''Salamander Guru and The Shadows'' () is a 2012

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

starring Choi Minho,

Ryu Hyun-kyung Ryu Hyun-kyung (born March 10, 1983) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 1996 at age 12 as the younger counterpart of the protagonist in the SBS TV series ''Oxtail Soup''. In 2010, Ryu drew attention with her supporting rol ...

Im Won-hee Im Won-hee (born October 11, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Im was an alumnus of the legendary Daehak-ro theater troupe ''Mokhwa'' (), starring in many of Jang Jin's stage plays. He made his film debut in Jang's black comedy ''The Happenings'' ...

Lee Byung-joon Lee Byung-joon (; born January 27, 1964) is a South Korean actor. Active in film, television and theater since 1985, Lee is best known for his supporting roles in '' A Bloody Aria'' (2006), '' Highway Star'' (2007), and ''Eye for an Eye'' (2008) ...

and

Oh Dal-su Oh Dal-su (born 15 June 1968) is a South Korean actor. Career Oh Dal-su began his acting career in theater in Busan, and since 2001 has been the head of theater company ''Singiru Manhwagyeong'' ("Mirage and Kaleidoscope"). His rich experience ...

. It aired on SBS from January 27 to March 30, 2012 on Fridays at 23:00 for 10 episodes. It is SBS's first sitcom in 5 years.

Synopsis

Min-hyuk (Choi Minho), an

antisocial Antisocial may refer to: Sociology, psychiatry and psychology *Anti-social behaviour *Antisocial personality disorder *Psychopathy *Conduct disorder Law *Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 *Anti-Social Behaviour Order *Crime and Disorder Act 1998 * ...

genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...

hacker A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...

, has played with computers as if they were toys since he was a little boy. He grows up learning hacking skills from his father, a

terminally ill Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, dementia or advanced h ...

computer genius who runs an illegal gambling den to provide for his family's future. After his dad dies, Min-hyuk is adopted abroad. He immerses himself in computers and develops

social phobia Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by sentiments of fear and anxiety in social situations, causing considerable distress and impaired ability to function in at least some aspects o ...

. When he turns 20, he returns to Korea and begins searching for X, who drove his father to his death. Following clues from his memories, he finds the Salamander Guru fortune-telling house and meets Seon-dal and Won-sam. To find the Salamander Guru who knows X's secrets, Min-hyuk has no choice but to help the fake gurus. With his brains and excellent hacking skills, Min-hyuk controls Seon-dal behind a mirror and finds codes his dad left by recalling his childhood memories one by one. Min-hyuk, who keeps his social phobia a secret, gradually opens himself up while living with Seon-dal and Won-sam.

Cast

Main characters

* Choi Minho as Min-hyuk (Hacker) *

as Kyung-ja (Detective) *

as Won-sam (Assistant Guru) *

as Beom-gyu (the Real Salamander Guru) *

as Seon-dal (Swindler) *Kim Gyu-sun as Gyu-sun *Yoon Sang-ho as Detective Yoon

Cameos

Son Ho-young Son Ho-young (; born March 26, 1980) is a Korean-American singer and musical actor based in South Korea. Best known as a member of g.o.d, he made his debut in the entertainment industry with the group in 1999 and pursued a solo career as a sing ...

as Kim Shi-hoo, Gyu-sun's boyfriend (episodes 1, 10) *

Ahn Suk-hwan Ahn Suk-hwan (Hangul: 안석환; real name: Ahn Jin-hyeong (Hangul: 안진형); November 1, 1959) is a South Korean actor. Ahn has been active in theater, film and television since 1986. His onscreen roles include both comedic and villainous sup ...

as PalSungPa gangster boss (episode 2) *

Dynamic Duo Dynamic duo may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups *Dúo Dinámico (Spanish for Dynamic Duo), a Spanish musical duo formed in 1958 and one of the main precursors of pop music in Spain *Dynamic Duo (South Korean duo), a South Ko ...

