I’ve been complaining about SM C&C signing Jung So Min towards the end of last year and then doing nothing with her. Happily there is some movement on its part and it’s been a good two weeks as a Jung So Min fan. First she joined the upcoming KBS drama Big Man as the second female lead with a crush on leading man Kang Ji Hwan while being the younger sister to second male lead antagonist Daniel Choi. Then this week she shows up in the SM produced drama Miss Korea on MBC with a neat cameo in the final episode 20. This drama is easiest going to be one of my favorites for 2014 and it’s such a shame not more people watched it either domestically or overseas. The beauty queen arc exceeded my expectations in both heart and intrigue but it was the fantastic interpersonal relationships and well-written characters that made this story come alive and touch me so deeply. Lee Yeon Hee impressed me from the first frame she showed up onscreen as the beautiful scrappy Ji Young, and her acting improved by leaps and bounds over anything I’ve ever seen out of her. She also seem to mature onscreen along with the narrative, making the journey of Ji Young from elevator girl to Miss Korea feel like the journey of Lee Yeon Hee from pretty vacuous flower vase to gorgeous young actress. Jung So Min’s cameo in episode 20 feels like a passing of the baton of sorts as she plays a striking gas station attendant who catches the eye of beauty queen maker Madam Ma. Jung So Min’s cameo character becomes the prime candidate to win Miss Korea 1998, thus putting a fitting end to Ji Young’s story and leaving the door open for the story of another girl’s quest for personal validation and hard won victory. While Jung So Min doesn’t quite have the natural beauty queen looks as Lee Yeon Hee, she’s stunning in her own way. I think this is a super clever cameo and a great way for SM to tap into its stable of beautiful young actresses. And if SM ever wanted to make a sequel to MK with Jung So Min’s character actually gunning for Miss Korea 1998, I’d totally watch it!
I have enjoyed this drama tremendously. Its one that i wait for a time and a head space to watch unlike some of the more addcictive ones. It demands more from me emotionally. Unlike you, i didnt like the beauy pageant bits but the love and affection and caring that the OTP has for each other moves me every time. Loved both of them in this drama. As you pointed out too, the side characters were given strong roles and their interactions and connections to each other completed the drama. Really strong portrayals from the casts.
I think no other drama this year gave me more fist pumps at the end of their epsiodes as this one did as well.
Thanks for the recaps.
I am with you on this. The training bits have got to be my least favorite parts of the drama and the ones that got fast-forwarded every time on my rewatch. There can not be enough OTP moments for me and in one of the last episodes I sorely wish to see JY and HJ continue forever talking about their past dating experiences. That would have bean a real treat.
Ohmygosh! I definitely would agree! Hopefully they do a sequel cause it’s just that good! You can’t get enough and is constantly hoping for more.
This is so funny to me… I’m glad with how the drama turned out, and I love Lee Yeon Hee in the role but when they hadn’t announced the cast I was crossing my fingers for her to be the female lead, since she is in SM C&C. Well, now it’s sort of happening, ha!
What a clever, creative way to end the series. They do stay true to the beauty queen premise to the very end, don’t they? I can see now that our OTP literally has to wait until the end of Ji Young’s reign as Miss Korea before they can openly express their love for each other. So relieved their romance is not a plot point. Yet another example of this drama going against convention. Let’s see if I am proven wrong on this.
I am loving this series too though I never considered watching it until your excellent reviews. Both leads are marvellous and the chemistry is wonderful. The script is great and the comic timing is perfect. Thanks for putting me on to it.
Aww jung somin reunites with her mom from can we get married