Secret Lovers

Secret Lovers

Pronounced:
bi-mil-nam-nyeol
Starring:
Han Ji-Hye, Kim Seok-Hoon, Son Seon-Mi, Kwon Oh-Joong
Directed by:
Park Seong-Soo (Into Sunlight, Delicious Proposal, Do As You Wish)
Produced by:
Kim Sang-Ho
Written by:
Kim In-Young (Secret, Delicious Proposal, Sunlight Upon Me, The Marrying Type)
Dates Airing:
August 29, 2005 – November 20, 2005
Time Airing:
Mondays and Tuesdays 9:55 PM (Korea)
Episodes:
20
Genre:
Romance
Official Websites:
[Korean] [English]
Related links:
Soompi Forum Link
DVD available

Synopsis
Four singles with varying backgrounds, dreams, professions, and outlooks meet and begin sorting one another out to see who is their true fit.  For the 25-year-old Young-Ji (Han Ji-Hye), who is bright and cheerful despite being poor and a mere high-school graduate, love is something new and exciting she experiences when she meets the dashing and well-educated art director Joon-Woo (Kim Seok-Hoon). He has reservations however about committing to her despite feeling the same affection towards her, because of the reality he comes from is too different from hers, and he was initially supposed to hook up with Ah-Mi (Son Seon-Mi), a plastic surgeon.  
Meanwhile, Ah-Mi, who’s worked hard to erase her past to be the respected professional she is, also faces tough decisions between love and marriage when she meets Do-Kyeong (Kwon Oh-Joong), who is a social climber and opportunist engaged in an embezzlement.  As the four play out their feelings and the risks of love, they learn an important lesson about who they are.

Review
Han Ji-Hye once again shines as the cute, perky, innocent type she portrays so well. Her portrayal of Young-Ji is not outstanding but she is fun to watch just as well. Kim Seok-Hoon, who has not had a great role for a long time, seems to fit in just fine here, playing the rich and handsome type that made him famous in the drama ‘Tomato’. Likewise Son Seon-Mi is successful as the confident and over-achieving professional who is about to lose her marriage prospect to someone younger with nothing tangible to brag about.  Kwon Oh-Joong is not a real contender against Kim Seok-Hoon in looks but his character is able to show more depth and humanism, due to the actor’s skilful portrayal.
The drama is a lot like many other dramas. You get your typical triangle love and the struggle between rich and poor, but thankfully there isn’t really an evil character in here, making this drama a light-hearted sweet entertainment for everyone. It’s definitely not a must-see by any means, unless of course you are a hardcore fan of one of the actors in here, but the drama does make you think about love vs. reality and dating vs. marriage, for anyone interested in that debate.
Rating:
7

Credits:
Graphic by: Nyob Zoo
edited by: Saharial