Wuri's Family

Wuri's Family (also called Falling in Love and My Home)
Korean Network: MBC
Year: 2002
# of Episodes: 20

Theme Song
Jang Nara - "Sweet Dream"

Cast
Kim Jae Won as Han Wuri (C: You Lai, M: You Li)
Yuko Fueki as Chung Dae-In (C: Dor Yun, M: Duo Yin)
Kim Hyo-Jin as Kang Tae-Sil (C: Toi Hei, M: Tai Xi)
Kim Rae Won as Lee Young-Hoon (C: Ying Fun, M: Ying Huen)
Supporting Cast
Park Sol Mi as Han Ha-Na (C: Hor La, M: He Na; Wuri’s older sister)
Lee Hyun-Kun as Han Gyeo-Rae (C: Gai Lai, M: Jie Li; Wuri’s younger brother)

The Skinny: Wuri's Family is a series that uses the story of four young people to explore the tears, laughter, heartbreak, rejection, fear, tenderness, sensitivity, trials and turbulations of first love.

Plot Summary
Warning: SPOILERS

You Lai and Toi Hei have been best friends since they were little children. Unbeknownst to You Lai, Toi Hei has been in love with him since she could remember. Both grew up in fairly traditional Korean familes. You Lai is the middle child with an older sister and younger brother, and is a filial son who is very obedient and responsible towards his parents. Toi Hei, an outgoing and tomboyish girl, lives with her mother (divorced from her father), a money-hungry and mean woman. We begin the series where You Lai and Toi Hei have started university. There, You Lai meets and falls in love with Dor Yun, a sweet, polite, and beautiful girl. There is just one catch. As a child, Dor Yun was involved in a car accident that killed her parents and rendered her a deaf-mute. She communicates using sign language, and although she still suffers discrimination at times, she has learned to deal with her disability fairly well. Dor Yun also falls in love with You Lai, and they begin a sweet relationship together, much to the angst of You Lai's mother. Although she adores her son, Yun Zhi cannot accept the fact that You Lai has fallen in love with a deaf-mute girl. She very much wants to accept her, but she cannot get over her discrimination of Dor Yun's disability. Understanding that accepting her will be difficult, Dor Yun waits patiently and tries her hardest to win over You Lai's mother, to no avail.

Meanwhile, Toi Hei hides her broken heart, partly because she loves You Lai very much and also partly because Dor Yun really is a genuinely nice and thoughtful girl who befriends Toi Hei and You Lai's other friends. Toi Hei understands that You Lai will never love anyone else but Dor Yun, and she settles for secretly loving the young man she has been best friends with for years. In the meantime, Dor Yun is hiding something from You Lai. Her older sister is getting married and moving to France, and Dor Yun will be forced to leave with her because her sister does not want her living alone in Korea with her disability.

Enter Ying Fun, a tall, handsome, rich, intelligent albeit arrogant, blunt, and rough rebel-without-a-cause. You Lai's family takes him into their home because You Lai's father and Ying Fun's father were good friends way back when, and they are having familial problems (Ying Fun has just discovered that his father has a "second family") and so Ying Fun's father asks You Lai's father to take care of his son. Having lived a life of luxury, Ying Fun is an arrogant young man, treating everyone in You Lai's family rudely. However, we find out that his tough exterior is simply there to hide his deeply wounded heart from his father's betrayal. We also find out that Ying Fun was actually classmates with Toi Hei and You Lai, and, most importantly, that Ying Fun has been in love with Toi Hei since they were children. Suddenly, the series goes from having a love triangle to a love square. Ying Fun loves Toi Hei, who loves You Lai, who loves Dor Yun, who loves You Lai back but will be forced to leave. What a mess.

The situation becomes more complicated when it comes time for Dor Yun to leave. When You Lai finds out, he convinces Dor Yun to stay and even suggests they get married. Touched, Dor Yun agrees. Of course, You Lai's parents (especially his mother) strongly object, and Toi Hei is heartbroken. However, unbeknownst to You Lai, Dor Yun is actually lying to him. She realizes that his parents strongly object to their marriage, and does not want to be a burden to You Lai with her disability. Therefore, she has decided to lie to him about staying. She believes that, in this way, You Lai will never be able to forgive her, will hate her, and then it will be easier to forget her. Toi Hei finds out that Dor Yun is leaving, and hurriedly informs You Lai. He races to the airport and catches her in time, but both furious and hurt that Dor Yun lied to him, he tells her to leave and that he will no longer try to get her to stay. Dor Yun boards the plane.

