It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for drama second leads so it should come as no surprise that the drama I’m recommending as this weekend’s drama to marathon, has one of the most irresistible seconds ever.
Originally airing on tvN from May – July, 2013, Dating Agency: Cyrano is the story of a trio of down-and-out theater nerds who, in an effort to save a late friend’s theater, create Cyrano Dating Agency, a company whose sole purpose is to orchestrate romantic encounters for clients who can’t seem to spark a little romance on their own. The leader of this pack is Seo Byung Hoon (Lee Jong Hyuk), the gruff, wounded, creative genius of the group, who feels personally responsible for his late friend’s death and has vowed to make it up to said friend by reviving his friend’s dying theater. Gong Min Young (Sooyoung) joins the Dating Agency team out of necessity and is immediately at odds with Byung Hoon because she believes it’s more important to pay attention to the hearts of their clients than to take their money. As you can imagine, there’s all kinds of conflict between these two but that doesn’t stop feelings from developing despite the efforts of one very incredible second, Cha Seung Po, aka Master (Lee Chun Hee). Warm, friendly, handsome and mysterious, Seung Po gives Byung Hoon a run for his money, when it comes to Min Young but there’s more to this story than a love triangle and it’s up to Min Young to help save the theater and Byung Hoon.
Dating Agency: Cyrano is one of those dramas full of stories within stories as each episode brings with it a new out of luck lover looking for a little help and I rather enjoyed that. I liked watching Byung Hoon come up with creative ways to help people because really, he comes up with some incredibly clever ideas and I really liked that about him. Sadly, I didn’t like him enough to cheer for him in his pursuit of Min Young, if that’s really what you want to call it. As far as male leads go, Byung Hoon didn’t really do much to win the heart of his lady fair, he just kind of sat around being grumpy and Min Young fell for him anyway. Master, on the other hand, was a character I gladly cheered for and I really wish the writers hadn’t made him so wonderful because it was painful to watch him try to woo a woman who almost fell for him but couldn’t bring herself to give in to his charms. I honestly don’t have any idea how Min Young was able to resist a man with such charms. I mean Master cook, run a restaurant, lead a band of thugs as a loan shark, had skills with a knife that were both impressive and slightly terrifying, had all the resources to make all your dreams come true, and could stop traffic with his incredible smile… What more could a woman ask for? Master was practically perfect in every way yet Min Young had eyes for only Byung Hoon. To this day that boggles my mind but whatever. This is Dramaland we’re talking about here and stranger things have happened.
As far as dramas go, I thought Dating Agency: Cyrano was an enjoyable one. It had enough unique qualities to capture my attention and a completely swoon-worthy second who captured my heart and that, in and of itself, is always more than enough to keep me happy. It didn’t hurt that the other two members of the Dating Agency were as equally lovely as Master which means if flower boys are your thing, you’ll probably be pretty happy with this drama. If you haven’t bothered to give this one a go, now may be the perfect time to give it a try. There are certainly worse ways to spend your weekend… Of course whether you watch this drama over the weekend or you’ve seen it in the past, I’d love to know what you thought so be sure to let me know by leaving me a comment below!
I also enjoyed this drama and suffered from second lead syndrome. Master was so swoon worthy that I just could not believe that she didn’t chose him. It was a nice drama that I enjoyed but didn’t adore and I would watch it again if I wasn’t re-watching Secret Garden or Kimi wa Petto.
Re-watching Secret Garden sounds like a really good idea, actually. I may have to do that myself soon. It’s been way too long since I last watched that one.
I LOVED Byunghoon and Min young together….I was totally onboard on the OTP ship….they had sizzling chemistry together…I agree he did not do anything romantic…but all there romantic accidents and eye contacts were enough to make my heart flutter…and I guess the main plot of story was not their romance as there were already so many stories…and I loved that song a lot…”my heart flutters”
It was a great song and I didn’t mind the OTP, I’m just a sucker for second leads and Master was one of the best. I’m always happy when an OTP can live happily ever after and Byung Hoon and Min Young did just that so I’m good. I’ll just always harbor a soft spot for Master. haha
I warned you I’d be catching up on dramas! Byung Hoon and Min Young has so many cute moments that I forgave him for being a jerk and was happy to see them get together in the end. The stylist made him seem even older during the last few episodes (something funky with the hair), which was unfortunate because when styled right he can have a lot of sex appeal. But she was such a cute, perky young thing that she was a good balance for his crankiness. I was sad for Master, but not heartbroken (this was not a “You’re Beautiful” second lead syndrome for me).
As for Master, he was definitely lovable. I just finished watching “I remember you” a week ago and he was the second lead in that one, too (except he never really had a chance with the girl in that one). There is something so nice and easy about his looks and voice. I would like to be to see him get the girl with all of his charm in a drama soon. He deserves some hugs and kisses. 😉
Ah Ran was so cute as a high school boy. He was recently in “the mask” and was just as cute and sweet in that role – although more grown up. I’m hoping we’ll see more of him, too.
The quiet one, though. He just cracked me up with his flat delivery of lines. I don’t know how he managed to keep a straight face ALL THE TIME! I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything recently, but I’d love to see him play a more animated character. He had a lot of charm.
All in all – this was a lot of fun. Perfect for weekend marathon watching!
I’m happy you liked this one! It’s not perfect but like you said, it was a lot of fun. I’d really like to see Lee Chun Hee (aka Master) take on a lead role in a drama because you’re right, he deserves some hugs and kisses! Here’s hoping he’s not stuck in second lead land forever!