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Happiness (South Korean TV series)

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This article is about 2021 TV series. For the 2007 film, see Happiness (2007 film).
Happiness
Promotional poster
Also known asInfectious Smile
Hangul
해피니스
Genre
Created by
  • Yang Ji-eul (Tving)
  • Lee Myung-han (tvN)
Developed by
  • Kim Young-kyu
  • Studio Dragon
Written byHan Sang-woon
Directed byAhn Gil-ho
Starring
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producerJo Moon-ju[1]
Producers
  • Hong Won-ju
  • Jeong Se-mi
Running time70 minutes
Production company
Original release
NetworktvN
ReleaseNovember 5 (2021-11-05) –
December 11, 2021 (2021-12-11)

Happiness (Korean: 해피니스; RR: Haepiniseu) is a 2021 South Korean television series produced by Studio Dragon and starring Han Hyo-joo, Park Hyung-sik and Jo Woo-jin. It is an apocalyptic thriller that takes place in a time where infectious diseases have become the new normal.[2] It aired on tvN every Friday and Saturday at 22:40 (KST) from November 5 to December 11, 2021.[3][4] It is also available for streaming on Viki, Viu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Max, and iQIYI in selected territories.[5]

While achieving respectable but modest ratings during its original run, Happiness became a sleeper hit upon its global release on streaming platforms in April 2022.[6] Thanks to good word of mouth, appreciation for the chemistry between the two leads and execution of zombie genre, it rose to number six on the Most Popular TV Shows ranking on Netflix worldwide.[7]

Due to the success of the series, Han Hyo-joo was nominated for Best Leading Actress and the Popular Star Award at the 2022 Blue Dragon Series Awards, of which she won the latter.

Synopsis

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Setting

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Happiness takes place in the near future, where the release of a failed treatment drug "Next" has caused a worldwide pandemic known as the Lytta Virus, a.k.a. "mad person disease". Those infected by Lytta experience short bouts of insanity and bloodlust, before completely regressing into a zombie-like state. The South Korean Military and Police forces try to contain the spread of Lytta and Next through extensive investigation and authoritative quarantine measures, while civil rights groups protest against them, believing the infected are still capable of normal human interaction.

Plot

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Yoon Sae-bom encounters a trainee at the Special Operations Unit who is infected by mad person disease. In the struggle to subdue the trainee, she is scratched, leading her to meet Han Tae-seok at a research facility. The facility houses many of the "patients" who are kept under observation in order to understand and cure the disease. It is revealed that the symptoms of mad person disease are first accompanied by unabated thirst, followed by the pupils turning white, and then thirst for human blood. The disease is not airborne, but spreads through scratches and bites, with Yoon Sae-bom seemingly immune to the disease. Some of those who contracted the disease are ultimately able to return to their former selves temporarily. Yoon Sae-bom makes a deal with Han Tae-seok which leads her to secure an apartment in a newly constructed building. However, in order to do so, she must be married, so she asks her high school friend Jung Yi-hyun, a former star baseball player but now a police detective, and he agrees to a contract marriage. The building is luxurious and stratified, with public rentals making up the first five floors, and those who own apartments for the upper ones. Class discrimination is evident when upper floor resident Oh Yeon-ok struggles at being the apartment's representative while keeping everyone in check. Yoon Sae-bom meets interesting and strange residents, forming a close attachment to her neighbor's young daughter.

Through Jung Yi-hyun's detective work, he encounters a diseased person who he believes became this way due to a failed pneumonia drug called Next, which had been widely circulated in order to promote attentiveness and strength. This assumption is later confirmed when a resident member who consumed the drug, secretly sold to her in the building's gym, ultimately becomes infected with the mad person disease and succumbs to the illness. This begins the outbreak in the building. In an effort to protect the residents in his building, Jung Yi-hyun and Yoon Sae-bom establish quarantine rules, while securing the building from the outside with the help of his captain, Kim Jung-guk. Jung Yi-hyun conflicts with building resident Oh Joo-hyung, who seems to encourage destructive behavior in the building. The question of humanity and whether to view those infected with mad person disease as human beings forms a psychological battle for Sae-bom, Yi-hyun and Tae-seok.

Han Tae-seok initially tries to keep the mad person disease a secret, but with more cases progressing and people getting panicked, the secret is revealed to the public. With an increasing number of people getting infected, Han Tae-seok and his military team struggles to determine whether to preserve these people or kill them off. Han Tae-seok orders the complete quarantine of the new building complex where Yoon Sae-bom and Jung Yi-hyun live, offering them a chance to leave the building before it becomes completely sealed off. However, they decline the offer. Yoon Sae-bom's blood contains antibodies that could hold the cure for the disease, which Han Tae-seok seeks to exploit. It is revealed that Han Tae-seok's pregnant wife was bitten by the president of the pharmaceutical company that supplied Next, and ultimately became infected with the disease. His search for the cure is in part motivated to find a cure for his wife and to save his unborn child.

