Welcome to Kdrama and Ramen

A high school student struggles to support herself and her little sister after her parents run away and leave them alone.  One day she meets a mysterious magician who lives in an abandoned amusement park in town.  He offers to teach her magic and encourages her to take time to enjoy the beauty and miracles of life.  But for those in the community who have lost their belief in magic, the magician is someone to be feared and distrusted.  And when a violent crime rocks the town, he becomes their prime suspect.  

Choi Sung Eun as  Yoon Ah Yi

Yoon Ah Yi is a hard working high school student who is also the sole provider for herself and her younger sister.  But even with the part-time jobs she can fit in, the debt collectors are knocking down their door and she barely makes enough to feed them.  One night, she wanders into the amusement park and meets Ri Eul. When he offers to teach her magic, at first she is skeptical.  But soon, she finds herself believing that maybe this curious man really can make miracles happen.  When Ri Eul is accused of killing one of her classmates, she quickly jumps to his defense.  But she becomes increasingly frustrated when no one will listen to her.  

After struggling for years at the hands of selfish adults, Yoon Ah Yi’s biggest dream is to become an adult herself, so she won’t have to ever depend on anyone else again.  Being abandoned by both of her parents and left to raise her young sister, she is both wise and tired beyond her years.  I enjoyed Choi Sung Eun in this role.  Her ability to channel deep emotion made me really sympathize with her character and situation.  I found her both believable and endearing.

Ji Hye Won as Baek Ha Na

Baek Ha Na is the popular “mean girl” at school.  She is constantly bullying Ah Yi for not being rich like her.  When she becomes suspicious of Ri Eul’s true intentions, she stalks him and his “house”, hoping to find something scandalous to post on her social media page.  

♥ Ah Yi’s Success

I love that in the end Ah Yi is able to do what Ri Eul had never been able to;  she kept magic alive inside her heart while still living and working in the outside world.  It is fun to imagine that Ri Eul is somewhere near by, watching over her proudly.  And she gives hope to all of us that you don’t have to live in an amusement park or hang out with a talented magician to understand that magic and miracles really do exist.  

 ♥ Magic

One of my favorite things about this drama is that it never gives a definitive answer to whether Ri Eul’s magic is “real” or just some clever sleight of hand.  While things like Kim Doo Sik’s “disappearance” is shown not to be magic at all, there is no explanation for things like the camera turning back on to record him.  There is just enough unsolved miracles to make us, like Ah Yi, wonder if Ri Eul real is magical.  

Loosing His Temper

The way Ri Eul lost his temper with Baek Ha Na was frustrating for me.  With Doo Sik, the video proved that it was really self defense, instigated by Doo Sik to get Ri Eul’s fingerprints.  But his violent outburst against Ha Na was a blight on his otherwise pure and innocent character.  There can be no excuse for trying to strangle a young girl, no matter who irritating she is.  It just didn’t fit with what we knew of Ri Eul’s character.  Maybe it was an indication that he was nearing the end of his rope, but I still don’t like it.  And the fact that Bella was injured in the process was just heartbreaking.

Amusement Park

So, I understand that this abandoned park really does exist, but I seriously doubt there are people moving in and treating it like their own home.  If the police needed an excuse to bring Ri Eul in for questioning, they really needed to look no further.  I couldn’t decide if I was distracted by how incredulous it was that someone could live there like that or if I was just jealous it wasn’t me.  Honestly, I kept waiting for a mentor of Ri Eul to show up in the story;  one who taught him everything he knew and then “unofficially” left the park to him.  But unfortunately there was never a convenient explanation for his unlikely residence.

A short drama like “The Sound of Magic” has a pretty basic wrap up, since there aren’t many secondary characters to worry about.  First, Doo Sik and Ha Na provide enough “evidence” to make the police take Ri Eul in for questioning.  Before he is taken away, Ri Eul begs Ah Yi to tell him that she, at least, believes in him.  But in a rare moment of doubt, Ah Yi hesitates and loses her chance.  Terrified of being “locked up” again, Ri Eul escapes the interrogation room and goes back to the park.  The police and Ah Yi meet him there and beg him to come back quietly.  Ah Yi realizes that while Ri Eul didn’t make all her problems go away, he showed her the power of magic.  She throws a blanket over Ri Eul and he disappears.  A time jump shows us Ah Yi and Yoo Yi  visiting Bella’s grave.  The police finally uncover the truth of what really happened to the girl who was killed and Ri Eul’s name is cleared.  Il Deong drops out of school and decides to live life on the difficult path, where he can find the flowers.  Ah Yi’s father is home and the family is doing well now that they are back together.  Ah Yi still takes letters to the magical mailbox for her mom and Ri Eul.  Ah Yi is working as a magician in a restaurant where she can help to spread the magic.  And they all, we hope, lived happily ever after.