I think When a Man Loves should be called “When he loves her and she loves another and another loves him and they all love but no one gets any.” I read the character descriptions and almost burst out laughing. So cold gangster Song Seung Heon loves plucky poor girl Shin Se Kyung, who knows his love and kinda uses him but doesn’t love him back. Also loving her is nice and hardworking Yeon Woo Jin, and she ends up loving him back, but obviously it’s not a happy ending otherwise they would be the lead OTP and we have no story to tell. Also lurking around is gangster girlfriend Chae Jung Ahn who loves Song Seung Heon and vows to win him despite knowing he loves Shin Se Kyung. There is also a 7 year time jump in this story somewhere. Can I suggest that we ship all of them off to different corners of the world so they stop tormenting one another and can love in freedom? The preview for episode 1 has just been released and I had a moment of clarity about what makes Shin Se Kyung so meh for me. She has no chin! Or a better description is that she’s a chinless wonder and her chinlessness makes her acting even more bland because she always looks like she’s quivering on the edge of weeping. She has very pretty eyes though, but good lord does she need to branch out from her one look of determined surprise that she’s always got on her face. I heard Song Seung Heon say he wants to challenge himself as an actor but he’s already played a gangster twice before so I’m not seeing anything new here. The preview makes everything look so sinister and dramatic but that only works when the narrative feels believable and gripping. I’m not seeing it in the preview and stills but we’ll find out tomorrow.
Preview for episode 1:
You got it right – bland acting so surely this will be another bland drama to fall in the same category as Dr. Jin. I like the younger 2nd lead actor though.
Aww I like this director a lot and I see some familiar faces from his previous dramas like the awesome Lee Seung Min ahjussi and ofc Yeon Woo Jin…also glad to see wonderful Kim Sung Oh..maybe Jang Bo Sook can make a cameo like he did for Arang…
Too bad the plot sounds so damn annoying though…What is this nonsense about SSK’s character loving YWJ’s character back but ending up with SSH?! UGH
People fall in out and love. It happens.
Oops, I meant ‘in and out of love’
You are hilarious. The OTP has sunk many a kdrama ship so I’ll only watch if you recommend. Let’s time travel Kim Tar Hee to this drama since she and SSH were adorable together in My Princess. What do you think?
OMG. The “chinless” comment made me crack up. I will check out the first episode to see what the hoopla is about.
Yeo Woo Jin looks so good in the preview. OMG, my king from King 2Hearts is now in the mafia. So that’s where dead kings so – to mafia hell! 🙂
she has no chin ! hahaha I burst ou laughing
out*
The no chin and when he loves her and she loves another made me laugh.
Hot damn! SSH looks pretty darn good!
Is that Kim Sung Oh or I’m seeing things?
I think SSH might actually act better than his leading lady for once. lol But this might probably be a bland drama, I’m not too keen with the plot. This is from the writer of Equator Man who was only good in the childhood portion.
I really like the YWJ though. I hope gets a better drama next time.
I’m just glad its Shin Se Kyung and not any of my favourite actress that are saddled with this hot mess. Good luck girl, since Fashion King sucked worse than ass.
finally..song seung heun!! you’re back!! miss your acting………hope it will be a happy ending drama!!!!;)
sigh…i only checked out the trailer to see if she has a chin.
I did the same thing…lol
i still tink tis is a Dr. Jin + Fashion King in making, at least both actor/actress saves me the time to even tink of watching this lol but i like YWJ, so sad he has to be in tis mess
I wish SSK hadn’t gotten plastic surgery. She didn’t need it, she was a pretty girl
and that scene where he catches the glass and crushes it
LMAO
*wipes tears*
i need a moment
“and the scene where he catches the glass and crushes it…”
Oh, dear…I was hoping against hope that none would bring that scene up. LOL. I need a moment too.
I’ve already had my moment. I wasn’t enough, I need a few more moments to stop ROTFLMHO.
He’s crushing the glass and reshaping it into a gun. He’s THAT good.
I think it is so humble of THT to keep making these comedies for us.
If there isn’t an Unintentionally Humorous Actors Hall of Fame, I think we have our first nominee.
I might check out the first episode. For some reason I am looking forward to seeing this drama.
the drama sounds totally crazy 😀 😛
That guy really like dramatically breaking glass
Yeon Woo-jin was adorable as the resident maknae ajusshi in Ojakgyo Brothers, but he alone cannot convince me to check this out. Also, can that SSH glass crushing moment be a running thing…like John Woo’s doves? Pretty, pretty please?!
Just realized how incoherent I sounded. Meant that I may be enticed to tune in for laughs if they do some sort of running gag, lol. But then that would just be a redo of Dr. Jin and it’s ridiculousness, ha.
OMG YES. I agree with you about Shin Se Kyung’s chin!!! Or maybe it’s her jaw? LOL.
But this drama sounds like a riot. Gonna skip it.
