The surprising combination of music and murder magically works for I Wanna Hear Your Song.
Revolving around the mysterious death of pianist Kim Ian, the different characters of the drama struggle to recover. Most importantly, they all try to handle the aftermath of the death. But suspicion and doubt bubble up beneath the surface.
- Main Leads: Yeon Woo Jin | Kim Sejeong | Song Jae Rim | Park Ji Yeon
- Thrill/Romance/Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Re-watch Value:
- Dramas of Similar Vibe: The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
I Wanna Hear Your Song Plot Recap
Jang Yoon approaches Hong Yi Young with an ulterior motive. He is aware of her existence in his deceased brother’s life and is determined to find his murderer. However, he is stunned by two things: Yi Young lost her memory and he’s attracted to her. Yoon can’t help but be drawn to the bright Yi Young.
They get to know each other further when they start working for the same orchestra. Yoon keeps close to Yi Young, even moving next door to her. Yi Young is suspicious of him at first, thinking of him as a stalker.
Immediately, Yi Young gets the attention of the newest conductor Nam Joo Wan in the orchestra. She is actually shunned by the rest of the orchestra because of his attention. The most affected person of all violinists is Ha Eun Joo, who likes Joo Wan.
The mysterious Yoon Young Gil appears and shakes everything up. Joo Wan knows who Young Gil is. He fires Yi Young as a timpanist but rehires her as his assistant instead. This fuels rumors that Joo Wan is keeping Yi Young as a “pet”. Meanwhile, Yoon continues to press Yi Young into remembering the past. Slowly she starts recalling bits and pieces of what happened.
Jang Yoon’s Relentless Search For The Truth
After clearing Yi Young from his brother’s murder, he sets his eyes on Joo Wan. He presses him hard and accuses him of hiding the truth. Joo Wan denies all involvement in Ian’s murder. The tension between the two men is palpable until Yoon receives a video of Joo Wan and Young Gil’s physical altercation in the stairwell. This leads Joo Wan to accidentally push Young Gil, who plunges to his death.
Yoon submits the video as evidence and Joo Wan is arrested for the murder. Despite her initial suspicions that Joo Wan killed Ian, Yi Young finally remembers the truth. She lets Joo Wan and Yoon know that Joo Wan was in the warehouse. However, he wasn’t there to harm them, he actually saved them.
That Fateful Evening
Yi Young initially thought that she had killed Ian. A memory of her stabbing him surfaces, convincing her she killed him. However, the truth finally comes out of Young Gil. He chased Ian and Yi Young and hit their car. Afterwards, he locked them up in a warehouse. While there, a hooded and masked Joo Wan enters and gives Yi Young a knife. He tells them to escape before Young Gil returns. Although Yi Young didn’t recognize him, Ian picked up on his voice. Startled, he ignores the boy and hurries them out of the warehouse.
Running for their lives, Yi Young and Ian stumble under the rain. Young Gil comes after them in his car. As he is about to hit Yi Young, Ian pushes her out of the way. That’s where the memory of Yi Young comes from. She accidentally stabs him with the knife in her hand. However, Ian is still alive, just wounded. He tells her to get the knife and run for her life.
Joon and Yi Young Get Their Chance At Love
Because he is heavily involved in embezzlement, Professor Kang Myung Suk used his power in the company and orchestra. He uses Joo Wan as well, promising a position as conductor for his silence. Joo Wan accepts, and Young Gil goes to jail. But upon Young Gil’s release, Professor Kang fears he will be exposed. This leads to careless decisions on his part.
When Joo Wan was arrested for Young Gil’s murder, Professor Kang goes after Yi Young. He fails to find the evidence he thought she had. But Young Gil prepared everything in advance. With Joo Wan’s help, Yoon finds evidence to prove Professor Kang’s embezzlement activities. He also obtains the dash camera footage proving Professor Kang ran Ian over with the car.
With the murderer finally revealed and captured, Joon realizes how negatively he affected Yi Young. He decides to remove himself from her life and leaves for the States without a word. Yi Young finds out and tries to run after him, but it’s too late.
Eventually, the truth comes out. Yi Young actually had a crush on him from years back when he was her professor’s assistant. She was delighted when she learned Ian was Joon’s younger brother. But since Ian had a crush on Yi Young, he deliberately kept them apart. Joon was also surprised to learn that their relationship was one-sided, all the while thinking that Yi Young was his brother’s girlfriend.
Unable to stay away any longer, Joon returns to Korea and seeks out Yi Young. She has successfully returned to the orchestra but she’s furious at Joon for leaving her. He profusely apologizes for leaving without a word. They reunite and live happily.
I Wanna Hear Your Song Series Highlights + Musings
The mystery of Ian’s death drove the story onward and forward. What’s interesting is that as the plot unfolded, the characters, initially dark and mysterious, gently unfolded. Layer upon layer of their characters revealed the depth that was created for them. The entire cast portrayed the transition well from where they were shrouded in mystery up until they came to light.
Yeon Woo Jin seems to excel in the dark and mysterious characters he gravitates towards. His most memorable role for me so far is still My Shy Boss. In I Wanna Hear Your Song, he gave another effective portrayal of the silent and mysterious type. But Yeon layered this character further by adding an edge of danger to the persona of Jang Yoon.
Kim Se Jeong’s smile warmed my heart. Her bright aura despite the dreary mood of the drama was a highlight for me. Since School 2017, Kim has developed further into a different level of actress. I was initially worried that a newbie like Kim wouldn’t be able to match Yeon’s acting well, but the pair had an irresistible chemistry that made me come back for more each week.
Surprisingly, I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. I would suggest that this drama should be one of the must-sees for 2019. Its unique concept of using an orchestra as an integral part of the story added a new flavor to the drama. Bringing in the mystery behind Ian’s death adds an edge of whodunit, keeping you engrossed.
Tying it up neatly was Yeon and Kim themselves, a very bright and becoming pair that might be the biggest and sweetest surprise of all.
Photos/Videos: KBS Drama | Vlending
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