Who here often watches K-Drama? Surely almost all of us have followed at least one drama. Korean drama has its own charm that makes us feel at home while watching it. Examples are storylines that are difficult to guess, soundtracks that support, and most importantly – visual appearances rather than actors and actresses who play a role, certainly accompanied by the quality of their acting. Speaking of K-Drama, the name Lee Da-hee is definitely no stranger to any of us. The actress who was born on March 15th, 1985, debuted at the age of 17 as a model, but who would have thought that she has talent in acting. This is evident from the several dramas that she managed to star in. This time, Channel-Korea will discuss the Top 5 of Lee Da-hee’s dramas that you must watch. Are you curious? Well, stay tuned and let’s get started!
Birdie Buddy (버디버디)
The first drama is Birdie Buddy (버디버디). This drama is based on the 2007 comic series of the same title by Lee Hyun-sae. It starred Uee, Lee Yong-woo, and Lee Da-hee. Birdie Buddy was initially scheduled to air in the summer of 2010 but was postponed by Group Eight. And on November 2nd, 2010, a representative from MBC announced that Birdie Buddy will air after Queen of Reversals in March 2011. However, the drama was later rejected by the MBC board for being unsuitable. Instead, Queen of Reversals was extended and another series, The Duo was aired in the place of Birdie Buddy. But after several cancellations and postponements, an official from tvN announced on July 5th, 2011, that Birdie Buddy will premiere on August 15th, after I Need Romance ends. The producers have decided to air 24 episodes spanning 45 minutes each instead of the initial 20 episodes of 70 minutes each. It aired every Monday and Tuesday at 23:00.
Drama: Birdie Buddy Revised romanization: Budi-Budi Hangul: 버디버디 Director: Yun Sang-Ho Writer: Chiu Seong-Hyeon (comic), Kwon In-Chan Network: tvN Episodes: 24 Release Date: August 8th, 2011 — October 25th, 2011 Runtime: Mon & Tue 23:10 Language: Korean Country: South Korea
This is the trailer of the drama:
And here’s the synopsis of the drama. Sung Mi-soo (Uee) is a cheerful, humble country girl from Gangwon Province. She comes from a poor family, and her mother used to work as a caddy. With her bright personality and determined efforts, Mi-soo is striving to become a professional golf player. On the other hand, Min Hae-ryung (Lee Da-hee) is an elite athlete who has been groomed for professional golf from a young age. Placed in the best environment to play golf, Hae-ryung’s emotions are always controlled and she has a deep emotional wound inside of her. These two girls from different backgrounds share the same dream of being the next top golfer, a dream that leads them to former pro golfer John Lee (Lee Yong-woo). John Lee was the first Korean to win a PGA title. His background was a mystery other than the fact that he was an adoptee. Aside from golf, he also excelled in the Afro-Brazilian dance/martial arts style known as capoeira. But even though he found success by winning the PGA title, John Lee stopped playing golf to become a golf course tester. John Lee agrees to lead Mi-soo and Hae-ryung into becoming the next queens of golf like Se Ri Pak, Michelle Wie, Jiyai Shin, and Eun-Hee Ji. The main cast includes:
Uee as Sung Mi-soo Jin Ji-hee as young Mi-soo Lee Yong-woo as John Lee Yoon Chan as young John Lee Da-hee as Min Hae-ryung
Welcome Rain To My Life (내 인생의 단비)
Let’s move to the second drama Welcome Rain to My Life (내 인생의 단비). Its a 2012 South Korean television series starring Lee Da-hee, Shim Hyung-tak, Ryu Sang-wook, Shin Joo-ah, and Kim Hae-in. This drama aired on SBS from April 2nd to August 31st, 2012, Mondays to Fridays at 8:40 a.m. for a total of 106 episodes.
Drama: Welcome Rain to My Life Revised romanization: Nae Insaengui Danbi Hangul: 내 인생의 단비 Director: Park Yong-Soon Writer: Ko Bong-Hwang Network: SBS Episodes: 106 Release Date: April 2nd – August 31st, 2012 Runtime: Monday – Friday 08:40 Language: Korean Country: South Korea
Here’s the trailer of the drama.
