[DR] Drama Special ~ Never Ending Love ★★★☆☆

     I just stumbled upon this randomly as I was looking through Nam Gyuri's videos. And it was really hard to find since I had to look up Kyujong's wiki page to figure out what show they were in together. Turns out, it's just a drama special. Regardless, I thought I'd review [it's more of a summary] it any way. So, here we go.

     First of all, our main stars are Nam Gyuri [SeeYa, 49 Days], who plays Kyuri, and Kim Kyujong [SS501, Saving Madam Go Bong Shil], who plays Junsu. And to support the couple, we have Park Ki Woong [The Musical, Bridal Mask].

     Five minutes into this drama and I already figured out that I'm probably going to end up crying by the end of this. And for some K-drama fans, it may be an automatic turn-off. Well, what else can drama-makers expect when they put brain tumor and heart disease together in one show? It sure as hell doesn't beat Oohlala Couple but it's no joke.

     So the story starts off with Park Kiwoong's character [Junsu comes up with the nickname Gown for him later so I'll just call him that], who happens to be Kyuri's childhood friend, jogging with her. And what do we find out in those first few seconds? One, Kyuri has heart problems, and two, she is quite stubborn. Anyways, the jogging was too much so she was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. The doctor in charge of her is none other than Gown. Right away, I can guess why he became a doctor in the first place but in case other people can't, he'll tell you himself.

     As she's brought into the hospital, we meet our male lead Junsu [Kyujong] who is also a patient at the hospital [brain tumor, remember?]. Anyways, he captures the whole scene where Kyuri is brought into the hospital on his video camera? No, I did not understand that at first [Maybe he wanted to be a movie-maker?] but I think some people might get offended by being video-taped like that.

     In the midst of all this, we are introduced to a minor couple which consists of Junsu's brother [who is a kidney? patient...I don't know if they're blood-related at this point] and the nurse that takes care of them. I actually thought this couple was very cute. It was pretty much one-sided but I think anyone would soften up for a guy who brings you drinks and folds a jar full of cranes.

     Back to Kyuri's stubborn nature. Apparently, the hospital is too stuffy for our leading lady. Hence, she always ventures out despite the doctor's orders, and she gets associated with Junsu. Junsu asks Kyuri to be the leading actress in his movie and offers a cigarette as the performance fee. Overtime they become friends, almost kill each other, and eventually fall in love. But that was bound to happen right, especially when their  hearts match. As soon as this little bit was revealed [maybe even way before that], I could predict, either one of them is going to die or both. I had a theory: it's very simple and obvious. I think Junsu will die first [despite all of the times Kyuri jokes about dying] and his heart will be given to her.

Junsu's heart belongs to Kyuri, literally.

     However, before the big tragedy hits, they should live their lives to the fullest [together]. So, for her birthday, Kyuri forces Junsu out of the hospital to hang out. They go try on wedding gear, take pictures, share some kisses on the cheeks, and enjoy a meal together. Oh and Junsu sings for her, gives her flowers, and proposes. It was LEGEN- [wait for it...]

"There is no performance fee. And I also can't guarantee about the show...There's still no plot yet. And I don't know how much I can record, but...You are the main actress in my life. Do you want to record a movie with me?"

DARY!

     First of all, aww poor Gown. I mean, he was obviously in love with her. But she rejected him a long time ago. And he still vowed, whether friends or lovers, he would cure her. So yeah, a little sympathy for him [Park Kiwoong just never seems to get the girl]. BUT, Junsu even got her a ring [not a real one but still...]. And it turns out the song he sang is Confession [originally by SS501?]. He gets a "YES" for effort, after which they hug and kiss. Happy ending? I think not. Well I don't know but this is when they decide to leap 1 month into the future.

     Now we have Gown in the hospital with Kyuri, who does not seem like a healthy bride. Nor does Junsu seem like a healthy Groom. But he's still alive so that's good I guess [I thought he'd die after the leap]. But of course, Kyuri's condition worsens, and as soon as she's taken into [what I assume] the operation theatre, Junsu's heart rate goes flat. TT_TT And everyone moves on with their lives. Just kidding. They forward and show a healthier looking Kyuri and I'm pretty sure my predictions are correct. You can probably guess what happened. And then another leap, but this time it's 1 year.