Cast

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Main

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A member of a Special Operation Unit police squad (KP-SOU) formerly known as KP-SWAT. She was excited to move into her new apartment, but as soon as she moves there she faces a crisis.
A detective who has romantic feelings for Sae-bom; they graduated from the same high school. He struggles to protect Sae-bom and other people.
A lieutenant colonel and part of the health service command. He holds a key to the infectious disease outbreak.

Supporting

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People around Jung Yi-hyun
Yi-hyun's supervisor.
Extended
A dermatologist.
A mart employee.
A dermatologist.
A romance web novelist.
A lawyer.
A lieutenant.
  • Kim Young-woong as Go Se-kyu[16]
  • Na-cheol as Na Soo-min[17]
Na Hyun-kyung's brother.
  • Cha Soon-bae as Seon Woo-chang[18]
A pastor.
A cleaning company employee.
An intellectual who moves around the world with his diplomat parents.
Seo-yoon's mother.
A cleaning janitor.

Special appearances

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A brigadier general.

Production

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Happiness is helmed by director Ahn Gil-ho and writer Han Sang-woon.[27] It is the first acting project of Park Hyung-sik since his discharge from military service on January 4, 2021.[27] First script reading with the cast was held on May 7, 2021, and filming began on May 11.[28][29]

Original soundtrack

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Happiness
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
Released2021
GenreSoundtrack
Language
Label

Part 1

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Released on November 20, 2021 (2021-11-20)[30]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."What Lies Ahead"Joe LayneJoe LayneJoe Layne3:40
Total length:3:40

Part 2

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Released on December 4, 2021 (2021-12-04)[31]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."Pain"Cray BinCray BinHong Isaac3:23
2."Pain" (Inst.) Cray Bin 3:23
Total length:6:47

Part 3

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Released on December 11, 2021 (2021-12-11)[32]
No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistLength
1."ENIGMA"NaivNaivJemma3:38
2."ENIGMA" (Inst.) Naiv 3:38
Total length:7:16

Viewership

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Happiness : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)
SeasonEpisode numberAverage
123456789101112
17617938529059398049598339428959581110896
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea[33]
Average TV viewership ratings
Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
(Nielsen Korea)[33][34]
Nationwide Seoul
1 November 5, 2021 3.300% (2nd) 4.103% (2nd)
2 November 6, 2021 3.196% (2nd) 3.679% (2nd)
3 November 12, 2021 3.574% (2nd) 3.862% (2nd)
4 November 13, 2021 3.324% (2nd) 3.841% (2nd)
5 November 19, 2021 3.542% (2nd) 4.217% (2nd)
6 November 20, 2021 3.084% (2nd) 3.494% (2nd)
7 November 26, 2021 3.539% (2nd) 4.176% (2nd)
8 November 27, 2021 3.251% (2nd) 3.597% (2nd)
9 December 3, 2021 3.740% (2nd) 4.377% (2nd)
10 December 4, 2021 3.263% (2nd) 3.735% (2nd)
11 December 10, 2021 3.543% (2nd) 3.857% (2nd)
12 December 11, 2021 4.185% (2nd) 4.433% (2nd)
Average 3.462% 3.948%
  • In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
  • This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).

Awards and nominations

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Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
Ceremony Year Award Recipient Result Ref.
1st Blue Dragon Series Awards 2022 Best Actress Han Hyo-joo Nominated [35]
Best Supporting Actress Bae Hae-sun Nominated

International broadcast

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ABS-CBN acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast Happiness in Filipino dubbing. The series premiered on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z and TV5 on Mondays to Fridays at 22:15 (PST) on April 21, 2025, which then moved to 22:05 (PST) on May 27. It is also available for streaming on iWantTFC in the Philippines.[36]

