Quiet Sales (2024)

The Toy luck Club

A Virtuous Business was an enjoyable watch. You can make a story involving some risqué themes and make it pretty straightforward and mature without being graphic. What kept my interest in the story was the background and development of the four women. Kim Yeon is such a part away from her role in The Penthouse. That shows her great range as an actress. She did so well separating those two characters; I was like, Wow, she may just be being herself in this role. 

The premise of the risqué sales was mainly the foundation in which the friendships and developing back-and-side stories were formed. I rooted for their success in their personal lives as well as business. 
Overall, A Virtuous Business was a good watch. 

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Another one of my highly-anticipated watches that fell a bit flat for me towards the end. At least it was a happy ending for everyone involved, especially my favorite girl squad.

A Virtuous Business follows Jeong-suk, a young housewife living in early 90s Geumje, a small town (village?) where everyone is everyone else's business. When her dead-beat husband loses his job, Jeong-suk must find a way to make a living, and that's when she's introduced to selling lingerie and sex toys.

It's definitely a crazy business to be involved in in a country as conservative in South Korea during that time period, and in fact Jeong-suk face a lot of backlash as she and her three compatriots and business partners, Yeong-bok, Geum-hui, and Ju-ri, struggle to get their business off the ground.

The show overall was quite fun, and it's such an intriguing concept, but I think the story was much stronger when it focused on the four women running their business amidst all the rejection and being an amazing support system for each other. In just 12 episodes, the show had to squeeze in the business plot PLUS the detective solving a decades-old mystery AND trying to find his birth mother PLUS Yeong-bok's husband's drama PLUS Ju-ri's love interest's drama... it just ended up being too disjointed and too much. So much so that even important conflicts were rushed in their resolution that the whole point was lost. I mean, no one likes a dragged-out plot point, but surely there's a middle ground between that and said plot point being resolved in like half an episode and all the characters moving on like nothing happened.

Also, that time skip at the end is absolutely diabolical, 4 YEARS is simply too much. How did Jeong-suk and co end up with a big boutique store in the middle of town for a business that no-one is seemingly a fan of, as demonstrated by the protest on the street on the day of their opening?

But I think the show's biggest "sin" is wasting important themes that could have made it stand out or not fully committing to them. I'm not saying it had to be a raunch-fest, but the story of a young, newly-divorced mother selling sex toys and sexy lingerie in a deeply conservative rural town seems like an opportunity to explore how women can explore and own their sexuality on their own terms, and not just for the pleasure of men, and how women can just own their lives in general.

And yet the main selling point of the lingerie is for the women to look good for their husbands. Jeong-suk enters a new relationship with a hot, well-adjusted guy (with a JOB, thank God) and the relationship is as chaste as any typical kdrama even though their chemistry was fire. Ju-ri and Yeong-bok are in relationships with man-children that they still have to take care of on tope of everything else going on in their lives. Geum-hui is the only one whose husband turns out to be somewhat normal at the end, but I'm not sure if that was deliberate character development or the writers forgot his characterization. Also we're told Geum-hui didn't want children and wanted to live like a modern woman, and yet it turns out she did have a child and she was a housewife in any case spending her days cooking for her husband and following his every whim.

And I just generally think focusing on the business in general and how it grew plus setbacks would have made the show more interesting. There were scenes of them discussing game plans here and there, but they felt awkward and like they were written by people who didn't know what they were talking about. Why did they never expand their reach to other towns? Just how many vibrators could the butcher possibly buy?

I'm sure having more episodes would have helped give room to fully develop these concepts, but also I'm not even sure the writers would have made good use of the opportunity.

Still, I enjoyed the four women's friendship; I love how they came from different backgrounds and circumstances and found common ground with the business and each other. Even though I wasn't a fan of the ending, I'm glad that they were successful in the end and that everything ended on a good note, and I still think the show was quite good for what it is. The acting was great, the setting and production was great; I just wish it had done more.

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Latar drama ini tahun 1990an, ceritanya di Desa Geumje. Entah lah, ada atau ngga desa itu sebenernya. Nonton ini karena penasaran gimana penjualan produk-produk dewasa tahun segituan.

Sama kaya posternya, ada sekumpulan buibu yang mau cari tambahan uang akhirnya coba jadi sales. Tahun segitu sales tuh susaaaaah banget ternyata. Jualan door-to-door dan dapet banyak hinaan saking tabunya produk 18+. Akhirnya jumpalitan bikin strategi, dari isi survey-bundling sama tiket film (dewasa, uhuy)-bikin deskripsi produk dll.

