Categories: K-dramas

The Girl Who Sees Smells Hits a Casting Coup with Namgong Min as the Chef with Ulterior Motives

So far The Girl Who Sees Smells isn’t just my favorite currently airing K-drama, it’s also the most spot on with casting the major characters. Setting aside leads Yoochun and Shin Se Kyung, who I just want to gush over each and every week for their perfect chemistry and character portrayal, the spotlight also needs to be shone on second lead Namgong Min (and the complementary guest performance by Song Jong Ho). The reveal last week wasn’t particularly surprising but the manner by which the drama pulled back the curtains was the bit that was brilliantly done.

A deft execution can sell even an obvious plot twist, such as in Smelly Girl, because the audience is absorbed with the flow rather than harping on the “I totally saw that coming” know-it-all commentary. Plenty of viewers may have suspected smiley chef from the get go, but seeing him unfurl his full sinister glory was still most satisfying. I hope the drama keeps him full psycho rather than try and give him some weepy backstory. Sometimes bad people are just bad and this is one extremely gone off the deep end bad dude. I don’t think I can look at library book serial numbers and cooking the same way for the time being. Bravo to Namgong Min for being absolutely riveting in all his restrained evil.

ockoala

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  • I too feel that NGM is rocking his role, and that he was well cast in this drama. I agree that SJH did a great job as well. I was disappointed to have not been shown what Dr Chun reached for(in ep.3, I think?), when he put his hand in his inside pocket and was walking towards OCR. Maybe that was just to throw us off, and make us suspect him, as the Barcode killer?

    • I never really liked him up until now, because he always gave off a creepy vibe to me, but this development finally puts him in a space I can enjoy. Actually, I was planning on dropping this show because it is a little too sweet and the leads a little too dense and the jokes a little too broad - a dose of the dark was just what the recipe called for, in my book. :-)

  • Well, Hannibal Lecter was enough to put me off the cooking bit but book serial numbers...yeah, that totally goes to our smiley chef.

    • I'm still on episode 5 so I had to scroll down quickly but I have to say the chef and the doctor are hands down, the creepiest characters I've seen in a kdrama and I say this in a good way. The fact that they are confidantes takes it to another level.

      They make the murder mystery aspect of the drama very palpable and it is a great balance to the cutesy feel of the OTP, comedy and special effects. The fact that they are confidantes and put on a facade that society has fallen for takes it to another level.

      • I don't want to spoil anything for you. I really really want to!...but I won't. You're going to have to take back what you just wrote. That's all I want to say.

    • Tyvm for the preview!!!
      if only there were translations T^T

      Written Preview goes:
      " Visiting the Frog Troupe, Mugak discovers that Cho-rim will no longer go up onstage when she tells him that she won’t do gags[/jokes] with him for the Prince Room, and that she is a part of the assisting staff. Mugak is bothered over Cho-rim crying when she gets scolded by her sunbaes[/seniors], and tells Cho-rim that they should work together on both investigating and doing their gags; but...."
      Credit: jyj3.net

  • I'm not watching this drama, but I've always believed NMG would make an excellent villain. There's just something about him that screams villain. And not the shouty kind but the sinister, smooth, lurking kind. Much like Kim Kang Woo in Story of a Man. Glad to see I was right.

  • I couldn't really like him when he plays shady characters who turned out nice in the end. In his all his recent shows I've always expected him to turn all evil but but he never did! I'm really really glad that they finally utilize his talent in being creepy in this show because he does it SO well! I can totally see him as the dude who would charm his way into a girl's heart before killing her the next day LOL.

  • I agree. We all pretty much suspected him or Creepy Doctor (who turned out to be not-so-creepy) so his reveal wasn't at all surprising, but the execution was excellent. Seeing him go from smiley and kind to evil serial killer was nicely done. Now everything he's going to say will be creepy even if he's being nice. Namgoong Min was a great casting choice.

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