     It shows Kyuri going into the same restaurant where Junsu proposed to her. Turns out he left her a video diary message for her birthday before he died. And the first thing he says is that when he first met her on the roof, he was actually going to jump. And, not gonna lie, during that scene I was scared he was planning it too, but he didn't so I thought I was wrong. But turns out I was right. He ends the message with "Sorry for leaving first." Cue the tears.

They did a good job making him look sickly...

     Junsu's kidney hyung is shown getting ready to leave the hospital but before he does, he thought it would be nice to gift us with another reason to cry. Apparently, Junsu had found out that his heart matched Kyuri's [forget patient confidentiality...he probably heard nurses talking] and made his hyung promise to remove his oxygen mask if anything happened to Kyuri before him. I wracked my brain trying to remember the last scene with him. All I know was that he was alone, but I can't remember if he had the oxygen mask or not. Anyways, the hyung finally says "I Love You" to the nurse and they make out. No I'm not making this shit up; that's really how it went. Like I said earlier, after his countless efforts, how could she not like the guy.

     The ending scene shows Kyuri running [now she can run all she wants] and when she stops she stomps her feet. In the beginning, Junsu had told her that in Africa, some people stomp their feet when they miss someone [apparently they can hear no matter how far away they are]. But hey, I don't want a sappy ending. So of course, Gown runs up to her...actually, his new nickname is "Weakling". Anyways, it's not really clear whether they are together or not but I'm assuming she's not going to spend the rest of her life alone.

All in all, I think those 55 minutes of my life are not something I'll want back. I don't have much to say. It wasn't really a drama or a movie. It was pastime. 3 stars from me. Yeah, it was typical/cliche/predictable but I wasn't necessarily bored. It was cute, sad, depressing, melancholic, heartbreaking, gloomy, dejecting, dreary...but at least there was only 1 death, right?

Actually, let's just say he went to the army for a while. ;)

And for anyone who wants to watch it, it's available here with full English subs.

[DR] Dating Agency: Cyrano ~ Episodes 1-9 ★★★★☆

[Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!] Watch the show at Dramafever!

     First of all, not an SNSD fan and from all the members I've seen in dramas, none of them possess an actual talent in acting. However, way back when, I saw Yuri and Sooyoung in Unstoppable Marriage with FT Island's Jaejin and I thought they were pretty funny. I think Sooyoung suits comedy and she's not doing such a bad job in this show. For the sake of this review, I will set aside as much of my bias as I can. Oh and did I mention, this is the 4th installment of the Oh! Boy series [besides this, I only watched Flower Boy Next Door], so yeah, it has a line-up of good-looking men.

     When I started this show, I suddenly remembered there was a movie version with Park Shin Hye and [since I love her] I decided to watch it. I liked the movie a lot and yes there are quite a few [actually several] scenes that are very similar in the show. Also the two main characters have the same names in both.  Anyways, I recommend watching the movie if you have time. I thought the show was pretty crazy, but the movie is quite fun too. [You can find it with full English subs on YouTube.]

     Now, onto the show. Let's just make it clear; this show really doesn't have surprises. You can practically predict everything long before it is revealed. However, that doesn't mean this show doesn't have its "Aha" moments cause it does. There's a different kind of excitement in waiting for things you know will happen to happen. Such moments include the scene where Chunhee [aka Master] finally shows his gangster side. It's kind of ironic how he always gets cool/tough guy roles when he's so different in real life [refer to Family Outing]. In this drama, he has a license for knives [which get blurred out just like in Heartless City].

     I mean, seriously, we obviously knew he was associated with those 2 gangpaes [gangsters] that always hang around him but yeah I was waiting for him to break into action. It was kind of sad when he did though cause Sooyoung [aka Minyoung] saw and he looked panicked. Why, you ask?! Cause he likes her, duh! And, in all honesty, I want her to end up with Master. If this show pulls through for me on that matter, it will definitely get an extra star when I rate it at the end.

     Now that I've covered Master-Minyoung's story, I'll move onto the other members of the agency. Let's start with our lead: Lee Jong Hyuk [aka Seo Byung Hun] whom I loved in Gentleman's Dignity. The show opens up with him as a really cool guy who really know's what he's doing. Either this guy is really passionate about what he does or he has a talent for hooking up people [or both]. Anyways, the charismatic Seo loses face pretty quickly and quite a few times. The first time we see his dashing armor crumble is on the roof where the 2 guys bully him [seems like he's in debt...no idea what it has to do with the Master yet]. And then he has some crazy [yet shockingly realistic] superstition theory about having bad luck every 431 [? - not sure about this number] days.

