In another case of “let’s rewatch something because I am overwhelmed by the amount of available choices”, today we’ll be talking about ‘You’re Beautiful’. This 2009 drama by the Hong sisters has it all; gender-bending shenanigans, nuns, parent drama, love triangles (plural), childhood trauma, romance, an unforgettable OST, K-pop references, and Jang GeunSuk. What else can you possibly ask for?
This is possibly *the* definitive Hong sisters’ drama, and it features all of their trademark styles and tropes. Witty dialogue, puns and meta references, memorable and quirky characters, ridiculous situations and shenanigans, and a plot that starts off fluffier than a down pillow but somehow morphs into extra high stakes and sadness halfway through.
Let ‘Promise You’ from the OST play as you read through our review:
‘You’re Beautiful’: The plot
Park Shin Hye stars as Go Mi Nyo (which means “pretty woman”), an orphan girl living in a convent in the countryside, training to become a nun. She’s clearly a walking disaster zone; from early on it’s obvious that she’s as clumsy as she is nice and easy to manipulate. When her twin brother’s agent comes to the convent to ask her to pose as Go Mi Nam (meaning “pretty man”) for one day, he easily guilt trips her into agreeing.
Go Mi Nam is supposed to become the fourth member of the super popular band A.N.JELL. Unfortunately, he had a plastic surgery mishap and cannot show his face to sign the cntract.
The A.N.JELLs
When she goes to sign the contract as Go Mi Nam, the band’s leader, arrogant and clearly tsundere Hwang Tae-Kyung (Jang Geun Suk) refuses to accept him unless he sings. After what feels like the longest pause in the world (it’s not, the actual longest pause in the world it’s simply in a much later episode) she finally starts singing. Her angelic voice makes the Tae-Kyung begrudgingly accept him.
The other two members of A.N.JELL are the sweet and gentle Kang Shin-woo (Jung Yong Hwa) on the guitar, and the energetic and utterly adorable Jeremy (Lee Hong Ki) on the drums.
The requested ‘one day’ quickly turns into ‘one month’, and Go Mi Nyo has to keep pretending she’s her brother while living in the same house as the rest of the band! Both Shin-woo and Tae-Kyung realise pretty quickly that she’s a girl. However, while Shin-woo decides to quietly support and help her without telling her, Tae-Kyung straight up calls her out and initially tells her to leave. But what with her being a walking disaster zone, she often ends up in sticky situations, and Tae-Kyung finds himself looking out for her despite pretending to not care.
There’s also a whole subplot about Tae Kyung’s crappy mom, and about a song that the dead father of the Go twins wrote, but that’s as far as I’ll go without spoiling anything.
The verdict
Did you notice a cliché or two when reading through the summary? Good job you! This story both makes fun of so many tropes that were considered especially cliché at the time and uses them at the same time. The girl-is-dressed-as-a-boy-and-has-to-hide-her-gender may not be as popular today, but the mid-to-late 2000s were kind of a peak time for those storylines, especially in manga and dramas (let’s not forget ‘To the beautiful You’ or ‘Coffee Prince’). How do people not notice she doesn’t have an Adam’s apple? Who cares, that kind of logic is unwelcome here.
‘You’re Beautiful’ is hilarious from start to finish, except for those bits in between where it will have you bawling your eyes out. The scene where Jeremy reads A.N.JELL fanfiction will never not be one of the funniest moments in K-dramas. On the other hand, Mi Nam looking heartbroken will never not make me cry. Whether it’s leaning into comedy or drama, it’s done very well. Story-wise, the stakes suddenly become higher near the end, so the resolution feels very fulfilling, and has just the right amount of fanfare.
The highlights
The love triangle physically hurt us all to watch. Shin-woo was *perfection*, and the fact that Tae Kyung treated Mi Nyo like a doormat sometimes did not help. I mean, do you know of any other second lead everyone felt so strongly about, that there’s an entire other drama where he’s cast with the female protagonist just so we can finally see them together? Yes, I am talking about 2011’s ‘Heartstrings’, starring Jung Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye. No, I don’t know if they were cast together because the director was another Shin Woo x Mi Nyo shipper, but hell, it sure felt like it.
‘You’re Beautiful’ was a huge success, thanks in part to the excellent performances by the entire cast. The Hong sisters particularly thanked and praised Jang Geun Suk for his perfomance. Honestly, the way he switches from cold-stare meanie to cute AF and back is magnificent and should be celebrated.
Finally, let’s not forget the excellent OST. Many shows suffer from OST overuse (yes, I’m looking at you ‘Something in the rain’), or from a song not particularly fitting being played at the wrong time and messing with the mood (still looking at you ‘Something in the rain’). Not this one. There are multiple songs, played just often enough that you memorise the hell out of them – but not so often that they start grating on your nerves. It certainly helps that they are really really good.
‘You’re Beautiful’ may not be a perfect drama, but it’s certainly a must-watch for everyone regardless. And as those who have seen it before will tell you, it’s one of those dramas that you’re always happy to revisit and recommend to people. Jump on the absurdity roller-coaster and enjoy the ride!
Watch the trailer here:
