KDRAMALOVE KOREAN DRAMA REVIEWS
Devilish Joy
마성의 기쁨
MBN (2018) 16 Episodes
Romantic Comedy, Grade: B+
Korean Drama Review by Winnie, USA
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This was one of several Korean dramas I was watching when suddenly the web site that was hosting it, Dramafever, died out in October of 2018, leaving its worldwide audience high and dry, wondering if we would ever get the chance to see its conclusion. More recently Viki took it over and I was finally able to finish watching Devilish Joy, starring handsome Choi Jin Hyuk (Gu Family Book, Pride And Prejudice, Tunnel, The Last Empress) and cute, impish Song Ha Yoon (Sang Doo Let's Go To School, Reset, film Fly High). Even though this is officially labeled a romantic comedy there were sad elements to the story as well, mostly having to do with one of the lead characters suffering from memory loss due to a bad road accident.
The Story:
During an on location trip to Italy for her latest television show as an actress, sweet and funny popular star Joo Gi Bbeum (Song Ha Yoon) happens to meet a handsome surgeon named Gong Ma Sung (Choi Jin Hyuk), a successor to the Medical Research Sunwoo Company in Korea. Since they are both from the same country they hit it off, especially after some local ruffians try to hurt Gi Bbeum and steal from her. Ma Sung rescues her, and ends up buying her new red shoes to replace ones she lost. At one point they even share a romantic, passionate kiss on the steps of an ornate old building, and then promise each other to meet again in the same spot the next night. Only it is not to be. As they both try to meet again in this spot Gi Bbeum makes it, but Ma Sung does not: he is hit by a truck and passes out in agony. Gi Bbeum feels like he deliberately didn't show up for their date and she returns to Korea down-hearted and frustrated. Ma Sung meanwhile is sent back to Korea to recover physically and while he does respond to medical trreatment physically, mentally he has troubles recovering. He only remembers things that happened to him for a few hours every day and has to write down his experiences in a daily diary so he can function, no longer as a physician anymore, but as a medical researcher.
As fate would have it, once back in Korea, Gi Bbeum loses her acting career because of a silly scandal, and to make ends meet she starts her own web site selling clothes she makes herself. Doing this she is able to eek out a living to help support her family, including her alcoholic poet father Joo Man Sik (Oh Gwang Rok), and two teen siblings sister Joo Sa Rang (Kim Ji Young) and brother Joo Ja Rang (Yang Byeong Yeol).
Suddenly Gi Bbeum runs into Ma Sung again and while she remembers him he has no memory of her. When she behaves rather sternly against him, thinking he is deliberately ostracizing her, he thinks she's a nutcase. He even orders some clothes from her and when she arrives at his place she is shocked to find out he lives in her old rich apartment in a luxurious side of Seoul, one that she had to abandon when her acting career hit the skids. She arrives and he refuses to accept the clothes (though he does pay for them), and she ends up giving them to the homeless! Later she tells him she threw them out! This is not endearing her to him. However, there IS something about this girl that intrigues him, and eventually he learns that they once had a date but he never showed up. He softens toward her, but can they ever pick up their former relationship that seemed to be going so well in Italy? Will Ma Sung ever be able to have his memory restored, hopefully so that he can finally work as a doctor once more and help others with memory loss in future?
This drama is filled with typical K-drama cliches but I still enjoyed it. You can watch this one pretty easily without having to think too hard. Their romance is fun and often sweet. If you like a nice romance with some good solid acting then check out Devilish Joy.
