TWO FOR ONE: MY SASSY GIRL (2017)/ THE HEIRS (2013)

I recently watched two K-dramas, My Sassy Girl and The Heirs, and rather than writing separate long-winded reviews for each drama, I decided to kill two birds with one stone by writing about both in a single post. There is an even a thematic similarity between the two – the protagonist in each show (Gyeon Woo in My Sassy Girl and Cha Eun-sang in The Heirs) come from humble origins and end up falling in love with a social elite (Princess Hye-myung in My Sassy Girl and Kim Tan in The Heirs). They must overcome nonstop hurdles (misunderstandings, pre-arranged marriages, disapproving parents and friends, etc.) in order to be together but, in the end, love conquers all. 

My Sassy Girl

The biggest hurdle that My Sassy Girl has to overcome is, unfortunately, the title character, Princess Hye-myung. We’re supposed to find her to be endearing but she is really annoying in the early going – she constantly yells at people and even resorts to physical violence when she doesn’t get her way. She never thinks about the consequences of her actions. – she sneaks out of the palace at night and often gets drunk. It is often her eunuch and bodyguard who are made to suffer for her disobedience – they are blamed by the queen for neglecting the princess and even get caned for not keeping a better eye on her. She usually thinks the worst of people and rarely gives them the benefit of a doubt – due to a misunderstanding she believes Gyeon Woo attempted to rape her and isn’t willing to hear him out. Earlier, in her state of drunkenness she vomited all over him and herself and then lost consciousness.  Gyeon Woo takes her to an inn and, while she is asleep, he washes the vomit from his robe. When he notices vomit on the goreum of the princess's hanbok, he decides to wash it and, is in the process of untying it, when the princess wakes up and believes he is attempting to rape her. She cusses him out and then get physically violent with him before passing out again.

Through the next few episodes, the princess bumps into Gyeon Woo and publicly smears him as a rapist. She also managed to misplace a ring that was given to her by her deposed mother and assumes that Gyeon Woo stole it.  In one scene, Gyeon Woo is having lunch with Jung Da-yeon, a potential love interest, and the princess approaches him and starts hurling all sorts of accusations at him, intentionally embarrassing him in front of Da-yeon. The problem with this subplot is that the show never properly resolves it – Gyeon Woo has a bunch of eyewitnesses who could back his story, but he never uses them. The princess continues to believe he is a pervert…until she doesn’t. If she genuinely believes that he is a rapist, it is very unlikely that she would fall in love with him, despite the multiple times he bails her out of dangerous situations. There at least needed to be a scene where she remembers vomiting all of Gyeon Woo and the assistance he offered her. It is a huge flaw in the scripting and an odd way for the two main characters to meet. It doesn’t help that Oh Yeon-seo’s acting is all over the place – in the early episodes, she consistently mugs for the camera by making odd faces, bugging out her eyes, and shouting at the top of her lungs. Though, this also a cultural difference – I rarely find Korean comedy funny, but that is largely due to the fact that I have to rely on subtitles to understand the joke. There is a huge difference between hearing a joke and reading a joke. To Oh Yeon-seo’s credit, she does significantly better in the series dramatic moments, because her performance is more restrained. The show itself is tonally all over the place – it ranges from slapstick comedy to political thriller – the first half of the series is more comedic in tone while the second half is more dramatic. 

The bright spot of the series is Joo Won as the unflappable Gyeon Woo. The phrase “no good deed goes unpunished” greatly applies to the character of Gyeon Woo – he is a well-meaning individual whose actions are misunderstood and end up costing him dearly. When a bunch of men are accosting the drunk princess, he sticks up for her and scares them away. His reward – she vomits all over his robes and then later accuses him of rape.  When he helps the princess look for her lost ring – it leads them to a den of loan sharks. The princess steals a book that contains the names of the people who owe them money. Later on, they come after the princess and Gyeon Woo ends up getting stabbed while defending her. Gyeon Woo is a well-respected scholar – he spent three years in Qing, China learning their language and culture. When he comes back to Korea, he is somewhat of a celebrity – he is greeted by a whole group of female admirers. He is also appointed to be the young prince’s (Hye-myung’s kid brother) teacher. When Hye-myung finds out that Gyeon Woo is teaching her younger brother, she threatens to tell her father (the king) that he is a pervert.

 When it is decided to marry off the princess to the Qing prince, Gyeon Woo is, naturally, chosen to be the interpreter. It is to the show’s credit that the Qing prince is actually a decent person – he makes a genuine effort to win over Hye-myung’s family, especially her younger brother, who disapproves of their union. The princess fails to understand the predicament Gyeon Woo is in (he is not any position to refuse a request from the king) and, once again, hurls insults at him. At this point, their relationship has been volatile, yet she believes Gyeon Woo has betrayed her for acting as an interpreter. It was at this point where I wished Gyeon Woo would have taken his own advice and stayed away from the princess. In fact, as snobby as Da-yeon can be, there is a sense that if Gyeon Woo had accepted her proposal, he could have brought out her better side. The only reason for her bratty demeanor is that she has been spoiled her entire life by her father, the Minister of the Left. When you have been given everything your entire life and never been humbled, it is difficult to sympathize with the plight of the less fortunate. 

