Pride and prejudice, except not so Jane Austen. I mean, where’s my Darcy?

Characters:

• Choi Jin Hyuk as Koo Dong Chi
• Baek Jin Hee as Han Yul Moo
• Choi Min Soo as Moon Hee Man
• Lee Tae Hwan as Kang Soo
• Son Chang Min as Jung Chang Gi

Details:

• Korean
• 20 episodes
• Original run: October 27, 2014 – January 6, 2014

Quick Rundown:

Koo Dong Chi is an established prosecutor who is in charge of teaching Han Yul Moo, the newbie, the ropes. They aren’t just mentor and mentee though! They are also ex-lovers as Kang Soo soon discovers. In this fast paced legal world Dong Chi and Yul Moo must come together to fight injustices and face the difficult personalities involved. Perhaps all this will spark a flame? Or maybe they will each find someone even better.

Estelle’s Take

I was so glad to discover Choi Jin Hyuk back in the spot light as the main lead after the disastrous Fated series (ok, clearly it was popular, but Anna and I both couldn’t get into it). Regardless of what my opinions are of that series, I do think Choi Jin Hyuk is a good actor and I welcome his new role in this. I confess I’m not into the legal dramas – the most I can do is detective stories, but I decided to give this a chance because it is only fair that I should. Overall, I found it pleasant to watch and generally entertaining. I didn’t fall in love with it at first sight, but I watched the first two episodes in one sitting, which is a testament to the level of engagement it provided.

Choi Jin Hyuk is back as the arrogant self important bastard whose only interest is in getting what he wants. Of course, like most kdrama leads, his arrogance is also part of his charm and attractiveness. If you are in this to find a lovable cheeseball, then you are probably in the wrong place. Maybe, just maybe, when he falls deeply in love he will regress, but most likely he will maintain the cold exterior of a chaebol, even though that does not appear to be what he is (a chaebol, I mean). As he should, because if this is anywhere close to Jane Austen-esque, you need a Darcy somewhere!

Baek Jin Hee’s character seems like a fighter. She’s already sassying Jin Hyuk back left and right, and pursuing cases like it ain’t nobody’s business. I love a strong female character, but she doesn’t have the same spunk as some of our past leads did, which I found a little disappointing. Maybe as the story goes on she will develop more 3-dimensional characteristics.

I’m going to keep this drama on my list, not as a top must-watch, but  I’ll probably catch up with it every now and then. You should check it out if you are into legal dramas or if you like a solid show with a good story line, but don’t hold me to that last bit though because there have been plenty of crash and burn series in the past.

This & That:

• Choi Jin Hyuk previously starred in the Korean version of popular Taiwanese drama Fated to Love You and Emergency Couple. He also played the young Lee Joon Hyuk in Flower Grandpa Investigation Team.
• Baek Jin Hee shot to fame in 2009 indie film Bandhobi. She was recently in historical romance Empress Ki and action series Triangle.
• Choi Min Soo hails from a famous entertainment family. He is the son of popular actor Choi Moo Ryong and actress Kang Hyo Shil, the grandson of Jeon Ok and Kang Hong Shik. He had a scandal in 2008 which put a stop to his Hollywood production with Robert De Niro.
• Lee Tae Hwan is part of the new idol group 5surprise which also consists of Seo Kang Joon who starred in Cunning Single Lady earlier this year. Instead of musicians, 5surprise is a group of actors, but they are hoping to release an album later this year.