In 2012, Ju Ji Hoon and Ji Chang Wook compete not just for a woman’s heart, but their mother’s love in Five Fingers!
When you have your protagonist, villains, counter-villains living inside the same roof scheming on how they can make each other suffer and retaliating at the same time – you get the best drama cast acting wise.
I present you Five Fingers – a story of a dysfunctional family who burned each episode with intense unlimited angst thrown at each other in a battle where money is thicker than blood and first love.
- Main Cast: Ju Ji Hoon | Ji Chang Wook | Jin Se Yeon | Chae Si Ra
- Network & Episode Count: SBS | 30 Episodes
- Official Website: Five Fingers SBS
Quick Review
- Plot Trajectory: Consistently emotionally engrossing all throughout
- Plot Pace: Nicely-done
- Character Portrayal: Great main leads and supporting cast
- Writing: Remarkably penned with emotional and romantic seasonings
- Watch on a binge or intervals?: Either choices apply
- Crowning Moments: Emotionally Heart-Wrenching Narrative | Power Portrayals
- Weepfest Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: Mask | May Queen
Five Fingers Quick Plot Summary
The new son of Yoo family
Chae Young Rang (Chae Si Ra) is a once-famous pianist who married a chaebol, Yoo Man Se, whose business focused on the music industry specifically in making grand pianos. To secure a lavish life, Young Rang’s mother forced her daughter to marry the rich man, who harbored deep adoration with her although her heart belongs to another man. When Yoo Man Se learned of her infidelity, he makes their marriage life enclosed in the memory of his wife’s unfaithfulness.
Young Rang performs her duty as a good mother to their son and a daughter-in-law to Yoo Man Se’s mother. She lets go of her husband’s womanizing around as arguing about it would send them back to the nightmare of how their marriage started. Then one day, Yoo Man Se brings a young boy, Ji Ho (Ju Ji Hoon), in the house claiming that he was his son. Young Rang and her son Yoo In Ha (Ji Chang Wook) are totally opposed to the idea but acquiesced because it was what Yoo Man Se declared.
Yoo In Ha at a very young age is already considered skillful in playing the piano, but Yoo Ji Ho surprised them with his innate ability and soon enough he became a piano prodigy. Then one night, Young Rang learned of Yoo Man Se’s will favoring Yoo Ji Ho.
The tragic fire accident
They engage in a heated argument not realizing that grandmother who was suffering from Alzheimer’s has lit some candles that accidentally caused a fire in the house. Young Rang hit a hard object at Yoo Man Se and when she realized the house was on fire, she rushed to look for her son. Prior to that, In Ha gave his jacket to his older brother, so she was horrified when she realized she saved Yoo Man Se’s son.
Meanwhile, grandmother rushes to look for the man who was selling pancakes that she loved to help rescue her son, but he was caught up on fire and also died.
Young Rang pinned the man her mother-in-law called for help as the main culprit in the crime, and his grieving family vowed to avenge their father’s death. In Ha took a lot of damage from the fire, he recuperated but one of his little fingers cannot function anymore.
The revenge plan
Years later, In Ha who kept a cold heart towards her mother came back from his living abroad and is welcomed by Ji Ho. Young Rang tried to win his son’s heart and gets to her long-running plan of claiming Boo Sung Group.
Clueless on her adopted mother’s hidden agenda, it was a big blow to Ji Ho when he realized how vile and selfish the woman who raised him is. Ji Ho also reunites with his childhood friend Hong Da Mi (Jin Se Yeon), who turned out to be the daughter of the man her mother put the blame on in the fire accident. The underlying rage of Da Mi’s family causes a painful truth when they both became aware that they are modern-day Romeo and Juliet.
Now Young Rang’s first love, Elvin Kim, is also set to take revenge on her drew a premeditated plan to Young Rang’s downfall using Da Mi’s brother as his right hand. Da Mi’s family needs proof which is under Young rang’s possession. To clear their father’s name, they want to get it to make Young Rang pay for her evil manipulations.
The counter-revenge
Ji Ho, who never understood his father’s dying words not to trust his mother, is consumed by rage towards the unfairness of the world and the woman he really cherished as his mother. Da Mi’s brother meets up with Young Rang to stake a final admit-your-sins offer. However, In Ha gets in the way, and in protecting his mother engaged in a brawl and knocked out Da Mi’s brother. Ji Ho comes to the rescue but was almost framed for a crime he didn’t commit.
