Loving You

How long
16 episodes

Foreword
I don’t like this serial that much because there are so many similarities in here with other serials. I don’t know why many are crazy over it. To me, it is only an average serial.

Introduction on characters/story

1. Li He – Park Yong Ha
He is a rich man’s son but is more interested in film making. He is very independent and pursues what he likes. That is why he never follows his father’s instructions. Once he was injured at Duo Li’s hometown at Jiju island by sharp rocks in the sea while trying to save his drowning friend. He has a deep cut on his waist by the rocks. Duo Li saves him (this reminds me of "Sunshine Upon Me" where Kim So Yun saved Ryu Si Won) but he doesn’t know it.

His friend dies in the sea and Li He blames himself because he was been persistent to shoot the scenes despite the poor weather. Xiu Qing takes the credit and tries to get close to him (just like Kim So Yeon in ‘Tomato’ to deceive Kim Suk Hoon about it). Li He is so upset that after his university education, he gives up his dream for filming too.

He is so disillusioned over his friend’s death that instead of working in the coffee chain in the holiday resort which his father owns, he works in the orange farm, picking oranges. He tells the staff to keep his identity a secret from the rest. So Duo Li doesn’t know that he is Li Min’s brother. On their first meeting, Duo Li sees him baring his chest and gets so frightened that she falls off from the bicycle. It amuses him.

After a quarrel with his father as he places his late mother’s painting in the storeroom, he jumps into the swimming pool. Duo Li jumps in too, thinking that he is in danger. He gives her a kiss rashly and asks her to keep him company. She leaves angrily, leaving a shoe behind. He gives her a pair of new shoes.

Li He feels a sense of closeness to Duo Li when Duo Li forces him to do a film for Li Min and Duo Li is one of the leads. Actually, he suggested giving the female lead role to her before that. It rekindles his love for filming. He doesn’t understand why he is always happy upon seeing her annoyed.

The despicable Xiu Qing throws away the shoes that Li He gives her, causing Duo Li to miss the ferry. Li He is worried upon seeing her tripping when barefooted and injuring her knee cap. So he turns back in a small boat to take care of her. Both are left on a small island for the night as they miss the last boat. When Duo Li happens to see the scar, she then realizes that she is his saviour but she chooses not to tell him.

Li He is touched when Mr Li holds an art exhibition in his mother’s memory. With Duo Li’s encouragement, Li He works in his father’s company as the head of the planning unit (does this remind you of something?) to be in charge of film making to project the company’s commercial image. He looks for Duo Li. She is shocked to see him in a business suit and driving a sports car. Did he gamble or rob the bank?

Li He is so amused by her wild guesses and eats the rice that he snatches from her lunchbox. She worries that he can’t repay the car loan. He gives her a handphone and sends an MMS, asking her for a date at his father’s resort’s restaurant. She smiles and is annoyed when she discovers that he has not even left anything for her! (Is the hint clearer now?) Li He buys a pearl ring for her and keeps in his drawer.

He returns to office and sees Duo Li thanking Mr Li for giving her a job. He suspects that Mr Li might have forced Mr Chen to die because he refused to forge the accounts. He is so disappointed that he cancels their date. Duo Li is annoyed with him as she has taken trouble to dress up for their date. Although Xiu Qing is his saviour, he feels uncomfortable when with her.

He has a meal with Duo Li the next day. Duo Li playfully snatches his handphone to enter her picture. He jokes that her picture looks so fierce that it will scare him from using it. He then shocks her by taking a picture together with her. Duo Li sees that he doesn’t button up his business suit and his tie is inserted into the inner shirt’s pocket. She adjusts it for him. He is touched by her gesture.

Duo Li passes the tie clip she buys for Li He to Li Min. Li He hurries to see her in the coffee outlet. All are shocked to see him so well dressed and he admits working in ‘Zhong Lin’ now. To make her happy, he jokes that she is more suitable to star in action-packed movies than in romantic films. She rebukes him, saying that he is also more suitable to be a gangster. He drags her out in his car and tries to pacify her.

