Kdrama and Ramen

A young woman with the supernatural ability to hear whether someone is telling the truth earns her living as the "liar hunter".  But her gift is also a curse, because it has taught her to always be distrustful of others.  And when she meets a mysterious new neighbor, she is shocked to find that he always tells the truth, even when it isn't easy.  So she is shocked to find out that, despite his inability to lie, he has been living his life in hiding after being accused of a terrible crime.  Now she is determined to help him find out the truth of what really happened that night so she can clear his name and help him go back to living a normal life.  

Hwang Min Hyun as Kim Do Ha

Kim Do Ha was accused of killing his girlfriend when he was a college student.  But his mother, who was a well-connected politician, paid off the police to dismiss the case.  Although he was declared as innocent, he has spend the last years in hiding, always wearing a mask wherever he goes.  He is a successful composer, who writes music in the privacy of his own home, and then hands it off to his best friend, Jo Deuk Chan, who owns a pop music label.  But when a rumor about him and a young pop star goes viral, Do Ha is forced to hide out in an extra apartment owned by Deuk Chan.  And when he keeps running into his beautiful new neighbor, he finds himself actually interested in life outside of his own 4 walls, and the possibility of finding love again. 

Kim Do Ha has never had a great relationship with his mother, and after a toxic relationship with his high school girlfriend, he has become cold and withdrawn.  The only person he trusts is his old friend Deuk Chan.  But when he meets Sol Hee, his frosty exterior starts to melt away.  Her straightforward attitude and unwavering support, even when he believes he is responsible for Eum Ji's death, win his trust and eventually his love.  Hwang Min Hyun has gained quite a following since starring in "Alchemy of Souls" and I expect we will continue to see him in upcoming dramas.  He is ackwardly charming and reflects a sweet disposition that makes him good for these quiet, misunderstood kinds of characters.

Yun Ji On as Jo Deuk Chan

Jo Deuk Chan is Do Ha's best friend from high school.  After Do Ha was arrested and cleared, the pair started a music label that would allow Deuk Chan to run everything from the top while Do Ha wrote award-winning music in secret, under a pseudonym.  But what Do Ha never imagined, is that there is another reason Deuk Chan has stayed by his side all these years.  He has had romantic feelings for his friend since high school, but he has never had the courage to admit it to anyone.  And those feelings led to a fatal accident he has kept hidden.  

 ♥ Exposing the Gray

I love the way this drama played with the idea that truth and lies are not as simple to discern as we may think, even if we were a human lie detector.  The fact is that the truth is often a murky shade of gray and not all liars are motivated by some kind of evil disregard for the truth.  There are white lies, that we tell to save someone's feelings or pride and there are lies that we tell because we have convinced ourselves that they are true.  Sometimes knowing the truth causes us to miss the motivations of certain lies.  Right or wrong, this is a great reminder that lies come in all shapes and sizes.

♥ Jang Jung Gyu

I really enjoyed the relationship between Do Ha and the local jazz club owner and musician, Jang Jung Gyu.  Jung Su is  proof that Deuk Chan is not the only one Do Ha has, even if he doesn't exactly know it.  Somehow, it was comforting to know that Do Ha could count on his mentor to always be there.  Jung Gyu's quiet guidance, gentle teasing, and sincere concern is heartwarming to watch.  I would have enjoyed many more scenes between these two. 

Terrible Mothers

I could not stand either of these mothers.  Sol Hee's mom was whiny and self-centered.  She never seemed to care about how Sol Hee felt about her gift, or the fact that her mom's lies had put her in an impossible situation.  Meanwhile, Do Ha's mom automatically assumes her own son is guilty, no matter how many times he swore he was innocent.  I was fine with Do Ha's mom ending up in jail where she belonged, but I think Sol Hee's mom got off way too easy.  She didn't deserve either Sol Hee or her sweet, handsome husband.  

Side Story Development

As I have mentioned, I felt like this drama had way too many secondary characters with unsatisfying stories and development.  There was a lot of potential there.  Whether they had focused on the music industry element, the neighborhood shop owners, the tarot card shop, or the parents, there was way too much material and far too little follow-through.  Personally, I would have loved to have seen Syaon and Chi Hoon get featured as more of a second lead couple.  And how about some present story for our handsome ex, Kang Min?

"My Lovely Liar" gives us several happy endings.  But first we have the two jailbirds, Deuk Chan and Do Ha's mom.  They have both apologized to Do Ha for what they did to him and he has forgiven them both.  In the neighborhood, Cho Rok and O Baek finally get back together.  And Boro goes on a reality dating show.  Chi Hoon leaves the Tarot Shop to become Syaon's bodyguard, and love is in the air for the sweet couple.  Do Ha has a new artist to support in Ethan, and he is working with the brothers to put out more great hits.  While Sol Hee does lose her gift briefly, she gets it back.  But even still, she decides that she is no longer interested in living her life focuses on other people and their lies.  The couple get engaged and take a familiar bus trip back to where it all began.