{ "id": "ep7gfc0k9t", "slug": "boyhood", "title": "Boyhood (소년시대)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama", "label": "Korean contemporary drama", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.comedy-and-slice-of-life-series", "label": "Comedy and slice-of-life series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.comedy-and-slice-of-life-series" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later: Korean contemporary drama", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama", "label": "Korean contemporary drama", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Boyhood (소년시대, Sonyeonsidae), also Once Upon a Boyhood, is a 2023 Coupang Play Korean comedy-action series: 10 episodes, Nov 24–Dec 22, 2023, Im Si-wan as a bullied 1989 student mistaken for fighter 'White Tiger of Asan'; most-watched Coupang Play original of 2023, season 2 confirmed 2025.", "snippet": "Boyhood (소년시대, Sonyeonsidae), also Once Upon a Boyhood, is a 2023 Coupang Play Korean comedy-action series: 10 episodes, Nov 24–Dec 22, 2023, Im Si-wan as a bullied 1989 student mistaken for fighter 'White Tiger of Asan'; most-watched Coupang Play original of 2023, season 2 confirmed 2025.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.comedy-and-slice-of-life-series", "markdown": "# Boyhood (소년시대)\n\n**Boyhood** (소년시대, *Sonyeonsidae*) is a 2023 South Korean streaming series that Coupang Play released in ten episodes from November 24 to December 22, 2023, with two episodes each Friday at 20:00[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Boyhood). Directed by Lee Myoung-woo and written by Kim Jae-hwan, it is a period youth comedy set in 1989 in South Chungcheong Province, in which a bullied high school student is mistaken for the region's most feared fighter[2](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32179/). The series became Coupang Play's most-watched original of 2023 and won seven awards in 2024, and a second season was confirmed in June 2025[3](https://news.coupang.com/archives/54062/).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Korean title | 소년시대 (Sonyeonsidae); English title Boyhood; also known as Once Upon a Boyhood and Boys' Generation[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Boyhood) |\n| Run | 10 episodes, Coupang Play, November 24 to December 22, 2023, Fridays 20:00 (two episodes)[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Boyhood) |\n| Setting | 1989, South Chungcheong Province; Buyeo Agricultural High School[2](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32179/) |\n| Main cast | Im Si-wan (Jang Byung-tae), Lee Sun-bin (Park Ji-young), Lee Si-woo (Jung Kyeong-tae), Kang Hye-won (Kang Seon-hwa)[4](https://cine21.com/tv/info/?tv_id=24822) |\n| Production | Provided by Coupang Play, produced by The Studio M, directed by Lee Myoung-woo, written by Kim Jae-hwan[2](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32179/) |\n| Rating | 19+ (not for minors) on Coupang Play; episodes run about 55 minutes[5](https://www.coupangplay.com/content/9e7de43f-e421-4df4-8acb-aef5f173f1ba) |\n| Season 2 | Confirmed June 20, 2025; set at a seaside fisheries high school, filming targeted for the first half of 2026[3](https://news.coupang.com/archives/54062/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise\n\nJang Byung-tae is a small, weak student at the bottom of his school's social order in Onyang, South Chungcheong Province. When his father, caught running an illegal dance studio, forces the family to flee overnight to nearby Buyeo, Byung-tae transfers to Buyeo Agricultural High School[4](https://cine21.com/tv/info/?tv_id=24822) • [6](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20231121/im-si-wan-takes-on-comedic-role-in-coupang-play-series-boyhood). To his surprise, the new school treats him with deference: the students have mistaken him for the legendary fighter nicknamed the \"White Tiger of Asan\" (아산 백호)[5](https://www.coupangplay.com/content/9e7de43f-e421-4df4-8acb-aef5f173f1ba).