He shows her that he has the tie clip and he is wearing his girlfriend’s gift. This makes her happy but because the case is weighing on his mind, he doesn’t get the hint that it is her birthday. He only knows about it when he calls her and her friends answer the phone.

He shoots a filmstrip on how he hopes to be with her as she reminds him of his nagging mother. But he hesitates giving it to her and keeps it inside his drawer. He then gives her his DV as a present.

He is amused that Duo Li always calls him as ‘uncle’. Why not call him by his name as he is only 5 years older than her? (I hope this is no longer a hint but an obvious answer to all.) He sees her wearing the same shoes and wonders how she gets them back. She has been to many shops to look for the same design and jokes that he shouldn’t have given her shoes – this implies that the woman will run away!

Duo Li wears the shoes but doesn’t appear at ‘Zhong Lin’ for her first day of work because someone told her that Mr Li killed her father. Li He goes to the management office to look for her and doesn’t see her there. Later at night after being with Xiu Qing, he only switches on his handphone to know that she is upset and wishes to see him. He rushes to see her in his car and is alarmed that she sounds as if she is crying. She refuses to see him and he gets very worried.

He tries to cheer her up by making paper planes for her to hang outside her home. Duo Li is touched to see that and calls him. She lies that she is sick so she doesn’t turn up at work or listen to his calls. Li He is anxious and asks her where she feels unwell and whether it is serious. He reminds her to see a doctor and take her medicine. He doesn’t know that she is disturbed that Xiu Qing is getting close to him.

Duo Li is very upset that she might be defeated for going against Mr Li and has no chance to uncover the truth. She tells Li He about it. He doesn’t wish to see her sobbing on the street alone anymore. He promises to switch on his phone all the time as he is remorseful for not offering her consolation immediately.

Xiu Qing tries to frame Duo Li when she stays in her home for the night. Later, she uses Duo Li’s handphone to send the picture that Duo Li has taken with Li He and also an extortion message out to Mr Li. Li He is angry to find the fax in his home. It can only be Duo Li because only she has the photo!

The next day, he looks at the tie clip and sighs. He still puts it on. He tries to find out how Duo Li is like from high school and is disappointed that she is power hungry. He suspects that she knows his identity.

Later upon knowing that she isn’t the culprit, he is so happy and looks for her. Her boss wants to send an email to Li He but Duo Li tells him shyly that she hasn’t known his email address till now.

Li He feels so bad for having wronged her. He brings her outside the shop and hugs her right there! He apologises to her and upon hearing her say that she hasn’t forgiven him, he hugs her even tighter. They finally make up again. She then asks him why he was unhappy earlier. Li He doesn’t wish to upset her and replies that she doesn’t write emails to him so he is unhappy.

Stupid Li He for wronging Mr Li – he thinks that his father does it deliberately to break them up since she doesn’t even know the company’s mailbox. The real fact was Xiu Qing copied the address when he went out with Duo Li for the interview. Also, Mr Li tried to bribe Mr Chen unsuccessfully. Heng Gen offered to talk sense into him but ended up forcing him to fall down a cliff.

Li He goes to the cinema with Xiu Qing but he is uninterested in both the woman and the movie. He is tired but this thick-skinned woman doesn’t let him off. She drags him to the coffee outlet and wants to brew a cocktail drink for him. He becomes half drunk. Xiu Qing drags him to dance with her. Duo Li sees this and weeps when she comes back before the others are there.

Xiu Qing’s plot is ruined when all step in. Li He regains consciousness and finds out from the others. He is so anxious that he forgets that he is not supposed to drive! When reminded by Xiu Qing, he jumps into a cab to go after Duo Li.

Knowing that she is angry with him for dancing with Xiu Qing, he wears one T-shirt that has their picture on it to her supermarket workplace to apologise to her. Coincidentally Xiu Qing is also there so he apologises for the intimacy because he was drunk. This is such a touching act that I laugh non-stop when he turns up in it and wears slippers. Who can imagine him doing that?

Please don’t miss his happy expression when he wears it back home! His hand is on Duo Li’s ‘face’ as though she is with him. Xiu Qing is so jealous to see his happiness – this is what she lacks seeing when with him. She feels lousy when both sit down in his office and he says sorry to her for loving Duo Li instead!

