Brains And Bravado Team Up To Solve Crimes In K-Comedy ‘Brain Works’

When detective Geum Myung-se is assigned to a special neuroscience crime team in the k-drama Brain Works, his ex-wife thinks it’s very funny. She doesn’t think he’s a genius. Given that the affable Myung-se is played by Cha Tae-hyun, an actor known for his comedy roles, viewers can assume the assignment will provide plenty of laughs.

The team’s first case is to investigate the death of a popular musician. The musician’s wife keeps saying she killed him, because together they conspired to use an illegally modified electronic bracelet that helped ease his tremors. But did she cause his brain hemorrhage ? Is it really murder?

To find out if that’s even possible, Myung-se consults a famous neuroscientist at Hankuk University Hospital. That star neuroscientist, Shin Ha-ru, is played by actor and musician Jung Yong-hwa. Ha-ru is a genius, a well-known book author and so popular he hawks products on TV commercials. He’s also pretty arrogant about what he’s capable of and what unethical behavior he should be allowed to get away with. That behavior includes harvesting a corpse’s brain without permission. Jung is campily funny as the over-confident doctor.

In exchange for helping the detective with his case, Ha-ru ropes Myung-se into serving as a decoy while he secretly removes the brain. It’s not the smartest thing he’s ever done. When the two characters exchange favors Brain Works becomes a buddy drama, with Cha’s character supplying the comic brawn and Jung’s character the often unethical brain.

As in many buddy dramas the doctor and detective are so different they never would have become friends, but they do have something to gain from their interactions. Ha-ru can help Myung-se solve cases that involve neuroscience, while Myung-se may help Ha-ru become less arrogant and more considerate. The drama describes each of these characters as having a different kind of “brain.” Ha-ru is described as “extraordinary,” while Myung-se is “altruistic.” Kwak’s character is “anxious.” These brains must find a way to synchronize in the pursuit of criminals.

Cha is a film and TV actor, whose roles include playing a tough detective training cadets in Police University and a TV producer in The Producers. He’s also a singer, radio DJ and TV personality known for his comic appearances on multiple variety shows.

Jung is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the band CNBLUE and recently displayed his dark comedy skills as a scam-artist-ghost-hunter in Sell Your Haunted House. He made his television debut with You’re Beautiful in 2009 and has since appeared in a few dramas including The Three Musketeers and The Package. The cast of Brain Works is rounded out by Kwak Se-young (Behind Every Star), as a forensic hypnotist on Mung-se’s team, and Ye Ji-won (Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol) as Myung-se’s cheating ex-wife.

Lee Jin-seo, who directed Revolutionary Sisters and The Fugitive of Joseon directed this KBS2 drama, written by Park Kyung-sun. The drama is shown on Viki.com in the US.