An 8 year old Korean boy is taken from his home country and adopted in Italy, where he rises through the mafia ranks to become a consigliere.  Years later, he returns to Korea to recover a stash of hidden gold buried under the Geumga Plaza.  But his efforts are threatened when Babel Corporation sets their sights on the property, intending to tear down Geumga Plaza and build their own pet project, Babel Tower, on the location.  As Vincenzo fights to keep ownership away from Babel Corporation, he forms friendships with the occupants of Geumga Plaza, who also wants to stop Babel from tearing down their building.

Jeon Yeo Bin as Hong Cha Young

Hong Cha Young was working as a lawyer for Woosang Law Firm until her father, who had a private law practice, is killed by Babel for defending Geumga Plaza.  Cha Young resigns her position with Woosang and takes over at her father’s office in Geumga.  Vincenzo becomes her advisor as they work together in t, aking down Babel.  As the pair work side by side, their friendship grows into something deeper, even though their focus needs to stay on the legal battle.

Hong Cha Young is a cut throat lawyer who will do anything to win, but she refuses to resort to violence.  Though she cares for the people at Geumga Plaza and wants to help them, her true motivation in taking their case is revenge for the death of her father.  She is quick on her feet and unafraid to face any challenge head on.  Jeon Yeo Bin did a great job in this role and I especially enjoyed the scenes of her and Song Joong Ki together.  Their natural chemistry was obvious and fun to watch.

Kim Yeo Jin as Choi Myung Hee

Choi Myung Hee is a lawyer at Woosang Law Firm and becomes the primary advisor for Jang Jun Woo and Babel Corporation.  She is ruthless and greedy, and will stop at nothing to succeed, even taking out those who are closest to her.  Lawyer Choi is bold and unconventional and has been working in the political sphere long enough to have some very powerful connections.  

Kwak Dong Yeon as Jang Han Seo

Jang Han Seo is Jun Woo’s younger half brother and the puppet CEO of Babel.  Knowing what Jun Woo is truly capable of, including killing their father to take over the company, Han Seo is terrified of doing anything that will upset him.  Eventually he joins forces with Vincenzo to work against Babel and his brother.

♥ Taec Yeon

Taec Yeon was a highlight for me in this drama.  The transformation from bumbling law clerk to diablic villain was seamless and believable.  From  facial expressions to body language, he portrayed the role perfectly.  And the random English expressions thrown in made me chuckle every time!  I don’t think I could love a villain more!!

♥Vincenzo’s Mom

I really enjoyed the storyline with Vincenzo and his mom.  First of all, in a story full of villains, it’s nice to have a redemption story.  And second, it gives great insight into Vincenzo’s more sensitive and compassionate side.  An added bonus is that it gives him and Cha Young a common bond to further solidify their connection.  Hong Yoo Chan is a wonderful actress and I loved her in this role.

Violence is Suddenly Ok?

So, I get the end game for this drama was always revenge, and I was glad to see the villains get exactly what they deserved.  But in the beginning, Cha Young made Vincenzo promise not to kill anyone, and Vincenzo spent the whole show finding more creative ways to beat their opponents.  All the while, his new friends were helping to heal some of the wounds caused by his mother and mafia life.  It seemed like that time had made him a better, happier person, and then suddenly he was back to gruesome murder and extreme violence.  For me, it felt like a major shift in direction that didn’t fit the character we had come to know.

What About the Gold??

For Vincenzo, this all started because of the buried gold.  But in the end, the gold is just left hiding at Cha Young’s house.  After going through all the work of smuggling it out of the basement, no one is using it for anything.  It just seems rather anti-climatic that it’s only use is a very uncomfortable bed.

There is a lot that happens in the last couple episodes of “Vincenzo” but the breakdown is surprisingly easy.  Those who fought against him are all dead, and those that helped him have gone back to doing what they did before.  Jun Woo, Myung Hee, Seung Hyuk, and several of their lackeys have all been killed, in unique and personalized ways.  Unfortunately, Han Seo is also collateral damage, which was unfortunate.  I would have liked to see him blossom under the positive attention he could get from Vincenzo and the crew.  The gang at Geumga Plaza are back in their shops, although their connection to each other is stronger now than when it all started.  And Young Woon and Ki Seok are both back to working as agents.  So what about our leads?  Well, Vincenzo has bought a small island off of Malta, but continues to stay in touch with Cha Young through anonymous postcards.  And Cha Young is still working out of her father’s office.  But our final scene sees Vincenzo back in Korea for the evening on business.  He and Cha Young meet and share a kiss, and he tells her that he has a room for her on his island, whenever she wants to come.  It’s the kind of inconclusive love story that makes me a bit frustrated, but I guess you can consider it a happy ending.  Neither of the leads are dead, so that is always a plus!