Episodes: 16, Melodrama/Romance
Cast
Lee Da Hae as Jang Mi Ri
Park Yoo Chun as Yutaka / Song Yoo Hyun
Kim Seung Woo as Jang Myung Hoon
Kang Hye Jung as Moon Hee Joo
(Based on the true story of Shin Jeong-Ah who once worked as a professor of art at Dongguk University and chief curator at Sungkok Art Museum. She was then elected as artistic co-director for the 2008 Gwangju Biennale (one of Korea's biggest art events). It was then revealed that Shin Jeong-Ah forged her college credentials (a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas and a Ph.D. from Yale University) and was fired from her positions. Shin Jeong-Ah served 18 months in prison. She was also romantically linked to former presidential aide Byeon Yang-Kyoon, who helped Shin Jeong-Ah gain employment at Dongguk University.~ Courtesy of AsianWiki).
The plot of this drama did not really appeal to me. I was in the midst of waiting for episodes of Time Slip Dr Jin and Bridal Mask so this was a bit of a filler. Also, after watching Rooftop Prince, I wanted to watch another Yoochun drama ;)
This drama is about Jang Mi Ri who was abandoned by her mother, and her father passed away when she was very young. She was thrown in to an orphanage with the sisters of the church. She was then adopted in to Japan where she was whipped (figuratively) to slave away washing blankets. When she turned 15, she sold cigarettes to a pimp and thats when her life as a escort girl started. Over a number of years she got tired of this life and wanted something more substantial and normal. She fled to South Korea to start afresh a different life. However, only with high school qualifications, no one wanted to hire her, and she was constantly abused because men found her too beautiful (seriously?).
She bumped into Jang Myung Hoon (a hotelier) one day and he offered her a job because he was desperately in need of a Japanese translator of a particular dialect which she had to look after a prestigious Japanese client. Mi Ri lies about her credentials of graduating from Tokyo University and even goes to forging the certificate to fax it in when asked to.
To climb her way in to the appealing world of professional hotel management, she seduces and dates Myung Hoon. Later on, she meets Song Yoo Hyun who is the heir of a rival hotel Conglomerate. Yoo Hyun is then more attractive because he is young, handsome, rich and will become very powerful. Mi Ri drops Myung Hoon like a hot potato, then manipulates herself in to Yoo Hyun's life. For Yoo Hyun, it was love at first sight when he saw Mi Ri because her eyes reminded of him of his late mother (really? not because she is drop dead gorgeous and hot?)
The story goes on with Mi Ri and her lies. Eventually it unfolds and Myung Hoon discovers it first and wants to set things right by exposing her. It might have come out of spite and he wanted revenge but this was not portrayed in the drama. Everything starts to crumble and Mi Ri loses everything she had so hard tried to attain. The most tragic lost was losing someone she truly loves which is Yoo Hyun. Yoo Hyun still loved her despite finding out about her lies and manipulative ways, but alas, they cannot be together. I'll come to this in a bit why.
Lee Dae Hae's performance was quite outstanding as the character Mi Ri who is an example of someone who lets the environment (in this case, an unfortunate childhood and upbringing) control and mould her to be what she became. However, there is a lot of character development in the end and she does confess to all her crimes. Lee Dae Hae looks different to her My Girl days because she went through plastic surgery again. I found her facial expressions at times rather unconvincing and quite grimaced. It could be the plastic surgery. Why did she have to do more plastic surgery when she was already gorgeous? I guess the more money and more famous you become, the more you want to spend your money.
A twist at the end was that Yoo Hyun's step mother was actually Mi Ri's biological mother. Now isn't that a coincidence?! Korean dramas like to throw these coincidences in. So now, the reasons why Mi Ri could not be together with Yoo Hyun was 1) she is his step sister; 2) her forgery and crimes were exposed on national TV. As a heir to the chain of hotels, how can he be with someone like that? his reputation and image would be ruined. Though many times in the drama, he appears not to care what the world thought of him.
This drama portrays to me that beautiful women can usually get away with things and can seduce men to get them to do whatever they want.
If Yoo Hyun and Mi Ri loved each other so much, why was there never a kissing scene? The most action from them was just holding hands and Yoo Hyun kissing Mi Ri on the forehead. Perhaps the leads didn't want to kiss each other?
The proposal scene where Yoo Hyun plays the piano and sang her the song: An Empty Space Left For You. Was that song really appropriate? It's a sad song about loving and parting. You don't sing such a song when you want to propose to someone who you want to spend the rest of your life with! I just felt that Yoochun wanted to promote his single here :)
The thing about forging your qualifications. Do you really think you can get away with it? Also Hotel A which is very prestigious and I understand people want to work there, but the staff working there had graduated from Harvard. Some of the faxes that came through were from Harvard. What? Harvard University graduates and they are working in hospitality? You've got to be kidding me.
The pimp that followed Mi Ri from Japan, I found his character to be quite amusing and he was a bite of fresh air.
Mi Ri's best friend Moon Hee Joo, what an awesome friend. After all Mi Ri have put her through, stealing her graduation certificate and her architectural work, she still stood by her through thick and thin. Now, that is a friend for life.
A lot of character development for all the characters in the drama which is good. Mi Ri redeemed herself at the end and was able to let go, obtain peace and live a normal life. Yes she lost the love of her life Yoo Hyun, but with her beauty, I'm sure there'll be plenty of hot guys around the corner who would chase her to no end.
The other thing that irked me was the title of this drama. Miss Ripley, Who I loved...seriously, this title gives it away. Loved is past tense. We know straight away they are not going to be together by the end. It always saddens me when couples who are in love can't be together.
Park Yoochun is so handsome in this drama. It was worth watching just for him :)
Two songs stood out here: Glass by Hwayobi. I found this song quite ballady but nice; the other one An Empty Space Left For You by off course the talented Park Yoochun.
This drama was alright, it's not something I would go out of my way to choose to watch. I don't really like watching dramas about selfish and manipulative people. However, it's a great reminder to not be like them.
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