Right before this, Ying Fun has confessed his feelings to a confused and disbelieving Toi Hei. He knows that Toi Hei loves You Lai, and he sets a bet with her. He will try to steal her heart away from You Lai, and she will try to steal You Lai's heart away from Dor Yun. Appalled at this suggestion, Toi Hei just ignores him, but deep down she considers the possibility. After Dor Yun leaves, however, both Toi Hei and Ying Fun are torn. While Ying Fun deeply loves Toi Hei and wants to be with her, he understands that she loves You Lai. He tells Toi Hei that their bet is still on. He will continue to try winning her heart, but he does not want to see her hurt because of You Lai, and suggests that she declare her feelings for him. Meanwhile, Toi Hei is in conflict - now that Dor Yun has left, should she confess her feelings to You Lai? After Ying Fun's suggestion, she becomes even more confused.

A trip to the pub changes everything. You Lai gets drunk, using alcohol to drown his hurt feelings after Dor Yun has left. Toi Hei drags him to the university to sober him up before he goes home, while Ying Fun goes to buy medicine. While Toi Hei has left to wet a towel, You Lai goes to the Arts classroom, and there he remembers Dor Yun and breaks down in tears. Toi Hei returns, and, tearing up herself, scolds You Lai: "You idiot! If you couldn't bear to have her leave, why did you let her leave!? You, now, you go and find her and bring her back - I have her address! Why are you doing this to yourself? Do you want me to see you this way? Seeing you like this...it's like hell on earth for me! The one who's going crazy isn't you, it's me!" Suddenly reading the meaning behind her words, You Lai looks at Toi Hei with tear-filled but widened eyes. Practically shaking from crying, Toi Hei finally reveals her secret: "What am I to you?...The girl by your side, does it have to be Dor Yun? ...Can't it not be me?" Toi Hei looks pleadingly at You Lai, who looks back at her with an expression of utter shock on his face. The camera then pans to Ying Fun, who has overheard the conversation. The expression on Ying Fun's face is one of shock and hurt. You Lai, unable to control his shock, tells a heartbroken Toi Hei: "I...I'm going to forget what you said today...If, if this is how it is, I don't think we should see each other anymore" and then he leaves. Toi Hei breaks down in tears and heads to the subway station. Ying Fun arrives, and after Toi Hei tells him she's declared her love to You Lai, Ying Fun tells her that he loves her and won't let You Lai steal her away. Later, Toi Hei asks You Lai whether she has a chance, and You Lai apologizes and says no. Toi Hei goes home and sees Ying Fun - she starts crying uncontrollably while a heartbroken Ying Fun takes her in a comforting hug.

You Lai, who has gotten over his shock and decides he doesn't want to lose Toi Hei as a friend, calls her out to the park. There, he asks her whether they can go back to the way it used to be. Touched and relieved, Toi Hei agrees, and asks that You Lai give her a hug. This is like a good-bye for Toi Hei; in You Lai's arms she breaks down in tears - this is the first step for her to get over You Lai. And then guess who returns? Dor Yun, who realizes she misses You Lai too much. Both Toi Hei and Ying Fun find out, and an angry Toi Hei goes to find Dor Yun and asks her to leave, that You Lai is doing fine without her. When Toi Hei returns home, Ying Fun takes her out. Toi Hei tells Ying Fun the lie she told Dor Yun and how bad she feels about herself. Ying Fun then asks her "As long as You Lai's by your side, no matter how much you cry, how much you get hurt, it doesn't matter to you?" Toi Hei doesn't answer and Ying Fun continues: "Well I'm sorry. I'm not going to allow that anymore. I thought that if you stayed by You Lai's side you would no longer cry. I was wrong. So...from now on, I'm going to make it my mission for you to forget about Han You Lai." For Ying Fun, the struggle is over. He realizes that Toi Hei is mostly unhappy while in love with You Lai, so he has decided that he try and win her over.

