The Midnight Studio

The Midnight Studio (Korean: 야한 사진관) is a 2024 South Korean television series written by Kim Yi-rang, directed by Song Hyun-wook, and starring Joo Won, Kwon Nara, Yoo In-soo, and Eum Moon-suk. Based on the screenwriter's own novel of the same name, it is about a lonely photographer who takes pictures of dead people.^[9] It is an original drama of Genie TV, and is available for streaming on its platform, and on Viki in selected regions.^[10] It is also aired on ENA on March 11, to May 6, 2024, every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 (KST).^[11][12]

The Midnight Studio
Promotional poster
Hangul	야한 사진관
Literal meaning	Night Photo Studio
Revised Romanization	Yahan sajin-gwan
Genre	Fantasy[1] Romance[2]
Based on	Night Photo Studio by Kim Yi-rang[3]
Written by	Kim Yi-rang[4]
Directed by	Song Hyun-wook[4]
Starring	Joo Won Kwon Nara Yoo In-soo Eum Moon-suk
Music by	Tae Geon[5]
Opening theme	"I Wonder Why" by Elaine Kim
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producers	Kim Hyun-jung[5] Choi Han-gyul[5]
Producers	Kang Bo-young[5] Ahn Chang-ho[5] Baek Chang-joo[5] Jung Yeon-ji[5] Kim Hyun-cheol[5] Heo Min-ho[5] Ha Seom-gyul[5]
Cinematography	Han Dong-hyun[5]
Editors	Lee Ji-hyun[5] Seon Han-saem[6]
Running time	60 minutes[7]
Production companies	Slingshot Studio[8] C-JeS Studios[8]
Original release
Network	ENA
Release	March 11 (2024-03-11) – May 6, 2024 (2024-05-06)

Synopsis

The series tells the story of a prickly photographer who runs a photo studio that exists only for the deceased, and a passionate lawyer.^[1]

Cast and characters

Main

• Joo Won as Seo Ki-joo^[2]

A photographer and the seventh owner of a photo studio.

• Kwon Nara as Han Bom^[1]

A lawyer who cannot tolerate injustice.

• Yoo In-soo as Assistant Manager Go^[1]

The photo studio's customer sales representative.

• Eum Moon-suk as Baek Nam-gu^[4]

A former homicide detective who is in charge of miscellaneous tasks at the photo studio.

Supporting

• Lee Bom-so-ri as Kim Ji-won^[13]

Bom's best friend.

• Kim Young-ok as So Geum-soon^[13]

Bom's grandmother.

• Park Jung-ah as Kang Soo-mi^[8]

A talented lawyer who is also Bom's senior.

• Han Groo as Jin Na-rae^[13]

Nam-gu's wife.

• Ahn Chang-hwan as Lee Seon-ho^[13]

A police officer.

Original soundtrack

Part 1

Released on March 12, 2024

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Count on Me"	Ogi (Galactika *)	Sean Kimm Taelin Isaac Pro Athena (Galactika *) Woo-bin (Galactika *)	Ningning	3:17
2.	"Count on Me" (Inst.)		Sean Kimm Taelin Isaac Pro Athena (Galactika *) Woo-bin (Galactika *)		3:17
Total length:					6:34

Part 2

Released on March 19, 2024

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Press Rewind" (그 시절의 너에게)	Sean Kimm	B.btan Sean Kimm	Yang Da-il	4:23
2.	"Press Rewind" (그 시절의 너에게; Inst.)		B.btan Sean Kimm		4:23
Total length:					8:46

Part 3

Released on March 26, 2024

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"I Wonder Why"	Hollin	Hollin Kimmuse	Elaine Kim	3:51
2.	"I Wonder Why" (Inst.)		Hollin Kimmuse		3:51
Total length:					7:42

Part 4

Released on April 2, 2024

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Your Traces" (너의 흔적)	Han Kyung-soo Lee Do-hyung (AUG)	Han Kyung-soo Lee Do-hyung (AUG)	Ben	3:43
2.	"Your Traces" (너의 흔적; Inst.)		Han Kyung-soo Lee Do-hyung(AUG)		3:43
Total length:					7:26

Part 5

Released on April 9, 2024

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Destiny" (우리 만남은 우연이었을까요)	Dong Woo-seok	Dong Woo-seok Yoo Jung-hyun	Seungmin	4:12
2.	"Destiny" (우리 만남은 우연이었을까요; Inst.)		Dong Woo-seok Yoo Jung-hyun		4:12
Total length:					8:24

Viewership

Season		Episode number																Average
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
	1	454	605	555	628	572	506	439	532	508	504	500	337	531	403	393	523	499

The Midnight Studio : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)

Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.^[14]

Average TV viewership ratings

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[14]
		Nationwide	Seoul
1	March 11, 2024	2.107% (4th)	2.221% (4th)
2	March 12, 2024	2.508% (3rd)	2.443% (3rd)
3	March 18, 2024	2.346% (3rd)	2.569% (2nd)
4	March 19, 2024	2.477% (3rd)	2.398% (3rd)
5	March 25, 2024	2.293% (2nd)	1.988% (2nd)
6	April 1, 2024	2.233% (3rd)	2.261% (3rd)
7	April 2, 2024	1.765% (4th)	1.760% (4th)
8	April 8, 2024	2.176% (3rd)	2.447% (3rd)
9	April 9, 2024	2.068% (3rd)	2.213% (3rd)
10	April 15, 2024	2.149% (3rd)	2.232% (3rd)
11	April 16, 2024	2.085% (4th)	1.865% (4th)
12	April 22, 2024	1.398% (6th)	1.428% (7th)
13	April 23, 2024	2.282% (3rd)	2.439% (3rd)
14	April 29, 2024	1.608% (5th)	1.369% (6th)
15	April 30, 2024	1.974% (3rd)	2.072% (3rd)
16	May 6, 2024	1.963% (2nd)	1.927% (2nd)
Average		2.090%	2.102%
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC, and EBS).

References

1. Kang, Joo-il (January 18, 2024). "주원·권나라, '야한 사진관' 연다" (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Naver.
2. Lee, Seung-hoon (March 10, 2023). "[단독]주원, 귀신 찍는 사진사 된다..'야한 사진관' 캐스팅" (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Naver.
3. "야한(夜限)사진관". Kyobo Book Centre (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
4. Kang, Ga-hee (January 18, 2024). "주원X권나라X유인수X음문석 '야한(夜限) 사진관', 3월 방송 확정(공식)" (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Naver.
5. 첫 번째 컷, 밤에 여는 사진과 [The First Shot: The Midnight Studio]. The Midnight Studio. Episode 1 (in Korean). March 11, 2024. ENA.
6. 세 번째 컷, 백일의 세이프존 [The Third Shot: 100 Days of Safe Zone]. The Midnight Studio. Episode 1 (in Korean). March 18, 2024. ENA.
7. "야한(夜限) 사진관" [Night Photo Studio]. Studio Genie (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
8. Son, Bong-seok (February 8, 2024). "박정아, '야한(夜限) 사진관' 변호사 강수미 역 낙점[공식]" (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024 – via Naver.
9. "Dramas to Watch Out for in 2024". HanCinema. Sports Kyunghyang. January 2, 2024. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
10. Chae, Sung-oh (February 23, 2024). [단독] 콘텐츠 유통 다변화 내세운 KT...'야한 사진관', 日 포함 190개국 서비스 [[Exclusive] KT to diversify content distribution...Night Photo Studio', serviced in 190 countries including Japan] (in Korean). Digital Daily. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024 – via Naver.
11. Jang, Da-hee (February 8, 2024). "밤에만 열리는 '야한 사진관', 3월 11일 지니TV·ENA서 문연다" (in Korean). MBC Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024 – via Naver.
12. Kang, Ga-hee (February 6, 2024). "주원X권나라 '야한(夜限) 사진관', 3월 11일 ENA 첫 방송(공식)" (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024 – via Naver.
13. Hwang, Hye-jin (February 15, 2024). "주원X권나라 '야한 사진관' 대본리딩 어땠길래 "이렇게 운 적 없었다"" (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024 – via Naver.
14. Nielsen Korea ratings:

    • "Ep. 1". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). March 11, 2024. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
    • "Ep. 2". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). March 12, 2024. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
    • "Ep. 3". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). March 18, 2024. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
    • "Ep. 4". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). March 19, 2024. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
    • "Ep. 5". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). March 25, 2024. Archived from the original on March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
    • "Ep. 6". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 1, 2024. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
    • "Ep. 7". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 2, 2024. Archived from the original on April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
    • "Ep. 8". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 8, 2024. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
    • "Ep. 9". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 9, 2024. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
    • "Ep. 10". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 15, 2024. Archived from the original on April 15, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
    • "Ep. 11". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 16, 2024. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
    • "Ep. 12". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 22, 2024. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
    • "Ep. 13". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 23, 2024. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
    • "Ep. 14". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 29, 2024. Archived from the original on April 29, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
    • "Ep. 15". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). April 30, 2024. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
    • "Ep. 16". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). May 6, 2024. Archived from the original on May 6, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.

External links

• Official website (in Korean)
• The Midnight Studio at IMDb 
• The Midnight Studio at HanCinema