Summary: Seo Yi Gang is one of the best rangers in Jirisan, a popular mountain in South Korea. She works with other rangers whose job is to rescue hikers who got lost or stranded in the mountain. Her team is joined by Kang Hyun Jo, a military academy graduate, who has a peculiar ability of seeing visions of death which occurs in the mountain.
Genre: Action, Mystery, Serial Killer
Episodes: 16
Stars: Jun Ji Hyun as Seo Yi Gang
Joo Ji Hoon as Kang Hyun Jo
Likes: This didn’t get the rating that it deserved, but for me, there are just many reasons to like this drama…
The Story. I think the script was excellent, combining natural tragedies with man-made, trying to capture the beauty and mystery of the mountain, the different stories of the people living near it and the struggles and challenges of those who are guarding it. I especially loved the back-and-forth storytelling, constantly switching from year 2018 and 2020 and always leaving the best part for last.
The Beauty of Jirisan. The beauty of the mountain is insurmountable and I loved how the drama captured it all. From the picturesque view of the ranges, the unique pine tree forest, the tall cliffs, rocky water ways, and the beauty of it every season, when it’s covered with snow in winter or when wild flowers pop out in spring or when it turns red in fall. It was all breathtaking!
Awesome Cinematography. Yes, indeed! In fact it took Kdramastowatch best in cinematograhy award for 2021! They managed to capture all, the beauty, the mystery and the danger of the mountain.
Murder Mystery. I’m a sucker for this so of course that made it all interesting for me. Seo Yi Gang who came back to work in a wheelchair had to solve a murder msytery and everyone close to her and whom she’s been working with suddenly became a suspect 🤔.
Ghost Mystery. It even became more interesting when the one who knew the murderer is stuck in the beautiful Jirisan as a ghost. How did that happen? Anyway, he was such a handsome ghost but I would have been too sad if he ended up ghosting the place forever.
Cliffhangers. Very well done. Made me watch 2-3 episodes in a night! You just can’t stop watching. The storytelling was just too good!
The Cast. Well, very good actors in this show, no doubt!
Jun Ji Hyun as Seo Yi Gang – I loved how active and tough she was here. Such a beautiful lady ranger. Jun Ji Hyun always looks great in whatever outfit she puts on, even the ranger uniform! I also love her chemistry with Joo Ji Hun, was it friendly or romantic or both, they definitely had it!
Joo Ji Hoon as Kang Hyun Jo – loved the character, the hoobae! Not the difficult type of person, friendly and gets along with pretty much everyone. And of course handsome! I haven’t watched Joo Ji Hoon since Mask and I think being in this type of character was such a huge change. As I mentioned above, his chemistry with Jun Ji Hyun was great. I just wished they added more romance between these two characters.
Sung Dong Il as Jo Dae Jin, Oh Jung Se as Jung Goo Young, Jo Han Chul as Park Il Hae – I love these three actors, they always do great in their roles, but I think I was impressed most with Oh Jung Se’s performance when he lost his girlfriend from the flood. Such a heartbreaking scene!
Ending. I just loved how it ended! It wasn’t clear at all what would happen, until the very last episode. I was so glad they gave me that 1 year later epilogue! New year, new beginning with the very first sunrise in Jirisan peak! Just love it!
Dislikes: It could have done with a bit more romance!
