302

My Name Is Kim Sam Soon: Episode 1

[And now, for a special treat! With samsooki rediscovering his love of an old K-drama classic and generously offering his recaps, we thought it would be a blast to relive the glory days of My Name Is Kim Sam Soon. Huzzah! Those of you who’ve watched and loved Sam Soon can take this opportunity to wax nostalgic for the good ole days of the mid-2000’s, while those who haven’t seen it yet (crazy, but I assume there must be a few who fit this description) can see what the hype was all about.

So, let’s hop in our time machines and travel back to 2005, when Cinderellas and Candys ruled the day, cold chaebol princes were the hero of choice, and angst was ruled by unresolved first-love pain. Oh, wait. I guess not everything’s changed in six years. To add to the fun, we’ll be “airing” recaps on a familiar schedule, just like we’re watching it live all over again — so say hello to our newest Wednesday-Thursday drama! –javabeans]

Introduction

Perhaps you’ve heard of My Name Is Kim Sam Soon, a/k/a My Lovely Sam Soon? Before your time? Wowsers… Okay, well, in a sentence, MNIKSS is a romantic comedy where boy meets girl and then girl puts boy’s brain in a blender and pulses ‘frappe.’

MNIKSS wasn’t the first to follow a rich-man/poor-girl story line or have a fist-pounding-pillow love triangle, but there was something there that just seemed to resonate with people. And while ratings began rather modestly on June 1, 2005, by the sixteenth and last episode, more than half of Korea was tuning in to see what would happen.

Whether you’ve seen this drama before or not yet, I hope that you’ll find this trip back six years in time as fun as I do.

SONG OF THE DAY

Clazziquai – “Be My Love” [ Download ]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The initial characters!

Meet Kim Sam Soon – hovering around 30 years of age, a talented pastry chef who is soon to be ‘between employment opportunities’ due to trials of the heart. She’s not exactly the quiet, hard-working type. And she’s not quite spunky. On the other hand, she is a dreamer and she has a bright line personality for which there is right and wrong.

Min Hyun Woo has been Sam Soon’s boyfriend for three years. He is the second son of a construction company magnate. Hyun Woo is also a playboy who rationalizes everything yet believes in nothing. He is articulate and smooth, which probably contributes to his complete lack of ethics. Hyun Woo is the kind of person who would snag the $20 bill dropped by a poor old lady instead of returning it, rationalizing that his use of the $20 would be better for the national economy than a poor woman saving it.

Jin Heon is the owner of Bon Appetit, a fashionable French restaurant in Seoul. Bon Appetit is part of a conglomerate of hotels and restaurants owned by his family, led by Jin Heon’s mom, Na Hyun-Sook (aka Chairwoman Na). Jin Heon has spent his life being groomed for eventual leadership of his family’s businesses. Confident beyond arrogance, smart and jaded, Jin Heon uses the blind dates that his mother sets up for him as passable sport, both overestimating and belittling his dates at the same time.

Episode 1 – Life is Like A Box Filled With Bonbon Au Chocolat.

It is Christmas Eve night at a swanky hotel. Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” plays softly in the background as a happy couple, arm in arm, heads toward a nightcap of passion and love.

But who’s that following the couple, dressed like an incognito sack of wool? It’s Sam Soon, who’s tracked down and confirmed the cheating by her man, Hyun Woo. Sam Soon imagines herself as a vengeful woman, attacking Hyun Woo with the stiletto she has brought with her… until she is awakened from her reverie by a room service attendant who needs her to get out of the way. Sam Soon turns to run away but trips! And her woolen form doesn’t blend in with the hotel carpet! Oh noes! Hyun Woo cannot help but spot Sam Soon trying to crawl away.

Downstairs, in a packed hotel lounge, it is time to lay down cards and show hand. A non-apologetic Hyun Woo quizzes Sam Soon as to how she found out. While heart-broken, Sam Soon is not to be led astray through deflecting questions; she searches for answers. But Hyun Woo has none to offer other than to break up with her, coolly, with no regret or emotion.

Hyun Woo’s callousness finally rouses Sam Soon to defend herself. She brings out her rapidfire tongue blazing but this merely makes Hyun Woo walk away without answering. Not to save the relationship but to save herself, Sam Soon stands up in the lounge and shrilly calls out to Hyun Woo: “Was there ever a time you loved me?”

