MBC / 2015 / 16 episodes
Genres: romantic comedy
Written by Lee Jae-yoon
Directed by Nam Gi-hoon
More information: Wikipedia / HanCinema
My Unfortunate Boyfriend:
The Wisdom of a Pure Heart
"If it’s a rom-com, let it be like this!" – this was my first feeling after watching the series. While reflecting on what this drama is like, a frequently heard phrase came to my mind for some reason: that the protagonist occasionally speaks as if he were quoting Paulo Coelho—life wisdoms in a somewhat clichéd form. The only trouble is that I haven’t read Coelho, but encouraged by this, I have now searched the net to see what I could find from him. And there it was:
"We have to pay attention to what the child in our heart tells us. We should not be embarrassed by this child. We must not allow this child to be scared because the child is alone and almost never heard. We must allow the child to take the reins of our lives. The child knows that each day is different from every
other day. We have to allow it to feel loved again. We must please this child – even if this means that we act in ways we are not used to, in ways that may seem foolish to others . (...) But if we listen to the child who lives in our soul, our eyes will grow bright."
Bingo. I take no responsibility for other quotes, but fortunately, this one does not seem very clichéd, even if it does not formulate a completely original realization. However, it expresses exactly what My Unfortunate Boyfriend (I would prefer to translate it as "My Loser Boyfriend") is about.
The drama places an ordinary character and one that breaks all conventions at its center. The ambitious girl from a poor family, Yoon Ji-na (Yang Jin-sung), does everything in her power to enter a market-leading media company, fulfilling all its snobbish requirements. Although she can only show off in counterfeit brand-name items and leaves misunderstandings uncorrected—suggesting she graduated from a top university and comes from a wealthy family—she is nevertheless an imaginative, creative personality who is brave enough to enter the lion's den.
Before the job interview, however, she steps into something quite different: the manure spilled by the company's gardener. Although one might think of this as a good omen, within the company, Yoon Tae-woon (No Min-woo) is only called "Mr. Unfortunate," and the legend goes that he brings bad luck to everyone who comes into contact with him. Our heroine constantly bumps into the handsome, gentle, infinitely honest, but seemingly somewhat dim-witted young man.
At the center of the story stands a love square, of which the two protagonists, the company’s CEO, Kang Hee-cheol (Jung Yoon-hak), and another girl, Jeong Hye-mi (Han Tae-rin)—the CEO’s family-picked fiancée and Ji-na’s probationary competitor—are members.
As expected, alongside the competitive projects, private life skirmishes also begin. Hye-mi is in love with the CEO, who plays with her while setting his sights on the other probationary girl, who, though fleeing from Tae-woon, still becomes entangled in the threads leading to the mysterious boy. Slowly, the background stories of the characters also unfold, behind which looms a person who connects them all.
However, no matter how prosaic the events may be, this drama definitely has a fairy-tale atmosphere. I could write "parable" as well, but fortunately, it avoids preachy lessons, despite putting quite direct, thought-provoking ideas into Mr. Unfortunate's mouth. How is this possible? Partly thanks to the emotional surplus of the subplots packed into the drama, and partly due to No Min-woo's simply moving performance.
The key to the drama's impact lies in Tae-woon's character. The beautiful young gardener exists within his own world even inside the competitive arena of the company, and no one knows what a wonderful empire he has created in the middle of the big city as his own secret living space. He greets his plants and animals, who are his true loved ones; he tends and protects them, does everything to save them, and weeps for them if he fails. But Tae-woon is no fool, as he is a botanist with a doctoral degree, possessing not only vast knowledge but also extraordinary powers of observation. Behind his childish behavior lies a trauma, as a result of which he emotionally locked himself into the age period in which his parents' tragedy occurred. His behavior and strangely honest reactions are therefore embarrassingly infantile and adult at the same time, as he perceives the people around him and the phenomena of the world like an adult, yet views them with childishly pure and innocent eyes. Because of this, he provides surprising perspectives for his colleagues during projects, who often forget the elementary values and beauties of the world in the great race. Tae-woon opens their eyes and hearts to these; thus, he actually teaches humanity. It is also no coincidence that this angelic being brings reconciliation to the parties involved in the background conflicts. While his emotions toward Ji-na are blossoming, he must also open the gates of his closed world. His task is emotional growth and stepping out into the real world, from whose challenges he had previously fled.