I also sensed that the writers were kind of winging it in the second half of the series, Gyeon Woo begins to have dreams that involve his ten-year-old self and the deposed queen. It turns out that he is recovering forgotten memories. There is no hint of this in the first half of the series, all of a sudden, he is beginning to remember an event from his past that he had completely forgotten about. This is when the series becomes increasingly more convoluted – when he was ten years old, he stumbled upon a murder scene at the ink house. Before he passed away, the master of the house handed Gyeon Woo an ink brush and begged him to expose the truth. While going through documents, he came across a letter that seemed to implicate the queen – it was a love letter to her supposed lover.  In Gyeon Woo’s eyes, it seemed like the queen had ordered the hit to cover up her infidelity.  He wrote a scathing letter about the queen and then posted it on the public bulletin board. The Minister of the Left stumbled across the letter and used it for his own political purposes – he had been wanting to depose the queen for a long time, and he made copies of Gyeon Woo’s letter to stir up the masses. Later, Gyeon Woo found a letter hidden inside the ink brush that proved the queen’s innocence and immediately set out to correct his mistake – he initially tried to deliver it to his father, who was an advisor to the king, but was denied entry into the palace by the guards. He then decided he would find the queen and give it to her – the only problem was that she had been exiled, and her convoy was currently marching through the forest.  While running after the queen, he stumbled across a younger version of Hye-myung sneaking out of the palace. The two of them decided to look for the queen together.  They came across the remains of her convoy (they had all been slaughtered) but could find no trace of the queen. They then got lost in the forest and when Gyeon Woo went get some help, he lost his footing, tumbled down a hillside, crashed into a tree, and lost his memories of this incident.  The most perplexing thing about this subplot is: How come the princess doesn’t remember meeting Gyeon Woo ten years earlier?  There is no indication that she suffers from amnesia – in fact, she still recalls chasing after mother, but she apparently has forgotten the boy she met on the way. A boy, who like Gyeon Woo, was a scholar. It wouldn’t be that hard to put the two together, yet there is no scene where the princess recognizes Gyeon Woo as the boy she met ten years ago.

I also can’t help but notice the double standard when it comes to princess and Gyeon Woo – she spends the first half of the series publicly smearing Gyeon Woo and never apologizes for it, but Gyeon Woo forgives her any ways.  When Gyeon Woo regains his memory of the writing the scathing letter about the queen, he decides to atone for his mistake by showing the king the letter that proved her innocence – he knows that this will taint his relationship with the king and princess, but he it is important to him that the truth comes out. His mistake is not telling the princess herself about the letter, and she ends up finding out from Da-yeon (who in turn found out from Gyeon Woo’s nosy younger sister). When she confronts him with this, he cannot deny it and she vows that she will never forgive him. 

I actually checked out the comments section YouTube and there were many people who agreed with princess “What he did was unforgivable!”  But apparently her smearing him in public is totally forgivable. They also conveniently ignored a few facts: Gyeon Woo was ten years old when he wrote that letter. Secondly, he stumbled upon a murder scene (which would traumatize anyone) and found evidence that implicated the queen in the slaughter of a family. Third, when he found evidence that exonerated the queen, he immediately tried to fix his mistake. If it wasn’t for him getting into an accident and losing his memory, this could have been cleared up years ago. Finally, when he regained his memory, he contacted the king and showed him the letter that proved the queen’s innocence, knowing fully it would tarnish his relationship with the king. He also atones for his mistake by not only thwarting the Minister of the Left’s attempt to usurp the throne, and reuniting Hye-myong with her mother, but by exiling himself to an island that is far away. He pays more than his dues.  The princess realizes she still loves him and stops him before he can get on the boat, but I was actually hoping she would be too late and could only watch teary eyed as he sailed away.

 I’m going to be perfectly blunt: the princess doesn’t deserve Gyeon Woo. It’s one of the most one-sided relationships I have seen in television history – Gyeon puts his life on the line multiple times to save the royal family, while the princess has everything handed to her. The only reason she is preferable to Da-yeon is because the script says so – even though Da-yeon puts forth an actual effort to be with Gyeon Woo. She has a higher social standing them him but is willing to ingratiate herself with his family and humble herself before him. She is another casualty of the script – in the first few episodes, she is more likable than the princess. It feels like the writers feared that the audience might prefer her over the princess and decided to rewrite her as a cold-hearted bitch.  “We can’t have the audience shipping Gyeon Woo and Da-yeon. Quick, write a scene where she treats her servants poorly.”

The other thing that bugs me is that Gyeon Woo’s younger sister, Gyeon Hee, is never given an actual character arc. She is Da-yeon’s lacky and is a total gossip – she cannot keep secrets, no matter how damaging they might be to her family. She is, justifiably, skeptical of the princess and desperately wants her older brother to hook up Da-yeon. I was waiting for that one scene where she redeems herself – like, I don’t know, a scene where she divulges useful information to her older brother. Anything. It feels like the writers are setting her up for a character arc, but it never arrives. It’s only after Da-yeon lashes out against her and her mother that she realizes that she was backing the wrong side, but I would have preferred she come to this realization herself.  It's a shame because the actress, Jung Da-bin, is likable enough but the writers don’t know what to do with her character. 

Wow! I spent more time writing about My Sassy Girl than I originally intended, but it does perfectly sum how frustrating this series was. There are a lot of things to like about My Sassy Girl (the lead actor, the supporting cast, and a few clever plot twists) but it never gels as a whole. It’s about two rewrites away from being a first-rate show, instead of being just watchable.

 

The Heirs

One of the most influential television shows in South Korean history was Boys Over Flowers – it was based off a Japanese manga and was one of the most watched shows in Southeast Asia. It not only set the template for future K-dramas, but many of its cast members went onto successful careers in South Korea.  In Boys Over Flowers, Geum Jan-di is a girl who comes from a working-class family (her family runs a dry-cleaning business) and, after preventing a student from committing suicide a prestigious high school (Shinwa High School) is given a scholarship to attend the high school (mainly to appease public outrage). She manages to fall into the cross hairs of the F4 (the four most popular boys at the school who come from the wealthiest families in the country).  Gu Jun-pyo, the ringleader of the group, initially is antagonistic towards Jan-di, but after she sticks up for herself, he finds himself falling for her.  The rest of the series chronicles the ups and downs of their turbulent relationship. The cast is uniformly excellent, but it was Lee Min-ho’s performance as the volatile Jun-pyo that really stood out – he took a detestable character and made him sympathetic. The following year, Playful Kiss came out and it sported a similar plot – Oh Ha Ni is a well-meaning but ditzy female who is in love with the most popular student on campus, Baek Seung-jo (played by Kim Hyun-joong who also made a splash on Boys Over Flowers) who rejects her feelings. Through a series of contrivances, Oh Ha Ni and her family end up moving in with Seung-jo’s family. Just like Boys Over Flowers, the show chronicles the ups and downs of their turbulent relationship and ends with Seung-jo marrying Oh Ha Ni. I actually prefer it to Boys Over Flowers – it is more efficiently paced and better written. My main issue with Boys Over Flowers is that is incredibly drawn out (25 episodes) and inconsistent in its writing – there is very little regard for character continuity. It is still a highly entertaining show thanks to its likable cast, but it could have used a rewrite to fix these flaws. 

