Thursday, November 28, 2013

All In

All In 



All In (Hangul: 올인) is a 2003 South Korean television drama series that aired on SBS from January 15 to April 3, 2003 for 24 episodes. Inspired by the life of professional poker player Jimmy Cha, it starred Lee Byung-hun and Song Hye-kyo in a story about one's man's rise through the fiercely competitive world of casino gambling as he clashes with his rivals over money, success, and love.
The drama was a ratings success in South Korea, with its final episode reaching a peak viewership rating of 47.7%, which is the 42nd highest-rated Korean drama episode of all time.[2] It also won several awards, notably the Grand Prize ("Daesang") for Lee Byung-hun at the 2003 SBS Drama Awards.



Synopsis

Orphaned then taken in by his gambler uncle, Kim In-ha (Jin Goo) often hangs out with his friends in the basement of a movie theater. He unexpectedly befriends Choi Jung-won, a model student and the rich son of the theater owner. In-ha and Jung-won both fall for Min Su-yeon (Han Ji-min), the daughter of the projectionist at the theater.
When Su-yeon's father dies because he owed money to some loan sharks and gangsters, In-ha and Jung-won hatch a plan to avenge Su-yeon by setting fire to a gangster's hideout. But the fire spreads, accidentally killing the gang leader. In-ha is sentenced to seven years, while thanks to his family connections, Jung-won avoids jail time. As In-ha serves his sentence, Jung-won goes to the United States to study and Su-yeon decides to become a nun.
Seven years pass, and by pure chance, the three all end up working at the same casino. In-ha (Lee Byung-hun) and Su-yeon (Song Hye-kyo) fall in love, but are later separated when In-ha is forced to illegally immigrate to the U.S. He finds a job as a mafia hitman, and by a stroke of luck, again meets Su-yeon, and the two plan to get married. However, on their supposed wedding day, In-ha suffers a near-fatal gunshot wound and becomes comatose for 8 months. Unaware that In-ha is alive, the grieving Su-yeon returns to Korea.
In-ha eventually recovers, but Jung-won (Ji Sung) intervenes, saying that he is unworthy to love Su-yeon. In-ha decides to turn his life of misery around and becomes a professional gambler. He meets a business partner, and betting everything he has, returns to Korea to win back Su-yeon's love.

Cast

Main characters

Supporting characters

  • Lee Deok-hwa as Choi Do-hwan, Jung-won's father
  • Sunwoo Eun-sook as Yoon Hye-sun, In-ha's biological mother
  • Im Hyun-shik as Kim Chi-soo, In-ha's uncle
  • Park Won-sook as Jang Hyun-ja
  • Jo Kyung-hwan as Chairman Seo Seung-don, Jin-hee's father
  • Kim Tae-yeon as Jenny
  • Heo Joon-ho as Yoo Jong-gu, In-ha's friend from prison
  • Choi Jung-won as Yoo Jung-ae, Hyun-ja's daughter
  • Choi Joon-yong as Park Tae-joon, In-ha's hometown friend who became a detective
  • Yoon Gi-won as Woo Yong-tae, In-ha's hometown friend who became a waiter
  • Baek Seung-hyun as Yang Shi-bong, In-ha's hometown friend who is crippled
  • Jung Yoo-seok as Im Dae-soo ("Shorty")
  • Jung Ho-bin as Jung Joon-il
  • Park Jung-woo as Jjagoo
  • Im Dae-ho as Chun Sang-gu
  • Yoon Seo-hyun as Man-soo
  • Hong Yeo-jin as bar hostess
  • Jo Yeon-woo as yakuza
  • Kim Byung-se as Michael Jang
  • Yuko Fueki as Rie Ochida
  • Kim Hee-jung as office clerk
  • Park Sang-myun as Im Dae-chi, gang boss
  • Kim Ha-kyun as Director Son
  • Choi Ran as Manager Jang Mi-ran
  • Park Joon-hee as Jo Jung-min
  • Gi Ju-bong
  • Kim Dong-hyun
  • Seo Ji-hye
  • Won Deok-hyun
  • Lee Ji-soo
  • Son Jung-min
  • Baek Hyun-sook
  • Song Chae-hwan
  • Park Joo-mi
  • Kwon Oh-min
  • Seo Bum-shik















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Beautiful Days

Beautiful Days


Beautiful Days (Hangul: 아름다운 날들; RR: Areumdaun Naldeul) is a 2001 South Korean television drama series starring Lee Byung-hun, Choi Ji-woo, Ryu Shi-won and Lee Jung-hyun. It aired on SBS from March 14 to May 31, 2001  for 24 episodes.




