Title: 마이걸 Mai Geol
English Title: My Girl
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean
Year: 2005
Episode: 16
Cast:
- 이다해 Lee Da Hae
- 이동욱 Lee Dong Wook
- 이준기 Lee Jun Ki
- 박시연 Park Si Yeon
- 조계형 Jo Kye Hyung
- 황보라 Hwang Bo Ra
SYNOPSIS
Joo Yoo Rin is a beautiful spunky girl who is always on the run from her father's creditors. She does multiple odd jobs in order to raise enough money to pay off her father's gambling debts. Yoo Rin is an expert liar, and she probably developed her conning skills over the years in trying to keep her father out of trouble.
Seol Gong Chan, the sole heir to a chain of hotels, was tasked by his grandfather to find his missing cousin. While conducting his investigation, Gong Chan finds out that Yoo Rin has some connection with his cousin. To appease his grandfather and to buy some time, Gong Chan asks Yoo Rin to pretend to be his long-lost cousin.
REVIEW
My Girl started out a tad too over-the-top with its comedic antics but while it did mellow down in the middle part, it went the opposite way by being too melodramatic in the last few episodes. However, it is still a great drama to watch, considering the abundance of good-looking actors in the cast.
It's nice that although class difference of the lead characters is an issue (Seol Gong Chan is rich and Joo Yoo Rin is poor); the main source of conflict for the main couple is the fact that they are supposed to be cousins, therefore they cannot be together.
Even later on when the lie is exposed, Gong Chan's grandfather is against the two having a romantic relationship and I think the reason for that is because he genuinely thought of Yoo Rin as his long-lost granddaughter. He definitely did not object due to Yoo Rin lacking some qualifications such as educational background, family background, etc.
However, I think the grandfather was being too contrary just for the purpose of the narrative since he is the only source of conflict in the end. If he liked Yoo Rin as a granddaughter and then he found out that she is not his real granddaughter, it seems logical to want his grandson Gong Chan to get together with Yoo Rin so that if they get married in the future, then Yoo Rin will actually become like a real granddaughter. It goes full circle for him and everyone can be happy in the end.
I think it was very interesting how Yoo Rin is such a charming liar who always uses her lies for her personal gain and protection but in the end, she used her lying skills to protect the one she loves. It's such an interesting way for a character to profess her love, especially since she said it to other people and not to the one she loves.
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마이걸 My Girl
