Still looking for something worthy to watch. I vaguely recall hearing about this show. Look, there's Uhm Ji Won who was in Sign and The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry, dramas I liked. Also, there's Yeon Jung Hoon from Vampire Prosecutor, another show I liked. Let's see if they can hold my attention.
Uhm Ji Won's character, Yoon Da Ran, narrates her poor and tragic life. As a little girl she watches as her home is repossessed. (And when Koreans repo, they repo everything! I bet there's a little red sticker on the roll of toilet paper in the bathroom, they're that thorough.) When she's eighteen her mother dies from ill health caused by poverty. At the sad little funeral for mom, Da Ran and her father are the only ones who are there to mourn. What they don't notice is right next door is another sad little funeral, this one has only a solitary boy to do the mourning. Later Da Ran runs to a roof (like all DramaKoreans do) and cries out for her mother. Again she doesn't notice that just one floor below her is that lonely young boy.
Time leap forward (I'm not sure how many years) and there is a splashy awards ceremony going on. Limos, cameras, screaming fans and random white people galore. Is it the Korean Oscars? No, it's an awards program for businesspeople, because businesspeople warrant screaming fans. The lonely little boy is now the grown up Ma In Tak (Yeon Jung Hoon), the winner of the solid gold award for best businessman. What's up with that hair, In Tak?
After the awards show there is a press interview with the winner. Look, In Tak is wearing socks! He's the only man in Korea who wears socks! In Tak is sitting on a couch with an admittedly attractive female reporter who is flirting like crazy with him. Suddenly her ass catches his attention. No, not her ass. It's a thread! In Tak goes ape-shit on his assistant because there's a thread on the couch. Somebody has some serious OCD issues. Or is that anal retentive issues? Whatever, the boy ain't right.
Grown-up Da Ran is working in a department store. She comes into work to see a woman trying to return a well-used bra. Da Ran recognizes her as an old school mate. The woman wants to return the bra because it isn't comfortable anymore. Da Ran guesses that the reason it isn't comfortable anymore is because the woman had her boobs done. The customer slaps Da Ran hard. Da Ran can't react because of that old axiom of the customer is always right. But then she gets a phone call that changes everything. Her boyfriend just passed the bar exam. That means Da Ran doesn't have to work at this store any more, which means she doesn't have to put up with this woman's shit any more. She shoves the used bra back at the woman, saying the customer can have all the plastic surgery she can afford but she'll never be a natural beauty like Da Ran. Go, Da Ran, Go.
There's a quick shot of Ji Won's Woman Who Wants To Marry co-star, Wang Bit Na, as she and Da Ran politely struggle over an ugly orange purse. (Nobody said high fashion was pretty.) Da Ran wins the tug of war and treats herself to an expensive ugly purse.
In Tak is trying out a new chauffeur today. He tells the man if he can get them to a certain building within twenty minutes, In Tak will give him a huge tip. The man drives like a maniac, weaving in and out of traffic. In Tak is holding on for dear life in the back seat. (Put your seat belt on, In Tak. You can wear socks but you can't wear a seat belt?) They arrive at the designated building with a few minutes to spare. In Tak gives the big tip as promised, but he also fires the chauffeur. What the hey, man? You're the one who wanted to get somewhere fast. You've got issues.
Inside the building In Tak is having a legal meeting including his uncle and aunt. As per Korean Drama Law, the dead rich grandmother has made a wacky will. She's left everything to In Tak's uncle and In Tak's wife. That is, if In Tak had a wife. No one can touch the inheritance until In Tak gets married. However, if he's still single by this time next year, everything will go to charity. Understandably, In Tak's uncle and aunt are urging him to quickly marry. Understandably, In Tak plans to remain single. Oh you crazy dead rich Korean grandmothers.
Da Ran and her boyfriend, U Suk, are at a restaurant having dinner. There's that ugly orange bag. U Suk slips a ring on her finger and asks her to marry him. Da Ran excitedly agrees, then worries that perhaps she's not good enough to be a prosecutor's wife. Her boyfriend replies that maybe she can continue her studies in fine art. Da Ran looks a little panicked at this. We flash back to when Da Ran and U Suk first met in an art gallery. He thought she was the painter of the artwork she was standing in front of at the time. What she didn't rush to tell him was she only worked at the art gallery and was cleaning the work. Ah, so Da Ran is a bit of a liar.
