Welcome to Kdrama and Ramen!

Ha Young Eun leads the design team at a successful fashion company.  After her first love ghosts her with no explanation, she devotes her life to her career and avoids any emotional commitments.  One day she meets a handome photographer who threatens to tear down the walls she has built around her heart.  But the two of them share an ill-fated past that could make it impossible for them to ever be together.  Is their love strong enough to stand against social and family pressures?

Jang Ki Yong as Yoon Jae Guk 

Yoon Jae Guk is a free-lance photographer whose work is in high demand.  He goes by “J” in the fashion world and everyone is familiar with him and his art.  After meeting Young Eun in Paris, he decides to spend some time living and working in Seoul.  He leases a studio and sells portraits and ID photos.  When he finds out that Young Eun is the woman his brother had been in love with, he is curious about her.  But he is also afraid of her reaction when he tells her who he really is.  He becomes determined to win her heart, regardless of her connection to his brother or his mother’s strong disapproval.  

As an illegitimate son, Jae Guk grew up in the shadow of his older brother.  When his brother died in an accident, he was left feeling alone and guilty.  I really love Jang Ki Yong, but I feel like we have seen this overly optimistic guy in love with an older woman before.  There was nothing new in this performance, and while at first I loved his stubborn optimism, the forced smile seemed to become more strained as the story went on.

Kim Joo Heon as Seok Do Hoon

Seok Do Hoon is Jae Guk’s best friend.  He owns Vision PR Firm.  He is organized, mature and meticulous.  He falls for Hwang Chi Sook but in the beginning, Chi Sook isn’t interested in him at all.  Fortunately, his charming personality eventually wins her over.  

♥ Friend Trio

While many of the relationships in this drama felt unrealistic and forced, I did enjoy the friendship these women share.  Their interactions seemed sincere and honest.  Especially after they find out that Mi Suk is sick.  The way they band together to make the best of a painful situation was touching and sweet.  Their interesting perspectives on love and loss made their conversations thought-provoking, even if I didn’t always agree with their opinions.  

 ♥ Ji Min

The young actress who played Mi Suk’s daughter, Ji Min, was a bright spot in this otherwise dreary drama.  Her innocent bravery was inspiring to watch.  If all adults could roll with their punches the way this sweet girl does, the world would be a better, stronger place.  The joy she showed while visiting her mom to show off her award at the end was so bittersweet and beautiful.  I hope to see much more of her in the future. 

Chemistry

As I said earlier, I really love Jang Ki Yong, which is why this drama was so disappointing.  He and Song Hye Kyo never seemed to find a natural chemistry that made their relationship feel real.  Recently, in an interview, Jang Ki Yong himself called their interactions awkward, and I would have to agree.  I just never felt it with these two.   

Moms

These moms were all horrible in their own way.  Even Mi Suk’s mother-in-law, who we only see briefly, is cruel and selfish, while having no idea how sick Mi Suk is.  I couldn’t understand any of them.  They were short-sighted and didn’t seem to care at all about their own child’s happiness, all the time using their age to somehow justify a wisdom that was sorely misguided.  

“Now, We Are Breaking Up” doesn’t end any stronger than it began.  Young Eun and Jae Guk agree to peacefully go their separate ways, even though Young Eun is very tempted to accept his invitation to move to Paris with him.  So Jae Guk goes off to have a show in Europe and Young Eun starts her own label.  Hwang Chi Hyung  and Jung So Young join Young Eun at her new label while the rest of the gang stays at SONOS to carry on their work.  Chi Sook and Do Hoon finally make up and things seem to be going in the right direction for them.  Two years later, we find Soo Ho adjusting to life as a single parent.  For now, Min Kyung has decided to step in as a big sister for Ji Min when she needs it, but she and Soo Ho are not romantically involved.  Ji Min visits her mom’s grade and proudly shows off an award that she won.  Chi Hyung and Do Hoon are taking the next step and moving in together.  Jae Guk is back from Paris and goes to another fashion show in Busan, where he is hoping to run into Young Eun.  As he walks through the city, watching for any sign of her, the crowd splits and she is standing in front of him.  The two stand smiling at each other and that is it.  The end, or maybe the beginning?

