Drama

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (KDrama Review & Summary)

• Genre: Romance, Mystery, Thriller
• Release Date: October 2018
• Origin: South Korea; the remake of 2002 Japanese thriller called Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi by Eriko Kitagawa
• Kdrama: 16 Episodes

Cast:

• Seo In-Guk as Kim Moo-Young
• Jung So-Min as Yoo Jin-Kang
• Park Sung Woong as Yoo Jin-Gook
• Seo Eun-Soo as Baek Seung Ah
• Hong Bin as No Hee-Joon
• Go Min Shi as Im Yoo-Ri
• Do Sang Woo as Jang Woo Sang (Rich Boyfriend of Bake Seung-Ah)
• Kwon Soo-Hyun as Eom Cho Rong

Synopsis:

It is a psycho-romantic drama.

Episode 1 – 2

I have to say, South Korea is bringing all the big guns this October.

We are almost spoilt for choice with all the watchable and well-made dramas that are currently on show.

This drama especially has that cat and mouse storyline about it that promises to be an edge on the seat feel.  If it remains faithful to the Japanese version then this would have a rather sad ending, sadly.

The three main leads are brilliant in portraying their respective roles.  I have always been a fan of Jung So-Min since Playful Kiss.  She is maturing into a very watchable and versatile actress.

Seo In Guk is gorgeous as a rather creepy Moo Young.

Park Sung Woong is so believable as an over-protective, though chill,  brother to Jung So Min’s character.

The story goes that Moo Young, though still a young man, has been around.  He had affected the lives of many people even as a boy.

He is so charismatic that you cannot help but be drawn to him.  He is a very good-looking guy who is very professional as a brewery technician.  He has a killer dimpled smile that somehow does not reach his gorgeous eyes which makes him look very enigmatic at the same time he has a childlike/boyish cuteness (probably this is more because of the actor rather than his role).

Part of his appeal was his ability to anticipate what was needed doing or the help he can provide to people, which engages and intrigues everyone, he meets.

Including Yoo Jin Kang, who was on a blind date set up by her brother, Yoo Jin-Gook.  Her blind date was going well with Cho Rong when a waiter accidentally spilt sauce and drinks all over her blazer, which she took off and thereby flashing a huge burnt mark her right arm.  Moo Young was immediately there covering her shoulders with his hoodie.

Later on, we see that Moo Young has a shower scene.  Hurrah!!! Yip Yip Hooray!!! The camera then focuses on his back and he has a large burnt mark on his shoulder.

There was a young beautiful artist, Baek Seung-ah, who was nervous at holding her first exhibition, knowing that some of the pieces on display were not her own work.  Moo-Young, who was catering the beers and ales for the show had heard her conversation with her ‘boyfriend’ who was financing the show.  told her that she must not try to pretend that the works were hers.

But she can’t really go against her very controlling boyfriend who was sponsoring her.  To help her out Moo-Young purposely bumped into the boyfriend, who then knocked the contentious display.

Baek Seung-ah was so grateful with Moo-Young and felt drawn to him.  Before long she was his girlfriend and she tried to break off with her rich boyfriend, who would not let her go but told her to have her relationship with the Moo Young but ensure not to sleep with him.

Baek Seung-Ah is best friend with Yoo Jin Kang.  They met up one day and Baek Seung-Ah introduced her new boyfriend to Jin Kang.  It was Moo-Young.  Jin Kang pretended at first not to know him but Moo Young said not to be so formal as they have met several times and this is their fourth meeting.

It seems that they lived in the same neighbourhood.  Jin Kang spotted him and quickly returned home to fetch Moo-Young’s hoodie to give it back to him.  They got talking and Jin Kang asked him why he said that they had met four times before when she could only recall three times.

Moo Young said that they met a long, long, long time ago.  She was like the cute little sister that he had lost.

Jin Kang was on her first date with Chong Ro in the movies when she saw Moo Young also on a date with a woman, Im Yoo-ri.  She knows that he is a player.

Yoo Jin Gook was driving when he was momentarily distracted almost causing to run oven Moo-Young and his cat.

Jin Gook was all concerned and offered Moo Young to take him to the hospital.  Moo Young declined, saying he was unharmed.  Jin Gook then offered him a lift home.

Moo Young asked Jin Gook if he carries a gun.  Jin Gook said that he was not that kind of policeman.  Moo Young though asked if he can use a gun, Jin Gook said that he does as it is part of his training.  Moo Young continued with his questioning.  He wanted to know whether Jin Gook had shot anyone or killed anyone before, after all being a long time policeman he must have had instances when he had to use a gun.  Their interaction was amazing.

As we get to know the characters, there is also an underlying story where a girl has supposedly jumped to her death from her apartment’s window.

Though initially, it looks like a suicide, Jin Gook is thinking otherwise because of some inconsistencies.

Episode 3

The investigation regarding the suicide girl is ongoing, though they have arrested the girl’s boyfriend it looks like that he could be innocent.

Seung Ah’s mother had found out that her daughter is dating Moo Young behind Woo Sang.  She warned Moo Young to stop as Woo Sang is rather scary, she shouldn’t upset him.

Woo Sang had told Seung Ah that he was officially introducing her to his parents in view of a marriage.  But during the dinner, Seung Ah was a no-show as she went to see Moo Young instead and they had sex inside the brewery.