You Lai finds out that Dor Yun has returned and they begin their relationship again. He also finds out that Toi Hei hid Dor Yun’s return from him and confronts her. Toi Hei admits what she did, but also asks him whether he will change his mind if she continues to try and end his relationship with Dor Yun. Speechless, they go their separate ways. You Lai returns home, and is punched by Ying Fun. Toi Hei, slightly blinded, decides she will try one last time to win You Lai’s heart and tells his mother to go to Dor Yun’s house (Dor Yun is living with the girl Gai Lai is helping, Gai Lai has run away from home because his father misunderstood his relationship with the girl). Suddenly realizing how wrong she is for doing this, Toi Hei and Ying Fun rush to Dor Yun’s house and try to stop You Lai and Dor Yun from going into the house. Realizing they can’t hide Dor Yun’s return from his parents any longer, they go into the house. Ying Fun points out to Toi Hei that she tried her best to win You Lai’s heart, and now, she has tried her best to let You Lai go. Now, she can move on. Meanwhile, You Lai’s mother is shocked to see Dor Yun, while they plead for her to accept their relationship. After a conversation with You Lai’s father, the mother decides to give them a chance and You Lai is ecstatic.

Toi Hei has decided she is going to try and let go of her feelings for You Lai for good, and decides to leave overseas to study for 6 months while living with her father. Ying Fun finds out, and in a touching final scene at the park, he once again professes his love for her and tells her he’ll be in Korea waiting for her to return. It is not explicitly stated that Toi Hei finally falls in love with Ying Fun and they begin a relationship, but in the final “flash forward” part, we see the entire cast in You Lai’s house. Dor Yun is there having a great time with the family and You Lai’s parents, their friends are there, and Toi Hei and Ying Fun come out holding hands, so we can assume they did finally get together.

Evaluation of Performances & Characters

Kim Jae Won as Wuri/You Lai

I do not find him as handsome as his legion of fans do. However, he did a wonderful job here. There is a boyish charm about him that is incredibly appealing and suitable for the character of You Lai. Like many Korean actors and actresses, he acts with expressive eyes. His eyes are so earnest it is almost heartbreaking. I had some doubts as to whether You Lai was taken by Dor Yun's beauty at first, but it becomes extremely obvious that he really does love her, because not any guy on the street is able to accept this kind of disability. I think his character was written very well, and the audience gets to watch him grow from a filial, young son to a young man who is willing to stand up to his traditional parents. Kim Jae Won also did a fabulous job acting the few scenes where You Lai is angry - although he is angry, he also feels deeply hurt and weak in these scenes (when You Lai demands Dor Yun if she really had the heart to leave him, when he punches the guy who mocked Dor Yun's disability). Also, excellent chemistry with Yuko Fueki - they look incredibly sweet together. I am really surprised that You Lai didn't know Toi Hei loved him for so long until she told him though - how oblivious can you get? Although Toi Hei did do a good job hiding her feelings, they were best friends! In any case, a decent job by this actor who I've never seen before (but is apparently a red-hot actor in Korea with countless fans).

Yuko Fueki as Dae-In/Dor Yun

An excellent performance for the first half of the series, but towards the middle to the end she pales in comparison to Kim Hyo-Jin (see below). As a Japanese actress in a Korean series, the role of a deaf-mute is suitable because Yuko doesn't speak Korean well. This is the only other Asian series I've seen which addresses the issue of a character with a serious disability (the other one being TVB's Return of the Cuckoo with Julian Cheung and Charmaine Sheh). Fortunately, both cast terrific actors to play a role that is extremely difficult to carry out. Here, Yuko plays Dor Yun with heartbreaking sincerity. No one can deny that she is angelically beautiful, and her look suits the character of Dor Yun very well. She may not speak in the series, but her eyes do the talking while she moves her hands in her effort to communicate. Yuko did a wonderful job portraying the delicate balance that lies within Dor Yun - she is optimistic despite her disability, yet at the same time she is also extremely vulnerable because of it. Her character was written very well - although beyond her disability it appeared that Dor Yun had no flaws (she is nice, caring, thoughtful, intelligent, sweet) there was one major flaw that Dor Yun suffered from - she's passive. She tries hard not to be, but with her situation it is understandable that she would want to run away at times. I also appreciated the fact that the writers did not overstate the character’s disability. It is portrayed as an obstacle but not done over-the-top as to cripple her and prevent Dor Yun from falling in love just like any another human being. Anyhow, a great performance although she got just a tad bland towards the end when compared to Kim Hyo-Jin.

