WWATD?! The Greatest Love

Still recovering from getting behind on our K-dramas while in Seoul this summer, Sunnie and I wrapped up The Greatest Love last week. The Greatest Love is a Hong sisters romantic comedy and was, as is typical for their work, a pretty ridiculous, off-the-wall comedy, this one detailing the burgeoning relationship between Korea’s biggest star, Dok Ko-Jin, and a failed former idol who is always getting her name dragged through the mud, Ku Ae-Jung.

The Hong Sisters tend to be a bit formulaic, and are hit and miss. We weren’t very impressed with their last effort, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, but loved the nonsense that was You’re Beautiful. The Greatest Love was an easy and enjoyable view from the start, much of this due to the perfect pairing of its two leads.

For Cha Seung-Won, choosing this role seemed to be a very conscious choice following his role as a diabolical terrorist in Athena. Dok Ko-Jin is your typical arrogant bad boy, but also very much a buffoon, played very much over the top and good for frequent laughs. His various mannerisms have stuck with us since we finished the drama, with shouts of “Ding dong!” ringing throughout our house.

Kong Hyo-Jin matches Dok Ko-Jin’s bullying with her typical lost puppy dog routine, but rather than the pathetic bleating of “Chep” we got in Pasta, here Ku Ae-Jung comes across as sweet and an undeserving victim of the media. The result is a great pairing playing roles very well suited to them.

The supporting cast was also strong. We were so annoyed by Yoon Kye-Sang’s clinging in the last time we saw him in the disappointing Triple, but here, he is so appealing as Yoon Pil-Joo, a doctor of traditional medicine who is “the perfect man” and counterpoint to Dok Ko-Jin’s rudeness. Often times, you can end up being annoyed at the “good guy” forming the K-drama love quadrangle, but here, he’s a character you like throughout the drama. Even the selfish and annoying Kang Se-Ri, played by Yoo In-Na who we last saw as a sweet best friend in Secret Garden, was likeable in her own way and excellent in playing a believably self-centered idol.

Then you had the cute nephew, and Jeong Jun-Ha as Ae Jung’s bumbling brother, Aehwan. Plus Im Ji-Kyu fresh off of his role as Park Shi Hoo’s assistant in Queen of Reversals, playing Dok Ko’s manager. Top to bottom, it was a fun cast, and a stress-free, fun show.

One reason it was so enjoyable was that The Greatest Love played off of a lot of the gossip and paparazzi surrounding the Korean entertainment industry, showing the ridiculousness of netizens and all that stars do to try and maintain their images. It repeatedly alluded to different events and had repeated not very subtle indictments of the thoughtlessness and viciousness of the media. It was definitely playing more for laughs than suspense or romance, but was a really enjoyable watch throughout.

We’re now looking for our next round of dramas. Heartstrings is definitely on the list. What else should we be looking out for? Until our next WWATD?!, enjoy a couple of the good songs from The Greatest Love‘s OST!