13 July 2014

시크릿 러브 Secret Love


Title: 시크릿 러브 Shikeurit Reobeu
English Title: Secret Love
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean
Year: 2014
Episode: 05
Cast:
  • 연우진 Yeon Woo Jin
  • 한승연 Han Seung Yeon
  • 송재림 Song Jae Rim
  • 구하라 Goo Ha Ra
  • 김영광 Kim Young Kwang
  • 강지영 Kang Ji Young
  • 배수빈 Bae Soo Bin
  • 정니콜 Nicole Jung
  • 이광수 Lee Kwang Soo
  • 박규리 Park Gyu Ri
  • 지창욱 Ji Chang Wook



SYNOPSIS
This mini-drama is about five women and their stories. It is made up of five sections: I Miss You, The Thirteenth Bucket List, Lilac, A Seven Day Summer, and Have You Ever Had Coffee With An Angel?

I Miss You (Missing You)
Jang Hyun Jin is a renowned photographer internationally. He died in a tragic accident as he was saving famous model Min Ji Hye, who is also secretly his girlfriend.

Heartbroken for losing the love of her life, Ji Hye attempts to take her own life, but the Time Keeper prevents Ji Hye from committing suicide. Instead, the Time Keeper gives her an opportunity to go back in time when she first met Hyun Jin, and to change their fates.

The Thirteenth Bucket List
Lee Hyun Jung is diagnosed to be in the late stages of pancreatic cancer. Her doctor states any means of prolonging her life is not possible, and that she only has around three months left to live.

Although Hyun Jung is devastated that she won't get to have a future, she is determined to live her life to the fullest. She creates a bucket list of things she wants to do before she dies, with entries like (1) eat all the delicious food that she wants to eat, (7) imitate the life of Lady Gaga, and (3) visit her mom's grave in Jeju island.

While she was in Jeju island, she prevents Yoon Joon Moon from committing suicide. Joon Moon finds her bucket list, and helps her do the other entries like (9) go for a nice drive down a scenic road, (10) go paragliding, and (6) kiss someone in a crowded place.

Lilac
High school sophomore Park So Yeol is performing a dance number at a school festival with her friends when she suddenly collapses on stage.

So Yeol wakes up when she hears someone calling her name, and she realizes that she's in a hospital room for patients who are in comatose condition.

A Seven Day Summer
Jung Me Ri is in South Korea to claim her inheritance. Her father left all his property to Me Ri, which he has entrusted to a local church. As a condition to get her inheritance, her father requires her to solve a puzzle in seven days.

Lee Tae Yang overheard her predicament, and offers to help Me Ri in solving the puzzle. In exchange, he wants her to give him KRW50 million when she receives her inheritance.

Have You Ever Had Coffee With An Angel?
Park Sun Woo has a crush on a college senior for what seems like forever, and she has confessed her feelings to him for what seems like a thousand times, but he rejects her every single time.

Sun Woo prays for divine providence so that her crush will finally reciprocate her affections. Her guardian angel Angel No. 2013, also known as Chun Sa Nam, suddenly shows up to help her get her wish.



REVIEW
Secret Love is a set of five unconnected stories with a common theme of secret love, hence the title. I think it would have been better if there's at least a loose connection with either the stories or the characters so there's a clear relation, especially since the concept of secret love is insufficiently adapted in some cases.

I wish the production selected lighthearted stories, instead of getting screenplays that require dramatic heft from its cast, especially considering that the lead actresses are very limited in terms of acting ability.

Anyway, I watched Secret Love because of actor Yeon Woo Jin. As a consequence, I paid close attention to the segment where he is part of the cast, entitled I Miss You or Missing You.

The premise is based on the fact that the most important aspect of any relationship between two people is when they meet and establish a sort of connection with each other.

Jang Hyun Jin: They say that when it comes to two people, there's always one moment that determines the rest of their lives.
Jang Hyun Jin: Did our fateful moment already pass us by? Or has it not come to find us yet?

Although I am intrigued by the premise, I never really understood the parameters of the time travel, so I couldn't really be invested in the story. The rules and consequences of Min Ji Hye's travel back to the past are so arbitrary, it doesn't seem to hold up even in their particular drama world.




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시크릿 러브 Secret Love