Kim Hyo-Jin as Tae-Sil/Toi Hei

Overall, the best performance of the series. This is a very big compliment considering she’s the youngest of all the actors who play the younger characters (she’s 19, which makes her younger than Yuko, KJW, and KRW, who are all about 3 or 4 years older than her, and she’s also 4 years younger than the actor who plays Wuri’s younger brother). She is very pretty, but in a funkier way than Yuko. She also has a very cute smile. Her look also matched her character perfectly. She did a fabulous job as the outgoing tomboy who did all she could to hide the fact she was secretly in love with her best friend for years. To love someone secretly is painful enough, it is heartbreaking to be in love with your best friend, who you see or talk to every day and watch him with another girl. It is like you can share everything about yourself with him/her but you can never tell the one you want to most because you (a) don't want the friendship to change (b) want him/her to be happy with the one they truly love. Kim Hyo-Jin steals Yuko's thunder in the latter part of the series after Ying Fun enters the picture. She does a terrific job playing the girlish romantic in front of You Lai and with dignified comedy she plays the tomboyish tough girl in front of Ying Fun. The scenes between her and Ying Fun were fabulous, and their open honesty with each other and the obvious chemistry is refreshing to watch from these two young actors. Kim Hyo-Jin is also one of the most convincing criers I've seen in a long time; you have to be pretty hard-hearted not to feel for her vulnerability concealed by a tomboyish exterior. Because of her and Kim Rae Won's performances, I found myself rooting for Toi Hei and Ying Fun as a couple. I question her character’s choice not to tell You Lai that Dor Yun returned though. I was disappointed in this decision of hers because I thought that she had come to terms with her feelings for You Lai and had finally decided to gradually forget about him. I was glad about her decision at the end, though, when she decides to go away for awhile, but as you’ll see later, I HATE THE ENDING. In any case, Kim Hyo-Jin is now one of my favourite Korean actresses already and I’m glad she’s so young because that means she has plenty of time to improve and hone her already-great acting skills.

Kim Rae Won as Young-Hoon/Ying Fun

One very good-looking actor and my favourite character of the series. Although at first Ying Fun appears to be an arrogant jerk who irritates Toi Hei to no end, it is obvious how much he loves her. Kim Rae Won did a great job portraying the conflict within Ying Fun - he loves Toi Hei very much and wants her to be with him, but he is willing to sacrifice his own happiness by encouraging Toi Hei to try and win over You Lai. In this way, his character is perhaps the most mature of the four - he tries to juggle his desire for Toi Hei to be happy (even if it means not being with him), but at the same time he determinedly tries to win her heart. He has also some of the very few comic lines of the series ("Don't apologize to me, I'll get a stomachache"). Again, with his and Kim Hyo-Jin's performances, I was cheering them on all the way and hoping that finally, finally, Toi Hei would fall in love with Ying Fun. Also, Kim Rae Won and Kim Hyo-Jin look terrific together and had great chemistry. Ying Fun is also my favourite character because this kind of character is virtually non-existent in the TVB world. In the TVB world, you've either got two men who are friends who love one woman (with one man giving up to stay friends with the other man - think Joe Ma's character in Let's Face It), or you've got a man and woman who start out hating each other and then fall in love(endless examples here), or you've got a man who gives up for some other reason (think Louis Koo's character from DIF IV). Ying Fun is different - he is definitely not friends with You Lai, and he definitely does not give up. However, I do have some doubts as to the story of how Ying Fun fell in love with Toi Hei. It is clear that he has loved her since they were children (since about 8 years old, which is the time when Toi Hei fell in love with You Lai), and that even though he left Korea for 10 years, he has come back still deeply in love with Toi Hei. This is a bit questionable, since how can children fall in romantic love so young? However, children are incredibly perceptive and their feelings are the most pure, so this is a bit believable, I guess. Kim Rae Won happens to have a smile that melts female hearts everywhere - too bad these scenes are sorely lacking in the series, perhaps due to his character's personality. Although many times Ying Fun seems rough and tough around Toi Hei, most of the time you can see Kim Rae Won's expression of the character's love for her - whenever he sees her, his heart softens and he looks at her with the sweetest look of tenderness. A brilliant job by Kim Rae Won, and now he’s my favourite Korean actor!

