# Introverted Boss (내성적인 보스)
**Introverted Boss** (내성적인 보스) is a 16-episode South Korean television romantic comedy broadcast on the cable channel tvN as a Monday–Tuesday drama from January 16 to March 14, 2017, directed by Song Hyun-wook and written by Joo Hwa-mi[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/introvertedboss/). It stars [Yeon Woo-jin](https://www.edgepedia.org/yeon-woo-jin) as Eun Hwan-ki, an extremely introverted public relations company CEO nicknamed a "veiled ghost", and Park Hye-soo as Chae Ro-woon, a new employee with exceptional people skills; the series follows the communication romance that develops between the two[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/introvertedboss/). It was the first Monday–Tuesday drama tvN aired in 2017 and was produced by [Studio Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/studio-dragon) together with KBS Media[2](https://v.daum.net/v/iD22fH0ra7) • [3](https://studiodragon.irplus.co.kr/fileupload/analyst/201808/20180807_sd1.pdf).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | 내성적인 보스 (Naeseongjeokin Boseu), on tvN |
| Broadcast | January 16 – March 14, 2017, Monday–Tuesday, 16 episodes[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/introvertedboss/) • [3](https://studiodragon.irplus.co.kr/fileupload/analyst/201808/20180807_sd1.pdf) |
| Credits | Directed by Song Hyun-wook; written by Joo Hwa-mi[4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlY-f4-z1LY) |
| Cast | Yeon Woo-jin, Park Hye-soo, Yoon Park, Gong Seung-yeon, Ye Ji-won, Jeon Hye-seong[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/introvertedboss/) |
| Premise | A PR firm CEO so introverted he is called a ghost, and a highly sociable new hire, in a communication romance[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/introvertedboss/) |
| Premiere rating | 3.2% average (Nielsen Korea), peaking at 4.1%[5](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20170117040400033) |
| Production | Studio Dragon with KBS Media[3](https://studiodragon.irplus.co.kr/fileupload/analyst/201808/20180807_sd1.pdf) |
## Premise and characters
The drama is set at Brain PR, described in episode synopses as Korea's top-ranked public relations company, whose top floor conceals a reclusive CEO[6](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%82%E1%85%A2%E1%84%89%E1%85%A5%E1%86%BC%E1%84%8C%E1%85%A5%E1%86%A8%E1%84%8B%E1%85%B5%E1%86%AB-%E1%84%87%E1%85%A9%E1%84%89%E1%85%B3/umc.cmc.hlhi00dtasm5wdejo37j2650). Eun Hwan-ki (Yeon Woo-jin) is a trauma-driven introvert who has become a near-recluse, shut inside a penthouse CEO office cut off from the outside world and surrounded by strange rumors; few employees can recognize him in ordinary clothes when reporters descend on the building[6](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%82%E1%85%A2%E1%84%89%E1%85%A5%E1%86%BC%E1%84%8C%E1%85%A5%E1%86%A8%E1%84%8B%E1%85%B5%E1%86%AB-%E1%84%87%E1%85%A9%E1%84%89%E1%85%B3/umc.cmc.hlhi00dtasm5wdejo37j2650) • [5](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20170117040400033). Chae Ro-woon (Park Hye-soo) is a bright, sociable new employee armed with what the network's own synopsis calls extreme affinity, who joins the company for a hidden purpose: her older sister Chae Ji-hye (Han Chae-ah) worked as Hwan-ki's secretary and took her own life three years earlier, and Ro-woon wants to find out why[5](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20170117040400033) • [6](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%82%E1%85%A2%E1%84%89%E1%85%A5%E1%86%BC%E1%84%8C%E1%85%A5%E1%86%A8%E1%84%8B%E1%85%B5%E1%86%AB-%E1%84%87%E1%85%A9%E1%84%89%E1%85%B3/umc.cmc.hlhi00dtasm5wdejo37j2650).
The supporting cast includes Yoon Park, Gong Seung-yeon, Ye Ji-won, Jeon Hye-seong, Heo Jung-min, and Han Jae-suk[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/introvertedboss/) • [4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlY-f4-z1LY).
## Plot development
The first episode, titled after *The Phantom of the Opera*, shows the two leads meeting for the first time, and the mystery of what happened three years earlier drives the early episodes[5](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20170117040400033). In episode 3, Hwan-ki, unsettled by footprints in his private penthouse world, is mistaken for a mute sociopath, shunned by his own team, while Ro-woon joins the rival agency Silent Monster to pursue her goal[6](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%82%E1%85%A2%E1%84%89%E1%85%A5%E1%86%BC%E1%84%8C%E1%85%A5%E1%86%A8%E1%84%8B%E1%85%B5%E1%86%AB-%E1%84%87%E1%85%A9%E1%84%89%E1%85%B3/umc.cmc.hlhi00dtasm5wdejo37j2650). Episode 5 reveals the secret of the three years before and who drove Ro-woon's sister to death[6](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%82%E1%85%A2%E1%84%89%E1%85%A5%E1%86%BC%E1%84%8C%E1%85%A5%E1%86%A8%E1%84%8B%E1%85%B5%E1%86%AB-%E1%84%87%E1%85%A9%E1%84%89%E1%85%B3/umc.cmc.hlhi00dtasm5wdejo37j2650). Later episodes place Hwan-ki in crisis: a humiliating promotional video leaks, all of Silent Monster faces dismissal, and Hwan-ki begins changing for his team members during a company workshop[6](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%82%E1%85%A2%E1%84%89%E1%85%A5%E1%86%BC%E1%84%8C%E1%85%A5%E1%86%A8%E1%84%8B%E1%85%B5%E1%86%AB-%E1%84%87%E1%85%A9%E1%84%89%E1%85%B3/umc.cmc.hlhi00dtasm5wdejo37j2650).
