Stairway to Heaven (TV series)
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| Stairway to Heaven | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for Stairway to Heaven L to R: Han Tae-hwa, Han Jung-suh, Cha Song-joo, Han Yoo-ri |
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| Genre | Romance, Drama |
| Format | Television drama |
| Written by | Park Hye-kyung |
| Directed by | Lee Jang-soo |
| Starring | Choi Ji-woo Kwon Sang-woo Kim Tae-hee Shin Hyun-joon |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language(s) | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | South Korea |
| Running time | Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Seoul Broadcasting System |
| Original run | 3 December 2003 – 5 February 2004 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Punch |
| Followed by | Sunlight Pours Down |
| External links | |
| Stairway to Heaven official SBS website | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 천국의 계단 |
| Hanja | 天國의 階段 |
| Revised Romanization | Cheon-guk eui Gyedan |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'ŏn-guk ŭi Kyedan |
Stairway to Heaven (Hangul: 천국의 계단; RR: Cheon-guk eui Gyedan) is a 2003 South Korean television series starring Choi Ji-woo, Kwon Sang-woo,[1] Kim Tae-hee, and Shin Hyun-joon. It aired on Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) from December 3, 2003 to February 5, 2004 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.[2] The hit drama received an average viewership rating of 38.8%, and 45.3% for the finale.
Contents |
Plot [edit]
Han Jung-suh (Park Shin-hye) and Cha Song-joo (Baek Sung-hyun) are childhood friends and have a special bond that blossoms into love. They both share the pain of losing a loved one: Song-joo's father died in a traffic accident and Jung-suh's mother died of eye cancer. Jung-suh's father (Ha Jae-young) marries an actress named Tae Mi-ra (Lee Hui-hyang), who brings her real daughter, Han Yoori (Park Ji-mi), and son, Han Tae-hwa (Lee Wan) into the household. Yoori is jealous of Jung-suh, making her look terrible in front of her mother, who begins to turn on Jung-suh. When Jung-suh's father leaves for work, her stepmother assaults her. She thwarts Jung-suh's attempts to study abroad with Song-joo, who then leaves for America alone. Mi-ra plots for Yoori to win the affections of Song-joo. All the while, Jung-suh tries to be nice to Tae-hwa, but he mistakes her friendship for something more, and falls in love with her.
Three years later, Song-joo (Kwon Sang-woo) comes back from America, and Jung-suh (Choi Ji-woo) rushes to greet him. A jealous Yoori (Kim Tae-hee) tries to stop them from reuniting. As they race to the airport, Yoori intentionally hits Jung-suh with her car. Jung-suh is taken to the hospital where a group of people had just died in fire. Yoori swaps Jung-suh's ID with one of the people to fake her death. She takes the real Jung-suh to her biological father's home. Tae-hwa (Shin Hyun-joon), still in love with Jung-suh, finds out what Yoori has done, but seizes the opportunity to run away with Jung-suh. Jung-suh loses her memory, and Tae-hwa moves them away and changes their names.
Five years later, Yoori is soon to be engaged to Song-joo. Song-joo decides that he needs to let go of Jung-suh and goes to the carousel they used to ride as children. He wishes to see Jung-suh just once more, looks up, and sees her on the carousel. Jung-suh, now named Kim Ji-soo, works at a small clothing shop while living with Tae-hwa (now Chul-soo). Song-joo rushes to Ji-soo and tells her that she is Jung-suh, but she doesn't believe him. Song-joo is determined to make her remember her past, and through a series of events, he and Jung-suh become close.
Jung-suh regains her memory when Yoori nearly hits her with her car again and rushes to tell Song-joo. She forgives Tae-hwa as she knew he did it out of love. Jung-suh and Song-joo are happy together, until she discovers she has eye cancer. She asks Tae-hwa to take her away from Song-joo, since she can't bear to see him in pain. Gradually, Jung-suh's vision deteriorates into blindness. Tae-hwa tells Song-joo and his family the truth starting from the accident. Yoori is arrested, and her mother goes insane and is admitted to a mental hospital.