\n\nThe mistake turns his goal, which the promotion describes as simply living without getting beaten up, into a second life as the school's top fighter[2](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32179/). He leads the Buyeo Agricultural High gang into contests with other schools, draws the romantic interest of Seon-hwa, called the \"Sophie Marceau of Buyeo\", and must keep the deception going as the real White Tiger of Asan, Jung Kyeong-tae, transfers into his class[6](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20231121/im-si-wan-takes-on-comedic-role-in-coupang-play-series-boyhood) • [7](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32598/). Episode titles trace the arc from the comic setup to a violent reckoning: episode 4 is titled \"One Fine Spring Day\", in which Byung-tae realizes the transfer student is the real fighter, and episode 6, \"Everything, Everywhere, All at Once\", reveals the true identity and unleashes a storm of violence through the school[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/boyhood/umc.cmc.5rlywwapn4cjpzenkoxyxel1d).\n\nUnder the comedy, the series engages with school violence. A 2024 government anti-corruption and rights review described it as a drama that, wrapped in rural scenery, B-movie sensibility, and comedy, treats school bullying not as a simple good-versus-evil scheme but opens questions about its causes and resolution[9](https://www.acrc.go.kr/boardDownload.es?bid=144&list_no=73188&seq=1).\n\n### Cast and characters\n\n- **Im Si-wan** as Jang Byung-tae, the Onyang underdog who becomes Buyeo's boss overnight[4](https://cine21.com/tv/info/?tv_id=24822).\n- **Lee Sun-bin** as Park Ji-young, a renowned fighter called the \"Black Widow of Buyeo\", who uses violence for the weak and for her own happiness[10](https://yongstyong.com/%EC%86%8C%EB%85%84%EC%8B%9C%EB%8C%80-2023-%EC%BF%A0%ED%8C%A1%ED%94%8C%EB%A0%88%EC%9D%B4-%EC%98%A4%EB%A6%AC%EC%A7%80%EB%84%90-%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88/).\n- **Lee Si-woo** as Jung Kyeong-tae, the real White Tiger of Asan[4](https://cine21.com/tv/info/?tv_id=24822).\n- **Kang Hye-won** as Kang Seon-hwa, Buyeo's most popular girl[4](https://cine21.com/tv/info/?tv_id=24822).\n\nThe supporting cast includes Kim Jeong-jin as Yang Cheol-hong, Kim Yun-bae as Yun Yeong-ho, Heo Geon-yeong as Kang Dae-jin, and Seo Hyun-chul as Jang Hak-su[4](https://cine21.com/tv/info/?tv_id=24822). At the November 20, 2023 press conference at Josun Palace in Seoul, Im Si-wan called the role the most unintelligent character he had played and described his first comic role as a new challenge; he said he focused on the contrast between the timid student and the feared fighter he pretends to be[6](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20231121/im-si-wan-takes-on-comedic-role-in-coupang-play-series-boyhood).\n\n### Season 2\n\nOn June 20, 2025, Coupang Play confirmed production of *Boyhood 2*, again provided by Coupang Play, produced by The Studio M, and directed by Lee Myoung-woo[3](https://news.coupang.com/archives/54062/). The new season moves the setting from an agricultural high school to a seaside fisheries high school (수산고) with new characters[3](https://news.coupang.com/archives/54062/). Filming is targeted for the first half of 2026, with the release date to be announced later[3](https://news.coupang.com/archives/54062/). Season 1 remains available on Coupang Play free of charge to both WOW members and regular members[3](https://news.coupang.com/archives/54062/).\n\n## Production\n\nThe title was announced in August 2023 alongside the official casting of the four leads[10](https://yongstyong.com/%EC%86%8C%EB%85%84%EC%8B%9C%EB%8C%80-2023-%EC%BF%A0%ED%8C%A1%ED%94%8C%EB%A0%88%EC%9D%B4-%EC%98%A4%EB%A6%AC%EC%A7%80%EB%84%90-%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88/). Filming ran from June 3 to September 12, 2023, as a fully pre-produced series, and the production wrap party was held on September 22[10](https://yongstyong.com/%EC%86%8C%EB%85%84%EC%8B%9C%EB%8C%80-2023-%EC%BF%A0%ED%8C%A1%ED%94%8C%EB%A0%88%EC%9D%B4-%EC%98%A4%EB%A6%AC%EC%A7%80%EB%84%90-%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88/). Director Lee Myoung-woo's earlier credits include the comedy series *The Fiery Priest* (2020) and the thriller series *One Ordinary Day* (2021)[6](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20231121/im-si-wan-takes-on-comedic-role-in-coupang-play-series-boyhood).