The series is framed by its own creators as a story of opposites in communication: the network's tagline throughout its run describes the pairing of an extreme introvert and an extreme extrovert[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/introvertedboss/).
## Broadcast history and ratings
The premiere on January 16, 2017 averaged 3.2% in the Nielsen Korea ratings with a momentary peak of 4.1%[5](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20170117040400033). That start was higher than the 2.7% premiere of the preceding drama, *Ugly Miss Young-ae Season 15*, but lower than that series' 3.6% finale[5](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20170117040400033). Yonhap's report after episode 1 noted that viewer reactions split between praise that the show was fresh and criticism that the premise was excessive[5](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20170117040400033). A later industry presentation lists its peak rating as 3.2%[7](https://file.irgo.co.kr/data/BOARD/ATTACH_PDF/eb80d05905008ad1416b3f5b650c1239.pdf), a figure consistent with its opening episode rather than the premiere-night peak of 4.1% reported by Nielsen data on the night itself.
## Music
Stone Music and CJ E&M released a series of original soundtrack singles during the run. OST Part 4, Park Boram's "Isn't She Lovely", was released on February 13, 2017 as a [Valentine's Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/valentines-day) single about a secret love, written to reflect the budding feelings between Eun Hwan-ki and Chae Ro-woon; it was produced by Park Geun-cheol, the composer behind OSTs for *Goong* and *City Hunter*, with HowL and Jung Su-min[8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey3Kk3HjFZc). The official channel's episode clips from the series itself drew large audiences; the EP8-05 clip of Yeon Woo-jin and Park Hye-soo published on February 14, 2017 has over 10 million views[9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXs6aHa1bs).
## Distribution
After its broadcast run, the series was made available for re-watching on the TVING platform and listed on Apple TV as a 2017 romance drama rated 15, with episode runtimes of roughly 71 to 78 minutes[1](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/introvertedboss/) • [6](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%82%E1%85%A2%E1%84%89%E1%85%A5%E1%86%BC%E1%84%8C%E1%85%A5%E1%86%A8%E1%84%8B%E1%85%B5%E1%86%AB-%E1%84%87%E1%85%A9%E1%84%89%E1%85%B3/umc.cmc.hlhi00dtasm5wdejo37j2650). In Studio Dragon's own corporate records the drama appears among the productions it planned, produced, and distributed from 2017 onward[10](https://studiodragon.irplus.co.kr/fileupload/notice/%EC%A0%9C5%EA%B8%B0%EC%A0%95%EA%B8%B0%EC%A3%BC%EC%A3%BC%EC%B4%9D%ED%9A%8C%EC%86%8C%EC%A7%91%EA%B3%B5%EA%B3%A0.pdf).
## References
1. [내성적인 보스, tvN official program page](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/introvertedboss/)
2. [Yeon Woo-jin and Park Hye-soo cast in Introverted Boss, Daum news (iD)](https://v.daum.net/v/iD22fH0ra7)
3. [Studio Dragon drama lineup 2017 (investor materials)](https://studiodragon.irplus.co.kr/fileupload/analyst/201808/20180807_sd1.pdf)
4. [Introvert Boss EP.16 finale preview, tvN DRAMA official YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlY-f4-z1LY)
5. [tvN 'Introverted Boss' starts at 3.2%, Yonhap News, January 17, 2017](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20170117040400033)
6. [내성적인 보스, Apple TV (Korea) program page](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%82%E1%85%A2%E1%84%89%E1%85%A5%E1%86%BC%E1%84%8C%E1%85%A5%E1%86%A8%E1%84%8B%E1%85%B5%E1%86%AB-%E1%84%87%E1%85%A9%E1%84%89%E1%85%B3/umc.cmc.hlhi00dtasm5wdejo37j2650)
7. [IRGO presentation listing Introverted Boss genre and peak rating](https://file.irgo.co.kr/data/BOARD/ATTACH_PDF/eb80d05905008ad1416b3f5b650c1239.pdf)
8. [Park Boram - Isn't She Lovely (Introverted Boss OST Part 4), STONE MUSIC official YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey3Kk3HjFZc)
9. [#내성적인보스 EP8-05 clip, tvN DRAMA official YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXs6aHa1bs)
10. [Studio Dragon 5th regular shareholders meeting report](https://studiodragon.irplus.co.kr/fileupload/notice/%EC%A0%9C5%EA%B8%B0%EC%A0%95%EA%B8%B0%EC%A3%BC%EC%A3%BC%EC%B4%9D%ED%9A%8C%EC%86%8C%EC%A7%91%EA%B3%B5%EA%B3%A0.pdf)
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*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*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license