Cha Young Min is a  talented but arrogant surgeon who is involved in a serious car accident that leaves him a “coma ghost”.  Now, he is stuck inside the hospital walls where the only ones who can actually see him are other ghosts and Ko Seung Tak, a book-smart resident with questionable surgical skills, who also happens to be the hospital chairman’s grandson.  But Young Min’s  ability to “possess” and use Seung Tak’s body may give him a chance to complete some of the unfinished business he left behind before it’s too late, while helping Seung Tak gain the respect of his grandfather and colleagues.  With Young Min’s skills and Seung Tak’s body, the pair will try to become a medical dream team.

Kim Bum as Ko Seung Tak 

Ko Seung Tak is a new resident, who is better known at the hospital as the grandson of the chairman.  While he is great at textbook medicine, he lacks the ability to carry out even the most basic medical practices.  He is the only person who can see Young Min after he becomes a ghost.  He agrees to let Young Min use his body to perform some important surgeries.  But when it comes to the surgery that could save Young Min’s life, he will have to improve his skills and overcome his fears.  

Ko Seung Tak almost drown in the accident that killed his father when he was just a young boy.  Since that time, he has been able to see ghosts.  His fear of operating on patients stems from the fact that he can see their ghosts begging him to save them.  His bright, easy-going personality is his way of hiding his fears.  It was so fun to see Kim Bum as the clumsy, ackward resident.  He was charming and sweet and I loved his interactions with Young Min.

Son Na Eun as Oh Soo Jung

Oh Soo Jung is a classmate of Seung Tak.  Her grandfather was a famous surgeon who worked at their hospital before his death.  But his life motivated her to pursue medicine, and little does she know her grandfather is still there watching over her as a ghost.  Oh Soo Jung and Seung Tak both have feelings for each other, but they are both too shy to confess them.  

Tess

I didn’t really understand how Tess was able to stay in the hospital if he had already died.  While coma ghosts are tethered to the hospital, they disappear once their bodies either die or wake up.  But Tess had died years ago, so how was he still hanging around?  And what gave him the power to decide it was time to finally move on in the end?  I loved his character and adore Sung Dong Il as an actor but his character didn’t seem to fit into the parameters the show set up for this ghostly world.   

Young Min/Seung Tak Connection

Another point that confused me was why Seung Tak could see Young Min and why Young Min was the only ghost who could enter Seung Tak’s body.  It’s true that Young Min was used by a ghost back in his resident days.  And it’s also true that Seung Tak was saved by Tess, while he was a ghost.  But how do those two things connect the two of them?  Neither of them was directly involved in the other’s experience.  By that logic, Young Min could have used Dr. Ban Tae Sik, or any other surgeon Tess has been in.  Or, like Tess, are we just supposed to turn a blind eye to logic because these two are meant to defy all rules?

“Ghost Doctor” has a happy, satisfying ending that wraps things up nicely.  First let’s talk about our ghost trio.  Both Bo Mi and Hoon Kil got the surguries they needed and woke up.  While neither actually remembers the other, they both feel an unexplanable connection that tells us their fate is still tied together.  Unfortunately, Kook Chan can’t be cured.  Rather than be left alone without his companions, he asks Young Min to transfer him to a hospital closer to his home.  Young Min manages to complete most of his own surgery before being bounced out.  Luckily, all of Seung Tak’s hard work pays off and he is able to finish it up with no problem.  It takes Young Min a few days to wake up, and at first he pretends not to remember anything.  He gets a bit of revenge on Se Jin but it backfires when she puts a couple ring on his finger and then takes off to the the U.S.   Tess has decides that now that Young Min and Seung Tak are there to take care of the hospital, it’s finally time for him to pass the torch.  He gets a chance to say goodbye to his daughter and Soo Jung before a teary-eyed Seung Tak sees him off with a deep bow.  Later, as Young Min rants to Mandu about his frustrations with Se Jin, she breezes in with a suitcase and casually starts making plans to refurnish the place.  The final scene shows Young Min and Seung Tak working together at the hospital and it’s obvious that their teamwork will continue for many years.  What’s important is that Young Min has taken his experience as a ghost to heart and has a renewed passion for the people and patients around him.  

