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Haeundae Lovers: Episode 1

A refreshing wave that splashes this summer with cute and hilarity. The show delivers in writing and acting with characters that you’ll laugh and cry with. Never has my mind been so boggled by Kim Kang-woo in a romantic comedy but my heart is lifted with his perfect comedic timing.

So what does bring a smart detective down to Busan anyway? You’ll have to let down your guard to find out.

SONG OF THE DAY

LED Apple – ” Smile Again” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 1 RECAP

A mysterious man enters a top-secret van, munching on his burger. He coolly shuts up his subordinates and directs their eyes to the screen when their target appears.

They watch in anticipation as the drug deal is set up and bide their time to capture the exchange onscreen… when one of their own men is dragged in front of the dealers. As he blubbers, they notice that he’s packing heat and all hell breaks loose.

It’s a dangerous situation but they’re about to lose their guy, so the inspector makes the executive decision to chase the bad guys.

We’re given an introductory glory shot of our hero, LEE TAE-SUNG (Kim Kang-woo), who calmly places his phone inside a vest pocket and then slices down the thugs with his makeshift weapon.

Tae-sung is agile and quick but he isn’t fast enough to pin Boss Oh who is now sailing away in a motor boat. So Tae-sung jumps from a boat soaring through the sky and lands perfectly like the daredevil he is.

He continues to fight but the kingpin throws him off the boat into the water and zooms off. The baddie docks his boat and hijacks a car while Tae-sung swims ashore and runs right past right past our heroine GO SORA (Jo Yeo-jung)’s fishing boat.

Tae-sung stands in front of the freakin’ car and gets hit, rolling off the window with a few minor injuries. They end up on a crowded Haeundae beach and as a last ditch effort, Boss Oh throws the money in the suitcase into the air as a diversion. It works, and Tae-sung loses him.

Meanwhile Sora’s family happily continue their fishing trip, bringing in a sizeable catch. It’s cute that everyone does their part to help out.

Back at the harbor, he grabs his subordinate by the collar and poses a question: Who does he think is the biggest piece of trash? 1) Drug-dealing kingpin Oh Jong- chul 2) The gangsters who buy their drugs from him 3) The one who let Boss Oh slip away (i.e. the cop)?

He answers his own question, “Number 3. Ding dong deng!” (A sound effect to signify the correct answer)

He takes out his rage about the failed mission on the poor guy (he got caught in the scene in the first place because he had to do a Number 2), and orders the others to dismiss the incompetent cop.

Tae-sung gets an earful from his boss about why he’s still on the scene on such an important day. He hilariously responds with lame fake static noises and hangs up.

The remaining officers wonder what’s going on and are shocked to hear that it’s Tae-sung’s wedding day. Yikes, yeah that’s kind of important.

But as the injured cop gets hauled into the ambulance, he mentions that the newlyweds will be spending their honeymoon in Busan (Are those literal dark circles? ‘Cause that’d be hilarious).

There’s a rap on the door that barely stirs Sora from her deep slumber. Her room is filled with baseball memorabilia (are we in Operation Proposal: Busan?) and Uncle steps in (and delicately covers “young lady’s” bared legs) to wake her.

Only that she accidentally gives him a nosebleed in the process. He tells her that today’s “that day,” which is enough to make her bolt out of bed.

We’re shown snippets of the other men in the house. The tattoos on their arms and back clue us in that they’re a mob family (one has a Hello Kitty tattoo, keh) but the men are all domesticated, responsible for the cooking and cleaning. Hee – way to subvert our expectations.

A sign hangs, “[Please] Let’s become useful human beings!”

This mob family is so cute. Dad plays a round of hide-and-seek before breakfast and Sora happily feeds her father a lettuce wrap.

Their breakfast comes to a screeching halt when Uncle LEE SOON-SHIN (Lee Jae-yong) receives a mysterious caller who asks for his card information. Uncle Lee gets spooked so Sora takes over, trying to come up with a set of clever lies.

But then the maknae uncle LEE DONG-BAEK (Park Gun-il) takes the call and spews a litany of curses at the caller who gets equally riled up. Dong-baek gets particularly offended at the word “beggar,” and bursts, “Where are you?” The caller replies, “Up your butthole!” HA.

Uncle BU YONG-DO (Park Sang-myun) who has the Hello Kitty tattoo, covers Sora’s delicate ears. Dong-baek’s young and spirited, telling the family that they were too dumb to realize that they were nearly scammed.

Dad takes a bowl to strike him over the head, insisting that he’s not dumb and the others get up to calm him down.

“That day” turns out to be the day where they can finally buy the small fish store they’ve been working to acquire for 10 years. Uncle Hello Kitty asks when they’ll get their hotel back again and Sora assures them it’ll be soon since their debts are now paid.

They cast forlorn looks at Dad who’s fishing with a toy rod outside. An earlier photo shows him with his entire mafia in front of the grand opening of “Haeundae Hotel” back in 1987. In that time, the hotel was taken over and the trauma reverted Dad to a child-like state.

Sora looks at a calendar of the Haeundae Hotel and vows that she’ll get it back.

Sora receives word from a friend about the whereabouts of Uncle Lee’s daughter. Cute that Dong-baek gives a smile at the mention of her name.

