Welcome to Kdrama and Ramen

Two women with the ability to see the future, have spent their  lives locked away to be used as a tool by a powerful hotel mogul and his family.  One day, Lee Seul Bi escapes their prison and runs away.  When she finds Go Myung Sung just outside her door, she is immediately drawn to him and clings to him for safety.  The two spend a day together before Seul Bi is captures and sent back home.  From that moment, Myung Sung is plagued with bad luck and is forced to create a new identity.  But Seul Bi has never forgotten him, and when she runs away again, 2 years after their first meeting, she goes looking for him.  And despite his hesitations, Myung Sung, who now goes by Gong Soo Kwang, doesn’t have the heart to turn her away.  Seul Bi’s greatest wish is to just live a normal life and Myung Sung agrees to help her.  But those who have relied on her powers to succeed in business won’t let go easily.  

Na In Woo as Go Myung Sung/ Gong Soo Kwang

Go Myung Sung just recieved a highly coveted position as an intern working for Geumhwa Hotel.  But while celebrating with his best friends, he runs into Seul Bi and helps her run away.  When they find Seul Bi and bring her back, Myung Sung is with her, and from that moment his life begins to fall apart.  He loses his internship, his mother is killed, and he barely escapes his own death with the help of a kind “stranger”.  He creates a new identity and tries to put his life back together while running the fish shop his mother had owned.  So 2 years later, when Seul Bi shows up again, Myung Sung is less than thrilled.  But no matter how much he tries, he can’t ignore his feelings for her or his desire to help her.  

Go Myung Sung is intelligent and hard working.  Even when he is treated like a harbinger of bad luck, he smiles and continues to treat those around him with kindness and generosity.  Myung Sung never realizes that Seul Bi’s mother is the woman who came to stay with his mother when he was just a young boy, even though that event sealed his destiny with Seul Bi.  Na In Woo played this character well enough, but unfortunately the role was rather flat, with nothing very unique or interesting about it.  I think more time interacting with Seul Bi might have given his character the depth he seemed to be missing.  

Yoon Ji Hye as Mi Soo

Mi Soo is Seul Bi’s mother.  She fell in love with Seon Sam Joong when she was young, but like Seul Bi, she has always wanted to live a normal life with the man she loves.  Even though she doesn’t think she will ever be able to have that, she hopes Seul Bi will find happiness with Myung Sung.  

 ♥ Jo Jang Kyung

I liked Jo Jang Kyung as the second female lead.  She was honest and straightforward about her feelings for Min Joon, but she never treated Seul Bi as competition.  And when her parents threaten to break off the engagement,  she leaves home.  Because for her it was never about a business arrangement.  She never sulks, and sets out to win Min Joon’s heart with positivity and sincerity.  

♥ Wang Yoon Ho

I always love a gangster with a heart of gold.  It was great how once Seul Bi helped Yoon Ho with his son, he was absolutely devoted to her.  He never wavered, even when his own life was at stake.  His bond with both Seul Bi and Myung Sung was sweet, and having him on their side really gave them the edge they needed.  And I was thankful that they didn’t try to use him for comic relief, which they like to do with gangster types.   

Secondary Characters

This drama was packed with so many characters, and yet I didn’t feel like any of them had a decent storyline of their own.  Even Min Joon, who is supposed to be part of the main cast had very little substance apart from pining for Seul Bi.  It felt like this drama tried to create too many characters with all the marketplace people, instead of focusing on a couple more detailed secondary stories.  I especially think they should have shown more of Min Joon and Jang Kyung’s story.  They had a nice chemistry, but we didn’t get to see their relationship develop at all.    

Curse Story

The whole curse story from this drama seemed randomly constructed and made up as they went along.  We never really hear how Seul Bi’s aunt managed to break her pendant and live an ordinary life.  How come Min Joon’s grandfather lived with the curse for years, but when his father took it from him, he ended up on his deathbed almost immediately?  Why did the curse skip Min Joon anyway?  And why did his cousin end up with it in the end?  It all felt slapped together with no cohesiveness.  

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“Jinxed at First” has one of the weirdest endings I have ever seen in a kdrama.  First we see Seul Bi’s mom take the curse from Sam Joong and die.  Sam Joong is left alone in the countryside somewhere.  From Mi Soo, the curse is passed to Dong Shik, who has joined his father in prison for trying to kill Seul Bi and Myung Sung.  Min Joon and Jang Kyung are doing well together and preparing a wedding date.  Seul Bi saves Myung Sung’s life, but then disappears.  Myung Sung and all Seul Bi’s friends spend their time searching for her.  They finally find her in some small town, but she has no memory of her previous life or any of her friends.  It takes some time, but Myung Sung finally convinces her that they knew each other and she should come home to try to regain her memories.  But Myung Sung realizes that Seul Bi has a lot of painful memories that may be best left forgotten.  So he suggests that they just marry now and start life over. And she agrees.  So they get married and have a baby, and their life seems full of joy.  5 years later, Seul Bi takes their son to the church Myung Sung likes to visit.  When Myung Sung arrives, their son tells him Seul Bi has been showing him the rocks that say “I love you”.  Myung  Sung looks at Seul Bi with a question in his eyes, and she smiles and nods her head gently.  It would seem that her memory has finally returned.  And with that, it appears that the couple will live happily ever after.  It’s a strange start to a marriage, and a weird way to end a love story, but all is well that ends well, I guess.