I’ve been watching Korean dramas for over thirteen years, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen a second lead as beloved as Han Ji-pyeong. People are still voting on our poll Who do you want Dal-mi to end up with? And even with the end of the show, Ji-pyeong’s still in the lead by a mile.
Now, this update isn’t to stoke the Do-san vs. Ji-pyeong fire. The ship war should end, because Dal-mi chose Do-san so everybody should make their peace with it. I have. I just thought it’d be fun to see who she should’ve ended up with based on her MBTI.
What’s a MBTI? MBTI is short for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. It’s a personality assessment that helps you figure out your natural preferences in four areas:
- How you direct and receive energy (are you an introvert or an extrovert?)
- How you take in information
- How you make decisions (by logic or emotion?)
- How you approach the outside world (do you plan or are you spontaneous?)
Since taking it a few years ago, it’s helped me understand myself and my loved ones so much better. Here’s a link if you’re interested in taking it: 16 personalities. It’s scary how accurate it is. This test is used by eighty-eight percent of Fortune 500 companies to foster productivity and a better work environment, but it can also be used to understand friends and/or romantic partners. Here’s a quick chart that breaks everything down if you don’t feel like taking the test or doing more reading.
I thought it’d be cool to see what MBTI Dal-mi and the gang are since a few of them are friends, lovers, and/or co-workers. Since the characters can’t actually take the assessment themselves, this is what people who are knowledgable about the subject have categorized the characters. Fans have also weighed-in as well.
I checked a couple different websites, and Dal-mi is consistently an ENFJ: caring, enthusiastic, idealistic, organized, diplomatic, responsible. She’s a skilled communicator who values connections with people. She’s got some ENTJ traits too, but because she’s so considerate of people’s feeling she’s an ENFJ. Do-san is an INTP according to this chart, and I think it’s pretty fitting, but he could also be an ISTP or ISFP. Ji-pyeong’s an ENTJ, but I completely disagree and think he’s an INTJ as stated here.
With that said, that means Dal-mi should’ve ended up with…
Yong-san?!?! Yup. An ENFJ’s natural partner is an INFP (which Yong-san got on every site I referenced). Since Dal-mi’s dominant function of Extraverted Feeling is best matched with a partner whose dominant function is Introverted Feeling; an ENFJ and INFP are ideally matched, because they share that Intuitive way of looking at the world (which is the “N” in their acronym).
So, based on their MBTIs, Dal-mi and Yong-san would balance each other out, while sharing the same outlook. Oh, the betrayal! Do-san wouldn’t have been able to take this. But it would’ve been a very interesting drama.
On a positive note, ISFPs also work well with ENFJs, so if one were to argue Do-san fit that better than INTP, then Start-Up ended the way it needed to.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this little deep dive into the characters’ personalities. Part of the reason we were even able to do this is because the screenwriter wrote such great characters.
If you decide to take the test or already know your MBTI, let us know in the comments!