Bitch X Rich Cast and Plot
“Bitch X Rich” (Bitch and Rich) is a Korean thriller and suspense drama set to premiere on May 31, 2023. The main theme revolves around “campus bullying” and the “campus class system,” with scenes taking place in an elite school that emphasizes social inequality.
“Bitch X Rich” directed by Min Ji-Young and co-written by newcomer Jung Sung-Eun, it tells the story of a poor high school girl who becomes the only witness to a murder case. After transferring to an enviable aristocratic school, she engages in intense power games and psychological struggles with the prime suspect – also known as the queen bee of the campus.
Some people online have compared this drama’s level of melodrama to “The Glory”, another Korean drama that focuses on campus bullying – a topic frequently explored in Korean dramas. In addition to “The Glory”, I highly recommend “The King of Pig”, both are very heavy-handed when it comes to portraying campus bullying themes. This time, however, “Bitch X Rich” will present these themes in a particularly “heavy-handed” way through concepts such as revenge or opposition between two sides (poor vs rich). The cast for “Bitch X Rich” includes:
- Yeri plays the role of “Baek Je-Na,” a rich second-generation student and queen of Chungdam International High School who is suspected to be involved in a campus murder case. She will confront Kim Hye-In in the drama.
- Lee Eun-Saem portrays “Kim Hye-In,” a child born into poverty who has been taught from an early age that poor people have no chance of success. One day, while working as a tutor for a wealthy family, she experiences firsthand the disdain and manipulation that comes with being looked down upon by the rich. At Chungdam International High School, she will cause chaos.
- Lee Jong-Hyuk plays “Seo Do-Eon,” a member of the same clique as Baek Je-Na.
- Yoo Jung-Hoo takes on the role of “Lee So-Mang,” a character who becomes interested in transfer student Kim Hye-In.
⚡ Spoiler Alert ⚡
⚡ Spoiler Alert ⚡
⚡ Spoiler Alert ⚡
Table of Contents
Bitch X Rich Recap Episode 1 & 2
🩸Baek Je-Na was called by the teacher to inquire about her leading the bullying of poor students who entered school through the equal opportunity system. Baek Je-Na also incited violence, and all students said that Baek Je-Na was the mastermind.
🩸The teacher was very angry because Baek Je-Na didn’t care about her father’s support for the establishment of a campus violence committee, and even fueled the reputation of privileged education that had already been criticized by making things worse.
🩸But Baek Je-Na wasn’t afraid at all because her father’s company controlled everything in this school, including life and death as well as resources. At this time, Kim Hye-In transferred to a prestigious school.
🩸Three months ago, Kim Hye-In was still in her original high school watching students discussing Chungdam International High School on social media. Everyone wanted to go there to study but Kim Hye-In had already realized that she had no connection with it since birth.
🩸She went for an interview as a tutor at a luxury mansion where she was amazed by its extravagance and even mocked for not having eaten those precious cookies during the interview process.
🩸The world of rich people puzzled her because admission into Chungdam International High School did not emphasize grades but wealth and connections instead. However, Kim Hye-In was hired only because their daughter’s math score fell short by one or two points; thus, her mother did not want any pressure on their child due to these few marks.
🩸The next day, Kim Hye-In’s homeroom teacher informed her that she could not receive subsidies for foreign language camps since there were more difficult students who needed them more than they did; however, if they paid 3.5 million won upfront then they could reserve a spot too!
🩸Unexpectedly though when she went back home after tutoring Na-Yan, she found out that the bags Na-Yan bought could pay for all her foreign language camp fees! Kim Hye-In’s disdainful attitude towards students’ wastefulness was immediately exposed because when they offered to give it to her for free, she accepted.
🩸Later on, Kim Hye-In was discovered by classmates who saw that she had applied for a foreign language camp with low-income household qualifications; thus, Kim Hye-In was ridiculed as being from a poor family.
🩸However, when Kim Hye-In accidentally uploaded a photo of herself carrying Na-Yan’s expensive bag, everyone changed their view of her and this forced Kim Hye-In to lie and say that she was also from a wealthy family.
🩸Kim Hye-In keeps her status as a second-generation rich kid a secret by frequently taking photos at Na-Yan’s house and making up lies to cover herself. She claims that she never receives any allowance from her family and instead earns money through part-time jobs, while her bags and shoes are just basic necessities provided by her parents.
