Moon and Stars For You

Year produced
2012

How long
129 episodes

Foreword
Family is like a haven to us. We love them even to pick the stars and the moon for them. In this drama, a family, whose members are all scattered away due to the conflicts, comes to realize that it's each other that will best protect them from hardships.

Zhen Yu is a surgeon who has a trauma from his younger days that causes surgery phobia, Cai Yuan is deeply in love with Zhen Yu, and the ambitious Qing Zhu who abandoned Zhen Yu to choose Min He. Together, they depict the story of love and hate. Do they finally get what they want?

Story/Introduction on characters
1.Jo Dong Hyuk as Xu Zhen Yu
He is second in the family and is in the surgery unit of the university hospital. He often feels guilty when his elder brother goes missing while trying to save him from drowning. His father often reprimands him for not being as capable as his elder brother. He is afraid of handling operations and injures his right hand when Cai Yuan knocks into him.

His hopes of promoting to associate professor are dashed and he resigns to work in a nursing home for the elderly. It is a double blow for him when Qing Zhu breaks up with him. He then befriends Cai Yuan and later regains confidence to undergo physiotherapy. He recovers and regains his post. He marries Cai Yuan and later discovers that Min He is actually his elder brother.

He moves in to stay with the Hans when Min He stays with Man Hao. He doesn't wish the Hans to feel that they have lost a son. He later moves back home when Min He stays with the Hans. He puts up a satisfying performance as a filial son and a dedicated doctor.

2. Seo Ji Hye as Han Cai Yuan
Her parents own Han Mei Tang – she works as a pastry chef and is in food research unit. She is an expert in baking bread but her cooking skills are poor. She is the only daughter and nearly dies of a heart attack in high school as she is drenched in the rain for too long. Qing Zhu is jealous of her results to lock her out at the high school attic, lying to meet her there.

She feels fortunate to stay alive. Meeting Qing Zhu opens up old wounds and she is dismayed when Qing Zhu pretends to forget the whole incident and refuses to apologise to her. She is a volunteer at the nursing home and falls for Zhen Yu to take her initiative to woo him. She doesn't mind moving in to stay with her in-laws and have a simple wedding. When the company goes into crisis, she works hard with Min He to undo the mess.

She later gives birth to a daughter and Min He returns just on time from his business trip to celebrate her first month with them. I find her too childish at times. She is quite understanding but trusts Min He too much but luckily, he doesn't betray the Hans. This actress resembles ex-TVB actress, Cheung Fung Nei at first glance and her acting is also passable.

3. Go Se Won as Han Min He/Xu Zhen Xiu
He is the director of the food research unit. He is gentle and handsome. However, he is only Zheng Xun's adopted son and his prospective marriage dates fail when the women learn about this. He loses his memory when young and loses his way so Zheng Xun adopts him. He is grateful to Qing Zhu who helps him to overcome his fear of water as he nearly drowns when young.

He tries hard in vain to get Ying Shan's recognition. After knowing his real parentage as his memory returns, he vows not to let his biological family ruin his happiness. He also knows that Zheng Xun is too dependent on him. It is impossible to cut their ties. When Ying Shan and Ying Kui doubt him, he moves home to stay with Wan Hao and the others.

While with them, he feels the warmth. When the company runs into crisis, he returns to stay with the Hans. The ending has him meeting a woman at the airport – she might be her marriage partner in future. His acting is quite impressive as the man tied between his biological and adopted family.

4. Moon Bo Ryung as Che Qing Zhu
She works in the food market department. She is calm and ambitious. Her father ill-treats her and she is thankful that he is dead when she is in university. She pins all her hopes on Zhen Yu and is disgusted when he is too easily contented. Even though they have gone steady for 3 years, she breaks off with him as she doesn't want to stay with his traditional family as the eldest sister-in-law.

Her cooking is worse than Cai Yuan and she aims to be with Min He to dump Zhen Yu. This silly woman did not check out Min He's background properly. She does not know that Cai Yuan is Min He's younger sister when seeing them together in the car park, talking intimately. How can she be not playing her cards properly and carefully? It is too late when she does too much sabotaging on her. She swallows her pride and tries to be friendly to Cai Yuan.

She is irked to know later that he is only adopted – Min He also sneers at her for not noticing how hostile Ying Shan is to him as it is so obvious that he is not her biological son. She jumps after realizing that she has lost a good catch when Zhen Yu becomes the associate professor later.

Even so, she realizes that she has fallen for him hopelessly. She steals the secret recipe from Min He learns of her misdeeds of ruining the company so he dismisses her. That instills hatred in her and she joins Dao Xun's firm. Even though he returns to work in Man Hao's firm for a while, she has not stopped loving him.

