Hollywood, before it became obsessed with pushing ideology
and rebooting every IP on the planet, used to make movies that catered to the
middle class – in the 1980s there was a whole genre of “slobs vs. snobs” comedies
that resonated with middle America. Now that activists have taken over the
industry, they have abandoned making these types of movies and have figured
their best path to success is to alienate this audience and try to win over a
non-existent modern audience. They are
no longer in the business of entertainment but lecturing their audience in a
desperate attempt to win them over to their cause.
Therefore, it is interesting to see the “slobs vs. snobs”
get adopted by South Korean television.
In the past two weeks, I watched two Korean TV shows, My Roommate is a Gumiho and
Backstreet Rookie, and while these two shows are thematically
very different, they do feature a female protagonist who is part of the working
class. In My Roommate is a Gumiho the protagonist is a college student,
Lee Dam, who (like most college students) on the weekends goes out to the bars
with her two best friends– her two biggest vices are fried chicken and
beer. She also takes a part time job at
Subway to supplement her income – this is something that many college students
can relate to. In fact, it is
interesting that, despite the language barrier and cultural differences I find
Lee Dam more relatable than most of the characters that populate American
television/cinema. My Roommate is a
Gumiho is a highly entertaining show, but for the sake of brevity, this
review is going to focus on Backstreet Rookie because it is an interesting
(and often funny show) that is filled with all twists and turns. It is
impossible to write about Backstreet Rookie without breaking down the
main characters. They are a fascinating
bunch and are each worthy of analysis:
Jung Saet-byul (Kim Yoo-jung)
Our first introduction to Jung Saet-byul is her beating the crap of bullies. One could easily mistake her for the boring Girl Bosses that have dominated American culture for the last few years. Yet, as the series progresses, we realize that Saet-byul is more complicated than we initially believe. She didn’t just magically learn how to fight – she was taught Tai Chi by her father, who owned a dojo. After her father was killed in a car accident this left Saet-byul and her younger sister, Eun-byul, parentless (their mother passed away when they were kids). Saet-byul is a member of the Have Nots – she has spent most of her adult life having to work menial jobs (delivery girl, handing out fliers, part time convenience store employee) just so she can support Eun-byul and herself.
While Saet-byul is presented as a badass, she never starts fights – she only uses her fighting skills on bullies. She also harbored a crush on Cho Dae-hyun ever since she was twelve years-old – after he pulled her out of the way to save her from being crushed by a falling punching bag. She later runs into him seven years later while she is smoking with her friends outdoors. Dae-hyun is distraught after his girlfriend has broken up with him, and throws a teddy bear he bought her into a dumpster. The three girls witness this and then ask Dae-hyun if he can buy them cigarettes. However, instead he buys them candy and scolds them about how cigarettes are bad for them. Dae-hyun appreciates his concern and gives him a kiss on the lips. Three years later – Dae-hyun is the owner of a convenience store and is looking to hire a part timer. Saet-byul sees the “Help Wanted” sign and applies.
Choi Dae-hyun (Ji Chang-wook)
When we first meet Choi Dae-hyun, he is a bit off putting (he constantly in the habit of scolding people) but as the show progresses, we realize that he is a good-natured guy. In fact, he may be a bit too good-natured as people constantly take advantage of his kindness. He is initially suspicious of Saet-byul; he mistakenly characterizes her as a juvenile delinquent and even suspects her of taking money from the register. However, once he gets to know her better, he realizes that she is a victim of circumstance and is genuinely kind person. Dae-hyun is the kind of man who is willing to admit he was wrong and tries to atone for his mistake – once he realizes Dae-hyun’s plight, he genuinely wants to help her – not for an ulterior motive but because he legitimately cares about her. He is also dating the older, and extremely wealthy, Yoo Yeon-joo, and their relationship is less than ideal – she constantly suspects that he is fooling around behind her back. Dae-hyun does have a habit of being caught in compromising positions – at one-point Yeon-joo catches him getting drunk with Saet-byul and her friends outside the convenience store. He initially was going to scold Saet-byul for getting drunk on the job, but Geum Bi and Eun Joo, sensing that he is a pushover, play the sympathy card and next thing you know is drinking with them. There is also another scene, after Saet-byul has been awarded “employee of the month,” she persuades Dae-hyun into giving her a piggyback ride, and who should walk in at that very moment but Yeon-joo. He is also constantly apologizing, even when he hasn’t done anything wrong.
