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Thread: "Sweet 18" - KBS drama

  1. #81
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    Quote Originally Posted by CanDEE
    i know right? she was 18 and he was about 29 or so right?
    she was a HS grad, so she was 18, and he was a prosecutor, so 28-29 seems right. He couldn't have been in his early-20s cuz law-school takes longer than that.

    aiza11: i don't think they're married. it would be all over forums by now if they are. i still don't know if they're even together.

  2. #82
    Junior Member Dichie's Avatar
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    Post ^_^

    Synopsis:
    han ji hye plays straight out of highschool girl is about to marry an attorney (lee dong geun).

    Spoiler for Ep 1!!!!





    Ep 1 storyline: credit to soompi member!
    It starts off with HyukJoo’s grandfather writing a script (or contract) to arrange a wedding for HyukJoo (LDG) and JungSook (HJH). He gives it to JS’s grandfather and it’s all arranged and they just talk about how it is going to work. HJ is watching TV and JS is crying (HJ is telling JS to be quiet, and then JS’s mom tells him to be nice to his bride to be = Jung won ja) but someone did something and JS’s family has to run away. They’re in Seoul and it jumps to where JS’s grandfather passes away. He says something about keeping the marriage contract and passes on.
    Time passes and we are at school with JS. She is the leader of 5 gong-joos (princesses – they are sort of like the popular gang). JS is yelling at some girls because of the way they are dressed. She says have some self-respect, don’t copy how we dress, etc…and makes them say we will keep our self-respect, etc…Then appears their teacher. All 5 of the gong-joos get in trouble and are taken to the teacher’s office. In the office the teacher tells JS to open her bag for the group. She finds cosmetics and asks JS if she’s making a salon of some sort, she picks up the notebook and sees ancient Korean writing and is proud… then she finds a poem to JS’s secret love. “I don’t know your name, nor your last name but even though I cannot forget our meeting. You are my one and only other.”
    They’re coming out of school, and JS is mad because the teacher makes fun of her secret love. Her friends are saying it’s her fault she wrote it like that, and JS starts to explain what happened that one day. “That day was a windy day like today, that day was the first day we were going to sneek into a club (night).” They ran away from the police and separated, on the way of running away she bumps into this man that is dressed like in the olden days. He was carrying a book of the old writing, and she said “who carries around this in the olden days?” but then the man took his book from her hands and she was in love… (basically). Their friends are making fun of the guy, because he was wearing the (doc-puh) olden day clothes. She stops because she thinks that was where she met him. Friends drag her away and then we meet the one that was wearing the clothes. HJ is with his friend and he’s complaining how he has to wear the clothes. Friend say why don’t you give it to me? He explains that it really isn’t a good thing to be wwearing the clothes in public and says you have to be ashamed once to forget about it. He tells his part of the story. Of how he was in class and then gets called out and bascially humiliated walking home. He bumps into a girl, and makes a b*tch out of her.
    Then they get to a club and prepare to find young-age drinkers (I think). Scence switches to JS and her friends (they are under-age) bunch of guys walk up to them. Nam Chul likes JS a lot and tells her that he’ll make her happy. JS leaves and expects friends to follow her, but instead NC does. Back to HJ he’s in one of the rooms and is pissed cause the under-age kids are gone, but then they’re like should we just leave and he says no he can’t. So basically they shut everything down to catch the under-age ones. JS goes into the washroom and hides. HJ and the police go into the washroom and HJ see JS’s shadow and they catch her. Then he lectures all the under-agers and tell them next time will be your last. JS obviously cocky ask HJ to show some i.d., he turns out to be a District Attorney (lawyer). JS comes home and gets caught, her mom tells her to stop taking customer’s clothes. Her mom tells her to becareful or else her arranged marriage may get cancelled.
    We’re back at the olden day house, but we are still in 2003. Andong (place) Grandfather tells the man (he’s like the father of the house) to go visit JS’s house. JS tries to sneak out and the man from andong comes to visit JS, and says they should have dinner to prepare the wedding and such. They arrive at the dinner and JS is complaining, but guess who the husband turns out to be. HYUKJOO! They start to argue because he complains that she’s a stupid girl. And get into a fist fight and such, but it turns out that what she was thinking of doing and not actually did. JS asks HJ if he isn’t really willing to marry her, and he says he’s going to make her smarter (sort of) and they are going to get married. She can’t take it and Nam Chul comes into the picture. HJ’s friend tells him to be careful because there are a lot of gangsters out there. HJ tells his friends about the girl he has to marry and won’t, and they meet. Nam Chul tells HJ that he’s going to marry JS, and then HJ scares NC telling him he can go to jail. The 4 gong-joos are at the shower place and they met NC’s guys. They say NC cried and that he’s going become a lawyer because of JS. JS is walking around in the dark when HJ drives in, they HJ sees shadows and fights the boys. HJ beats all the guys, and they’re all taken to the police station, HJ tries to keep his reputation by not telling that he was lawyer, but one of the police from the club notices him.
    They go to eat, and JS asks him if he really is going to marry her, he says are you kidding. Then she asks him if he knows the olden day language, but knows it all by heart. Then she remembers that he lives around there too. They’re done eating and she goes to catch the bus and almost falls, he catches her and her hearts to beat for him. (awww). JS is back at school with her teacher, she gets in trouble because she didn’t fill in where she would like to go to University/College. Teacher says are you going to get married? JS says how did you know I had someone waiting (Jung-won-ja), and explains that she’s not going to marry him, but another. Teacher gets mad because she has nobody and is jealous and tells her to leave and to fill out the paper. Walking home she meets NC who tells her she is going to become a lawyer and tried to kiss JS, she runs home and finds out that Andong grandfather is preparing the marriage between her and HJ. She runs to HJ house and starts looking for him. She goes into every room and finally in the washroom and HJ’s there talking a shower. She sees him naked and runs out, he chases her but steps on her name tag. She’s in bed and is thinking about seeing him in the shower and smiles to herself.
    It is morning and she gets to school but sees her friends all in trouble, she tries to hide from her teacher’s view, but get caught. She says she doesn’t have her skirt hiked up and the teacher asks why do you always have to get in trouble, your name tag is missing. And then she says how she went to HJ’s house, and the teacher gets mad and thinks she’s lying. She asks what his phone number is, so HJ tells the teacher his number. HJ comes to school to give JS’s name tag to her. They’re talking in the school yard and JS tells HJ about how Andong Grandfather wants to see them there this weekend. He tells her not to worry and that he’ll get her out of this marriage thing. HJ calls his grandfather but then gets yelled at trying to get out of it and his grandfather hangs up.
    JS wants to get married, but tries not to show it. They walk in HJ’s neighbourhood and she tells her friends to leave. She goes to HJ’s house and sees that the door is open. She then sees the olden days clother (doc-poh) and then goes in to find the book (remember when she bumped into someone… that was HYUKJOO!) So now she’s fully engulfed in this situation and such.
    HJ goes to Andong by himself and prepares to get in trouble, he walks in with his head down and bows (courtesty for Koreans) and when he looks up sees JS sitting next to Andong Grandfather. She gets up and says “husband did you just arrive” (nice good-girl tone).

