Summary: Yoon Hye Jin is a dentist who lost her job in Seoul. She visits a coastal town, Gongjin, and decides to put up her own dental clinic. There, she meets handyman, Hong Doo Sik, who does all sorts of job, and is known in the entire town as Chief Hong.
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Countryside Romance
Episodes: 16
Stars: Shin Min Ah as Yoon Hye Jin
Kim Sun Ho as Hong Doo Sik
Lee Sang Yi as Ji Sung Hyun
Likes: Such a heartwarming little drama set in a laid-back coastal town, showcasing the townspeople’s daily life; their livelihood, community, camaraderie and a closer look into their personal happiness and struggles. I come from such town so I could totally relate to a lot of situations, especially the gossiping part :-)!
Beautiful Gongjin. Shooting outside Seoul seems a trend these days. Not complaining at all, on the opposite! Love how kdrama promotes local places, especially the coastal areas, which are undoubtedly full of charm. I just fell in love with Gongjin… but wait, oh Gongjin is a fictional town, lol! The place is actually Pohang, South Korea. It does exist, that’s good news! So, we can still check out that prominent, red lighthouse. It really does stand out. I just love the seaside set. I could almost smell the salty and seaweed-smelling air.
The Love Story. How cute is that when our little Hye Jin and Doo Sik already met at the same town long time ago. Those two souls were simply destined to be together, but not without trials and challenges. The characters, in the beginning, were clashing! Hye Jin and Doo Sik were two opposing personalities. One couldn’t let go of her city lifestyle and ambition, while the other one was just happy with what he has around him in the town. I love how the two got together in the end without giving up what matters to them. It’s called compromise! When you love, you compromise and if every relationship has this as its base, then we’ll end up like our Hye Jin and Doo Sik too!
Character-rich Drama. I’m not just talking about the top characters, Hye Jin and Doo Sik, but the supporting as well. Everyone’s character was well-crafted and all had a story to tell. Behind the happy, normal facade of everyone’s life has the struggle and pain that lie within. Hye Jin – the dentist, Doo Sik – the handyman, Gam Ri – the caring grandmother, Cheo Jae – the singer, Hwa Jung – the desperate ex-wife, Nam Suk – the queen of gossip and more. I love all of them and I feel for everyone who’s having a hard time right now saying goodbye to all these remarkable characters.
The Cast. Very well chosen! I love Shin Min Ah, since a very long time, like My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, kind of time. She’s just lovable. Kim Sun Ho captured my heart since Start-Up. I just really hope he gets through this scandal he’s facing right now. We have a lot of veterans in the show like Kim Young-ok who played as Kim Gam-ri and Jo Han-cheol as Oh Cheon-jae, making this drama so solid and worth-watching.
The Catchy Intro. Noticed the animated intro in the beginning of every episode? Love it! Very well done! And of course, it’s accompanied by that La La La Song (Romantic Sunday). Made me always sit back and relax and watch the new episode.
Daebak Confession. How could I forget our girl finally confessing her feelings… Hye Jin to Du Sik: “My feelings keep inflating my heart and it could burst at any second.” Oh la la! And followed by a kisssss! Yay!
The Proposal. Omo, the shoe idea was genius! Just poor Doo Sik, Hye Jin beat him to it, lol!
The Ending. A lovely balance between sad and happy, and the future would remain the same. But at least our couple was facing it with a positive attitude.
Hye Jin: “I’ll be at the front of the boat making sure you have a clear path.”
Doo Sik: “The sea won’t always be this gentle though. We will be met with wind and waves. And even typhoons will come our way.”
Hye Jin: “So what if we get wet soaked in the rain? Who cares if the wind blows a bit, when we’re in the same boat.”
Dislikes: I’m really trying to get used to ad placement, because, you know, everyone has to earn a living and I really want kdrama to live on for a long time but I can’t help getting agitated if it gets too much. On the final episode, they had to create special segments just so they could run ads one last time. Shameless!