And here’s the synopsis. The series revolves around Han Dan-bi (Lee Da-hee), a rude woman who was raised in a wealthy family. Her life becomes difficult after her father, a once-popular singer, meets with an accident that was planned by his wife. Dan-bi then finds out that she was adopted. Her stepmother takes advantage of her husband’s comatose state to kick Dan-bi out of their house, all in a plot to sell his land to the ruthless chairman of a hospital company. This revelation leads Dan-bi to begin searching for her birth mother by using her adoptive father’s will as leverage, not knowing that the truth about what happened to her birth father is directly tied to the chairman. She encounters several people along the way: the chairman’s grandson who falls for Dan-bi but is uncertain of the outcome if they become a couple; a divorced lawyer whom Dan-bi loves, but whose father is also connected to her birth father, which is the reason why the lawyer’s mother disapproves of Dan-bi for her son; the lawyer’s ex-wife, and their daughter who likes Dan-bi more than her own mother; a step-sister who sees Dan-bi as a roadblock to climbing the corporate ladder; and an ailing doctor who was not only the love of Dan-bi’s adoptive father’s life, but knows the real truth about Dan-bi’s parentage. And this is the main cast of Welcome Rain to My Life
Lee Da-hee as Han Dan-bi, she is the main protagonist Shim Hyung-tak as Lee Seung-joo, a divorced lawyer and the love of Dan-bi’s life Ryu Sang-wook as Choi Kyu-won, president of the hospital company and Dan-bi’s half-brother Shin Joo-ah as Han Won-mi, Dan-bi’s step-sister who wants Kyu Won Kim Hae-in as Joo Sun-hee, Seung-joo’s ex-wife and owner of a bar
I Can Hear Your Voice (너의 목소리가 들려)
The third drama is I Can Hear Your Voice (너의 목소리가 들려). It is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Lee Bo-young, Lee Jong-suk, Yoon Sang-hyun, and Lee Da-hee. The first script reading for the drama series took place on May 5th, 2013, at SBS Studio in Tanhyun, Ilsan, South Korea. It aired on SBS from June 5th to August 1st, 2013, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 18 episodes taking over Case Number 113 slot and followed by The Master’s Sun in July 2013. This drama was originally set for 16 episodes, however, due to its successful ratings, the series was extended by 2 episodes.
English/literal title: I Can Hear Your Voice Revised romanization: Neoui Moksoriga Deulleo Hangul: 너의 목소리가 들려 Director: Jo Soo-Won Writer: Park Hye-Ryun Network: SBS Episodes: 18 Release Date: June 5th – August 1st, 2013 Runtime: Wednesday & Thursday 21:55 Language: Korean Country: South Korea
This is the synopsis of the drama. 9-year-old Soo-ha (later played by Lee Jong-suk) and his father are riding together in a car when they are suddenly struck by a truck driven by Min Joon-kook (Jung Woong-in). Min Joon-kook then gets out of his truck and jumps on the hood of their car. Soo-ha and Min Joon-kook’s eyes meet through the windshield of his father’s car. Suddenly, Soo-ha is able to hear the man’s violent thoughts “I need to finish this.” Min Joon-kook goes to his truck and gets out a baseball bat. He fatally strikes Soo-ha’s father dead with the bat. Soo-ha is in complete shock. When Min Joon-kook turns to strike Soo-ha, the sound of a camera flash goes off and Min Joon-kook goes after whoever is taking the pictures. This saves Soo-ha’s life. The person with the camera is a young girl named Hye-sung (later played by Lee Bo-young). Later, Hye-sung testifies against Min Joon-kook in court. Min Joon-kook claims that Soo-ha’s father died in a car accident. Through the court proceedings, Soo-ha falls in love with Hye-sung. Soo-ha promises to protect Hye-sung from Min Joon-kook, when he threatens to get revenge on her. 10 years later, Soo-ha is now an exemplary high school student. Nobody is aware that Soo-ha possesses telepathic abilities. Meanwhile, Hye-sung now works as an attorney, but she doesn’t uphold the virtues of her profession very well. She is also not very successful and barely makes $1,000 a month. Her mother then pushes her to apply for a public defender position due to its higher pay. In the waiting room, prior to taking her interview, Kwan-woo (Yoon Sang-hyun) strikes up a conversation with Hye-sung, but she ignores him. Kwan-woo is applying for the same position. He originally worked as a police officer but went back to law school to become a public defender. During her interview, Hye-sung talks about the events that took place 10 years ago and this helps her land the public defender position. After Hye-sung gets the job, her picture is posted in the newspaper. Soo-ha sees her photo and becomes elated that he can finally see her. At the same time, Min Joon-kook sees her photo while in prison. He is soon set to be released. And here is the main cast and their roles in the drama.
Lee Bo-young as Lawyer Jang Hye-sung: She is a smart and hardworking person. Hye-sung was raised by a poor but loving mother. After being falsely accused of causing an incident involving fireworks, she gets expelled from high school. She bravely testifies on the witness stand, causing the murderer of Park Soo-ha’s father to be convicted and imprisoned. But both experiences change her, and ten years later, Hye-sung is an apathetic public defender who doesn’t care about her clients and only does her job for the salary.