I finally like this man for once when Xiu Qing attempts to control him using the necklace as an excuse. When he hears her speaking ill of Duo Li, he is unhappy and gathers that they are not really good friends. She then says quickly that she only treats him as her older brother and pretends to leave in sadness, hoping that he will keep her back but he doesn’t. (Does this scene remind you of something again?)

Li He tries hard to make Duo Li happy by using fire sprinklers and also coloured papers to float in the sea to produce a shiny effect. She tells him to treat his father better and not to consider him dead, otherwise he will regret in future. She brings him home and he has the homely feel when her mother cooks many dishes for him. He sticks the coloured papers in her room and Duo Li is happy that her mother accepts him.

Li He decides to resign and tell Duo Li the truth. He even tells Mr Li to apologise to her if he is wrong. Mr Li hates Duo Li for instigating his son to do that. Li He calls Duo Li up to meet her. Duo Li thinks that he is going to propose to her – so does Xiu Qing.

Xiu Qing arranges Heng Gen and other hooligans to kidnap Duo Li. She tries to use her tears to move Li He again. Li He gets impatient – doesn’t she know how and when to give up? He interrupts her and is shocked when she mentions that his father will not let Duo Li off easily.

He demands to know where she heard it from. He has recalled seeing Heng Gen earlier and suddenly feels cold – Heng Gen has mentioned that ‘the woman’ is not easy to deal with and they have to be careful. He drives quickly to the coffee outlet and only sees her handphone outside the outlet in the mud. He nearly goes hysterical and demands to know where Duo Li is from Supervisor Piao. The poor man has never seen the usually gentle young master in such a hot temper and tells him the places Heng Gen often goes to.

He gets badly beaten up in the godown.(Similar to how Daomingsi rescues Shan Cai in ‘Meteor Garden’.) Do laugh when Heng Gen brags about how he beats up the guy to Supervisor Piao. But he freezes upon knowing that they made a BIG mistake for hurting his boss’s son.

When Li He wakes up, he tells Li Min anxiously to call up Duo Li to find out if she has reached home safely. Li Min is exhausted looking after him and falls asleep. Li He seizes the chance to sneak out of the hospital to see if Duo Li is alright.

He is so pitiful here. He kneels to beg for their forgiveness but they tell him to leave. Duo Li is too angry that he has deceived her. Li He returns to the hospital and weeps in front of Li Min.

Duo Li can only sit on the bench in the hospital yard, wondering whether she should visit him. Li He is so distressed that he stands near the window. He looks at the image that both have taken in his handphone and is very depressed. Upon seeing Duo Li, Li He rushes out to meet her despite his discomfort. He has no patience to wait for the lift and he charges down the stairs! Xiu Qing sees the handphone image and throws the phone on the bed in anger.

But when Li He reaches the bench area, she is no longer there. He returns to his room and he sees Heng Gen trying to apologise to him. Li He gets so mad that he gives him a bruised nose! The next day, he is so displeased with his father, thinking that he planned the kidnap. So he ignores him when he comes to visit him.

When Duo Li calls him up to meet him, he is so overjoyed that he removes the drip and changes his clothes. Despite his father’s protest, he runs away with her. But Duo Li only tells him that someone has ransacked her home to look for her father’s diary. She only wishes to tell him that she will not give up.

Poor Li He is so disillusioned – he doesn’t know how to settle the dispute. He returns to the hospital, feeling dejected. He takes a look at the photo image and gets upset again. Seeing him sweaty, Xiu Qing gets him to change back to the patient’s clothes. He is puzzled when she is supposed to know how he got the scar on his waist but she doesn’t know it!

Li He’s father gets him to recuperate in the family bungalow. Li He sneaks out to look for Duo Li and also tries to reaffirm Mr Chen’s death with his ex-colleague. His new wound worsens and Duo Li treats him. He is puzzled that she knows about the old scar. He is very annoyed by the fact that it is not Duo Li but Xiu Qing who saved him. He blames her impulsively for not saving him then.

