Once in a while a surprisingly good love story would remind me why I became addicted to Korean romantic comedies. That is especially true with – The Master’s Sun starring So Ji Sub and Gong Hyo Jin!
In the sea of dramas where stories are usually woven from the rich-boy-poor-girl love affair or the male-pretending-lead-girl, a you-and-me-against-the-ghosts love story hit all the romantic nerves of drama fans with its comic spooky vibes.
- Main Cast: So Ji Sub | Gong Hyo Jin | Seo In Guk | Kim Yoo Ri
- Network & Episode Count: SBS | 17 Episodes
- Official Website: Master’s Sun SBS
Quick Review
- Plot Trajectory: Consistently engrossing but some plot/with minor hiccups along the way
- Plot Pace: Nicely-done
- Character Portrayal: Great main leads and supporting cast
- Writing: Remarkably penned with romantic and spooky seasonings
- Watch on a binge or intervals?: Either choices apply
- Crowning Moments: Engrossing love story | Well-placed humor kicks
- Romance Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: Hotel Del Luna | Legend of the Blue Sea | My Love From The Star
The Master’s Sun Quick Plot Summary
Ghost-seeing woman Tae Gong Sil
A once-promising student, Tae Gong-sil (Gong Hyo Jin) is called “Tae-yang” when she was studying because of her brilliant mind. But, she unfortunately meets an accident and wakes up to a creepy ability of seeing wandering spirits. For years, it causes her to live a hard life as ghost after ghost came to ask favor for their souls to be at peace.
Alcohol intoxication is also a no-no because a spirit can take over her body if she’s drunk. She lives as if waking up in a hospital, a jail or even a tomb is but normal, until she meets the person who will change her life.
A rich conglomerate businessman, Joo Joong-won (So Ji Sub) has only been living to make his affluent self even richer. Having an estranged relationship with his father because of a trauma from his past, he has built a cold exterior that no one can get through… until he meets Gong-sil.
Gong-sil’s Master
In one of Gong-sil’s spirit-favor-operation, she hitches at Joong-won’s car when his driver was blinded by lightning struck. Not really wanting to give a ride to the weird girl on that stormy night, Joong-won is forced to oblige.
When she fearfully screamed as a ghost appeared before her, they stop at a place to calm down the frightened Gong-sil. When a ghost tries to chase her, she realizes that when she touches Joong-won, the ghost vanishes.
Having found a way to shelter herself from the spirit attacks, she decides to work at Joong-won’s mall as a cleaning lady. Gong-sil’s ghost-seeing ability has put her in situations that made her interact with snob Joong-won when he needed her help for land property he intends to buy.
Without him realizing it, Joong-won falls in love with her because of their Casper-ish adventures. Although Tae-yang feels the same way her woes of putting him in danger because of her strange ability hindered her in staying in his arms.
Peak Points
Engrossing Love Story With Nicely Placed Humor Kicks
Although there’s a lengthening kick in the final stretch, The Master’s Sun has given a lot of elating moments and back-to-when-I-had-my-first-love heart fluttering reminiscence. In a way the calculated but not false-hope promising story pace has made me join the lead love couple in discovering the reasons why they fell in love with each other, alongside why they are in denial and scared to admit it.
A romantic comedy needs a “hook factor” to keep a loyal following. When you have a stubborn romantic lead man who with-and-without amnesia know how to claim the heart of the woman he loves and a heroine who struggles in confusion to the path on how she is supposed to love her man, it will give you a love tale full of acceptance and understanding.
On point love pairing synergy
When I learned that So Ji Sub oppa will be in this drama, it was already a done deal for me even if it would turn out bad. So seeing him make those boyish smiles, mischievous smiles, flirty smiles, melting smiles, and all the rest of the smiles and grins he made in the drama healed me and made and see life in bright light with hearts perpetually floating in the air.
The onscreen chemistry with Gong Hyo Jin really worked out well. Her chameleon demeanor easily creates a vibrant, lasting character that complements the love tale prince. I gasped, blushed, giggled, and cried over the love admittance push-and-pull and jedi-mindtricking by the lead love couple.
The Master’s Sun has always been consistent with its cliff-hangers and that’s why maybe kdramaland addicts have been raving and buzzing about it. It is so caffeinated like that feeling when you are at the beginning of a relationship when you don’t want a night to end and yet you want another day to begin.
All throughout the series, they have established the main conflict involving Hee-joo while inserting those other ghost cases in building up the circumstances that helped in making Joong-won and Gong-sil get closer. That sweet finale episode sealed their beautiful romance with a passionate kiss.
The Master’s Sun Series Musings
True, there were some insertions that didn’t give the answer to why it was included, but Joong-won made me just disregard those lapses. *chuckles The supporting cast and the side love stories were also neatly included. I am delighted that they didn’t pull a make-believe transition towards its finale.
While it went to the amnesia cliché, it didn’t make it look like the story is stuck somewhere. It goes strong in portraying how even without Joong-won’s memories of Gong-sil, his connection with her is somehow still intact. His reflexes what helping him to fathom what and who he was supposed to be missing.
The after-warmth of Joong-won and Tae-yang’s love story lingers. I did get annoyed at how she was playing hard to get in the dying episodes, but then I just realized how hard it really is to feel that you don’t deserve someone’s love.
The Master’s Sun is all I will remember in 2013 k-dramaland. It was a nicely blended romance that showed a love pair growing together while understanding why they both need each other. It was a relationship where the couple did what they can do so that they won’t end up in the position where they will ask “what they could have done”.
Being with someone is not half-loving yourself and half-loving him. It should be loving the person with all you can.
Photos: SBS
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