Still, she is a filial child who wants to send her mother overseas for treatment. She is willing to give evidence to the police to be with her mother for her remaining days. Min He recommends her for a job after she is released from jail. She acts well as the scheming person who keeps lying to Min He.

5.Kim Young Chul as Xu Wan Hao He is an ex-marine and is thus strict with all his children. He is also very stubborn and only Bi Shun can thumb him down. He is bitter over losing Zhen Xiu and keeps belittling his 2 other sons. Upon knowing that Zhen Xiu has been found, he keeps insisting of meeting him and acknowledging him. He has a strong sense of pride and doesn't accept wedding gifts like Zheng Xun.

This gives Na Li and Zhen Yu trouble as they pay off everything on their credit cards. Cai Yuan realises that Zhen Yu is seriously in debt so she only gives him a small allowance monthly. Seeing how the Hans need Min He, he no longer insists that he should change his family name and tells him that he can just visit his biological family often but he has to move home after he has his own family. His children find him lonely so they manage to get a construction worker, Mdm Wen to marry him in the end.

6. Ban Hyo Jung as Jiang Bi Shun
She is the siblings' grandmother who brings up the children after her daughter-in-law's death. Zhen Yu's mother passes away due to poor health after giving birth to Zhen Xi and missing Zhen Xiu. She is the only person who can reprimand Wan Hao over his mistakes.

She can be demanding on Na Li to show favoritism to Cai Yuan at times but she also gives Na Li support when she needs. She encourages her to further her studies despite others' objection. She is childish at times to demand attention from her grandchildren.

7. Kim Dong Yoon as Xu Zhen Jiu
He is 30 years old and is the third in the family and is a lazy contractor. He is a skirt chaser even after marriage and despite the fact that his daughter is 10 years old. He keeps running into debts and causes trouble to his family. Na Li has to eat the humble pie to get him to be a bakery manager at Han Mei Tang by agreeing to do housework on Cai Yuan's behalf. Still, he doesn't change his habits so his brothers don't side him. Realising his limits, he returns to work in the renovation firm.

8. Im Ji Eun as Piao Na Li
She is Zhen Jiu's wife who is 4 years older than him. She is tired of living for her husband and daughter. After slogging many years, she has expected Cai Yuan to help out in the housework. To her disappointment, Cai Yuan is a career woman and Ying Shan pays her to make up to her. She thus decides to work hard to get into university to make her own dreams come true.

She has dreamed of moving out to make Zhen Jiu independent. Seeing that Zhen Jiu still woos other younger women, she gives up on him and wants to get a divorce. He has to fight very hard to get her back. She finally gets into the interior design faculty.

9. Hae Geum as Xu Zhen Xi
She is the youngest child who has no flair for studies and keeps repeating her exams. At first, she skips school but still fails even though she works hard. She quits her studies and decides to become a singer. She helps out in the renovating firm and relies a lot on Na Li. She treats her more like a mother than her elder sister-in-law. The nurses post a video of her singing to Zheng Xun online and she becomes an instant hit. She finally gets a job at a lounge and learns how to compose her own songs.

10. Lee Joo Yun as Xu Zhi Na
She is Zhen Jiu's 10 year old daughter who is smart in her studies. That is why she doesn't understand how Zhen Xi can fail her exams. She is close to all the family members. She is sad when her parents fall out and leaves home. Luckily, Min He finds her and advises her to return home. His past experience of losing touch with his family moves her.

11.Lee Hyo Jung as Han Zheng Xun
He is the chairman who is very strict but also dotes on his adopted son. He is saved by Zhen Yu when he suffers from a heart attack. He admires his talents and later gives his consent for him to marry Cai Yuan although he objects initially. He later becomes his doctor to treat him.

He is too reluctant to return Min He to his family even though he has seen the search poster printed by Wan Hao. The telephone number is unclear but he doesn't try hard enough to make him return to his family. He feels guilty to know that Wan Hao's wife has died and can never see Min He again. Luckily, Wan Hao lets go of the past and is grateful to him for bringing Min He up.

12. Lee Hye Sook as Wu Ying Shan
She is Zheng Xun's wife who doesn't trust Min He although she brings him up. To her, he is just an outsider who is going to seize the family fortune from Cai Yuan. Thus, she wants Zheng Xun to give Cai Yuan an important position in the company too. She hates Qing Zhu and Mei Zi for nearly causing Cai Yuan to die. Thus, she doesn't object to Min He marrying Qing Zhu. The only condition is they must go overseas.

