Watching the Disney+ drama 'Fine' makes me unconsciously smile.

I was quite a fan of the original webtoon of this drama.

Since it was written by the author famous for 'Misaeng', I followed it closely whenever it was serialized, and I was familiar with the flow and character relationships of the original.

So when the news of the drama adaptation came out, I was honestly skeptical. If you love the original too much, you tend to be disappointed if the drama deviates even slightly.

However, when I actually watched it, this 'deviation' was surprisingly good.

The production team boldly twisted and fleshed out several settings instead of just copying the original, creating a completely different texture.

The most impressive moment was the scene where Jang Beol-gu first appears in episode 1.

In the original, this character first appears in episode 2 when he meets Hwang Tae-san, but in the drama, Oh Hee-dong encounters Jang Beol-gu's gang in front of the Lucky Cafe.

"Hey, outsider! Don't mess with my woman. You might end up dead," the line was so strong in its dialect that the face and voice of Yunho (Jung Yun-ho), who seemed to have become an actor, stuck in my mind.

Even as a fan of the original, I thought, "This is a stroke of genius," as it was a strong opening card.

Moreover, Professor Kim's role became bolder in the drama.

While Professor Kim in the original was a clever and resourceful character, in the series, a scene was added where he teams up with customs officials to commit fraud and deceives a Yakuza's son at an antique shop in Busan to steal a Japanese sword and a gun.

This was a truly original episode that did not exist in the original. Thanks to such scenes, Oh Gwan-seok's nervousness around Professor Kim became more convincing.

As the character's boldness and cunning were detailed, it made the viewers tense.

Another welcome change was the character Yang Jeong-sook.

In the original, she was just a character in the present, but in the drama, her past as an accountant during the Heungbaekbiniru era is depicted.

This past strengthens the connection with Im Jeon-chul, and a scene is added where she reminisces about her time with Oh Hee-dong while drinking beer at midnight.

There's even a scene where she goes to an antique auction at a US military base with CEO Jin and awakens her desires... It was a three-dimensional variation that could not be imagined in the original.

Thanks to this, Lim Soo-jung's performance shone even brighter. The evaluation of her being 'Yang Jeong-sook herself' is not without reason.

The change in the relationship between Park Sun-ja and Oh Hee-dong was also interesting. In the original, they were just peripheral characters, but in the drama, their relationship expands to become each other's emotional refuge.

Originally, it was just a passing mention of Professor Kim's gun story, but in the series, Oh Hee-dong brings it up after spending time receiving a scarf he bought in Seoul.

The scene where Park Sun-ja recalls Oh Hee-dong in the cafe and rushes to the police station with his clothes is an emotional explosion that can only be seen in the drama.

Amidst the greedy characters, the relationship between the two, which uniquely shows 'hope', clearly conveys the message that director Kang Yoon-seong wanted to deliver.

As a fan of the original, watching these variations brings a strange pleasure. Even though I already know the story, unexpected developments and additional scenes keep it from being boring. It feels like meeting an old friend who has returned much more attractive.

Thanks to this, I have been living in anticipation of 'Fine' every week. With the final episode about to be released, I honestly feel a great sense of loss.

However, knowing that it is rare for the original and the drama to coexist while utilizing each other's strengths like this, I believe this work will be remembered for a long time.

At this point, for a fan of the original like me, the drama 'Fine' is not just a visual adaptation but another 'alternate universe'.

Perhaps that's why, after watching this drama, I feel the urge to binge-watch the original again.

At that time, there will be fun in comparing the two works from a different perspective.