We have a winner in the dysfunction sweepstakes!

[dangermousie]

What?

What?

Our protagonist has just asked his girlfriend to become a hooker so he could have the money for pimping her out in order to pay his dead brother's debts.

WHAT?

Thankfully, she hits him and walks off.

So, since his brother offed himself, and the loan sharks are after his widow and kid and who knows what they'll do to them, he goes off to repay the debt with himself as collateral - if he can't repay they get to harvest his organs? Well, that's one way to make money.

Oh Korea, every time I think you can't come up with new levels of dysfunction in your dramas, you surprise me.

In case you haven't figured it out, I am watching Slingshot (also known as 'Story of a Man'). Why is nobody on my flist (that I know of) watching this? It's so very good - if you like clever revenge dramas that is. Best of all, it's written by the same scriptwriter who worte my favorite drama ever Legend (and also the legendary Sandglass and Eyes of Dawn but I haven't gotten to those yet). It's clever, and beautifully filmed, and full of compromised characters.

The story is quite good. Park Yong Ha's character is consumed by revenge against the business tycoon who wanted to purchase another giant conglomerate and the tiny little company PYH's brother used to run ended as collateral damage, wrecking the family and driving PYH's beloved older brother to suicide and PYH to a desperate act which leads to jail.

The funny thing? The drama stars two actors who I would have never thought I'd ever love and I am so impressed with them both.

The male lead is Park Yong Ha - if anyone told me that I'd swoon for the actor who played chubby, spotty, whiny, wannbe-rapist, passive-agressive other guy in 2001 Hallyu juggernaught Winter Sonata, I'd laugh. But there it is - Leaving the purely physical issue of spots being gone and the weight being gone too (mmmm - he is cut now), PYH can act and his character, while not necessarily likeable, is fascinating. I am clearly a sucker for revenge-driven protagonists (this, Cain & Abel, A Love to Kill, Mawang, Resurrection, Green Rose).



The female lead is Park Shi Yeon, otherwise known by me as "Tennis Girl" from My Girl - arguably my least-favorite female character in a drama ever. But here she is strong, conflicted, and yes, materialistic, without being evil. So very good.



And now my spring drama roster is complete.

Comments

[timescout.livejournal.com]

Well, I did wonder why you had not picked it up yet..... ;) I'll be watching. Subbed eps duly dl'ed, but..... damned if I know when. I have to clear the decks a bit before I can focus on something like this. It will claim your full attentinon, me thinks.

Night! I'm finally off to bed, which I can't seem to find in proper time any night....

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's so very good. I can't wait for subs for 3 & 4.

Though the bad guy in this one is way scary. Eeeek.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

YAY! This looks great - but I seem to have caught the secondary male virus here, I find the evil dude to be totally mesmerizing.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

B-b-b-but...he is a sociopath!

I mean, literally a sociopath, not the usual 'emo bad guy with a bad past.' I confess he freaks me out incredibly much.

[thinking-lotus.livejournal.com]

Park Shi Yeon of the bad plastic surgery? She can haz expressions? This I have to see.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

She is really good in this - it helps that she doesn't play a ministering angel but a tough, materialistic woman.

[mzsugarrat.livejournal.com]

The protagonist asked his girlfriend to be a hooker?!
If the bad guy had done it it would have been one thing but the protagonist???
*Twitch, twitch*
Sometimes Korea scares even me...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It turns out he did it on purpose so she'd be so offended she would ditch him because the family circs were dire and if she associated with him she'd get into trouble.

Ironically, she later decided to help his family (when he was in jail, without his knowledge) and because the escort to repay their debts and he was totally horrified and emo screaming. I approve.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

I am so looking forward to this drama. I can't wait til the subs are out.
According to dramabeans it's a bit like Mawang so I'm very excited.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Subs for the first 2 are out. So good. The atmosphere does make me think of Mawang.

[mishane.livejournal.com]

My first drama that I watch as it's being aired! I'm very excited.

It's been so good so far, the pacing and everything. It hasn't dragged yet.

I am not a Park Si Yeon fan at all. I thought maybe it was just the My Girl bias but she was equally bad and expressionless in the movie A Love, so I know now it's her acting that I don't like. She's okay in this one, when asked to be tough and funny but I think she still needs to work on her expressions when she's surprised or sad, because she just looks blank. For example in Episode 1 when the reporter walked into the room when the two brothers and her were talking. She looked up and I immediately thought, "There's the My Girl blank stare again!".

Hopefully she impresses but I am actually intrigued by the sister and I hope they pair the sister with Park Yong Ha and Park Si Yeon with the psychotic brother. Psychotic brother is hot AND intriguing.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I don't really care for the sister - too nice if it makes sense. Psychotic brother just scares me silly, hot or not :)

[mishane.livejournal.com]

Also, I think you said something about them making the psychotic brother just plain old psychotic (which is what I want, we hardly get any characters that are just plain crazy, they always had some sort of "childhood trauma", ugh) but I read an interview with the actor and he said that the original plan was for the brother to be just crazy with no reasoning but he convinced the screenwriter to write a small background for him, which is disappointing for me. The actor also said he would find it hard to play a character who was crazy for no reason, which annoyed my Psychology-minded self. I think those characters would be better and more interesting to play.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I think (from what I read about eps 3 and 4) they are not going to go much into 'made into evil by circusmtances' territory - I am sure he's had setbacks like anyone, but clearly disproportionate compared to his evil which seems almost sociopathic in nature.