From Left to Right: Yoo Ah In, Shin Se Kyung, Lee Je Hoon, Kwon Yu Ri
I actually liked this drama, I really did mainly because I could relate to the characters in a way--all of them. This was not a drama about love, but about a passion for fashion and success. And I welcomed that. It was also a fairly realistic drama, one of the most realistic KDramas I have ever seen. It shows people exactly how they are.We do not want to change. The actors were great. That I must say. The drama started out okay, it was crazy in all sense of the word, but I had hoped for it. Then the writing seemed to take a turn for the worse. There were a lot of loose ends and it was as if the writers were not paying attention to the characters they created. The beginning was crazy, "Rolex" will forever hold a different meaning for me, but the ending was something else.
Young Gul played by Yoo Ah In
He worked hard to get where he was. His mother abandoned him, his dad dropped out of the picture, his sister fell ill and died due to lack of money. His story is sad but he builds a clothing business and makes a name for himself. He meets a former childhood mate, Ga Young, (not "friend" as they had only met once/twice) and he aggressively pursues success. There is the antagonist Jae Hyuk who really cannot stand Young Gul and does everything to make this life hell. Young Gul becomes immensely successful but he was consumed by revenge. His character is something out of a Shakespeare play. His character is the "revenge is the ultimate downfall" or "money is the root of all evil."
Lee Ga Young played by Shin Se Kyung
There is no character development on her part, at all. Not once. She remains the same pushover. Even Iago's wife in Othello had some spunk compared to her. Now she is an orphan. Her parents died in a car accident and her mother's business partner makes her her live-in slave. This character is weak because her circumstance has made her weak. For me, this is the first KDrama character where the writers actually go into why she is weak and I can relate to her. But she remains weak. She meets Young Gul who is her savior; he gives her a home and allows her to design to her heart's content. Then she meets Jae Hyuk and while she clearly states that she loves Young Gul, she finds herself with Jae Hyuk. The former provides security and stability, the latter provides a rare opportunity to grow and develop her talents. It is the classic "eat your cake and have it too."
Jae Hyuk played by Lee Je Hoon
This guy wants what he cannot have, simple. This is why I did not like his character. He is a spoiled kid, who is in need of a serious therapist. His father hits him, with available objects, and his mother dotes on him too much while remaining oblivious to his suffering. He in turn abuses others, from his secretary to his ex-girlfriend/current girlfriend, to Young Gul and to Ga Young. For some reason, viewers loved this guy. Yet, he is the one who leaves his current girlfriend Anna, whom he had to woo back, in order to pursue another girl in another country, on another continent. He cannot stand up to his dad, or protect his then-girlfriend from his parents yet he wants to bring in a spineless girl. His character is sad and pathetic, but his money and status clouds all that. I label him "things are not at they seem."
Anna played by Kwon Yu Ri
This character leaves her work in the US for a job in Korea because her former boyfriend promises to do better. Now she loves him and while his parents gave her hell before, she decides to brace it. But his eyes are on Ga Young and he reneges on his promise to be there for her. Granted she is not as good a designer as Ga Young, she is a good businesswoman. With no comfort from Jae Hyuk, she seeks a friend in Young Gul. Young Gul likes her but she refused him, so they become drinking buddies. She is jealous of Ga Young and she wants her boyfriend to be monogamous. Eventually she breaks up with Jae Hyuk and moves into Young Gul's company where she is better utilized. Her character is strong but she struggles to find where she belongs. She does not belong in Jae Hyuk's world anymore and he hurt her, and she keeps looking for someone to accept her and love her. I label her "trying to find oneself."
The drama does something so well that I rarely see in dramas or tv shows except on the Cable networks: SHOWTIME, Starz, HBO, etc. The characters are complex and the villains are also complex. There is absolutely no typecast here. The actors did a terrific job portraying these characters.Young Gul seems like the good guy but he also strays when he makes money. The writers explain why he does not open himself to others easily--his upbringing.Ga Young is weak but she does go after what she wants: her life at Young Gul's shop, her work at Jae Hyuk's company, and both guys breaking their necks for her. The writer also explains why she is so weak and indecisive. She was an orphan at a young age and she was practically a slave to the "weird bangs lady."Jae Hyuk is crazy because he is constantly being beaten by his father and he cannot separate his emotions from business. Anna is the way she is because she did not have a normal family; and apparently none of the characters did, and her hubby hurt her--badly.
The ending was not well thought out, although I believe the writer/director were aiming for a Shakespearan tragedy. But they missed the mark. Young Gul is in financial trouble and he leaves Korea for New York, USA. He leaves his girlfriend, Ga Young, behind. Time passes and he sends her a letter and ticket for New York, Jae Hyuk (the guy who does not understand the word NO) intercepts the message and brings the girl to New York. Ga Young things Young Gul abandoned her (this character has serious and realistic abandonment issues) and sticks with Jae Hyuk. It is inferred that the two are together. Life does not give pretty endings but it would have been fitting for both Ga Young and Young Gul to be together. It just would have.
And I think this drama goes the easy route: the rich kid gets his way and wins the girl. Young Gul has been consistent in saying no to Jae Hyuk and saying yes to Young Gul but now she switches? That did not make sense. Their relationship was as clear as day. Oh and Young Gul somehow manages to call her and they did not talk it out. Instead, he gets shot by some random guy while on the phone with her but she does not hear the gunshot. The ending was bizarre and odd and just way out on left field. The writers and directors did not employ the KDrama cliches here, and I appreciated that, but they used it in the end which was pointless. Why have the guts to go a different path only to go back to it. I like the cliches though, especially when it is interpreted differently, but it was refreshing to not see a lot of them in this drama. However, the ending seemed to satisfy the viewers who wanted the rich kid with the poor girl. I would have wanted to see a more realistic ending: Jae Hyuk in therapy, Young Gul and Ga Young starting over in New York, far away from crazy Jae Hyuk, and Anna standing on her own. I'll chalk this up to a slightly bad Shakespeare rendition. Also, the fashion was not that great.
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