The year was 2012, Cho Yeo Jeong and Kim Kang Woo made such a splash with the refreshing story in Lovers of Haeundae!
The hotel-tug-of-war, the quirkiest-quasi-mafia-ish-fisherman family, the stubborn-quick-to-anger-but-adorably-handsome-prosecutor, and the love story that was brought about by a criminal chase leading to rounds of jumping into wrong conclusion – are reasons enough to enjoy this light and chirpy love story.
Lovers of Haeundae is penned by Hwang Eun Kyung (City Hunter, D-Day) and directed by Song Hyun Wook (Another Miss Oh, The Beauty Inside)
Main Cast: Kim Kang Woo | Cho Yeo Jeong | Jung Suk Woon | Nam Gyu Ri
Network & Episode Count: KBS2 | 16 Episodes
Official Website: Lovers of Haeundae KBS2
Quick Review
- Plot Trajectory: Consistently engrossing but some plot/with minor hiccups along the way
- Plot Pace: Nicely-done
- Character Portrayal: Main Cast overwhelmed the supporting cast
- Writing: Smartly written with humor kicks
- Watch on a binge or intervals?: Either Choices Apply
- Romance Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
Lovers of Haeundae Quick Plot Summary
Go So Ra (Cho Yeo Jeong) and her uncles have been conquering the waters of Busan on their quest to pay off all their debts and to reclaim the Haeundae Hotel that her father founded, but was taken away by a gangster rebellion initiated by his father’s second in command, Yang Man Ho.
President Yang, the man who snatched the hotel was dying and wanted to see his long lost son for the last time. A star scar would be the key to finding him.
Lee Tae Sung (Kim Kang Woo) knows nothing but to please his father who adopted him from the orphanage when he was young. All his life has been channeled into following his father’s wishes including his fixed marriage to a daughter of a rich family.
After failed attempts to catch notorious con-man, Go Joong Shik, who has a lot of crime medals to brag about, Tae Sung is determined to seize him to appease his father’s disappointment. It is also to prove his worth to the prosecutors’ office who are doubting his capabilities and who hasn’t had a smooth relationship with him because of his being egoistic.
The slimy Joong-shik narrowly escaped his encounter with Tae-sung on a pier brawl so their team’s last chance is to locate him through Joong-shik’s girlfriend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a7QOBSQrmw
The fated encounter
Go So Ra goes to a night club where her cousin is said to be working, and to bail her out of the club, the boss wants her to pose as a geisha and dance. In the same night club, Tae-sung preps for their important mission, and mistakenly thought So-ra is their secret mole. “I’ve never felt this way before” – Tae-sung kept telling So-ra, and she’s puzzled while being annoyed at his insistence.
As So-ra finds her way to escape the night club, Tae-sung who almost caught Joong-shik inadvertently let him slip away, In his fading consciousness, she sees Joong-shik on board So-ra’s truck. It happened because she bumps on him while running away with her cousin to get out of the place.
Even after just getting off his wedding day, he set off to Busan to look for So-ra as he thinks she’s Joong-shik’s girlfriend. He works his way to So Ra’s family in the hopes of getting a lead. When he finally traced him, the villain assumes his cat-like existence and wins over their fight leaving him drowned in the water. Luckily, he gets revived by So Ra’s family, who has been thinking he was the culprit who took all their fish catch which was earlier sold by her cousin.
The man who can’t remember
Lee Tae Sung wakes up but due to a head damage, he can’t recall his identity. At the same hospital room, he was revived, Yang Man Ho was not aware that his long lost son shares a room with him.
While battling amnesia, Tae Sung was taken in by Sora’s family while his family and wife thought him to be dead because of a car accident.
As Tae-sung/Nam-hae got used to ocean life, he has learned to rely on So-ra – the only person in the world who can be there from him. Instead of moping on his vulnerability, his amnesia made him aware to listen to his heart more. To save So-ra’s face when her groom ran away, Tae-sung bravely marched down the aisle to assume a knight in a shining armor role.
But in a twist of long standing Haeundae gangster fate, it was revealed that Tae-sung in deed is the long lost son of Go family’s arch nemesis Yang Man Ho. But eventually Tae-sung and So-ra submit to the mutual emotions they both feel. They forge a plan to reclaim the hotel So-ra has been dreaming to have in the past 10 years.
Just as their love story became crystal clear and freed from their father issues, Choi Joon Hyuk (Jung Suk Won) who harbors unrequited love towards So-ra did his chess move. Learning about Tae-sung’s real identity, he revealed it to him in an off-guard-coming-out-of-amnesia-torn-between-two-lovers deal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPXz7QQZHKs
Peak Points & Series Afterthoughts
My favorite scene in Lovers of Haeundae is surprisingly that one liner which started the love journey of the series. When Tae-sung told So-ra “I’ve never felt this way before”, with all his memory back and all the series of events that happened between them… and with all the love he was able to realized because of her, I smiled that I got lucky chancing upon their sweet love tale.
This drama totally deviated from the supernatural-time-traveling trend in year 2012. Settling to a realistic love narrative that built up so perfectly, the love pairing made the viewers root for the process of their falling in love. With amnesia plot and all that off-beat elements, I still end up appreciating the series.
It stayed on low key, but was consistent with the romance and mirth elements all throughout. I liked that they gave the couple love hindering conflicts and made them so strong with their convictions to overcome it. They took one step back and then 10 steps forward to claim what is rightfully theirs.
It was swift and well-paced. It was predictable and yet so fun to watch. Amidst the 3rd quarter drama, Lovers of Haeundae was not that conspicuous, underrated if I may say. The irony of it, is that it has the biggest heart so far from what I’ve seen this year – tapping on love, family and friendship in an uncomplicated and stirring way of defining life’s real moments.
Just like the serene ocean background setting, Lovers of Haeundae is an endearing, calming drama that will drown a stressful week. I am sure right now that it will certainly not be one of the best this year, but at least it didn’t disappoint me at all and was always making me smile while I am watching it.
*Original review written and posted on abbyinhallyuland blog in October 2012
Photos: KBS2
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