[K-Drama] Emergency Couple

What are the odds of bumping into your hateful ex after a terrible divorce several years ago? In the case of Oh Jin Hee (Song Ji Hyo of Running Man fame) and Oh Chang Min (Choi Jin Hyuk from the recently concluded The Heirs), they met each other as colleagues at work.

Jin Hee and Chang Min met when she was a dietician and he, a medical student in a university. They fell in love and got married despite strong oppositions from Chang Min’s affluent family of doctors. After the marriage, Chang Min quitted his medical studies and worked as a medical rep selling pharmaceutical meds to doctors and hospitals while Jin Hee stayed at home as a housewife. As a medical rep, he was humiliated having to sucked up to those doctors in order to sell meds. It was worst for Jin Hee as she had to endure all the abusive words from her mother-in-law who is still pissed at her for “ruining” her son’s future as a doctor. She was so stressed out that she developed heart condition. The stress began to take a toll on both of them and they constantly fought over the smallest thing. One day, they decided to quit their marriage after a major argument (where they both threw things at each other). It is understood that Chang Min continued his medical studies in the States after the divorce.

Fast forward a couple of years later, Chang Min is now a doctor and so did Jin Hee. As fate would have it, they were both placed in the same hospital as interns. Worse still, they are placed in the same department (ER). Obviously, they hated the sight of each other the moment they both realised that they are in for the long haul (at least for the duration of the internship). As they worked together, they rekindled their feelings for each other. However, there are external forces in the form of head of ER department, Dr. Gook and Han Ah Reum, their fellow intern. Ah Reum also happens to be a minister’s daughter whom Chang Min’s mother tried to set him up with (albeit several fail attempts). Chang Min’s mom too, still does not approve of Jin Hee as her son’s equal and is still the domineering woman as ever despite her small stature. One can only wonder what did Chang Min’s good natured of a dad sees in her. I guess, love makes one blind to his/her partner’s bad points.

Interesting concept. A divorced couple met each other again in the workplace. It might seems like a sick joke from God to them but they were reunited for a reason. Why else would they meet and fall in love again after a messy divorce. Well, who am I kidding…anything is possible in the land of K-drama and that’s what keeps us glued to the screen every week.

[K-Drama] My Love From Another Star

This is possibly one of the popular drama as of late. Especially when the ever-charming Kim Soo Hyun plays the alien who falls in love with a human played by Gianna Jun.

Do Min Joon is scheduled to return to his home planet in 3 months time. As such, he vowed not to have any emotional attachments to anyone on earth or anything that will make it difficult to leave. That is, until he crosses path with Cheon Song-Yi.

Song Yi is the current it-girl of South Korea…with a bad attitude. She treats everyone like as if they are beneath her. Everyone is expected to obey her every whims and commands. Yup, she is a typical diva, doesn’t she? She moves in to the condo next door and Do Min Joon’s calm and peaceful life turned chaotic. Song Yi looks very much like the girl whom he saved and fell in love with 4 centuries ago. His love then was short lived as the girl died tragically. Ever since then, he became emotionally cold and avoid unnecessary contact with others.

Lee Whi Kyung has been in love with Song Yi since they were young. Too bad for him that his love was rejected in numerous occasions. And then there is Yoo Se-Mi who is their childhood friend and an actress as well who is in love with him (Whi Kyung) since forever. But her affections gone unnoticed on his part as he was obsessing over Song Yi. Due to this, Se-Mi’s resentment towards her best friend, Song Yi grew.

All this time, Song Yi has been in love with the older man who saved her from being hit by a truck when she was younger. Little did she know, the older man is in fact Do Min Joon, her next door neighbour as well as her college professor. When he (Min Joon) realised that she is the girl who resembles Yi Hwa (the girl from 400 years ago), he used his every strength to protect her from harm’s way without her knowledge. He even contemplated staying on earth just to be with her even though he knows very well that his life will end as a result.

It is a nice story from the start towards the end. Though, I am not too keen on how it ended. Come on, would you want a on and off boyfriend who might disappear at any second?

[K-Drama] I Hear Your Voice

I noticed that these days I have been watching Korean dramas with tad unrealistic storyline to it. From characters who have the ability to see ghosts (Who Are You, Master’s Sun) and now a guy who has the gift (or curse, depending on the situation) of reading minds of others just by looking into their eyes.

The story:

The relationship between Jang Hye Song and Seo Do Yeon is most complicated; The former’s mother is the live-in housekeeper of the latter’s family. Being of the same age, it is natural that they are both competitive. The pressure is more on Do Yeon as she feels that she has to live up to her father’s expectation. Indeed, it is not an easy ride being a prominent judge’s daughter. Jealous of Hye Seong, she started off a lie in which Hye Song purposely inflicted the injury on one of her eye in the fireworks incident that almost blinded her although she is aware that that wasn’t the case. And thus, both mother and daughter were banished from the household and she got expelled from school.

