This is the lightest K-drama I watched. Lightest because it is very comfortable to watch alone or with the whole family. Seeing the beauty of the place is definitely breathtaking and can be self-meditating.
The story happened in the province of Gongjin but I found out that it was only a fictional name. I searched for it in Google but it is not searchable. The real name of the province is Pohang.
Just by watching the first episode, you will see how beautiful it is to live in the province and especially in the seaside village. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the traffic and the pollution.
Some province are modernized which means progress and it is a good sign but it is also good to maintain the old style of the province. The people living a simple happy and contented with their everyday lives.
The Beginning
It all started when the dentist Hye-jin resigned from her work because of her misunderstanding with her superior. She found out that her superior stoles her patients. She is a beautiful, fashionable and spends on expensive items like clothes, shoes and jewelries.
One morning, she left Seoul and went to the seaside to release her stress. She wore her expensive high heeled shoes for the first time while driving the car. When she reached the sea, she sat down for a while then left her shoe in the sand while walking barefoot in the seaside. She enjoyed the place and she felt relaxed.
It was Gongjin. There were lots of fishermen and one of them is Du-sik who is also a plumber, machine operator, surfer, electrician and different jobs.
The two met while Du-sik was surfing and Hye-jin was walking in the the sea. When she came back where she left her shoes, it was no longer there and Du-sik returned from surfing. Hye-jin asked her if she saw her shoes. But Du-sik only got 1 piece of her shoes and gave it to her looking mad at Hye-jin.
Hye-jin asked for a slippers from Du-sik and he offered his toilet slippers which at first the girl did not accepted. But she wore it since it was too hot. She ordered a coffee from a shop but it does not accept card so she needs to withdraw first. But she cannot withdraw her money in her ATM card due to system outage in the area. There were also no signals from her mobile phone.
She has no cash so she asked for help from Du-sik. Instead of lending her money, she worked for few hours with other older people in removing skin of squids. After that, she earned money and rented in a sauna to sleep.
Unfortunately, her car was also not working. There were no machine operator that day so she have to stay for a day and wait until tomorrow for it to be repaired.
The next morning, everything was ok including her car and her money in the ATM. Hye-jin went back to the city and looked for a job but because of her fight with her superior, it was hard to findsince she was banned.
So she planned on going back to Gongjin and stay there for good. She planned to build a clinic since she found out that there were no clinic in the village. She also rented a house from one of the restaurant owner who owned both place. The clinic was a good spot since the sea was overlooking. It was Du-sik who build her clinic and her house. Hye-jin was surprised that they meet again in his different job.
The next day, her bestfriend also live with her after being heart-broken. She worked as the assistant of Hye-jin in the clinic.
The next morning, there were many people looking outside at their house since they were just new.
Her clinic was also opened after a few days. But unfortunately, no one came for check-up for the whole day. The 2 got bored. Du-sik told them that they should meet the people in the village personally. But Hye-jin insisted. So the next day, there were still no customers.
One morning, Hye-jin realized and changed her mind and meet the people personally. She talked to them and went to their restaurants and business spaces. She also went to some house. She became friends with them. After that, few customers came until many came for appointments. They were very happy.
She started to interact with the neighborhood and became close with Du-sik.
Du-Sik
Du-sik is the man working with different jobs. In the morning, he is the assistant in the coffee shop of his friend who used to be a singer before who has 1 daughter and an addicted in a boyband.
Du-sik also worked as part-time in a grocery owned by couple who has a cute daughter. The wife is currently pregnant.
He was a very busy man but everything he does should be paid. That was his job. He was living alone in a house from his grandfather who passed away and his life looked mysterious. He always have nightmares when he sleeps. It seemed somethings bothering him.
He grew up with his grandfather when he was small. Her grandfather died because of a heart attack during the time he was not at home He felt it was his fault.
Aside from that, no one knows his own life. How did he got there in Gongjin?
The People in Gongjin
All are happy in the village especially when there are occasions and gatherings. All of them seemed close in the village.
One day, a visitor went to the village. He is Seong-hyun. He was looking at the views where he met Du-sik who grabbed him when he was about to fall in the sea. He stroll in the place with Du-sik. The reason for that was he was a producer in a famous show in tv wherein he will feature the place and he chose Gongjin.
