Mask Girl (Korean마스크걸) is a 2023 South Korean black comedy crime thriller television series written and directed by Kim Yong-hoon, and starring Lee Han-byeol, Nana, Go Hyun-jung, Ahn Jae-hong, and Yeom Hye-ran.[3] It is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Mae-mi and Hee-se, which was published between 2015 and 2018.[4] It was released on Netflix on August 18, 2023.[5][6][7]

Mask Girl
Promotional poster
Hangul
마스크걸
Revised RomanizationMaseukeugeol
McCune–ReischauerMasŭk'ŭgŏl
Genre
Based onMask Girl
by Mae-mi and Hee-se
Developed bySong Sang-beom (planning)
Written byKim Young-hoon
Directed byKim Young-hoon
Starring
Music byJang Young-kyu
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes7
Production
Producers
  • Son Sang-beom
  • Oh Kwang-hee
  • Moon Seok-hwan
  • Kim Yong-hoon
Running time51–65 minutes
Production companies
  • Bon Factory
  • House of Impressions
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseAugust 18, 2023 (2023-08-18)

Synopsis

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Kim Mo-mi, an office worker who is insecure about her looks, becomes a masked internet personality by night—until a chain of unexpected, ill-fated events begins to overtake her life.

Cast

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Main

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  • Lee Han-byeol as Kim Mo-mi/Mask Girl (in 2009, before surgery)[1]
  • Ahn Jae-hong as Joo Oh-nam: an ordinary office worker who is Mo-mi's co-worker and Mask Girl's regular viewer whom he admires[1]
  • Yeom Hye-ran as Kim Kyung-ja: Oh-nam's overprotective mother who seeks revenge against Mo-mi[1]