\n\nThe 1980s setting is central to the show's appeal. Promotional material and reviews point to retro touches such as Vienna coffee, jajangmyeon, and the yogurt Byung-tae offers Ji-young daily, which drew viewers who remembered the period back to the foods of their youth[11](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32987/).\n\n## The Chungcheong dialect\n\nThe series' dialogue is delivered in the Chungcheong dialect, and its catchphrases, including \"이이~\" and \"가보능겨~\", became widely used expressions online and in daily life after release[3](https://news.coupang.com/archives/54062/). Coupang reported viewers adopting the dialect in workplaces and communities, with comments such as \"my husband and I now understand each other with a single '이!'\"[11](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32987/). A regional newspaper analysis credited the drama with a surge of interest in the dialect, which a linguist at Cheongju University described as metaphorical rather than direct in its answers, concise, humorous, and wry[12](https://www.jbnews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=1421566).\n\n## Reception\n\n**Commercial performance.** Coupang reported that after its November 24 debut the series reached first place on the platform's popularity ranking, and that by mid-December viewership had risen 934% from an earlier measurement point[11](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32987/) • [13](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32813/). By the time season 2 was confirmed, Coupang put the cumulative figures at a 2,914% rise in viewership from the first week, more than 590,000 reviews, and the platform's highest viewership of 2023[3](https://news.coupang.com/archives/54062/). A January 2024 industry report listed the series as first on Coupang Play's popularity ranking for seven consecutive weeks, first among Naver's most-searched dramas, and first on Kinolights' ranking[14](https://files.cdn-files-a.com/uploads/3394195/normal_65aa16c158bbd.pdf). On the integrated OTT ranking for December 29, 2023, it placed first ahead of *Gyeongseong Creature Part 1* and *Death's Game Part 1*[15](https://kr.economy.ac/news/2023/12/20231212573). A media-industry analysis also identified the series, released across November and December 2023, as a driver of new-user inflows to Coupang Play[16](https://www.kisdi.asia/report/fileView.do?arrMasterId=4334696&id=1768736&key=m2102058837181).\n\n**Awards.** At the 3rd Blue Dragon Series Awards, the series and Coupang Play's *SNL Korea* season 5 together received eight nominations across seven categories, and [Im Si-wan](https://www.edgepedia.org/im-si-wan) won Best Actor[17](https://news.coupang.com/archives/44311/?print=pdf) • [1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Boyhood). Kang Hye-won won Best New Actress at the 2024 15th Korea Drama Awards[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Boyhood). Coupang counted seven awards across 2024, including the Blue Dragon Series Awards, the 2024 Asia Contents Awards and Global OTT Awards, the 15th Korea Drama Awards, and the 2024 Content Asia Awards[3](https://news.coupang.com/archives/54062/).\n\nThe series fed back into Coupang Play's other programming: Im Si-wan hosted the first episode of *SNL Korea* season 5 as his Jang Byung-tae character, and that season's teaser parodied *Boyhood* itself[14](https://files.cdn-files-a.com/uploads/3394195/normal_65aa16c158bbd.pdf) • [18](https://news.coupang.com/archives/36024/?print=pdf).