     Minyoung semi-confessed to Seo! Yes she did...Okay so she was snooping wandering around his room when she found the envelope from his old friend that the first love gave him. Normally when the envelope is unopened, you would leave it alone right but wait for it...I was talking to my computer screen going "Don't you dare! Don't do it! Why?" And yeah, she went and tried to open it. Did she succeed? No. Did she get caught? Yes. Ugh. @_@ So yeah he caught her and they got into an argument about her snoopiness. And she was all like "I don't know why I care if you still like your first love. I don't know why I was curious about the envelope"...so um yeah, she went a little crazy...[Things got pretty intense]

And he's all like "Do you like me?" And I'm all like "ruh-roh!"

     In the end, what a waste, it was just an invitation to his friend and first love's wedding. What's worse, Master witnessed the whole thing. He got worried for a second but the smile on his face was evident when she denied liking Seo. And what the hell was up with him in that drowning scene? Minyoung put her hand out to help and what does he do? Play rock, paper, scissors with her in the water! That was the most unexpected scene in this whole drama. And then yeah, the CPR: totally saw it coming from miles away [and can I just say she was doing it wrong-the chest pumping part]. For the first time, I really hate Taeyeon's OST [her voice sounds so weird in here]. Anyways, I was like, this would be the part where you pull her in for a real kiss [like in BBF]! But it ended right there and I was like "Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!"

actually, it might have been more like this:

"I refuse to believe that it ends there!...and what will she make him do, presuming she's won the bet."

     On the bright side, Seo is starting to soften up to Minyoung. And I've gotten used to calling her by the nickname he came up with: Gongi dol [idk how to spell it but it's something along the lines of 'Gong Stone']. And yeah, they've had a lot of heart-tugging moments so something's bound to happen right? Especially after that accident on the couch. The scene was kind of awkward but I'm glad it happened. And yes, the 'first love' walking in on that really added to the greatness of that scene. And actually, if Sooyoung ends up with Chunhee, I wouldn't mind Seo ending up with his first love. I'm kind of worried that the ending might be like the movie [in the movie, the ending was beyond satisfying but I don't want the same thing for the drama].

     I guess we should quickly cover the side characters, our two real flowerboys. Let's start with Moojin. He's the mysterious one-liner type. Doesn't talk much but you know they're going to add to his character, which they did. I don't think I really like this whole ordeal of giving these side characters a love story. I'm just not satisfied with the girl. Moojin's "interest" is the "cute-type" who happens to work in Chunhee's restaurant. So, obviously their parts aren't as interesting but lately, ever since Moojin's interest in the girl has become obvious, it's fun to watch him constantly checking the heart rate machine. He even tested it on Sooyoung.

Now, for Ahrang, my beloved from KPOP Extreme Survival [took me a while but I knew he looked familiar]...well he's another story. In short, he's the bubbliest of the bunch [not exceeding Sooyoung]. He's cute and very helpful. He was pushed into the main character slot for a while when Taemin [SHINee] made a cameo with his love story. Who would've thought that Ahrang would turn out to be the 3rd person in the love triangle? That's right, we did! [Cause this show is quite predictable, remember?] Well, we're bound to notice when they all of a sudden decide to show him going to school...which reminds me, how the hell do they manage to infiltrate every setting with Sooyoung. First they put her in high school and then in a kitchen. It's either good connections or pure luck. -_-

     I for one, during his story actually was rooting for Taemin all the way. For one, the poor guy was first okay. And I feel like Ahrang only started to like the girl as a result of her confessing to him. There are people like that, who are indifferent at first but start to take notice after something dramatic. I'm glad he had the chance to confess and let her go. I mean, how could that girl not have fallen for Taemin [aka Ray]? The scene where he grabbed her hand and they ran away from his fans was pretty epic. And I swear that scene in the alley called for a kiss...but oh well, they had their happy ending. On a side note, as cute as Taemin's love story was, the band-aid thing was a little gross. As for Ahrang, I hope he gets another story in the future episodes.