Despite dating Seung Ah, Moo Young is still flirtatious.  He was beginning to flirt with Jin Kang.

Her brother, Jin Gook, warned Jin Kang not to get involved with Moo Young as he is bad news.  Jin Kang said that she’s not interested in Moo Young and he was already dating her best friend, Seung Ah.

Jin Gook was very surprised at this turn of event.  Jin Kang further detailed that Seung Ah was very impressed with Moo Young.  She thinks that he was a genius. He remembered precisely where each bead should go when her bracelet broke and each bead fell on the floor.

Moo-Young picked the beads one by one and rethreaded it in perfect order.

This declaration rung an alarm bell with Jin Gook.  He immediately remembers the order of the snowglobes in the suicide girl’s apartment.

Is Moo Young the killer?

Episode 4

Jin Kang got between Seung Ah and her mother and she got slapped by the mother for her trouble.

Despite being slapped, Seung Ah continued to beg her to be the go between between her and Moo Young as she had been grounded by her mother.

Moo Young and Jin Kang had lunch together over a hotpot.  They sort of bonded and exchange childhood history which was heard by a jealous Yoo-Ri.

Yoo-Ri purposely tried to run over Jin Kang, fortunately, Jin Gook was there to save his sister.

Episode 5

Jin Gook and Jin Kang took the collapsed Yoo-Ri to the hospital.  They were told that Yoo-Ri was in no immediate danger.

Jin Kang had pulled a ligament and she had to wear an arm support.

They called Moo Young for him to contact Yoo-Ri’s family but when turned up at the hospital he was more concerned about Jin Kang.

Jin Gook had a look at the SD card of Yoo Ri’s car’s blackbox and found that Yoo-ri purposely went for Jin Kang.

Moo Young confessed to Jin Kang, telling her to go out with him because he likes her.

Jin Kang of course blow him out.  She was actually annoyed with him because he should be thinking of Seung-Ah who adores him mindlessly.

Seung-Ah had put her studio for sale.  She needed the money to fund her plan of running away with Moo Young.

Moo Young, however, does not have plans of going with her.

Becasue of Seung-Ah, Moo-Young lost his job at the brewery where Woo Sang, a valued customer, uses his influence to get Moo Young fired.

I have to say Moo Young and Jin Kang are just too darn cute together!  I hope I am not going to regret saying this in terms of how the story goes.

 

 

Can’t wait for next week episode.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have to confess, I found the above drama so intriguing and knowing that it was based on a Japanese 2002 drama, what can I do?!!!

I love thriller books, especially about serial killer stories. If I can’t finish the book in one sitting, then I have to know the ending and proceed to the ending.  The husband can’t understand this habit at all.  He said I lose the element of surprise if I read the ending before I finish the whole book. Well I need sleep more than the element of surprise.  I would lie in bed thinking who the killer might be and won’t be able to go to sleep.

It is the same case with this drama.  I googled the synopsis of the Japanese drama and here is what I found.

DO NOT READ FROM HERE ON!  MEGA SPOILERS!!!

(Hopefully, the KDrama is not a faithful remake 🙂 !!!)

Miwa (Baek Seung-Ah) was being forced to marry the rich and influential Kashiwagi Naoya (Jang Woo Sang) by her family but she finds him rather controlling and perverted.  With the thought that she would get together with Ryo (Moo Young) without the hindrance of Kashiwagi, Miwa killed Kashiwagi.

But it was too late for her and Ryo as he had fallen deeply in love with Dojima Yuko (Jin Kang) who was almost killed by Yuki (Im Yoo-Ri) who was revealed to be the killer of the college/suicide girl because she thought that she was also sleeping with Ryo.

Ryo wanted to reconstruct his fragmented memory and in so doing remembered the faith of his father.

When Dojima Kanzo (Jin Gook) was a young policeman, through inexperience, shot and killed a murderer.  He was Katase Ryo’s (Moo-Young) father.

Further memory shocked him to the core.  Yuko is his real sister, who he already slept with.

Kashiwagi had a sister, who was bent on finding what had happened to her brother.  Her investigation also found out about Kanzo, Yuko and Ryo.

To show Yuko that he was evil and not at all good for her and to hate him, he killed Kashiwagi’s sister.

He then went on the run as his crime was all over the news.

Yuko learned from Ryo’s friend that he was after Kanzo for killing his father.

Yuko went to Kanzo’s house and found Ryo lying in wait.  Yuko ended up killing Ryo.  Heartbroken, she found a letter on Ryo’s pocket detailing their real relationship that they were siblings.

She then dragged Ryo’s body into the marina and then into a boat and set sail in the middle of the sea.

Kanzo was hot in pursuit.  As he neared them, Yuko in a Romeo and Juliet genre, clutched Ryo tightly to herself and shot herself.

Apparently, Miwa got killed as well.

With all the body counts, this drama is sure interesting.

One thing though, there are some obvious dissimilarities between the Dorama and KDrama.

For one thing, Moo Young (Ryo) seemed to have the talent for the photographic memory rather than Yuki (the killer girl)  Moo Young was able to put together that beaded bracelet he gave to Baek seung-ah when it fell apart.  In the Dorama, Kanza (Jin Gook) gave the bracelet to Miwa because he has a crush on her.

I am 75% sure that KDrama will not go down the road towards incest town.  They’ll stopped before crossing over.  The Japanese never shy away from this kind of topics.