Welcome to Kdrama and Ramen!

When her father suddenly dies, Da Li inherits a struggling art museum and a mountain of debt.  One of her creditors is the uncultured and arrogant CEO of the food service conglomerate Dondon F&B.  While the CEO doesn’t know anything about art, he does know how to make money.  In order to guard his investment, he offers to step in and help turn the gallery into a lucrative “business”.

Kim Min Jae as Jin Moo Hak

Dondon F&B grew from a small market cafe into a major food service conglomerate.  As the CEO, Jin Moo Hak learned how to make and value money.  So when he finds out the art gallery owner he lent money to has passed away, he is determined to get the money back no matter what.  Seeing that the owner’s daughter is financially inexperienced, he volunteers to step in and help her get the gallery back on its feet to protect his investment.  But he may have more personal reasons for wanting to help her.  

Jin Moo Hak is bold and arrogant but he is also hard-working and sincere.  He has worked hard to get where he is in life and he never takes anything for granted.  It was so delightful to see Kim Min Jae in such a playful and fun role.  He brought plenty of life and depth to this silly character and I really enjoyed it.  He is charming and the light-hearted chemistry he has with Park Gyu Young is fresh and sweet.

Hwang Hee as Joo Won Tak

Joo Won Tak is a rough-around-the-edges detective.  After a troubled adolescence, Da Li’s father, Kim Nak Cheon, takes him under his wing and accepts him as part of their family.  Won Tak regrets that while Nak Cheon was alive, he never told him how grateful he was.  Won Tak has always had a crush on Da Li but he has never told her how he feels, and she has always treated him more like a brother than a potential love interest.  

♥ Music 

The OST for this drama is as quirky as the characters and story itself.  Its fun when the music is such a natural extension of the general mood and theme of the series and this one did it perfectly.  While the music never took your attention away from the scenes, it definitely did it’s part to promote the feelings being conveyed.  A more subtle soundtrack would have been overshadowed by the big personality of this show, but instead these songs provided the perfect compliment to it.  

♥ Costumes

I loved the charming touch that the clothing brought to this drama.  The stylists definitely deserve a shout out for creating such a fun and unique look and flavor.  Both Moo Hak and Da Li have a bold sense of style that reflects their characters well.  I always looked forward to seeing what crazy outfits would come next.

Tae Jin is Delusional

Seriously!  What is the matter with Tae Jin?  After breaking up with Da Li because he found out she was adopted, does he really believe she will ever come back to him like nothing ever happened?  And really, he isn’t trying that hard.  He just believes she won’t be able to help but fall at his feet because he has become a successful business man.  Did he ever really know her?  It doesn’t seem like the kind of thing Da Li has ever considered very important.  I just can’t believe his nerve!

Uncle Hong Chun

And Tae Jin isn’t the only guy who totally patronizes poor Da Li.  Her Uncle, Hong Chum is quite the piece of work.  After abandoning his own son, he shows up to shame Da Li just because she was adopted.  And then, when he finds a way to cling to Tae Jin’s bootstraps, he begs her to do the right thing for their family reputation.  Once you try to kick someone out of the family, you kind of lose your leverage to say “do it for the sake of us;  your family”.  

For the ending, “Dali and the Cocky Prince” really just focused on the lead couple.  Moo Hak is in the hospital recovering from being stabbed with Da Li at his side.  We do find out that the truth about Nak Cheon’s death comes out, and after a year’s time jump we get an update on our villains.  While An Sang Tae does serve time for his crime, Tae Jin is only asked to step down from his position as CEO.  Chak Hee has taken over Won Tak’s apartment on the roof and she and Won Tak seem to have some romantic sparks.  Now that the gallery had been cleared of illegal activities, the artists are coming back to participate in shows and it seems like the business, with Da Li at the helm, is gaining it’s footing.  This is the second drama I have seen recently where the writers lead us to believe the leads have spent or will spend a significant amount of time apart, only to later reveal it’s been more like weeks or days.  This new troupe making fun of a time honored old troupe is clever and kind of cute.  In this case, we see that when Moo Hak’s father tells Da Li to break up with Moo Hak, she tells him she can’t.  They have been together the whole time, except for a short business trip she took to the Netherlands.  In the end, they meet at the gallery where Moo Hak proposes and she accepts.  And they lived, we can presume, happily ever after.