{ "id": "eparrfcbk7", "slug": "remarriage-and-desires", "title": "Remarriage & Desires (블랙의 신부)", "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": 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"https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.romance-and-melodrama-series.romance-melodrama-miniseries" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Remarriage & Desires (블랙의 신부, The Bride of Black) is a 2022 Netflix Korean satirical drama, 8 episodes, directed by Kim Jung-min, starring Kim Hee-seon, set at the elite matchmaking agency Rex whose top tier is \"Black.\"", "snippet": "Remarriage & Desires (블랙의 신부, The Bride of Black) is a 2022 Netflix Korean satirical drama, 8 episodes, directed by Kim Jung-min, starring Kim Hee-seon, set at the elite matchmaking agency Rex whose top tier is \"Black.\"", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_contemporary_drama.romance-and-melodrama-series.romance-melodrama-miniseries.tearjerker-melodrama-series", "markdown": "# Remarriage & Desires (블랙의 신부)\n\n**Remarriage & Desires** (블랙의 신부, literally *The Bride of Black*) is a South Korean satirical drama series released on Netflix on July 15, 2022, set at an exclusive matchmaking agency where the ultrarich trade in marriage as a business of status, money, and revenge.[1](https://asianwiki.com/Remarriage_%26_Desires) • [2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee) Netflix describes it as a satire of Korean society governed by desire, in which ambitious clients hope to upgrade their status by marrying or remarrying into the elite.[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 블랙의 신부 (Beulraekeui Shinbu, \"The Bride of Black\")[1](https://asianwiki.com/Remarriage_%26_Desires) |\n| Release | July 15, 2022, all 8 episodes on Netflix; average runtime 62 minutes[1](https://asianwiki.com/Remarriage_%26_Desires) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/62455/remarriage-desires) |\n| Creators | Directed by Kim Jung-min; written by Lee Geun-young[1](https://asianwiki.com/Remarriage_%26_Desires) |\n| Production companies | Image9 Communications and Tiger Studio[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee) |\n| Central setting | Rex, an exclusive matchmaking agency for the top echelons of society; its highest tier, \"Black,\" consists of the top 0.001 percent of the population[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee) |\n| Lead cast | Kim Hee-seon, Lee Hyun-wook, Jung Eugene, Park Hoon, and Cha Ji-yeon[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee) |\n| Reception | IMDb 7.3/10; Rotten Tomatoes 83% Tomatometer and 75% Popcornmeter[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/remarriage_and_desires) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15268768/ratings/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise\n\nThe series is set at Rex, a matchmaking agency serving the wealthiest class in South Korea. Clients join Rex to enter high society or to maintain their position at the top through marriage or remarriage, and the agency grades them strictly by assets, occupation, and background. The most coveted classification is the \"Black\" tier, the top 0.001 percent of the population, and marrying a Black-tier member is the ambition that drives the characters.[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee) • [6](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EB%B8%94%EB%9E%99%EC%9D%98%20%EC%8B%A0%EB%B6%80)\n\nNetflix's synopsis frames the story as revenge: through the agency that caters to the ultrarich, a woman plots against her ex-husband's scheming mistress.[7](https://www.netflix.com/title/81442115?fromWatch=true&source=35) Seo Hye-seung, played by Kim Hee-seon, is a middle-class housewife from Gangnam who loses everything overnight; at Rex she encounters Jin Yoo-hui, the woman responsible for turning her life upside-down, and enters a race driven by desire to find someone from the Black tier.[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee) In interviews, [Kim Hee-sun](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-hee-sun) described the character as a widowed woman raising her daughter alone after her husband killed himself, who uses the agency to interfere in Yoo-hui's plan to marry the sought-after bachelor Lee Hyung-ju.