One she’s gone, Dong-baek voices his complaints that he doesn’t want Sora married off but Uncle Hello Kitty says that they have no choice. They distribute flyers in full animal body suits in the sweltering heat with small children who tease and tug at their costumes.

HWANG JOO-HEE (Kang Min-kyung) clucks at the bride, LEE SE-NA (Nam Gyuri) and her optimism while they wait for Tae-sung the groom. Se-na simply beams that she’s thankful because Oppa would never have married her if she was from an ordinary family.

She giggles, “I don’t have any pride, right?” It certainly sounds like you don’t have any. Se-na defends Tae-sung to the end. A sharp pain has Se-na double over and she dismisses it as being overly concerned.

Tae-sung rushes into the wedding hall, bloodied shirt and all, much to the shock of his parents. He gets cleaned up and dressed (Oh hayy there chocolate abs) and Dad checks to see if his son isn’t hurt anywhere. Hee, they’re so cute.

Tae-sung’s all, If only I caught that drug kingpin… and Dad is in agreement since then the newlyweds could have a blissful honeymoon. Speaking of, Tae-sung asks if they can push back the honeymoon so he can get back to on the case but Dad shuts that door, giving him playful punches.

He goes on and on about how tired he is of hearing how perfect his son is and stops when Tae-sung says that he’ll go on the honeymoon. With a pat on the shoulder, Dad tells him, “No matter what anyone says, you’re my child.” Before he can affirm that with a hug, Dad gets called away.

It’s a different story when his next visitor comes knocking. He apologizes to his mother (whom he tellingly calls “Mother” and not “Mom) who gives him a disapproving look. She slowly walks up to him and gives him a firm slap. Ouch.

She asks him how it feels to get married before his hyungs and Tae-sung admits that he feels bad about it. She tells him that if he really feels that way, he can delay bearing a child since she can’t stand to see him act like the eldest when they don’t share any blood.

Mother will be sending a document over to give up his inheritance rights, but Tae-sung declines, telling her that he’s satisfied just to be his father’s son. Aww.

She challenges, “Do you think your pretentiousness will work on me?” Sheesh, woman. Who put salt in place of your sugar this morning?

Sora helps an elderly woman to her destination, Haeundae Hotel. Another woman in a fancy car calls for the security guard to stop her by any means necessary.

That leads to a hilarious chase to the entrance and Sora slams on her brakes at the sight of the bellhop. Then her cargo of fish spill over the truck to the red car, leaving the woman sopping wet.

Sora quickly apologizes but she sees who it is, a look of recognition flashes across her face.

YOOK TAM-HEE (Kim Hye-eun) exits her car, livid, and slaps Sora across the face. Sora grabs her arm before the second slap and warns that she’s not the same high-schooler 10 years ago.

Tam-hee shrills to have this smelly specimen removed from the premises. Sora stands her ground that Haeundae Hotel never used to discriminate their visitors.

But Tam-hee dismisses that that was then and now they don’t allow smelly and dirty guests in. Why’s that? “Even if the hotel was a trashcan, it would still be cleaner than you.” She rubs salt into the wound, wondering how Sora will provide compensation.

Sora bites back that she’ll be the one needing an apology for the fish and time she’s lost as well as her emotional distress. How would some leaks about how Haeundae is treating their guests sound?

Tam-hee gets annoyed and pours a bucket of water over Sora’s head, smiling that they’re even now. But Sora points out that she could mention that the hotel’s wife poured water on one of their visitors. Plus, there are plenty of witnesses around which shuts Tam-hee up.

With a smile, Sora drops off the elderly woman who just so happens to be Tam-hee’s grandmother. She teases Tam-hee for her behavior and marches inside.

Watching all of this from afar is the new Vice President, CHOI JOON-HYUK (Jung Seok-won). He steps in to introduce himself to Tam-hee who’s now singing a different tune in front of the handsome man.

Joon-hyuk marvels at his office and is surprised to hear that he’s called to a business meeting right away. The manager sweats when he sees the Vice President’s seat empty but we pan over to see him casually sitting in between the other businessmen.

And then he motions with his hand, Go on, start. Pffttt, I like him.

The manager presents the hotel’s history to bring Joon-hyuk up to speed. Joon-hyuk listens intently but he interrupts when he hears that President Yang Man-ho set up the hotel.

To his knowledge, the founder was Go Joong-shik (Sora’s father) and President Yang was the one who took the hotel from him. The room gasp in horror – how does he know that?

It was all over the news, Joon-hyuk oh-so-matter-of-factly replies, and everyone knows the story. Boy did his homework back in America. He rises, seeing this meeting as pointless.

We catch up with Tae-sung who finally gets dressed. He runs into Joo-hee in the hall and listens at her comments about how Se-na will have to be subjected to Tae-sung’s current career.

Tae-sung barely blinks an eye and tells her that he can only feel comfortable after he’s caught the bad guy. His salary comes from the people’s taxes and how hard it must have been to save all those receipts. I love this how he says it in a monotonous tone. Cracks me up.

There’s something that Joo-hee doesn’t know and it’s that Se-na’s father will soon be working for them. He runs off, leaving Joo-hee more confused than ever.

Tae-sung runs to greet his bride and apologizes. He compliments her on how pretty she looks and Se-na is simply overjoyed that he made it.

