: any
เฌณ ษดแดแดษชแด แด: no
เฌณ แด แดแดแดษชสs: after a long day at work, you head to the bar having one too many drinks leading to the bartender kicking you out for being too "rowdy". stumbling out of the bar drunk, you bump into a figure in front of you who happens to be the mob boss, glaring down at you for even coming near his presence. the boss offers to let you go if you become his lackey or pay him 100k in three payments only.
เฌณ ษขแดษดสแด: supernatural, hidden identity
เฌณ ษขแดษดแด แดส: preferably female, but not necessary
เฌณ ษดแดแดษชแด แด: no
เฌณ แด แดแดแดษชสs: one day you found yourself washed up on shore without memories. you're not sure who you are or how you got to haepung. after being examined at haepung's hospital, you're released to the care of an elderly couple who take you in like their own child. during your first night, you're instructed to take a bath and as you dip your toes in, your legs fuse together into a tail and you discover that you're actually a mermaid! however, until you regain your memories and figure out how to get back home, you have to keep your true identity a secret and integrate yourself into town as just a normal human being.
ใใโใษขแดษดแด แดส: female
ใใโใแดษขแด: character should be younger than jingoo as she will be his younger sister
ใใโใษดแดแดษชแด แด: yes
ใใโใแด แดแดแดษชส๊ฑ: should be working in hapeung (best if the character works at their family laundromat)
their relationship has been strained ever since jingoo last visited, five years ago. but now, here he is, occupying the same childhood room he's had since birth, behaving as if nothing has changed—as if he hadn't hurt his younger sister by neglecting to come home more often.
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