This is definitely one of my all-time favorite dramas. I remember there was some major controversy over whether this qualified as a drama or a sitcom. And the end result of the argument meant no season 2. TT_TT
Anyway, since this is my 4th or 5th time watching, I decided to finally write a review. Bare with me, I love this show so I might show some bias.
For the opening, our leading lady, Soo Kyung is introduced. She has been in a relationship with her boyfriend Philip for 5 years now and is presented with a proposal…on the subway. Definitely not every girls’ dream proposal and certainly not hers either, but under the pressure of the unwanted audience she feels like she has no choice but to accept. However, it really seemed like she was in love with the guy so I was really confused as to why she was so against the proposal.
Later on, she has her little dream sequence where she tries to figure out what exactly was so wrong with the proposal. Was it the location? The ring? Or Philip? At this point, I kind of get the idea that she might be a character much like our beloved Chu Ga Eul from Boys Before Flowers who is just waiting for the right guy [SPOILER: and ends up with a playboy].
Now back up a little and we have our main guy, a playboy, Dongwook. His first scene is with Yoojin and their setting seems to be a blind date. Seeing her proper etiquette and manners does not get him too excited about the relationship so he excuses himself, only to discover Yoojin’s spying mom. Poor girl, you can already tell that she has no sense of independence. Seizing the opportunity, Dongwook takes Yoojin out to eat some not so formal dinner. He finds her sudden change and enjoyment of street-food far more attractive.
Now we also have a little side pairing which involves Yoojin’s roommate, Min Ae, and Ryo Hei, who happens to be Dong Wook’s friend. They’re not as interesting because I can already sense a bunch of future problems for this couple because Ryohei is a sweet sincere guy where Min Ae is the female version of Dong Wook except a real player.
By the way, isn’t it rather convenient that all the actors use their real [first] names for the characters? And another pleasant surprise is comedian Park Myung Soo’s recurring appearance as a poor victim of Yoojin’s trial and error conversion. And he would be incomplete without his ever-so-famous “YA YA YA!” line. Now I’m seeing the comedy in this “sitcom”.
Anyways back to Sookyung who has given up hope on finding fault with the proposal. I think she’s just not ready to commit to the relationship she invested 5 years in. And Philip seems to be in the same boat by the end of the episode. So anyway, she falls asleep and another dream starts except when it ends, it shows Dongwook.
What just happened? He had a dream about her? But they’ve never met, right?
Well, his discussion of the dream with his gym buddies clarifies a lot and also foreshadows some future events [well the dream did the most foreshadowing on its own]. So they say that when you dream about someone, they have the same dream at the same time. Makes sense, considering they showed Sookyung at the beginning and Dongwook after it was over.
Now Yoojin here seems to be the only problem, I’m already not liking her. I think Dongwook shouldn’t get so deep into a relationship with a girl like her. It will be harder for him to break it off after he finds out his experiment failed.
I’m glad they put some thought into Sookyung’s depression. When you’re depressed in Korea, Soju and Noraebang is the medicine to those mental wounds. And what karaoke scene is certified as a karaoke scene without the most popular karaoke song: Bogoshipda [Stairway to Heaven OST] although I don’t think I would have recognized it if it wasn’t the lyrics. And can I just say, Sookyung’s analysis of the song that her senior was singing [Millionaire’s First Love clips were playing in the back but I don’t recognize the song] was quite a load of fun as well.
“As I walk on this road of life, there is one thing that I must do.”
Sookyung: What the heck does this person have to do? Does Anyone know? No! You know why? Because it doesn’t say what that person “must do” in the song at all!
“Though I stand on the windy plains of life alone, I am not lonely.”
Sookyung: Why does the author of the lyrics all of a sudden tell us that he’s not lonely? What the heck happened to the thing he “must do”?
“But when the pine needles fall, so too, do I shed my tears.”
Sookyung: What the heck is the “but” for? It doesn’t have anything to do with the previous sentence!
After she finally breaks down, we know now what her problem is, she doesn’t know what she “must do.” And now, things will start to unfold. From the preview of the next episode, I sense that this will be like a farce where they just barely miss each other. I guess that’s what defines “fate” these days.
Make sure you check this out with full English subs and in High Quality only on Dramafever! Seriously, I checked out other sites and since this is from 2006, the quality sucks everywhere else but dramafever makes it look like it just came out in the past 2-3 years. Plus the subs are of good quality too. Truly, one of the most underrated shows of all time.
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