They go through the ceremony and Tae-sung keeps his promise to Mother and keeps a stoic face through the end.

In the car, Se-na asks if Tae-sung remembers his birth parents who were from Busan. Ooh, interesting; so he was adopted into this family. Tae-sung only recalls seeing his father’s back and his mother’s smile. However, he can’t differentiate whether it was reality or a dream.

Se-na presses the matter and Tae-sung cuts her off; it’s not a topic he wants to revisit. Then Se-na gets another sharp pain in her stomach. Tae-sung is too distracted with calls about possible leads to provide any empathy until Se-na finally passes out from the pain.

The doctor reports that she’ll need immediate surgery and he asks with a half-smile, “I guess we’ll have to cancel our honeymoon then?” He assures Se-na to listen to what the doctor says and watches as she gets wheeled into the operating room.

Tae-sung stands there and counts off, “1…2…3” and then immediately calls the office to find out the location of Boss Oh’s lover: a nightclub.

It just so happens that Sora’s at the same nightclub looking for Uncle Lee’s daughter, LEE KWAN-SOON (So-yeon). She’s currently getting told off by her boss for yet another mishap. Sora jumps in to save the day and Kwan-soon immediately turns on the waterworks now that unni’s here.

Sora offers to pay for the spilled drink and her eyes grow wide at the cost ($1000 USD). The boss gives them the option to either fork up the cash or give a short but humiliating show.

When Kwan-soon says they should put on the show, Sora pins her to the table, telling her how upset Uncle Lee’s been since Kwan-soon left. Kwan-soon can’t dance and she looks at Sora, “Exactly! That’s why you should do it!”

Sora shouts that she won’t do it and Kwan-soon turns on the dramatic sob story mode again, crying about how she broke all those bottles and that Sora will have to take care of her father. That softens Sora’s heart and Kwan-soon immediately stops crying once Sora changes her mind.

In exchange, Sora tapes her up in the truck, making sure Kwan-soon doesn’t move (or talk).

Tae-sung assembles his team again and gripes that he has to go undercover as a strongman performer. It’s the best way to get close to Boss Oh and he’ll need to act as if he’s interested in buying.

They’ll give him the secret password to enter the room. Tae-sung asks what that is and I’m thinking it’s somethin’ humiliating and hilarious.

Sora stumbles along in her hanbok when a creepy ajusshi busts of a room to flirt with her. In his repulsive voice he repeats, “This is the first time I’ve felt this way.” See? Those are shivers up my spine. Nothing a judo move can’t fix though and the ajusshi scurries off.

HA – is that guyliner? His partner asks as much and Tae-sung responds, “Don’t you know David Copperfield?”

They spot Sora who happens to fit the description of their lead. Tae-sung follows a few steps behind her as she steps into a room and he runs straight into the closed door (the partner sniggers… and maybe so do I).

Sora comes back out from the noise and Tae-sung relays the password, “This is the first time I’ve felt this way.” Sora gives him this deep long gaze and then softly tells him, “Of course you must be. There must be a lot of pain and shock…” HA – about his head?

But she gets called away and Tae-sung follows.

Sora gets up on stage for her performance and I’m scratching my head at the music choice. A ballad for what looks like traditional dance? Mind does not compute.

She continues to dance, slipping off her jeogori (the top jacket of the hanbok) just as Tae-sung appears.

We get another music change and Tae-sung is entranced by Sora’s performance. Dude, she’s technically half-naked at this point.

Soon the crowd starts shouting for her to take it all off and she protests. The crowd boos and she gets food thrown out her on stage. Now she’s got to run because the boss’ crew is after her (And now the music is comedic? What’s going on?).

Sora takes refuge in an empty room and Tae-sung slinks in when he spots her shoes peeking from under the table. He then scares the living daylights out of her as he pops his head from over the table repeating, “This is the first time I’ve felt this way.”

The rest of his statements about how they should “get out of here quickly” doesn’t really help and Sora thinks he’s a crazy person.

But as soon as they open the door, the boss’ thugs are on the other side so he swings her behind the door putting them in close proximity.

The thugs search the room and when the door accidentally swings back open again, Tae-sung grabs her a second time and now Sora is (literally) facing his chest (What’s with the porn music, drama?)

They stand there, immobilized, for a good minute before the last of the thugs trickle out.

They awkwardly break apart and Sora checks to see if the coast is clear. Which is when of course Tae-sung sidles up to her again whispering, “This is the first time I’ve felt this way.” AHAHAHA.

Now Sora’s thoroughly creeped out (Tae-sung gives this look of confusion) and I’m dying of laughter at the misunderstanding. Her dress gets caught on the door and she misinterprets it as Tae-sung holding onto her.

Frustrated, he keeps repeating the secret phrase and Sora finally tears away from the door… and her skirt falls to the ground. *gasp*

Sora collects her skirt and opens the door (Tae-sung gets hit on the head again). She gives a flying kick and Tae-sung catches her leg with his hand. They look at each other, surprised.

 

COMMENTS

That’s one way to get the man’s attention. Or you know dance topless in a crowd of ajusshis.