A 600 year old immortal mythical creature known as a bugalsal, seeks revenge on the woman who betrayed him.  Cursed with eternal life, he can’t die or be killed.  He hopes that by getting revenge on her, he will finally be able to die and end his years of pain and anger.  But when he finally finds her, she has no memory of him or what she did in that long-ago past life.  And when a common enemy goes after them and the people they love, they are forced to put their differences aside and work together in the hopes of saving all of them from a brutal death.

Kwon Na Ra as Min Sang Un/ Kim Hwa Yeon 

Since she was young, Min Sang Un has lived her life on the run, hiding in secret.  Her mother and twin sister were killed by a terrible monster known as the bulgasal.  Left to raise her younger sister, she works hard, avoiding the monster at all costs.  But one day, she is saved by a handsome stranger who is the bulgasal she has spent her life running away from.  Although she knows she should be afraid, she is mysteriously drawn to him.  He intends to turn her back into the bulgasal she once was to end his own curse.  As they try to piece together the full story of what really happened between them, they gather support from others around them, who also played a role in what happened 1000 years ago.  And unfortunately, Hwal isn’t the only bulgasal out to take revenge on her and her loved ones. 

Despite never being a mother herself, Min Sang Un is maternal and protective of those she cares about.  She is very honest about her thoughts and feelings, which makes her a relateable character.  Kwon Na Ra has a tendency to overuse her “deer in the headlights” expression, but she has definitely grown as an actress.  I don’t know that I loved her in this role.  At times her easy going attitude made the character feel a bit flat.  But I loved her straight forward approach to every situation and how she never backed down from a difficult time.

Gong Seung Yeon as Min Shi Ho/Dan Sol

Dan Sol was Hwal’s wife 600 years ago.  In this life, she is the younger sister of Sang Un.  She finds out at the beginning of the drama that she is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend’s baby.  Now everyone will rally around her to protect both her and the unborn child.

Blood and Gore

I’m not exactly a squemish person, but there were definitely parts of this drama that made me squirm.  I can handle a bit of blood and gore, but it was the gulping and swallowing sounds while the bulgasals were drinking human blood that really pushed me over the edge.    I wouldn’t say it was overdone, but it does bear mentioning, as it was a bit intense.  

Blood Supply

So speaking of blood.  What happened to the cannisters of blood that were the only thing in Hwal’s refrigerator.  Once the house was refined and full of human food, where did they go?  It just doesn’t seem like the kind of thing they would keep next to the milk and butter.  And there wasn’t much mention of him eating after the initial scene where she bought it to him. Sang Un does bring it to him once when he’s hurt, but after that he just sits and watches the humans eat. It may not be important to the plot, but I’m still curious.  Also, after Lee Hye Suk is killed, how was he planning on getting more?

“Bulgasal ends by finally telling the whole story of what happened 1000 years ago and how Hwal and Eul Tae both ended up as bulgasal.  Back in the present, Hwal, Sang Un, and Detective Kwon show up at the well with a plan to poison Eul Tae and lock him in forever.  But things go awry when Eul Tae throws Hwal in, fatally wounds Detective Kwon, and chases Sang Un through the woods, where he finally catches her and injures her as well.  In a final act, Detective Kwon sends his own blood down the well for Hwal, fulfilling the Shaman’s prophecy.  Hwal regains enough strength to attack Eul Tae and protect Sang Un before stabbing himself to insure that both he and Eul Tae die.  The injured Sang Un goes to get Shi Ho and Do Yoon so they will know where the bodies are before she dies herself.  Shi Ho and Do Yoon are left as the last survivors.  We see them together through the years before a 50 year time jump.  Somehow Hwal and Sang Un have been reincarnated as humans.  Sang Un gets a mysterious letter with a picture of their old house.  Out of curiousity, she goes there and runs into Hwal and both feel a strange connection.  Fate has stepped in to finally give this couple their happy ending.

