First Impressions: "Who Is She!" Is A Story Of Different Generations Connected By Dreams, Fate, And Magic

Last week, KBS2 premiered the first episodes of “Who Is She!” which is a remake of the popular movie “Miss Granny.” In this new version, the story follows Oh Mal Soon (Kim Hae Sook), a strong and independent woman in her 70s who lives with her daughter Ban Ji Sook (Seo Young Hee), her son-in-law Choi Min Seok (In Gyo Jin), and her teenage granddaughter Choi Ha Na (Chae Won Bin). Oh Mal Soon has made a living through her popular restaurant, but her life-long dream has always been to be a singer. However, now in her old age, it seems impossible for her to make her dreams come true. 

Furthermore, her relationship with her only daughter is far from ideal. Even though they live in the same house and have very similar characteristics, they seem to be more like strangers. But not everything is bad in her life. Fortunately, she has a very close relationship with her son-in-law, who admires and respects her, and also with her granddaughter, who shares her passion and love for music. Apart from them, Oh Mal Soon has the support of her good friend Park Gab Yong (Jung Bo Suk), who may have more than platonic feelings for her since they share a long and yet unknown story. 

One day, Mal Soon decides to participate in a singing broadcast contest to prove her musical abilities and meet famous singer Kim Ae Sim (Cha Hwa Yun), as they have a common past that led one to stardom and the other to shattered dreams. But things quickly take a turn for the worse, and Mal Soon not only gets humiliated in front of everybody at the contest but also gets into a big fight with her daughter after they find out Ha Na is about to drop out from school and refuses to go to college. 

At this moment, the three generations of women begin a confrontation. While Mal Soon understands her granddaughter’s passion for music and supports her decision, Ji Sook claims her mother can’t understand her concerns for her daughter’s future as Mal Soon never was a good mother to her. On the other hand, Ha Na rejects the idea of following in her mother’s footsteps and becoming as miserable as she is. This big argument shows the irreconcilable differences between them, from their mindsets to their values. Everything between them seems to be going in different directions, creating an unsolvable distance from each other. 

And just like that, Mal Soon leaves her house, without knowing that fate is around the corner, ready to give her an unfathomable gift. As it happens in many K-dramas, fantasy is displayed to create a chance for these characters to change their fortune. On that night, she rides a mysterious cab that takes her to a peculiar photo studio, and there the most unimaginable thing happens: she becomes young again. At first, she thinks it’s just a dream, but as time passes, she realizes that she looks exactly as when she was 20 years old. 

Confused and in disbelief, she departs to find answers to her situation. As a woman of many resources and with the confidence of her age, even when she looks like a young woman, she tries several places before going back to one of the places where she used to work in her youth. There, she meets her granddaughter and realizes that Ha Na’s commitment to music is bigger than she thought. It’s something that makes her reminisce about her own dreams. But when Mal Soon tries to return to her home, she finds it impossible to go back, thinking that they are probably better off without her.

What she doesn’t know is that while she is trying to figure out exactly what happened to her appearance, there’s someone who is desperately looking for her, or at least for a woman who looks exactly like her. Daniel Han (Jung Jin Young) is an ex-idol and a promising CEO of an agency who is trying to set free from his position and retire for good. To achieve this he is preparing to debut a new girl group. The only problem? The main vocalist, Emily (also played by Jung Ji So), has gone missing. Though he is mainly fixed on debuting the new group, he also has a special relationship with Emily, who remains a mysterious character. 

And so fate strikes again when Daniel offers Mal Soon the opportunity to be his Emily and become a singer, something she thought could never happen. Her life has been a series of sacrifices and disappointments, but her spirit has never lost its strength. Thinking about what she left behind in the past and this sort of miracle happening now, she faces this new adventure hand in hand with Daniel, who finds her new attitude more than intriguing. But right when she just makes her decision, Mal Soon meets an older woman who looks just like her older self, puzzling her and viewers even more. 

This is only the beginning of the show, but it already portrays an intricate picture that intertwines the fates of characters from different places and times who are still somehow related. And the most intriguing characters are Mal Soon and Emily. What could be the reason behind them having possibly switched bodies? Could it be their love for music, or is it something else? And will they remain in each other’s places forever? The show also makes you wonder how their decisions will affect their future and their relationships with their friends and family. We will have to figure out all of this along the way in the upcoming episodes of “Who Is She!” so don’t miss out on any of them! 

Watch the first episodes of “Who Is She!”: 

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