I luff the mob family, I really do. The three uncles hold the exact amount of cute and heart that I hoped from them. As we’ve seen, they’ve been through thick and thin together and dead loyal to the end. I love that they subvert all expectations of classic gangster thugs. They have the tattoos (c’mon it’s Hello Kitty!) but also know how to make a mean kimchi-jjigae (kimchi stew). Why are you so adorable? You have my heart already.

It intrigues me of how this small mob family ended up in their current situation. Having your second-in-command swoop in and take over your corporation is no small thing. Whether it’s emotional or physical trauma that led to Dad’s current state we still don’t know but the family’s passion to recover what’s rightfully theirs warms my heart.

The music in this episode is generally on cue and fits with the storyline apart from a couple of scenes: the initial fight sequence and the scene where Sora is dancing in front of the ajusshi crowd. You may disagree with me but I can’t imagine to “smile again” when I’m getting beat up or a ballad during a humiliating performance. This is to say that music plays a huge part in setting the tone of a scene and if that music takes me out of it, then it’s not serving its purpose. I consider it a small misstep that I hope isn’t recurring. Or worse, we hear Sad Violin again.

I dearly hope that Tae-sung getting hit in the head turns out to be a running gag because how funny is it to see the suave brain get inadvertently hit over the head? After seeing Kim Kang-woo play a cold, calculating man in Story of a Man, it’s jarring for me to see him in a role where he doesn’t have to take himself so seriously. Who knew you had such a hilarious funny bone, sir?

Tae-sung hasn’t lost his memory yet but I predict that the hijinks of, “What? I’m a mobster?” are sure going to screw with his inner moral compass. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if he’s the righteous kind of badass? ‘Cause I’d totally be onboard for that.

On a final note, Haeundae Lovers – This is the first time I’ve felt this way.

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Yay for a good first impression! Off to watch it now. Thanks for the recap! :D

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Just finished ep 4 and the show is starting to show direction. What I enjoy most is when there is a funny, it's pissingly funny. I understand that some people will not get this drama just like they were baffled with Flower Boy Ramyon Shop. THis is a show where there are some stuff you just have to accept and go along for the ride. As for the OTP, loads and loads of chemistry. Please Gummimochi, continue to recap.

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I had a mixed impression for this drama. I'm putting this on the back burner.

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Hmm. I had completely the opposite impression after the first episode. I thought the characters were all so much, the writing was ambiguous and strangely paced, and that Kim Kang-woo was such an obviously better actor than the rest of the cast. It sort of pained me to watch him deliver so many silly lines when I'd seen him do dramas and movies that are of higher quality.

I know that's a little harsh and I'm definitely going to watch the second episode to come see if my assessment still stands after the first episode, but this first ep didn't give me a lot of hope.

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Ehh, yeah, I'm right there with you. Kim Kang Woo is a far more capable actor than his character. I was hoping we'd get something like Kim Myung Min in Bad Family...maybe, just maybe, the second episode will pick up.

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I'm not at all familiar with Kim Kang Woo but I also felt the same. I contributed to my inability to get the joke sometimes which I found to be the problem with watching any of the Hick Kick series

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I felt that Kim Kang Woo was incredibly stiff throughout. Also, I hate his character already because of his treatment of his wife. I don't care why he married her, he still chose to marry her.

However, I love the mob family, and I like So Ra so far. I can't wait to see more of Jung Suk Won—hopefully we can see HIS chocolate abs. :)

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I watched this live in Korea on my last night there. I was perplexed. I was far more distracted than I usually am when I'm watching dramas, but I felt like they tried to do too much in the first episode. There's no reason to force the main couple together by the end of the first episode.

And having family from the Busan region, Jo Yeo Jung's accent was off-putting. I'm not sure if I was too distracted by her accent to focus on the story. -.-

Nam Gyu Ri's character reminded me of her character in 49 days. :P

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"We catch up with Tae-sung who finally gets dressed..."

Tears sprung from my eyes when Tae-sung returned in the enxt scene fully clothed... and then I sprung from my couch to find the remote and rewind back to the changing scene. Pause, and hold. :D

Oh Kim Kang-woo, I can only imagine how your character is going to be fleshed out (pun intended). A cute little romp so far that made me put Busan on my Korean Bucket List! Bring on Episode 2!!

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somehow, a well-muscled torso glistening with fish oil just doesn't RESONATE with me the way it would with...oh...say....veggie oil.

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:) :) :)

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Of course! It's ALWAYS about the veggie oil (unless KKW has a cholesterol issue or something that requires a dip in fish oil). Here's hoping that he sees the error of his ways in future episodes. ;)

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where you BEEN chica

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LOL watching this show at 3 AM while proofing trial briefs. Doesn't *everyone* watch that way? ;)

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The recap alone waz enough to make me want to watch the show. This have hilarious all over it and I could use a comedy after the back-to-back heart wrenching dramas. I ran out of tissue dammit! And Nam Gyuri looks adorable in the wedding dress :)

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I just finished the first episode. I expect much awesome from the Mob Family. (OMG THEY ARE SO CUTE *squee*)

Granted this isnt the most groundbreaking but its fun and light hearted, so Im all for it.

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Thank you for the recap!

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I couldn't 100% get over him smiling about his sick wife going in for surgery because it bought him time for his undercover mission. :/ That was a little classless.

I wasn't enamored with the first episode but things picked up when the two leads finally met. Then their comedic chemistry started to show. The porn track was just extra hilarity. Looking forward to more scenes with the two of them.