Plot

Similar to its drama contemporaries, Beautiful Days involves conflicts in family relationships, as well as a love triangle.
Lee Min-chul (Lee Byung-hun) has returned from studying in the US, to take an active role in his father's prospering music business, Victory Records. It turns out that his father (Lee Jung-gil) was involved in unethical practices in the past, as well as the murder of the father of Min-chul's stepbrother, Sun-jae (Ryu Shi-won).
Into the scene comes two girls from the orphanage, Yeon-soo (Choi Ji-woo) and Se-na (Lee Jung-hyun), who share a sisterly bond. Se-na becomes inspired to become a pop star after a visit during their childhood by the Victory Records boss on a charity event.
Years pass, and both girls arrive in Seoul to start their adult lives. However, they get separated. Yeon-soo finds a job working at Victory Records in hopes of one day meeting Se-na again and becomes involved in the lives of the stepbrothers, Min-chul and Sun-jae. Yeon-soo and Min-chul make a deal that they will help each others' sisters. Yeon-soo moves into Min-chul's family home to be a teacher to his younger sister Min-ji (Shin Min-a), and Min-chul will help Se-na achieve her dream of becoming a singer. A complex drama unfolds, and Min-chul and Sun-jae both fall for Yeon-soo. Yeon-soo chooses Min-chul, but their love is threatened by a terminal illness.


Cast

Supporting Cast

  • Shin Min-a as Lee Min-ji - Min-chul's sister
  • Lee Yoo-jin as Kang Na-rae - Yeon-soo's roommate and co-worker
  • Lee Jung-gil as Lee Sung-chun - Min-chul's father
  • Lee Kyung-jin as Jung Myung-ja - Sun-jae's mother
  • Ha Jae-young as Lee Young-jun - Sun-jae's father
  • Lee Sang-woo as Oh Jung-hun - composer and Sun-jae's high school upperclassman
  • Kim Dong-hyun as Min Kyu-suk - bodyguard/chauffeur
  • Lee Hwi-hyang as Yang Mi-mi / Kyung-hee - singer
  • Lee Ae-jung as Shin Jae-eun
  • Baek Sung-hyun
  • Kim Chung
  • Kil Yong-woo
  • Yoon Gi-won
  • Oh Seung-eun
  • Kim Min-sang                               





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Save the last dance for me

Save the Last Dance for Me 


Save the Last Dance for Me (Hangul: 마지막 춤은 나와 함께; RR: Majimak Chumeun Nawa Hamkke) is a South Korean television series that aired on SBS from October 23, 2004 to January 2, 2005  for 20 episodes. Starring Eugene, Ji Sung, Ryu Soo-young and Lee Bo-young, the drama revolves around two lovers who don't let amnesia get in the way of their romance.





