Of Romance and Bali Memories

<this was from my previous and deleted blog; TATTLETHOTS>

My first step into Dramaland was Romance (2002) starring Kim Jae-won and Kim Haneul.

I was 10 and I can still hear Kim Bum-soo's voice for the OST. For those who are unfamiliar with the actor: Kim Jae-won is actually one of the famous kdrama actors back in late 90's and early 2000s. You're probably familiar with Kim Ha-neul from her more recent dramas; A Gentleman's Dignity (2012) and On the Way to the Airport (2016). So the drama is about a student-teacher romance where Kim Ha-neul is the teacher. It's a really old drama and I was young and only remember the gist of it. But it was good enough that I stayed till the end and crushing over Kim Jae-won. (he was one of the best looking korean actors at that time).

But this drama is NOT the one that really initiate the fangirl in me. No. The drama that really made me into a kdrama fan is Memories in Bali a.k.a What Happened in Bali a.k.a Something Happened in Bali (2004) starring Ha Ji-won, Jo In-sung, So Ji-sub and Park Ye-jin. For those who watched Fashion King (2012), it is said that the ending is actually inspired by this drama. So yeah, you get the idea how crazy MIB is. But I loved it.

A little bit about Memories in Bali:

It's not a happy story. It's really a depressing tale about four people who have major personality flaw and mostly due to their lives depressing situation. You need to watch this drama to understand where they came from.

Ha Ji-won as Lee Soo-jung is a tour guide in Bali and she met Jae-min (In-sung), Young-joo (Ye-jin) and In-wook (Ji-sub). The latter three has a complicated relationship where Jae-min and Young-joo are engaged and In-wook is Young-joo's ex. However, Jae-min is a spoiled brat and Young-joo's still in love with her ex. In-wook works for Jae-min's company (a star staff actually) yet he has an ulterior motif. Enter Soo-jung who despite her upbeat personality is kind of an opportunist. She started of trying to figure out the rich one between Jae-min and In-wook. Even almost accept the offer of sleeping with Jae-min after finding out he's the one with the big bucks. Seriously, everyone has a personality defect.

But that doesn't mean it is a bad drama. In fact, I think this is one of the most original dramas I've ever watched. The conflict lies mostly in Soo-jung's character where she's trying to choose between two guys who just couldn't stay away from her; a rich bratty CEO or a poor hardworking guy. I have major second-lead syndrome (SLS) with So Ji-sub in this drama. I didn't even look at Jo In-sung.

Ignore the hairstyle. That was totally trending in the early 2000s. His character was this gentle and quiet guy and a hardworking staff. Although, he went to the dark side towards the ending but I still love him. Too bad the female lead's heart belongs to the male lead.

This drama is FAR from innocent. As I recall, there's a scene (or two) where Soo-jung and Jae-min slept together.

And Soo-jung and In-wook also slept together in the end. SPOILER ALERT! It is the drama finale.

Oh yeah! Jo In-sung's crying face in this drama spawned a LOT of imitations in variety shows like Running Man and Two Days One Night. That guy really knows how to cry on cue. I remember laughing so hard at that one scene where he calls Soo-jung while trying to hold back his tears. It was supposed to be sad but it became funny instead. Seriously, look for it.

Anyway this drama is mainly about a girl trying to figure out whether she wants money or romance and quite often she surrenders to the former. But in the end, she confesses her love to Jae-min after of course, running off with In-wook who has embezzled company funds and has become filthy rich. And Jae-min, in his anger killed both In-wook and Soo-jung while they were in bed together only to regret his actions after learning her true feelings. So In-wook himself ended up killing himself. The end.

This story is a total tragedy, I tell you. But the conflict is actually relatable in today's world where you have to choose between love and money. Soo-jung is basically a girl trying to make ends meet. She's not highly educated or have lots of money in the bank. So she can't afford the luxury to choose. But I still find her action in the beginning to just sleep with the guy just for a few extra bucks really bad. But understandable. Sometimes people are just desperate and I'm in no place to judge since I've never been put in her situation. But hopefully not. And hopefully if I'm ever in that situation, I will never take that decision. In-wook on the other hand shows that you might be gentle and aloof on the outside but a snake on the inside. From the beginning his work is for making the embezzlement happen. But his demons (I think) came from him having to see his ex engaged to Jae-min who in the beginning is just a bratty rich kid. He might think it is unfair for him who has been dedicated to his job to lose his girlfriend to a guy who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

In-wook and Soo-jung both have similar backgrounds. Except that In-wook is actually qualified to do a higher level desk job that enables him to rise up the ranks in the company. Although the ending shows In-wook rich with his illegal wealth and he has Soo-jung with him and for a few minutes they're actually happy, the moment before they got shot is where they realized that they're miserable and that money is never the answer to their issues all along.

All in all, this drama has a very dark theme to it. But it's worth watching with awesome soundtrack, great acting and Jo In-sung's snot acting. But if you're into happy rom-com dramas then this is not for you. But if you guys have watched both dramas, tell me what you guys think. I would love to know your opinions.