Walau ada plot hole kaya gimana tuh kelanjutan suaminya yang slengki tapi yaudah aku maafin karena fashionnya lucu-lucu banget. Nontonnya ngga pake mikir, seru dan hangat banget persahabatan mereka💗💗💗💗

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Predictable Story/plot

I've never seen the original "Brief Encounters"
I liked this remake but it wasn't thrilling to me.
I don't know if the plot was meant to be "basic" like every other drama, if it was meant to be then they did a great work. The story was predictable to me, like "I'm looking for sighs my husband is cheating, he has another phone that I don't know about, Yep! he is cheating". That predictable.... Great actors though!! They did excellent work representing the characters. The show was funny in ways and boring in others. Also definitely missing pieces of the show, specially 'why did yhe cheater grt away with it" Re-watch value: low

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Girl's Girl Kdrama of the Decade!

A beautiful drama about a friendship of four amazing women! 💆🏻‍♀️💗I loved how eccentric this drama felt and how the writers pulled off the clichés in a fresh and enjoyable way. The "virtuous business" theme gave it a unique touch, making it stand out on its own.

The lineup for this drama was unexpectedly impressive. Kim So Yeon playing the coy yet brave Han Jeong Seuk was such a refreshing change from her previous roles. I’d say the same for Yeon Woo Jin! I’m so glad this drama really highlighted their versatility, especially acting-wise.

I also loved how the drama took the time to introduce each character’s backstory and narrative in a way that didn’t stray from its synopsis. It helped emphasize values of friendship, love, and family out of all. The plot itself felt fresh and new to me. It’s an educating K-drama, shedding light on stigmas from the 1990s while keeping things engaging and meaningful.

I had just wished the main leads had more screen time in the later episodss sigh...

Overall, this was a guilty pleasure of mine and was watching this along side other kdramas hahaha😄

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Innovativo, ma qualcosina poteva essere migliorata

Il punto forte di questo k-drama è sicuramente la storia, dove l'ambientazione in un paesino di periferia degli anni '80, e quindi la mentalità conservatrice dei suoi cittadini, entra in contrapposizione con 4 donne che iniziano a vendere sex toys e lingerie provocante. È una storia di battaglie contro le convenzioni sociali e patriarcali sul ruolo della donna e della sua sessualità. Il problema di questo drama è la figura della protagonista, che appare sempre un po' amorfa, o comunque non abbastanza temeraria come, a mio parere, avrebbe dovuto sembrare. Il problema non so se risiede nella recitazione o sull'ideazione del personaggio. Vorrei inoltre riportare la presenza di alcuni buchi di trama e di un finale un po' frettoloso. A mio parere questo era un drama che esigeva di 16 episodi, invece che 12, permettendo di approfondire varie sottotrame e il legame tra i personaggi nelle varie situazioni.
Ciononostante lo consiglio calorosamente , per i temi riportati.

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Quiet Sales

The premiere episode of "A Virtuous Business" sets the stage for an intriguing and refreshing story set in the early 1990s. The show dives into the lives of four women, known as the *Bangpan Sisters*, who find themselves in an unconventional line of work—selling adult products door-to-door in a conservative rural village. This unique premise immediately stands out, offering a blend of comedy and heartfelt moments, all while tackling societal norms of the time.
The episode introduces us to Han Jung-sook, a housewife struggling with financial pressures. Her character brings an emotional depth to the story as she navigates her responsibilities as a mother and wife, while also rediscovering her own potential. Kim So-yeon's portrayal adds a level of authenticity, drawing viewers into Jung-sook's quiet yet powerful transformation. Her entrance into this sort of business and her motivation are portrayed nicely.
Alongside her, we meet the other Bangpan Sisters, each with their distinct personalities and motivations. Though the focus is currently on Jung-sook, they got to shine too.
The show’s humor is well-balanced with moments of reflection, as the characters face the realities of stepping into a business that challenges traditional values. The cinematography, capturing the rural 90s aesthetic, adds a nostalgic charm to the show, while the writing is sharp and witty, delivering social commentary in a subtle, humorous way.

PS: People review bombing this because it challenges your narrow worldview is like throwing a tantrum over a mirror showing you exactly how small-minded you really are.

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I like everything in this drama

I have given it 10/10 until ep4

I like everything
And I like ML more
Can sympathize with FL too

Problem I feel
If you are going with a concept of sex toys then why shy away to go all they way ?
Like they only show few Questions of survey even in which mL doesn't give proper answer then they timelapse it...
I know they don't want it to become 18+ genre
But if they are using a topic like that then they should at least go to 17+,

Will mention things I want to be improved
FL being to forgiving (not publishing her husband affair)
Affair is shown in lighter tone, like having sex with neighbour woman isn't big deal.
Want ML to become more aggressive to protect FL
That bitch neighbour need a walk of SHAME
Her husband is an Idiot
Our FL is to soft of the world

FL should become modern not only in her thinking but in her actions too
Want to see some intimacy between FL&ML in next few episodes

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