Plot

Hyun-woo (Ji Sung) is the reluctant future successor of his father's chemical company and engaged to be married to Soo-jin (Lee Bo-young). Eun-soo (Eugene) lives a simple life, running a bed and breakfast with her elderly father. Their two lives collide one fateful night when after a failed attempt on his life, Hyun-woo loses his memory in a car accident. Discovered on the roadside by Eun-soo and her father, they take him in and nurse him back to health. Over the course of his recovery, Eun-soo and Hyun-woo (whom she has named "Baek Chang-ho") fall in love.
On the day of their engagement, Eun-soo's father passes away. Following another attempt on Hyun-woo's life and a resulting accident, Hyun-woo regains his original memory but forgets the year he spent with Eun-soo. He leaves Eun-soo and seek out his past life.
Eun-soo is determined to find her lost love and travels to the city where she meets Hyun-woo again. Slowly Hyun-woo falls in love with Eun-soo again. A close confidant of Hyun-woo, Tae-min is revealed as a traitor seeking to gain control of Hyun-woo's company. Tae-min is ultimately exposed and Hyun-woo regains ownership of the company.
In a final desperate attempt to get revenge on Hyun-woo, Tae-min tries to run him over, but instead of Hyun-woo showing up, Eun-soo does. This accident paralyzes her from the waist down. Refusing to be a burden to Hyun-woo, Eun-soo disappears and works as a teacher at a home for disabled children. Until one day, Hyun-woo sees a familiar drawing, and after a year of searching, he finds Eun-soo and the lovers reunite. The final credits show Eun-soo slowly learning to walk again with Hyun-woo's assistance.



Cast

Eugene as Ji Eun-soo
Eun-soo falls in love with Hyun-woo while helping him recover his memory and they were engaged to be married before he vanishes. She searches for him and works in his company, determined to try to get him to remember the time he spent with her.
Ji Sung as Kang Hyun-woo
Hyun-woo is the heir to a large Korean conglomerate. He loses his memory after a failed attempt on his life by Tae-min, a rival who wants control of the company. He is affectionately called "Baek Chang-ho" by Eun-soo when he could not recall his name.
Ryu Soo-young as Jung Tae-min
Tae-min is a confidante of Hyun-woo's father. He is loyal to the family and is a hardworking guy but there's more to him than meets the eye. Every decision he makes is a ploy to deceive Hyun-woo's family in order to take control of the company. He falls in love with Eun-soo in the middle of the drama.
Lee Bo-young as Yoon Soo-jin
Soo-jin was Hyun-woo's fiancee-to-be. Even after the "death" of Hyun-woo, she's still devoted to him and waited for his return. At first she was nice and caring, until Eun-soo steps into the picture which drove Soo-jin to the point where she tries to commit suicide.




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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

The First Shop of Coffee Prince

The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince



The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (Hangul: 커피프린스 1호점; RR: Keopipeurinseu 1 Hojeom; also known as Coffee Prince) is a 2007 South Korean television drama, starring Yoon Eun-hye, Gong Yoo, Lee Sun-kyun, and Chae Jung-an. Based on the novel of the same name written by Lee Sun-mi, the hit series aired on MBC from July 2 to August 28, 2007  for 17 episodes.

The drama is an unlikely romance between a tomboyish woman, who dresses like a man in order to get work, and a young food empire mogul. It contains homoerotic elements, because the man does not initially know of the tomboy's true gender.  



Plot


The exterior of The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince in Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul in 2012
Choi Han-gyul (Gong Yoo) is a third generation scion of a food chaebol. He has never had a job and does not care for responsibility. Han-gyul is hung up on his first love, Han Yoo-joo (Chae Jung-an), and certainly doesn't want to get married despite his family's requests. On the other hand, Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye) is a 24-year-old tomboy who is often mistaken for a guy. She takes up every job possible: Taekwondo teacher, waitress, food delivery, and has the responsibility of taking care of her childish, spendthrift mother and trouble-making younger sister. When Han-gyul and Eun-chan meet, he, not knowing that she is a girl, decides to hire her to pretend to be his gay lover so that he can escape the blind dates arranged by his grandmother.
Meanwhile, Han-gyul's cousin, Choi Han-seong (Lee Sun-kyun), is an established music producer and his ex-girlfriend, Han Yoo-joo, is a famous artist who studied in New York. The two were lovers for about 8 years, but their relationship ended when Yoo-joo left Han-seong for another man. Two years after they separate, their paths cross again when she returns to Seoul. Han-seong is initially angry at her, but he succumbs to his lingering feelings and they start to date again.
After getting an ultimatum from his grandmother, Han-gyul takes over a rundown old coffee shop, later renamed "Coffee Prince," to prove that he's capable, both to his grandmother and to Yoo-joo. In order to attract female customers, he only hires good-looking male employees. Eun-chan, desperate for money, continues to hide her gender to get a job at Coffee Prince.
Eun-chan also become friends with Han-seong, and she is initially attracted to him because of his kindness. Han-seong also enjoys spending time with her, and an impulsive kiss that he gives her causes him and Yoo-joo to break up for a short time.
Soon, feelings start to develop between Eun-chan and Han-gyul. Because he's unaware that she is a woman, he starts to question his sexuality and is thrown into turmoil. When he discovers her secret, he feels hurt and betrayed. However, he eventually forgives her and they begin to date. They face strong opposition from his family due to her family’s lower status, but when Han-gyul's grandmother meets Eun-chan, she is impressed by her independence and ambition. She helps pay for Eun-chan to study in Italy to become a barista. After two years of a long-distance relationship, a more stylish Eun-chan returns to Korea and Han-gyul.

