Welcome to Kdrama and Ramen

Choi Woong and Gook Yeon Soo appeared together in a documentary when they were in high school.  On-screen, the two argued and fought constantly, but off-screen they ended up falling in love and dating for 5 years. Eventually they go through a difficult break up that neither one of them ever got over.  Now, 10 years later, their series is regaining attention.  In the hopes of cashing in on their sudden renewed popularity, producers approach them about doing a follow-up show.  But being involved in each other’s lives again will stir up lingering feelings and misunderstandings.  They will have to decide whether their relationship is worth mending or if they should just walk away again.

Kim Da Mi as Gook Yeon Soo

Gook Yeon Soo was the driven top student in high school.  Now she works as a publicist for a small company.  She isn’t at all interested in spending time with Woong again or filming another documentary.  But when Woong offers to participate in her next big event if she does the film, she is left with no choice but to give in.  In the beginning, she hopes to get the sequel done quickly without letting Woong know she still has feelings for him.  The more time she spends with him, the harder it is for her to hide the truth. And when he suggests they just try to be friends, she knows she wants more.  If she can be honest and put aside her pride, she is sure she will be able to win him back.

Gook Yeon Soo grew up poor and alone, with only her grandmother to support her.  She learned early that pride was her best defense.  When she found out that her grandmother was sick, she broke up with Woong because she was too proud to tell him about her troubles or lean on him for help.  But Woong was the only one who ever understood that under that cold, confident exterior was a vulnerable girl who just wanted to be loved and accepted.  Kim Da Mi captured Yeon Soo’s brash confidence while giving us glimpses into the gentle sensitivity that hid behind her eyes.  I enjoyed her in this role and felt like she was able to show good character development.

Roh Jeong Eui as NJ

NJ is a famous idol who meets Woong when  she becomes interested in his art work.  She develops a crush on him and makes excuses to see him whenever she gets a chance.  She and Ji Woong bond over their unrequited loves and become friends.  NJ is candidly self-aware which makes her character endearing and relateable. 

♥ “Parents”

I love this subtle theme that parents are made through love not blood.  Both of the biological parents we see in this series, Ji Woong’s mom and Woong’s birth dad, walked away from their responsibility as parents and hurt their children terribly by their actions.  But on the other side of that, we have Woong’s “adopted” parents and Yeon Soo’s grandmother, who chose to be loving and supportive to the children given to them.  Woong and Yeon Soo both have such special relationships with their caretakers and I enjoyed watching their sweet interactions.  

 ♥ Time Shifts

Sometime time shifts can get messy and confusing, but I really felt like they worked well in this drama.  I enjoyed going back and seeing how everything started, and I never had to figure out which time we were in.  It was clear and the background gave the stories good foundation without feeling disjointed from the main plot.  

Ji Woong’s Story

Ji Woong had a couple great storylines.  It almost seems like a waste that so much time was spent on the anti-climatic love triangle that never really has much impact on the story as a whole.  He and Woong have a week or so of awkward discomfort and then everything goes back to how it was.  I would have much rather seen more exploration of his relationships with his mother and Woong’s parents.  There was more that could have been done with those plots to make Ji Woong more of a central character than he was.  

More Noo Ah

The story of Woong’s rival artist, Noo Ah felt rushed and a bit incomplete.  I think his confession at the end that he actually did steal Woong’s work would have had more impact if we had seen more about the evolution of their relationship.  Were they ever friends?  Did Noo Ah really have cause for his jealousy or was he just being overly sensitive?  Kwak Dong Yeon is such a great actor.  It seems like they should have given him a few more scenes to tell the full story.

Well, we get our happy ending with this one, and a couple tentative hopeful ones.  Eun Ho is working at the cafe with Sol Yi while Woong is studying in Paris.  Sol Yi has completely fallen for Eun Ho but she can’t tell for sure if he is just pretending not to notice or if he isn’t interested.  But their last scene together, Eun Ho takes the straightforward approach and asks her on a date.  Love is definitely in the air for these two.  Chae Ran finally tells Ji Woong that she likes him.  He seems surprised at first and then a bit embarrassed, but there is also a glint of interest that hints at a future for them as well.  As for our leads, the writers play with us a little bit with the whole Paris story.  But in the end, Woong goes away, which he needs to do for his own growth, and Yeon Soo stays home to be with her grandmother and wait for Woong to finish.  They show some quick ups and downs of distance relationships before Woong surprises Yeon Soo and shows up to tell her in person that he loves her.  The final scene shows them sitting on the couch, filming the end of their documentary, and with big smiles, they share the news that they are married.  This ending is a perfect warm and comfortable wrap up that fits the tone of the drama well and ties everything up neatly.