A lonely civil servant gets transferred to a new department where she encounters a prickly but handsome lawyer. And when he presents her with an ancient locked chest, she finds herself in possession of magic spell books.  But little do they know that the spell books just may hold the key to curing a centuries old curse that has affected all the men in the lawyer’s family for generations.  As they investigate the origin of the magic chest and the books inside, they will learn that their fate started together long before their recent chance meeting.

Rowoon as Jang Shin Yu/Jang Mu Jin

Jang Shin Yu is a lawyer working for a big firm, catering to the rich and immoral.  But when he finds out that the generational curse that has plagued his family for centuries in the form of a mysterious, and incurable illness, has begun to manifest in his own body, he is determined to pursue life on his own terms.  He takes a less demanding job working for the local government.  But more than the new job, it is a chance encounter with Lee Hong Jo, a civil service worker, that gives him hope for his future.  When he is instructed to give her a magical chest found buried on his family property, he hopes that whatever is inside may hold the key to his family’s curse and his very life.  But neither he nor Hong Jo have any idea how to use the contents of the chest or any memory of the special fate that brought them together again.  

Jang Shin Yu is arrogant, rude, and anti-social.  He has spent his whole life focused on material success.  Even his long-term girlfriend is really just a box he checks, with no emotional connection at all.  But when he meets Hong Jo, he suddenly sees his life and his future in a new light.  It is no longer a hopeless chore with a tragic ending.  But their destiny is much more twisted than he can imagine and there is much they will have to overcome if they are going to stay together.  Rowoon has continued to grow and improve in his acting, and as he transitions from being an idol star to a full-time actor, I suspect we will see him get even better.  I loved his transition from the overly-serious lawyer to the lovesick suitor.  

Yura as Yoon Na Yeon

Yoon Na Yeon is Shin Yu’s girlfriend.  They have been dating for 2 years and Na Yeon is ready to get married.  But between Shin Yu’s illness and his growing feelings for Hong Jo, he refuses.  Na Yeon won’t take no for an answer and continues to pressure Shin Yu.  Na Yeon also has a history with Hong Jo.  The pair were close friends in school before Na Yeon accused Hong Jo of stealing her boyfriend.  Now the pair are once again wrapped up in a fight over a guy.  Na Yeon takes a job at City Hall to block Shin Yu and Hong Jo from spending time together, but her efforts do no good. 

 ♥ Lead Chemistry

Honestly, the romantic chemistry between Rowoon and Jo Bo Ah was the main thing that kept many fans coming back with this one.  While it is true that they kept us waiting for that first kiss, the romantic tension between them from their first encounter sizzles off the screen.  There is just enough charming push and pull to make us root for them.  And its not just romance.  Even their non-romantic interactions have a fun dynamic that makes their scenes together entertaining.  

 ♥ Lovesick Rowoon

One of my favorite parts of this drama was watching Shin Yu go from the cynical and self-centered jerk to the smitten, floppy haired suitor.  The scenes of him trying to convince Hong Jo that his feelings are sincere are all so cute.  His silly antics and countless confessions are so much sweeter after seeing what he was like in his former relationship.  Rowoon is hard to resist when he is channeling his cutsie side!

Shin Yu and Na Yeon

I had kind of an issue with how much of a jerk Shin Yu was in the beginning of the drama.  Not only was he incredibly rude, but he started pursing Hong Jo while he still technically had a girlfriend.  Sure, they  try to justify it by making Na Yeon the villain who was cheating on him, but Shin Yu didn’t know that when he started liking Hong Jo.  I felt like Shin Yu’s past with Na Yeon tarnished his current feelings for Hong Jo.  It would have been better if they had made the transition between the two of them more definitive.  

Too Much

With the many genre and plotlines in this drama, it often felt like there was too much going on and left plenty of the stories feeling unfinished.  I think we could have easily had the same drama minus the office bullying and Shin Yu’s parents’ divorce.  And I would like to have had more closure and explanation to the magic elements of the story.  For example, why did the love potion fail but somehow Shin Yu’s illness is still cured miraculously?  Also, is Shin Yu’s dad affected by the curse?  We hear very little about his health being a problem.  And if Eun Wol messed up the conception dream, is her information really as reliable as we thought?  

There are plenty of happy endings in “Destined With You”.  Mr. Na is arrested. Na Yeon is finally exposed for the mean things she has done to Hong Jo.  Jae Kyung exposes the fraud committed by the mayor.  He moves out of Hong Jo’s house, and he tells her that if Shin Yu refuses to marry her, she should contact him.  Then he tells her he is heading to a new job at the Blue House. Shin Yu’s parents have recommitted to their relationship.  And it turns out that Eun Wol’s conception dream was actually for them, since his mother is pregnant.  Seo Gu and Eun Young finally tie the knot.  Then we see Shin Yu and Hong Jo walking together on the beach.  They each confess their love and Shin Yu looks out to sea to ask Hong Jo’s dad for permission to marry her.  Then he takes rings out of his pocket and they both put them on.  Shin Yu and Hong Jo go back to the place where they found the chest and bury it again for safe keeping.  The final after-credits scene goes back to the past, where Shin Yu is seen digging up the magic chest.  As he walks away, he carries the “Spells of the Heavens” book with him.  Is there more to the story?  We may never know.  I guess that is up to our own imaginations, with no real talk of a sequel on the horizons.