Cast








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Full House

Full House 


Full House (Hangul: 풀하우스; RR: Pul-hauseu) is a 2004 South Korean television series starring Rain, Song Hye-kyo, Han Eun-jeong and Kim Sung-soo. Based on the manhwa Full House by Woon Soo-yoon, the romantic comedy series aired on KBS2 from July 14 to September 4, 2004  for 16 episodes.







Synopsis

Han Ji-eun, an aspiring scriptwriter, lives in a house called "Full House" built by her late father. One day, her two best friends trick her into believing she has won a free vacation. While she is away, they sell her house. On the plane, she meets a famous actor named Lee Young-jae. Through comedic events, they get acquainted during her vacation and when she returns, she discovers her house has been sold to him.
Though they don't get along with each other, as she is messy and he has a bad temper and likes cleanliness, they agreed to live with each other. At first, Ji-eun works as his maid in order to buy her house back, but because of Young-jae's wish to make the love of his life and Kang Hye-won jealous, they get married. They set up a contract for the marriage to last six months. During that time, complications arise and Ji-Eun and Young-Jae become attracted to each other.


Cast

Ji-eun is an optimistic and cheerful girl, loyal to her friends. Though naive and not very smart, she is shown as a character with spunk and a good heart as displayed in her efforts to be a writer. She lives in a beautiful home named Full House, which she inherited from her late parents. Her only friends before she meets Young-jae are Yang Hee-jin and Shin Dong-wook. She accepts a "free trip" to China, Shanghai, during which Yang He-jin and Shin Dong-wook sell her house. On the airplane, she sits next to and meets Young-jae. The meeting does not go well and ends up with her throwing up on him. Upon her arrival at the hotel, she meets Min-Hyuk and he helps her attain a room. During her stay, she realizes that she has no money and no way of going home and goes to see Young-jae and tricks him into lending her money. When she arrives home, she finds out that her house has been sold to Young-jae. They end up deciding to get married and making a marriage contract. Once they divorce, Ji-eun would receive Full House. During the marriage, she ends up becoming a maid and cook to Young-jae. Along the way she starts to develop feelings for him. She ends up getting hurt many times by Young-jae because he believes he is in love with Hye-won. He ends up leaving and spending time with Hye-won and leaving Ji-eun waiting and hurt. She ends up getting hired by Min-Hyuk as a writer and spends time with him. After some time, Young-jae ends up "seeing" Hye-won and Ji-eun ends up "seeing" Min-Hyuk. She divorces Young-jae and ends up dating Min-Hyuk. Near the end, Min-Hyuk ends up proposing to Ji-eun but she says that she has not been divorced long and he tells her to think about it. The next episode, Young-jae proposes to her and she says she will think aboutit. In the end, she ends up accepting the proposal to Young-jae and ends up getting married to him once again, this time for real.
  • Rain as Lee Young-jae
Young-jae is a popular Korean actor, especially around girls. Though appearing to be egotistical and stubborn, mostly to maintain his pride, he has secret unrequited feelings for his childhood friend, Hye-won. But later on, Young-jae falls in love with Ji-eun. He also has a fragile relationship with his father, who is a doctor. Young-jae also had a sister who died as a child. Though he can be selfish, he cares deeply for his friends. He starts to realize his feelings for Ji-eun when she starts to date Min-Hyuk. He is seeing Hye-won at the time and is extremely jealous of Min-Hyuk and Ji-eun. After talking with Hye-won he realizes that he is in love with Ji-eun and thus Hye-won and Young-jae end their relationship. He ends up proposing to Ji-eun and she says yes.
Hye-won is a close family friend of Lee Young-jae, knowing them since childhood. Working as a fashion designer, she also designs most of Young-jae’s clothes. With her rich family and attractive appearance, she is accustomed to attention from men, but has ever only loved Yoo Min-hyuk. She can be very selfish, saying that she loves Min-hyuk but she can not let go of Young-jae.
Min-hyuk is a ladies' man. He is smart,rich, skillful and respected, but remains detached from most people because of his busy lifestyle. He is also close friends with Young-jae, who confides in him his feelings for Han Ji-eun. Min-hyuk is a director of a large media company. Like Hye-won, he is attractive and used to attention from women. He develops feelings for Han Ji-eun, and tries to get her to like him. Eventually, he sees that she love no one else but Lee Young-jae.
  • Sunwoo Eun-sook as Ms. Kim -Young-jae's mother
  • Kim Ji-young as Young-jae's grandmother
  • Kang Do-han as Shin Dong-wook - Ji-eun's other friend and Hee-jin's husband
  • Im Ye-jin as Dae Pyo - Young-jae's manager



