May is the month of spring fever and romance. Fierce spiteful women turn into delicate soft-hearted creatures as do our small screen characters. Money and inheritance takes the back seat to love. Six new dramas are slated for May premieres, and viewers can anticipate the comeback of several top celebrities, as well as the return of star screenwriters. Fans can happily pick and choose which dramas to watch depending on their tastes.
KBS2 Mon/Tues Baby-Faced Beauty (Airs May 2nd) – Bright Girl’s Success Story once more?
Most Korean drama female protagonists have a tendency to lack something – whether it be money or family or something else depends on the plot – and the story revolves around how this female lead was able to conquer all obstacles and find happiness. Baby-Faced Beauty’s So Young (Jang Nara) is a 34 year old single woman, a high school graduate, and a credit delinquent. The only thing that works to her advantage is her young looks. Jin Wook (Choi Daniel) plays her love interest. The only thing Jin Wook looks for in a girl is her age – she must not be older than he. The catch? Jin Wook is a young twenty-something year old guy who looks older than he really is. Baby-Faced Beauty takes place in the fast-paced fashion world. The real challenge the drama will face is how realistically it will be able to portray the fashion industry.
MBC Wed/Thurs The Best Love (Airs May 4rth ) – Another Hong Sisters hit?
If you’ve been following Korean dramas, you’re probably aware of the Hong sisters. They’ve written mega-popular trendy dramas like Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang (2005), Hong Gil Dong (2008), My Girlfriend is a Nine-tailed Fox (2010), and many others. This time, they work their magic on the topic of celebrity fake marriages. Korean fans are known to be extreme, they’ve even earned the nickname “netizen investigators” (netizen = internet + citizens) for being able to dig celebrities’ veiled pasts. The topic of pretend marriages has also been popular thanks to MBC’s reality show We Got Married. The Best Love centers around former idol star Goo Ae Jung (Gong Hyo Jin) and current A-list actor Dok Go Jin (Cha Seung Won) as they strike a deal to “marry.”
SBS Mon/Tues Lie To Me (Airs May 9th ) – A lie sparked romance?
There have been many dramas in the past where the two leads get entangled in a misunderstanding and eventually fall in love. Yoon Eun Hye’s new drama Lie to Me is one of those dramas. Gong Ah Jung (Yoon Eun Hye) is a level 5 civil servant working for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In order to escape the biased views people have towards unmarried woman, she lies and claims she's married to a well-known hotel CEO Hyun Ki Joon (Kang Ji Hwan). Judging by their previous works like Yoon Eun Hye’s Princes Hours (2006) and Kang Ji Hwan’s My Girlfriend is an Agent, both actors are pretty strong in the rom-com genre; and viewers can expect great bickering on-screen chemistry between these two.
KBS2 Wed/Thurs Romance Town (Airs May 11st) – Suspicious housemaid coming through?!
Chaebols and housemaids are nothing new in Korean drama land. However, most dramas tend to focus on the extravagent lives of chaebols. Romance Town will turn its attention to the maids working for the chaebols. Two beautiful actresses, Sung Yuri of bubble-gum pop girl group Fin.K.L and Min Hyo Rin, will star as housemaids. Sung Yuri plays a third generation housemaid who’s though and relentless, while Min Hyo Rin plays an attractive teenaged housemaid. Additionally, their two bosses, the madams of the house, do not make their lives any easier.
SBS Wed/Thurs City Hunter (Airs May 25th) – Manga + Lee Min Ho = success?
Tsukasa Hojo’s manga City Hunter is finally getting a drama adaptation. His original manga series was published in Japanese manga magazine Boy Jump from 1985 to 1992. The series have sold over a million copies in Korea. Lee Min Ho is no stranger to portraying manga characters. He shot to stardom in 2009 playing Goo Joon Pyo in Boys Before Flowers. However, his City Hunter character is completely different from the former. Lee Min Ho plays Lee Yoon Sung, a MIT graduate who works at the Blue House as part of the National Communications Team. He’s affectionate, caring, and optimistic but battles loneliness. Lee Min Ho is currently busy in Thailand for overseas filming.
MBC Mon/Tues Ripley (Airs May 30th) – Will it meet the expectations?
Ripley has the latest air date out of all the May premiering dramas, and it’s also been making headlines ever since talks about producing it were underway. News about casting JYJ member Park Yoo Chun has fueled much of the anticipations. This melodrama centers around an ambitious woman who does anything and everything she can to gain whatever she wants – that is until her extensive lies catch up to her. Ripley has a much heavier plot than the rest of the spring dramas, which tend to be more trendy and light. Actors Kim Seung Woo, Lee Da Hae, Park Yoo Chun, and Kang Hye Jung have been casted as leads.
Written in Korean by girlalice@soompi; translated by hotshotlover30@soompi