Looks like SSH streak of crap keeps going strong. I can’t remember the last time he was actually in something good.
it looks brutal
Yikes!!u r right abt the chin!!think she had it sawn too short after Fashion King…her chinlessness wasn’t so pronounced then.
she has a chin, it’s just very sharp and short. She does not have a jawline and it makes her face look puffy. I don’t understand why celebs shave their jawline, it must make then difficult to talk.
Ms. K…Ms. K…you are too funny! Actually, this synopsis is waaaay off! REALLY OFF! I watched episodes 1 & 2 and so far its very, very good. Seung Heon’s character is an amazing man! No…Seung Heon is not married to Jung Soo nor are they dating. Jung Soo literally threw herself at Seung Heon, and he didn’t even blink an eye (he still sees her as his former boss’s woman). After she couldn’t understand why he wasn’t responding to her invitation…she soon found out that he was interested in someone else (Mi Do). I’m so glad this man has class and self-respect! He doesn’t play humpty-dumpty with any woman. Besides, Jung Soo was the one that lied that they were married when she made reservations at a posh restaurant on her birthday. =
P.S. The synopsis doesn’t do Mi Do justice. She isn’t the type of woman to use a man for money. Mi Do, though she comes from a poor, modest family, she’s intelligent, hardworking, a high scholastic achiever (ranking #1), is fiesty and honest which is what Seung Heon likes about her. He recalls his family’s similar financially burdened past and wants to help her and her family. Even when it came to trying to pay off her father’s debt, Mi Do took on the responsibility of it (this is when Seung Heon began to like her). He was a gentlemen even then and really could have taken advantage of Mi Do in this situation, but didn’t. His generosity towards her family caused a life threatening rift between him and his former kingpen boss. Seung Heon is a man with a good, generous heart who not only wants better for himself, but for others as well and this comes to fruition after his close bout with death. He becomes very successful and crosses paths with Mi Do years later and helps her out of a situation (at the restaurant on Jung Soo’s birthday) and then helps her father who’s hospitalized again, anonomously. He paid all Mi Do’s father’s hospital bills and put him in a private room…also paid in full! Then, her mother sees Seung Heon on the news after successfully closing a deal with another company and somehow knows that he had to be the one that helped them again. Mi Do takes a cake to Seung Heon to thank him for everything he’s done, and tells him she feels burdened because she wants to repay him, but can’t. Seung Heon gets Mi Do to work for him as his assistant and asked ‘her’ to marry him while helping organize her father’s bookstore! Yippee! Well, there are more pieces to this puzzle…like his now imprisoned comrade (who saved his life), who has a younger brother that Seung Heon vowed to take care of and sent overseas to further his studies who in return is now working for him at his firm. This same young man, some years ago helped Mi Do carry rice home on the day of her father’s bout with Seung Heon and his gang, but left early before he and Mi Do knew they were around. It look like there’s going to be quite a bit of unrequitted love. Jung Soo, also has an older man (gangster) who she loaths, that wants to marry her. I tell you…there’s something wrong with these gangster men that won’t accept no for an answer! This poor woman (Jung Soo) had to break and jump from a 2nd story window to escape this vermin! Anyway…its going to be a very good watch for me.
Mi Do starts off as a good women who works hard but later on turns into a “materialistic” women and uses Tae Sang. I have no idea why she turned into that maybe something happened in her family that will cause her to change?
This drama is far from being slow or boring! Its action packed, a bit bloody at times, with romance as an added feature. The camping scene wasn’t a humdrum farst either! Seung’s boss sent hit men to take him out because of his soft-heartedness. Thanks to Jung Soo’s warning. Yet, while he was fighting for his life; hit men were also sent to pose as book buyers to kidnap Mi Do. When Seung went to find out from his boss why he sent hit men after him. In walks the men with Mi Do. After the boss ignored Seung’s request to let her go because the dispute is between them. The boss decided to teach Seung a lesson by putting on a good show for him. He told the men to ‘do’ Mi Do in front of him. When she screamed, Seung SNAPPED! He almost lost his life helping her escape until one of his men intervened.
Now 7 years later, still single and a successful CEO who helps people in the financial industry without the high interest rates and harrassment, he encounters Mi Do again. At first, he had to make sure it was Mi Do who was waiting tables, without disrespecting his date (I use that word loosely and relunctantly). His act of chilvary at the restaurant made me dancing happy while it shocked the ‘WTH’ out of Jung Soo who he left seated at their table. He couldn’t just sit there and watch his beloved Mi Do who was about to be humiliated by one of her former classmates get on her knees to apologize. My man Seung, opens his wallet and throws large denominational bills at the table to pay for the mistake that Mi Do didn’t even make. Those bunch of snobbish, no-class, couldn’t even rent high class if it was selling for a single won, want-to-be’s couldn’t believe what just happened! I was so elated! If no one else enjoys talking about this drama, I’ll do it alone and have no problem with that! 😀