Omg!! Finally someone else who liked and rooted for the Hak do..so mature, kind and generous! I had serious second lead syndrome till he went berserk and evil later in the plot.. although I suspect the writers did that to make the viewers root for their original intended otp!

My favorite part of this drama (and I loved every bit of it) was the historic endings after each episode. I missed the first few the first time I watched it--and then went back and found them. SO FUNNY.

i choose to love you
the song sung by their friends on their wedding is still in my playlist until now hahaha

This was my first ever Kdrama and I loved everything about it, it was in my Top 10 list back in 2007 and it still is today!

Being in a drama slump, I decided to re-watch this just for the laughs but I still went through all the emotions I did the first time, I laughed, I cried and felt everything they felt! I admit, I did find the way they got married a little silly but I just wanted to see Mong-ryung falling for her and acting all jealous and petty!

I remember Mong Ryong's father being a really out-there character, I loved him and have loved that actor ever since.

HAHA! I just had the exact opposite experience! I mean, I eventually rooted and fell for Mong-ryong the first time I watched it (because Jae Hee is LOVE), but, maybe because the characters themselves gave him such a hard time throughout, I actually thought of his actions in the beginning as a lot worse when I first watched and thought he deserved all the angst he got trying to win her over.

Then, when I went back recently, I had this moment when I realized he was just a freakin' high school kid who got roped into marriage way too young AND Choon-hyang didn't really put herself out there with him either, considering they even made a plan to help him get into his Noona's school. I realized that she never even confessed before she pushed him away. Yes, this was partially due to her thinking she was fighting a losing battle and him being an idiot for not understanding that there was something more between them, but still.

I guess maybe because I came to the first episodes expecting to have to steel myself to his immaturity, it was surprising for me to realize that it wasn't all his fault. BOTH of them were immature in handling/realizing their feelings. It's simply that Choon-hyang's conflict inspires more sympathy and we understand her hesitance to fight for what she wants. I just realized I couldn't blame him for not being able to take responsibility for their relationship when they were so young and didn't even start in the right way. Frankly, aside from the manipulation from the second leads, the conflicts/growth between the young couple in this show proved to be more engaging than I remembered.

Lol, Mong-ryong is still, of course, a frustrating, immature character at points, but he was also super endearing and made up for it. I think what struck me as refreshing about him upon going back is how, even though he fumbled and messed up a lot, he was always, ALWAYS honest to his emotions, even when he was too much of an idiot to figure them out yet. He never held anything back. Needless to say, by the end of my rewatch, I was even more fond of him than before.

Unfortunately, I took to the second lead even worse this time around. Because, for me, there is no excuse for a grown man to be acting the way he did, even before his most problematic behaviors showed. I could honestly never really forgive him for the way he set up a scholarship for her, only to snatch it away at the last moment because he got jealous and felt betrayed by her. I'll admit that I think that Choon-hyang was very clear-cut about how she felt about him and that there wasn't much room for him to form expectations of her.

Awesome to get such a different perspective though!

I agree with every comment in this thread, even the ones that contradict!

I still love this drama. ♥ ♥ ♥

I love this show so much T______T

*dropping this awesome OST here*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLJ9JDOaMyg

...is it really about a dead guy? :O

I was much older than you when I watch this drama...probably a couple years after it aired. I was already there with your feelings on your second time around. I could not relate to the hate that was being spewed out by the commenters for Hak Do and actually thought he was the better guy for her, until they wrote him into a bad guy. I fell in love with UTW in this role and have been his fan ever since (not getting into recent events). I've said to a lot of responders to my comments that old eyes like mine see dramas in a much different way than the young do. Our life experience definitely affect our view of what is happening on our screens and our tolerance or intolerance for certain behaviors is vastly different. There are way more shades of gray for many of the things we see, but also some definite lines that are drawn too.

Memories. This was the third kdrama I've watched since I was introduced to it. I remember being creeped out by HD being obsessed with a high school girl. I rewatched this last year and sadly it didn't hold up as I ended up skipping episodes. The high school years were fun but when they got to college, I ended up skipping thru it.

But after so many dramas later I finally understood how MR and CH were considered married even without having a ceremony. I remember being confused by this.

Anyone else feel like watching their cameos in My Girl after reading this post?

I also loved the cast. Choong Hyang's friends, played by Moon Ji-Yoon and Lee In-Hye. (I didn't recognize Ji-Yoon in Cheese in the Trap. He was so sleazy. And I'd liked him so much as Bang Ji-Hyuk.)

This is my favorite drama! I've revisited it so many times. I remember hating Hak-do when I was younger, but I find that I continue to hate him as I grow older, although for very different reasons. I found it unacceptable for a man his age to be so petty and selfish, and that lack of maturity, for me, was different from Mong-ryong's immaturity because Hak-do's was dangerous in real-world ways due to his financial and powerful capabilities. I love that you point out Mong-ryong's spoiled nature, though, which of course is almost insufferable in the early episodes LOL. Thank you so much for spotlighting my favorite show :)

I started to watch this drama a while ago. I really like contract relationships, although paradoxically, most of them in Dramaland have dissappointed me (For instance: fated to love you, prime minister and I, full house, and the worse of all: lie to me).
Anyway... i started to watch this one and couldnt finish, then i read the Plot in wikipedia, and i realise i would hate the subplots so much that it was not worth to watch it. I found both second leads' motivations so stupidly unreal that i just left it dropped. I only watched part of the last episode, to see if at least the end was worthy.
Sadly it was not.

Now in this post i found out this is the first drama from the hong sisters!!!
Well... that explains everything! LOL???
I apologize if my opinion is harsh. I have watched several dramas from the Hong sisters and they love playing with noble idiocy, absurd villains, crazy situations that you never understand where do they come from and lies and intrigue.
It is sooo bizzarre!
I suppose i belong to the minority who cannot enjoy the Hong sisters' productions.
But that doesnt mean you guys should think the same..
I am glad you had fun revisiting an old drama.
And i would also like a
Han Chae-young comeback drama. ?