Lee Jong-suk as Park Soo-ha: After witnessing his father’s murder (and almost getting killed himself), 9-year-old Soo-ha gains the supernatural ability to read people’s minds by looking at their eyes. When high school teenager Hye-sung testified in court to corroborate his testimony regarding the killer, he swears that he would always protect and guard her. He nurses a crush on her for a decade, but when he meets her again, he’s dismayed to find her completely different from what he expected.
Yoon Sang-hyun as Cha Gwan-woo: A cop who brings his idealism, empathy, and attention to detail to his new job as a public defender. Though outwardly geeky and meek, he has a keen intelligence that sees new angles in his cases.
Lee Da-hee as Seo Do-yeon: A prosecutor who comes from a rich, well-connected family, with her father being a judge and her mother a doctor. Do-yeon has always pushed herself to become the perfect daughter to please her parents. She was in rivalry with Hye-sung in high school and when a fireworks accident nearly caused her to lose her eyesight, she blamed Hye-sung for it, despite the latter’s denials. Do-yeon was also a witness to the murder of Park Soo-ha’s father, but at the last minute, she loses her courage and doesn’t testify.
Big Man (빅맨)
Next is Big Man (빅맨). It is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Kang Ji-hwan, Choi Daniel, Lee Da-hee, and Jung So-min. It was aired on KBS2 from April 28th to June 17th, 2014, for 16 episodes.
Drama: Big Man Revised romanization: Bigmaen Hangul: 빅맨 Director: Ji Yeong-su Writer: Choi Jin-won Network: KBS2 Episodes: 16 Release Date: April 28th – June 17th, 2014 Runtime: Monday and Tuesday 21:55 Language: Korean Country: South Korea
Here are some trailers of the drama.
And this is a short synopsis of it. There is a world only for the rich and privileged. There, the laws and principles are different from normal society. In this corrupted world, people need a superman. This superman is not your typical superman. He does not fly or defeat evil spirits with a superpower. Rather, he is born as an orphan and has lived a life of being treated with contempt. He has no family or educational background. Although he seems like nothing much, he is quite relatable. Then, he meets a woman. She comes to kill him but he falls in love with her. She brings out a real superhero in him. Then the miracles start to happen. A drama about a man named Kim Ji-hyuk (Kang Ji-hwan), living a third-rated life gets involved in a plan to save Kang Dong-suk (Choi Daniel), a rich family’s only son who needs a heart transplant. Kim Ji-hyuk gets a new life as the eldest son of the rich family but realizes later that it was all a plan and faces the irregularity of the world. In the process of changing his life, Kim Ji-hyuk meets So Mi-ra (Lee Da-hee), his destiny. She is Kang Dong-suk’s girlfriend and is well aware that Ji Hyuk is appointed for Dong-suk’s heart transplant and even tries to kill him. Then, Mi-ra starts to open her mind to Ji-hyuk who is ignorant, but also considerate. Mi-ra, who has only cared about Kang Dong-suk is looking at someone else. However, Dong-suk cannot give up Mi-ra for Ji-hyuk. Big Man main cast is:
Kang Ji-hwan as Kim Ji-hyuk: He is born a penniless orphan and grows up to be an uneducated, poor, “trash-like” man. His life changes when he is tricked into believing that he is the long-lost eldest son of a rich, chaebol family, but everything he’s told turns out to be lies. Actually, Ji-hyuk is not related to them at all, and the family only wanted to circumvent the transplant program and make him the heart donor for his supposed brother Kang Dong-seok, the real heir.
Choi Daniel as Kang Dong-seok: Outwardly friendly and congenial, Dong-seok is a two-faced and cunning businessman who doesn’t hesitate to do whatever it takes to survive in business. As the only son and heir to the Hyunsung Group, he readily accepts his future as leader of Korea’s most powerful business conglomerate. However, his ascent to power is complicated by a business rival, Kim Ji-hyuk.
Lee Da-hee as So Mi-ra: The daughter of the chauffeur of Hyunsung Group, and manager of the in-house staff. She gets involved in an effort to save Dong-seok’s life, who loves her despite the difference in their social class. But Mi-ra eventually falls for Ji-hyuk, and winds up secretly aiding him on his mission.
Jung So-min as Kang Jin-ah: Dong-seok’s younger sister. A badly behaved, self-centered heiress, Jin-ah is used to getting her own way until she falls in unrequited love with Ji-hyuk.