[8](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/shows-dramas/20220721/netflixs-remarriage-desires-director-kim-hee-sun-on-portraying-matchmaking-agency)\n\n### Cast and characters\n\n- **Kim Hee-seon** as Seo Hye-seung, a middle-class housewife from Gangnam who loses everything overnight and seeks revenge at Rex[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee)\n- **Lee Hyun-wook** as Lee Hyung-ju, a self-made chairman of a venture capital firm whose personal assets in the billions place him in the Black tier, making him a bachelor targeted by ambitious brides[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee)\n- **Jung Eugene** as Jin Yoo-hui, a corporate lawyer who will stop at nothing to climb to the top echelons of society[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee)\n- **Park Hoon** as Cha Seok-jin, Hye-seung's first love, a university professor embroiled in a conflict with Choi Yoo-sun over his father's enormous fortune[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee) • [6](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EB%B8%94%EB%9E%99%EC%9D%98%20%EC%8B%A0%EB%B6%80)\n- **Cha Ji-yeon** as Choi Yoo-sun, the influential CEO of Rex, who boasts a pool of the most eligible bachelors in Korea[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee)\n\nSupporting cast listed by DramaWiki includes Kim Yoon-seo as Heo Jung-in, Hyung-ju's ex-wife, and Kim Mi-kyung as Hyung-ju's mother, Madam Noh.[9](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Remarriage_%26_Desires) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/remarriage_and_desires)\n\n## Production\n\nNetflix confirmed production with the main cast announcement on July 22, 2021.[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee) Writer Lee Geun-young, whose earlier dramas include *I'm the Mother, Too* and *My Mother is a Daughter-in-law*, and producer-director Kim Jung-min, known for *Love Affair In The Afternoon* and *Bad Guys*, led the project, with Tiger Studio and Image9 Communications overseeing production.[2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee)\n\n**Research into the real industry.** Director Kim Jung-min said he researched and interviewed people in the actual matchmaking business to portray the high-end agency. He noted that real firms valued client privacy more than he expected, and that while the series calls the classification \"rank,\" real agencies categorized clients by \"value.\" He said he did not make the series with a prejudice against arranged marriage or such agencies, but wanted viewers to ask themselves what kind of desire they have.[8](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/shows-dramas/20220721/netflixs-remarriage-desires-director-kim-hee-sun-on-portraying-matchmaking-agency) He also said the events depicted, including event meetings, mask parties, and the top \"Black\" grade, reflected things that actually occur in the industry.[10](https://www.newspim.com/news/view/20220720000871)\n\n**Design choices.** Kim told The Korea Herald that the production tried to capture the mysterious and secretive spirit of matchmaking companies by giving Rex's building a modern hanok design twist, presenting Korea's traditional beauty to an international audience. He also explained that the series deliberately avoids sex scenes, saying the stories and characters do not need them, and that a new character introduced in the final episode symbolizes unending human desire and hints at a new beginning for CEO Choi Yoo-sun without necessarily setting up a second season.[11](https://v.daum.net/v/20220721184018709)\n\n## Release and performance\n\nAll eight episodes were released on Netflix on July 15, 2022, in more than 190 countries.[1](https://asianwiki.com/Remarriage_%26_Desires) • [2](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee) The series debuted in the eighth spot on Netflix's official non-English Top 10 chart in its premiere week.[8](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/shows-dramas/20220721/netflixs-remarriage-desires-director-kim-hee-sun-on-portraying-matchmaking-agency)\n\nAccording to Netflix Top 10 viewing-hour figures compiled by the Korean wiki Namu, the series drew 11,170,000 hours in its first week, peaked at 31,510,000 hours in its second week (seventh overall, third among non-English titles), and accumulated 67,850,000 hours over four charted weeks. It reached the top 10 in 32 countries, placing first in Japan, and reached second place in South Korea.[6](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EB%B8%94%EB%9E%99%EC%9D%98%20%EC%8B%A0%EB%B6%80) An independent chart tracker records the series reaching a Netflix weekly top 10 in 33 of 93 countries across six weeks between July 17 and August 21, 2022, with its best position, number one, in Japan and its widest single week on 33 country charts at once on July 24, 2022.[12](https://www.kculturewire.com/title/remarriage-desires)\n\n## Critical reception\n\nOn Rotten Tomatoes the first season holds an 83% Tomatometer from six reviews and a 75% Popcornmeter audience score.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/remarriage_and_desires) On IMDb the series holds a weighted 7.3/10 from about 2,900 users, with per-episode ratings rising from 8.0 for the first episode to 8.8 for the sixth.