Choose Your Oppa: Are You Team Nam Do-San Or Team Han Ji-Pyeong?
Which K-drama "Start-Up" male lead are you more attracted to?
K-drama Start-Up has eight episodes in, and its love triangle is getting more and more exciting with every scene. Figuring in this love triangle are Bae Suzy as aspiring CEO Seo Dal-mi, Nam Joo-hyuk as Samsan Tech co-founder Nam Do-san, and Kim Seon-ho as venture capitalist Han Ji-pyeong. The three find themselves working together on a start-up company in Sandbox, with Seo Dal-mi and Nam Do-san as teammates and Han Ji-pyeong serving as their mentor.
Just a few episodes into this trending tvN series, viewers have been divided between teams Nam Do-san and Han Ji-pyeong, as both characters are conceptualized with likable personalities from the get-go and the character development for each is proving to be more and more compelling. Now halfway into Start-Up, viewers are still torn between the two guys, with Han Ji-pyeong giving many that second lead syndrome.
What are the things that give Nam Do-san and Han Ji-pyeong pogi points? What make them look cool, adorable, and crush-worthy? Who do you think suits Seo Dal-mi better?
Check out the gallery below:
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
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Team Nam Do-San vs Team Han Ji-Pyeong
Team Nam Do-San vs Team Han Ji-Pyeong
By Metro.StyleFebruary 25 2021, 10:56 AM
Math genius vs investment pro
NAM DO-SAN is a math genius who's the youngest winner of a grand prix at a mathematics olympiad, making his parents very proud. He skipped high school and went straight to college because he's so smart although he ended up dropping out. In college, he took up engineering. HAN JI-PYEONG is an orphan who's always been street-smart. He won in a virtual investment competition when he was a teen and made money by investing in stocks shortly after.
Samsan Tech co-founder vs venture capitalist
NAM DO-SAN is the co-founder of Samsan Tech, a start-up company he runs with his two friends. After founding Samsan Tech a couple of years ago, their only claim to fame so far is placing first at CODA's Large Scale Visual Recognition Challenge with their AI technology. HAN JI-PYEONG now works as a senior investment manager at a venture capital company. He has established himself as the "Gordon Ramsey of investing," because of his sharp tongue. He's well-known for his business acumen and the companies he decides to invest in always succeed.
Living Buddha vs Good Boy
NAM DO-SAN's nickname is "Living Buddha" because as his father said, "He's never been greedy in his life. He was born that way... He prefers to lose because he feels better that way." When he won in the mathematics olympiad, he gave away his gold medal because he felt bad for the guy he beat. In college, he would intentionally put wrong answers in tests as he was being considerate of his older classmates' feelings. HAN JI-PYEONG, on the other hand, was called "Good Boy" by Seo Dal-mi's grandmother because she saw right through him—that underneath his bad boy façade is, well, a good boy who isn't capable of doing anything bad or running away with an old woman's money. He asked the grandma, "Aren't you scared of me?... I know your bank account password and have the keys to your shop." To which she replied, "Scared of you? A good boy like you?"
Plaid button-downs vs casual suits
NAM DO-SAN's go-to daily outfit is a combo of a shirt, plaid button-down, and a pair of jeans. It's a no-fuss look that mirrors his laid-back and approachable personality. HAN JI-PYEONG prefers to wear casual suits in neutral or muted colors. He is, after all, a senior investment manager and must absolutely look the part.
Sweet and charming vs sharp-tongued but soft-hearted
NAM DO-SAN is adorable with his sweet and charming ways. He comes off as naive but is actually an intelligent guy. Like Seo Dal-mi, he's inexperienced when it comes to dating, so all those times his heart flutters when she's around are just too cute to handle. Meanwhile, HAN JI-PYEONG may appear mean when he's being blunt and straightforward with his comments and opinions, but he's actually a kind, considerate, and helpful man. His actions certainly speak louder than words.