This leads me to the subject of this review, The Heirs. It not only has a similar plot to Boys over Flowers, but it also stars Lee Min-ho as Kim Tan, the heir of the Jeguk Group, and the illegitimate son of the CEO, Kim Nam-yoon. He also has an older half-brother, Kim Won, who views Kim Tan as a potential rival.  The other common factor the three shows have in common is they feature a terrific lead actress (Koo Hye-sun in Boys Over Flowers, Jung So-min in Playful Kiss, and Park Shin-hye in The Heirs) who are required to do much of the heavy lifting – all three series are told from the perspective of their female protagonist, all of whom come from working class families. In The Heirs, Park Shin-hye is Che Eun-sang, a girl whose mother is a mute and works as in-house maid for the Kim clan.  To help her mother pay the bills, Eun-sang works multiple part-time jobs and becomes increasingly more frustrated with her life – she lives paycheck to paycheck and there is no foreseeable future in her sights. While most girls her age often have ambitious dreams, she would be content with working an office job and making roughly $2,000 a month.  Her outlook on life is very bleak. What makes is even worse is that her older sister, Cha Eun-suk, is apparently living it up in Los Angeles – she is engaged and attending a university.

When their mother wants to wire money to Eun-suk money for her wedding, Eun-sang insists on delivering it in person. In truth, she hopes to bail on their money, move in with her older sister, and hopefully find a good paying career in Los Angeles. However, her trip turns into a disaster – her older sister isn’t engaged (she is in relationship with a two-timing boyfriend) and she isn’t attending college but working part-time as a waitress.  Eun-sang gets into a public argument with her older sister, and it ends with Eun-suk taking the money and running away.  Coincidentally, their entire argument is witnessed by none other than Kim Tan.  She is stranded in Los Angeles without money and a phone. Kim Tan learns of her predicament and offers her shelter in his home.  She is skeptical of his generosity, but given her predicament, she doesn’t really have much of a choice.

I always enjoy how small of a place the world is in K-dramas – Los Angeles has a population of about 3.8 million people and yet, on her first day in foreign country, Eun-sang not only runs into Kim Tan – who also happens to be youngest son of the Tan clan, the same family her mother works for.  Not only does she run into Kim Tan, but his bitchy fiancée, Rachel, at the airport. If there is a flaw with The Heirs is that the entire series is built on a very flimsy foundation.  The LA scenes are the weakest part of the drama – I’m not too bothered by the multiple coincidences that get stacked up in the first four episodes because it plays into the theme that Kim Tan and Eun-sang are destined to be together. Despite all the hurdles that get tossed in their direction, they overcome all of them and these obstacles only strengthen their bond. The biggest issue I have with the LA scenes is the atrocious acting by the American actors. In LA, Kim Tan’s best friend is a stereotypical stoner dude – to the point where he mistakes the bean powder Eun-sang is carrying around in her suitcase (meant for her older sister) for drugs, steals the bag, ingests a handful, has an allergic reaction, and ends up in the hospital. His cartoonish performance is jarring when compared to the more restrained performances of Park Shin-hye and Lee Min-ho. I also get annoyed when I see American actors popping up in K-dramas – the appeal of them is that they offer another country’s take on popular genres.  The Heirs is a soap opera told from the South Korean perspective, and I find the American actors to be intrusive (mainly because they tend to be bad actors).  I’m not interested in Kim Tan’s stoner friend, especially when his strained relationship with his older brother is more interesting. 

When Eun-sang returns to South Korea, she finds that her mother has moved out of their apartment and into the Tan residence – she is now an in-house maid. Eun-sang has no choice but to move into the servant’s quarters with her mother.  It just so happens that Kim Tan also returns to South Korea (after spending three years in the states) and it is only inevitable that the two of them run into each other.  While Eun-sang is attracted to Kim Tan, she is also reluctant to get involved with because of their social standings – he is the son of a CEO, while she is the daughter of mute maid.   While Kim Tan doesn’t see class, it is all Eun-sang can think about – with good reason, because their relationship is opposed by different factions.  It also doesn’t help that he is engaged to Rachel. The marriage has been arranged by their parents – Rachel’s mother, Esther Lee, is a successful businesswoman and a shareholder in the Jeguk Group. In three K-dramas I have mentioned, marriage among the elites is more of a business merger and love rarely factors into the equation. It is even more extreme in the case of Kim Tan and Rachel; they have been engaged since they were seventeen. 

Like the previous two dramas, there is the female lead is part of a love triangle – in the case, it is between Eun-sang, Kim Tan, and his bitter rival, Choi Young-do (whose father is engaged to Rachel’s mother).  Kim Tan and Young-do used to be best friends but had a falling out.  Young-do is the school bully and initially sets his sights on Eun-sang but eventually falls for her.  After Kim Tan’s father learns of his son’s relationship with Eun-sang, he gives her a scholarship so she can attend Jeguk High School. However, we learn that his motive his less than altruistic – he is hoping that, by attending Jeguk High School, Eun-sang will learn her place and realize that it would be futile to pursue a relationship with Kim Tan.

However, Eun-sang has an advantage, her best friend, Yoon Chan-young and his girlfriend, Lee Bo-na, both attend Jeguk High School and give her pointers as to how to survive the hostile environment.  Chan-young points out the strict caste system at Jeguk High School – there are four tiers of students:
The first tier is the Business Heir Group – that would include Kim Tan, Young-do, and Rachel, whose parents own successful businesses.
The second tier is the Stock Heir Group. That includes Bo-na and a few other females. They will not inherit their parents’ business, but they are major shareholders.
The third tier is Honorable Heir Group. They are offsprings of politicians, judges, etc. Or they are from families who recently acquired wealth.
At the bottom is the Social Welfare Group.  People like Eun-sang who got in because of scholarships and grants. They are the outcasts of the school and are often picked on by those at the top tier. Chan-young advises Eun-sang to lie about her social status and say that she is from the third tier.  Of course, this proves to be difficult as Eun-sang works multiple part-time jobs and is even seen by Young-do delivering food. Not to mention, her relationship with Kim Tan makes their classmates curious and they start to dig up information on Eun-sang. The most curious of them all is Rachel, who is baffled by what her fiancé sees in Eun-sang. Even worse is that Kim Tan’s opponents will often target Eun-sang as a way of getting to him.  It’s actually impressive that Eun-sang can keep up the façade for as long as she does, considering how the deck is stacked against her. 