Best Scenes

In general, all scenes with Toi Hei and Ying Fun.

1) When You Lai yells "I love you!" to Dor Yun at the subway station when she is about to leave him. She tears up, touched.

2) When Dor Yun meets You Lai's mother for the first time and she tries to conceal her hurt at his mother's cold treatment.

3) When You Lai tells Toi Hei it'd be strange if they were together; he can't imagine it and he doesn't want it to happen because then their friendship would change. When he playfully invites her to go to the park and runs off, Toi Hei stays on the bench and collapses in tears. The voiceover is heartbreaking: "I love you. I'm so sorry. I hate that we have secrets between us, but I can't tell you this one. Because as you said, once you find out the truth, our friendship will change. And I can't bear to lose you, even as a friend. I'm so sorry. I love you". Tissues please!

4) When You Lai goes to Dor Yun's house and gets angry with her for not telling him that she is going to leave for good. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Were you just going to leave forever without telling me? Look at me! Can you really tell me you are cruel enough to leave me forever? You made this decision so lightly...am I really that unimportant to you? Is there nothing between us?" Ouch. Both You Lai and Dor Yun start tearing up, and with tears flowing down her face, Dor Yun signs "I don't want to leave Korea! I don't want to leave you!" Then You Lai grabs her into a tight hug, and promises: "I won't let you leave me, I will never let you leave me".

5) The first time Ying Fun confesses his feelings to Toi Hei (in his own "tough guy" way): "I won't do anything you don't like! If you really hate me that much, I can disappear forever, do you know that? I'm sorry about this morning...but it wasn't because I thought you were weak or pathetic that I kissed you - it...it came from my heart. Please believe me...Didn't you come here to cry for that jerk You Lai? I'm leaving now, you can stay...but don't cry too much for that jerk You Lai, or I'll really go crazy". The look of confusion-disbelief on Toi Hei's face is almost comical!

6) The basketball scene between Ying Fun and Toi Hei. After making fun of Toi Hei for her horrible basketball skills, Ying Fun gets serious and asks her whether she has made her decision. She answers "Sometimes...I would think this way...If I had been first to confess my feelings for You Lai...would it still be this way? Would You Lai still love Dor Yun? Maybe...maybe even I, Keung Toi Hei, would have a chance..." Ying Fun first looks hurt, then, with a sad smile, he says: "Think about it for awhile. It's not too late now. For me, it's the same way. I don't think I confessed my feelings for you too late". When Toi Hei looks down awkwardly, Ying Fun playfully raises his eyebrows at her - very cute. =)

7) The second time Ying Fun truly confesses his feelings for Toi Hei: "The bet we have has just started, huh? I don't think I've ever told you I love you, have I? I love you. It's the truth. I definitely won't allow You Lai to steal you away from me. You better be prepared."

8) When Toi Hei gets home after You Lai tells her she doesn't need to wait because she doesn't have a chance. Ying Fun sees her walking and asks if she wants to go to the hospital with him (You Lai's mother hurt her hip). Toi Hei turns away because she has started crying. Ying Fun, sensing something amiss, forces Toi Hei to look at him. He is both shocked and hurt when he sees tears streaming down her face: "What's wrong? Come on, speak up. Is it because of You Lai? Did that bastard make you cry?" Unable to answer, Toi Hei keeps walking while trying unsuccessfully to stop crying. Ying Fun runs after her and forces her to face him again. Toi Hei can't control her tears, and a heartbroken Ying Fun takes her into his arms while she sobs uncontrollably. While pleading with her to stop crying, Ying Fun himself chokes up and starts to cry also. Phenomenal performances by Kim Rae-Won and Kim Hyo-Jin. It is hands-down the saddest scene of the series (I must have watched it a hundred times, and cried a hundred times too). Toi Hei, who has had her heart ripped out after being rejected by You Lai, and Ying Fun, who is heartbroken that the girl he loves is sobbing uncontrollably, and also angry at (1) You Lai for doing this and (2) himself because he can't help Toi Hei. That one hug conveyed everything that can go wrong in matters of the heart, all the heartbreak and pain that is sometimes involved in love, especially first love.