Wi Ha Joon as K

K is a mysterious stranger who suddenly begins showing up whenever Soo Yeol is in a bad situation.  He continues to push Soo Yeol to do the right thing, even when it means putting his own life in danger.  Even though K is aware that he is really just an alter-ego of Soo Yeol, he leaves Soo Yeol to discover that on his own. Once Soo Yeol becomes aware of who K really is, he and K agree to work together to expose the corruption that has been going on for years between the police department and city officials. But as Soo Yeol gets more in touch with this side of himself and begins to get his memory back, what will happen to K?

K is crazy and loveable.  He does everything with full enthusiasm and sees himself as a superhero.  His job is to step in and protect Soo Yeol whenever he is needed.  This character represents the good that is in Soo Yeol.  Wi Ha Joon was incredible in this role.  I found myself laughing almost every time he was onscreen.  He was funny and yet so sincere.  The interactions between he and Lee Dong Wook were the best part of this drama, and Wi Ha Joon played it perfectly.

Cha Hak Yeon as Oh Kyung Tae

Oh Kyung Tae is a rookie police officer whose determination to help a little girl find her missing mother leads to our villains eventually getting caught.  He is honest and hard working.  He is transferred into the Anti-Corruption Unit to work with Soo Yeol and Jae Seon.  He adopts Jae Seon as his mentor and the two have a very cute relationship.  Some even refer to Kyung Tae jokingly as Jae Seon’s “wife”!

Parade of Villains

This drama took a weird approach with their villains.  As each one toppled, they revealed the next one, like a Matryoshka doll, until they finally got to the final villain, Boss Yong.  Unfortunately, these villains got kind of jumbled together so it was hard to remember who was who and what their connection to the others was.  Also, Boss Yong was such a unique and mysterious character that she could have been a leading role.  I would have liked to see more of a focus on her and her operation.  The other villains and their stories hardly seem relevant in contrast to her strong screen presence.   

Yoon Ho’s Profession

So how did the poor, orphan Yoon Ho suddenly become the esteemed Dr. Shin Joo Hyuk?  Even if he had stolen someone’s identity, he had to learn enough to treat patients and earn a reputation that made the police department trust and recommend him.  That feels like an awfully big jump to me.  It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you can just make happen.  

“Bad and Crazy” ends with the same energy and chaos it began with.  Soo Yeol escapes the mental hospital, with help from K, of course.  He ends up confronting Joo Hyuk and having to pull Jung Hoon out of a burning house.  Soo Yeol wakes up in the hospital, surrounded by his friends who assure him that Jung Hoon is fine and Joo Hyuk, now Yoon Ho again, has been arrested.  Later Soo Yeol walks away from his chance to be reinstated because he refuses to deny that K existed.  We see him working with his brother at the pizza restaurant.  But after a visit from Hee Gyeom, he decides to go back to work and hints that he would like her to stay in his unit.  It seems like the couple are on the road to reconciliation, as if we had any doubts.  Yoon Ho’s lawyer offers to claim mental trauma in the hopes of getting a lighter sentence, but Yoon Ho refuses.  Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like he is able to stand trial, since Yong follows him into the bathroom at the court house and strangles him as revenge for what he did to Andrei.  One year later we see Soo Yeol back at the club where the politicians hang out and do business.  It looks like Soo Yeol is accepting a bribe until he suddenly grabs his phone to snap a picture and his team comes rushing in to back him up.  He is no longer willing to turn a blind eye to corruption.   The final scene mimics the beginning, with Soo Yeol rushing to the corrupt commissioner to call him out.  With a shout, he flies down the stair and launches into a flying kick, straight to the commissioners face.

Rowoon as Jung Ji Woon

Jung Ji Woon’s world collapsed around him the day he watched his father murder an innocent palace maid.  Crushed to discover the father he idolized was cruel and heartless, he left the country to study abroad.  Now that he has returned, he is a perfect candidate to become a royal tutor.  While working in the palace, he tries to find the young maid who stole his heart years ago, when he was a boy.  Little does he know that the stubborn Prince he is teaching is actually his first love.  

Jung Ji Woon is sensitive and intelligent.  As a tutor, he is devoted to learning and determined to teach the young prince how to understand the hearts of his people.  He is a skilled and kind doctor, who is determined to make up for the wrong-doings of his father.  Rowoon is charming and it was fun seeing him as a gentle, soft-spoken hero.  While this role didn’t seem overly challenging for him as an actor, it did give him a chance to show how comfortable he has become in the drama world, and I look forward to continuing to watch him grow.