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My Lovely Sam Soon


My Lovely Sam Soon


My Lovely Sam-soon (Hangul: 내 이름은 김삼순; RR: Nae ireumeun Kim Sam-soon; lit. My Name is Kim Sam-soon) is a South Korean television series which aired on MBC from June 1, 2005 to July 21, 2005. Touted as the Korean version ofBridget Jones Diary, it stars Kim Sun-ah (who gained 15 pounds for the role[1]), Hyun Bin, Jung Ryeo-won and Daniel Henney.
"Sam-soon" is an old-fashioned name, and in Korean literally means "30 years" (sam (삼) is three, soon (순) is ten years), the exact age of the female protagonist.
The romantic comedy-drama series was a huge hit, with an average viewership rating of 37.6%, and its peak rating of 50.5% (for the finale) makes it the 26th highest rated Korean drama of all time. It also won numerous awards, including theBaeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize for TV, and the Grand Prize at the MBC Drama Awards for Kim Sun-ah. 




Synopsis

Kim Sam-soon (Kim Sun-ah) is loud and brash, yet insecure about her weight. She has always been embarrassed by her old-fashioned first name, and nearing her 30th birthday, she dreams of changing it. Coming from a lower middle-class family, she didn't go to college, but she saved up to go to France where she trained to become a pâtissier. Desserts are her real passion, and she's an excellent baker. On Christmas Eve, Sam-soon gets dumped by her cheating boyfriend and loses her job. One of the witnesses to her public humiliation is Hyun Jin-heon (Hyun Bin), the owner of upscale French restaurant Bon Appetit. Upon recognizing her talent, Jin-heon hires her as Bon Appetit's new pastry chef. From their first meeting, the two have an antagonistic relationship (she calls him the equally old-fashioned "Sam-shik"), and sparks fly.
Jin-heon is the son of a wealthy hotelier (Na Moon-hee), and his mother constantly nags him about succeeding her in the hotel business. She also keeps setting him up on matchmaking dates, saying his niece Mi-joo (Seo Ji-hee), who hasn't spoken a word since the childhood trauma of her parents' deaths, needs a mother figure. When Sam-soon finds herself in need of ₩50 million (approximately US$50,000) to prevent the foreclosure of her mother's house, Jin-heon proposes a deal: in exchange for the money, she agrees to become his pretend girlfriend. They draw up a complicated contract, of which the most important stipulation is that they should never fall in love for real. But as they spend more time together, Sam-soon and Jin-heon grow closer and gradually fall for each other. But just when things are going well, Jin-heon's ex-girlfriend Yoo Hee-jin (Jung Ryeo-won) returns from the United States.
Hee-jin had suddenly left Korea years ago, right after a car accident that had killed Jin-heon's older brother, his sister-in-law and a motorcyclist, and left Jin-heon (who was driving) seriously injured. Though Jin-heon's leg eventually recovered, emotional scars remained, a mixture of sorrow, guilt, and anger at Hee-jin's abandonment. But what he didn't know was that Hee-jin had been diagnosed at the time with stomach cancer, and she'd broken up with him because she didn't want to add to the tragedy he was already experiencing. Now in remission, she returns to Korea to ask for a second chance, followed by her Korean-American doctor Henry Kim (Daniel Henney), who is in love with Hee-jin and eager to learn his roots. Upon learning the truth, Jin-heon reconciles with Hee-jin.