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    KBS Drama (2004) – 16 Episodes
    Korean Title: Nang Rang 18 Seh
    Official Homepage (Korean): http://www.kbs.co.kr/drama/rangrang/

    Key Cast:
    Yoon Jung Sook: Han Ji Hye (Summer Scent)
    Kwon Hyuk Joon: Lee Dong Gun (Let’s go to School, Sang Do)

    Other Characters:
    Kwon Sun Ah (Hyuk Joon’s elder sister)
    Jung Chan (Hyuk Joon’s colleague and best friend)
    Moon Ga Young (Hyuk Joon’s ex-girlfriend)
    Hyuk Joon’s grandfather
    Jung Sook’s mother

    Introduction:
    This is my very first review done on spcnet.tv so I though I’d start with a drama I felt was really outstanding. The concept of a pre-arranged marriage between an older man and a very young girl is not a new one and has been explored before in the Hong Kong movie ‘My Wife is 18’ (Charlene Choi and Ekin Cheng). Incidentally, the release of this drama was quickly followed by that of the Korean movie ‘My Little Bride’ (Kim Rae Won and Moon Geun Young) again using the same theme. Shows exploring this theme are usually romantic comedies unabashedly filled with saccharine-sweet romantic plot-lines and backed up by wacky over-the-top humour and ‘Sweet 18’ makes no attempt to deviate from a proven formula. So what makes ‘Sweet 18’ stand out from its peers and from other dramas for that matter, especially for someone like myself, whom I consider a more ‘serious’ audience? For one, the plot is face-paced and smooth-flowing as well as being genuinely humorous. In addition to this, behind all the antics and romance, there are actually life lessons that can be appreciated from the drama.

    Synopsis (contains spoilers!):
    The drama begins with Hyuk Joon’s grandfather, the patriarch of the respectable and very traditional Kwon household, agreeing to a pre-arranged marriage between his at-the-time 10 year old grandson and the new-born granddaughter of his best friend, Jung Sook’s grandfather. However, the family of Jung Sook’s grandfather soon runs into debt and in the middle of the night, they quietly leave the Kwon household so as not to bring shame upon them.