A year after, Ji Ho returns to play the piano for his younger brother’s engagement party, and when a rogue rushes to stab Young Rang, Ji Ho took the knife. His heroic act raises positive feedbacks from the press. Previously, his reputation has been damaged by her mother and brother’s doings, so he is set to go Vito Corleone to his family.
Peak Points
Emotionally Heart-Wrenching Narrative
The main conflict of Five Fingers centers on a horrible case of the Oedipus complex. The mother and brothers, whose grudges elevated and paced in a thrilling manner made this melodrama so compelling to watch. Overflowing with dark tones, the series is heartbreakingly beautiful. Layered with surprises and wicked impulses, the characters were all driven to outwit each other.
Strong in balancing the protagonist and the villains, the story didn’t make the protagonist look annoying, albeit being an underdog most of the time. While Ji Ho maintained his meekness, he was also quick in comprehending the situation he was set to. He counter-punched simultaneously whilst his so-called family threw a jab at him. The last episodes were a workload for me as I ended up shedding tears while sharing Ji Ho’s pain.
Powerhouse Lead Cast
Young Rang’s character is brilliantly conceived, such a strong persona and I’m thankful that the retribution created for her was not forced, complementing her image in the series. She went from pretentious to persevering to full of pride and yes even to Lady-Voldemort. But her pernicious ways requited when a forgotten birth secret emerged to trouble her conflicting self.
When the mother-and-sons-love-triangle was salvaged by her blindness, I loved that she remained restrained and true to her character. She knew how demonic she has been and she didn’t take a shortcut in cleaning his conscience. She isolated herself consistent to how she has been dealing with the people around her all her life.
Yoo In Ha’s Pain
Yoo In Ha, who felt an intruder got all the things in his life was also well represented, that I really pitied how his character moved to the dark side because he can’t beat his older brother who was not even in the mood to compete with him.
The love triangle between In Ha, Ji Ho and Da Mi span since they were young, forgotten through the years but emerged again when they met as adults. That caused the turning point to In Ha’s character. It made him support his mother in her villainous acts of overthrowing the Ji Ho, whom they perceived to have brought all the misery in their lives.
Yoo Ji Ho’s heart
The main lead on the good side, Ji Ho, forced me to a weep fest on the finale episodes as frame after frame he was frustrated, crying, and not knowing how to deal with the last-minute revelation he got about his birth secret.
I loved him when he was a nice guy, loved him more when he initiated his payback time. I was completely drawn to him when he finally subdued his mother and brother but deciding to forgive them because “they are still his family”.
Excellent Parade of Small & Big Conflicts
I love the villains in this drama, alive and not. The last-minute conflict of pulling Yoo Man Se’s premeditated-in-case-I-might-die revenge took the story from a different angle. How can you accept your birth mother who pretended to be your mother because his being your mother would secure her and her son a fortune she so really wanted? (whew! There’s a lot of mothers there) Even in the end, Young Rang’s heart was holding back and won’t admit her shortcomings even if Ji Ho displayed his forgiving filial piety.
The romantic injections supported and enhanced the struggle that tied Young Rang and Yoo Man Se as well as Ji Ho and Da Mi. A really-can’t-be-together relationship worked in the plot, and I’m glad the writers didn’t waver in thinking of giving them the love fulfillment in the end.
Series Afterthoughts
As for the open-ended solution to close the drama, Young rang falling off the cliff was but a fitting ending to her character. Because she took all the time she can to finally break the walls she built between her and Ji Ho, and it was utterly fair. I know she was sincere in redeeming herself.
So, I settled to the idea of her death that would be fine; if she decided to live that would have been fine as well. But I doubt she did and what mattered was she was able to glue the broken relationship of her sons and forgave herself for her misgivings.
I can’t find fault in how they executed the streaming of the narrative, but there’s a link between the opening montages to the conclusion that was not expounded. It’s either it was an opening to introduce a not so good relationship of a son and his mother or they forgot about it because of so much rage and the emotional uproar they conjured all throughout.
A must-see melodrama
I vouched that Five Fingers is one of the best tears and bliss drama I saw as a K-Drama fan. Everything was in coherence with the main theme. The actors pushed their limit in the scenes they were required to step up, not quivering at the same time on the middling narrative riffs of the story.
It propelled a lot of emotional rush in me – an impossibility, nostalgia, fondness, fury, remorse, and forgiveness. Full of flavors and sentiments, fiery Five Fingers is a favorite melodrama of mine from 2012 season of Korean series.
Photos: SBS
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