🩸These ideas were all inspired by stories from her friends, which made Kim Hye-In quite popular among classmates. On the other hand, Baek Je-Na sleeps in class and angers the teacher with her attitude towards learning. When scolded, Baek Je-Na mocks the teacher for having poor English pronunciation.
🩸Kim Hye-In discovers clothes from Chungdam International High School in a student’s home and secretly wears them for photoshoots. However, she envies Na-Yan who unexpectedly catches Kim Hye-In doing this in her room when students return home early one day.
🩸Although Na-Yan doesn’t pursue or tell anyone about it, she asks Kim Hye-In to help with homework and run errands as compensation for keeping the secret safe. On the day of Na-Yan’s interview at Chungdam International High School – coincidentally during Kim Hye-In’s mid-term exam – Na-Yan forgets to bring her speech notes but insists that Kim Hye-In retrieve them from home instead. Later on, Kim Hye-In realizes that they were testing whether she would go to such lengths to protect their secret.
🩸While trying to calm down in the bathroom after this realization, Kim Hae-in – another student at school who is bullied due to coming from an average-income family background – pushes Kim Hyen-in over the edge so much that she pours a bucket of water on Na-Yan during her interview.
Bitch X Rich Episode 1 & 2 Review
In the first episode, the screenwriter devoted a considerable amount of time to depicting the differences between Kim Hye-In and rich kids’ lives.
The show emphasizes that one’s fate is determined by their family background from birth. The life of wealthy children is carefree, with many privileges and power that they can even mock.
In contrast, Kim Hye-In’s social circle consists mostly of people who share her views: “I have worked hard all my life but haven’t seen much change in my circumstances. I don’t envy others who were born into good families and think that life is easy because they had good luck.” Kim Hye-In was born poor and has to work hard to obtain basic education opportunities while feeling like she must compete with other poor people for resources.
Throughout this drama, the screenwriter uses strong contrasts to depict Kim Hye-In’s socioeconomic status as well as her character traits. There is a line where she says, “It’s not like someone else having it worse than me will make my situation better,” which shows her pessimism about being born into an unfair situation.
I think the screenwriter tries to use Kim Hye-In’s efforts to let us know what it feels like not to be content with one’s lot in life – just like when she said: “Who would want such a background?” Seeing those who effortlessly get everything makes you feel hopeless inside.
The way the screenwriter portrays human nature through Kim Hye-In seems very realistic; for example, in episode one, when she complains about students wasting money but then wants things for free herself – showing how Koreans pretend not wanting something they cannot afford or belittle things they cannot have especially if coming from poor families.
The writer does not portray Kim Hye-in as a saintly figure but rather someone who also desires things despite being unable to afford them – just like how she strives for a better life yet gets ridiculed along the way. This is why Kim Hye-In hates rich people’s arrogant attitudes.
Therefore, at the end of the first episode, there is a conclusion that “if you want to seek rewards for your hard work in life, there are still many extremely dirty and despicable corners in this world.”
Because society itself is already dirty, using obedient methods will only lead to stagnation. Therefore, in this society, one can only survive by using dirty means and as long as they use certain methods they can infiltrate into the circle of wealthy people.
After Kim Hye-In began to mix with the rich crowd, she started weaving her own background as a second-generation rich person. At first glance, Kim Hye-In reminded me of a mixture between “Anna” and “Parasite”.
She had to use lies to package her identity but ironically those around her believed it was true. As we mentioned earlier, the portrayal of Kim Hye-In’s character by the screenwriter is very realistic because she is human and has desires even if she says otherwise or complains about unfairness. However, Kim Hye-In still used dark tactics to get what she wanted.
Fortunately though,Kim Hye-In did not go astray~ In fact,in the last part of Episode 2,Kim Hye-In maintained her anger and refused to be bullied like an obedient student.I think this is one of best points about this drama because her revenge was not driven by self-pity but rather from an indignant feeling that could no longer tolerate injustice!
Currently,the pace of Bitch X Rich’s first two episodes were slower than I expected.However,I am sure that when Kim Hye-in confronts Baek Je-Na later on,it will become more dramatic especially sinceKimHye-in herself hates wealthy people.
Therefore,I look forwardto seeing how these two characters spy on each other.Especially regardingthe strong foreshadowing left at beginningofthis drama,”murder case”,it cannot yet be seen from the current content of the first broadcast what is the intersection between Kim Hye-In and this murder case.
However, based on how the screenwriter has portrayed Kim Hye-In so far, she will be faced with a “human” choice in this campus murder case.