Mr Li transfers Li He to Hawaii to work for 3 years. He tries to elope with Duo Li. Both hide on a small island. She mops the floor, recalling how both were stranded on Jiju island. Li He looks at her shoes and recalls how she tried to look for an identical pair. However, they have to return when Duo Li’s mother is hospitalized and her father’s diary is stolen.

Laugh hard at this scene. Li He is unable to push a drunk Xiu Qing away and both end up falling onto a sofa. How can this be when he is stronger than her? Li He is angered upon knowing that Xiu Qing has cheated him after knowing that she can’t swim. He himself has to save her from the swimming pool when Li Min throws her into it!

He doesn’t want her to appear in front of him again. He hates himself for being so stupid after looking at the picture she has drawn. He gets drunk and suddenly dreams of Duo Li saving him.

Li He finds the account book that contains the tax evasion evidence. If he hands the book to the press, the company will go under investigation. He tells Duo Li that he still doesn’t know who his saviour is after exposing Xiu Qing’s lies. Duo Li can’t bring herself to tell him that.

His father dies from a heart attack when Heng Gen angers him. Li He hears the commotion and discovers that it is Heng Gen who caused Duo Li’s father’s death. Li He regrets not treating his father better and this is his retribution to see his father dead right in front of him. Duo Li consoles him. Heng Gen tapes Duo Li’s screams and lures Li He to the godown again. Li He is so terrified that he rushes there without his handphone.

Li He gives all the facts to the police and becomes the deputy director of ‘Zhong Lin’. He decides to go to Hawaii to develop the business there. Thus he tells Duo Li that he wants to concentrate on the company for the moment and both should not meet for the time being.

Li He keeps the T-shirt carefully in his luggage. Duo Li’s mother sees Li He with the pendant that he wants to give Duo Li before leaving. She wonders why the thing that Duo Li has is with him now. Li He then realizes that she is his true saviour (just like in "Tomato" when Sheng Jun finds out that Han Ni saved him too.).

He chides her for not telling him and gives it to her. She places another pendant on him. Both part in different directions but are together in the end when Li He runs back to her. I suppose it is a happy ending.

Yong Ha finally becomes the lead. He shows great improvement in his acting and dyes his hair to give a new refreshing look. Some complain that he resembles Bae Yong Jun in 'Winter Sonata' with the similar hairstyle.

However, I like the change and he deserves the attention in here. He is very good in emotional scenes, expressing agony and concern for his love well. However, so many scenes are similar as other serials so I don't really like it.

Moreover, he lacks the mature charisma. I find him very boyish-looking in the beginning scenes. Luckily, he improves in the latter part.

2. Li Min – Li Dong Xu
I wonder why younger brothers are destined to be losers in love in Korean dramas. Xuan Zai in ‘Beautiful Days’ is pathetic while Li Min is equally deserving of sympathy. How I wish to console him in person! He is Li He’s younger brother and is such a pleasant guy. He has tried to please Li He but to no avail as Li He dislikes him so much. Actually he is very kind at heart.

He has fallen for Xiu Qing and is hurt when she ditches him for his brother. Later, he likes Duo Li and chooses her to be his lead. It is so tragic that both women don’t love him. He really deserves a woman in the end.

He warns Li He to choose either Xiu Qing or Duo Li as he doesn't wish any of them to get hurt. He is also a filial son. He is so considerate to others.

Li Min and Duo Li are to act as lovers in the film. Poor man – he has actually bought flowers for Duo Li, wanting to give her a surprise on her birthday. But upon seeing Li He driving her away in his car, he has to hide in a corner and not to let her know about it – how sad!!! It is so unfortunate that he fails to win her heart. He wishes them well despite being rejected. Both brothers are on better terms then.

Knowing that Duo Li resents his father, he tries hard to change her mind. He shields her from being hit from the camera lights when they nearly fall on her on a shootout. Although she thanks him, she brushes his hand away from her shoulder coldly. He is still friendly to her and hopes that they can be the same as before.