Not satisfied with the outcome, Hye Song confronted Do Yeon and pushes her to tell the truth to clear her name. During one of the confrontations they unwittingly witnessed a road accident cum murder where one Min Joon Gook bashed a man behind the wheels. Looking on was the victim’s son Park Soo Ha. If it wasn’t for Hye Seong who distracted the crook, Soo Ha would have meet his end there and then as well.

Min Joon Gook was swiftly caught by the authorities but unfortunately, he was to be let go due to lack of evidence and a 7-year-old boy’s account of the incident isn’t credible especially after he claimed that he is able to read a person’s mind. However, thanks to Hye Song (she was a high schooler back then) who came forward as a witness, Min Joon Gook was subsequently prosecuted. However, right before he was taken away, he had threatened Hye Song that he will be hunting her down once he is out from the prison.

Fast forward ten years later, Soo Ha is now a high school senior. It appears that he had fallen in love with Hye Song since the fateful day and he has not stop looking for her since then. During this time, Hye Song has made it as a public defence lawyer. And as fate would have it, she faced none other than Do Yeon as the prosecuter on her very first case as a public defence lawyer.

My thoughts:

This is an interesting take on older woman, younger guy romance. I actually thought that Hye Song and Soo Ha looked good together despite their vast age gap. I almost felt sorry for Attorney Cha (her fellow public defense lawyer) who also fell for her. But indeed, I would feel even sorrier if Hye Song were to choose Attorney Cha over Soo Ha.

And oh, do look out for a surprise appearance of Lawyer Choi from A Gentleman’s Dignity.

[K-Drama] Who Are You (2013)

Years ago, Si Ohn was involved in an incident which resulted in her being in coma. When she wakes up six years later, she finds that she is able to see ghosts, particularly those who still has unfinished business in the world of the living. On top of this "gift" she suffers from amnesia and she does not remember a single thing from the tragedy that resulted in her being in coma. Neither does she remember losing her boyfriend in the incident. Soon after, she reports back to work and is assigned to the lost and found department aka the less important police department. There’s where she met the younger guy, Cha Gun Woo. Expectedly, they fell in love and thus forming a love triangle with the ghost of Si Ohn’s boyfriend who perished in the tragedy.

Much of the beginning of the series focused on Si Ohn’s effort in helping to resolve the ghosts’ final wishes and to bring them closure. But the main focus of this story is her regaining the memories of the incident and bringing justice for her boyfriend who died in the line of duty but wrongfully accused of something he didn’t do.

At some point (if you’re watching this series), you might need some tissues handy. There are some flashbacks of the couple’s happier times when he was alive. To think that he was going to propose to her but was killed before he was able to get down on one knee with a ring. As much as I wish that Si Ohn to be with her Hyung Joon oppa, this ending is much more appropriate.

Will I be watching this again? You bet I will.

[Anime] Red Data Girl

Red Data Girl (RDG) has been sitting in my to-watch list for quite some time. Once I started watching it two days ago, I couldn’t stop till I complete the entire series.

The RDG in question is Suzuhara Izumiko who has been causing weird incidents whenever she comes in contact with electronics. Little did she know, she is a vessel for a goddess (Himegami) who is residing within her. That certainly explains why her guardian, Sagara Yukimasa goes all out to protect her…or rather, Himegami. He then enlisted his son, Sagara Miyuki who is supposedly chosen by the goddess.

I like Izumiko as a character. She’s shy and an introvert in the beginning but became stronger as the story progresses. Like any other girl, she too gets jealous when she sees the student council president getting all cosy with Miyuki.

Miyuki wasn’t very much into the idea of becoming Izumiko’s guardian but like it or not, it has become his job. They both enrolled into the same high school (for students who possess similar abilities) so that he could look out for her. He eventually acknowledges her as his partner. A partner in the sense that Izumiko allows herself to be possessed and Miyuki will then exorcise the non-human entity within her as her friend Souda Mayura put it. In the olden times, these pair will eventually marry to each other and becomes partner for life in this sort of business.

The Souda triplets are in a completely different league from Miyuki. Together, they are powerful as demonstrated when Manatsu (with the help of their deceased sibling, Masumi whom they summoned) took revenge on Takayanagi who inflicts a curse which caused a serious injury on Mayura.

As expected, Izumiko falls for Miyuki even though the latter himself didn’t realise it until very much later. He gets anxious easily when it comes to Izumiko subconsciously as pointed out by one of the Souda siblings. In the final episode, he got into action when Masumi who have also came to love Izumiko plans to whisk her off to the other side.

Me thinks that this story has a potential for a second season but I don’t see any sign of any season 2 any time soon. Wish that I could read the novels which this anime is based on. Nevertheless, this series is good enough.

Here’s hoping for a second season.