Bae Yoon Kyung as Shin So Eun

Shin So Eun is the daughter of the Minister of Personnel.  She meets Ji Woon while he is working as a doctor in the countryside and falls in love with him.  Her feelings for Ji Woon create a problem when her father wants her to be chosen as a wife to the Crown Prince. So Eun is very honest about her feelings, even though Ji Woon continues to tell her he loves someone else.

Queen’s Behavior

So, in all the sageuks that I have watched, there always seems to be strict rules about how royalty should act.  I just can’t imagine everyone would let the Queen run around acting silly and clueless without being reprimanded.  Ha Kyung constantly made me cringe with her childish behavior.  Sure, I felt bad that she was destined to be hurt by the whole situation.  But I still would have liked to see her learn to practice some decorum, as is fitting her role.  

“Secret” Door

Okay.  Bear with me on this one.  Maybe I’m being overly picky, but they expect me to believe that this secret door, that Ji Woon discovered within 5 minutes of his first visit to the palace, is never discovered by anyone else.  I know that the legend of it being haunted initially kept people away.  But with Dam Yi and Ji Woon coming and going so often, while they are being watched and followed by Prince Wonsan and his lackeys, this seems like a bit of a stretch.  Especially with Ji Woon hauling wagons full of flowers in.  

“The King’s Affection” comes down to the inevitable battle between Dam Yi and Lord Sangheon, with the backing of Prince Wonsan and their army.  Prince Wonsan, Inspector Jung, and Prince Jehyeon all die during the scuffle.  Dam Yi and Lord Sangheon meet for a final conversation.  Lord Sangheon plans to make her drink poison when they have finished talking, but Dam Yi is a step ahead.  She offers him a final cup of tea and he accepts, not knowing it has already been poisoned.  They both drink it and appear to be dying when Ji Woon finds them.  Later Dam Yi wakes from a bad dream to find Ji Woon at her side.  While she has been recovering, Hyun, as the only remaining heir, has become King.  He announces Dam Yi’s “punishment” for her years of impersonating her brother is to be erased from the royal records and sent to live with a new identity.  A flash forward has Ga On, now Commander Kang, living with Jil Geum and Young Ji, who are still running the clinic.  Ga On stops to flirt with Young Ji, which is very cute. Ha Kyung was sent out of the palace after Dam Yi finally told her the truth. She and So Eun are shopping together and Ha Kyung stops at a shop to look at something that would look good on the “King”, so she hasn’t totally moved on yet.  The drama ends with a final scene of Dam Yi and Ji Woon walking together on the beach.  They look happy and finally at peace.  And it ends with a happy reunion between the sweet couple and all their palace friends who stop in for a visit.

Jung Woo as Noh Hwi Oh

Noh Hwi Oh finds himself on the wrong side of a criminal investigation that results in him being framed for excessive force and suspended from his job.  While attending anger managament counseling, he meets his next door neighbor, who sees the same therapist.  While he works to try to clear his name and get reinstated as a detective, he tries to help his new friend find health and healing.  And maybe her over-active imagination can actually lead him to find some of the answers he is looking for.  

Noh Hwi Oh was pushed to the edge by a fiance who left him in his greatest time of need.  But his real crime was trying to hold corrupt officers responsible for their actions.  And it is this extreme sense of justice that make him a great detective and a perfect protecter for Min Kyung.  I love Jung Woo’s slightly dishevelled charm.  I found him very genuine in this role that really plays to his strenths as an actor.  And it was fun to watch the ladies of his building fawn over his boyish good looks.

Ahn Woo Yeon as Sang Yeop/Samantha

Sang Yeop lives in the same apartment building as Min Kyung and Hwi Oh.  He likes to go out at night dressed in women’s clothing as Samantha. Sang Yeop is also a computer genius, who helps Hwi Oh with his investigation, while Samantha helps him disguise himself as a woman to go undercover.  

