Who are you suspicious of?

Characters:

• Ji Chang Wook as No Ji Wook
• Nam Ji Hyun as Eun Bong Hee
• Choi Tae Joon as Ji Eun Hyuk
• Nara as Cha Yoo Jung

Details:

• Korean
• 40 episodes
• Original run: May 10 – July 13, 207

Quick Rundown:

Eun Bong Hee is a lawyer-in-training who is wrongfully accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend who happens to be the son of the Chief Prosecuter. Faced with incriminating evidence she reaches out to her former supervisor, No Ji Wook for help. They cross path again two years later with Bong Hee representing the plaintiff and Ji Wook the defendant. This time they decide they will join forces to find the person who really murdered Bong Hee’s ex-boyfriend and help her reclaim her innocence once and for all.

Estelle’s Take

I abandoned Shopping King Louis because I didn’t like Nam Ji Hyun (I know, a HUGE deal considering how much I adore Seo In Guk) so I found myself sighing when I saw that she is starring in this drama. Though I didn’t get over my curious dislike for her I did watch the drama in its entirety. Here are some of my initial thoughts:

1. Why haven’t I seen anything with Ji Chang Wook before? I scrolled past The K2 and Healer so many times, but never did I click on them. I clearly have been missing out.
2. Choi Tae Joon needs to get his own drama soon. WHY hasn’t it happened yet? The man is hitting his upper twenties!
3. Ji Chang Wook is probably not 180cm… He’s like barely taller than Nam Ji Hyun in most of the shots and no she is not wearing five inch heels.
4. Why did this drama have forty 30 minute episodes instead of twenty 1 hour episodes? #confused.

Anyway, back to the actual review. If you have read any of my past posts you would know I love a good murder mystery. While this one boasts a good one upfront I found the story a little lackluster. Instead of keeping me on my toes I found myself waiting for something to happen quite frequently. Perhaps the drama writers didn’t know what the main plot line was either, but I thought there was too much time wasted on non-pivotal subplots. Yes, I get that the kdrama formula needs a good love story and a good bromance, but most of it just felt a bit half-assed. I liked all of the backstories and saw the potential for them to develop into the central plot of a drama on its own, but when thrown together I just felt like none of them stuck.

Aside from the problematic plot, I found the acting mediocre at best. Not that there wasn’t chemistry or anything at all, but there weren’t sparks flying every where either. I felt unconvinced of anyone’s romantic interest, and went along with it just for the sake of the story. I thought Ji Chang Wook did a good job in his role, but that’s about it. Overall, it was a bit bland and I could see where it was going before it even showed me the ending.

If eye candy is your thing then definitely go for it because everyone looks very pretty onscreen. There are also abundance of cute moments (though again, sprinkled randomly), but it’s not a must watch in my opinion.

This & That:

• Chang Ji Wook debuted with 2008 film Sleeping Beauty. He has since then starred in numerous dramas such as Smile Again, Bachelor’s Vegetable Store, Empress Ki, Healer and The K2. He has also starred in Chinese drama The Whirlwind Girl 2 and will be in an upcoming one (air date TBD) Mr. Right. He did the Korean dub for Taki Tachibana in Japanese animated movie Your Name.  In addition, he has been active in musical theater. He most recently reprised his role for the musical The Days. He is set to enter military enlistment on August 14, 2017.
• Nam Ji Hyun began her career as a child actress and has been in East of Eden, Queen of Seondeok, Angel Eyes among others. Shopping King Louis was her first starring role.
• Choi Tae Joon recently signed on with Huayi Brothers and is currently a permanent host on Korean variety show Hello Counselor. He studied theater at Chung-Ang University.
• Nara is a part of South Korean girl group Hello Venus. She cameoed in several dramas before, including I Need Romance 3, Cunning Single Lady, and Entertainer.