Li Min assures Li He that he treats Duo Li as a good friend and he doesn’t know what she will do if she finds out that they are brothers. Li He shows Li Min the fax and he is shocked that Li He suspects Duo Li to be the culprit. Li He then learns from him that Duo Li hasn’t known his identity as yet. If she knows, she will be treating him coldly – like how she treats Li Min.

Li Min replies that she doesn’t even know how to use the computer and he is Mr Li’s son. Can she be so stupid to consult him to send the fax to his own home later?? This happens during yesterday while the fax is sent a few days ago. You will feel like hugging Li Min for being so wise and sensible to clear her name or killing Li He for being so stupid to misunderstand Duo Li.

On the last day of filming, Li Min is so upset for not seeing Duo Li again that he gets drunk. So drunk that he wants to hug her and he shouts aloud that he likes her. Li He sees this but says nothing. Heng Gen comes at this time and blurts out that fact that Xiu Qing can’t swim at all. Li Min is shocked that she is afraid of water all along.

Li Min finally blurts out how he feels towards Li He. Whenever Mr Li is home with presents from business trips, Li Min will always let Li He choose first because he is afraid that he might choose what Li He likes and cause unhappiness. He will never dare to destroy his happiness because he always gives up.

When Li He is hospitalized, Li Min takes care of him and is unhappy that Xiu Qing always comes even though the coffee outlet is shorthanded. He knows her evil intentions but is too nice to tell her off in a harsh tone. He allows her to stay while he gets Li He’s clothes. He sees the necklace, the pearl ring and also the tape inside his closet.

Li Min is so nice – he hands the tape to Duo Li to watch it. If not for him, Duo Li will not have known that Li He has taped so many scenes of her during the film shots. She gets to hear his declaration for her too and sobs (A total copycat from the same drama that I mentioned earlier but is less touching).

He overhears Xiu Qing telling Heng Gen that she hasn’t been returning to her hometown after high school. He realizes that she isn’t Li He’s life saviour. After knowing Xiu Qing’s evil deeds, he waits for her to tell Li He the truth personally. Li Min later finds the two struggling on the sofa. Thinking that Li He is trying to take advantage of Xiu Qing, he hits Li He. He feels angry for Duo Li.

Upon seeing how Xiu Qing still tries to come in between Li He and Duo Li, he is angered that she hasn’t told the truth. We get to see a furious Li Min pushing her into the swimming pool and exposing her lies in front of Li He. He is unmoved by her pleads and tells Li He to follow them. He is so different from his usual gentle self. He even tells Li He to look carefully that she can’t swim!

Li Min finds Xiu Qing downloading Li He’s mother’s information in her laptop when he uses it. He realises that she makes use of it to get close to his brother and to break the loving couple up. He tells Li He about it.

At this time, Li He is watching a video of Heng Gen and Xiu Qing having intimate moments singing karaoke when Li Min reaches home. They deduce that she must be the one sending the fax too. Both brothers conclude what kind of a person she is and feel equally disgusted.

Upon learning that Heng Gen kidnapped Duo Li, he worries for Li He’s safety and follows. After his father’s death, he manages to reconcile with Duo Li and regain her friendship.

This actor is so endearing and gentle to make so many sacrifices. His acting is okay but still needs practice in crying scenes. He resembles Taiwanese actor Qiu Zhe, but is taller. However, he requires packaging to project a stronger image. He has a lot of potential in acting and I hope to see more of him in future serials.

3. Chen Duo Li – Eugene
Same fate as the usual sweet woman as in other stories. Wonder why she is brainless to agree to Xiu Qing’s unreasonable request to keep the saving incident secret under wraps? She keeps Li He’s pendant after saving him from the sea as she likes the design. Her father dies on the same day she saves Li He from drowning. She finishes her high school education and tries to find a job to support her mother.

Li He gives her a pair of shoes and she throws them aside intially. Later, she likes the design and wears them. This delights him.

Another funny scene will be how shocked she is to see him again that her shirt gets hooked on a basket and is ruined. She refuses at first to change into his shirt. He asks her jokingly whether she is going to mend the hole with the needle and thread right in front of him! She has no choice then. But after so many nasty encounters, she has not wanted to seek Li He’s advice for acting.