     And don't think I didn't notice but I have a hunch...that just maybe, Moojin and Ahrang can sense the love tension forming between their 2 colleagues. I wonder if they'll be the ones to hook them up later... O_O

     FYI, I love all the hidden cameras, gadgets and the puny car [which seems to change color every now and then]. Those hidden cameras really help in exposing everyone's true feelings -- such as the scene where Ahrang kissed Sekyung. And it was pretty funny when Seo wanted to use the hidden cameras to check up on Master and Minyoung. Another thing I really love is all these cameos [I can't believe they made our precious giraffe a masochist...actually, I can't believe that role suited him so well]. Ji Jin Hee, Taemin, and Gong Yoo really captured my heart...again.

     I really do wish such an agency existed in real life [wouldn't it be useful for us KPOP fans]. And all of the stalking in this show is completely normal, only cause everyone does it. ;) All in all, I'd give this drama 4 stars so far, cause if it's kept me interested for 9 episodes, then it has potential. I just hope it doesn't pull an Oohlala Couple Tragedy on me.

[credits to dramabeans, dramafever and shinee fans for the pictures]

*****************Feel free to share your opinions with me in the comments*****************

[DR] OohLaLa Couple ★★☆☆☆

What drama not to watch: Ooh La La Couple.

     I'm warning you, don't do it. My sister, my friend and I all watched it together and we all really liked it in the beginning but about half way through, it started to dip...big time. But we still had hope...till the very end. And boy were we disappointed. Not only did it lose most of its comedy, but it was just wrong.

     And because I'm recommending you NOT watch it, here come the spoilers. Okay, so first of all the whole series starts off with the couple's divorce which goes smoothly until the ahjusshi from Stairway to Heaven tumbles down the stairs and they both get taken in an ambulance [she's a caring wife]. By the way, think twice before you take an ambulance in Korea, cause [not once...but twice in this] the ambulance got into an accident. Anyways, it's right after the accident that they switch bodies and cue the laughter.

    So let's rewind to the reason why they were getting the divorce in the first place. And let me just tell you before hand, they get back together [& remarry] in the end. The reason I'm revealing that is so I can explain why it was so wrong and why it caused me to hate this drama so much.

     Okay, so the husband's mistake #1: Prior to the divorce, the wife was on a strike. Yes, a housewife strike. It's actually pretty fun; you don't have to cook or clean. Obviously it's not for no reason. Her husband treats her like trash and her son treats her like a maid [remember this bit for later reference]. So yeah he's always yelling at her, never defending her in front of his mother, letting her be bossed around by his mother and sister. [Another note: we later find out she wasn't a sweet loving wife to him either...but hey, at least she was faithful and took care of things around the house.]

     Now they've switched bodies and I present mistake #2: Cheating on his wife with Victoria [Ugh. hated her in Bridal Mask too]. Not only did he cheat on her...but she freaking caught him? How, you ask? He was housing her in an apartment he had bought years ago for his family to move into [they ended up not doing so cause his mother got sick]. So the wife goes to check on it, and what great timing for the happy cheating couple. So yeah she sees them [after hiding herself in the bathroom]. Oh and guess what? Her asthma kicks in. Later in the drama we find out that her asthma hadn't been active ever since she got married. So yeah, he cheated on her and brought her asthma back, so hence, the divorce.

     Let's quickly move onto mistake #3 [the greatest of them all]: he almost killed his wife...but he succeeded in losing their baby. Let me explain. After the switch, a monk told them that sleeping together might switch them back and so they did...and yeah the husband inside the wife's body got pregnant. It was really weird [not so touching as one would presume]. So anyway, Victoria had momentarily disappeared so he [inside the wife's body] went to go look for her at the apartment. By the way, this is after he breaks up with Victoria to get back with his wife [mostly because of the baby]. So anyway, he gets there and she's collapsed on the floor. And what does that trigger? The wife's asthma, which he has no clue about! [Now I don't fully blame him for not knowing since it hadn't been active since they got married but still...he's the one who brought it back to begin with!] Back to the story: the last thing he does before passing out is call for an ambulance.

     On the other hand the wife [in the husband's body] at the hotel they work at falls off a ladder and cue the big switch back. So she wakes up in her body by Victoria with asthma! Forget Victoria, she runs off to the pharmacy for an inhaler [just like in the beginning]. So yeah after that, she's taken to the hospital where she finds out she's had a miscarriage. BOOOOO! The husband rushes back to the apartment and both ladies are missing so he goes to the hospital and only sees Victoria. So the wife goes missing for a day [she's still crying in the hospital]. When she gets back, she packs her bags and goes back to her mom.