(episode 2) *

Taeyeon Kim Tae-yeon (; born March 9, 1989), known mononymously as Taeyeon, is a South Korean singer. She debuted as a member of girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and on ...

as Tae-yeon (episode 3) *

Kim Myung-soo Kim Myung-soo (; born March 13, 1992), known professionally as L, is a South Korean singer, actor, and model. He debuted as a vocalist of boy band Infinite in 2010 and its sub-group Infinite F in 2014. He left Woollim Entertainment in August 201 ...

as L (episode 3) *

Yong Jun-hyung Yong Jun-hyung (Hangul: 용준형; born Yong Jae-soon on December 19, 1989), commonly known as Junhyung, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. Junhyung rose to fame as a member of South Korean boy band Highli ...

as Joker (episode 3) *

Hwang Kwanghee Hwang Kwang-hee (Hangul: 황광희; Hanja: 黃光熙; born August 25, 1988), also known mononymously as Kwanghee, is South Korean singer, actor, and TV personality. He debuted in 2010 as a member of the boy band ZE:A. He is also known for his a ...

(episode 3) *

Lee Tae-min Lee Tae-min (born July 18, 1993), better known mononymously as Taemin, is a South Korean singer, actor and dancer. He debuted as a member of the boy band Shinee in May 2008 and the supergroup SuperM in 2019, both under SM Entertainment, and ...

as Lee Tae-min, Master of Disguise/Forger (episodes 4, 10) *

Son Na-eun Son Na-eun (; born February 10, 1994), known mononymously as Naeun, is a South Korean singer and actress. She gained popularity following her debut as a member of the South Korean girl group, Apink. Apart from her group's activities, Son has a ...

as Lee Tae-eun, Taemin's sister (episode 4) *

G.NA Gina Jane Choi (born September 13, 1987), better known by her stage name G.NA, is a Korean Canadian singer, songwriter and actress based in South Korea. She released her debut EP, ''Draw G's First Breath'', on July 14, 2010. As a solo artis ...

as Crystal (episode 4) *

Jun Hyoseong Jun Hyo-seong (Hangul: 전효성; Hanja: 全烋星; born October 13, 1989) often simply known as Hyoseong or Hyosung, is a South Korean singer and actress. In 2005, she was a finalist in Mnet's ''Battle Shinhwa'' which led to her signing a rec ...

as Soo-yeon (episode 4) *

Leeteuk Park Jeong-su (born July 1, 1983), known professionally as Leeteuk (), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, presenter, radio personality and actor. He debuted as the leader of the boy band Super Junior in November 2005 and since then has part ...

(episode 4) *

Key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

(episode 4) *

Lee Jooyeon Lee Joo-yeon (born March 19, 1987), formerly known mononymously as Jooyeon, is a South Korean actress and singer. She is best known for being a former member of the girl group After School. Since leaving After School, she has focused primaril ...

as Shi-ra (episode 5) * Alex Chu as Ji-hoon (episode 5) * Lee Hyun-woo as Hyun-woo (episode 5) * Lee Ji-eun as IU (episode 6) *

Tiger JK Seo Jung-kwon, Hangul: 서정권, Hanja: 徐廷權, also known as Tiger JK (born July 29, 1974) is a Korean-American rapper, record producer and entrepreneur best known as a founding member of Korean hip hop group Drunken Tiger. He has also foun ...

as Tiger (episode 6) *

Tak Jae-hoon Bae Sung-woo (Korean: 탁재훈; born 24 July 1968), better known by his stage name Tak Jae-hoon, is a South Korean singer, actor and entertainer. He first became known for being part of K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is ...

as Seung-hoon *

Lee Se-eun Lee Se-eun (born August 31, 1980) is a South Korean actress. Lee made her acting debut in 1999, then began gaining popularity after starring in the horror film '' Bunshinsaba'' (2004). She appears in both television and film, notably '' Coma'' ...

as Customer (episode 7) *

Han Seung-yeon Han Seung-yeon (born July 24, 1988), better known mononymously as Seungyeon, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as the main vocalist of the South Korean girl group Kara and for her role in ''Hello, My Twenties!''. Early li ...

as Seung-yeon (episode 8) * Kim Eun-jung as Ji-min (episode 8) *

Im Soo-hyang Lim Soo-hyang (; born April 19, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame playing leading roles in the television series '' New Tales of Gisaeng'' (2011) and ''Inspiring Generation'' (2014). After a series of supporting roles, she gained ...

as Im Soo-min (episode 8) * G.O as Myung-shik (episode 8) *Han Ji-hoo as Chan-woo (episode 8)

Original soundtrack

Ratings

In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

References

External links

''Salamander Guru and The Shadows'' official SBS website
* * {{Works by Chorokbaem Media 2012 South Korean television series debuts 2012 South Korean television series endings Seoul Broadcasting System television dramas Korean-language television shows South Korean mystery television series South Korean fantasy television series Television series by Chorokbaem Media