References

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  1. ^ "STUDIO DRAGON". www.studiodragon.net (in Korean). Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  2. ^ 한효주 박형식 조우진 '해피니스' 출연 확정, 안길호 감독 만난다(공식). Naver (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  3. ^ 한효주X박형식 '해피니스', 메인 포스터 공개. Ten Asia (in Korean). Retrieved October 7, 2021 – via Naver.
  4. ^ '해피니스' 한효주·박형식·조우진, 공포와 혼돈 담은 메인포스터 (in Korean). News1 Korea. Retrieved October 7, 2021 – via Naver.
  5. ^ "Happiness". Viu Hong Kong. Retrieved 14 November 2021."Happiness". Viu Philippines. Retrieved 14 November 2021."Happiness". Viu Singapore. Retrieved 14 November 2021. "Happiness". Viu Indonesia. Retrieved 14 November 2021."Happiness". Viu Malaysia. Retrieved 14 November 2021."Happiness". Viu Thailand. Retrieved 14 November 2021."Happiness". Viu Myanmar. Retrieved 14 November 2021."Happiness". IQIYI. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  6. ^ "역시 K좀비!…'해피니스' OTT서 글로벌 역주행". 스포츠동아 (in Korean). 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  7. ^ Sarkar, Ishani (2022-04-19). "K-Drama "Happiness" Currently Ranked The 6th Most Popular TV Show On Netflix Worldwide". Trends - In-Depth K-Pop & K-Culture Insights | Kpopmap. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  8. ^ a b c 서현철♥정재은, '해피니스' 특별출연..첫 부부 동반 드라마[공식]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Herald Pop Corporation. 2021-06-21. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  9. ^ 백현진 '해피니스' 출연 확정. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Kyunghyang Shinmun. 2021-05-24. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  10. ^ 한다솔, '해피니스' 출연..한효주·박형식 호흡. OSEN (in Korean). 2021-06-17. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  11. ^ 이지하, 드라마 '해피니스' 출연 확정. NBN News Agency (in Korean). 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  12. ^ 문예원, '해피니스' 출연 확정..한효주･박형식과 호흡 [공식]. Naver (in Korean). OSEN. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  13. ^ 박희본, '해피니스'로 2년만에 안방 복귀..한효주X박형식X조우진과 호흡 [공식]. OSEN (in Korean). 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  14. ^ '해피니스' 박형수, 생계형 변호사 役 확정..한효주X박형식과 호흡[공식]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Herald Corporation. 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  15. ^ 박주희, '해피니스' 캐스팅...한효주·박형식과 호흡 [공식입장]. Xports News (in Korean). 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  16. ^ Choi Hee-jae (July 1, 2021). 김영웅, '해피니스' 출연 확정...신스틸러 활약ing [공식입장]. Naver (in Korean). Xports News. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  17. ^ Kim Seon-woo (July 5, 2021). 나철, '해피니스' 출연 확정...박희본과 호흡[공식]. Sports Seoul (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  18. ^ Jung Eun-eun (July 15, 2021). 배우 차순배, 드라마 '해피니스' 목사 선우창으로 변신! [Actor Cha Soon-bae transformed into Pastor Seon Woo-chang in the drama 'Happiness'!]. Korean Broadcasting System (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  19. ^ Hyung Jung-min (July 19, 2021). 유지연, '해피니스' 출연 확정...조우진 아내 역 [Yoo Ji-yeon confirmed to appear in 'Happiness'... Jo Woo-jin's wife]. sportsworldi (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  20. ^ Lee Min-ji (July 23, 2021). 해피니스' 이주승 출연확정. 한효주x박형식과 호흡(공식) [Lee Joo-seung confirmed for 'Happiness'. Han Hyo-joo x Park Hyung-sik and breathing (official)]. Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved July 23, 2021 – via Naver.
  21. ^ Kang Young-cho (July 28, 2021). [단독]한준우, tvN '해피니스' 캐스팅...한효주·박형식 만난다 [[Exclusive] Jun-woo Han, cast for tvN's 'Happiness'... Meet Han Hyo-joo and Park Hyung-sik]. Sports Seoul (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  22. ^ Hwang Mi-hyeon (July 28, 2021). 신스틸러' 강한샘, 드라마 '해피니스' 캐스팅...한효주와 호흡 ['Scene stealer' Kang Han Sam, cast for drama 'Happiness'... Breathing with Han Hyo-joo]. News1 (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  23. ^ Ha Ji-won (September 8, 2021). 배해선, '해피니스' 캐스팅...한효주·박형식과 호흡 [공식입장] [Bae Hae-sun, cast for 'Happiness'... Breathing with Han Hyo-joo and Park Hyung-sik [official position]]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved September 8, 2021 – via Naver.
  24. ^ a b c d e f '해피니스' 한효주X박형식X조우진, 공기부터 달랐던 대본리딩 현장. Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  25. ^ "'해피니스' 분노 유발자 백현진의 폭주한효주박형식 대치". Newsen. December 8, 2021.
  26. ^ [단독]이규형, '해피니스' 특별출연...신스틸러 활약 예고. SpoTV News (in Korean). 2021-06-10. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  27. ^ a b 한효주X박형식X조우진, '해피니스' 출연 확정..." 뉴노멀 도시 스릴러" [공식]. Naver (in Korean). MyDaily. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  28. ^ 한효주X박형식 '해피니스', 오늘(7일) 대본리딩...첫 삽 뜬다. Joy News 24 (in Korean). 7 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  29. ^ [단독]한효주X박형식X조우진 '해피니스', 11일 촬영 시작..아포칼립스의 신세계. Naver (in Korean). Herald Pop. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  30. ^ "해피니스 OST Part.1" [Happiness OST Part.1]. Melon. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  31. ^ "해피니스 OST Part.2" [Happiness OST Part.2]. Melon. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  32. ^ 해피니스 OST Part.3 [Happiness OST Part.3]. Melon. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  33. ^ a b "Cable Daily - TOP 10 LIST FOR TV PROGRAMS (household and viewers ratings". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  34. ^ 해피니스: 시청률 [Happiness: ratings]. Naver. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  35. ^ Moon Ji-yeon (July 6, 2022). 제1회 청룡시리즈어워즈 후보 공개..'오징어 게임'·'SNL코리아' 최다노미 [The 1st Blue Dragon Series Awards nominees revealed.. Most Nominees for 'Squid Game' and 'SNL Korea'] (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Retrieved July 7, 2022 – via Naver.
  36. ^ "Zombie serye nina Han Hyo-Joo at Park Hyung-Sik, mapapanood na sa ABS-CBN". corporate.abs-cbn.com (in Tagalog). ABS-CBN Corporation. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
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