Artificial intelligence is a growing technology and is being practically used with many other technologies. As technology grows, there are many aspects of it that humans are unaware of, and some of which could surprise us. In “Unlock My Boss,” such a surprising event occurs, and the president of an IT company gets trapped in his phone—basically, he becomes an AI himself. He doesn’t know how he got inside his phone, but he needs to get out of it and into the real world. He receives help from a jobseeker who chooses to believe his story. As the mystery unravels, many faces of human nature are revealed, along with the lengths humans can go to satisfy greed.
Spoilers Ahead
‘Unlock My Boss’ Plot Synopsis: What Happens In Season 1 Of The Show?
Kim Seon Ju is the president of the IT company Silver Lining Networks, and his company specializes in developing AI technologies. The AI bot developed by his company, Baro, is especially popular. While returning from a golf game, something weird happens to him, and he finds himself trapped in his phone on the mountain. Park In Seong is a job-seeker who works multiple part-time jobs because he hasn’t found something he really wants to do yet. He finds Seon Ju’s phone, and Seon Ju offers him one billion Won to act as the president of his company while looking for his body. In Seong accepts the offer, but it takes him time to gain the trust of people close to Seon Ju, especially his secretary, Jung Se Yeon.
After Se Yeon believes In Seong and gets on his side, they find two big suspects in Seon Ju’s disappearance. Bumyeong Group is one of the biggest shareholders in Seon Ju’s company, but they have an internal dispute. Vice president Oh Young Geun and executive director Oh Mi Ran are fighting for the position of president. Mi Ran planned to launch the self-driving car to use it to her benefit, but Seon Ju’s disappearance ruined her plan. That’s why her uncle Young Geun seems a prime suspect, as it works in his favor. However, it is only later that In Seong finds out that Mi Ran is responsible for Seon Ju’s disappearance.
The software proposed for use in Bumyeong’s self-driving car failed the initial tests, and Mi Ran abducted Seon Ju to stop him from spreading the news. However, it is unclear how Seon Ju’s consciousness got transferred into his phone. Mi Ran needs the software, and she intends to get it by any means. The battle of power has started at Bumyeong and Silver Linings while Seon Ju lies unconscious somewhere with no guarantee that he will wake up alive.
What Deal Do In Seong And Mi Ran Make?
In Seong’s bodyguard, Mapi, dies after his one-sided fight with Noh. The police officer finds a diary with Mapi that clearly indicates that he had been going around hospitals, and the police officer suspects that Mapi was searching for Seon Ju. In Seong thinks that the police officer is on Oh Mi Ran’s side, so he is careful before revealing anything to him. However, the police officer gives a file of all the crimes regarding the Bumyeong group that he has been investigating for a long time to In Seong. In Seong chooses to believe him after reading the file, but he needs to find the snitch amongst them that Mapi mentioned to him before dying. He suspects his housemaid, as he has heard her speak to someone on call suspiciously. In Seong and Se Yeon tail the housemaid only to find out that she had been selling Mina’s used clothes and toys in an online used item market. This only leaves behind their butler as a suspect.
Mi Ran visits In Seong’s office and acts as though nothing happened between them. She shamelessly denies allegations that she hurt Seon Ju. Seon Ju gets so enraged that he speaks up and calls Mi Ran a fake and pretentious person. Mi Ran gets scared and rushes to see if Seon Ju is still safe with Noh. Mi Ran intended to kill Seon Ju, but he went into a coma, and Mi Ran had to keep him alive after she received an email from Seon Ju saying that he had appointed In Seong as the temporary president. Mi Ran was confused and wanted to know what was going on. After hearing Seon Ju’s voice again, she was more shocked, and at the same time, her uncle Young Geun made things worse for her. He spreads the rumor through the media that Kim Seon Ju has passed away, and the news outlets start questioning whether the self-driving car would be launched now. This makes Seon Ju take a big decision to reveal himself.
Mina had been upset after watching the news channels report that Seon Ju is dead, so she is the first person to whom Seon Ju reveals himself. He uses deep-fake technology to create a realistic image of himself and tells Mina that he is busy working on a big project and will return soon. Moreover, Seon Ju needs to save his company since the stocks keep falling after the news broke out, and to do that, In Seong asks Mi Ran for help. However, before doing that, they make a deal. Mi Ran promises to return Seon Ju’s body in exchange for the Baro 4.0 software. In Seong holds a press conference, and Seon Ju makes an appearance on video to prove that he is alive. When the reporters start questioning its authenticity, Mi Ran appears in the video and puts an end to the reporters’ confusion.
As they had promised, In Seong gives Baro 4.0 to Mi Ran, but since he doesn’t trust her, he had already asked the police officer for help. The police raid the house where Mi Ran has kept Seon Ju, but the house is empty with no trace of anyone. Mi Ran doesn’t trust In Seong either, and she tells him to go to Baro 4.0’s data center, where Noh is present with Seon Ju. In Seong goes there with Se Yeon, and Noh is going to first test if the software is really working. After confirmation, In Seong checks if Seon Ju is really present in the truck, and Se Yeon gets ready to drive off. When In Seong gets off the truck, Noh points a gun at him. Mi Ran doesn’t want In Seong alive anymore, as she got what she wanted and doesn’t want to risk losing it. However, in the decisive moment, Se Yeon drives the truck into the data center, causing an explosion.
