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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 ]

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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! 🙂

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God how I loved this drama.

And I still do.

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YES! BEST. DRAMA. EVER!. HAHAH please keep recapping!!!

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Samsooki,

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

MKIKSS is one of the main reasons (besides Jewel in the Palace) that I am hooked on kdramas.

Like you, this drama seemed so cool and the characters so fun to watch. A first for me in terms of asian dramas.

I love your recap, it's like reliving the fun all over again.

It also reminds me of how I love the cute and pudgy Kim Sun Ah, rather than the skinny and sharp angled scarecrow she has become.

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after a tiring day at work, i come home, open my laptop, go to the site dramabeans.com (my favorite) and what i see is recap of MNIKSS episode-1....i pinched myself, it's not a dream, i checked the calendar...it's not my birthday, nor christmas....i opened the article...and there it really was recap of MNIKSS.... i checked out the person who did it then cried out... I LOVE YOU SAMSOOKI...
OMG....i couldn't believe that i will finally be able to know more about MNIKSS. i am a korean drama freak....it's just been a year that i discovered how wonderful k-dramas are, n i have already collected around 55 k drama dvds....i almost watched every drama that girlfriday and javabeans have recommended in this site...MNIKSS was that only drama which i couldn't find....i kinda of searched every CD shops of every Corner of kathmandu (Nepal)...but in vain...last week only i threatened my brother who works in korea (who's about to come back to Nepal) to NOT TO COME TO NEPAL UNTILL AND UNLESS HE BRINGS ME THE DVD OF MNIKSS..i have read so much about this drama that although i hadn't watched it i was already falling for it...so. just want to say.....YOU MADE MY DAY...NO ACTUALLY...YOU MADE MY LIFE...THANK YOU..........

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Wow! There's been so much excitement generated by the news of Samsooki's MNIKSS recaps and it's been fun reading all the responses~ I think ransuba's reaction may be my favorite so far. Samsooki~ I hope all this elation is warming the cockles of your heart!

It's awesome to know that a Nepalese is joining us. ransuba~ I hope you get your MNIKSS DVDs soon and that you'll continue to play with us here at DB.

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omo...omo....U GUYZ SO AWESOME !!! even i've watched so many times....still dont want to miss ur recaps for sure, KIM SAM SOON ROCK !!! one of Best Kdrama ever !! it means i'll watch it again following ur recaps weekly :p

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I can't believe it when I saw this on the website! I was going to sleep but thot I would come here to take a look, and what a pleasant surprise!!! Thanks javabeans and samsooki.

Coincidentally, I started rewatching this drama just a few nights ago and watched up to episode 3 just now. Imagine the thrill to see the recap right here! haha...

I love KSA in this show, what a jewel! And I fell in love with Hyun Bin cos of this show. Then I fell in love with KJH in 'Lie To Me' (I only ever saw him in 'jin shun jia you').

I always felt watching drama series is such a waste of precious time, and frankly I still think so. However, I'm hooked, downright. It's 2.47am now and I must head to bed as there's work in a few hours time! Argh.... ;-)

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my lovely sam soon was the 1st korean drama i ever saw & immediately fell in love w/it because of the character of kim sam soon. i first saw it on the debunk asn chanel. i had basic cable so the company was teasing me w/what other chanels could be offer to me if i paid more $ for a more expensive package. which i didn't do but got sold on my lovely sam soon. fell in luv w/kim sun ah as an actress. went to korean video stores to rent it but they didn't have it in english & finially got it as a requested gift for the holidays. i've watched it #erous times & have turned on many of my friends to this kdrama. just yesterday i showed a friend the segment of sam soon's mother fighting manager oh. that is still one of the best & funniest women fight scene in any show i've seen. it cracks me up & everyone i've ever shown it to. thank u for doing the recap. i can never get enough kim sam soon. have just named a kitten after her character & sam shikah!

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I'm loving it :D
This was also one of the first dramas
i started watching. They passed it here in the US
and i watched it althought i wasn't able to finish it
because of band practice in High School :(
but i tried looking for it and found it and now this summer
i said i would finish it all. But now look here is the recap
so i will read your recaps and continue to watch all of it
thanks :D

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I must be IN LOVE WITH DRAMABEANS, because I have seen MNIKSS at least 3 times for the whole series (all episodes) and yet I still spend my time reading the entire caps of DB! 잘했군 잘했어 DRAMABEANS!

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samsooki is back, YAY! And with the awesomeness that is MNKSS recaps! I have no words. Thank you and welcome back :)

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Yay! Samsooki's baaaaack!!
Yay! MNIKSS is baaack!!!

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Thank you for recapping MNIKSS, Samsooki, it is still by far my favorite Kdrama.It has so many memorable moments, and Sam Soon never does what you expect a Kdrama heroine to do! And of course it gave us Hyun Bin, and for a while (quite a long while) he made all other Kdrama actors pale in comparison. At least in my book. Thank you Samsooki, so glad you're back!