Accidentally, he saw Hye-jin who was an old friend in their university. He saw her clinic. They talk to each other again and with Du-sik. Seong-hyun has a secret crush to Hye-jin ever since they were in college but he did not have the courage to court her before. Seong-hyun remembered all their memories together in college.
Seong-hyun became closer with Du-sik. He asked Du-sik if Hye-jin has a boyfriend because he is willing to court her now. Du-sik was surprised because he has also feelings for the girl.
Seong-hyun admitted his feelings to Hye-jin but she has feelings for Du-sik already. Du-sik also has feelings to Hye-jin.
One-night, when Hye-jin was on her way to see the shooting of Seong-hyun and his crew, there was a man who was following her. It was dark on the road so she ran fast and her cellphone fell. She continued running and luckily, Du-sik was roaming in the village and she saw Hye-jin. She hugged Du-sik tightly because of fright. The man disappeared.
The next evening, she was going inside the house from work. Her friend went to Seoul because her mother undergone operation. A man was following her with a knife. She was able to call Du-sik since she was holding her phone. Du-sik was on the rescue and fight with the man but he was stabbed in his shoulder. He was brought to the hospital. The man was captured by the police officers. Hye-jin stayed for the meantine at Du-siks house.
With those incidents, Hye-jin developed her feelings to Du-sik. Both of them fell in love with each other. Seong-hyun knew that Hye-jin has feelings for Du-sik too.
The Secret of Du-sik
Hye-jin and Du-sik kept their relationship secret first. But later on, the neighborhood already found out. They were happy and in love.
But when Hye-jin was asking about Du-sik's past, he cannot answered it. Hye-jin wants to know if he wants to stay with his life like that without changing his work in Gongjin. But Du-sik seemed he was hiding something.
He said that he has worked before in Seoul. That was it. Then he went back to Gongjin without them knowing the real reason. Hye-jin was opened to Du-sik so she was frustrated that the man was not open to her.
Seong-hyun continued their film in the village. It was shot in one of the houses of an old lady who was like a mother to Du-sik. Seong-hyun accepted the fact that Hye-jin was just a friend to him. He did not know that his staff has feelings for him for a long time so she got jealous every time Seong-hyun talked about Hye-jin.
Then when one of Seong-hyun staff knew the real name of Du-Sik, he remembered that it was the name who fooled his father from an insurance company where he used to work in Seoul. His father was in comatosse and still recovering. While in the Thanksgiving that day in the village, he talked to Du-sik and punched his face.
This is where the secret of Du-sik was revealed. He stayed alone in his house for days. Then he called Hye-jin and told his story. Hye-jin listened to him.
He said that he met his bestfriend who was his roommate who worked as a manager in an insurance company and he worked there, too. It was a good company and one of the security guards joined. He used all of his money to join the insurance. But suddenly, the agency was scammed. All members were scammed including the security guard. He was totally depressed of what happened. Du-sik thought it was himself who cause the trouble to the security guard.
He was about to visit him and drive but his bestfriend force Du-sik that he will be the one to drive. But on the way, they met an accident. A truck bumped their car which lead to the death of his bestfriend. The wife blamed him for what happened to his husband.
Du-sik sold all his properties and gave it to the family of the security guard. It was the staff of Seong-hyun who was the son of the security guard. He committed suicide but there was a call from a friend that stopped him from jumping into the bridge. He said that it was not his time to die.
He left Seoul and went to Gongjin to stay for good.
The Happy Ending
Du-sik has finally let go what he was keeping for a long time. Hye-jin believed in him. He knew that Du-sik is a good man. Hye-jin received an offer to work in Seoul but she did not accepted it. She wanted to stay with Du-sik for good in Gongjin.
But the old lady whom Du-sik treated as his mother passed away. No one expected it. Everyone in the village
The wife of Du-siks bestfriend was the sister of Seong-hyun. Her sister went to Gongjin and forgive Du-sik. Seong-hyun knew how hard it was for Du-sik too. His staff also talked and reunited with Du-sik after the incident.
After all the worst thing that happened, Du-sik and Hye-jin got married. They lived happily in Gongjin.
My Final Say
It is true that love finds a way. We can find our true love in a far away place or sometimes just beside us.
We should also be honest to our loved ones because they will understand us and accept us for who and what we are. If not, it is still good because we admit what we have done.
Happy reading everyone!!