Korean Drama: Only You (2005)
Only You is a 16-episode (16 hours) Korean Drama which has part of scenes shot in a beautiful town in Italy.
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow:
“Eun Jae (Han Chae Young from Sassy Girl Chun Hyang) is a very stubborn, proud, and headstrong girl who has a passion for cooking. Because she does not have an interest in studying, she runs away to Italy before she graduates from high school to enroll in cooking school. Her high school friend, who loves her dearly and shares her passion for cooking, comes along with her.
Han Yi-joon (Jo Hyun Jae) is from a wealthy family who owns a large hotel and various restaurants. He travels to Italy in search of his mother that abandoned his family when he was young and there he runs into Eun Jae. Coincidentally, Eun Jae had also been seeking the mother, who happens to be a chef, to learn the secrets to making great pasta. Both chance upon the mother just as she was about to get remarried to an Italian. She comforts Yi-Joon, who is distraught over his mother’s remarriage, and they spend the night together. She ends up pregnant and has to give up her dream - but does not tell Yi-Joon.
Six years later, they have all returned to live in Korea - Eun Jae working low paying cooking jobs, Yi-Joon taking over the operations of his family’s restaurant, and Eun Jae’s friend working as a chef for one of the restaurants owned by Yi-Joon and financially supporting Eun Jae’s family, including the child born out of wedlock, because they have fallen on hard times. Yi-Joon still has feelings for Eun Jae and they run into each other just as he is looking for a new chef for his restaurant–with her in mind. The dramatic tension unfolds as the three main characters work out their feelings for each other as they work closely together.”
Source: Wikipedia
Another type of storyline which depicts the romantic-dramatic Korean movies/dramas. This time, it involves the chefs with all the cookings of Italian meals. Although not very often do they show the how the meals are cooked, some of the meals sound delicious- like the “pasta in the chicken”. Towards the end, Only You seems to be a bit draggy. Also, like typical Korean movies/dramas, you’ll just feel like shouting “@#$%^” - Why can’t this guy/girl just sit down and listen to each other’s explanations. Instead, they still react like what other korean actors/actresses did. Just cut the conversation and left with an explosive manner. Not much of thinking in other perspectives. My take? I like the sceneries in Italy (only for first two episodes). Then after that the story will be about their six years later back in Korea. Oh ya, the child looks cute. Some of the songs in the dramas do sound like other movies/dramas theme songs. It just sounds familiar.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Happy Birthday to you, my friend- “Only You!”
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