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i might be crazy, but i really disliked this drama. I just couldn't buy the story. He fell for her in the first episodes, and i still wonder why or how. I found the first episode funny and all that and i could it take up to episode 12, but there was this scene where she came to his appartment and found him with the other girl, and stood there staring and them looking so miserable and pitiful.Yuck!!! After she had always had this bluffing about how women were stupid when it came to men and blablabla. No...i found the girl annoying. Maybe the charm is in the episodes i missed. Someday i'll finish them and see.

But to me the story is not cute enough to accept it...which is weird cause I've NEVER read any bad comment, and the acting was ok (except Daniel Henry and SS' French) ... well, i've got an uncommon drama taste XD

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i might be crazy, but i really disliked this drama. I just couldn't buy the story. He fell for her in the first episodes, and i still wonder why or how. I found the first episode funny and all that and i could it take up to episode 12, but there was this scene where she came to his appartment and found him with the other girl, and stood there staring and them looking so miserable and pitiful.Yuck!!! After she had always had this bluffing about how women were stupid when it came to men and blablabla. No...i found the girl annoying. Maybe the charm is in the episodes i missed. Someday i'll finish them and see.
But to me the story is not cute enough to accept it...which is weird cause I've NEVER read any bad comment, and the acting was ok (except Daniel Henry and SS' French) ... well, i've got an uncommon drama taste XD

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Thanksssssssss. I really Love this drama it's one of the Best drama ever. HB & KSA are A-list actors since this drama. I missed you Sam soon-ahhhhh !!!!
Welcome Back samsooki!!!!

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I love this drama on my top 10 favorite drama list.

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haha i have to admit. Despite being a crazy kdramalover, i HAVEN'T watched this. Maybe this will give me the needed push to go and watch this drama. But anyway, thanks samsooki!! I'm really glad this is getting recaped!!!!!

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Thank you Samsooki, for recapping MNIKSS. This was also my first drama and it was a great starting point, but made it difficult for other dramas to live up to.

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I sure was pleasantly surprised today when I opened Dramabeans today. Just thinking about the opening scene in this drama makes me laugh. I can remember distinctly laughing very hard and long. I was hooked immediately.

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This was totally my first Kdrama ever and it was an amazing introduction to the genre. I did a little happy dance when I saw this recap up! Thanks so much!

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Welcome back, samsooki! Nice to see you again!

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I actually got onto Dramabeans to look for this exact drama! I'm watching it now! I was trying to find recaps for later episodes, but alas none. Oh well, its still cool that this is here when this is what I came for. *shrugs*

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Welcome back Samsooki ^_~

Haven't seen this drama during it's Philippine Broadcast even it's Philippine remake coz I'd rather watch a kdrama subbed and the remake was....don't like remakes that much coz I couldn't help but compare it to it's original.

Anyway, I've just check this drama recently coz I want to see Hyun Bin's previous dramas (ok, I just love Secret Garden :)

I haven't finished the whole series coz I don't have much time, so far I'm loving the series. And I'm looking forward for your recaps ^__^

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great idea!!! ? MNIKSS was my first kdrama & still my fave. every now and again, i bust out a dvd from my box set and watch random episodes just to relive the fantasy! thanks dramabeans!

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OMG tell me i'm dreaming?? the awesome samsooki is back, and he's recapping MNIKSS for us?? i must in recaplandia heaven!!

i initially thought this was part of jb's "first episodes" series, but we're actually going to get a recap for every episode of MNIKSS? this is amazinggg!!

sam soon will forever and ever be my favorite kdrama, and the wonderful gem that introduced me (and the rest of the world) to binnie. gosh the sheer awesomeness of getting weekly recaps for my favorite kdrama ever is making me squeal. thank you so much for this, jb and samsooki!! love and kisses to you both!!

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When I watched MNIKSS for the first time, I laughed sooooooo hard my mom thought I was choking a few times. This is not only one of the funniest series I've seen, but the dialogue is very strong. And not to mention the acting, these are characters that, even when dealing with a very cliché story, know how to drag you into it and make you love them. Thanks DB for bringing it back and for those who haven't seen it, SHAME ON YOU!!! :P

(no, kidding! But get yourself to crunchyroll.com and watch it!!!!)

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totally agree with your comments samsooki!!!!

and by the way, kim sam soon has always been one of my favorite kdrama characters.

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Oh...I just might watch this again tonight. I really do miss these two.

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WELCOME BACK!!

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and as always your writing is always entertaining and witty! Oh i do miss you here in DB! Maybe I'll rewatch MNIKSS in time for your recaps! ^^

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You are back, samsooki from your blogg hiatus - and with MNIKSS as well!

I wrote on thundie's blog in May this year (my debut in any online community!) that "One reason k-drama is so popular is that many of these address issues that resonate with the larger audience in dire need of escape, hope. a healthy dosage of laughter (and sunshine!) and gentle reminders of what being human is really all about." And dramabeans, thundie plus "guest bloggers like samsooki" have certainly added a new rich, delicious and multiple textured dimension to the whole k-drama experience.

My daily dosage of an episode or two of kdrama and logging onto Dramabeans and Thundie's prattle are what keep me sane, alive and human in my hectic world of Midasque high finance -which after 20 plus years can bring an edge of cynicism and jadedness to one's soul. I am Singaporean Chinese living in Hong Kong and was initiated to the world of kdrama by my ma.