Hyun Woo pauses and then answers, probably truthfully, that he did love her. But his love has reached its limit, and so what can he do about it? Sam Soon rushes to the hotel bathroom to cry away from public eyes, but in her haste, Sam Soon had chosen the wrong bathroom! Could this Night of A Thousand Horrors get any worse?

Jin Heon was on a blind date of his own, and chose to spend the time listening in on Min Woo-Sam Soon saga rather than paying attention to his own date. Getting splashed with water for his own inattentiveness, Jin Heon finds himself face-to-face with a tear-streaked, half-dressed Sam Soon. Jin Heon offers some unwanted “many fish in the sea” advice before leaving.

Months pass. Jin Heon, the owner of the French restaurant, Bon Appetit, finds himself short of a pastry chef as his prized pâtissier has quit and gone back to Paris. Jin Heon meets with his mother, Chairwoman Na, to get a loaner French pastry chef or at least some pastries, from his mother’s hotel.

It has taken months to heal, but a resurgent Sam Soon has apparently shaken off The Worst Night Ever and is applying to a match-making service. Her unimpressive life history is laid out before a pudgy intake matchmaker. Her father has passed, she has no job, assets or university education, and pfft, what a weird name! The tigress in Sam Soon roars in response… before she wakes up again. Hehe!

These dream sequences are brilliant because more than being funny, they show Sam Soon’s character without actually being offensive (Sam Soon’s lack of respect at times would be a little hard for Korean viewers to take – but since it’s a dream, it doesn’t really count).

Back at the hotel, Jin Heon is being cheeky with his mother and Chairwoman Na is running short on patience for her son. The Chairwoman is not amused by Jin Heon’s blind date antics and starts beating on him. Consider it a loving beating and Jin Heon feels the love. Still, Jin Heon needs a pâtissier and heads down to the hotel restaurant to bum a few dozen cakes.

It seems that Sam Soon lost her pastry chef job due to her absence at work when she tried to track Hyun Woo on Christmas Eve. So after her visit to the matchmaking service, Sam Soon goes to another job interview at a certain hotel restaurant. Despite her efforts, Sam Soon is sadly rejected for being overqualified (how can one be overqualified? I don’t get it). And Sam Soon had even brought a mango mousse cake as an example of her abilities.

Before leaving, Sam Soon peeks into the hotel kitchen area and sees all the goodies being made. She is wistful and crouches for a closer look. Just then Jin Heon appears from behind and startles Sam Soon. The two collide and the latter’s hair is caught in the buttons of Jin Heon’s zoot suit!

Sam Soon struggles to get loose, but like a fish caught on a hook, squirming just makes it worse. And Jin Heon has no time to waste on interlopers or slackers. Bon Appetit needs cakes and pastries. He takes clippers… .and …. *snip* Oh no, you did-unt! Mmmm hmmm! he did-et!

Jin Heon ignores a howling Sam Soon and walks over to the hotel pâtissier Chef Chris. As Jin Heon unsuccessfully begs for pastries from Chef Chris, a pissed Sam Soon finally scores a victory for herself. *WHAP* While all of the other chefs are aghast, Chef Chris has one of the best lines when he says in some weirdly-spoken slow English, “Oh! My! God!”

Sam Soon snarks that Jin Heon should enjoy eating the cake, as she made it herself and it is a bit on the pricey side. Har! Lesson To Be Learned – hands off the ahjumma fro! On the way out, though, Sam Soon realizes that the person she just assaulted was the bathroom guy from Chrismas Eve! Sam Soon swears further revenge if she ever meets him for a third time. Meanwhile, a nonplussed Jin Heon tastes the smashed cake… and damn, but that’s some fine mango mousse, and runs after Sam Soon.

By luck or fate, Jin Heon has just found his pastry chef. Jin Heon chases down Sam Soon and reveals himself to be the President of Bon Appetit. See, the thing about Koreans is that stranger to stranger, polite speech (joen-de-mal) is pretty much mandatory even when one person is older than another. But once social status and even the briefest of personal relationships are confirmed, speech patterns can switch to familiar speech (ban-mal) pretty quickly if there is a big difference in social strata. Jin Heon has turned from polite stranger to jerky boss, and his speech and accent correspondingly switches from “Neutral-Polite-Inquisitive” to “Bored-British-Accent-Ban-Mal.” He orders Sam Soon to appear at his restaurant in a day’s time, resume and cakes in hand.