Seon Ho’s Mom

The only thing worse than a guy who abuses people in the name of love is a mother who defends her son for doing it.  There is absolutely nothing likeable about this character.  The fact that even the nosy neighbors, who are easily manipulated, found out how two-faced she was, proves that she has no redeeming qualities.  A little more humility on her part probably would have saved her a heap of humiliation in the end.

Soo Hyun’s Story

I love Lee Soo Hyun as a performer and I was excited to see her in this drama.  But I felt like her character was too random and disjointed.  She worked doing multiple jobs so she could become a police officer and then one youtube video has her throwing all that away to become a singer.  There was some explanation when she said she never got any of the study problems right anyway, but still.  If she had enough motivation to work as hard as she did, it seems like she would have given a little more thought before completely changing direction.  

The end of “Mad For Each Other” offers some exciting action scenes before bringing us in for a happy ending, but there are some bumps along the way.  After being drugged and kidnapped by that psycho Seon Ho, Min Kyung and Hwi Oh both end up in the hospital, where they have a sweet reunion.  But when Hwi Oh is finally released, he finds out that Min Kyung has moved out of the building.  He chases after the moving van and tells her that he loves her.  At first, Min Kyung plans to leave anyway. but she gets worried when it looks like he is beating up some random stranger, who turns out to be one of the guys from Min Kyung’s wanted poster collection.  Min Kyung and Hwi Oh kiss, while still holding the criminal by the collar, and it looks like all is finally well.  But not so fast.  A time jump shows someone else living in Min Kyung’s apartment.  A voice over from Hwi Oh catches us up with everyone else.  Soo Hyun and Samantha are busy building their youtube channel and seem happy spending their time together.  And the Women’s association finally succeeded in renaming the apartment building the Mapo Noblesse Central River.  Hwi Oh is back to work and seems to be doing well.  He and Min Kyung’s dog are sitting around missing her when they suddenly hear her whistle.  Hwi Oh runs out and finds Min Kyung looking rested and happy.  They stand smiling at each other as the “Happy Ending” song plays in the back ground.  I guess that says it all!  

Lee Jun Young as Yoon Tae In

As the lead singer of the famous pop group Luna, Yoon Tae In lives under constant pressure.  Because of this stress, he has started sleepwalking.  He is totally against the idea of having a live-in doctor, but his agency insists.  But to his surprise, the treatments begin to work.  And even more surpising, he begins to develop feelings for “Dr. Kang”.  Eager to keep her with him, he begins to embrace their sessions together.  But the more he tries to draw her closer, the farther away the doctor becomes.

Yoon Tae In carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, between his troubled relationship with his father and his need to make sure that Luna succeeds.  All of this has made him cold and withdrawn.  He doesn’t have anyone he can lean on, until he meets Dr. Kang.  She becomes a much-needed life-line that he never wants to live without.  Lee Jun Young continues to grow as an actor, but his last two roles have been very similar.  I worry that he will get type casted as a cold, unfeeling idol.  I hope he can break out into some more challenging and mature roles as time goes on.

JR as Lee Shin

Lee Shin plays the bass for Luna.  He has been secretly dating a divorced actress, who he met while appearing on her radio program.  But when word gets out, he is forced to make some difficult choices.  He is young and naive enough to think that he can still have it all, but his fans and band mates are not as thrilled with the idea.  

Posing as a Doctor

I don’t seem to be alone in feeling some general discomfort with the whole premise of this drama.  For Yoon Joo to pretend to be a doctor is not just a small white lie or harmless case of mistaken identity.  This is playing around with someone’s health and welfare.  And the fact that she succeeded in “curing” him seems to belittle the seriousness of the problem.  

Band Interaction

Although we hear them talk about a time when the band members were close and spent time together, this drama really starts with them so distant that it’s hard to imagine them as friends.  A slower drifting apart might have made this element more believable and interesting.  If they hadn’t said anything, I would have assumed they had never really gotten along that well.  And when Dr. Kang asks how they get along, the managers seem to gloss over it as if there was some secret there.  That only added to my general impression that their relationships had always been rocky.  