Also, I like that he's not in some kind of hateful relationship with his wife where she's a cold hag who's easy to hate. So far she seems quite lovely and they have a very affable relationship so it provides a more interesting conflict for our lead man. When and why he eventually leaves her for the main girl will be much more engaging for me to see.

Though I didn't hate the first episode, I wasn't that into it. I didn't laugh as much as I wanted to and I'm not itching for the next episode. Still, this was never going to be one of my more anticipated dramas so maybe the lack of urgency is fine.

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I agree. It's actually creepy for a groom to leave his bride alone during surgery. Even if he didn't love her, decency alone would require him to stay with her.

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Yeah, couldn't get past the horribleness of him relishing the fact that his new bride has to have surgery. Too awful for words.

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Completely turn off! I was excited to see a different kind of relationship between the lead and second lead girl. I thought it would be nice to see how everything will play out between the characters. His conducted toward his wife was not just cold it was cruel, demeaning and disrespectfully. Instead of making her into a Bitch they make him into a bastard! not cool.....

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I just caught this over at DramaFever. It was a fun first episode. I am unfamiliar with our two leads but did recognize several of the older cast who can always be depended upon for strong supporting roles.
And the added surprise was seeing one of the Ducklings from RTP as the new VP for the hotel!

This looks bright, engaging and funny - looking forward to your future recaps, gummimochi! Thanks for this one.
:)

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I have such high hopes for this drama! Tae-sung has so far done a great job and the heroine matches him also.
On a side note, I have to say that I live any kdrama wedding scenes and this one was beautiful also. Even thought the wedding scene in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho was only imaginary, it has to be one of my favorites!

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Honestly, I've never watched kim kang woo in anything before this - obviously I've missed out. Maybe I can catch up on him later, but I wonder how this first impression will affect me in watching any of his earlier works... I've watched Jo yeo jung a few times. Love her brightness and what she brings to the character. I think this will definitely be a cute, funny drama with a couple of awwwws here and there. Maybe this will be the light drama to balance out my heart attack, dark, angsty gaksital frenzy. Heh. Anyway, I liked how you ended this recap. Clever :)

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thank thank you Thank you sooo much for the recap!! ;D

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The cameo appearance by comedian Kim Junho was hilarious. He's a chauffeur, got a problem with that? Hee.

And I thought Dad was physically hurt in some way that damaged his brain, which is why Sora wants revenge on the people that did this to her father...?

And the mob family is ADORABLE. I love all of them, including the sneaky Kwan Soon. The other supporting cast members are quite lovable as well, especially Jung Seok Won <33. The first episode did a good job in setting up the storyline. A lot of things were neatly revealed, such as the fact that Taesung was adopted. Interesting...

Taesung was quite hot when he was in his cold, serious, professional mode. But his character's personality changes so suddenly, it feels like being slapped by a dead fish. Like he goes from a serious prosecutor to an opportunistic person that fake sobs at his wife's bedside in a couple seconds. It's also jarring to see him go from a competent, athletic prosecutor to a complete dolt in front of Sora. I also don't get how someone so emotionless suddenly becomes so smitten by someone he meets for the first time. There are a lot of bizarre tonal and mood shifts too. I enjoy the humor and comedy, but sometimes it's heavy handed and abrupt.

The first half was good, but the second half had lot of flaws and weaknesses. I'm extremely wary of how this drama will turn out. The second half pretty much crushed my hopes that this will be my next crack drama. Oh well, keeping my fingers crossed for Five Fingers~~

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*Boo Hoo* Why no choco abs pic? Yes, I'm shallow like that.

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This was not actually on my radar...but thanks to your recap...I gave it a *go*

...it's campy...and dorky ...and thus, has a heaping quantity of "duh" ..plus needed suspension of reality ~

but, so far....2 semi-subbed episodes in ~ I think it's light and fluffy and ...FUN.

Like a light summer-book ~cotton candy. There's something to be said for enjoying something just because it's funny... (intentionally that is, unlike another drama...hrmmm..cough...side-eyes Jin ) ;)

If the show doesn't get it's tires stuck spinning in makjang-mud...or loses it CAMP-factor, like Spy Myung Wol......it should be a good rom-com romp.

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I am so gonna watch this on KBS World when it airs. Can't wait. kekeke

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Cool, I didn't know this was a new drama. I kept seeing it around and the premise is interesting.

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My major issue is that Tae-sung is actually married and thus will be cheating on his wife (who's in the hospital - not that he seems to care; hey, if he's lucky, maybe she'll die!) with Sora.

So I'm not exactly rooting for the main couple to get together - and ugh, I just feel so sorry for poor Se-na. :(

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Yeah, I'm not thrilled about that either. And it doesn't excuse it that he doesn't seem like he loves her - that just makes him more of an asshole for marrying her, especially since she's so crazy about him. I was surprised that the wedding actually happened; I kept expecting something to interrupt it.

He's such a jerk, I kind of want to see him suffer.

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The situation might be that they went through with the ceremony but they haven't yet registered their marriage.I'm pretty sure most couples register after the honeymoon. So technically they aren't married until after they register it. Which doesn't make what he's doing any better but that may be the loophole that the show use's. Which to me feels cheap.