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15268768/ratings/)\n\nReviewers divided over pacing and tone. Pierce Conran of the [South China Morning Post](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-china-morning-post) gave 2.5 of 5 stars, writing that the show is slow to build and listless until the final two episodes, and that unlike *The Penthouse*, which embraces its absurdity, *Remarriage & Desires* tries too hard to exude poise.[13](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3185682/netflix-k-drama-review-remarriage-desires-matchmaking?module=inline&pgtype=article) Sarah Musnicky of But Why Tho? scored it 8.5/10, calling it a gleefully addicting mess, while Jonathon Wilson of Ready Steady Cut gave 3/5, noting that its depiction of high-class matchmaking, including human chess boards and masquerade balls, can border on silly.[14](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/remarriage_and_desires/s01) Conran's review also places the premise in context: matchmaking remains big business in South Korea, where finding a partner with the right family, job, and academic background is considered important, and adverts for the nation's top matchmaking companies appear on Seoul's subways and buses, though the fictional Rex does not resort to such promotion.[13](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3185682/netflix-k-drama-review-remarriage-desires-matchmaking?module=inline&pgtype=article)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Remarriage & Desires, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Remarriage_%26_Desires)\n2. [Production of \"Remarriage & Desires\" Confirmed with the Casting of Kim Hee-seon, Lee Hyun-wook, Jung Eugene, Park Hoon and Cha Ji-yeon, About Netflix (22 July 2021)](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/production-of-remarriage-and-desires-confirmed-with-the-casting-of-kim-hee)\n3. [Remarriage & Desires, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/62455/remarriage-desires)\n4. [Remarriage & Desires, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/remarriage_and_desires)\n5. [Remarriage & Desires (TV Series 2022) - Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15268768/ratings/)\n6. [블랙의 신부, Namu wiki](https://www.namu.moe/w/%EB%B8%94%EB%9E%99%EC%9D%98%20%EC%8B%A0%EB%B6%80)\n7. [Remarriage & Desires, Netflix official site](https://www.netflix.com/title/81442115?fromWatch=true&source=35)\n8. [Netflix's 'Remarriage & Desires' director, Kim Hee-sun on portraying matchmaking agency, The Korea Times (21 July 2022)](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/entertainment/shows-dramas/20220721/netflixs-remarriage-desires-director-kim-hee-sun-on-portraying-matchmaking-agency)\n9. [Remarriage & Desires, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Remarriage_%26_Desires)\n10. [\"블랙의 신부\" 김정민 감독 인터뷰, Newspim (20 July 2022)](https://www.newspim.com/news/view/20220720000871)\n11. [Director explains why 'Remarriage & Desires' eschews erotic scenes, The Korea Herald via Daum (21 July 2022)](https://v.daum.net/v/20220721184018709)\n12. [Remarriage & Desires: Netflix country by country, K Culture Wire](https://www.kculturewire.com/title/remarriage-desires)\n13. [Netflix K-drama review: Remarriage & Desires, South China Morning Post (18 July 2022)](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3185682/netflix-k-drama-review-remarriage-desires-matchmaking?module=inline&pgtype=article)\n14. [Remarriage & Desires: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes critics reviews](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/remarriage_and_desires/s01)\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 › Romance and melodrama series › Romance melodrama miniseries › Tearjerker melodrama 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/remarriage-and-desires", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/remarriage-and-desires.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": "\"Remarriage & Desires (블랙의 신부)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/remarriage-and-desires. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Remarriage & Desires (블랙의 신부)](https://www.edgepedia.org/remarriage-and-desires)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/remarriage-and-desires](https://www.edgepedia.org/remarriage-and-desires). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Remarriage & Desires (블랙의 신부)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/remarriage-and-desires. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Remarriage & Desires is a 2022 Netflix Korean satirical drama, 8 episodes, directed by Kim Jung-min, starring Kim Hee-seon, set at the elite matchmaking agency Rex whose top tier is \"Black.\"" }