Despite her reservations with the ill-mannered Jin Heon, Sam Soon appears for the interview, desperately hoping that Jin Heon doesn’t recognize her from Christmas Eve. Jin Heon asks relevant questions about her lack of schooling but Sam Soon doesn’t flinch and answers truthfully. She passes the first round and now its taste-testing time for Sam Soon’s goodies.

With Westlife’s rendition of ‘Mack The Knife’ setting the mood, Sam Soon’s goodies are sampled before Jin Heon, the head chef of Bon Appetit, Chef Lee, and by the restaurant manager, Manager Oh. Sam Soon is asked about her pastries and she answers philosophically. Her chocolates are shaped by her own life experiences. She makes not only the chocolates but the box as well – as people must take full responsibility for their designs and choices. Jin Heon is impressed by Sam Soon’s passion and maturity but chooses a mien of disinterest.

Jin Heon has to work to hide his fascination and respect for her, but still manages to sound bored as he offers her the job. But rather than immediately accept, Sam Soon declares that she will take the job if she can be called Hee Jin, and not Sam Soon. Jin Heon doesn’t understand why Sam Soon is a bad name but Sam Soon can’t understand why Jin Heon can’t understand. What if Hyun Jin Heon were named Hyun Sam-Shik? (an adequate translation of “Sam-Shik” might be “Third-Punk” hehe.).

Finally, Jin Heon says that Sam Soon can pick any other name, but not Hee Jin. But Sam Soon must be Hee Jin. Why must you be Hee Jin? Why must you ask why I must be Hee Jin? Hehe! It’s stare-down time! Sam Soon, rather cannily, plays chicken with Jin Heon as she gets up to leave. Jin Heon caves.

And so Kim Sam-, er, I mean, Kim Hee Jin is introduced as the new pastry chef of Bon Appetit. She is greeted warmly with the exception of the restaurant’s chief single lady, Captain Jang (wait-staff floor leader), who feels threatened by the arrival of yet another woman to try to take away her President Jin Heon.

With the entire restaurant as an audience, Jang Captain asks for Sam Soon’s age, ostensibly to determine how to address her. With that being the apparent reason, Sam Soon has no choice but to answer truthfully – she is 30, and Sam Soon’s admission draws snickers from Jang Captain.

Note: way back when, recent college grad samsooki himself was dragged to a mother-child meet-and-greet at a fancy hotel, arranged by Korean mothers in the area. Throughout dinner, one mother after another would drag her child to the front and introduce him or her. One mortified med school student came up, and rabid frothing Korean moms started barking questions in Korean, “How old are you?” “What’s your blood type?” “What type of medicine?” And the daughter politely answered each question, and then was about to leave when one particularly bitchy question rang out, “WHICH-EE MED SCHOOL YA?!” At that point, the embarrassed student ran out of the room, leaving poor samsooki next on the block. There’s a little Jang Captain Morgan in each of us, isn’t there?

Still, despite Jang Captain’s barbs, this is finally the start that Kim Sam Soon has been wishing for. She has her dream job and she is free of an abusive three-year relationship where she was held hostage to a phantom hope of marriage. And by out-staring her boss, she’s no longer Kim Sam Soon the Insecure, but Kim Hee Jin, the Noona who can make or be a tasty treat for all the cute guys at Bon Appetit.

And to round out the major cast, two more individuals are flying back to Korea from America with stories to tell. The window-seat woman looks to be in her mid-twenties and the aisle-seat woman sounds and looks a bit older. These unnamed women engage in a little “wine makes the trip go faster” kind of bonding.

The aisle-seat woman who is fast going the way of sloshy, relates a tale of divorce from a cheating husband. Sometimes, when one cannot share things with one’s family and friends, the only safe ear is the stranger’s ear. The window-seat woman listens sympathetically, but is far more evasive about her own life, and deflects further questioning.

Who are these women, and why is the window-seat woman being so secretive about why she spent 3 years in America? Could one of these women be somehow related to President Jin Heon and his apparent dislike of the name “Hee Jin”?