Yoo Yeon-joo (Han Sunhwa)
When the series begins, Yeon-joo is Dae-hyun’s girlfriend – they have been dating for two years. She works at the corporate headquarters as the Public Relations team leader. She also comes from a wealthy family (her father owns the second most stocks in the company) and is two years older than Dae-hyun (ironically, in real life Han Sunhwa is three years younger than Ji Chang-wook). However, she begins to have second thoughts about her relationship with Dae-hyun; him hiring Saet-byul as a part timer certainly doesn’t help matters. The biggest problem is that they inhabit two different worlds– Yeon-joo belongs in the world of corporate board meetings, fancy restaurants, and other high society functions, but she is at a loss when it comes to the common folk and their hang outs. It is interesting to note that Dae-hyun inhabited both worlds – he used to work at the corporate headquarters but resigned and opted to open a convenience store. Yeon-joo is so embarrassed by the last part that she has never introduced Dae-hyun to her parents – because she knows they would disapprove of her dating a convenience store owner.
It is to the credit of the writers (and actress) that Yeon-joo is not a one-dimensional bitch – in most American sitcoms, such a character would be utterly irredeemable. She makes questionable decisions, but a lot of that can be chalked up to her upbringing. She is the type of girls who has never heard the word “no.” When she pressures Dae-hyun to fire Saet-byul, he is initially receptive to the idea but has a change of heart when he learns about Saet-byul’s situation. This upsets Yeon-joo and she concludes that the two of them are fooling around behind her back. In fact, Dae-hyun has rejected Saet-byul’s advances because he is committed to his relationship with Yeon-joo. He desperately wants to make it work, but Yeon-joo is too consumed with self-doubt to notice. The irony is that while Dae-hyun has resisted Saet-byul’s many comes on, it is Yeon-joo who fools around behind Dae-hyun’s back – she has a brief fling with the company boss, and her childhood friend, Seung-joon. He catches her in an extremely vulnerable moment and makes his move on her. Not to mention, her domineering mother keeps pressuring her to dump Dae-hyun and hook up with Seung-joon. To her credit, she regrets the affair and wants to make amends to Dae-hyun, but she just can’t trust him being alone with Saet-byul. She eventually breaks up with Dae-hyun, because she can’t overcome her suspicions. After seeing his blossoming romance with Saet-byul, she realizes made a huge mistake and is determined to win him back. However, her idea of winning back Dae-hyun’s love is by bribing him with a cushy executive job and pushing Saet-byul out of the picture.
Han Dal Sik (Eun Moon-suk)/ Hwang Geum Bi (Seo Ye-hwa)
These two characters are each other’s counterparts – Dal Sik is Dae-hyun’s best friend while Geum Bi is Saet-byul’s best friend. Dal Sik is the author of an erotic webtoon – though, he only views it as a job, he would rather write romance stories. He is Bob Marley fan and has co-opted the whole Rastafarian look – he has dreadlocks, wears Hawaiian t-shirt, and has a bad tan. He uses a pseudonym “Reggae Boy” while writing his webtoon. It turns out that Geum Bi is the biggest fan of his webtoon and often leaves an encouraging comment. In the real world, they are oblivious to each other’s online personalities and can’t stand one another – every time they run into each other, usually at the convenience store, it often turns violent – Geum Bi gets offended by a comment he makes and slaps him. Geum Bi is kind of the inverse of Yeon-joo – she also comes from wealth, but she is far more comfortable hanging out with Saet-byul and frequenting all sorts of dive bars. When Dal Sik and Geum Bi finally figure out each other’s identities, they are, at first, appalled but, as they spend more time together, they begin to realize they have a lot in common and eventually fall in love.
