Live

I started watching because I liked the lead actress, Jung Yumi. She was in the movie Train to Busan together with one of my fav actors, Gong Yoo. She did not really stand out to me at that time. But it was only after watching the reality shows Youn's Kitchen and Youn's Kitchen 2 that I grew to like her more. She is this very down-to-earth and loveable young lady, who has this very sincere aura about her. So I was really excited to find out that she has a drama going on this year. Of course I'd want to watch it!

Poster of the main leads;
From top, clockwise : Bae Sung Woo, Bae Jung Ok, Jung Yumi and Lee Kwang Soo

Source: https://forums.soompi.com/en/topic/406850-current-drama-2018-live-%EC%82%B4%EB%8B%A4-sat-sun-2100-pm-kst/

Then, I thought the drama would be worth watching because of writer Noh Hee Kyung, who is famed to produce very good dramas. Indeed, after the first two episodes of Live, I was drawn by the fast pace, and also the realism of the show in portraying the extraordinary lives of ordinary people, specifically, the police officers who are working hard to preserve justice. Particularly engaging for me was the issue of ethics and morality - and how corruption occurs at every level of the society, and even among the police officials. For example, should they turn a blind eye when congressmen committed vice? Some commentaries mentioned that this drama felt more like documentary than fiction. Heh.

Lee Kwang Soo is casted as the lead actor here. Heh, I associate Kwang Soo with Running Man, where he is forever funny and awkward and unlucky. Seriously, he does act well ... it's just quite difficult to disassociate him with his comical self in the variety genre. Heh.

He was not seen in all the promotional works for this drama at all. He wasn't in the teasers nor posters. He is in the background in Episode 1, and we only see him starting from Episode 2 ... and he just commands attention. By Episode 4, I have fallen in love with his character. Judging from what I read on social media, a lot of people feel the same way, and are starting to look out for this dashing actor, Shin Dong Wook.

He is casted in a supporting role in the drama, but he's not your regular supporting actor. He has the visuals and the charisma of an A-list actor. I started to read up about Shin Dong Wook after that. There is not information on him as he had been out of the limelight for years. Apparently, he had debuted way back in 2004, and had a very successful drama called Soulmate. Later on, he suffered from a complex illness during his military enlistment days back in 2011, and had been out of the entertainment circuit since then. He had only commenced acting again last year, taking a small but significant role in the drama Lookout.

Actor Shin Dong Wook as the eye-candy Corporal Choi Myung Ho

Source: https://forums.soompi.com/en/topic/406850-current-drama-2018-live-%EC%82%B4%EB%8B%A4-sat-sun-2100-pm-kst/?page=10

Corporal Choi Myung Ho is portrayed as a kind and understanding police officer, who values loyalty and duty above promotions and results. His scenes portray him as a really cool guy. He is smart and sensible in dealing with his colleagues, efficient and dependable when handling cases. He looks pretty dashing in his police uniform, and equally swoony in fashionable outfits. Corporal Choi Myung Ho's character, however, is developed mainly through the other characters - we learn that he probably comes from a good family, has a good education, and has an ex-girlfriend who died on duty. He is currently chummy with Jung Yumi's character - and I'm actually rooting for this onscreen couple!

Of course, the veteran actors Bae Sung Woo and Bae Jong Ok who play the eccentric Oh Yang Chon and wife Ahn Jang Mi are interesting to watch. Both are dedicated police officers, and their marriage is currently hitting some bumps. They both still have feelings for each other, so I firmly believe that things are not yet over for this couple yet.

Aside from that I loved the camaraderie of the police officers at the station - both the senior officers and junior officers are fun to watch. They bicker and banter, but in the end, I believe they are good friends who watch over each other's backs.

I watch this drama at real time, streaming it online from 8.00 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. It's exactly halfway through now, yet I feel that some of the characters are not developed enough. I have invested a lot of emotions into this drama. Sometimes I get a bit worked up and can hardly sleep after that. Heh. So, I really hope the rest of the episodes will be worth it. Looking forward!