Back at Bon Appetit, Sam Soon readies herself for her first day. She dons her newbie yellow scarf and her Kim Hee Jin name plate, adjusting her uniform and chef’s hat to be just so. Sam Soon looks in the mirror, winks and says, “You guys are all dead!”

“You guys are all dead!” is more than an optimistic boast – for Sam Soon, it is a heart-felt promise of her ability and her principles. Sam Soon may not win any awards at a beauty pageant, but here, in a French restaurant, she is well within her element. Like Mack the Knife, whose knife bites leave no trace of red on him, Kim Sam Soon is the killer nobody knows, yet. The peeps at Bon Appetit won’t know what hit them.

*Comments*:

Wow! What can I say? This is the legendary drama My Name Is Kim Sam Soon. You can probably count on one hand the number of dramas that Koreans consider to be “national dramas” – ones that capture the imagination of the entire population, and this drama is one of them. For me, this was my very first k-drama (how lucky that I chose such a good one – imagine if my first k-drama was Sweet Spy… maybe there would never have been a samsooki in that case.).

For me, much of this drama’s charm has to do with Hyun Bin’s portrayal of Hyun Jin Heon. Before MNIKSS, I’d never seen a young Asian guy on television who wasn’t a masked ninja / karate guy or an English-challenged nerd. Seeing Jin Heon as a stylish, athletic, confident man who can pick and choose who he wants to date or not date, was mind-boggling to me. For once, it was cool to be a Korean guy (not that being a complete jackass is cool, but you know what I mean).

But without a doubt, the pulse of the show was and still is, Kim Sun Ah, who for years was nearly synonymous with her title role. Kim Sun Ah plays Sam Soon like a scalpel, slicing at not just elements of Korean culture and its idiosyncrasies, but people in general. Inasmuch as Sam Soon is a character to be laughed at, so too are the things that we all wish we could change about ourselves.

On a personal note, ever since I first started following dramabeans, I’ve wished that we’d see MNIKSS recaps pop up here like a Christmas present in August. Well, sometimes you just gotta get up and get yourself that present that you’ve always wanted… Take that, Santa Claus!

Oh right! One more thing. *wave* I’m back! 🙂

RELATED POSTS

Tags: , , , ,

302

Required fields are marked *

congrats!!! and oh memories... :D

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh yes...the memories! I miss this drama...will ve to watch it again tonite :P

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Sry for posting again but cant help to notice that even after so many years MNIKSS recap manages to pull some 200+ comments in a day...amean that is simply 'WOW!'

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

WOOOHOO! Seeing this made my day. I'm so glad that you've decided to recap MNIKSS! I ADORE this drama!!

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

EXACTLY my thoughts when I saw this. I thought I was dreaming!

OMG. This makes me so happy. Kim Sam Soon was the first drama I watched and as an impressionable 15-year-old, I have used it to compare all other Korean dramas too.

Oh, it IS like Christmas in August.

THANK YOU!

<3

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

OMG.. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this post pop up as if we were living in the mid-2000s again! Good times. lol "Kim Sam-soon" is one of my favorite dramas of all time. I loved Kim Sun-ah's contemplative scenes, and she played her character so well that I felt like I was really looking into her life, her thoughts, her aspirations, her worries... the list goes on. She made people connect with her. The story about her life was very much a story of ours. What a perfect drama to recap. It's never too late to recap great dramas like this one!!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

yessss. nice to see hyun bin's face pre plastic surgery! he's infinitely much much cuter!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Samsooki, thank you!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

It's out, it's out! Was waiting eagerly for this!

So happy to have you back raving and ranting, my friend. Have really missed your writing!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Welcome back, samsooki!
I guess I'll have to watch this with you.
Oh what a sacrifice to travel back in time with KSA and HB! Woo!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

By the way, I agree on the best line from Chris.

My kids and I have played and replayed his "Oh! My! God!" over and over to uncontrollable giggles too many times to count. It is just so weird!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Ah the memories... loved this drama when it came out it was an addiction.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh, you ARE a sneaky samsooki! Welcome back to recap-land!

Ah, the memories...the chocolates...

(word of caution, don't diss Santa - he has magical powers. And a list)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Ooo sam soon
i just finished watching this drama for second time...!!
i love it

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

i've just finished it as well. i decided to watch it again before i watched SOAW. my mum started watching it with me (previously she had not been very understanding of my "excessive" use of the internet). needless to say she continuously watched in all her free time in 2 days (including when i wasnt around)!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

!!!
I am so excited that this is being recapped!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

YES YOU DID!! :D I love this series, brings back so much memories...especially when watching Scent of a woman. Boy I was thinking of Kim Sam Soon the entire time!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

You brought me back, samsooki. Thank you!

This was before my K-drama addiction started, but I watched it on TV with the local dub, and it got remade here as well.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

well is not bad to refresh the good old memories from sam soon, she sure has made my day....what a nice surprise

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Woaaa....does Christmas come early this year???

Thanks Samsooki!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Sam-Soon! OMG this was my first k-drama too, and still my favorite. Thank you so much for the recaps samsooki!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

samsooki you're back?!?!!??! oh man we've missed you here!! yay can't wait to read your recaps... i love trips down memory lane. :D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you so much for the recaps! I might have to rewatch this again!! My #! drama and most rewatch out of all the drama Ive seen and i have seen alot this past three years!! This was my second kdrama and its still the best!! Its actually better the 2nd and 3rd..4th etc around!! You cant say that about all drama!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you!!! I squealed when I saw this on the main page! This will forever be a classic!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Maybe I should have watched it back then, but I watched MNKISS earlier this year, to see what all the fuss was about, and I gotta say, I did not like it at all. I liked that it was at times funny, and that it gave me a good reality check, to pull me back from falling in too deep into kdrama fantasy land; but that was it. I liked Samsoon, but hated Jin Heon, and ultimately hated how they ended up. I honestly don't see at all what all the fuss was about.

0
7
reply

Required fields are marked *

Truthfully, I didn't like everything about MNIKSS, so I totally get where you're coming from. You have no idea how I skipped through parts of it. But what I at least appreciated about it was Sam-soon's spunk. Simple as that. I didn't like how Jin Heon seemed to string her along, and I was annoyed with that manager/chef dude or whatever he was that practically stalked Sam-soon's sister. The "I left to go to America because I was sick" thing was annoying beyond imagination, and I tried to skip as much of the English parts if possible. The English was fluent yes, but dammit, the interaction was meh. But yet I couldn't help rooting for Sam-soon, even if she was annoying at times, especially when she got OVERLY cutesy. I loved her spunk and how she was a fighter. I loved that for once the leading lady isn't some skinny model that looks like she needed food, I got a regular leading lady with curves and everything who told people off when she felt like it. XD

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

What really annoyed me, was how Jin Heon went on a road trip across the U. S or something like that, to find himself and to become a better person, and then he came back pretty much the same person he left as. Still that kid who always used the "Samsoon is pregnant" line to get his way. *Sigh*

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I feel as if throughout the whole drama he changed a bit, especially the way he treated Sam-soon, but you're right, he was still childish in some aspects. It's been a while since I've seen this drama, and I was fairly new to kdramas when I originally watched it, so maybe samsooki can bring a whole new spin and perspective to the drama. And because I used the fastforward button often enough, perhaps I missed things/parts that were important overall to character and plot development. So I'm hoping the recaps will fill me in on what I missed. X/

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Me too, I watched it some time ago, a few years, and I didn't really like it very much, either. It wasn't bad or anything, it just didn't connect to me. And it annoyed me how she kept giving so much importance to weight, etc. @_@~ I also remember feeling really awkward when that guy rolling around on the floor fighting with Hyun Bin had an erection ^^'
And seriously, just choose the girl you like already! He just kept on hurting both of them.
Plus, the relationships were pretty messed up!! XD Oh well, to each his own ^^

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

same here I do not really like MNIKSS. i dont really like KSA
but I do think she is a good actress. I do not like her character, I remember she pee in the public ,right? i feel a bit disgusted with this type of scene .I also cannot connect with this drama . sorry

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

You know, I didn't like MNKISS as well, but for the opposite reason as you. I actually liked Jin Heon (didn't think I would at first, but I did), but I didn't really like Samsoon. I found her really annoying, she was just always annoyed, jaded, mad, and arguing (well, she seemed that way to me at least). I mean, I get why she was that way because of the way she was treated sometimes, but it seemed she was overly doing it a lot of times, and sometimes I even felt sorry for Jin Heon who got the brunt of her attacks even if sometimes he didn't deserve it. I did like that the second female lead wasn't evil, and I felt sorry for her predicament, 'cause she really got shafted. I also like the second male lead as well. But I guess that wasn't enough, because I had to like the first female lead in order to want her and the first male lead to get together, but I just couldn't...