She also personally wants to groom Cai Yuan as the successor but she is disappointed that she has no ambition. After knowing the truth, she also knows that she is at fault and apologises to Wan Hao. She also plants her trust in Min He to save the company.

13. Hong Il Kwon as Wu Ying Tai
He is Ying Shan's brother who is also the director in the company. Ying Shan brings him up like a son. He eyes Min He as his number one enemy. Thus, he is bitter when Min He holds a higher post than him. He has been separated from his wife and son for 5 years as the two stay in the US. He wants to control the company and works with Dao Xun. Qing Zhu knows his secret of planning to seize Han Wei Tang so he can't dismiss her.

Cai Yuan is soft-hearted to give him chances so he sneers over Qing Zhu's misfortune. He is happy when Min He fires her personally. By fate, both have to work with Dao Xun again to ruin the company. Ying Shan is sad with him and alerts the police to arrest him. He isn't implicated in setting up the empty shell company but is still involved in the wrong management of K finance.

He is later jailed and doesn't know how to approach his family after his release. He is relieved when Zheng Xun forgives him as he himself also commits the same mistake in the past. No one is perfect.

14. Moon Hee Kyung as Gao Mei Zi
She is Qing Zhu's mother who is a saleswoman for cosmetics. She has hoped that Qing Zhu will marry well as she has married a drunkard and wife beater. She begs Zhen Yu to take Qing Zhu back, not knowing that Qing Zhu is the one who forsakes him.

After knowing that she is with Min He, she tries her best to please Ying Shan but she doesn't know that Ying Shan has recognized her as the heartless person who refuses to repent. Qing Zhu and Mei Zi lose their home and have to rent another apartment. She is dejected to know that Qing Zhu is dismissed and she later dies of stomach cancer. Her only wish is Qing Zhu to be happy.

15. Kwon Nam Hee as head nurse
She is kind and keeps showing Zhen Yu the ropes to deal with the old granny patients in the nursinghome. She is happy when he gets posted back to the hospital.

16. Kim Do Yun as Wu Fang Shu
She helps out in the pastry section and is Cai Yuan's colleague. Qing Zhu sneaks into their room to steal the recipe and she feels sorry over it. Thanks to her for matchmaking Cai Yuan and Zhen Yu together.

17. Lee Jae Yun as Team Leader Zheng
Qing Zhu joins his team but she doesn't show him adequate respect.

18. Lee Hye Geun as Gao Zhu Ren
He is the assistant leader and is sore when Qing Zhu is in such a high profile.

19. Jang Joon Hak as Min Dao Xun
He is the young owner of K finance and Ying Shan has wanted him to marry Cai Yuan. Cai Yuan rejects him outright on their first date. He is also Min He's friend and tries to get fresh with Qing Zhu at the gym where she exercises with Min He. Qing Zhu tells him off but later both conspire to take over Han Wei Tang. Upon seeing K finance in trouble, he escapes overseas.

20. Kang Min Jung as Lu You Mei
She is also a member of the team and is sore when Qing Zhu throws her weight around too.

Interesting facts
2012 KBS Drama Awards from Wikipedia :
Excellence Award for Daily Drama, Actor (Kim Young Chul)
Excellence Award for Daily Drama, Actress (Seo Ji Hye)
From the starting of the airing of the drama, it was among the top 3 and often landed as first. The highest viewership was 34.6%.

Most favourite character Zhen Yu, he is caring and responsible. Although he keeps on picking up the mess caused by his younger siblings, his efforts is being paid back as he gets a happy family.

Most hated character Qing Zhu, she is too greedy and cares too much for herself to neglect her mother. She regrets her act but still delays Mei Zi's treatment to want to send her overseas and to get away from law. How can she get the best of both worlds? Zhen Yu has to talk to her to be flexible as she is risking Mei Zi's life.

Conclusion
The families are scattered for a while due to disputes and arguments but they get together again. They truly love and show concern to one another. They love them so much that they can even pick the stars and the moon for them. It is quite sweet when Zhen Yu and Cai Yuan exchange the gifts on moon and stars.

In Qing Zhu's case, she wants the impossible, forgetting that Mei Zi is right beside her. She realizes too late as she is too focused to achieve fame and wealth. It helps by the fact that the cast are compatible in looks. However, some might not be happy with the ending where Qing Zhu can't get to be with Min He again.

I guess it is due to the breaching of the trust that Min He has in her and it is like a broken mirror which can't be mended. He and Zhen Yu love her in the past but there is no way they can reaccept her again. The cast gives a satisfying performance, although not fantastic. Still, this drama is still worth your time.

Sukting's ratings:
On acting : *** (Scale of 5)
On story : *** (Scale of 5)