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Hmm, that makes sense. And I agree, it does seem cheap. To me, once you've said the vows in front of God and everyone, you're married. Being legally married is important too, but it doesn't mean you aren't married until you do that.

It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It's one thing for him to get into an accident and forget his fiance - it's another for him to marry someone he doesn't love, abandon her in the hospital while she's having surgery, and then leave her while she's recuperating to go work - and THEN forget her.

I love the heroine, but it's going to take a lot for him to redeem himself in my eyes.

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True, they always seem to register the marriage after sample the goodies on the Honeymoon! That why it kills me 3 dates then marriage, bang the girl for 4 days and 3 months later on your lunch break get a divorce...got to love it! I think I stick with the good old USA, register, bang for 4 days 3 months later if you want to be a loser I get half of everything you own....Win win

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Yeah, I thought I read somewhere he was only betrothed! Married makes it a whole different story and makes you wonder how its going to end!

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I feel the same way, I thought they were just going to be engaged through-out the drama, but the fact that they actually got married makes me feel squidgy about him being paired up with someone else and potentially cheating on Se-na. And she seems so sweet. Nam Gyuri seems to have the knack for those sweet, innocent, naive characters, as she plays it well, and I actually really liked Se-na after the first episode. She's very sweet.

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i bet later, the writers are going to kind of ruin se-na's character (just like other typical 2nd leads) portraying her as a b**** and Tae-sung as a victim, so that we could aprove of the "official" pairing.

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I soo hope that does not happen. I really couldnt get into the first episode because of how sorry I felt for Sena's character but... this is such a difference from the norm that I'm willing to give it a chance.

If they subvert to old cliches, that wouldn't be fun at all. Actually, this kind of reminds me of a japanese drama in that respect. The way these characters are playing out thus far is very j-drama like.

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I always knew he'd be good in comedy ever since I saw him in the movie "beauty and the beast" (if i remember correctly) with Shin Min Ah. He was a detective there too.... lol

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Hmm maybe it's because I had high expectations for the two leads, but I thought their acting was terrible. And the writing is very meh. No subtlety at all, all we got was some random clichéd scenes thrown together and resulting into something I can't really describe. *grumpy* I hope it will pick up.
Besides:
"The doctor reports that she’ll need immediate surgery and he asks with a half-smile, “I guess we’ll have to cancel our honeymoon then?”
THIS. è_é

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Gummimochi, you're going to pick this one to recap do you?
T_T I Need Romance 2012 and I Love Lee Taeri seems fun-er

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Suffice it to say that both I Need Romance 2012 and I Love Lee Tae-ri are one-time recaps. And it's likely this one won't make it on to my radar either.

So deductive reasoning concludes... I think you can figure out which one it'll be.

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HANA KIMI KOREA!

(Am I right? Please say yes. I would love to read your recaps of that show.)

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Hmm this one doesn't really seem worth watching maybe I'll just follow the recaps. Quite frankly it seems pretty low of our hero to marry some woman who he doesn't seem to love and ignore her. The pacing did seem kind of off like another poster said. The mob family looks cute sort of like a family drama. Thanks for the recap ( and more if you continue)

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hey gummimochi,

I had the opposite impression like some of the guys here as well..I think this romcom delivers cliches(evil cousin, dad's dept etc.), bad comedy and bad acting(except the main male lead). I had high hopes for this rom-com, but after watching the 1st episode I was left wondering why I even bothered to watch the 1st episode until the end..It just had so many things that I freaked about when I was watching the 1st ep that I don't think I even have the desire or will to continue watching this at all. Thanks for the recap, but I have to disagree with you in the main points: This show doesn't deliver a good story neither does it have good acting (except the main male lead). It made me laugh not because of its "comedy parts" but because of the ridiculously cliche filled scenes (one guy against all the drug smugglers--etc.etc)that made no sense to me at all! No thank you. This drama is a full failure, especially given the fact that I even endured Paradise Ranch and Myung Wol The Spy until episode 10. Peace.

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Thanks for your opinion - I appreciate it! I always welcome differing perspectives since we can all watch the same show and have different reactions. Sorry to hear that it wasn't as enjoyable for you.

I'll agree that it was hard to get invested but by the last 10 minutes, I was pretty much dying of laughter. Probably because Tae-sung kept saying, "This is the first time I've felt this way" with a straight face. You can say dry humor is kind of my thing.

Every drama will have its flaws and its strong points and I'm willing to be more forgiving for a summer rom-com. Also, it's the first episode and sometimes those first impressions can change during the course of the drama. Of course, it can make or break whether we continue watching the drama or not.

Hope you find something else that satisfies your drama palate! Ask your fellow readers in the Open Thread - I'm sure they'll have ton of recommendations.

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Hi gummimochi,

thank you for your recap. Unfortunately, I had the opposite impression like some of the guys here as well..I think this romcom delivers cliches(evil cousin, dad's dept etc.), bad comedy and bad acting(except the main male lead). I had high hopes for this rom-com, but after watching the 1st episode I was left wondering why I even bothered to watch the 1st episode until the end..It just had so many things that I freaked about when I was watching the 1st ep that I don't think I even have the desire or will to continue watching this at all. Thanks for the recap, but I have to disagree with you in the main points: This show doesn't deliver a good story neither does it have good acting (except the main male lead). It made me laugh not because of its "comedy parts" but because of the ridiculously cliche filled scenes (one guy against all the drug smugglers--etc.etc)that made no sense to me at all! No thank you. This drama is a full failure, especially given the fact that I even endured Paradise Ranch and Myung Wol The Spy until episode 10. Peace.