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Maybe I have to rewatch this too coz around 5 years ago when I started this, I got impatient during the middle parts and skipped my watching to the last episode. I was like, Is that it? And then I never got around to watching those middle episodes. I liked Dalja's Spring more. ;)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh wow! Reading the recap makes me remember why I loved the show so much. I'm definitely gonna start rewatching

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Welcome back samsooki! We really missed you! (And wondered which part of the world you were hiding at.) It's good to see you again. Thanks so much for the recap!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

MNIKSS is always the best kdrama for me..im kdrama collector,MNIKSS was 1st vcd set i bought,till now i guess i hv almost 20 set of kdrama..but,MNIKSS is the best!thanks for the old memories!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

samsooki's back and recapping, too. Everything is as it should be in Kdramaland!

MNIKSS is like my Kdrama comfort food. There are so many wonderful scenes to watch again and again. Whatever kind of mood you may be in, there's a perfect scene for that emotion to be found in this drama. Not to mention the soundtrack, which is pretty much perfect and which I never seem to get tired of.

And now, after all this time, recaps! Can't wait to watch this drama again and enjoy what I know will be some lively debates to come.

Well done you, and welcome back!

:-)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

l am a fan of Hyun Bin but MNIKSS is the only drama that l did not touch as yet. Why?? Because l don't like Kim Sun Ah. A lot were saying that this drama is super good. l guess l have to watch it with the help from Javabeans. l believe there's a reason why Javabeans had picked up MNIKSS to be 2000 drama recap drama as Koala picked up Clack and White.

Anyway, l'll leave my comments again after l watch it. Hope worth watching.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

i have the same thoughts with you when i became a fan of hyun bin courtesy of secret garden, i am prejudiced against kim sun ah, but when i started watching MNIKSS i felt the chemistry between the two leads, mind you this is after watching him with ha ji won, so give it a try, in the end you're going to love kim sun ah, she just gives so much to the character........

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

yay! thank you for the recaps, samsooki! what a treat! MNIKSS is such a good drama <3 kim sun ah and hyun bin had such great chemistry, i still kinda ship them together, heh.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

OMG samsooki!!! When I used to be a soompi/wordpress/sarahbeans lurker, your comments were epic-ness. I'm glad to see you back.

And, thank you for recapping this. MNIKSS was, will always be, part of the rom-com classics of k-drama.
With all of the actors doing various [spectacular] things, it's cool to revisit a highlight in their career.

(that, and I was JUST thinking of this drama because I was rewatching KyuHan in Introducing Star's Friend variety show where he was up to his crazy antics).

Thanks again :D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Welcome back, samsooki-ssi. I miss your writing. Glad that you're back with another Kim Sun Ah's drama recaps.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I only just realized how famous this drama is when my younger brother (who has NO INKLING WHATSOEVER of K-entertainment nor does he care) walked in on me watching Scent of a Woman and went, "Hey, is that the chick from My Name is Kim Sam Soon?" O_o I asked him how he knew that and he answered, "Who doesn't know Kim Sam Soon?".

Mind you, we are not Korean nor do we live anywhere near Korea. Whoa, the power of Kim Sun Ah.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

That's funny. I'm gonna have to agree with your brother and say "Who doesn't know kim samsoon?" Aside from when i was a little kid and watching Autumn Tale, Winter Sonata and Stairway to heaven, those dramas, i haven't watch kdrama since until i watch MNIKSS but after MNIKSS ended i stop watching kdrama again until I became a dbsk fan in 2010. This drama was that good! :D

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hey there Samsooki! welcome back~ I loved your City Hall posts :D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

MNIKSS was my gateway drug to the world of K-dramas too and I have never looked back! Until today that is ... and it was lovely! Thank you Samsooki!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh my gosh, has Christmas come already? Thank you Samsooki for returning, and with such a treat!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

This! Oh this!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yay, you're back!