     Let me summarize what the husband has done. Jerkanova has treated his wife like a maid, cheated on her, "reactivated" her asthma", almost killed her, and lost their unborn child. And yes he changed for the better but let me further convince you of why he is not worthy of reconciling with his wife.

     In the midst of this whole switcheroo, the wife's ex-boyfriend [the man is like an angel of perfection...a gift from God] comes back into her life [the husband has no idea about him until later on] as the hotel's general manager. Not only is he perfect in every way, but he still loves her! So the whole flashback of him starts with their cute childhood love story and ends with him dumping her [sometime in their 20s] and telling her he's going to the US with another girl. So yeah, no doubt, that leaves the wife bitter and depressed. And hell yeah, the husband was a rebound man! :D

     However, later we find out that the XBF had stomach cancer [tell me you didn't just think about stopping right there...that's not even the half of it]. So yeah, that was why he left [he actually went and talked to the wife's mom and she told him to leave her [shame on her]. Well, he survived, and now he runs a hotel; he's also working on making the house the wife wanted to live when they were younger --- and he can kick the husband's butt, physically.

     So yeah, throughout the course of the drama, there were other medical conditions brought up aside from the asthma and stomach cancer. This will make any k-drama fan laugh. So in addition to those two, Victoria had a weak heart, the wife got liver cancer, and the husband [coincidentally having the same blood would give her his liver...oh but his doctor friend says he shouldn't since he has a weak heart too...but] ends up giving his liver anyway.

     In the end, since the wife and XBF had started dating again and were quite happy, the husband seemed like he was going to back off...BUT here comes the good-for-nothing son [remember the one that would treat his mom like a maid] telling XBF [actually he wouldn't be "ex" anymore since he's been repromoted] that his dad still loves his mom so he would greatly appreciate Angel BF stepping down from his rightful place. Uh, hello little kid, where the hell did you acquire the rights to decide who makes your mommy happy? O_O Like really? And Mr Angel BF being the angel he is actually listens to the boy and loses the girl for the second time in his life. So yeah Jerkanova and the wife get remarried and a happily never after for the audience.

[And guys I haven't even said anything about what he did to her in their past life...-_-....]

     Okay so after all my bitterness, I do wanna go back and list some strong points in this drama. The first half was incredible. I mean there was a lot of potential. Besides Gentleman's Dignity, this was the only show I liked with middle-aged people. I guess it was mostly the comedy that saved it.

     I'll explain my rating. I gave it 2 out of 5 possible stars. 1 star was for the hilarious, potential filled first 7-9 episodes. 1/2 a star was for the great acting from Kim Jung Eun and Shin Hyun Joon [I'd say they outdid Secret Garden...not in the tracksuit department though]. The other 1/2 a star was for the OSTs. Not gonna lie, when this show was airing, I wanted to watch it just for Sunye's OST, but after watching it I liked the other songs too.

 

So anyways aside from the comedy, acting and OSTs, I also liked the side couple which consisted of Jerkanova's sister and the guy who was competing with him for the general manager position. They were very odd...and so I liked them. Also, the only people who were told about the switch were Victoria, Jerkanova's friend: Lawyer Lee [who cheats on his wife way more than Jerkanova], and Lawyer Lee's wife who is also the wife's [Kim Jung Eun] friend. These people were told in order to avoid confusion and mishaps. However, since the sister was not told, she had a lot of misconceptions about the 5 people involved. It added to the chaos and made the situations funnier. Another big thing that added to the humor was all the nabs taken at Jerkanova's freekishly large nose.

Another disappointment was Narsha's acting. Her role was almost useless and kind of confusing at times. I know the God of Fate was trying to get the husband and wife together so I didn't like him but Narsha was the goddess of love so I couldn't tell if she was trying to help soulmates since childhood [aka cancer couple] or the fated since their past life [aka transplant couple]. I was disappointed in them and how nobody noticed that they seemed to work everywhere, from the jewelry store to the hospital.

I did realized one thing from watching this drama: Kim Jung Eun looks like Hongki [FT Island]!

Oh, and this qualifies for bromance of the year right?

Which reminds me, I wonder how he would have felt about that first hug if they had told him about the switch. But, since they didn't, I guess we'll never know. *sigh*