6'1" vs 6'0"
Both are handsome and tall (they make the ceiling of Seo Dal-mi and her grandmother's house "look so low"). Since they're both tall, in Episode 7, Seo Dal-mi's grandmother asked if one of them can change the light bulb in their bathroom. Well, both were up for it, as they were trying to impress Seo Dal-mi. Nam Do-san said, "I'll do it. I'm taller than him." Han Ji-pyeong interjected, "Only by a centimeter or two... It's about the same." In real life, Nam Joo-hyuk who plays Nam Do-san is 6'1" while Kim Seon-ho who plays Han Ji-pyeong is 6'0".
Knitter vs plantito
NAM DO-SAN joined a knitting club, where he met his two friends, the co-founders of Samsan Tech (Kim Yong-san and Lee Chul-san). His friends founded the club to get more chances to meet girls but Nam Do-san joined them and he would always drive the girls away with his lame jokes and his extraordinary display of intelligence. Still, there's something adorable about a guy who's into knitting, don't you agree? HAN JI-PYEONG, meanwhile, just showed in Episode 7 that he has it in him to become a "plantito." Well, he threw the potted plant in his apartment—a money tree that brings wealth, which Seo Dal-mi initially gave to Nam Do-san—because Han Ji-pyeong didn't want to admit his feelings for her, but it somehow made its way back to him. And now, he's taken a liking to nurturing this plant (well, he actually has indoor plants with grow lights at a corner of his place, too).
Big hands vs cute dimples
Nam Do-san's big hands vs. Han Ji-pyeong's cute dimples. When NAM DO-SAN asked Seo Dal-mi what she likes about him, all she could think of that pertains to him and not Han Ji-pyeong are his "nice, big hands." To comfort him, his friend Kim Yong-san told him, "The use of hands led to the development of the human brain and toolmaking, thus establishing cultures and histories." His other friend Lee Chul-san added, "The hands are everything." HAN JI-PYEONG rarely smiles in the series, but when he does, his "good boy" personality and genuine kindness shine. Despite not actually meeting him when they were pen pals, Seo Dal-mi considered him as a friend whose letters have been very comforting to her and have brought her countless smiles through the years. Then again, Seo Dal-mi was also comforted by holding Nam Do-san's hands, right?
Current flame vs first love
HAN JI-PYEONG is Seo Dal-mi's first love. His letters under the pen name NAM DO-SAN comforted her for a very long time, so much so that even though 15 years have passed, she's still hung up on him. "After all these years, you're still so brilliant and cool," Seo Dal-mi told the real Nam Do-san. In Episode 7, her grandma asked her, "Which Do-san do you like better? The one who used to write you letters 15 years ago or the one you met again as an adult?" Seo Dal-mi said that she'd still choose the old Do-san because he's her first love—"I care about him a lot, and I'm grateful to him." But although the Do-san she knows now seems like a "different person" sometimes, being with him excites her and makes her heart flutter. Seo Dal-mi's first love is powerful and special, but the bond she's building with Nam Do-san might actually be the one that gives her the real taste of what it's like to love and be loved back.
BONUS! Grandma's choice
Who will grandma like more for Seo Dal-mi? HAN JI-PYEONG may have had special memories with Seo Dal-mi's grandmother, considering how she helped him and how indebted he is to her to this day. But as the latest episode showed, grandma has finally met the real NAM DO-SAN and she seems to like him as a person too; he knows her secret, and it's so heartwarming when he designed their start-up company's product/service offering inspired by Seo Dal-mi's grandmother. No doubt, both are good guys who will surely love, take care of, and respect Seo Dal-mi.
Show your love for #NamDoSan or #HanJiPyeong! Save this image below. Tick the boxes beside the qualities, characteristics, or physical attributes you like about Nam Do-san and/or Han Ji-pyeong. Screenshot the image with your answers. Share on social media. Tag or mention Metro.Style on Facebook or @metrodotstyle on Instagram with the hashtag #KFeverOnMetro.
Or, let us know in the Facebook post's comment section what you like about Nam Do-san or Han Ji-pyeong.

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Start-Up is available for streaming and download on Netflix, with new episodes every Saturday and Sunday.
Photos from tvN, courtesy of Netflix | Background phot from Steve Johnson on Pexels
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