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Cast
Ha Ji Won as Hwang Jin I
Kim Jae Won as Kim Jung Han
Kim Young Ae as Yim Baek Moo
Jang Geun Seok as Kim Eun Ho
and a lot of characters

Synopsis

This drama is about a famous Gisaeng in olden Korea, Hwang Jin-I. Gisaeng is the Korean equivalent of geisha. Heon-keum, Jin-I's birth mother and a gisaeng herself, gave Jin-I away to a temple after she was born, hoping to change Jin-I's destiny, because Korean law at that time states that daughters of gisaengs must become gisaengs. However, Jin-I saw a performance by gisaengs when she was 10 and fell in love with their music and dance. The gisaeng mistress, Yim Baek Moo, saw Jin-I's talent and recruited her and at the same time, Jin-I is reunited with her mother at the Gyobang (Gisaeng's house).

Jin-I blossomed under Baek Moo's teaching, however, she fell in love with a nobleman's son, Kim Eun Ho. Due to the difference in their social status, their love was strongly objected (by both sides) and Eun Ho died of a broken heart. From then on, Jin-I sweared to take revenge on all noblemen and on Baek Moo, because she believed the latter masterminded the entire thing.

Fast forwarded, Jin-I (Gisaeng name: Myung-Yol) became one of the most sought-after gisaeng in Korea, due to her beauty, wit and musical talent, but she never danced because she could not forget her first love. Then in a contest with her rival, she re-discovered her love for dancing. At the same time, she slowly fell in love with a high-ranking official, Kim Jung Han, who touched her with his sincerity and love. However, because of a dance glitch and the difference in their social status, the King put them to death. Jin-I managed to touch the King with a beautiful dance and begged him to release both of them but back to their original status and never to contact each other again, of which the King agreed.

With that Jin-I resumed her life as a gisaeng and became one of the best dancers in Korea.

My Take
The show lived up to its name. It is colourful, well-shot, touching and has memorable OST. I'm listening to it now, as I type this! 1 thing I do not understand is that why Kim Jae Won is rarely mentioned or not even featured in the drama photo although he is one of the main cast. The guy on the right in the photo above is Byuk Kye Soo, played by Yoo Tae Joon, who is the King's relative who tried to but could not win Jin-I's love. Ha Ji Won doesn't look her age as she is paired with 2 man younger than her: Geun Seok who is 20 years old and Jae Won who is 26.


Year Aired : 2006


Cast

Ahn Jae Wook as Yoon Hyun Suh
Lee Bo Young as Choi Young In
Oh Yoon Ah as Kang Soo Jin
Jo Dong Hyuk as Kyle

Synopsis

Yoon Hyun Suh, adopted when he was young, became a successful hotelier in USA managing big hotels in LA. He has a gay adopted brother, and through him, met Choi Young In, a sassy girl who won a trip to US but broke off from her boyfriend. Hyun Suh left US for Korea to take over another hotel, and coincidentally sat beside Young Inn on the plane. During the flight, he sudddenly developed chest pains (as he has a heart ailment) and with Young In's pleas, the plane turned around and returned to LA to allow Hyun Suh to be treated.

When back in Korea, Hyun Suh gave Young In a concierge job in his hotel in return for her help on the plane. As Hyun Suh and Young In slowly fell in love, the story became complicated when Hyun Suh's good friend, Kang Soo Jin, revealed that her son is technically his, because she used his donated sperm to conceive. In addition, Kyle (Hyun Suh's subordinate in the LA hotel who followed him back to Korea) revealed that he is the son of hotelier whom Hyun Suh had acquired the hotel from, and is back for a vengeance.

Kyle also likes Young In, but Young In firmly loved Hyun Suh. The climax is when Hyun Suh's heart ailment worsened and he went for an operation secretly to prevent Young In from worrying. After operation, Hyun Suh spent his last moments with the 2 persons he loved most in his life: Young In and his son.

My Take

I feel that the plot is excellent and I find the cast fantastic, especially Ahn Jae Wook. He is able to pull off the character of Hyun Suh superbly, as per his previous debut in Oh Pil Seung. Although the ending is sad, but I thought it was very touching. Highly recommended.

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/user/earthcrystal

Year Aired : 2006

Cast

Han Ji Min as Yu Mirae
Kim Jae Won as Kang Hyun Seh

Synopsis

Kang Hyun Seh started as a gangster in the show, who did not even keep in contact with his mother. His parents divorced before he was born, hence he had not even seen his father before. After his mother passed away, he was given the inheritance of the kindergarten that his mother founded, however, the only condition that he has to work 100 days in the kindergarten. As his gangster boss wants a share in the kindergarten, Hyun Seh was urged to fulfil the condition. As the story develops, a company wants to buy over the land that the kindergarten is on, to develop a children's theme park. And a fight between the gangsters and the company develops. On the other hand, Hyun Seh developed feelings for Mi Rae, his co-teacher in the kindergarten and also for the kids. Hence he decided not to sell the kindergarten. This enraged his gangster boss and the company and a lot of nasty things were done to him and the children. At the same time, Hyun Seh found that the boss of the company is his father.

My Take

The children are so cutttteeee!!! But but but I found the plot to be weak. It was kinda draggy in the beginning :(

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mja_xVZG1Q


Year Aired : 2006


 

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