Drama Rating: 9/10
No Eul comes from a poor family, her mother passed away at a young age while her father is merely a street vendor who tries his best to provide for her and her younger brother. Despite their financial ordeal they lived as a happy life. But one day, their lives were shattered when No Eul saw her father get into a hit and run car accident. Though she had hard evidence to prove the guilty party, the person she was against had money and power which she doesn’t have. In the process of fighting for her father’s injustice, a series of unfortunate events happened to No Eul that sent her off in the hospital in a critical condition and incurring debts from her hospitalization. After her recovery, instead of throwing herself into despair, she pushed on with her life to provide for herself and her brother.
Shin Joon Yeong is a popular actor who was once involved with No Eul when they were younger, however as his circumstances were dictated through his bloodline and the choices he made had dire consequences, he lived his life miserably even up to the height of his career. To top it all, he finds out that he had brain cancer and had only a few months to live. In the midst of his illness, he decided to do something drastic in his remaining life. That is to love unconditionally the one person he left behind and to right all the wrongs he has done.
I’m glad that I finally had the courage to watch this show. It was definitely a melodrama full of makjang moments, but at the same time it felt good to know that the drama producers were against all odds when it came to drama cliché. I mean there were those moments when I wanted to tear my hair out in frustration but at the same time I knew it was an essential part of the story. The conflict was enough to make things going until the very last episode. I even thought I have prepared myself for the worst but I still end up bawling my eyes out in different episodes here and there.
Suzy Bae did her best to portray No Eul, but I could somehow image a different actress in her shoes and still think they could pull it off. While Kim Woo Bin, definitely nailed his character. Joon Yeong wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t him. He did take on the role sincerely and looked like a dying actor at some point. To think that after the drama, he was diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal Cancer was quite ironic. Nonetheless he was a splendid actor in this drama.
One of my favorite character was Joon Yeong’s mother. She was so keen on having her son become a lawyer-prosecutor that she failed to notice what exactly was happening to her son. It was sad that years were wasted on resentment instead of being together and loving each other as a real family. Their situation was one of the drama’s aspect that set the water works in me. I would have loved to see some more mother and son interaction but I was left with a bittersweet conclusion for them. Other supporting actors that caught my eye were Im Ju Eun, she definitely pulled off the bitchy second lead who’s the spoiled daughter of a politician. I liked how I love to hate her and the fact that she makes everyone around her miserable despite being rich and pretty. Lastly, I like these two cute teenagers who find themselves drawn to each other and yet has a doomed love life after all the things they learn with both of their families. Lee Seo Won as Noh Jik and Ryu Won as Choi Ha Roo are such a cute pair. I wish there were more of their fluff in this drama because they seem to lighten the atmosphere whenever they both appear on screen.
Over all the drama is very melodramatic with all the heavy conflicts between characters. The writers did try to make things a bit light through the dialogue, but it wasn’t much of a help because in the end, I knew how everything was coming down. Despite it being a sad drama with a bittersweet ending, I’d still say that it was worth the watch. The cinematography was beautiful and the OST was pure love. I’m sharing a track below for those who are interested in listening to it. I’m also recommending this drama to those who likes watching makjang stuff, are into cryfest situations and with a little bit of fluff here and there.
https://binibningpunkista.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/01.-a-little-braver.mp3 A Little Braver by New Empire
PHOTOS ARE NOT MINE. CREDITS TO THE OWNER.
Uncontrollably Fond (Korean Drama 2016) Drama Rating: 9/10 No Eul comes from a poor family, her mother passed away at a young age while her father is merely a street vendor who tries his best to provide for her and her younger brother.