\n\n## Availability\n\nCoupang Play is Coupang's over-the-top streaming service, available in South Korea only, and the app can be downloaded only from app stores linked to accounts registered in the Republic of Korea[19](https://play.coupang.com/en/faq). The series carries English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles on Apple TV, where it is rated TV-MA[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/boyhood/umc.cmc.5rlywwapn4cjpzenkoxyxel1d).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Boyhood, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Boyhood)\n2. [Coupang Play series '소년시대' first release date confirmed and first poster, Coupang Newsroom (November 2, 2023)](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32179/)\n3. [Coupang Play series '소년시대' Season 2 production confirmed, Coupang Newsroom (June 20, 2025)](https://news.coupang.com/archives/54062/)\n4. [소년시대 (2023), Cine21](https://cine21.com/tv/info/?tv_id=24822)\n5. [소년시대, Coupang Play content page](https://www.coupangplay.com/content/9e7de43f-e421-4df4-8acb-aef5f173f1ba)\n6. [Im Si-wan takes on comedic role in Coupang Play series 'Boyhood', The Korea Times (November 21, 2023)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/20231121/im-si-wan-takes-on-comedic-role-in-coupang-play-series-boyhood)\n7. [Coupang Play series '소년시대' second poster and second trailer, Coupang Newsroom (November 20, 2023)](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32598/)\n8. [Boyhood, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/boyhood/umc.cmc.5rlywwapn4cjpzenkoxyxel1d)\n9. [2024 National Rights Protection Commission report (school violence discussion of 소년시대)](https://www.acrc.go.kr/boardDownload.es?bid=144&list_no=73188&seq=1)\n10. [소년시대 (2023 Coupang Play original drama), yongstyong](https://yongstyong.com/%EC%86%8C%EB%85%84%EC%8B%9C%EB%8C%80-2023-%EC%BF%A0%ED%8C%A1%ED%94%8C%EB%A0%88%EC%9D%B4-%EC%98%A4%EB%A6%AC%EC%A7%80%EB%84%90-%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88/)\n11. [Coupang Play series '소년시대' viewership up 934%, Coupang Newsroom (December 11, 2023)](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32987/)\n12. [영화·드라마로 각광받는 '충청도' - ② '소년시대' 사투리, Jungbu Ilbo (January 14, 2024)](https://www.jbnews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=1421566)\n13. [Coupang Play series '소년시대' Im Si-wan on YouTube '짠한형 신동엽', Coupang Newsroom (November 30, 2023)](https://news.coupang.com/archives/32813/)\n14. [SBS press newsletter No. 1221 (January 19, 2024), 소년시대 performance figures](https://files.cdn-files-a.com/uploads/3394195/normal_65aa16c158bbd.pdf)\n15. [오늘의 OTT 통합 랭킹 12월 29일, The Economy Korea (December 29, 2023)](https://kr.economy.ac/news/2023/12/20231212573)\n16. [KISDI report, June 2024 (Coupang Play MAU and inflow analysis)](https://www.kisdi.asia/report/fileView.do?arrMasterId=4334696&id=1768736&key=m2102058837181)\n17. [Coupang Play, 8 nominations at the 3rd Blue Dragon Series Awards, Coupang Newsroom](https://news.coupang.com/archives/44311/?print=pdf)\n18. ['SNL 코리아' 시즌 5 포스터 & 예고편 공개, Coupang Newsroom](https://news.coupang.com/archives/36024/?print=pdf)\n19. [Coupang Play FAQ](https://play.coupang.com/en/faq)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Comedy and slice-of-life series*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/boyhood", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/boyhood.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Boyhood (소년시대)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/boyhood. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Boyhood (소년시대)](https://www.edgepedia.org/boyhood)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/boyhood](https://www.edgepedia.org/boyhood). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Boyhood (소년시대)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/boyhood. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Boyhood, also Once Upon a Boyhood, is a 2023 Coupang Play Korean comedy-action series: 10 episodes, Nov 24–Dec 22, 2023, Im Si-wan as a bullied 1989 student mistaken for fighter 'White Tiger of Asan'; most-watched Coupang Play original of 2023, season 2 confirmed 2025." }