“Let Me Be Your Knight” ends on a happy, upbeat note.  After Yoon Joo saves Tae In from the crazy PR stalker lady, he realizes her feelings for him were sincere and forgives her for lying.  But then Yoon Joo breaks it to him that she is going to go back to America with her sister for awhile, and figure out what she wants to do with her life.  While she doesn’t make any promises, Tae In says he will wait for her.  And he uses that time to put his energy into the band.  Luna works together to make a new album with input from everybody.  They go back to their roots and play smaller more intimate concerts that help them remember why they became musicians in the first place.  They also each take time to pursue their own personal goals.  Dong Joo opens his own music studio, Ga On goes to college, Shin creates his own radio show, and Ji Sung takes an acting role.  The final scene shows Yoon Joo back in Korea, when she gets a call that her family home is under new ownership and looking for a renter.  She rushes there and finds Tae In with the keys.  And I’m pretty sure they will live happily ever after!

Kim Da Mi as Gook Yeon Soo

Gook Yeon Soo was the driven top student in high school.  Now she works as a publicist for a small company.  She isn’t at all interested in spending time with Woong again or filming another documentary.  But when Woong offers to participate in her next big event if she does the film, she is left with no choice but to give in.  In the beginning, she hopes to get the sequel done quickly without letting Woong know she still has feelings for him.  The more time she spends with him, the harder it is for her to hide the truth. And when he suggests they just try to be friends, she knows she wants more.  If she can be honest and put aside her pride, she is sure she will be able to win him back.

Gook Yeon Soo grew up poor and alone, with only her grandmother to support her.  She learned early that pride was her best defense.  When she found out that her grandmother was sick, she broke up with Woong because she was too proud to tell him about her troubles or lean on him for help.  But Woong was the only one who ever understood that under that cold, confident exterior was a vulnerable girl who just wanted to be loved and accepted.  Kim Da Mi captured Yeon Soo’s brash confidence while giving us glimpses into the gentle sensitivity that hid behind her eyes.  I enjoyed her in this role and felt like she was able to show good character development.

Roh Jeong Eui as NJ

NJ is a famous idol who meets Woong when  she becomes interested in his art work.  She develops a crush on him and makes excuses to see him whenever she gets a chance.  She and Ji Woong bond over their unrequited loves and become friends.  NJ is candidly self-aware which makes her character endearing and relateable. 

Ji Woong’s Story

Ji Woong had a couple great storylines.  It almost seems like a waste that so much time was spent on the anti-climatic love triangle that never really has much impact on the story as a whole.  He and Woong have a week or so of awkward discomfort and then everything goes back to how it was.  I would have much rather seen more exploration of his relationships with his mother and Woong’s parents.  There was more that could have been done with those plots to make Ji Woong more of a central character than he was.  

More Noo Ah

The story of Woong’s rival artist, Noo Ah felt rushed and a bit incomplete.  I think his confession at the end that he actually did steal Woong’s work would have had more impact if we had seen more about the evolution of their relationship.  Were they ever friends?  Did Noo Ah really have cause for his jealousy or was he just being overly sensitive?  Kwak Dong Yeon is such a great actor.  It seems like they should have given him a few more scenes to tell the full story.

Well, we get our happy ending with this one, and a couple tentative hopeful ones.  Eun Ho is working at the cafe with Sol Yi while Woong is studying in Paris.  Sol Yi has completely fallen for Eun Ho but she can’t tell for sure if he is just pretending not to notice or if he isn’t interested.  But their last scene together, Eun Ho takes the straightforward approach and asks her on a date.  Love is definitely in the air for these two.  Chae Ran finally tells Ji Woong that she likes him.  He seems surprised at first and then a bit embarrassed, but there is also a glint of interest that hints at a future for them as well.  As for our leads, the writers play with us a little bit with the whole Paris story.  But in the end, Woong goes away, which he needs to do for his own growth, and Yeon Soo stays home to be with her grandmother and wait for Woong to finish.  They show some quick ups and downs of distance relationships before Woong surprises Yeon Soo and shows up to tell her in person that he loves her.  The final scene shows them sitting on the couch, filming the end of their documentary, and with big smiles, they share the news that they are married.  This ending is a perfect warm and comfortable wrap up that fits the tone of the drama well and ties everything up neatly.

