Lie To Me

The First Shop of Coffee Prince is one of my favourite Korean dramas. It is there that I discovered Yoon Eun Hye, and I must say that her performance there as a tomboy is superb, earning her a Best Actress award at the Baeksang Arts Award in 2008. The success of The First Shop of Coffee Prince elevated her stardom in Hallyuwood, and she became one of the most sought after actresses.

Hence, Yoon Eun Hye dramas are always anticipated. In 2009, she starred in My Fair Lady @ Lady Castle, where she acted as an arrogant brat. I did not find that drama engaging at all. This year, she returns to the small screen in Lie To Me. In this drama, Yoon Eun Hye is Gong Ah Jeong, a civil servant, caught in a scandal with chaebol Hyeon Gi Jeon, played by Kang Ji Hwan. P/S : Chaebol - super duper rich families in Korea.

Yoon Eun Hye in a scene in Lie To Me

Source : SBS

Well, after a super tiring week at work, I unwound with Lie To Me this weekend. So what do I think about this drama?

1) The lie involved Gong Ah Jeong telling her friends that she's married. Her friends assume that she's married to Hyeon Gi Jeon and the situation becomes awkward. So at first, it is quite interesting watching how the story will play out.

2) I like Kang Ji Hwan, especially for his cheerful countenance. I feel that he is sort of repressed as a chaebol especially in the first half of the drama. Thankfully, his character opened up after he finds himself falling in love with Gong Ah Jeong.

Kang Ji Hwan looks good as a chaebol
Source : SBS

3) I hate it when Gong Ah Jeong frets. I think that overdoes it and it's annoying. And she frets overly often in the beginning.

4) Contrary to what some netizens think, I don't think that Kang Ji Hwan and Yoon Eun Hye have much chemistry together. I also think they don't look very compatible together. Kang Ji Hwan looks mature for his age, and Yoon Eun Hye looks too young for him. Psst : I used to be a Yoon Eun Hye - Ju Ji Hun shipper. The Goong couple as netizens call them. Till today, I still think that the two look good together. So I may be prejudiced against her and Kang Ji Hwan. ;p

5) I find the last quarter of the drama very draggy. It annoys me that Gong Ah Jeong keeps pushing Hyeon Gi Jeon away when it's so obvious that she is in love with him. Every time he shows affection for her, she has this pained look on her face. It gets tiring to watch after a while.

6) I enjoy the soundtrack, especially a song entitled "Lovin' Ice-Cream". It's the love theme for our protagonists. The song sounds really cheerful and cute. I like the version by Kang Ji Hwan as I thought his voice suits the song. In fact, this drama incorporates lots of songs in the background, many of them my favourite like "Lucky" by Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat, "You & I Both" by Jason Mraz and "Count on Me" by Bruno Mars. Ok. I just love Jason Mraz and Bruno Mars.

7) I like all of Gong Ah Jeong's handbags in the drama! *Drool* ..... They are all very tasteful and elegant pieces. What would I give to have a few of those bags!!! One particular Louise Quatorze bag in the drama became known as the Yoon Eun Hye bag and sold out like hot cakes!

8) A few of the characters speak Mandarin onscreen because they are interacting with a businessman from Shanghai. Well, I can't help but cringe cause they sound so stilted. Plus, pronunciation and intonation are way out!!!

Well, in short, I was entertained up till episode 12, and then it became a drag. What a pity for drama that had such a lot of potential. Actually it was a pretty sweet romantic story which was botched up towards the end. Still recommended for Yoon Eun Hye & Kang Ji Hwan fans. ;p