Want to quit every time you step out the door? Lee Joon-hyuk’s new drama “Even After Winning the Lottery Jackpot, I Still Go to Work”: An office worker gets 1.3 billion but doesn’t leave, ready to return to the company and fight back!
Is this a job you really can’t skip?
Summary
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Premiere date confirmed: the dark comedy adapted from a webtoon, “中了樂透頭獎也要上班,” is slated to launch first on streaming platform TVING on September 10, 2026, before airing on the tvN channel.
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Lee Joon-hyuk as a newly awakened corporate drone: he plays male lead Gong Eun-tae, who wins a 1.3 billion won jackpot and transforms from a timid sales team leader into a fearless office maverick.
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A strong cast of seasoned actors: alongside heartthrob Lee Joon-hyuk, Seo Hyun-woo and Oh Dae-hwan will also appear as scheming colleagues and bosses in the office, offering a realistic look at today’s workplace dynamics.
Squeezing onto the bus in the morning and staring at a calendar packed with meetings, do you ever find yourself wishing you could win the lottery and retire on the spot? The latest workplace dark comedy starring Lee Joon-hyuk, Seo Hyun-woo, and Oh Dae-hwan, “Even After Winning the Lottery Jackpot, I Still Go to Work,” perfectly captures what every office worker is feeling. Adapted from the web novel of the same name, the Korean drama is set to premiere on TVING on September 10, 2026. Unlike the usual overnight-millionaire storyline, its protagonist wins a 1.3 billion won jackpot and still dutifully shows up at the office the next day with his briefcase.
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Can 1.3 billion won really not buy a brand-new life?
In the drama, Lee Joon-hyuk plays Gong Eun-tae, the leader of Sales Team 5 and a typical office worker who desperately curries favor with clients in pursuit of a stable life. Then, one day, he unexpectedly wins the lottery jackpot, setting the gears of fate in motion.
However, after taxes, this huge sum of 1.3 billion won (about NT$ 31 million / HK$ 7.5 million) isn’t enough for him to immediately buy a mansion and travel the world. Faced with a windfall that falls somewhere in between, he decides to treat the prize money as an insurance policy for peace of mind. Once you’re no longer afraid of losing your paycheck, your attitude toward work changes instantly. He no longer accepts his boss’s unreasonable demands without question and can even laugh off unreasonable sales pressure. Seeing him go from a submissive yes-man to fighting back with confidence will definitely leave viewers cheering from their couches.
The undercurrents of an office survival struggle
Joining Lee Joon-hyuk are two supporting actors who are equally hard to overlook. Seo Hyun-woo plays assistant manager Yang Joon-ho, once successful but now the team’s troublemaker, who feels deeply conflicted as he watches Gong Eun-tae, who joined the company after him, get promoted. Oh Dae-hwan plays Jung Sun-hyuk, the leader of Sales Team 4, who decides to abandon his integrity and become a complete opportunist after repeatedly failing to earn a promotion. The push and pull among these three characters in the office perfectly reflects the struggles of real-life workplaces.
Why has this drama resonated so deeply?
On reflection, Gong Eun-tae’s decision not to hand in his resignation may not stem from a lack of dreams. It may instead reflect the uncertainty modern people feel when they don’t know how to leave the path their lives have been on. We always think money can solve every problem, yet once we have a little more financial breathing room, what we really need to confront is how to reassess the boundaries between ourselves, our supervisors, our colleagues, and our jobs.
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This nuanced, true-to-life portrayal is what makes the drama so highly anticipated. Want to see Lee Joon-hyuk don a sharp suit and stage a silent, satisfying comeback in the office? “Even After Winning the Lottery Jackpot, I Still Go to Work” will officially be released on September 10, so mark your calendars and tune in on time.
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