This week’s drama to marathon is one that hooked me from the very beginning and refused to let go until I’d finished watching the whole darn thing. (Not that I’m complaining!) Of course once I’d finished watching I had to spend the rest of the evening trying to put the pieces of my heart back together but that’s the sign of a truly great drama, isn’t it?
Originally airing on JTBC from April-May of 2015, Falling for Innocence (aka Fall in Love with Soon Jung aka Beating Again) is the story of a cold-hearted business man, Kang Min Ho (Jung Kyung Ho), who’s made a name for himself as a corporate “serial killer. ” Tough on the outside, Kang Min Ho goes through life with a massive grudge and a fierce desire to get his revenge but on the inside he’s a very lonely man dying of a congenital heart disease. With nothing in life worth living for, Min Ho uses his last few days on earth to wipe out his father’s legacy but a freak accident and a miracle later, Min Ho has a new heart and a new lease on life. Meanwhile, Kim Soon Jung (Kim So Yeon), the head secretary for the CEO of the company Min Ho is determined to destroy, is doing her best to help her boss and keep the company afloat while at the same time mourning the death of her fiance, Detective Ma Dong Wook (Jin Goo), who was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Things in her life get even more complicated when her friend of 24 years, Lee Joon Hee (Yoon Hyun Min) decides now is the perfect time to make his move on his dead best friend’s girl. As if Soon Jung didn’t have enough to deal with, Kang Min Ho makes his reappearance in the corporate world and has latched latches himself onto her for reasons even he can’t explain. Trying to understand what’s going on in a world that seems to have gone crazy, both Min Ho and Soon Jung come to realize sometimes the only thing you can do in a world of insanity is grab onto what you love and hold on for dear life.
Like I said, this drama hooked me from the very first episode and I couldn’t bring myself to watch anything else until I’d finished. It’s not often I’m so obsessed with a drama but this one was special. There was something about Kang Min Ho that drew me to him (okay, let’s be honest here, it was probably the hair) and I just couldn’t tear myself away. I was fascinated by his slow transformation into a decent human being. I was captivated by his sweetness and his smile and I found myself cheering for him as he struggled to undo all the damage he’d inflicted on others when he lived as a ruthless businessman.
As any seasoned drama watcher knows, when a character undergoes something as drastic as a heart transplant there’s bound to be issues with “cellular memory.” It’s just one of those pesky Dramaverse laws and it holds true in this drama however this was one of those strange instances where I wasn’t bothered so much by it. Min Ho struggled to accept what was going on and at a certain point he decides he’s had it with trying to figure out whether or not his heart was actually his. His determination to bring his heart under his control and make it wholly his makes the cellular memory obsolete because Min Ho acts on his own accord from then on and there’s no doubt that his heart is his own. Yes, Kang Min Ho does undergo a serious personality change but I give credit for that to Soon Jung. She’s the one who was by his side and helped him to see he should try to make something worthwhile out of his life, now that he’s been given a second chance to live it.
As wonderful as Min Ho is, he’s not the only character worth loving in this drama. Soon Jung is easily one of my favorite female leads. She’s smart, she’s tough, she doesn’t take crap from anyone, she’s loved by her friends and co-workers and respected in her field. In short, she’s able to deal with all of the crazy this drama throws at her without falling apart or losing herself and that is something to be praised. It’s not often in a drama that a leading lady goes out of her way to protect her male counterpart, which is probably one of the biggest reasons why I love Soon Jung. She’s dealt a pretty crappy hand in life and yet, rather than wallow in self-pity and let her life fall apart, she pulls herself together and keeps going for the sake of those around her. Sure, she has moments when her tough exterior falls to the wayside and she breaks down but it’s in those moments of weakness Min Ho can see the real Soon Jung and it’s in those moments my heart melted.
There’s really way too much that happens in this drama to cover it all in one quick review. Just know there’s a lot more to this story than just a man who gets a second lease on life. There’s love and jealously and corporate drama and murder and mystery and all kinds of Dramaverse goodness in this one which is why I’m recommending it to you. It’s really a rather fantastic drama and if you haven’t watched it yet, you should watch it soon. Of course if you have already watched this one then you already know how great it is and I don’t have to say anything else. Either way, you know I always loving hearing your thoughts so be sure to let me know what you thought of Falling for Innocence in the comments below!
I LOVED this drama. I wasn’t sure where it was going for a bit, but it sucked me in quickly. I still remember gasping and tears filling my eyes when Soon Jung was slapped by her boss. I will skip that scene if I ever decide to watch it again. Soon Jung was an amazingly strong woman throughout. She had so many crazy things thrown at her but she always handled herself in a classy way. I was so impressed with how the character was written and acted.
I could not help but fall in love with Min Ho. His transformation was one of the greatest in all the K-dramas I’ve watched. He went from someone I loathed to someone I adored. The sweetness that he brought to his role in the final few episodes was fantastic. I felt he was every bit worthy of Soon Jung’s love. (Did I mention that his smile is just adorable?)
This drama didn’t seem to get a lot of fanfare when it aired, even though it was one of the best at the time. Plan to have a box of tissues handy, but there are many cute moments to balance out the difficult ones. (Just try to brace yourself for the slap. It’s disturbing.)
I really loved FFI despite all its (obvious) flaws. Many bloggers and commenters hated it with passion while the faithful audience was out defending our affection. The strongest asset of the drama wasby far the OTP (along with my beloved Jin Goo, one of the most underrated talents in k-ent); their performances and chemistry (coming from very experienced actors to begin with) took something so cliché and elevated to a beautiful story. I liked the urban legend of “cellular memory”, I liked the back story and, of course I adored the love story (the “jackal” becomes a cute puppy. The scene at the hospital,after the transplant surgery, was so funny) . While FFI could have been a 50-ep. super makjang (minus the supernatural element, just like Mr. Back) the writer and JTBC had a different PoV (thank God for the sane ones!)
The bottom line: “Omnia vincit amor” (Love conquers all, for one reason or another) 🙂