Even though I'm one of those who really liked the drama (not loved it to bits and pieces), this recap brought a flood of memories back and now I have a huge grin on my face. Can't wait for the rest of your recaps!

Methinks a rewatch is in order. :D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm one of those people who has never watched MNIKSS ... So I'm really looking forward to your recaps! :D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

That's one thing I never got an explaination to either... What's wrong with the name "Sam Soon"????

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I asked my Korean teacher that very question. Apparently it is old-fashioned... like naming a girl "Esther" today. Also "Sam" is "three" in Sino-Korean... she was the third daughter. I guess the first daughter was "il"-something and the second was "i"-something... which made daughter #3 "sam"-soon. HTH!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Samsooki you're back!!! AND WITH MNIKSS RECAPS???!!!!!
GAAAAHHHH, I am so so excited!!!! :D

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

CLASSIC. LOVEEEEEE. LOVE. LOVE.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Why did you do this, I bumped my head on the wall just to have amnesia and forget all about this drama that hunted me for years, why bring it back, now how can i move on with something new, like Scent of a woman?!
This is my first love drama, this is the reason why I love KSA and even it brought so much joy and inspiration to my life, i wish to forget this drama.... Joke!!!

But really, It took me years before I was able to keep my DVD copy of this drama, I even both 5 copies, cause my first one, 2nd, 3rd, 4th copy was totally unreadable in my DVD player.
Thanks for bringing back the memories!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I was looking for Protect the Boss recap but YAY!!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Ditto.

But DEFINITELY -- YAY!!
Thanks JB and Samsooki (missed you btw! ^^) !! :D

Off to read!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Glad to have you back!!!!!!!!!

MNIKSS wasn't the first K-drama I watched but it's the one that got me hooked. It's also the only drama i've seen about a billion times because this is the K-drama I always make my friends watch in order to get them hooked.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

i loved your little note!! was that in korea or the US??

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

thanks for putting this up.. i love Hyun bin!!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yes!I just watched Sam Soon..I think it was either last year, or 2 years ago, and I LOVED IT.Commented on one of the threads for a recap on one of the episodes.Wish come true!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This is still my drama Kdrama of all time! Thank you for bringing back the lovely memories (and later tears)!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I swear, I was JUST thinking about watching the first episode again, and I find this recap. I think the drama gods are telling me to put off sleep for a while and marathon this sucker. Or I could be merely grasping at any possible justification for watching this drama for the second time this year. But I prefer to think that fate is hijacking my bedtime and making me salivate at the thought of young Hyun Bin on my computer screen again.

Anyways... Huzzah for the return of Kim Sam Soon! And Huzzah for this splendid recap!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Samsooki, thanks. You just gave me the drama I will be rewinding this next few days/weeks!

Welcome back to kdrama recaplandia.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

thank you very much for this one! =)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

i totally have to admit to not being able to separate kim su nah from kim samsoon. wasn't entirely my doing though. i liked her so much in samsoon, i wanted to give city hall a chance, and, kim su nah ended up channeling the samsoon for her role in city hall. :'( so.. i didn't finish that one. hah. maybe i should really tune into scent of a woman to see if kim su nah is still samsooning it up.

anyhow, thanks for the rewind. ^^

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

this is my absolute favorite k-drama EVER.
<3
so much better than anything else i've watched in my life. the perfect combination of romance and comedy and wit and EVERYTHING..

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This is awesome! Thanks Samsooki for taking up this lovely gem of a drama.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Olee sheet! THE Samsooki is recapping My Name Is Kim Sam Soon!!! I just ... I /isdead.

This is going to be awesome. I'm going watch it again and follow along with you. Welcome back, Samsooki! Always nice to be interacting with a legend. I look forward to reading as you deconstruct Hyun Bin and his character, especially as it relates to the way you learned to see yourself. You, sir, are epic! Kiss your baby for us!

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

you pretty much said everything i wanted to say, so lemme just say, (along with a HUGE "ditto!") that my reaction to your recap and overall return (of the snark and sage) was actually more like, "AAAAAAAAHHHYAAAAAYYY!! HOLYYYYYY----!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH HELL YEAH, OH HELLSYEA!!!! WELCOME BACK, SAMSOOKI!"

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Love the recap. I just re-watched this last month and it's still so awesome! :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *