She Was Pretty
| She Was Pretty | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as |
|
| Genre |
|
| Written by | Jo Sung-hee |
| Directed by | Jung Dae-yoon |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Han Hee (MBC) |
| Producers | Moon Suk-hwan Oh Kwang-hee |
| Running time | 70 minutes |
| Production company | Bon Factory Worldwide |
| Original release | |
| Network | MBC TV |
| Release | September 16 – November 11, 2015 |
She Was Pretty (Korean: 그녀는 예뻤다; RR: Geunyeoneun Yeppeodda) is a 2015 South Korean television series starring Hwang Jung-eum, Park Seo-joon, Go Joon-hee and Choi Si-won.[1][2][3] It aired on MBC from September 16 to November 11, 2015, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00.[4][5]
The series was both a hit domestically, with a peak rating of 18.4% and internationally, especially in China.[6][7][8][9][10]
Synopsis
A romantic comedy, based on a true story, about two past acquaintances who meet again after they've gone through a reversal of fortunes and appearances, set in the backdrop of a fashion magazine's publishing office.
Kim Hye-jin was a beautiful girl from a rich family, aka the "Cha's". After her family's publishing company went bankrupt, she experienced hardships then lost her beauty too. Ji Sung-joon was an unattractive boy with low self-esteem, but grows up as a handsome and successful editor.
The two decided to meet again as adults, but Sung-joon was unable to recognize Hye-jin. Ashamed to meet her first love and ruin his perception of her, Hye-jin asks her attractive best friend, Ha-ri, to appear in her place. Things, however, soon get complicated as Hye-jin was assigned to work at The Most magazine publishing office where Sung-joon is the deputy chief editor. He openly mistreats and belittles her for her clumsy nature, not knowing that she was his real childhood friend. Ha-ri also continues to meet Sung-joon, and soon develops feelings for him. On the other hand, Hye-jin finds a good friend in her workplace, Shin-hyuk, who slowly falls in love with her.
Cast
Main
- Hwang Jung-eum as Kim Hye-jin[11][12][13][14][15]
- Jung Da-bin as young Hye-jin
- An intern in the administration section before being appointed as junior editor. She used to be a beautiful, wealthy, and smart girl, but lost everything. Embarrassed at her failures in life, she asked her best friend Ha-ri, to meet with her first love Sung-joon, using her name. She thought that would be the end of her fate with Sung-joon, but turns out it's only the beginning of her nightmare, as he then becomes her boss. Despite the misfortunes, she still strives to do her best.
- Park Seo-joon as Ji Sung-joon
- Yang Han-yeol as young Sung-joon
- The youngest deputy chief editor in Korea. Stubborn and arrogant but also brilliant in his work. Contrary to Hye-jin, he was unattractive and shy but grows up to become handsome and successful. Immediately after returning to Korea, he contacted his first love, Hye-jin. He ends up falling for her even when he didn't recognize that she was his childhood friend and first love.
- Go Joon-hee as Min Ha-ri
- Lee Ja-in as young Ha-ri
- A hotelier. She is Hye-jin's best friend and roommate. A beautiful and stylish woman with good personality. While continuing to pretend to be Hye-jin, she ends up falling for Sung-joon. Fearing that her relationship with her best friend might be compromised, she tries several times to tell him the truth only to fail in the end and having Hye-jin find out first.
- Choi Si-won as Kim Shin-hyuk[16][17][18]
- A senior feature editor. He is generally a free-spirited, fair, and straightforward man but with mysterious identity (later found out to be the Korean writer, Ten). He is Hye-jin's direct supervisor at work, and they developed a close relationship. He ends up falling for her even before her beauty transformation. He found out about her relationship with Sung-joon one day when she was drunk.
Supporting
- Hye-jin's family
- Park Choong-seon as Kim Jong-seob
- Kim Hye-jin's father
- Lee Il-hwa as Han Jung-hye
- Kim Hye-jin's mother
- Jung Da-bin as Kim Hye-rin
- Kim Hye-jin's younger sister
- Ha-ri's family
- Lee Byung-joon as Min Yong-gil
- Min Ha-ri's father
- Seo Jung-yeon as Na Ji-seon
- Min Ha-ri's stepmother
- The Most
- Hwang Seok-jeong as Kim Ra-ra
- The chief editor of The Most magazine.