Kim So Yeon as Cheon Seo Jin

Cheon Seo Jin has always gotten everything she wanted, even when she had to steal them.  But the husband that she stole from Oh Yoon Hee in college never loved her as much as she wanted.  So she sets her sites on the ruthless businessman, Joo Dan Tae.  From that moment on, her life begins to get caught in a constant spiral as she desperately tries to hold on to the things that she has sold her soul to possess.  But unfortunately for her, no crime goes unpunished and no secret stays hidden.  

In the end, although her rivalry with Oh Yoon Hee spans decades, it is Seo Jin’s jealousy of Soo Ryun that really pushes her to her limits.  Her desire to be the “Queen of Hera’s Palace” is strong enough to overwhelm any common sense.  And as she spins out of control, things continue to get worse.  In the end, her greed hurts everyone who has ever been a part of her life.  Kim So Yeon is so deliciously evil in this drama, I almost hate to hate her.  She did a wonderful job of pushing this character to the absolute extremes without ever appearing ridiculous or out of control as a actress.  I could never wait to see what Seo Jin would do next!  She is a truly memorable character.

Uhm Ki Joon as Joo Dan Tae

Joo Dan Tae is the greedy, ruthless CEO of J King Holdings.  After being raised poor and losing his family at a young age, he vowed to become rich and build  a stunning home on the ground where his mother and sister were killed.  Unfortunately, he doesn’t mind taking out anyone who tries to stand in his way, even if it means destroying them or even killing them.  He and Seo Jin partner together to become a powerful and fearsome couple who will succeed at all costs.  

Alex

So, when Season Three came out, I heard all the chatter about a character that everyone was upset about.  But I was still surprised and baffled when I saw the character of Alex for the first time.  This portrayal was crass and so disrespectful.  At first I assumed it was just another one of Logan’s ridiculous disguises, which would have made it a little better.  But sadly, that was not the case.  There was no reason to make this character so offensive and I had a difficult time taking any scene he was in seriously.  

Prison

At the end of Season Two, we see pretty much all the adults besides Soo Ryun go to prison, which was fitting since they all collaborated in Seol Ah’s death.  But if they were just going to have all of them get out at the beginning of Season Three, it almost doesn’t seem worth it.  And of course, realistically, what are the odds that they all find different ways that get them out early?  Pretty ludicrous, really. They should have at least left some of them in there for awhile to make the story worthwhile.  

Well, in the end, revenge does not pay, even for those whose fight may have seemed justifiable.  I will admit that I waited right up until the final seconds, thinking that Yoon Hee had to still be alive somehow.  But that was not the case.  Because actually, almost all the adults are dead.  The only adult to come out ahead is Ma Ri, who has a successful business and is moving to a newer, better luxury apartment, while she waits for her husband to get out of prison again.  Lee Gyu Jin managed to weasel his way out alive but he is  on his way back to prison and Song Ah wants nothing to do with him.  Dan Tae dies in the rubble of Hera’s palace, just as he wished.  Yoon Chul falls over the balcony while fighting with Seo Jin and dies on the spot.  Seo Jin gets a temporary release from prison, which she uses to catch a glimpse of Eun Byul before killing herself with pills.  Soo Ryun purposefully throws herself off the cliff while making it look like Seo Jin pushed her, which is Soo Ryun’s final act of revenge.  And Logan lets himself die from cancer because he missed Soo Ryun too much.  As for the younger generation, Eun Byul is teaching choir at a local church.  She seems to be happy leading a quiet, simple life.  Seok Kyung is also living a normal life, working part time jobs and gaining her independance.  Seok Hoon is making a living as a professional pianst in Vienna.  Ro Na has become a famous singer who lives in Italy. She and Seok Hoon are dating long distance for now while they each establish their careers.  And Je Ni is planning to come and study in Italy with Ro Na.  Min Hyuk is home from the military and joins his mom, Je Ni, and Ma Ri for Ro Na’s concert.  The final scene shows Soo Ryun picking up Logan in a convertible as the two ride off together into the sunset (or Heaven if you prefer).  And that finally brings this whole thing to a dramatic close.