What Is the Webtoon Behind the GIFT K-Drama?

The drama is adapted from Gift, a baseball webtoon by Jeong Iri-iri that has been published on Kakao Webtoon since May 2021. English-language coverage has also spelled the creator's name as J1212, so a search under either spelling leads to the same series. The webtoon's own hook is the same one the drama borrows: a baseball coach who can judge, at a glance, how good each player really is.

Kakao Entertainment announced in June 2022 that the story would become a drama, when the webtoon had passed roughly 7 million cumulative views. Four years later the adaptation has landed at tvN, with Studio Dragon and BY4M Studio among the companies listed on the official poster. The original is published in Korean, and we have not found an official English edition, so for now the drama is the easiest way in for most overseas readers.

For another tvN series airing right now, our guide to the webtoon behind Love in Disguise answers the same source question.

What Is the GIFT Drama About?

Jung Min-yong was a pitching coach for the pro team Manders. After an accident, he gains an extraordinary ability: he can see a person's baseball talent the moment he looks at them. He then becomes head coach at Deokcheon High School, whose team is ranked last in the country. The official posters turn that ability into a visual idea, with letter-grade cards such as S, A and B floating over the players.

The tension is not only about winning. Jung Min-yong trusts what he can see, and he clashes with Yoon Seo-jin, the teacher who leads the club and believes in the players' growth. The posters carry the argument in short lines. His says he no longer believes in effort or romance, and the team captain's answers that he will simply try harder.

It is also a December story about a summer sport. Korea's pro season is over by winter, which is why a baseball drama lands in the off-season, when fans of Korean baseball teams have little else to watch.

Who Is in the Cast of GIFT?

Kim Woo-bin leads as Jung Min-yong. Seo Eun-soo plays Yoon Seo-jin, a PE teacher at Deokcheon High School and head of its baseball team, warm with her students but firm when she sees something unfair. Seo Hyun-woo plays Ahn Gi-man, the acting manager of Manders, who judges players by their numbers and clashes with Jung Min-yong.

On the team, Cha Bin plays the captain, Heo Seung-il, and Han Si-hyun plays the pitcher Cha Tae-hoon. The drama is directed by Kim Kyu-tae and Ham Seung-hoon, and written by Min-jung, Seong-eun and Hae-ju, as credited on the official poster.

When and Where Can You Watch GIFT?

GIFT premieres on Saturday, December 5 at 9:10 p.m. KST, which is 12:10 p.m. UTC, and then airs on Saturdays and Sundays at the same time on tvN. In Korea it also streams on TVING, according to the official poster. As of today, no overseas streaming platform has been announced, so the safest places to watch for news are the official tvN page and the tvN DRAMA YouTube channel.

That channel already carries a teaser, a play-ball teaser, a special introduction of Kim Woo-bin as the rookie coach and a making-of video from the script reading, so there is plenty to watch before the first episode.