There are also a couple of things that end up working in Eun-sang’s favor – the most notable thing is when Kim Tan’s mother poses as Eun-sang’s mother at the PTA meeting. Kim Tan’s mother Han Ki-ae is his father’s mistress and, so as not to tarnish the family, she is not allowed to make public appearances. However, she desperately wants to attend a PTA meeting and when Eun-sang’s mother opts not go, Ki-ae goes in her place.  It should be noted that Tan and Won’s stepmother, Jung Ji-suk, is the chairwoman of Jeguk High School and when Ki-ae pops up at the PTA, she is speechless. Ki-ae manages to impress the other members of the board by offering to pay for the food at an upcoming event. This information trickles down to the student body and they are convinced that Eun-sang comes from a wealthy family.

The relationship between Han Ki-ae and Eun-sang’s mother, Park Hee-nam, is one of the most interesting aspects of The Heirs. At first, there is a mutual understanding between the two of them – Hee-nam is depends on Ki-ae for employment while Ki-ae often confides all of her insecurities to Hee-nam. In fact, the reason Ki-ae permits Eun-sang to move into servants’ quarters with her mother is because all of the dirt Hee-nam has on her. The two of them eventually become close friends – after Ki-ae leaves Nam-yoon she visits Hee-nam and they both admit they missed one another. \

They both think of themselves as being burdens to their children -  Hee-nam feels guilty about how her mute condition limits her career opportunities and Ki-ae, being a mistress to Tan’s father, believes that publicly showing her son affection will tarnish his name – everyone believes that his stepmom is his biological mom.  She wants what is best for her son and fears that she will only hinder his career. Kim Tan feels differently and is appalled by how poorly his mother is treated by his father and stepmother. They both love their children unconditionally but feel bad that they can’t do more for them. After Kim Tan announces that Ki-ae is his biological mother, this creates all sorts of shock waves in the Jeguk Group, but it also gives Ki-ae the confidence to leave Kim Nam-yoon. No matter what, Tan will always have her back and proclaims to his father that he would rather be Ki-ae’s son than an heir to the Kim Empire.  It is the ultimate show of love. Ki-ae initially opposes Tan and Eun-sang seeing each other but it’s nothing personal, she genuinely believes that it is more beneficial for her son to marry Rachel.  She is worried that his father might disinherit Tan if he chooses Rachel.

The other interesting relationship is between Tan and his older half-brother, Kim Won. It’s a very one-sided relationship on the surface – Tan looks up to his older brother while Won acts very coldly to his younger brother. He thinks of Tan as less of a sibling and more of a rival – it was Won who exiled Tan to the Los Angeles.  However, there is a sense that Won’s coldness is an act, that this is actually a case of tough love – in order for Tan to survive the business world, he needs to be strong and has to be willing to turn off his emotions. After Eun-sang and her mother move out of the Kim household and to unknown location, Tan has a complete breakdown and hits rock bottom – he frequents the bars and gets into fist fights with other patrons. It is Won who comes to his brother’s rescue and helps him get back together with Eun-sang. Won, like his younger brother, is also romantically involved with a woman of a lower class, Jeon Hyun-joo, who initially works as tutor and them becomes a teacher at Jeguk High School. Won is also given a similar choice as Tan – the family business or true love?  His father wants him to marry the daughter of a prominent businessman, but he can’t get over his feelings for Hyun-joo. 

There is also a nice character arc with Lee Bo-na. She is the girlfriend of Yoon Chan-young, Eun-sang’s best friend, and she doesn’t like how close her boyfriend is with Eun-sang. Yet, despite her constantly proclaiming her dislike for Eun-sang, she always has Eun-sang’s back. She knows the truth about Eun-sang (that she is from the Social Welfare Group) but keeps this information to herself. She also takes Eun-sang under her wing and protects her from the spiteful Rachel. She is a good example of “actions speak louder than words” – she claims to dislike Eun-sang but her actions prove the opposite.  It is interesting to see so much thought given to a supporting character.

The show, rather unsuccessfully, tries to set up a love triangle between Eun-sang, Kim Tan, and Choi Young-do. It is amusing to see Kim Woo-bin play the role that Lee Min-ho played in Boys Over Flowers – the bad boy who initially bullies the female protagonist but ends up fall in loving with her.  In Young-do’s case, it is a case of unrequited love. Eun-sang resents him for most of the series and then pities him towards the end, but there is never a sense that she considers him potential dating material. He is also at a huge disadvantage – they don’t actually meet each other until episode five. It doesn’t help that her first impression of Young-do is a negative one – she is appalled by his nonstop bullying of a lower classman. Her initial resistance to Kim Tan is not because she dislikes him (in fact, she likes him quite a lot) but because of their class differences. Boys Over Flowers, for all its flaws, had more believable love triangle between Geum Jan-di, Gu Jun-pyo, and Yoo Ji-hoo. In the first few episodes, Jan-di is much closer to (and has a crush on) Ji-hoo and views Jun-pyo with suspicion (with good reason, as he was her tormenter in the first two episodes). What Jun-pyo finds impressive about Jan-di is her ability to stick up for herself and others – she is the first person who has given him push back. His initial respect turns into love, and she eventually reciprocates his feelings.

Both Boys Over Flowers and The Heirs feature one of my least favorite tropes in K-dramas – THE NOBLE SACRIFICE. This is when the lead protagonist concludes that their love interest would be better off without them and pushes love interest away by giving him/her the cold treatment.  Boys Over Flowers takes this trope to most extreme level – most of the second half is devoted to Jun-pyo giving Jan-di the cold treatment, because his parents are pressuring him to marry Ha Jae-kyung. This subplot consumes so much screentime that you wish Jan-di would just move on.  In The Heirs, Nam-yoon forces Eun-sang and her mother to leave his estate. They move to a small town near the ocean. Kim Tan and Young-do put aside their differences and pool their resources to find her.  Kim Tan finds her first but does not initially make contact – he blames himself for her current situation. However, he desperately needs to see her and visits her at the bookstore he works at, and she gives him the cold treatment. However, he is persistent, and she can’t resist his charms. This trope is used more effectively in The Heirs than it is in Boys Over Flowers, because it is set up better.  There is always a cloud of uncertainty that hangs over Tan and Eun-sang’s relationship, despite their attraction to one another, so when the shit hits the fan, it is believable that Eun-sang would push Tan away so he can move on with his life. However, most of the time “the noble sacrifice” trope feels like filler – the writers are obligated to write a certain number of episodes, and they need to find a reason to separate the lead romantic couple. They spend days pace around the room until a light bulb goes in of their heads, “I KNOW! THE NOBLE SACRIFICE!” It is also interesting to note that this trope isn’t limited to K-dramas – the Harold Lloyd silent comedy, Girl Shy, also features the "noble sacifice." 

I’m only scratching the surface of The Heirs – however, for brevity’s sake, I only touched on the main plot points. If I were to go into all the subplots, supporting characters, and themes, this review would be well over 100 pages. The same applies to My Sassy Girl, there are a lot of subplots I didn’t touch upon. So, if you have the time and are willing to sit through subtitles, I recommend you check out both shows. The Heirs is significantly better, but My Sassy Girl has a certain charm about it. 

Credits
MY SASSY GIRL (2017)
Cast: Joo Won (Gyeon Woo), Oh Yeon-seo (Princess Hye-myung), Lee Jung-shin (Kang Joon-young), 
Kim Yoon-hye (Jung Da-yeon), Jung Da-bin (Gyeon Hee, Woo's sister), Son Chang-min (King Hwijong), Yoon Se-ah (Queen Park), Yoon So-jung (Dowager Queen Jihye), Choi Ro-woon (the Heir Presumptive), Ryu Dam (Young-shin, eunuch to the princess), Tae Mi (Byeol-i, the bodyguard to the princess), Lee Kyung-hwa (the Deposed Queen Han), Jo Hee-bong (Gyeon Pil-hyung, Woo's father), Jang Young-nam (Lady Heo, Woo's mother), Jung Woong-in (Jung Ki-joon, Left Minster and Da-yeon's father), Shim Hyung-tak (Choon-poong/ Prince Eunseong), Kwak Hee-sung (Park Chang-whi), Lee Si-eon (Bang Se-ho), Seol Jung-hwan (Maeng Kwang-soo), Park Young-soo (Hwang-ga),  Seo Eun-ah (Mal-geum, Da-yeon's servant), Kris Sun (Prince Darhan of Qing), Kim Min-jun (Prince Choosung).

Director: Oh Jin-seok 
Writer: Yoon Hyo-je
16 episodes ~ 60 minutes

THE HEIRS (2013)
Cast: Lee Min-ho (Kim Tan), Park Shin-hye (Cha Eun-sang), Kim Woo-bin (Choi Young-do), Kim Ji-won (Yoo Rachel), Kang Min-hyuk (Yoon Chan-young), Krystal Jung (Lee Bo-na), Choi Jin-hyuk (Kim Won), Kim Sung-ryung (Han Ki-ae, Tan's mother), Kim Mi-kyung (Park Hee-nam, Eun-sang's mother), Jung Dong-hwan (Kim Nam-yoon, father of Tan and Won), Park Joon-geum (Jung Ji-suk, Tan and Won's stepmother), Choi Won-young (Yoon Jae-ho), Kang Ha-neul (Lee Hyo-shin), Park Hyung-sik (Jo Myung-soo), Jeon Soo-jin (Kang Ye-sol), Cho Yoon-woo (Moon Joon-young), Choi Jin-ho (Choi Dong-wook), Yoon So-ha (Esthe Lee), Lim Ju-eun (Jeon Hyun-joo), Baek Seung-hyeon (Secretary Jung), Choi Ji-na (Yonng-do's mother), Yoon Jin-seo (Cha Eun-sak, Eun-sang's sister), Wang Ji-won (Kim Won's blind date). 

Directors: Kang Shin-hyo, Boo Sung-chul 
Writer: Kim Eun-sook 
20 episodes ~ 60 minutes 

Flower Boys Next Door (2013)

 

After my review of Backstreet Rookie, I thought I would take a break from writing about K-dramas (I was initially thinking about doing a review of Psycho II). I changed my mind after watching Flower Boys Next Door. On the surface, it is your standard romantic comedy – it follows the formula to perfection: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy wins girl back. Yet, like most K-dramas, there are a lot of interesting things going on beneath the surface.  Flowers Boys Next Door is populated with interesting characters, all of whom are incredibly different, at least on the surface, but also very similar, especially when it comes to insecurities and ambitions.

Go Dok-mi (Park Shin-hye)

Dok-mi edits manuscripts for a living - one of the benefits of her job is that she can work from home. She rarely leaves her apartment, except when it is necessary (in one of the earlier episodes she runs out of toothpaste and toilet paper).  She also tries to avoid interacting with people – she has lived in her apartment for three years but has never said a word to any of her neighbors.  However, despite her distant nature, she does harbor a massive crush on Tae-joon, a doctor who lives in the apartment across the street, opposite of hers. She watches him from her window every morning, often using binoculars to get a close look at him. I have always said there is a thin line between horror movies and romantic comedies – in a different series this act of voyeurism could have more sinister implications and lead to truly bad things. However, in Dok-mi’ s case, due to her introverted nature, she is content with watching him from afar.  When Tae-joon’s cousin, Enrique – a popular video developer – catches her spying on them, Dok-mi’s life changes drastically. Park Shin-hye is effectively cast in the role of Dok-mi, with her expressive eyes she is often able to convey a lot by doing very little. It’s also interesting to note that, like three previous Korean actresses I have written about (Park Bo-young, Kim So-hyun, and Kim Yoo-jung), was once given the title of the “Nation’s Little Sister.”  

Enrique Geum (Yoon Shi-yoon)

Enrique is a famous video game developer, who moved to Spain, with his mother, at the age of ten. He is visiting his cousin Tae-joon with his friend, Seo-young, in tow.  His plan is to play cupid with Seo-young and Tae-joon. Seo-young was Enrique’s first love but she threw him over in favor of Tae-joon. However, rather than remain bitter about her rejection, Enrique decided he would help her out.  Though, it turns out to be more difficult than he imagined, because it turns out his cousin is kind of a dick.

Enrique is defined by his upbeat, hyperactive demeanor. He is the opposite of Dok-mi – she internalizes all her emotions while Enrique wears his emotions on his sleeve. His enthusiastic nature can be annoying at times – he is constantly laughing and bouncing around – but this is largely a mask to hide his insecurities.  He is also an empathic soul – when we are first introduced to Enrique he is on a plane and cheering up a crying child by performing a makeshift puppet show.  While Dok-mi avoids people, Enrique genuinely likes them and wants to cheer them up. 

He initially believes that Dok-mi is a pervert, but when he witnesses her current situation, he is determined to help her come out of her shell and embrace the outside world.

Oh Ji Rok (Kim Ji-hoon)

Ji Rok is a webtoon artist who lives next door to Dok-mi. He has a massive crush on Dok-mi but has never worked up the nerve to talk to her, because he was afraid that he would scare her away.  He begins to write a webtoon called “Flower Boys Next Door” based on Dok-mi and the men in her life.

 
Even before they meet, he is already connected to Enrique – he was accused of plagiarizing Enrique with his webtoon, “Zombie Soccer.”  He also has legally changed his name from Jae-weon to Ji Rok, because of the scandal associated with his former name. It is also revealed that he comes from a wealthy family, who disavowed him when he became a webtoon artist – his older brother keeps pressuring him to relinquish his inheritance.

When Enrique enters Dok-mi’ s life, this makes Ji Rok jealous – it annoys him how “easy” it was for Enrique to break the ice with her. He desperately wants to White Knight for Dok-mi, by ridding her of this nuisance, but much to his annoyance, he finds himself liking Enrique. When he confronts Enrique on apartment roof, he concludes that Enrique is a “decent guy.” He wants to hate him, but it proves to be difficult.  In fact, Enrique initially has no romantic interest in Dok-mi and even tries to play cupid for Ji Rok and Dok-mi – he gives the former tips on how to talk to her and he speaks highly of Ji Rok when he is around Dok-mi. Yet, Ji Rok still hesitates to make a move and, predictably, Dok-mi and Enrique fall for each other. 

Cha Do-hwi

Do-hwi owns a clothing store and has her sights set on Ji Rok – she knows about his true identity and desperately wants to hook up with him.  She was also Dok-mi’ s best friend growing up, but the two of them had a falling out in high school. They both had a crush on their literature teacher and when he showed interest in Dok-mi (in a pure academic sense), Do-hwi got jealous and started a salacious rumor about Dok-mi and him. The teacher threw Dok-mi under the bus and transferred to another school, while Dok-mi was shunned and bullied for the rest of her high school experience. When she learns that Dok-mi lives next door to her crush, Do-hwi tries to rekindle their friendship, but Dok-mi is suspicious about her motives. 

Oh Dong-hoon (Go Kyung-pyo)

Dong-hoon is Ji Rok’s roommate and assistant on the webtoon. He also works a part time job at night, as a designated driver, to help pay the bills.  He is often the voice of sanity – he often questions Ji-Rok’s motives and is baffled by his friend’s constant rejection of Do-hwi.  He also has a love/hate relationship with the editor of their webtoon, Seul-gi, who is simultaneously annoyed and infatuated with him.

Kim Seul-gi (webtoon editor) (Kim Seul-gi)

Seul-gi is the stressed-out editor of Ji-Rok’s and Dong-hoon’s webtoon, Flower Boys Next Door. She gets very little sleeps and always has rings under her eyes. She becomes infatuated with Dong-hoon and even co-signs a $5800 loan for him after he damages his car. 

Yoon Seo-young (Kim Yoon-hye)/ Han Tae-joon (Kim Jung San)

Seo-young is Enrique’s best friend (and first-time love) who has romantic designs on Enrique’s cousin, Tae-joon – she specifically came to South Korea with Enrique so she could be with Tae-joon.
However, it proves to be a rather toxic relationship – Seo-young pours her heart out to Tae-joon but he just shrugs her off. He also decides to leave the country to fulfill his dream of being an island doctor and, unfortunately, there is no place for Seo-young in Tae-joon’ s dream, and he leaves her flat. Seo-young’s main reason for coming to South Korea has left and she wants to go back to Spain and insists that Enrique come back with her. These are the two least interesting characters in Flower Boys Next Door and, mercifully, very little time is devoted to their drama.  Indeed, they both exit the series midway through.

Mitzuke Kouki (Watanabe Ryu)

Mitzuke is the super friendly Japanese tenant whose main reason for coming to South Korea is the cuisine. He offers cooking classes in his apartment and befriends the tenants on his floor – he forms a close bond with Enrique.  He may be the only character who doesn’t have a major hang up. 

Hong Song-chul (Lee Dae-yeon)/ Jung Im (Kim So-yi)
Song-chul is the friendly apartment security guard who is in love with Jung Im – a classy middle-aged woman, who many suspect is the landlord.  Song-chul constantly tries to court Jung Im and always falls on his ass – he has the best intentions, but he is also incredibly awkward.  Jung Im is an agreeable person, who is interested in her neighbors (especially the younger males) and even makes a few friends. 

