Because I’m currently watching Blade Man and am on a sort of Lee Dong Wook high at the moment, I’ve decided now would be the perfect time to review another of Wookie’s dramas, Scent of a Woman.
Originally airing on SBS from July – September, 2011, Scent of a Woman stars Kim Sun Ah as Lee Yeon Jae, a thirty-something office worker at a local travel agency who, after learning she has only six months left to live, decides to quit the mundane routine of her life and spend whatever time she has left, living life to the fullest. Quitting her job and splurging on a first-class trip to Okinawa, Yeon Jae is determined to do everything in life she’s ever wanted, before her time is up. While in Okinawa, she meets Kang Ji Wook (Lee Dong Wook), the cynical and nearly lifeless heir to the very company Yeon Jae used to work for. Intrigued by a woman who seems to live without a care in the world, Ji Wook eventually falls for Yeong Jae and is inspired by her zeal for life. Knowing that starting any sort of relationship would only end in heartbreak, Yeon Jae does her best to convince Ji Wook he’d be better off without her but love eventually wins and together this unlikely couple steps boldly up to the challenge of living and loving in whatever precious moments they have.
As one would expect from a drama whose heroine is diagnosed with cancer, this drama has a whole lot of heartbreak but it’s coupled with so many sweet and sometimes funny moments that overall, there’s a good balance to the story. Yeon Jae is a sweet heroine and I enjoyed watching her move from a down-trodden push-over to a strong, independent woman, I just though it was sad that it took something as terrible as cancer to wake her up and make her realize there’s more to living life than simply going through the motions of your everyday routine. Still, this drama is a good reminder to us all that we ought to be living our lives to the fullest and I liked that. I also liked how Yeon Jae inspired Ji Wook to do more with his life than be the spoiled rich kid he’d always been and I really loved the relationship that grew between them as it was one of those relationships where both sides benefited from the other and those types of romances just make me happy.
If you’re in the mood for a drama with a little more weight and a whole lot of tears (seriously, watch this one with a box of tissues handy) then Scent of a Woman is probably for you as it’s a bittersweet love story with some rather poignant life lessons thrown in for good measure. It may not be the typical fluff of a drama I usually recommend for your weekend marathon but it’s worth watching if for no other reason than having an excuse to drool over Lee Dong Wook for 16 hours straight. (Oops! Did I just say that out loud?) As always, I’d love to know what you think (thought?) of Scent of a Woman (or any others for that matter) so be sure to leave me a comment below!
I LOVE this drama. It was my first ever LDW drama and only watched it because I love Kim Sun Ah. I ended up crushing on LDW so hard that I subsequently watched everything else he did. Scent of a Woman still remains my favorite.