This is one of my earliest kdrama watch too. Haven't got the time too rewatch, but i still love/listen to the OST occasionally. The 'haengbok hagil bare' / sad song still can make me feel sad and melancholy.

But what I remember most, is that cringe worthy/awkward dance scene in the early episode.

I also wish Han Chae-young makes a drama comeback!

I usually re-watch my dramas but this one never got a re-run. I guess becuase I can still remember how I felt in the last few episodes. I didn't like that they had to separate like that. Hope to see more of Jae Hee (in good roles and good dramas) soon though.

12 years ago!! I had really hoped that I would see more of the actors in other projects and that they would all be successful. But for many of them, DGCH is still their most well known show and what i remember them for. ):

I watched this drama for the first time last year and really didn't like it. I actually had to force myself to finish the drama. I bet if I watched this when it was new or still fairly new I would have a very different opinion. I found the situation that led them to get married silly and overly contrived. I also didn't like any of the characters, especially Chun-hyang, who is the main character. I wish I had seen this back in the day as lots of people rave about how great it is but sadly I wasn't able to.

Why is Han Chae-Young not doing dramas anymore?

***I was actually going to write about this this was my gateway drama. So I'll just paste at least what I've written so far.

My first kdrama ever. Didn't know what to expect  (Ok maybe I lied, I actually saw My sassy girl before this and I hated it with a passion).

That first opening sequence totally got me. Our lovely heroine bound in a head shackle, the villain cackling to cut her head off. Then Myong ryong comes into the picture vowing to save the girl, his minions running and suddenly the music rises to a crescendo. Ack, my heart! Martial arts fight scene ensues (which I love), our lead walking like a gangsta through that chaos. Suddenly, we see our heroine totally has saved herself and in fact is schooling the villains with their hands up like naughty school boys. How fucking awesome. I knew right then there, I was going to enjoy this ride.

I've never seen a drama quite like this. With the engaging music suiting the scene at play. With matrix like movements which at that time was quite modern and fresh. Nowadays it's pretty dated. The quality of the film also feels dated compared to now but back then, it was pretty good.

I still love this drama but in different way now. Feelings have changed. I've seen better dramas than this at this point. The storyline was a bit flimsy, the hero a bit whiny, the heroine a bit of a martyr, the villain a bit 2 dimensional. But yet, I see clips of this drama and all that feelings of first love and excitement comes back. I love the memories that it brings back more than the drama itself.

PS. I still love the OST of this. That hasn't changed one bit.

I think this was one of the very first kdramas I ever watched. So, so funny xD

For me, a few dramas would be up there in the list of "Second-lead-driven second watch":

1. The King 2 Hearts: Eun Shi Kyung, my Earnest Bot, I love you. JJS and LYJ made a stellar couple. It doesn't hurt that this drama also has LSG's best performance to date.

2. DOTS: Kim Ji Won and Jin Goo Killed it! Smashed it!

3. Goblin: Grim Reaper aka Kim Woo Bin-shi and Kim Sun. Although this drama classifies more in my "Bromance-driven second watch" list more :D

I agree with you on a lot of stuff (the premise behind the marriage was a little ridiculous) but I couldn't disagree with you more when it comes to Byun Hak. I recently watched the show again for the first time in 10 years and I find Hak to be so incredibly creepy. I liked him a lot the first time I saw the show, but this time, I noticed his manipulative behavior earlier on. In one early episode, he gives Choon-hyang a scholarship to go to college but takes it away when he sees her out with Mong-ryong (her HUSBAND). Immediately afterwards, he plays the role of the hero by lending her money, while ensuring that she stays close and dependent on him. In fact, I don't think that Hak puts Choon-hyang first, not really. Many of the "generous" things he does have some ulterior motive. I'm not saying that he is a complete monster, especially in the beginning, but he is never really a good guy.

Also, Mong-ryong may be selfish and spoiled, but he never deliberately tried to hurt someone or manipulate them like Hak did. Plus, Mong-ryong is a high-school/young college student. He is stupid and selfish and yeah, he relies on his parent's for money... like most high school/college students. Hak is an adult, probably at least 30 since he's the CEO of a huge company. Of course he has his own money and success! Comparing teenage Mong-ryong and adult Byun Hak is not fair. Besides, once Mong-ryong reaches Byun's age, he is a successful Prosecutor with money and a good career. So... Hak isn't really winning, he's just significantly older.

Tbh I'm am probably biased because I've been stalked before and Hak's behavior really reminded me of my stalker's. We were friendly at first but he wouldn't listen to me when I told him I only saw him as a friend and began to threaten me and my boyfriend, which is exactly what Hak does. Because of this experience, I actually kind of hate Hak and would never call his actions just "mischievous" or "petty". He literally blackmails Choon-hyang, stalks her, tries to force her to leave the country with him, and threatens her husband's life. She literally lives in fear of him finding her, unable to even openly attend her best friends' wedding because he might be there. That is terrifying and horrible. By the end of the show, Hak doesn't even care about Choon-hyang or her feelings. He just wants to have her for himself, regardless of who he hurts in the process. To me, that is the ultimate selfish act. That is not love, it's obsession and he basically ruins her life because he refuses to listen to her when she CLEARLY says "I'm in love with my husband, I do not feel that way about you, please move on." (and she does say that, multiple times, in many episodes, so it's not really unclear).

Sorry this was long and passionate, I just have really strong feelings about Hak as a character.

I was searching for Chun-hyang images on google and got redirected right back to Dramabeans. I love this thread ♥