Director: Song Hyun-wook
A camera that has photographed the dead for generations sits at the center of The Midnight Studio, a series that turns a family obligation into a meditation on what it means to still be alive.
What is The Midnight Studio about?
Seo Gi-joo inherited more than a studio from his family: he inherited a contract, one that binds him to photograph the recently deceased, a duty passed down through generations with no room for refusal. He lives a quiet, isolated life shaped around this strange calling until Han Bom enters his world, a woman with the ability to shield him from death itself. Their meeting forces Gi-joo to reconsider a life he had accepted as fixed, and the two are drawn into a shared confrontation with mortality that neither can face alone. The series moves between the eerie stillness of the studio and the unexpected warmth that grows between its two leads, using its supernatural premise to ask plainly human questions about grief, duty, and the value of the time people are given. Supporting characters drift in and out of the frame the way clients might drift into any studio, each carrying their own small story of loss.
Cast & crew
Joo Won carries the emotional weight of Seo Gi-joo with restraint, letting small gestures do most of the work, while Kwon Na-ra gives Han Bom a steady presence that balances the show's darker undertones. Yoo In-soo and Park Ki-woong fill out a cast that treats even minor roles with care.
Context & significance
The Midnight Studio blends fantasy and drama in a way that recalls Korean television's long comfort with supernatural framing devices used to explore very grounded emotions. Director Song Hyun-wook keeps the visual language restrained, letting the premise carry weight rather than special effects.
Where & how to watch
The Midnight Studio is available on K-Time with a Persian dub and Persian subtitles alongside the original Korean track. Reading about the series costs nothing; watching it simply requires a free K-Time account login, on a platform built around a Farsi-first viewing experience for the diaspora.