Song-joo marries Jung-suh, who is now blind, with the blessing of his mother and her father. Jung-suh tells Tae-hwa that her one wish is to see Song-joo's face one last time. Both Song-joo and Tae-hwa ask a doctor to let them give Jung-suh one of their corneas, but the doctor tells them that they can't take corneas from live donors. Tae-hwa wants to grant her wish at all cost and commits suicide via car crash in order to donate his cornea to her. After his death, Jung-suh has the operation and is able to see again. However, Song-joo finds out about Tae-hwa's death and later on tells Jung-suh. She starts to feel sick again, and the doctor states that the tumor has spread to her brain and is inoperable; the same incurable illness that killed her mother. Jung-suh, realizing this, forgives Tae Mi-ra and Yoori because of Tae-hwa. Both Yoori and Tae Mi-ra feel remorse for their sins against Jung-suh, and apologize to her. Jung-suh dies a few days later at the seaside near her childhood home, in the arms of Song-joo. The ending scene reverts back to the beginning scene where Song-joo is playing his piano by the ocean of the memorable beach house. He says, "Perhaps, that person (Tae-hwa) might have loved that girl (Jung-suh) more than me. But even though I say this, that doesn't mean that I loved her any less."
Cast [edit]
- Kwon Sang-woo as Cha Song-joo
- Choi Ji-woo as Han Jung-suh / Kim Ji-soo
- Kim Tae-hee as Han Yoo-ri
- Shin Hyun-joon as Han Tae-hwa / Han Chul-soo
- Ha Jae-young as Han Su-ha (Jung-suh's father)
- Lee Hui-hyang as Tae Mi-ra (Tae-hwa and Yoo-ri's mother)
- Jung Han-yong as Han Pil-su (Tae-hwa and Yoo-ri's father)
- Lee Cham (Bernhard Quandt) as Director Jang
- Kim Ji-sook as Min Seo-hyun (Song-joo's mother)
- Baek Sung-hyun as young Song-joo
- Park Shin-hye as young Jung-suh
- Lee Wan as young Tae-hwa
- Park Ji-mi as young Yoo-ri
Production [edit]
Recreation complex Lotte World in Seoul was used as a filming location, namely the carousel, ice rink and as the seat of Cha Song-joo's family business.[2]
Soundtrack [edit]
- Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 Op.11 E Minor 2nd Mvt : Romanza
- Memories of Heaven (Hangul: 천국의 기억; RR: Cheongugui Gi-eok) - Jang Jung-woo
- Lethe (Hangul: 레떼; RR: Rette) - Kang Woo-jin
- Ave Maria - Rebecca Luker
- That's the Only One (Hangul: 그것만은; RR: Geugeotmaneun) - Jang Jung-woo
- Forever (Hangul: 언제까지나; RR: Eonjekkajina)
- Only Me For You (Hangul: 나만의 너; RR: Na Man Eh Nuh) - Kim Hyun-ah
- Remember
- Sad Love (Hangul: 슬픈 사랑; RR: Seulpeun Sarang)
- To the Beautiful You (Hangul: 아름다운 너에게; MR: Areumda-un Neo-ege) - Moon Ji-hwan
- I Will Protect You (Hangul: 너를 지킬께; RR: Neoreul Jikilkke)
- I Miss You (Hangul: 보고싶다; RR: Bogoshipda) - Kim Bum-soo
- This is Not the End (Hangul: 끝이 아님을; RR: Kkeuchi Animeul)
- Memories of Heaven (Hangul: 천국의 기억; RR: Cheongugui Gi-eok) - Park Mook-hwan
- Though I Am at the End of the World (Hangul: 세상 끝에 서 있어도; RR: Sesang Kkeute Seo Isseodo)
- Promise (Hangul: 약속; RR: Yaksok)
- That's the Only One (Hangul: 그것만은; RR: Geugeotmaneun) - Park Mook-hwan
- Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
See also [edit]
- List of South Korean dramas
- Stairway to Heaven, a 2009 Philippine remake
References [edit]
- ^ Kim, Hyun-ki (14 December 2004). "Korean actor wows Japan". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-03-25.
- ^ a b "Korean TV Drama: Stairway to Heaven". Korea Tourism Organization. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