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I am on the cusp. Not sure I will and not sure I won't. I am also not familiar with either leads. Nice to see some characters that I've liked from other dramas (the older actors). I already have a problem with the story because he is married; not engaged. Unless his wife dies or by some miracle they really did not get married; not sure I will like the outcome. The humor really went over my head but I think that is my fault. I've watched other shows where I really got the humor and was ROFLMAO but this is not it. Will I continue to watch? Don't know. With so many other dramas coming up, this one may get pushed to the bottom of the list. I will be watching the second episode. Maybe my opinion will change.

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LOLOL THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I FELT THIS WAY!

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why is there no screenshot of the ABS?!

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Thanks for the recap, I have yet to watch this drama. So far it looks interesting but I won't start this until I finish watching Gaksital and Ojakgyo Brothers!

@anotherdisappointedBIGfan - I agree with you about Paradise Ranch and Myung Wol the Spy. I dropped it faster than you did lol, I barely could watch 20 minutes of them!

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I think I love this drama. :)

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I was sorta bored up until the last 10 minutes.

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The acting and the script really not up to my liking. I dont feel connected with any of the cast. after watching for 40 mins, i give up.. pass.=(

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Thank you for recaping...

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I watched the first 2 episodes and am ambivalent. Some parts are cute, but the drama is pretty clunky. I may give it a couple more episodes before I decide to follow it or not.

Two notes: I don't think any of the "uncles" are blood-related to Sora and her dad. They seem to have been part of the dad's mob organization, and they've stuck with him even after he lost the hotel. I think that makes the mob "family" cuter and more touching, since these men are sticking around out of loyalty and hope of getting the hotel back. I think this also explains why the 3 men are not too bright -- if they were good mobsters, they probably would have moved on to follow another gangster, instead of sticking around Sora and her dad.

I don't think the old lady that Sora helps to the hotel is the witchy lady's grandmother. The witchy lady is the much younger wife of the man who now owns the hotel. And the old lady seems to have been part of the household help for the hotel owner.

I had thought that Tae Sung's adoptive parents were also the fiancee/wife's biological parents, but I think I may be wrong about that. We don't see the fiancee's parents in the episode, do we?

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I thought his real parents were the rival mob boss... which was going to be part of the conflict down the line with the main couple, but I could be mistaken.

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*SPOILER for episode 2* Yes, it seems like Tae-sung may end up being the son of the present hotel owner. The young wife isn't his mother, though, since she didn't even know about the existence of a son.

I kinda groaned at this birth secret. I felt like there is enough conflict for the main couple without adding that into the mix.

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I'm not fully on board yet with this drama. I always give dramas 4 eps to see if it hooks me, so we'll see what happens. I do like the lightness and frothy-ness, sometimes you just need a non serious, fun drama. Especially right now with being so addicted to Bridal Mask, which is the complete opposite, you need something to balance out the dark intensity.

I have a feeling it may be a "Lie to Me" type drama, badly paced, choppy writing, but still enjoyable if you don't think too hard. While "Lie To Me" was pretty much panned by everyone I've come across, I still enjoyed it for what it was. If these leads have the same chemistry that the Lie to Me leads did, then I'll probably keep watching.

Doesn't hurt that Kim Kang woo is VERY easy on the eyes, and I'm hoping his shirt will be off a lot more in the future. Hehehehe.

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LOVE the cast of this show, especially So Ra's family!

My biggest issue with this show is the AWKWARDNESS of the direction. Tae Sung's fiance gets some stomach pain and then the camera decides to focus on her boobs as she moans. WTF WAS THAT?!

ALSO I think there should be a ban of using circle-lenses in kdrama. a lot the girls here have the same eyes because of this. I hate this crap. makes every look plastic-y

Overall I think I'll love this show and hopefully the actresses run out of circle lenses soon -.-

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Not loving it. The opening sequence is choppy and silly. Who scored this? 1970's porn guy? I'll check back on recaps later. Maybe.

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well I had a really negative impression on this drama

i think the director is some sort of pedophile b/c every single woman in this drama could not act well and had an overdosage of plastic surgery and large boobs. like every two secs i saw a super pale woman with cleavage or legs...

also i swear the main character enjoys doing sexual scenes as there was a 1000 in this one and she was also in I need romance where she kissed her fair share. but its not only that, its her acting. its not natural. its almost like she plans out what to do in her head "nod now, smile brightly, go hard on the accent" its too fake and not believable...also doesn't help that her eyes look like their gonna roll back into her head b/c shes always like this O.O

if the plot were good i would stay on board...but its just weird. wtf with the bride suddenly getting shipped to the hospital and nxt scene finding the new hubby on a mission...what?

overall this drama encompasses how cliche and stupid kdramas have gotten.

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I found it to be an enjoyable humorous episode that I didn't have to think too hard about, and could easily skip the parts I find boring. I'll have to see whether I grow tired of the humour in the following episodes or not.

