A young woman gets her dream job working for King Hotels.  Her cheerful disposition and her passion for the job and the guests they serve gains her recognition as the hotel’s top employee for 2 years running.  But when she meets the handsome new General Manager, who also happens to be the son of the Chairman of King Group, she immediately ends up on his bad side.  His prickly attitude and general distrust make it hard to get close to him.  But as he spends time working with her and gets to know her better, he begins to grow both personally and professionally.

Im Yoon Ah as Cheon Sa Rang

Cheon Sa Rang has worked hard to gain respect and praise at her job working at King Hotel.  As the top employee, she has risen up the ranks.  And recently, she became an elite server in the hotel’s VIP lounge, which is a huge honor.  But when she accidentally gets on the bad side of her new boss, the grumpy General Manager Gu, she fears that her job may actually be on the line.  And when their roles as GM and top employee continually throw them into situations where they are forced to work together, she becomes determined to show him her best professional skills.  And as she gets to know him, she finds that his rough exterior is really just a defense against his own insecurities and past traumas.  

Cheon Sa Rang is optimistic and bright.  Her dream to work in a hotel started when she visited one with her parents, before they passed away.  That sentimental memory frames her feelings about her job and her ability to apreciate it, even on the most challenging of days.  And most often, her attitude wins the hearts of her guests.  Im Yoon Ah has continued to grow as an actress and I enjoyed her in this role.  This kind of heartfelt, sincere character fits her perfectly.  And while the plot of this drama wasn’t particularly deep, Sa Rang does show us some character growth that gave Im Yoon Ah a chance to shine.

Kim Ga Eun as Kang Da Eul

Kang Da Eul is Sa Rang’s other best friend.  She is married and has a young daughter.  She works for King Group in their duty-free gift shop.  As a wife and mother, she has her hands full between the stress and pressure of her job and the endless demands of her husband and his family.  But when she finds out that her husband has been lying to her about his own job, she is determined to put things back in their proper place.

 ♥ Skinship

Even before going into this drama, everyone knew that these leads had chemistry steaming off the screen.  And the drama did an excellent job of using that chemistry to give us lots of sweet and steamy scenes.  A couple that was less natural together would have never pulled off these roles.  But Lee Jun Ho and Im Yoon Ah are perfect together, and their flawless interactions made this drama the success that it was.  

♥ Service Workers

I really appreciated the way this drama gave us insight into the life of a customer service worker and the abuses they are often subjected to by both customers and supervisors. It’s not that most of us are unaware of the huge lifestyle difference between the financially wealthy and the everyday worker, but it was nice that this show brought it to the forefront, instead of just idolizing the luxury and privilege of the wealthy.  

Mom Story

When Won first comes home to Korea it is hinted that his main reason for coming home is to find out the truth about his mom.  But for a thing that is supposed to be his driving force, the story is often lost amidst all of the other stuff.  And even when he does finally find her, it seems a bit anti-climatic.  It’s not that there is anything wrong with the scene where he finally meets her, but I would have expected a bit more follow up as to their relationship and his mom’s story.   

More Nephew

I really loved watching Won and Sa Rang with Ji Hu.  For Won, Ji Hu’s character gives the perfect opportunity for him to reflect on his own upbringing and heal through his positive relationship with his nephew.  Ji Hu also offers a kind of bridge between Won and Hwa Ran that may have been impossible any other way.  For these reasons, I wish they had spent a little more time telling his story and showing us more of his healing journey.  

“King the Land” gives us happy endings all around.  First, even though Hwa Ran is kind of the villain and she does get kicked out of the family business, Won encourages her to be good to Ji Hu and stop living a lonely life.  This causes Hwa Ran to go after Ji Hu and bring him home, and by the end they both seem happier.  Our loyal friends all get some closure.  First Sang Sik finally gets promoted, and while he fusses about wanting a higher position, he is thrilled with his new role.  Da Eul finally sends her worthless boss packing, so she and her co-workers can do their jobs with peace and integrity.  And Pyung Hwa finally tells off her perverted stalker and accepts Ro Woon’s feelings.  She and Ro Woon start dating and even go to visit his mother’s graveside together.  I definitely hear wedding bells in their future.  Sa Rang quits working at King Hotel and opens her own small, private inn.  Won finally gets his chance to propose, and the drama ends with their wedding.  Won is both relieved and surprised that his father shows up for the ceremony, and we see both of his parents side by side together.  The epilogue ends with one final kiss, as Won tells Sa Rang he doesn’t care if we are all watching.  Cute!