10 years ago, Yoo Seung Ho and Park Eun Bin star in a sweeping time-traveling romance story in Operation Proposal.
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Operation Proposal Quick Plot Recap
Kang Baek-ho lacks confidence in confessing his love to his childhood best friend Ham Yi-seul. She eventually accepts the love of another man.
Realizing too late that he let go of his one great love, Baek-ho poured his tears out and a bored time conductor was moved by his lamentation over losing the woman he cherished most.
So, he was given a magical potion to drink and a weird incantation to say for him to go back to the past to correct the wrong choices he made in his life and make room for the love he thought was meant for him and his girl.
The Belated Love Realization and Confession (Long Recap)
Kang Baek Ho and Ham Yi Seul met when they were in grade school. Baek Ho’s father died when he was young and his mother rarely do her duties so Yi Seul has been his rock while growing up. She kept her best friend in her heart as Baek Ho harbored the same furtive feeling, but she got tired of waiting and decided to marry another man.
After her wedding, Kang Baek Ho read Yi Seul’s “I like you” letter and cried like he has never cried before because the pain of losing his everything overwhelmed his heart, rendering him unable to dismiss the harrowing pain.
Then a man handed him a handkerchief and introduced himself as a Time Conductor, he gave him a chance to time travel to make things right. He did a lot of time wrinkling and was able to fix his baseball career. However, every time he got back to the present time Yi Seul was still bound to be married.
In his desperate attempts to change the past brought about a final blow in the present causing Yi Seul’s death. To alter what happened he begged the Time Conductor for the last chance to time warp even if it means not being able to see the Time Conductor who turned out to be his father.
He was able to save Yi Seul from the accident but woke up with selective amnesia remembering all but Yi Seul. On her wedding day, Kang Baek Ho’s final attempt to declare his love was played which was done prior to the accident, Yi Seul runaway and found the man she has loved all her life in their elementary school room waiting. She introduced herself again to him.
After a house party, Yi Seul and Baek Ho are again locked in Baek Ho’s small room, Yi Seul hummed the song Baek Ho liked to hear and she offered to teach it to him. When Yi Seul woke up the next day, Baek Ho left a note for her to go to the playground.
He asked her to tell him about the letter she wrote when they were in 9th grade, but she refused so he narrated all that was in the letter. With his memory back, and taking all the chances to be with the woman he loved, the girl who has waited all her life and the boy who regrets what he could have done threw themselves at each other’s arms.
Operation Proposal Series Highlights
Prepare for frustrating moments shared with Baek-ho whose chances to correct something in the past so Yi-seul’s eventual wedding won’t happen ran in a loop.
His whole ordeal strangely was gratifying. That being said, the fantasy element fusing to the reality is layered in such a way that you don’t question the magical pull they put in the drama.
Correspondingly, in the latter episodes, viewers would find themselves giving the hero of the story more chances of going back to the past because like most of the people around him Kang Baek Ho grew fond of our hearts.
A Uniquely Drawn First Love Story
Yi-seul’s equally difficult situation of waiting for her best friend to cross the romantic line is relatable. It elaborates on the idea of how the connection with someone you’ve known for a long time warrants a point when both of you grope if there will be a romantic future that you can share.
There are a lot of love situations tackled in Operation Proposal but it all goes down to two main points.
Firstly, how far you are going to wait for someone for them to realize your worth and that you are waiting?
Secondly, how brave you can be to fall in love disregarding the what-ifs and saying it at the very moment you are feeling it?
Baek-ho’s series of time travel is an endearing journey full of twists, oh-no-moments, and romance. It is a refreshing feeling to have a conflict that is not evil motivated that’s why it’s easy to love the supernatural spike in this drama.
The lead character is competing with himself – with his past self for that matter and his forbearance endured his painstaking drive to be with the girl he loved.
Notably, the pacing and the timing are injected smoothly in the movement of the time wrinkling happening in the drama. Neatly done, it makes you crave more for the story.
Operation Proposal Series Musings
At the time Operation Proposal was aired, time-traveling was the trend in K-Dramaland. Sweetly and richly narrated, the series is a refreshing watch owing to how genuine Yoo Seung Ho and Park Eun Bin painted their characters.
Presenting the romance narrative, Operation Proposal impressively moved the romance from young childish love to a taking-time-to-realize-kind-of-love. Ultimately, it emphasized that there’s a love meant to have and to give.
While there are a lot of similar beautiful “first love” stories, the series takes viewers from blushing to crying to understanding that falling in love has reasons for making us wait.
If you are looking for a complete romance drama tinge with a magical element, Operation Proposal is a stunning fit.
Photos: TV Chosun
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