Gong Boo-hee (Kim Sun-young)
Boo-hee is Dae-hyun’s mother, who sells insurance for a living. She is also a character of contradictions – a woman who is often angry (and abusive towards her husband), yet who is also capable of showing great warmth and compassion to people who need it. When she finds out that Saet-byul has been evicted from her apartment and forced to live in a sauna, Boo-hee takes Saet-byul under her wing and allows her to live with the family. Boo-hee becomes a surrogate mother to the parentless Saet-byul.
Boo-hee’s violent streaks stem from resentment at the way her life turned out – she had great aspirations in her youth but was forced to settle selling insurance while struggling to raise her family. It doesn’t help that her husband, Yong-pil, has been unemployed for a long time, making her the only breadwinner in the family. She views herself as a total failure. She simultaneously resents the upper class while desperately wanting to become a member of it. When Yeon-joo tries to get back together with Dae-hyun, she tries to get to Dae-hyun through his mother – the two of the meets up, enjoy a few drinks together, and then Yeon-joo drops the bomb she wants to back together with Dae-hyun. Boo-hee is elated and then proceeds to pressure Dae-hyun into taking back Yeon-joo, while Saet-byul is standing in the same room. She views this as a shot at upward mobility, if Dae-hyun marries into wealth it would solve all their problems.
Choi Yong-pil (Lee Byung-joon)
Yong-pil is Dae-hyun’s father who has spent most of his adult life as a stay-at-home. He does help Dae-hyun run the convenience store – often working shifts when his son is unavailable. He is also reckless when it comes to money – he buys a message chair behind his wife’s back. He is also a man who is stuck in past – he, along with his three best friends (and former bandmates), plans on taking a trip to China to visit their one-time lead singer/Yong-pil’s first love, Jang-mi (who was also Doo-hee’s best friend before they had a falling out). His heart is often in the right place, but he is extremely clumsy.
His luck seems to take a turn for the better when he gets a chauffeur job. He is hired to drive around Yeon-joo and her mother. However, it is revealed that the only reason Yeon-joo’s mother hired Yong-pil was to spite Dae-hyun. It’s her way of dangling carrot in front of Yong-pil – give him a taste of the finer things in life before taking them away – she plans on firing him for the most trivial thing. However, Yong-pil doesn’t give her that satisfaction; when he learns he is a pawn in her game, he quits the job. He may be absent minded, but he still has his pride.
Jung Eun-byul (Ahn Sol-bin)
Eun-byul is Saet-byul’s younger sister. She is seventeen years old and attends high school. She also hangs out with bullies, who take compromising pictures of her on their phones, so they can control her. Eun-byul’s true ambition is to be a K-pop idol. She passes the audition process and becomes a trainee. She must resort to dubious methods to achieve her dream – she steals all her sister’s money and hires an actress to pose as her mother. Unfortunately, her a past comes back to bite her in the ass, when the bullies, feeling that she has shunned them, leak the compromising photos of Eun-byul online. Overnight, Eun-byul is labelled a bully (one of the photos is staged photo of Eun-byul stepping on her friend’s knee). As we have learned from the T-ara scandal, South Koreans take their bullying allegations seriously.
However, it isn’t just Eun-byul’s reputation that is sullied, but Saet-byul’s and Kang Ji-uk’s (a childhood friend), as well. A video surfaces of Saet-byul beating up bullies – but it is taken out of context, and everyone assumes Saet-byul is the bully. A tabloid journalist takes a picture of Kang Ji-uk comforting Eun-byul, and everyone assumes the two of them are in a romantic relationship. Kang Ji-uk is a famous actor, with a huge fan following, but when his fanbase sees him supposedly romancing an alleged bully, they quickly turn on him. Eventually, all three of them are vindicated, thanks to Saet-byul contacting the tabloid journalist and presenting her with evidence that contradicts all these claims, and Eun-byul can resume her K-pop career.
Kang Ji-uk (Kim Min-kyu)
As mentioned above, Kang Ji-uk is a famous actor, who is also a childhood friend of Saet-byul and Eun-byul – he was a student at their father’s dojo. He also has a massive crush on Saet-byul and is, naturally, jealous that she reserves all her affection for Dae-hyun. This irritates him in the early going, when Dae-hyun seems oblivious to Saet-byul’s feelings. He does call out Dae-hyun on his cavalier attitude and Dae-hyun, to his credit, listens to Ji-uk’s criticisms. He doesn’t mind Saet-byul choosing another man, if that man treats her right.
I initially believed he would end up with Eun-byul, the show seems to be setting up this fact, especially after he promises Saet-byul that he will look after her younger sister. Instead, he ends landing an acting gig in the United States and promptly exits the series.
Kim Hye-ja -Yoo Yeon-joo’s Mother (Gyeon Mi-ri)
Kim Hye-ja is the main antagonist of the series – she is also Yoo Yeon-joo’s domineering mother. She is an extremely cold-hearted woman who views people as commodities. When Yeon-joo breaks up with Dae-hyun that isn’t enough for Hye-ja, she decides to rub salt in the wound by dragging Dae-hyun’s into the mix. This appalls even Yeon-joo, who scolds her mother for going too far. Yet, for all Hye-ja’s wealth, she is a lonely woman; her distant personality only succeeds at driving Yeon-joo.
Jo Seung-joon (Do Sang-woo)
Seung-joon is the secondary antagonist of the series – he is the convenience store’s head office director, a role given to him by his father – who is the owner of the company. He has known Yeon-joo his entire life and has romantic designs on her – he tries to lure her away from Dae-hyun multiple times. He was also responsible for Dae-hyun resigning from the head office – he persuaded Dae-hyun to take the fall for Yeon-joo. Interestingly, there isn’t any real animosity between Dae-hyun and him; there is no scene where they engage in a shouting match nor fisticuffs. He doesn’t dislike Dae-hyun, he just doesn’t think Yeon-joo and Dae-hyun are a good match (to his credit, he is correct).
Now that I got the characters summaries out of the way, I would like to explore the themes that an inherent throughout Backstreet Rookie. Despite its sitcom structure, there is a lot of emotional depth in Backstreet Rookie. There are four principal themes that I would like to explore:
Jumping to the Wrong Conclusions
A common theme that occurs throughout Backstreet Rookie is characters
often jumping to the wrong conclusion often due to a misunderstanding. When Saet-byul starts working at the
convenience store, Dae-hyun is initially suspicious of her; he still thinks of
her as that delinquent girl who asked him to buy her a pack of cigarettes. When
money goes missing from the cash register, Dae-hyun assumes Saet-byul is the
culprit – he saw her leaving the convenience store with bills sticking out of
her back pocket. However, it turns out that Bong-hee took the bills; she
borrowed the money to pay for the bills and then paid it back. He becomes more
suspicious of Saet-byul when Dal Sik records a video of her beating up shoplifters
in a back alley. Dae-hyun is not giving the proper context of this event, he
just assumes she picked a fight with random strangers.
When three bullies accost Yeon-joo in the woman’s restroom, Saet-byul arrives
on the scene and teaches them a lesson. However, Yeon-joo is so frightened by
the incident, and spent the entirety of the fight hidden in the stall, that
when Saet-byul opens the door to assure her everything is okay, Yeon-joo
assumes she is one of the bullies. Saet-byul
also desperately needs to use the toilet and because Yeon-joo is too busy
freaking out, Saet-byul tries to pull her out of the stall. It is at this exact
moment that Dae-hyun arrives on the scene; he is wondering what is taking
Yeon-joo so long and goes to investigate. Right when he is outside of the
restroom door, one of the bullies’ crashes through the door. This arouses his
curiosity and walks into to find Saet-byul, apparently, assaulting his
hysterical girlfriend.
Based off these two incidents, and at the urging of
Yeon-joo, Dae-hyun decides he is going to fire Saet-byul. It looks like he is
going to go through with the plan when Saet-byul’s two friends, Geum Bi and
Yoon So, approach Dae-hyun and set the record straight. Once Dae-hyun learns about Saet-byul and her current situation, he is determined to help her. Dae-hyun may be a square but he is a good-hearted
square.
When Yeon-joo learns that Dae-hyun resigned from the head
office to take the fall for her, she is determined to make amends by getting
him an executive job (to represent all the convenience store owners). However, she has an ulterior motive for this -
she is hoping this gesture will win him back. She also persuades Dae-hyun and
his family to sign over the ownership of the convenience store to the head
office; this allows Yeon-joo to pick her own store manager (corporate lackey,
Bae) and she specifically instructs him to treat Saet-byul badly, so that she
will quit. Yet, despite all her efforts, Dae-hyun has no interest getting back
together with Yeon-joo. He doesn’t hold a grudge against her, he has just
moved on with his life and has found Saet-byul, who is a better match for him.
No amount of money or power can get Dae-hyun to change his mind and Yeon-joo,
grudgingly, accepts this fact.
When the bullies leak the compromising photos of Eun-byul,
the entire public jumps to the wrong conclusion and believes she is a bully.
Overnight, her entire world comes crashing down. When the video leaks of
Saet-byul beating up bullies, the convenience store takes a huge hit; customers
can’t believe Dae-hyun would hire such a terrible person. Yet, Dae-hyun refuses to budge and stands by
Dae-hyun. Eventually the truth comes out and the two sisters can resume their
normal lives.
Finally, Saet-byul mistakenly believes that she has been a
burden to Dae-hyun and his family and packs up her belongings to work at a
farm. This comes after Bong-hee urges
Dae-hyun to back together with Yeon-joo and after Yeon-joo has laid a massive
guilt trip on Saet-byul (“Think of what’s best for Dae-hyun.”) Of course, we, the audience, know better and,
more importantly, so does Dae-hyun – she has not been a hindrance on his life,
she has massively improved it. He finds Dae-hyun
– it is revealed that Dal Sik’s father owns the farm she works on – and he
pours his soul out to her. He even quits
his comfy job at the head office and regains ownership of the store, just so he
can be with Saet-byul. Yeon-joo,
realizing she has lost, gets a job in the United States.
Class
This is one of the more obvious themes that pops up through
the series, but it is interesting how the series is approaches it. All three
classes are depicted in this series: the upper class (Yeon-joo and her mother),
the middle class (Dae-hyun and family), and the lower class (Saet-byul and her
sister). The upper class looks down on both the middle class and lower class;
in their mind there is no real distinction. When Yeon-joo is dating Dae-hyun,
they are often the subject of gossip; her co-workers at the head office can’t
believe she would date a convenience store owner. Even though Yeon-joo has dated Dae-hyun for
two years, she has hidden him from her parents, because she knows they would
disapprove. Her mother desperately wants
her to get together with Seung-joon, because he belongs to the same class as
her. When they are shooting a promo
video at Dae-hyun’s convenience store (starring Ji-uk), Yeon-joo comments that
she can’t wait until it’s over, because she “hates places like this.” Dong-hee overhears this and gives her a
scolding. This is an interesting exchange because Yeon-joo wasn’t trying to be
disparaging, she just isn’t comfortable in that type of setting, but Dong-hee
interprets it as her denigrating the working class. Later, after the shoot is finished, Yeon-joo
is talking on her cell phone and walks past Dong-hee, who thinks that Yeon-joo
is ignoring her. She then calls out Yeon-joo and makes a scene out of it, much
to the confusion of Yeon-joo.
As I mentioned in Bong-hee’s description, she simultaneously
resents the upper class but also wants to be a member. She completely changes
her tune when Yeon-joo tries to get back together with Dae-hyun. In Bong-hee’s mind, even though her family
has been disrespected by Yeon-joo’s mother, she would rather be that dreadful
woman’s in-law than wallow in middle class mediocrity.
This brings up the other half of this theme: the middle class often looks up to
the rich while resenting the poor. Dae-hyun initially assumes the worst about
Saet-byul, solely due to her poor upbringing – she has no parents, dropped out
of high school, and has gotten into many street fights, so his is naturally
suspicious of her. It is a bias he initially
struggles to get past, because, from his point of view, she seems to have a
knack for getting into trouble.
Ironically, it turns out that his older sister is the one who has been
stealing from the store and register.
However, there are characters who really don’t belong in any
class – they just go where they please. Both Geum Bi and Dal Sik come from wealth
yet choose to hang out in dive bars with the Saet-byul and Yoon So. It is implied that Dae-hyun could easily join
the elite crowd, but he gives up that opportunity so he can be with Saet-byul.
Hell, even Yeon-joo, for all her faults, would rather be with Dae-hyun than
Seung-joon, but she is just not good at expressing her true feelings – rather
than scheming to get Saet-byul out of the picture and buttering up his mother,
she should have just directly told him how she feels. At the end, despite her
efforts, Yeon-joo can’t overcome the class barrier.
Destiny
Destiny is a theme that often pops up in K-dramas; in shows
like My Roommate is a Gumiho and May I Help You, it is explicit.
In the former show, there is a Mountain Spirit who oversees people’s
destinies. In Backstreet Rookie,
it is implied that destiny is at work. The first time Saet-byul meets Dae-hyun she is
a preteen practicing at her father’s dojo, and Dae-hyun happens to walk in at
just the right time to save her from a falling punching bag. Years later, the two of them meet again –
after Dae-hyun has been dumped by his then girlfriend. He is distraught and aimlessly
wanders the streets when he stumbles upon Saet-byul and her friends. This is an
amazing coincidence, or is it? Saet-byul
has harbored a crush on Dae-hyun ever since that eventful day at her father’s
dojo and immediately recognizes him. Three
years later, when Dae-hyun is looking for part time help at his convenience
store, Saet-byul sees the “HELP WANTED” sign and takes advantage of this
opportunity. She certainly doesn’t see
it as coincidence but rather as destiny working in her favor.
The same applies to Dal Sik and Geum Bi; they are destined
to be a couple. The two of them are a huge presence in each other’s lives
without realizing it – they both play the same dance game at the arcade and
often beat each other’s scores. They are
always annoyed that someone has bested their score and immediately work to
regain the top score. Later, they work
together as a team and are in perfect sync with each other. More importantly, Geum Bi just happens to be
a huge fan of Dal Sik’s webtoon. After she finds out his true identity, she
even helps him come up with a resolution for his webtoon. They are the perfect team, yet had they not
been at the right place at the right time, they would still be lonely.
Destiny in Backstreet Rookie is more of a guiding
force - it can only take you so far, but it’s up to you what to do with it.
Saet-byul recognizes destiny is at work and immediately seizes upon it to make
her dreams come true. Destiny seemed to
be working in Yeon-joo’s favor, but she shrugs it off and breaks up with
Dae-hyun (a man who was truly devoted to her).
When she recognizes her mistake, it is too little too late.
Family
The most important, and obvious, theme of Backstreet
Rookie is family. Dae-hyun’s family
may be a dysfunctional bunch, but they are always there for each other – they
question Dae-hyun running a convenience store, but they are willing to help
him. The same applies to Dal Sik – he is often working shifts to cover for
Dae-hyun. Dae-hyun’s mother comes across
as strict and confrontational, but she is willing to take Saet-byul, and later
Eun-byul, when they desperately need a place to stay. While Dae-hyun is often annoyed by his
family, Saet-byul is charmed by them and reminds him how lucky he truly
is.
Saet-byul has a turbulent relationship with Eun-byul, they
are constantly butting heads. Eun-byul
tries to keep her K-pop trainee status a secret from her older sister, and when
Saet-byul finds out she initially disapproves. However, she changes her mind
when she sees a viral video of Eun-byul at her first showcase; while performing
a song and dance number with her girl group, Eun-byul slips and falls,
bloodying her nose in the process. However, she gets right back up and finishes
the number, bloody nose and all. This turns her into a huge internet sensation
but, more importantly, earns the respect of her older sister. How can Saet-byul ruin the dreams of someone
who is that dedicated? When the bullies
nearly derail Eun-byul’s K-pop career, Saet-byul is by her side to offer her
moral support.
