Oppa and I were thrilled when we heard that Park Hyung Sik and Han So Hee were going to star in a drama together. Park Hyung Sik is on my list and although Oppa has not yet updated his list to include Han So Hee, he's crazy over her.
And while we were surprised to find out that this series only had 4 episodes, we still loved it. Because sometimes, it's okay to keep things short and sweet. :)
Plot
Soundtrack #1 tells the story of long-time friends Han Seon Woo (Park Hyung Sik) and Lee Eun Soo (Han So Hee). Seon Woo is an up and coming photographer while Eun Soo is a budding lyricist. Seon Woo has liked Eun Soo for the longest time but he never got the chance to confess. The show takes us through how these two navigate through their feelings towards each other and leads us to whether or not they will finally get their chance to live happily ever after together.
Park Hyung Sik as Han Seon Woo
I've been very vocal about how much I love Park Hyung Sik. Although I loved seeing him all badass in Happiness and he was credible as a whiz kid in Suits, I know he shines best in rom coms like Strong Girl Bong Soon. That drama led me to watch a lot of Hyung Sik's shows and movie like High Society, What Happens to My Family, Juror 8, and She Was Pretty. Rom coms highlight how Hyung Sik's eyes can pierce through your soul.
It was nice to see Hyung Sik's softer side here. Like how Seon Woo cried while he watched TV with Eun Soo.
And Hyung Sik really, really moves me. It was heartbreaking to see Seon Woo act all cool whenever he's about to confess to Eun Soo and the latter deflects the impending confession. Despite appearing chill, you can see through his eyes how much Seon Woo is hurting inside.
I really hope Hyung Sik does more dramas in this genre because he really does these kinds of roles best.
Han So Hee as Lee Eun Soo
We've closely followed Han So Hee the past few months. She wowed us in both dramas that we've seen - acting sweet and shy in Nevertheless and all badass in My Name. Yet it was refreshing to see her in a more "regular" and relatable character.
It was nice to see how Eun Soo was conflicted about her feelings for Seon Woo. She cares for him, yes. And that's probably the reason why she's holding back. She does not want to lose him. She looks so anxious whenever she feels he's about to confess and she feels the same way too when she's about to tell him how she feels. I'm grateful to Seon Woo's junior because aside from showing us how cute So Hee acts when she's jealous, the junior was the one who finally pushed Eun Soo to confess.
Roles like this suit Han So Hee. And I love that she seems to be picking projects that give us variety because these different genres show us how great she is as an actress.
Eun Soo and Seon Woo
Han So Hee and Park Hyung Sik have good chemistry. They really look comfortable together. And that's probably why this show is so easy on the eyes.
I love how Seon Woo expresses his love through actions. Like eating all those mandarins in Eun Soo's house. And putting a scarf on her whenever it's cold. And fixing her bike.
And no matter how hard these two try to hide their feelings, it's evident that they care deeply for each other. You just have to see how heartbreaking their goodbye scenes are - when Seon Woo left for the military and when he went to Cuba for a photography gig. It was heartbreaking to see how hard Eun Soo cried all by herself each time.
I loved how realistic and relatable Eun Soo and Seon Woo's relationship and issues are. I'm sure a lot of people consider their closest friends as their TOTGAs (the one that got away) because despite loving their friends so much, they're too scared to lose them.
Other Characters
Although the show was really short, it was great to still see a very stellar support cast.
There's Yoon Byung Hee (Vincenzo, Hospital Playlist, Hot Stove League, and Mr. Sunshine) as Seon Woo's manager/friend.
Then Kim Joo Hun (Now, We are Breaking Up, Encounter, Train to Busan, Start-Up, and Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol) as Eun Soo's producer/suitor.
Lee Jung Eun (Mr. Sunshine, Parasite, A Taxi Driver, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Monthly Magazine Home, Law School, Ms. Hammurabi, and Fight for My Way) as Eun Soo's mom.
And Seo In Guk (Reply 1997, Reply 1994, and She Was Pretty) as pop star Jay Jun.
Execution
Apart from having very few episodes, this show's very easy to digest with each episode running for only around 50 minutes.
Yes, some people might find it quite slow. It actually has the Before Sunrise vibe where the main leads just keep on walking together and talking to each other. But when you consider that it only has 4 episodes, then it does not feel so slow anymore.
I loved the simple plot - long-time friends, guy loves girl, girl hesitates, guy moves away, distance makes girl's heart grow fonder, girl gets the push she needs when she sees another girl interested in guy, guy initially dismisses girl because she earlier said they should not get romantically involved if they didn't want to break up forever, but just like the tarot card girl receives which symbolizes a determined heart that should seize an opportunity that presents itself to her, girl persists and confesses until guy finally agrees. And after long years of waiting, of being scared of losing each other, and all those wrong/bad timings, guy and girl are finally together.
I loved that the show ended where it ended - the confession and the two being together finally. There was no promise that tomorrow would be happy and that they'd be each other's happy ever after. The show focused on the present - how they were happy now.
And I liked that the show did not give us an illusion that relationships are perfect. I loved how Eun Soo and Seon Woo's friends (Park Hoon of Descendants of the Sun and Park Min Jung) gave us the real talk on marriage - it's not marriage when you don't fight, you will get lazy to do things for each other, things can get boring. But that does not mean you no longer love each other. You keep trying each day and that's the only thing that matters.
So even if the show does not really tell us what happens to Eun Soo and Seon Woo later on, it still gives us a satisfying ending because they get to bring out those bottled up emotions after long years of waiting. The show proved that you don't always need 16 episodes to have a complete and satisfying story. Sometimes 4 episodes will do. Probably the only fault of this show is that it made us want to see more of Park Hyung Sik and Han So Hee together.
And since this drama is somehow related to music, the songs are great with nice melodies and very apt lyrics.
Oppa says...4.9.
Noona says...4.8.