High schoolers don helmets for Duty After School

by solstices

Would you rather take the SATs or fight off an alien invasion? In TVING’s upcoming sci-fi thriller Duty After School, third-year high schoolers fearing the former find themselves grappling with the latter. A year after unidentified flying spheres first appeared in the sky, hovering ominously over Earth’s inhabitants, the country realizes it needs all the manpower it can get. And that, unfortunately, includes students.

Without a doubt, the alien objects are hostile — not only do they crash down on buildings, but slimy tentacled creatures also emerge from within, itching to lash out at their next target. The country’s military forces are overwhelmed, leaving the government with no other choice than to cancel this year’s SATs and conscript all high school students as reserve forces.

Of course, there’s an incentive to sweeten the deal. All participating students will walk away with bonus points for the following year’s SATs, meaning they’ll certainly lose out to the competition if they refuse to become a soldier. Needless to say, that gets most students to sign the consent form, and their after-school military training commences.

Our story focuses on Class 2 of Sungjin High, who react to the news with confusion and apprehension. Bespectacled protagonist Kim Chi-yeol, played by Kim Ki-hae (End of Broadcast), can barely believe his ears. A similar wave of incredulity washes over the rest of the class, filled with fresh faces such as Moon Sang-min (Under the Queen’s Umbrella), Yeo Joo-ha (Love Alarm), and Kim Min-chul (Crash Course in Romance).

Platoon leader Lee Chun-ho, played by Shin Hyun-soo (Critical X), arrives to lead their training regime. Unlike their worried homeroom teacher Park Eun-young, played by Im Se-mi (The Empire), Chun-ho is tough as nails. As the students undergo rigorous training and face off against wrathful aliens, their days of feverishly studying for the SATs seem much tamer in comparison. “You are soldiers,” Chun-ho declares, “and this is war.”

Directed by Sung Yong-il (Class of Lies) and written by Yoon Soo, Duty After School is adapted from the webtoon of the same name by Ha Il-kwon (who also penned The Sound of Magic: Annarasumanara). The drama is slated to premiere this March.

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