‘24-Hour Health Club’ is effectively stimulating viewers' 'laughing cores' with its cleverly utilized fitness terminology and fresh dialogue.
KBS2's Wednesday-Thursday drama ‘24-Hour Health Club’ (directed by Park Jun-soo and Choi Yeon-soo, written by Kim Ji-soo) is injecting vitality into the home theater with relatable episodes centered around the gym director Do Hyun-jung (played by Lee Jun-young) and member Lee Mi-ran (played by Jung Eun-ji).
Each episode features the unique speech of director Hyun-jung, who firmly blocks fat while shouting “What the fat!” His distinctive way of speaking enhances the character's charm and captures viewers' attention. Phrases like “What the chive,” “What the beef tripe,” and “What the big gym” have given rise to the so-called ‘What the catchphrase,’ which is spreading as a meme.
As proof of this, after the broadcast, viewers commented, “As a current trainer, I find it relatable, funny, and ticklish,” “Time flies when I watch it during cardio,” “I heard the writer's husband runs a gym, what experience!” “It's nice to watch while running on the treadmill. The director shouts ‘You can do it!’ in every scene, making it feel like online PT,” “On days I don’t want to go to the gym, I get motivated by this drama,” “I unconsciously shouted ‘What the’ at school,” and “This is the only thing I watch on TV these days,” showing continued praise for this unique health drama.
Additionally, contrasting reviews stating “It’s also a good drama to watch with friends” have established it as a show that can be enjoyed lightly, even by those who are not familiar with or do not exercise.
In the drama, Hyun-jung comforts Mi-ran, who is crying during her new member registration, saying, “If you cry, you'll lose muscle,” in his own fitness enthusiast way. He also holds Mi-ran's hand as she is tempted by carbohydrates during her diet and responds to her excited question, “What’s that finger?” with “It increases the range of motion of the muscles,” making even that moment a source of laughter as he doesn’t let go of the fitness theme.
Moreover, he comforts Mi-ran's ‘exercise slump’ (exercise + boredom) with the principle of ‘progressive overload,’ stating, “If you get hurt and recover, you can have bigger muscles,” and in a scene where Mi-ran misinterprets her feelings for Hyun-jung, the concept of ‘interval training’ is cleverly woven into the dialogue, resonating with fitness enthusiasts.
In this way, ‘24-Hour Health Club’ is attracting interest from viewers who are distant from exercise and naturally spreading methods to maintain a healthy body and mind, emerging as a ‘two birds with one stone healing drama.’
‘24-Hour Health Club’ will air its 9th episode on the 28th at 9:50 PM.
