The Midnight Shift

Seon-ran (A Thousand Blues) crafts an intricate vampire mystery set in contemporary Korea that explores profound themes of loneliness, queer desire, and moral ambiguity. Detective Suyeon finds herself disturbingly alone in investigating a series of apparent suicides at a dilapidated rehabilitation hospital in Incheon. Her suspicions of foul play grow when she repeatedly runs into the enigmatic Violette at the crime scene. A Korean adoptee raised in France and now attempting to reclaim her heritage, Violette purports to be hunting the vampire that, she insists, murdered the elderly victims. Meanwhile, Nanju, a nurse struggling with debt, becomes dangerously entangled with the very monster Suyeon seeks. As bodies drained of blood continue to pile up, Suyeon and Violette must uncover the truth while confronting their own hidden traumas and desires. Cheon skillfully toggles between her three heroines, building impressive emotional depth through their interwoven narration. The darkly romantic flashbacks to 1980s France—highlighting Violette’s formative experiences with Lily, a charismatic vampire—are particularly mesmerizing, echoing classic gothic tales with a fresh, queer twist. Though the worldbuilding occasionally feels inconsistent, Cheon’s nuanced exploration of loneliness and isolation resonates. K-drama fans, especially those drawn to moody supernatural thrillers and complex, character-driven plots, will eagerly devour this genre-blurring tale. (Aug.)