Broken-hearted, Sam-soon resigns from Bon Appetit, and she and her older sister Yi-young decide to open an online pastry business using Yi-young's settlement from her recent divorce. Meanwhile, Jin-heon can't stop thinking about Sam-soon and realizes that he wants to be with her. After several run-ins in which he sabotages her blind date and immaturely invents reasons to see her, he finally confesses his love for Sam-soon. After a difficult break-up with Hee-jin, Jin-heon proves to Sam-soon's mother and sister that he's serious about her and the couple begin dating happily.
Then Hee-jin asks a final favor of Jin-heon, to accompany her back to the U.S. to rejoin her parents there. Sam-soon is initially resistant, but later gives her blessing when Jin-heon reassures her that this journey will be a form of closure for him and Hee-jin. He promises to return after one week. Sam-soon goes once again to the city clerk's office to have her name changed, but finally believing that her name is special and an important part of her identity, changes her mind at the last minute and tears up the papers.
Two months pass, with no calls or letters from Jin-heon, and Sam-soon has given up on him and gone on with her life. She reads a poem on a poster at a bus stop: "Dance like no one's watching. Sing like no one's listening. Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt before. Live like there's no tomorrow."
When Jin-heon arrives, she gives him the cold shoulder. But the misunderstanding is cleared up when two-months-worth of postcards gets delivered to Sam-soon's house; they had been sent to the wrong address all this time. Jin-heon had spent the two months traveling and inspecting hotels all over America; in his desire to be a man worthy of Sam-soon, he is finally ready to take up the reins as his mother's heir. Whatever obstacles come their way (including his mother's continuing benign disapproval of their relationship), Sam-soon and Jin-heon decide to face the future together, doing their best at work and love, and living life to the fullest.

Cast

Main cast
  • Kim Sun-ah as Kim Sam-soon - 30-year-old pastry chef
  • Hyun Bin as Hyun Jin-heon - 27-year-old owner of Bon Appetit restaurant
  • Jung Ryeo-won as Yoo Hee-jin - Jin-heon's ex-girlfriend
  • Daniel Henney as Dr. Henry Kim - Hee-jin's doctor
Supporting cast
  • Kim Ja-ok as Park Bong-sook - Sam-soon's mother
  • Lee Ah-hyun as Kim Yi-young - Sam-soon's sister
  • Na Moon-hee as Na Hyun-sook - Jin-heon's mother
  • Seo Ji-hee as Hyun Mi-joo - Jin-heon's niece
  • Yoon Ye-hee as Yoon Hyun-sook - CEO Na's assistant
  • Lee Kyu-han as Min Hyun-woo - Sam-soon's ex-boyfriend
  • Lee Yoon-mi as Jang Chae-ri
  • Won Jong-rye as Chae-ri's mother
  • Maeng Bong-hak as Sam-soon's father
  • Kim Sung-kyum as Jin-heon's uncle
Restaurant staff
  • Yeo Woon-kay as Ms. Oh - manager
  • Kwon Hae-hyo as Lee Hyun-moo - chef
  • Han Yeo-woon as Lee In-hye - Sam-soon's assistant
  • Kim Hyun-jung as Jang Young-ja - dining room captain
  • Kim Ki-bang as Ki-bang - kitchen assistant                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
    Hyun Bin
    Kim Sun Ah




                                                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                          
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