She believes that her father was innocent and would not kill himself. So she looks around for witnesses and evidence to prove that someone pushed him into the sea. She wanted the job in ‘Zhong Lin’ but rejects it after knowing that Mr Li might have killed her father.

Li Min is fed up with her for not giving his father a chance to explain himself. She prefers to be a shop assistant or become a ‘mermaid’ from the sea in her hometown.

She is angered when Xiu Qing gets close to Li He at the place where he was saved and in the office. In the first instance, Li He allows her to hold his arm. He doesn’t know that it causes her to cry at home.

In the second moment, he doesn’t even know that Xiu Qing is getting quite close to him from the back of his chair – her face nearly touching his face! Duo Li gets so mad that she turns to leave – to alert him by knocking into the dustbin accidentally. How ignorant he is – he even asks the two women to go to the cinema with him. Luckily, he finds a ‘mermaid’ job for her. So he brings her to the interview and leaves Xiu Qing behind.

Li He wonders what kind of woman Duo Li is – is she making use of him so as to send out the extortion message? Duo Li goes to work and sees the lovers’ T-shirts. She smiles and decides to print their photo from the handphone on them. However, she doesn’t know how to print it out. Li Min tells her the steps to do it.

She has breakfast with Li He and someone knocks her handbag down. The printout drops from the bag and she refuses to tell Li He the purpose for printing it. Li He is very disappointed. He has no choice but to believe she sent the extortion fax although he finds it very hard to accept it.

He returns unhappily. Stupid man – why should he ask Xiu Qing to find out what a person Duo Li was during their school days? This woman backstabs Duo Li upon seeing how attentive and soft he becomes. Duo Li asks him out for lunch the next day to pass the T-shirt to him. He agrees but ends up having lunch with Mr Li, Li Min and Xiu Qing.

Duo Li is angry that he always doesn’t turn up and she comes to look for him at the office. Both quarrel and Li He demands to know which is the real her (just like how Min Heng misunderstands You Zhen in ‘Winter Sonata’ or how Shan Mei misunderstands Xiang Zhe in ‘All about Eve’). They break up impulsively. They make up but are soon at odds again. Upon seeing how Li He dances intimately with Xiu Qing, she burns the paper planes and refuses to listen to his explanation. Luckily she doesn’t have time to burn the T-shirts!

Seeing Xiu Qing accelerates her anger. Duo Li tells her that she hasn’t told her the full details on how she saved Li He. Xiu Qing gets scared upon seeing how Duo Li has changed. Upon seeing Li He wearing the T-shirt ignoring Xiu Qing, she smiles again but deliberately wants to work overtime instead of knocking off early. Both reconcile again to Xiu Qing’s dismay.

Duo Li is no longer a pushover. Many want to throw her into the sea to celebrate the ending of the film making. She declines, saying that she has a date, to make Xiu Qing jealous! Li He changes her handphone accessory and wants her to take good care of the handphone.

He says that he is very angry with himself for making her furious twice. She is touched and tells him that there shouldn't be a third time or she will ignore him. He gets scared and tells her not to say it easily. Seeing him so anxious, she is moved that he is devoted to her and regrets burning the planes impulsively.

Li He is seriously injured by Heng Gen’s beating. Upon seeing how Heng Gen apologises to Mr Li, Duo Li sits still on the ground – too shaken by the truth that Li He is Mr Li’ son. She refuses to forgive him but upon seeing him so persistent to love her, she melts.

Duo Li is about to tell the truth when Li He decides to go overseas. He suddenly hugs her from behind but she decides to let him go. Both don’t know how to face each other and Li He doesn’t give her the ring.

Eugene isn’t good in her acting. She is quite wooden and restless in many scenes. Her crying scenes are not well done. I don’t find her outstanding in any scene. The two leads don’t have the chemistry at all. Yong Ha is good but she needs to brush up her acting skills.