    Fast forward 17 years and Jung Sook is all grown up now and studying her final year in high school in preparation for her university-entrance exams. Her grandfather and father have by now passed on and she was brought up in a poor environment by her mum who owns a small laundry shop. However, Jung Sook is chirpy and strong-willed despite her background and definitely very cheeky. She unfortunately does not have much of an interest in her studies and often goes shopping and to discos with her ‘gang’ of four close friends, known in school collectively as the ‘five mirror princesses’.

    It is during one of these disco outings that Jung Sook ends up meeting her future husband, Hyuk Joon, although it is not in the best of circumstances. Hyuk Joon, a prosecutor has led his team to the disco to arrest a targeted gang leader but failing to do so, end up arresting underage entrants to the disco instead. Jung Sook, not yet 18, is one of those arrested and the awkward circumstance of their meeting is used to generate a few laughs. At almost the same time, Hyuk Joon’s grandfather who has been looking for his long-lost friend over the years, finally locates Jung Sook’s family’s whereabouts and send Hyuk Joon’s uncle to formalise the details of the pre-arranged marriage with Jung Sook’s mum.

    Upon learning of the marriage, Hyuk Joon and Jung Sook of course are very much opposed to it with Hyuk Joon thinking of Jung Sook as an immature brat while Jung Sook sees Hyuk Joon as an old boring nerd. However, the usual plot developments are thrown in to bring the two together like Jung Sook catching Hyuk Joon in the bath when going to his house to ask him something and more importantly, she learns that Hyuk Joon is her first love (the unknown guy in traditional Korean dress whom she bumped into on the street and fell in love with immediately). Thus Jung Sook begins to actively pursue the marriage to Hyuk Joon’s horror, even travelling from Seoul to Andong (a rural area where the Kwon household is located) to earn points with Hyuk Joon’s grandfather. Hyuk Joon’s grandfather takes an immediate liking to her despite her being from a poor background and not trained in the proper use of Korean traditional etiquette and household duties. Adamant that the marriage goes through, Hyuk Joon finally agrees to the marriage so as not to aggravate his grandfather’s ailing health and with the mutual agreement with Jung Sook that their marriage is only to be in name with each other not interfering in the other’s personal life.

    All this takes place within the first few episodes and there is much more interesting twists and turns as Ga Young, Hyuk Joon’s aggressive university ex-girlfriend, is introduced and goes about trying to win back Hyuk Joon with the help of Sun Ah, Hyuk Joon’s sister who utterly dislikes Jung Sook and is against the marriage. Other obstacles like Hyuk Joon’s and Jung Sook’s constant bickering, the problems of living under one roof and the requirement of Jung Sook to meet the expectations of the Kwon family as the ‘wife of the heir’ also come into play to create some humorous moments and also further the plot. It would be too long to summarise the entire plot here but to put it briefly, in the end true love blossoms between Hyuk Joon and Jung Sook and their show marriage becomes a real one in all meanings of the word.

    Plus points:
    As mentioned before, what makes this drama such a pleasure to watch is how well the plot is paced. There are no boring moments and the interesting plot just keeps making you want to watch more. The humour is not overly wacky but funny enough to keep a smile on your face for most of the show. Feel good moments are also generously used and while some might consider that an exploitation of the viewer’s intellect, I personally watch a show for to enjoy it and a feel good plot does the same job for me as a more complex intellectual one. What is really refreshing about the drama though is that it does not fall into the melodramatic trappings that most other Korean dramas do. While there are definitely scenes that are meant to draw some tears, they are incorporated thoughtfully and not overdone. The minor characters are also used very effectively and are integral to plot development. You never get the feeling that they are just there to add some cheap laughs or as a distracting subplot to follow.

    Furthermore, behind all the wackiness and romantic themes that the show has, there are actually some very meaningful and though-provoking themes incorporated into the story. For example, the theme of one’s responsibility to his family is touched upon throughout the show in Hyuk Joon’s obligations to fulfil his duties as heir to the Kwon household with the eventual fate of him having to give up his career to take over as the Kwon patriarch looming over him. There are also the themes of trust and compromise in marriage as seen though Jung Sook’s gradual maturation where she learns to trust Hyuk Joon’s love for her and where both parties are forced to sacrifice many aspects of their lives to be together like Hyuk Joon his selfishly-guarded privacy and Jung Sook her chance to further her education. However, the biggest underlying theme behind the story would be the definition of what is true love in a marriage as both parties struggle throughout the drama make their marriage work. At the end there is also a very beautiful portrayal of family love that I’ll leave potential viewers to find out.

