Only You

2005 SBS Drama

Another love story from the drama mill!

Han Chae Young as Cha Eun Jae
Eun Jae is a headstrong girl who has a great passion for cooking. She has been best friends with Jung Hyun-sung since they were 10.

Lee Chun Hee as Jung Hyun-sung
Hyun-sung is in love with Eun Jae. He has stayed by her side through thick and thin and wishes to protect her all her life. He is the lovelorn friend who patiently waits for her to reciprocate his feelings.

Jo Hyun Jae as Han Yi-joon
Yi-joon is the successor of the Dae Young Corporation which owns a large hotel and various restaurants. His meeting with Eun Jae in Italy changes the course of her life forever.

Hong Soo Hyun as Ji Soo-yeon
Soo-yeon runs one of the restaurants owned by the Dae Young Corporation. She has held a torch for Yi-joon for 10 years. Yi-joon, however, has only treated her as a younger sister.

Lee Ah Hyun as Han Yi-kyung (Yi-joon's older sister)
Yi-kyung is very protective of her brother and objects to the union between Eun Jae and Yi-joon. She sees Eun Jae as nothing but a shameless gold digger. She wants her brother to marry Soo-yeon instead.

Jung Ae Ri as Yoon Hee-jin (Yi-joon's mother)
Hee-jin is the estranged wife of Han Seung-ryeol (Yi-joon's father). She has remarried and runs a lodge in Italy. She is a great chef and she teaches Eun Jae her recipe for Pepper Cream Sauce Pasta.

Synopsis
Eun Jae's passion for cooking lands herself in an Italian cooking school after she wins a cooking competition with Hyun-sung. Knowing that her mother would be unhappy about her pursuing cooking instead of studying, she runs away with Hyun-sung to Italy to attend the cooking course.

By chance, Eun Jae meets Yi-Joon, who has traveled to Italy to see his estranged mother, Yoon Hee-jin. Eun Jae is also looking for Hee-jin to learn the secret of her Pepper Cream Sauce Pasta which she had once tried. Yi-Joon is distraught by his mother's remarriage and the fact that she does not acknowledge him. Eun Jae and Yi-Joon end up spending the night together when Eun Jae comforts Yi-Joon. Yi-Joon leaves Eun Jae the next morning when Hyun-sung lies to Yi-Joon that Hyun-sung was Eun Jae's boyfriend.

As a result of their one-night stand, Eun Jae finds herself pregnant and has no choice but to discontinue her studies.

6 years later....
Eun Jae supports her family by working in low-paying jobs in small eateries. Her family has fallen on hard times and is in debt because her father frequently co-signs loans for his friends. Hyun-sung, who is the head chef in an Italian restaurant, has been helping Eun Jae and her family. He eventually takes them in when they are chased by their creditors.

Yi-Joon has been given the task of revitalizing one of his family's restaurants - the No. 1 Franchise which was founded by his mother.

Eun Jae and Yi-Joon meet when he hires her as a chef for his restaurant. The drama unfolds as Eun Jae, Yi-Joon and Hyun-sung work out their feelings for each other as they work together.

In the end, Eun Jae, Yi-Joon and Jin-sol are finally accepted by Yi-Joon's father and they become a happy family.

Review

Eun Jae & Hyun-sung - One cannot but feel pity for Hyun-sung in his love for Eun Jae. He was willing to take on the responsibility of looking after her, her family and her son even though he was aware that Eun Jae would never have the same feelings for him. He waits for her patiently to turn his way and is unable to see her hurt.

His love for her is pure as he is willing to put her happiness before his own. One can only feel that he only wanted to protect her when he offered to marry her thinking it was in her best interest.

Eun Jae & Yi-Joon - It is hard to accept Eun Jae's explanation that she was afraid Yi-Joon would run away if he ever found out the truth of Jin-sol's parentage. Especially since she felt that they (Jin-sol and Eun Jae) have lived very well without Yi-Joon. Yi-Joon had expressed his love for her even to the extent of "lying" to his father that Jin-sol was his son (when he did not know that he was indeed Jin-sol's father). Yi-Joon reacted in anger when Eun Jae finally told him the truth about Jin-sol. Anyone in their right mind would have been angry at Eun Jae for withholding the truth for so long. She seemed to want to be pitied for her situation. She could have just told Yi-Joon the truth from the beginning and let the cards fall where they may. Instead, she chose to have the "upper hand" by withholding the truth from him.

Eun Jae wanted the best of all worlds - and in a way she did have the best of all worlds - she had her parents to help take care of Jin-sol; Hyung-sung provided the boy with a father figure and was like a father to him; she was in an environment where she was well-loved in the family.

Yi-Joon, with all his wealth, did not enjoy the luxury of a family life. His mother left him when he was young, his father is cold towards him and his sister is manipulative albeit protective of him.

This is not one of those tragic dramas and the characters are not put through too many difficult obstacles. Eun Jae does not seem to have had such a hard time raising Jin-sol although they may not have been rich. Eun Jae always had Hyung-sung to bail her out of situations - both emotionally and financially. Yi-Joon's obstacle was to get his father's blessings for his union with Eun Jae. There were no tragic suicides, breakups or misdeeds that usually happen in Korean dramas.

"Only You" is a quick-paced drama that is very watchable especially if you enjoy cooking. There are many scenes of food being prepared! Enjoy!