4. Han Xiu Qing – Li Xi Li

You can call her another 'shameless slut' character in Korean dramas. She comes from a poor family. So she aims to marry into a rich family. She is with Heng Gen as he supports her university education fees. Her first target is Li Min so she gets close to him. At first, she despises Li He. After knowing that Li He is the real successor to get more company shares, she decides to aim for the best.

She woos Li He by pretending to spill a drink on her dress so that she can wear his shirt (the very same one that Li He gives Duo Li) to make Duo Li jealous. She even pretends to be his saviour. She is like Yin Mei in ‘All About Eve’ to go after the richer Xiang Zhe after ditching You Zhen.

She stresses a lot on her appearance. We can see that she is always in dresses, wearing ladies’ hats and her hair properly done. The best part is the make-up to make sure that all men will be attracted to her.

Unhappy that Duo Li ruins her movie date with Li He, she calls him up to watch a movie the next day. He agrees reluctantly. On the way, he sees Duo Li having a meeting with Supervisor Piao. Piao tells her off for trying to gain profits. She cries in despair and Li He consoles her – missing the date AGAIN!

She tries to please him by getting him his favourite artist, Monet’s sketch book. Upon seeing how badly injured Li He is from Heng Gen’s blows, Xiu Qing is remorseful. But she is still persistent to keep the truth from Li He.

She has left a lot of clues. She doesn’t know the exact place where Li He is saved when he asks her. She only comments that it is a nice place and doesn’t know what it means to him. She steals his pendant from Duo Li, not knowing how she got it. The most obvious clue is she doesn’t know how to swim and yet she lies that she has phobia to swim after saving Li He in the storm! What a lame excuse – she should have learned it before the lie is uncovered. The two brothers are stupid to be deceived by her for so long.

Upon seeing the scar on Li He’s waist, she asks him how he got it. He looks at her in confusion, asking her how she can’t see it. She then conceals uneasily that she is too frightened then as he is covered with blood. Li He is more confused as this is the only injury that he gets! She then leaves in haste.

Xiu Qing draws a picture of the sea, lying that she tried to recall how he was saved by two speedboats then. She tries to remember what Duo Li told her about the saving incident. She gets the wrong facts again. It is not 2 speedboats but 2 normal fishing boats so this arouses Li He’s curiosity finally.

I find it funny when she is still half-sober when drunk. She sees Li He and demands to know why he doesn’t love her although she keeps his pendant. She is so thick skinned to hug him. Li Min returns at this time and is angry to see that she hasn’t told Li He the truth. He throws her into the pool and leaves her half-drowning in water. She finally admits her mistake.

But she still doesn’t give up and arrives at the wake in black. Besides pretending to cry, she says that she does the evil deeds to keep him by her side. Both brothers simply ignore her. She tries to drown herself but Duo Li saves her and straightens her thoughts. She goes overseas but still has the conscience to drop Li He a hint, telling him that the woman in his heart is Duo Li.

This actress resembles a young Fan Wen Fang and is quite okay in her acting although her scheming scenes can be too superficial. Her acting is better than Eugene. She steals the glamour from her in the serial. This character is so despicable and thick-skinned to try to attract Li He even after repeated failures. Acutally Xiu Qing is quite pitiful. At first, she likes Li He’s background but later she really loves him in the end.

5. Tao Heng Gen
He is a gangster who is in love with Xiu Qing and is willing to do all the evil deeds for her. She is his kept woman. He is impulsively and causes Mr Chen’s death. Not learning from the mistake, he nearly kills Li He too. Upon knowing that he has been made use of, he hates her and plans his own revenge. He is mad when he is introduced by her as her distant cousin.

I wonder why the producer is so stupid to let him to invite Li He to have a final showdown at the godown. That is a lame excuse to let Xiu Qing inform the police to have him arrested.

His role is just like Pei Ren Xiu in ‘All About Eve’. But the producer should have gotten another actor for this role. He looks too short, too old and isn’t acting well. It is an eyesore to see his exaggerated expressions. It is also strange that all his henchmen are at least half a head taller than him and still call him ‘big brother’!

Interesting facts

This serial brings Park Yong Ha fame after his supporting role in ‘Winter Sonata’. The singing of the sub-theme song in here gives him the chance to sing for ‘All In’ too.