My favorite characters are the two Uncles and that family. I find them hilarious and cute. :)

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Once again I have to ask what show is everyone else seeing, because the Haeundae Lovers version I saw was a complete flop. I couldn't finish the first episode.

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Sadly, I really didn't enjoy this episode at all. It's too bad cuz I was really looking forward to see Kim Kang Woo do a romcom.

I thought that dramas overall were improving in quality (I'm currently watching Gaksital and Gentleman's Dignity) but this proved me wrong. What a mess of a drama.

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There a fine line when a man already has a girl that appears supportive and nice! I know K-drama going to turn her into a TCH just to make the lead couple more acceptable but that don't work for me especially if her bitchness not shown from the start. I turn into a “Bitch” to if someone trying to take my man. He was willing to spend the rest of his life with this person there must have been something special about her that he believe it can be forever. The only way the main leads can work for me if she dies other then that his 360 change of heart makes him a “Loser”.

I know it to early too tell and some viewer my think the fact that he seem so occupied with work tells you that he not into her, but I see it as she knows him very well and understand what his job mean to him and she not going to nag or demand he prove his love by putting aside his job or asking in words cough cough “BIG” She seem to understand he has some scars due to his birth and even the hardship with his stepmother, therefore she not demanding the lovely dovey. It would be nice to see them take this in a totally different directions but that just wishful thinking

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After watching episode two, I'm enjoying this drama as a light and frothy watch, despite the weird directing. I do think the heroine's Busan saturi is a little awkward, and she overacts a little, but on the other hand I really like her character - she's the uncle's princess and she rules the roost, but she pitches and isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She's smart and a hard worker, and quick with her words (I loved her in the scene with the hotel owner's wife).

The one big stumbling block for me is Tae-sung. He's such a jerk, and not in the usual snarky male lead (with a heart of gold) way. He really seems like a bad person. I mean, he's happy that his wife has to have surgery and he won't have to go on a honeymoon? Smiling when she's being wheeled into the OR and leaving immediately? Ugh. If it was anyone other than Kim Kang-woo with his absolutely magnetic charisma, I would have stopped watching at that point. The dude is seriously so larger than life he's practically coming out of the screen. I enjoy the couple's funny moments and their chemistry, but I just can't like him.

I also don't like that the writers made them get married before the accident happens. Him cheating on his wife, even during amnesia, is not something I think I want to watch.

I'm going to keep watching in the hopes he will redeem himself, but it's going to take something drastic.

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Oh, and I agree with everyone - the mob family is SO CUTE!

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The mob family was definitely was one of the highlights of the show for! Their fun dynamic reminded me of the ex-gangsters in "Kid Gang" which is one of my favorite dramas of all time!

Thanks for the recap!

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Count me among those not too taken with this drama. Too light for me, hate the jerk that Taesung is totally ignoring his bride in the car and talking about his work and then leaving her at the hospital. If he cares for her that little, he really shouldn't have married her.

Also feel like there was 'overacting' - I guess it's supposed to be comedy, but, well, it didn't work for me. Might still give another episode or two a try, but giving that I skipped through the first one (got bored/annoyed with parts) it's unlikely I'll stick with this drama.

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I have found myself smiling while watching this. So, I'll continue to watch. ^^

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Thanks for the recap!! I liked the first ep too. Didn't LUUURRRVE but liked it. I'll keep watching for sure. I really like the main guy, never seen him before, but I actually didn't mind his interactions with his fiance/wife... he doesn't seem heartless to me, but distracted and a driven workaholic, oh my yes. It seems the wife totally already knows that about him. Sure if I was her, I'd be putting up a ruckus if I was in that much pain! But she's rather naive and sweet and blinded by feelings for him, I'm actually really interested to see if she gets any development throughout the course of the show or not. I hope he has his accident/gets amnesia soon tho... I like how the second ep sets it up how it can be that he finds his cover identity not his real one. and I admit...I'm watching also for Duckling VP :) I do so like his character!

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I was actually hesitant to watch this since other people told me it was horrible, even though the premise always intrigued me. (I've always been a sucker for amnesia stories, ever since Winter Sonata, Save the Last Dance for Me, and Prince Turns into Frog). So imagine my relief when I saw your recap summary, and you described it exactly as I'd hoped!!

It was so cute, I loved it! There's something very old school about it, even the way it's shot. And the second episode was just as fun as the first. I'm really excited to see where this drama goes from here - some parts may be a bit predictable, but I'm excited to see what they do with it, especially when the amnesia comes into play.

So thanks so much for the wonderful recap! I probably would've skipped it completely if it wasn't for you. ^_^

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can't get over the fact that he's married, it just creeps me out that i now feel like that creeps friend who knows that their friend is cheating and i just sit being a third party to the disgusting act telling my self he doesn't love her. It just feels wrong but i find overall beside that a nice change of pace since no one went through time or resurrected from the dead.

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It's pretty awesome that they were playing Psy's gangnum style in the club scene, where they were both debating whether or not to be dancing...

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I actually enjoyed this episode, especially since I need a angst-break from Gaksital. Seems light, cute, and full of eye candy (yes, I'm looking at you, Kim Kang Woo and Ryu Seok Won). And although the main female actress can do better with her accent, she reminds me of Lee Da Hae, but strangely doesn't annoy me as much as LDH.

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