As Thundie said, I am a goner! I am so into everything Korean (even volunteered to cover Korean pension funds in our latest private equity fund raising exercise!) - so much so that I was asked "So, who is he?" Teehee!

All I can say is that Kdrama is the best thing that has happened to opening the eyes of the world to the soul of Korean culture.

As a literature nerd, you cannot imagine my joy to be reading the different, often wonderfully insightful, passionate and though provoking perspectives of Thundie, javabeans, girlfriday, ockoala, softly, serendipity, michael , blue and you. Keep up with the great work!

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Oh holy Sam Soon! THE drama that got me, a Puerto Rican living in the tropics into the wonderful world of kdramaland, how I love thee! Six years and many, many dramas later I still get butterflies when I hear the theme song. Although the Cinderella story has never been one of my favorites, I absolutely LOVED Sam Soon. samsooki & javabeans, I thank you from the bottom of my kdrama loving heart for recapping this series :D

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"how can one be overqualified? I don’t get it"

To answer your question, it is a frequent excuse with employers who really mean to say/are actually thinking:

"This bitch is a flight risk"

Basically they don't think she'd be able to stay at that job long based on what they see on her resume, so rather than test it they just let her go on her merry way.

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i totally love love this drama (:
when i first started watching it, i couldn't stop.
i totally love everything about this drama, the plot, the actors, & etc ^_^

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My first kdrama too! and only six months ago. Watched it again with my daughter recently and LOVED it even more. It does seem sort of indie and low budget, after watching all the newer flashier dramas, but Sam Soon has such appeal. Such funny snappy writing. wonderful acting/directing/writing.

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It's been said before in this thread, but THANKS!! This was my fist K-drama, too and I feel VERY lucky! I was flipping thru channels (no cable) five years ago or so and saw some crazy Korean baker beating on some guy and was intrigued, but didn't think much of it until I ran across it again - this time, with subtitles. After about 5 minutes, I was hooked and immediately netflixed the series. I've plowed thru a number of dramas since that time and never thought that any would beat this one, but I just finished The City Hall and have to say that it's pretty amazing as well. (totally loved MGIAG, tho) Cheers!

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Hey, do you know our dear samsooki also did a recap of City Hall? Go read it if you haven't... It's one of the most insightful and fun recaps I've ever read.

Do go to koreandrama.org where like-minded viewers have been penning and sharing our thoughts on the City Hall thread too. We'll love to hear from you.

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best drama of all time!

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My all time favorite Korean drama!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for ur recap!!!!!

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OMG One of my fave k-dramas. I *HEART* BINNY!!! I am soooooooooooo happy this is being recapped!!! I know I'm getting ahead of the recaps here, but my heart breaks every time he rejects her. :'''(

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Good memories. I'm not sure now which Korean series I fist watch in full, MNIKSS or Delightful Girl Chun-hyang, but this remains a favorite. Thanks for the opportunity to enjoy it again. :)

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I really love MNIKSS. One of my favorite Korean drama. I was laughing while I was reading your recap... Your remarks included in your recap is very funny. Good job Samsooki... will be following your recap... fighting!!!!

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btw, nice intro, JB :)

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i don't know how many times i watched this drama... and wished it would be recaped.
now my wish is granted!!!!
MNIKSS was my second drama, but was the one who makes me crazy about k-dramas
KSA is my favorite leading woman ever... though i think i love her better in city hall (but then city hall is my fave drama)
btw i love your city hall recaps

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Awesome! Love this drama, I was surprised to see it on dramabeans as a recap haha. Clazziquai <3

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I've watched it twice but I still read this recap. LOL I love Kim Sun Ah.

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Awesome! thanks for recap.

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thanks samsooki, great recap!!

;)

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Thank you!! I've been trying to start this forever, but I never seemed to have the time :O

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This drama never gets old. It's evergreen! I rewatch it when other current airing dramas seem too generic, out of focus, lack of chemistry ie there's no other drama worth watching (of course until Scent of Woman started airing that is).

This drama reminds me of the good ol' days where I was greeted with good news by my mate the moment I stepped out of the airport. The good news: My Name Is Kim Samsoon. From there on, I was totally hooked.

The chemistry between Hyunbin and Kim Sunah is like burning flame and they deserved the Best Couple Award. This drama is also the first drama that convert me into a loyal fan of Kim Sunah.

Aaahhhh Hyunbin in here is much much better looking than the one in SG T_T (part of the reason I didn't watch SG).

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YES! SAM SOON! This was the drama that brought to me my love of Korean dramas. A lovely protagonist, a suffocatingly stuffy and swoon-worthy main character, so many hilarious jokes, but with a poignant side, and a tightly contained plot which the American multi-season model doesn't offer. I fell in love and watched like an addict even if I came in at ep 10. Then I went back and rewatched the whole thing. It's been 4 years since then, but I love it still - it remains my absolutely fave (lucky for my first drama to have been so good, huh? Though, on the bad side, I became disappointed with a lot of dramas subsequent to this and almost gave it up). Thank you, Samsooki!

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