The Saet-byul/ Dae-hyun relationship is an interesting one.
Saet-byul has proven she can fight her own battles, so she doesn’t need
Dae-hyun to stand up for her. What
attracts Saet-byul to Dae-hyun is that he is often pushing her to better
herself. When he finds out that she
dropped out of high school, he encourages her to continue her education by
taking a G.E.D. He also encourages her
to go to a university and offers to pay for her education himself. He often scolds Saet-byul, not because he
hates her, but because he has high expectations for her. He knows she can do
better. He is probably the first person
since her late father, who openly expresses his belief in her.
It is not a one-sided relationship: Dae-hyun helps Saet-byul with her education
and she helps boost the business at his convenience store. It is her agreeable
personality that helps create a loyal customer base – she always has a smile on
her face and is willing to help when asked.
The two of them take turns looking after one another – when Saet-byul is
hospitalized for appendicitis, Dae-hyun pays her hospital and even doubles her
work pay, so she will be able to cover her bills. Later, when Dae-hyun is hospitalized for
exhaustion, Saet-byul is sitting by his side making sure he recovers.
The most tragic character in Backstreet Rookie is
Yeon-joo; she may come from a wealthy background and have a good paying job,
but she has no real family. Her father
is rarely around, and her mother is a cold woman, who views her daughter more
as a commodity rather than a person. Yeon-joo’s “friends” are also the type of
people who would have no qualms throwing her under the bus if it benefitted
them to do so. She is truly a lonely soul….and yet, she could have found
happiness had she been more trusting of Dae-hyun. She briefly experiences “family life” when
Bong-hee invites her over to the house for dinner, but by then Dae-hyun has
moved onto Saet-byul.
The other controversy was the age gap between the lead actors - in real life Ji Chang-wook is twelve years older than his co-star, Kim Yoo-jung. This an instance where the public confuses the characters for the actors that portray them- in the context of the TV show, there is a seven-year gap between Dae-hyun and Saet-byul; he is 29 years old while she is 22. It also interesting to note than in The K2, another drama starring Ji Chang-wook, the leading actress in that series, Song Yoon-ah, was his senior by fourteen years, and yet the two of them were praised for their remarkable chemistry. Granted, she was the villain of the piece, but there is still a lot of sexual tension between their two characters.
There was also controversy over the fact that Saet-byul kisses Dae-hyun in the very first episode. The formula for most K-dramas is that two romantic leads usually don't share a kiss until midway through the series- it's a moment that the show builds to and the characters have to earn it. Yet, Saet-byul just casually kisses Dae-hyun like it is nothing. I bring this up to emphasize the cultural differences between the United States and South Korea; in the United States very few people would think twice about this scene. They would watch it and then move onto the next scene. In South Korea, this moment was a bit too much for the viewers. How can she be kissing a man she hardly knows? This is not meant to be ridiculing Korean culture; indeed, I think one of the many flaws of American culture is that we have thrown all the standards out the window.
Cast: Ji Chang-wook (Choi Dae-hyun), Kim Yoo-jung (Jung Saet-byul), Han Sunhwa (Yoo Yeon-joo), Kim Sun-young (Gong Bon-hee), Lee Byung-joon (Choi Yong-pil), Seo Ye-hwa (Hwang Geum Bi), Eum Moon-suk (Han Dal Sik), Ahn Sol-bin (Jung Eun-byul), Kim Min-kyu (Jang Ji-wook), Do Sang-woo (Jo Seung-joon), Yoon So (Cha Eun-joo), Kim Ji-hyun (Choi Dae-soon), Gyeon Mi-ri (Kim Hye-ja – Yeon-joo’s mother), Heo Jae-ho (Department Head Bae), Park Jin-joo (Bully group leader).
Director: Lee Myoungwoo
Writer: Son Geun-joo. Based off the webtoon by Active Volcano
16 episodes ~ 60 minutes.
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