It is rumoured that Park Yong Ha and Eugene became a couple after this serial but both denied. Yong Ha actually found it weird and was awkward when the producer wanted Eugene to hug him close to her chest when posing for promotion pictures. Why was the reverse done?

Park Yong Ha came to Singapore to promote this serial and his latest album for ‘All In’. 7000 turned up on promotion day and close to 20 000 went to his free-of-charge entertainment concert with Tension/Chan Hiu Dong/Fan Yi Chen/Qiu Zhe/Wang Li Hong etc.

It had a high viewership of 47.9% when shown in Korea. It was even the second most watched serial among the 3 stations in 2002, which I don't think it deserved rightfully given its thin storyline.

Conclusion
The characters here are the most pretentious and unreal that I have watched so far. After seeing so many Korean dramas, I find this one using the same formulae repeatedly from ‘Tomato’, 'Hotelier', ‘All About Eve’ and ‘Beautiful Days’. Why is there no better storyline? Is it really that good as claimed by Korean fans?

I am appalled by the brothers’ stupidity. How can they be so deceived so easily? Li Min is worse – he actually believes that Xiu Qing can’t swim and is afraid of water after the saving incident? And he chooses to keep his poor elder brother in the dark. This is too much!

Please allow me to relate some 'coincidental' scenes. Once Duo Li is practising her lines to apologise to him for being rude.(That idea is stolen from 'Hotelier'). He playfully sneaks behind her back to listen to what she says to make fun of her. Later he drives her to work in the van, stops suddenly and gives her a shock when he gets close to her. She is relieved when he fasterns her seatbelt for her (idea borrowed from 'Beautiful Days').

‘All About Eve’ fans may not be happy about how parts are copied from their favourite drama. How similar Li He is to Xiang Zhe! Li He is hostile to his father because he ditched his mother and has another family. He is head of the planning unit too. He also produces a filmstrip on Duo Li’s shots and tells her how much he likes her.

This is exactly what Xiang Zhe does for Shan Mei too. Can you believe that the starting line is the same – ‘I feel shy about it’? Duo Li also cries upon watching it. The only difference is he doesn’t give her the tape personally like Xiang Zhe.

The parts on how Xiu Qing tries to seduce Li He remind me repeatedly of ‘All About Eve’. The last that I can tolerate is where Li He celebrates Duo Li’s birthday. He gives her the DV8 that he uses for film shooting. There is a remark that he says (which I disagree with) – shooting a scene and looking at it has a different feel. Xiang Zhe has always liked to ‘record’ what Shan Mei does with his eyes in his mind. What is the producer trying to compare? Which is more touching?

Xiu Qing is also aiming for the top - first for Li Min and then for Li He. She also comes from a poor home background. She denies being Li Min's girlfriend too, making him upset. This is similar to Yin Mei. The only difference is that Yin Mei dares not use body contact openly. Li Min is also Xiu Qing's accomplice in keeping her secrets.

For my friend, it is the final line that disappoints her. Li He says that besides this year, he wishes to celebrate her birthday for next year and the following years beyond. Another fact is Li He is also 5 years older than Duo Li. Isn’t this too coincidental? That is why my colleague calls it a total copycat.

I feel so giddy when the main leads patch up and break up for so many times! Sometimes, I am so disappointed in Li He for doubting Duo Li. Doesn’t he know her well? It seems that Li Min has a clearer mind than him. Why doesn’t Li He give Duo Li the ring finally? The ending is incomplete.

The acting here isn’t that fantastic so please do not have too high hopes on the acting. It is considered Yong Ha’s one man show. I will still recommend you to watch it as the scenery is beautiful.

Storyline-wise, it doesn’t appeal to me as it has so many unoriginal plots. The producer should not be lazy to come up with plots on his own. The story became so predictable that I lost interest.

Sukting's Ratings :

On acting : * * 1/2 (Scale of 5)

On story : * * * (Scale of 5)

Screenshots:
http://lovingu.kbs.co.kr/photo.htm/