Supporting

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Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Kim Mo-mi"Kim Young-hoonKim Young-hoonAugust 18, 2023 (2023-08-18)
Kim Mo-mi grew up with dreams of becoming a pop star, but was thwarted by her plain looks. By day, she works in an office, and by night she runs a popular livestream channel where she wears a mask and performs as "Mask Girl". Mo-mi's life is upended when she discovers that Park Gi-hoon, her boss and the man whom she has feelings for, is having an affair with another co-worker, Lee A-reum. Mo-mi's popularity plummets after she loses her livestream and confesses her woes to a regular Mask Girl viewer, unaware he is her co-worker, Ju Oh-nam.
2"Ju Oh-nam"Kim Young-hoonKim Young-hoonAugust 18, 2023 (2023-08-18)
Ju Oh-nam is a loner and a regular viewer of Mask Girl's channel, recognizing her to be Kim Mo-mi based on her hands. Oh-nam falls in love with Mo-mi, but is unable to express his feelings. Mo-mi meets a Mask Girl's obsessive fan who tries to rape her, but he is knocked out in a scuffle. Oh-nam comes to Mo-mi's aid; he kills the man and disposes of the body. Traumatized by her experiences, Mo-mi abruptly quits her job and undergoes plastic surgery, exasperating Oh-nam. Oh-nam rapes Mo-mi, and Mo-mi stabs him to death.
3"Kim Kyung-Ja"Kim Young-hoonKim Young-hoonAugust 18, 2023 (2023-08-18)
Kim Kyung-ja is Oh-nam's overbearing mother, who struggled to raise him as a single parent. When Oh-nam becomes uncontactable, Kyung-ja has the police break into his apartment, where they find the remains of Oh-nam's victim. Later, the police also find Oh-nam's remains in a suitcase. Kyung-ja believes that Mo-mi, who has been revealed to the public to be Mask Girl, is Oh-nam's murderer, and vows revenge. Kyung-ja's investigation leads her to a woman named Kim Chun-ae, whom she kidnaps. Chun-ae insists that she is not Mo-mi, but claims to know her.
4"Kim Chun-ae"Kim Young-hoonKim Young-hoonAugust 18, 2023 (2023-08-18)
Kim Chun-ae convinces Kyung-ja that Mo-mi is her rival at the club they work at, and offers to help Kyung-ja get her revenge. In reality, Chun-ae and Mo-mi have become close friends as they grew up similarly ostracized and had plastic surgery in order to start new lives. Mo-mi helps Chun-ae kill her abusive live-in partner, and the pair make their escape. Mo-mi reveals to Chun-ae that she is pregnant. They are confronted by Kyung-ja, and in the melee, Kyung-ja shoots Chun-ae, and Chun-ae bludgeons Kyung-ja's head before dying. Mo-mi dumps the bodies in a lake. Sometime later, Mo-mi is arrested.
5"Kim Mi-mo"Kim Young-hoonKim Young-hoonAugust 18, 2023 (2023-08-18)
Kim Mi-mo is Mo-mi and Oh-nam's daughter. As a baby, Mi-mo was given to her grandmother shortly before Mo-mi surrendered to the police and was sent to prison. Growing up, Mi-mo is bullied for being Mask Girl's daughter and becomes a loner who lashes out. At a new school, Mi-mo befriends Ye-chun, a compulsive liar who is also a loner. The pair plan to run away together. Mi-mo overhears that the other students have learned that she is the daughter of Mask Girl; Mi-mo beats up Ye-chun, assuming that she told everyone. However, the info was spread by Kyung-ja, who is still alive.
6"Kim Mo-mi"Kim Young-hoonKim Young-hoonAugust 18, 2023 (2023-08-18)
In prison, Mo-mi initially antagonizes An Eun-suk, a prisoner with powerful connections. Years later, an older Mo-mi receives a letter from Kyung-ja that contains a news article about Mi-mo's troubled life; Mo-mi attempts to escape but fails. After over a month in solitary confinement, Mo-mi seemingly turns over a new leaf and offers to donate her kidney to Eun-suk's daughter, who needs it. Kyung-ja, who has had plastic surgery, meets Mo-mi and tells her about how she befriended Mi-mo, repeatedly sabotaged her life, and intends for Mo-mi to feel the same pain of the loss of a child.
7"Mi-mo and Mo-mi"Kim Young-hoonKim Young-hoonAugust 18, 2023 (2023-08-18)
Mi-mo runs away to live with Kyung-Ja, who is surprised when Mi-mo treats her lovingly. Despite having second thoughts, Kyung-ja sets Mi-mo up to suffocate to death in front of a camera. Mo-mi is taken to the hospital for a kidney transfer and escapes. Mo-mi, Ye-chun, and Mi-mo's grandmother individually race to Kyung-ja's house. The trio arrives in time to save Mi-mo, but Kyung-ja stabs Mi-mo's grandmother to death. After the police arrive, Kyung-ja attempts to shoot Mi-mo, but Mo-mi sacrifices herself and dies in Mi-mo's arms while Kyung-ja is shot to death by the police. Afterward, Mi-mo is adopted by Ye-chun's parents, and her outlook on life improves. Mi-mo watches a childhood video of Mo-mi, who performs a dance and says that her dream is to be "loved by everyone".

Accolades

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Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination
Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Ref.
Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actor Ahn Jae-hong Won [18]
Best Supporting Actress Yeom Hye-ran Won
Baeksang Arts Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actor Ahn Jae-hong Won [19]
Best Supporting Actress Yeom Hye-ran Won
Best New Actress Lee Han-byeol Nominated [20]
Blue Dragon Series Awards 2024 Best Drama Mask Girl Nominated [21][22]
Best Supporting Actor Ahn Jae-hong Won
Best Supporting Actress Yeom Hye-ran Nominated
Critics' Choice Awards 2024 Best Foreign Language Series Mask Girl Nominated [23]
Seoul International Drama Awards 2024 Best Actress Yeom Hye-ran Won [24]
Best Actor Ahn Jae-hong Won

References

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  2. ^ a b "Director of Netflix series 'Mask Girl' explores dark crevices of human nature". The Korea Times. August 23, 2023. Archived from the original on August 29, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
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