His meeting with Ji-na is fated, but until they realize this, the girl also has a long road to travel. There is nothing unusual in the fact that, in accordance with the general values of our time, the girl sees opportunity for changing her life in social advancement. Along with the possibility of a well-paid job comes the romantic interest of the good-looking CEO as a bonus, whose material trappings dazzle her. But as a counterpoint, Tae-woon always appears, who, although seeming hopeless against the attraction of the wealthy man, still repeatedly pulls the girl toward him by some special influence. Ji-na must rethink her values, and this does not come easily. She wavers between the different philosophies of life represented by the two men, and this struggle is strongly influenced by her parents' life experiences. Whether Ji-na can finally face the world of illusions should remain the secret of the series.
The impact of the drama also lies in the fact that the troublemaking characters are not rotten to the core either. This is true for Hee-cheol, whom we see contradictorily throughout. Initially, it is hard to decide what he is playing for, as he is at least as helpful and understanding as he is prone to abusing his tools. If only every person blinded by power in reality could go through the fall and rebirth that awaits this man.
While Ji-na is the type of the up-and-coming young woman taking her fate into her own hands, Hye-mi, who is of a similar age, belongs among the privileged. She, however, must fight a war of independence against her paternalistic father, who does not realize he is stifling the girl’s personality. The girl’s confession, in which she speaks about how she would like to achieve something in life on her own strength, is moving. This is also the key to resolving her emotional vulnerability toward Hee-cheol, who plays a not-too-honest cat-and-mouse game with her.
The figure of President Yoon, retreating into the background, is strongly thought-provoking in the powerful performance of the great Yoon Joo-sang. He could be a simple villain, but he is not. However, as viewers, we can weigh the proportion between the crimes he committed and the penance he imposed upon himself.
Another memorable figure of the drama is Ji-na’s father (Kim Jin-geun). In the case of this sympathetic, consistently defying male character, however, the question for me is why the bowing of the powerful elicits seemingly excessive emotional reactions from him beyond forgiveness. After all, his life was ruined by the offenses committed against him.
In the series, humor and drama are present in a stunning coherence, permeating most of Tae-woon's scenes, which are often of lyrical beauty. I do not believe there is a viewer who would ever forget the footage of the special stone garden or the hidden urban oasis. Besides, especially in the first parts of the drama, we can be part of numerous laugh-inducing situational comedies.
No Min-woo's comedic performance is whirlwind-like; it is a true surprise what a strong vein he has for this as well. He is literally capable of making a fool of himself, but one cannot stop laughing at his drunkenness either. In his previous roles, there was always some dark shade that predestined him for other genres; therefore, the innocence that now completely permeates his being is almost unbelievable. He plays with heart and soul, as if Tae-woon's character were very close to him. It is worth observing his movement too, which exactly reflects his childish personality traits. His silent scene played in a panda costume, in which we only see his eyes occasionally, is brilliant. In the long scene, he can communicate exclusively through his movements, but he does so with incredible expressive power.
And for how sexual charisma can function in a kooky character, there was already a precursor: Jung Ji-hoon (Rain) showed the possibility of this in Park Chan-wook’s film I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK. No Min-woo’s repertoire of ideas leaves nothing to be desired either; let us just recall the scene when, hanging from a tree branch, he kisses the lady of his heart in quite an unbelievable pose. The director, however, does not miss showing Tae-woon's "normal," firm masculinity and physical beauty either, yet even this manages to be embedded in imaginative jokes.
I recommend this drama to everyone who is not only susceptible to the usual heartbreaker types but is capable of seeing through the surface to recognize the most captivating, very lovable people.
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