A reunion of two stars I had enjoyed together in the delightful 2015 film Wonderful Nightmare, Seung Hun Song and Uhm Jung Hwa, this rather breezy, often kooky, and fun drama My Troublesome Star (2025) definitely made me recall the nice chemistry they had had together in the earlier film. My Troublesome Star is an amnesia story where the male lead character, a policeman, helps a previous film star put the pieces of her prestigious former life back together again after she suffers amnesia, apparently from a vehicle accident -- one that may not have really been an accident after all.

It was obvious to me that the two main stars definitely enjoyed working together again -- especially in the funny scenes! I often found myself giggling at their antics together (outtakes shown in the end credits proved me right!). After I finished the drama I dusted off the film and watched it again after many years - also delighting to see the young actress again from the classic drama Thank You, Seo Shin Ae (top left). She is always a doll to watch!

In addition to long time favorites Seung Hun Song and Uhm Jung Hwa, the supporting cast includes the beautiful and versatile actress Lee El (Goblin, My Liberation Notes), character actor Oh Dae Hwan (The Red Sleeve, The Return), and the dynamic actress Cha Chung Hwa (At a Distance Spring is Green, See You In My 19th Life). For the younger drama fans to enjoy there is also cutie pie actor Lee Min Jae (Crash Course In Romance) who plays the younger version of Seung Hun Song's character, and the mesmerizing newbie actress Jang Da A who plays Uhm Jung Hwa's character when young. They were sweet together as well.

The drama was directed by Choi Hyeong Hun, who had done good jobs directing popular dramas Second To Last Love and the funny early Lee Min Ho comedy Mackerel Run. This drama was written by Park Ji Ha (Miss Night And Day) and the script was quite flamboyant and even unpredictable at times, keeping you guessing for most of it. As of this writing you can enjoy My Troublesome Star at Viki or Viu streaming sites. If you've been watching a lot of heavy duty melodramas lately, and feel a need for a break, then check this romantic comedy out. You're guaranteed to have some laughs. Or maybe even a lot of laughs!

The Story:

In 1999 a beautiful young actress with the screen name Im Se Ra (Jang Da A) is wildly popular with all audiences in South Korea, but she keeps a lot of the stresses involved in obtaining her acting jobs to herself; for instance, when she is quietly expected to give out sexual favors to the mysterious CEO of her management company TwoOne Entertainment she refuses, but that apparently makes that CEO determined to take his revenge on her. (We are left guessing what he looks like because we only see him in shadow).

At one point her Dad, Bong Seok Bong (Ryu Tae Ho), gets in legal trouble, and the city police department wants his famous daughter to come to their station in person and be a witness. She refuses but the police don't give up. They are crazy about her and want her to show up at the station, not just about her Dad's case, but hopefully to get autographs from her and have pictures taken with her as well. They order their youngest police intern named Dokgo Cheol (Lee Min Jae) to keep trying to convince her to show up at the station. He keeps calling her but she recognizes his number, which includes the numbers 0728, and she keeps ignoring his calls. Then, after one particularly difficult day, she decides to talk to Dokgo Cheol and they seem to hit it off on the phone. He is very kind to her and listens to her troubles with compassion. She is grateful and says she will show up at the police station after all. When she does so all the policemen are thrilled, and Dokgo Cheol finds himself attracted to Se Ra for the first time.

Se Ra also has to deal with a competing actress within the same management company named Go Hui Yeong (Lee Da Yeon) who wants to see Se Ra fail at her acting career so she can take her place. She seems willing to do anything to guarantee that Se Ra's career is destroyed. She is angry when Se Ra wins a prestigious acting award that she herself craves. At the award ceremony Se Ra gives a special thanks to "Mr. 0728" and Cheol realizes with joy that she is thanking him most of all for being a compassionate listening ear during their multiple phone calls together.

 

Tragically, though, soon thereafter a truck hits her vehicle on the road (the K-drama cliche Killer White Truck strikes again, lol!). She seems to disappear from the world. We then jump forward 25 years into the future, and Se Ra appears as a crazed, escaped hospital patient named Bong Cheong Ja (now Uhm Jung Hwa), who is 50 years old! She has lost the past 25 years of her memories and now goes by her birth name, Bong Cheong Ja.

At first she doesn't even remember that she was that film star Se Ra. Called to restrain that crazed hospital patient is the very policeman whom she had befriended as Mr. 0728 in her earlier life, Dokgo Cheol (now Seung Hun Song). He doesn't recognize her and she doesn't recognize him, and they don't exactly warm to each other right away.

As more truths about both their pasts are revealed over time they gradually grow closer and her policeman friend Dokgo Cheol becomes determined to figure out who had sabotaged her life and career so long ago, when she was known nationwide by her actress screen name Im Se Ra. He explores old police records and begins to uncover long forgotten evidence that she had been targeted for destruction. Who those devious people could be who wanted her gone consumes his curiosity full time.

 

Once released from the hospital, eventually realizing who she had been 25 years earlier, Cheong Ja decides to try returning to acting, and discovers some of the same jealous enemies she had had long ago are still threatened by her revived existence, plus her formidable acting talent, which hasn't faded with time. While she had been out of commission her old rival Go Hui Yeong (now Lee El) had become a replacement star and she isn't thrilled when Cheong Ja starts to get roles that make her shine again with the public, including a high profile role playing a feisty housekeeper on a television show. Hui Yeong had been so jealous of Se Ra that when she had finally won an acting award she had repeated the same acceptance speech that Se Ra had used 25 years earlier when she had won the same award!

When Cheong Ja publicly claims to be the long ago disappeared top star Im Se Ra all the people around her, including her policeman friend Dokgo Cheol, plus her family members Dad and sister Baek Ja (Joo In Young), plus long term friends like makeup artist Min Tae Sook (Cha Chung Hwa) and stylist Sun Young (Jo Yeon Hee), not to mention the jealous rival actress Hui Yeong, have to decide how they will react to her growing confident personality. In addition, her former road manager, Kang Du Won (Oh Dae Hwan), now the CEO of TwoOne Entertainment, is quite cautious about her re-appearance in his life. He grows suspicious of Dokgo Cheol as well and begins to have him investigated.

As it turns out, Im Se Ra's popular, heartfelt comeback television show role isn’t just about regaining her previous fame, but it’s about rediscovering who she really is as a confident, mature, creative woman. My Troublesome Star feels like a deeply personal journey about self-discovery, fulfilling dreams, and second chances at life and love. There's a good mix of romantic comedy, slapstick, and melodrama at times as well. Korean dramas tend to be really wise at mixing widely disparate genres into one delightfully cohesive story line.

Although I am leaving out a lot of hidden plot details - and some characters - in my review on purpose, because I want you to discover them for yourself, the overall themes I have focused on here are worth the viewing journey .... especially with these wonderful experienced stars, whom I've been watching with fondness for decades now! Enjoy! 

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