In the background we see In Tak enter. To shut his uncle and aunt up, at least for awhile, he agrees to a blind date they've set him up on. It isn't that blind as In Tak pulls out a folder and starts reading off intimate details of the woman's life: a list of boyfriends, a list of plastic surgeries, etc. The woman gets upset and makes a scene, drawing everyone's attention, including Da Ran. Da Ran feels a disturbance in the Force (is she psychic?) and automatically sides with the unknown woman against In Tak. Just look at him. He's obviously evil. Must be the socks.
In Tak's uncle (I have yet to catch his name) is talking to In Tak's assistant. Not the one In Tak went ape-shit on about the thread. He had a female one as well and she seems to be the only person who can halfway stand up to In Tak and his issues. Anyway, Unnamed Uncle and Unnamed Assistant are working together behind the scenes to get In Tak married.
Da Ran is meeting with her father. (Is that the Carpenters playing the in background??) She's on a mission to clean her old man up and make him presentable to U Suk's parents. They both collaborate on creating a successful back story for Dad, like he's a founder of a small business or something. Dad really wants to help his daughter out so later he's talking to some investment guy. The young man is trying to talk Dad into sinking his savings into a diamond mind in Africa. To sweeten the pot the investment guy tells Dad that the uber-successful Ma In Tak just that morning bought into the same company. Don't believe him, Dad!
Finally we get back to Wang Bit Na. Her character's name is Hong Mi Mi and she's an actress. She's out on location expecting to work, only to learn that the producers have cast someone else in her role. She begs the director to put her back in the picture. He gets all dirty-old-man on her and expects some kind of compensation if he does put her back in.
Mi Mi goes off to have a good cry. (I'm not used to seeing her like this. She was so strong and fierce in Woman Who Wants To Marry.) A man comes over to her and offers her a handkerchief. This is Kim Sun Woo, who saw what happened between Mi Mi and the director. Mi Mi knows Sun Woo and wonders why he's come looking for her after ten years. Sun Woo shows her a magazine with In Tak on the cover. Is this guy some kind of con artist? (Mi Mi, take off that damn purple yak fur coat!)
Sun Woo certainly seems to be prepping Mi Mi. She's going to be at a movie conference in a hotel on Jeju Island. In Tak will be there as in investor.
This is also where Da Ran and her dad are supposed to be meeting U Suk and his parents. But both men have been delayed so Da Ran has gone on ahead alone. At the airport, Da Ran and In Tak are waiting for cabs. He's got dark glasses on and has a Dalmatian with him. Da Ran just glances at him, not recognizing him as the guy from restaurant. Does she think he's blind? What's with the dog?
Mi Mi sends a message to In Tak asking to meet him, it is very important. He agrees to give her only ten minutes. Meet him at the coffee shop on the 11th floor. Da Ran's dad finally arrives and he gets on the same elevator as In Tak. Dad recognizes him and greets him like an old friend, saying he just sank all his savings into the same diamond mind In Tak did. In Tak motions to a small television in the elevator which is showing the offices of the scam artist Dad had visited. Looks like they're being raided by the ROK Feds. Dad looks apoplectic.
In Tak meets with Mi Mi, who asks if he recognizes her. All he can think of is a really trashy movie he saw her in years before. He starts to get up and leave when she hurriedly says, "I'm Hong Mi Sun." He seems momentarily stunned by this announcement, but then replies there are millions of Hong Mi Suns in Korea. He's not interested in Mi Mi/Mi Sun. The ten minutes he allotted her are up and he leaves. (Who Hong Mi Sun is/was is not explained, at least in this episode.)
Da Ran is waiting in a private dining room where everybody is supposed to be meeting but no one is showing up. Wait, someone did shows up. Some shady looking fellows walk in. (OMG, somebody get that one kid a barber. He can't see anything for his hair. Oh hey, there's Yoon Yong Hyun from Giant and History of the Salaryman.) They're all loan sharks and they're looking for U Suk. Whadya know, Da Ran isn't the only one in the relationship who was lying. U Suk has taken off for parts unknown and now the loan sharks expect Da Ran to pay back all he owes, plus interest, or else she and her dad are doomed.
What an odd little show.
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