K-Drama Review: She Was Pretty

Rimjhim Thakur, Delhi

The outer beauty and physical appearance of a person or a thing is just an illusion but what is eternal is the inner beauty. Even the famous idiom ‘never judge a book by its cover’ holds true for a reason. Based on the same theme, MBC aired a simple and sweet yet meaningful drama called She Was Pretty, which talked about the supposedly imperfect attributes of a person that can be their most beautiful qualities in reality.

In South Korea, looks and appearances matter a lot, and many people undergo surgeries and makeovers to fit the ideal beauty standards. ‘She Was Pretty’ is a perfect drama that draws attention to this concept and reconfirms the idea that a person’s inner beauty should always take precedence.

The drama, that aired in 2015, stars Park Seo-joon, Hwang Jung-eum, Go Joon-hee, and Choi Si-won in the lead. It narrates the story of Kim Hye-jin, played by Hwang Jung-eum, who falls from the pedestal after her family faces bankruptcy and then, fails to get a decent job because of her different looks and personality. On the other hand, her friend Min Ha-ri, played by Go Joon-hee, is a cool and gorgeous girl, who makes the hearts of all the boys around her flutter easily. Even though the two are poles apart, they are close friends who support and understand each other well.

The male protagonist of the drama, Ji Sung-joon, played by Park Seo-joon, is a successful and hard-working person, who lives a comfortable life but deep inside, he seems a bit lonely as he misses his childhood friend, who helped him during his early years, protecting him from the people who bullied him because of his obesity. Joining him is Kim Shin-hyuk, played by Choi Si-won, who is a happy-go-lucky person. He loves to have fun and enjoys his life to the fullest.

Hye-jin and Sung-joon manage to meet each other after years at a popular fashion magazine’s office. But Hye-jin, ashamed to meet her friend because of her looks, convinces her friend Ha-ri to impersonate her and meet Sung-joon on her behalf. Meanwhile, she bumps into Shin-hyuk, and they develop a bond of friendship. What happens when the four fall for each other? In a beautiful, rib-tickling tale of mistaken identities and things going haywire, the characters understand the true meaning of beauty and realise their potential.

This drama has a light-hearted but thoughtful storyline that will appeal to people of all ages. The characters are funny and relatable, and the viewers will root for them until the end. Not to forget the OSTs, that blend well with the story. Perhaps this is the reason why it was loved by the masses. It not only fetched numerous awards for the cast but was also appreciated worldwide.

The drama is available on Netflix and Viu India. You can watch the trailer here:

What do you think of the drama? Tell us your views on it.