9) Ying Fun and Toi Hei’s conversation on the balcony when Toi Hei’s mother wants to move out of You Lai’s house. Still shocked, You Lai has nothing to say about this and doesn’t try to convince Toi Hei to stay. Ying Fun asks Toi Hei why she doesn’t try to do anything about leaving, and she replies, “If in this way You Lai feels better, then that’s okay. I don’t want him to feel upset with me around.” Ying Fun then points out, “What about you? You’ll be fine without You Lai around?”. Toi Hei, tearing up, begins another touching piece of dialogue: “No…this way, I’ll probably be in deep pain. Because…up until now, I have never thought of what it would be like without You Lai by my side. In my mind…all my memories, they all consist of You Lai and I together…In this way, we’ll probably never see each other again. But even if that happens, there’s nothing I can do, because it’s my fault for confessing my feelings to him.” A tear slowly slides down Toi Hei’s cheek, and Ying Fun, trying to hide his hurt at her words, assures her that he won’t let any of that happen.

10) When You Lai and Toi Hei make up and decide to be friends. Toi Hei asks for a hug, and slowly starts to cry in You Lai’s arms. A wonderful performance by Kim Hyo-Jin, what a terrific crier she is!

11) When You Lai sees Dor Yun for the first time after they return. They share a sweet, silent, but heartfelt hug in the middle of the street. Speaking of that street, it’s the same one where Chae Rim and Jang Dong An kissed in the final episode of All About Eve.

12) When Ying Fun and Toi Hei play in the water at Ying Fun’s cottage. What a cute scene. =)

13) The last scene in the park between Toi Hei and Ying Fun when they say their goodbyes because Toi Hei is leaving. Ying Fun, for the last time, professes his love for Toi Hei in both a comical and touching way: “Remember, you can only leave for 6 months. If you stay there for one day longer, I’m going to fly there right away to get you. You better calculate your days properly. When you get there, give me your contact address, and remember to e-mail me. Oh, and I don’t know when I’ll suddenly decide to go over there and find you, so you'd better be careful. And if you dare go out with any blond-haired, green-eyed guys you'd better watch out. Remember, I’ll be right here waiting for you. If you can forget about all that happened in the past, come back to Korea to find me. I can wait one hundred years for you. No, I’ll wait at least fifty thousand years for you. And…I’ll be thinking of only you while you’re gone”. Toi Hei looks back at Ying Fun, touched. Smiling, Ying Fun asks Toi Hei for a kiss, and freaking out, Toi Hei stands up to leave but he pulls her to sit down. Almost laughing, he tenderly kisses her on the forehead, and then tells her “Come back quickly, I’ll be right here waiting for you”. Toi Hei smiles back at him, touched. It is obvious that Toi Hei has perhaps started to fall in love with Ying Fun, but she needs time away to sort out her feelings and truly forget about You Lai as a romantic possibility.