While Flower Boys Next Door is a romantic comedy, it is often a painful show to watch. This is in large part due to the characters’ troubled histories and their inability to move on from them. Dok-mi was betrayed and bullied by her best friend in high school and, understandably, has trust issues.  The main characters, despite their different backgrounds and personalities, have a few things in common:

Loneliness
They are all lonely individuals. Dok-mi has become content with isolating herself from the rest of humanity by hiding in her apartment. When Enrique takes an interest in her, at first, she is baffled by his presence – she doesn’t know what to make of him. When she begins to like him, this causes her to panic, and she pushes him away – she doesn’t want to risk having her heart broken. Enrique begins to mistake her quiet nature for indifference and even gets mad when, after he tells her he is leaving for Spain, she can only muster up a simple “Goodbye.”

Enrique has a legion of devoted fans and is often recognized on the street but has never had any meaningful relationships – he loves Seo-young, who in turn loves his cousin.  Enrique’s spastic behavior can be off putting at times, but he genuinely means well.  He is a fish out of water – he has grown up in Spain, so South Korea is like a foreign country to him. That’s probably why his behavior – like incessantly ringing on Dok-mi’s doorbell and knocking on her door – baffles everyone else. He is not really concerned with social customs, especially when he believes a person needs help. It genuinely annoys Ji Rok that Enrique’s “annoying” behavior ends up working on Dok-mi, while his more sensitive and methodical approach has failed to make any progress. 

Ji Rok, like Dok-mi, mostly confines himself to his apartment. Though, he at least has a handful of friends and often interacts with his neighbors. He has admired Dok-mi from afar but, other than a few exchanges in the elevator, has never made any effort to talk to her.  He does leave drawings on the milk cartons that are left outside of her door, but never reveals to her that he is the artist (even though she likes the drawings).  His extremely cautious approach annoys Dong-hoon, who wishes he would just work up the courage to talk to her. It’s only when Enrique enters Dok-mi’s life that Ji Rok FINALLY breaks the ice with her.  

Do-hwi surrounds herself with hangers-on and enablers but she doesn’t have a genuine friend. She betrayed the one real friend she had in high school and all her attempts on winning back Dok-mi are massive fails. She tries to appeal to nostalgia by giving Dok-mi a box filled with pictures and other mementos from their teenaged years. She throws a party in Dok-mi’s honor but only ends up pushing Dok-mi away further when she invites their literature teacher (the man who threw Dok-mi under the bus).  I initially wondered if Do-hwi was deliberately trying to traumatize Dok-mi, but it turns out that she is a stupid woman who can’t read the room. It was also revealed the reason the teacher showed up to the party was to apologize to Dok-mi. 

Unrequited Love/Idolization
The themes of idolization and unrequited love constantly pop up in Flower Boys Next Door; every character is inflicted with one or another (or sometimes both).  Dok-mi idolizes Tae-joon – she admires him from afar because on the surface he is the ideal male: young, handsome, and successful. The idea of Tae-joon is attractive and, I suspect, the main reason she never contacted him was the reality of Tae-joon could never live up to her illusion. She put him so high on a pedestal that any interaction with him would only knock him down a few pegs. 

The same applies to Ji Rok – he is in love with the idea of Dok-mi – the quiet, helpless girl who needs his sensitive guiding hand.  The few times they do interact, he treats her with kid gloves, out of fear that any sudden move or suggestion might traumatize her for life.  He mistakes her silence for weakness. His overly cautious approach towards her ends up opening the door of opportunity for Enrique. In fact, Enrique tells Ji Rok to confess his feelings to Dok-mi, because if he waits too long someone else will come along. Enrique never believed that “someone else” would be him. 

It is also sad that Enrique can learn more about Dok-mi in a couple of days than Ji Rok has in three years.  This is largely because Enrique doesn’t idolize Dok-mi; his intentions are not initially romantic in nature – he sees a lonely woman who he wants to help.

While Enriques doesn’t idolize anyone, he is idolized by his devoted fans. This is represented in the form of Bae Bok, a passionate fan who Enrique befriends at the restaurant MItzuke works at.  However, Bae Bok’s fandom turns completely toxic when she learns about his relationship with Dok-mi.  Enrique was initially supposed to be in South Korea for a month, then he was supposed to return to Spain to begin work on an animated film based off one of his video games. He prolongs this trip after Dok-mi and him begin to date. This enrages Bae Bok, who first sprays paints “DIE” on Dok-mi’s apartment door and then post pictures of Dok-mi on the fan forums to rile up the fanbase.  They are so angered over an animated movie that they are willing to ruin the life of woman who has done nothing wrong. It’s only a matter of time that the salacious rumors that haunted Dok-mi throughout high school make their way to the internet. They can’t believe their idol would date a woman “like that.”  Enrique calls a meeting of the local fans (including Bae Bok) and sets them straight on a few things. Basically, he tells them to “grow up” and assures them that he will return to Spain to being work on his animation project, but they need to stop attacking Dok-mi.  He also brings Dok-mi with him to put a human face to the woman they irrationally despise – it is easy to attack someone online but it is very difficult when they are in the same room as you. This subplot also gives Do-hwi her character arc, when the vicious rumors make their way to the internet, Doh-wi goes online to defend Dok-mi.

Enrique’s affection for Seo-young falls under unrequited love because he has poured his heart and soul out to her, but she only sees him as a friend and has feelings for his cousin.  Seo-young and Tae-joon are also a more clear-cut case of unrequited love – she is constantly by his side, pleading her case, and he just gives her the cold shoulder. Every time the two of them are seen together, Tae-joon looks annoyed and just views Seo-young as an inconvenience.

Do-hwi constantly throws herself at Ji Rok, but he spurns her advances. Once he learns that Do-hwi is responsible for Dok-mi’s introverted lifestyle, he tries to avoid her like the plague.  Do-hwi also mistakenly believes that Ji Rok is wealthy, unaware that his family has disavowed him. 

To a lesser degree, we see this theme of unrequited love play out between Sung-chul and Jung Im; he is constantly looking for reason to talk to her, but she remains oblivious towards his feelings. 

However, as painful as Flower Boys Next Door can be, it is also extremely uplifting at times. It’s hard not to cheer for Dok-mi as she slowly begins to embrace the outside world and make new friends. She is a character who has been through so much that when something finally goes her way, you can’t help to smile. There is also a nuance to Park Shin-hye’s performance – there is a scene, early on, where Enrique convinces her to go on a road trip and he takes her to the beach, and you can briefly see a smile flash across her face. Yet, despite this heart-warming moment, Dok-mi’s cynicism takes over and she asks Enrique if they can pretend that they never met. What I like about this series is that Dok-mi transition from being a cynical hermit to open minded individual is a gradual process; there is no scene where she gets invited to a party, gets shit faced, and, in her drunken state, becomes the life of the party.  She does get drunk in one scene, but she is more of a quiet drunk, and never becomes the focal point. 

The American equivalent to Flower Boys Next Door would be She’s All That, where the extremely dorky Laney Boggs is given a radical makeover by popular jock, Zack, and overnight becomes the most talked about woman on campus. Despite her introverted nature, she is magically able to make friends with a few of the popular girls and is nominated for Prom Queen. There is no scene in Flower Boys Next Door where Dok-mi is given a radical makeover. There is a scene later in the series where Enrique and she go clothing shopping, but that is about it. She is already a pretty woman and doesn’t need a makeover to emphasize that point. Her shopping for clothes is more about diversifying her wardrobe rather than compromising her personality.  She doesn’t magically morph into a social butterfly by the series end; she is still a bit awkward but is happy with Enrique and her handful of friends.  This leads me to two other themes that are prominent throughout the series:

Real Love
To quote Haddaway, “What is love?”  This is a question that constantly gets tossed around throughout the series.  The characters often express their love for individuals, because often they mistake attraction for love.  Dok-mi is attracted to Tae-joon and likes the idea of him, but chances are if she got to know the guy, she would gradually despise him.  It is easy to claim you love someone when times are good, or when you know very little about them, but the true test is when the shit hits the fan. 

Real love is often forged in fire – Dok-mi and Enrique get into multiple fights and witness each other’s worst qualities, but at the end of the day are still there for each other. In one of the show’s more realistic moments, after they have agreed to start dating, both are initially at a loss over what to do. This is a new experience for them.  Enrique doesn’t just magically transform into a passionate lover; he plays his romance with Dok-mi by ear.  The most interesting thing about their relationship is that they can communicate without words: Enrique often knows what Dok-mi is thinking just by the look in her eyes and body language; later, Dok-mi also learns this same skill with Enrique. 

There is an interesting role reversal in the second half of the series – in the first half, it is Enrique who pesters Dok-mi and gradually melts her icy heart.  In second half, after Enrique gets attacked by an outraged mother, he begins to have a crisis of faith and believes that he has a negative influence on the youth; when he shows this darker side to Dok-mi, she pleads for the old Enrique to come back and then is determined to cheer him up.  

Their relationship is, to a lesser extent, mirrored with Dong-hoon and Seul-gi – they initially start off as being combative towards one another. Seul-gi constantly screams up a storm over how unsatisfied she is with Ji Rok’s and Dong-hoon’s webtoon. However, as the show progresses, the two of them become fond of one another (Seul-gi co-signs a long for Dong-hoon and he gives her polite tips on how to improve her image) and it eventually turns into love. It’s a relationship that was formed in the trenches and can survive because both have already witnessed each other’s worst traits. More importantly, Dong-hoon falls in love with Seul-gi when she still looks like shit – he even comments that the permanent rings under her eyes are “kind of cute.”

Community
This theme is prominent in most K-dramas – the protagonist begins the series as a loner and by the end has built a small community around him/her.  In some instances, like the entertaining Birdie Buddy, they already belong to a strong community, and this is what props them up in their toughest moments.  Flower Boys Next Door begins with Dok-mi alone in her apartment and ends with her outdoors, walking on the sidewalk with Enrique and a handful of friends (including Ji Rok).  This a literal representation of the phrase “strength in numbers.”  Dok-mi begins the series believing that she can do everything on her own, but once she gets to know Enrique, and the joy he usually brings to the proceedings, she realizes this is a fallacy – especially after Enrique pronounces his love for to his less than receptive fanbase. He is willing to alienate his fans and potentially derail his career, because his love for Dok-mi is more important.  When she sees what he is willing to sacrifice, she can’t help but be moved. Early in the show, she states that her high school experience would have been bearable if only ONE person had stood by her side. Just one person she could lean on and pour out all her troubles to. It turns out that Enrique is that one person and she is perfectly okay with it. However, it certainly helps to have some back up and her fellow tenants at the apartment perfectly fill those roles. 

This theme of community extends to Mitzuke – he is a foreigner in another country, but rather than alienate himself from everyone, the first thing he does is make friends. He introduces himself to his neighbors and invites him to his apartment for cooking lesson. In fact, it is these weekly gatherings at his apartment that help cement the bonds the characters form. In one scene, Jung Im is bummed that Enrique is not there, because he is the one who makes the gatherings fun. This is not to say communities are inherently good – after all, the fanbase are a community and they behave in a toxic manner towards Dok-mi – but it certainly helps surrounding yourself with a handful people who understand and support you.

Flower Boys Next Door is not a perfect show. It often suffers from two tropes that annoy me: an overreliance on flashbacks to drive home a point – it often flashbacks to a scene that happened seconds ago. It also is heavily reliant on creating drama by people either missing a phone call or ignoring it. However, despite these flaws, it is still a pleasant diversion, and it does fly at a fast pace. Like most K-dramas, it is addictive – it is difficult to watch just one episode. 

Cast: Park Shin-hye (Go Dok-mi), Yoon Shi-yoon (Enrique Geum), Kim Ji-hoon (Oh Jin Rok), Park Soo-jin (Cha Do-hwi), Go Kyung-pyo(Oh Dong-hoon), Koki Mizuta (Watanabe Ryu), Kim Seul-gi (webtoon editor), Lee Dae-yeon (Hong Soon-chul), Kim So-yi (Jung Im), Kim Yoon-hye (Yoon Seo-young), Kim Jung San (Han Tae-joon), Kim Da-ye (Bae Bok).

Director: Jung Jung-hwa
Writer: Kim Eun-jung
16 episodes ~ 60 minutes