    The biggest plus point of the show would have to be the cast who fit their roles to perfection. Han Ji Hye is a new and very unique actress who seems to have this energy around her that makes her just right for Jung Sook’s role. Incidentally she is almost the same age as her character (she was 19 at the time of filming) and puts all her youthful characteristics to good use in her portrayal of Jung Sook who is naïve, bubbly, cute and yet stubborn at the same time. Lee Dong Gun on the other hand is the perfect foil playing Hyuk Joon who is essentially a serious and conservative man. Though only 24, he plays the 28 year old Hyuk Joon well, conveying across his seriousness without being too ‘stiff’. He also expresses his emotions well and you can see his character really starting to develop genuine feelings for Jung Sook. It helps that Han Ji Hye and Lee Dong Gun have a very good on-screen chemistry that allows them to successfully play their roles as a mismatched pair that eventually fall in love. Mention should also be given to the actress who plays Ga Young who really looks the part of a conniving and bitter ex-lover and the actor who plays Jung Chan who you can feel has this close ‘buddy’ friendship with Hyuk Joon.

    Drawbacks:
    I may be biased, but I really cannot think of any major drawbacks for this drama. At 16 episodes, it is not too short or too overly-draggy. I may not be an avid follower of dramas, but I’ve watched my fair share of J-dramas and K-dramas (though I have yet to watch any of the 4 season dramas) and would rate this up there among the best as a classic. The only drawback I can imagine is that the initial impression the show might give is that it is overly sweet and lacks a serious backdrop. However, if you can get over these initial apprehensions, you’ll find a drama that successfully takes a simple plot with very mundane but yet identifiable themes and makes a good story. The result is a very unique and refreshing piece of work that I believe most people will enjoy.

    Conclusion:
    I gave this drama a rating of 5 basically because it is a show that simply leaves you with a sense of satisfaction after watching it. There are no head-scratching moments trying to fill in gaps in the plot and you won’t have to rack your brains wondering why he did this or she did that. ‘Sweet 18’ is a drama that potentially appeals to a wide audience and I believe a teen would find as much enjoyment watching it as an adult, though maybe in different ways. It also makes for good family viewing since there are no excessively violent or sexual themes. If you haven’t caught the show yet, I cannot recommend more for you to go and do so as soon as possible.

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    Last edited by Dichie; 04-22-07 at 02:47 AM.
    " To Accomplished great things
    we must not only act but also dream,
    not only plan but also BELIEVE."

    DiChIe

  3. #83
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    there is a scene where lee dong gun visited han jihye late at night when she came back for the women's gathering at the andong old house, and before he goes back, he sang a song for her, does anyone knows what is the title of this song and who sang that song??

    realize this is not part of the OST in the album.. where can i d/l this song from?? anyone help plssssss.........

  4. #84
    Junior Member Nafida's Avatar
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    mandysgsg,

    The title is SARANG HAE,,, me too trying to find where can I down load the song it was sung by LEE DONG GUN himself...where can I down load the song HELP!!!

  5. #85
    Senior Member botan's Avatar
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    I know this is an old drama but I finally got around to watching it. I was a bit skeptical at first but glad that I gave it a try. I'm half way through it and so far, it's pretty enjoyable. There are a lot of hilarious moments. The two leads are so cute, love their chemistry. I hope the ending doesn't disappoint like most kdramas though.

    I was surprised to see Lee Da Hae appear in this drama. I didn't even know that she was in this one and playing somewhat of a villainess role here.

  6. #86
    Senior Member Lady Zhuge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by botan View Post
    I know this is an old drama but I finally got around to watching it. I was a bit skeptical at first but glad that I gave it a try. I'm half way through it and so far, it's pretty enjoyable. There are a lot of hilarious moments. The two leads are so cute, love their chemistry. I hope the ending doesn't disappoint like most kdramas though.
    I'm glad you're enjoying this drama, botan. It's one of my favorite Korean ones. It's been awhile since I've watched it, but if I remember correctly, the ending doesn't disappoint.

  7. #87
    Senior Member Gunner's Avatar
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    Wow, just realised it's been so long since I last watched the show. Even HJH and LDG have broken up in real life. I remember this show as being one of the best dramas I've ever watched though. It's cute and funny and pretty meaningful as well.

  8. #88
    Senior Member botan's Avatar
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    Just finished this a few days ago. Overall, it's a sweet drama. You're right Lady Zhuge, the ending wasn't disappointing. Everything was summed up nicely without any loose ends. The last 2-3 episode was draggy though, I had to fast forward them a bit. I was a little disappointed that Jung Sook wasn't more career minded and opted not to go to college but I guess she's still young and was an expecting mother too.

    Lee Da Hae's character was kind of annoying (she came across as kind of crazy or something) for most of the drama but she was funny towards the end. As for Hyuk Joon's older sister, I never got what her problem was really. I didn't understand why she wanted to break the two up. She was plain annoying until the end. Her scenes with HJ's co-worker/friend was amusing though.

    It's sad to hear that HJH and LDG have broken up in real life.
    Last edited by botan; 03-12-10 at 02:16 AM.

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