In Seong escapes quickly, and gets on the truck. However, something strange happens with Seon Ju inside the phone. The phone starts glitching and becomes unresponsive. That’s when it comes to In Seong’s mind that Seon Ju in the phone is not really his soul but his AI. Seon Ju had mentioned that Baro 4.0 started developing emotions of its own, and when In Seong checked the system information, he found Baro 4.0 installed on the phone. That’s why, when the data center of Baro 4.0 exploded, the version of Seon Ju in the phone started glitching. The mystery of how Seon Ju got trapped in his phone is finally over. Seon Ju created his own AI persona, and In Seong had been talking to that persona all along.
How Does Mi Ran Get Arrested?
Baro 4.0 was installed on Seon Ju’s phone on the day he disappeared, which makes In Seong believe that Seon Ju installed it on purpose to help himself. Se Yeon also believes him but they decide to keep it a secret for the time being. In Seong switches on Seon Ju’s phone and tells him that he is an AI, but he will continue to listen to him like he has so far. Seon Ju checks the system information and confirms that In Seong is right. They decide to continue like before until the real Seon Ju wakes up from the coma. Mi Ran has Baro 4.0 now, and she only has to remove the final obstacle—her uncle, Young Geun. Noh was Mi Ran’s spy, and she makes him confess all the crimes he committed under Young Geun’s orders. Noh knows both Mi Ran and Young Geun closely and can reveal a lot about Mi Ran if his weak point is known. The police officer helps in this case as he asks Young Geun how Noh was hired. It is disclosed that Mi Ran put in a special recommendation for Noh, who was a veteran. Noh had been framed for corruption and was about to kill himself when Mi Ran offered to clear his name and offered him a job.
Mi Ran announces to the board of directors that she plans to launch the self-driving car in front of the media and that it will also be broadcast live internationally. Seon Ju didn’t want the self-driving car to be launched, and Se Yeon is worried about the same thing. However, Seon Ju reveals to her that he has installed a virus in the software that lets him hack the system, which he plans to use when Mi Ran launches the car. Seon Ju has his plan ready to make the launch of the self-driving car a failure, and In Seong is preparing to expose Mi Ran’s crimes. The police officer helps In Seong with information regarding Noh, and In Seong visits Noh in prison with the information. Noh had pledged his loyalty to Mi Ran believing she’d saved his life but In Seong tells him that she’d used him from the very beginning. She had bribed his boss to frame him for corruption and later, offered him a job, pretending to help him. Noh is enraged and tells In Seong that director Ha of Impyeong Hospital has kept secret records of Seon Ju’s treatment in his hospital. In Seong’s friend, Hyun Ho pretends to be Noh’s replacement and gets director Ha to submit all the records to him.
Mi Ran sets up a big show for the launch of the self-driving car. In Seong also shows up at the event and, after congratulating her, asks her in front of everyone if she would be the first person to ride in the car. Mi Ran has no choice but to go along with In Seong, and both of them begin their ride in the car. Se Yeon and Seon Ju have been monitoring the ride, and after some time, Seon Ju hacks the car’s system to deviate the car from the route. The car speeds up as it changes its route. News spreads in the country that the self-driving car has lost control. The car only stops when police officers set up a barricade to stop it. However, when In Seong gets out of the car, Mi Ran puts in a new destination and leaves. Mi Ran knows that she will be under fire for putting the public in danger, so she plans to leave the country as soon as possible. However, Seon Ju reroutes her, and she ends up getting caught by the police. At the same time, In Seong reveals the real Seon Ju to the world and announces that Mi Ran is responsible for Seon Ju’s condition. He also reveals that Mi Ran is responsible for the murders of many other people and submits the evidence to the police. As Mi Ran gets arrested for instigating murders, her uncle, Young Geun, takes his life because his company and his dream to become president are ruined.
‘Unlock My Boss’ Season 1: Ending
Now that the real Seon Ju has been found, Seon Ju’s daughter, Mina, needs to know the truth. Se Yeon takes responsibility and reveals to Mina that her father inside the phone is not real and only someone who feels and talks like her father does. Mina doesn’t understand what an AI is but she only understands that someone who feels and talks like her father is her father himself. Seon Ju’s AI person begins to uninstall himself because he feels that his purpose is fulfilled and that a bug in the software like him shouldn’t exist. However, when Mina starts crying in front of him requesting him not to go, he stops his uninstallation process. In Seong still takes care of Seon Ju’s company and he starts pursuing his dream of acting once again. He confesses his feelings to Se Yeon as well and he has everything he dreamt of in life. The real Seon Ju is still in a coma but he is in his own home and Mina has accepted this situation well. She interacts with her father’s AI persona and talks with her real father too, though he cannot reply to her yet.
“Unlock My Boss” brought a fresh and unique concept of AI cloning and replacing a human. Artificial intelligence has been growing at a rapid pace, and it has both pros and cons. The series clearly stated the limitations that should be put on the development of AI and called AI developing emotions a critical bug. However, human emotions like greed and attachment seem to ignore dangerous signals in order to get what they want. Mi Ran insisted on using the bugged software because she was greedy for the position of president and Seon Ju’s AI persona couldn’t uninstall himself because he couldn’t see Mina upset. Seon Ju’s AI acts like the real Seon Ju and doesn’t let anyone feel his absence, which is a good thing but this technology can be used for inappropriate reasons as well. The series gives a different point of view to the audience and raises the question of how far people should trust and adapt to AI technology.