Complaints

A major complaint is the ending. I was extremely disappointed that the writers wasted the character of Ying Fun. He was a character with so much romantic potential for Toi Hei, and both of them, having gone through such heartbreak, obstacles, and honesty together, really deserved to find some happiness in each other’s love. It is obvious during the last episode that Toi Hei considers the possibility of a relationship with Ying Fun and is perhaps even starting to fall in love with him, even if it’s a little bit. I wouldn’t have minded watching another 5 or 10 episodes if the writers had given us a true happy ending and some closure for Toi Hei and Ying Fun to get together. Although the flash-forward scenes show they obviously got together, this wasn’t enough for me since I had been rooting for them as a couple ever since Ying Fun appeared in the series. As for other complaints, minor in terms of the big picture for this series. There are some inconsistencies with the plot - the writers introduced a part where You Lai's younger brother Gai Lai begins to fall in love with a girl named Wing Zhi whom he works with, but he cannot pursue her because she is his friend's girlfriend. They spent less than half an hour on this storyline and then ditched it altogether for about 5 episodes - the part where he falls in love feels especially rushed. The introduction of the character of Ying Fun also seemed forced; out of nowhere he appears in You Lai's family! Also, the writers should have explored the other side of Ying Fun with him dealing with his family problems - it would have been interesting but I guess they wanted to focus on The Love Square. One of the fun scenes in this series is where Toi Hei and You Lai go to the arcade and have a great time. More scenes with the group of friends having fun would provide some comic relief and relaxation from the heavy love stuff of this series. Although they do exist (in the cases of friends Chui Fan Sau, for example), the series is essentially a heavy-hearted one, taking a toll on negative emotions. Both You Lai's and Toi Hei's mothers were really irritating - both the characters themselves and the actresses who played them. Kim Rae Won should smile more in this series. And the biggest complaint is - the previews are WRONG. Either the events that take place in the previews take place in different settings in the next episode, or the events don't happen at all!

Good Lines…

Most go to Ying Fun and Toi Hei, who have some of the most touching and heartbreaking lines of the series. A sad but true one from Ying Fun while talking to You Lai: “To fall in love with someone who doesn’t love you from the beginning, that’s a mistake. In this world, there are many stupid people like that. You’re looking at one now”.

What I didn’t understand…

- You Lai’s character is unbelievably dumb in some parts of this series. Ying Fun was right in pointing out that he should have realized that Toi Hei had been in love with him for so long. He also doesn’t notice when Toi Hei hacks off 8 inches from her hair, and also doesn’t notice when she grew it back overnight after getting extensions! Why does Toi Hei still love this guy if he doesn’t notice such dramatic changes and yet still claims himself as her best friend?!

- I watched this whole series dubbed in Cantonese which is why the character names in this review are in Cantonese, but I stumbled upon the last episode online that wasn’t dubbed, and Kim Jae Won’s voice in real life doesn’t suit the character of You Lai at all! It’s deep, and very mature-sounding; it sounded very weird for the character of You Lai, who is boyish and innocently pure.

- In the second last episode, there’s a part where Ying Fun gets a cake and roses and wine because it is apparently Toi Hei’s birthday. But is it really her birthday? They somehow made that part very unclear, because if it was Toi Hei’s friends and family surely would have celebrated with her also?

- Why are the parents so dumb in this series? Especially Toi Hei's mother - she's virtually clueless as to all the heartbreak her daughter is going through! The parents in this series have no idea what's going on in the slightly messed-up lives of their kids!

Some Final Words & Final Consensus

I really liked the actresses who played You Lai's grandmother and Park Sol Mi who plays the older sister; they are pleasant authority figures in the family. This is a heavy-hearted series that lacks comic relief. Compared to other Korean TV series though, this is the least slow-paced one. Wuri's Family is a heartfelt drama that embodies many characteristics of Korean series. Korean TV series have a maximum of 2 men and maximum 2 women in the "main storyline", and their focus on love is quite different from shows of other cultures (for example, TVB or Western shows). There is no sex, almost no kissing, and no lust...it is all love based on knowing each other well and treating each other with tenderness and respect. Rent this series if you're looking for a cast of fresh-faced newcomers and an old plot done brilliantly. That's a warning: this is an old plot done to death. However, the actors carry it brilliantly and make it seem as if you're watching this kind of plot for the first time (especially in terms of Ying Fun and Toi Hei). The series boasts well-developed characters that every member of the audience can relate to. You will fall in love with Ying Fun, sympathize with Dor Yun, be enchanted with You Lai, cry with Toi Hei, and root for Ying Fun and Toi Hei. Its soundtrack will also tug at your heartstrings. Rent if you're a sap and are looking for a heartfelt, romantic drama. Stay away if you don't like romance, or if you're looking for TVB-type cops, firemen, or doctors.

Screenshots:
http:/www.imbc.com/