- Shin Dong-mi as Cha Joo-young
- Ahn Se-ha as Kim Poong-ho
- A lazy employee who orders junior coworkers around. He later turns out to be the Vice President of the company.
- Shin Hye-sun as Han Seol
- She finds out about the fact that the son of the chairman is one of her co-workers and sets out to become his love interest.
- Park Yu-hwan as Kim Joon-woo[19]
- Kang Soo-jin as Joo Ah-reum
- Kim Ha-kyun as Boo Jong-man
- Jo Chang-geun as Kwang-hee
- Jin Hye-won as Lee Seol-bi
- Cha Jung-won as Jung Seon-min
- Bae Min-jung as Park Yi-kyung
- Im Ji-hyun as Lee Eun-young
Special appearances
- Kim Sung-oh as the man at pub (ep. 3)
- Hwang Seok-jeong as the ajumma in the restaurant on (ep. 7)
- Kim Je-dong as The Most 20th Anniversary's party MC (ep. 9)
- Lee Joon-gi as the guest for The Most 20th Anniversary (ep. 9)
- Seo In-guk as the guest for The Most 20th Anniversary (ep. 9)
- Uee as the guest for The Most 20th Anniversary (ep. 9)
- Park Hyung-sik as the guest for The Most 20th Anniversary (ep. 9)
- Lee Sang-hoon as interviewee for Editor Kim (ep. 11)
- Yoon Yoo-sun as Cha Hye-jung, Min Ha-ri's mother (ep. 11)
- Richard Poon as Mr. Kang (ep. 12)
- Kim Bo-min as Ji Yeon-woo, Ji Sung-joon's & Kim Hye-jin's daughter (Episode 16)
Production
The first script writing was held on 10 August 2015.[20]
The drama reunited Hwang Jung-eum with Park Seo-joon, who previously starred together in Kill Me, Heal Me;[21] and Hwang Jung-eum with Go Joon-hee, who previously starred together in Can You Hear My Heart.[22]
Original soundtrack
| She was Pretty OST | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
| Recorded | 2015 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Language | |
| Label | Loen Entertainment Bon Factory |
Part 1
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thumping" (쿵쿵쿵) | Vincent Blue | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Thumping" (Inst.) | 3:25 | |
| Total length: | 6:50 | ||
Part 2
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sometimes" (가끔) | Zia | 3:56 |
| 2. | "Sometimes" (Inst.) | 3:56 | |
| Total length: | 7:32 | ||
Part 3
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One More Step" (한 걸음 더) | Yoo Ki-hyun(Monsta X) | 3:25 |
| 2. | "One More Step" (Inst.) | 3:25 | |
| Total length: | 6:50 | ||
Part 4
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You don't know me" (모르나봐) | So-yu (Sistar) & Brother Su | 4:18 |
| 2. | "You don't know me" (Inst.) | 4:18 | |
| Total length: | 4:36 | ||
Part 5
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You're the only one" (너뿐이야) | Choi Si-won | 4:12 |
| 2. | "You're the only one" (Inst.) | 4:12 | |
| Total length: | 8:24 | ||
Part 6
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Long Way" (먼 길) | Park Seo-joon | 3:41 |
| 2. | "Long Way" (Inst.) | 3:41 | |
| Total length: | 7:42 | ||
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She was Pretty (Opening Theme)" | Various Artists | 2:44 |
| 2. | "A Reporter" | Various Artists | 1:33 |
| 3. | "A Heart that cannot be" | Various Artists | 2:28 |
| 4. | "Come on" | Various Artists | 2:17 |
| 5. | "Find hidden puzzles" | Various Artists | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Found my Umbrella" | Various Artists | 2:59 |
| 7. | "Her Identity" | Various Artists | 1:57 |
| 8. | "Hole Socky" | Various Artists | 3:41 |
| 9. | "I missed you" | Various Artists | 3:46 |
| 10. | "It's not normal" | Various Artists | 2:32 |
| 11. | "It tends to embarrass" | Various Artists | 2:04 |
| 12. | "Let's Start" | Various Artists | 1:28 |
| 13. | "My Lost Request" | Various Artists | 2:33 |
| 14. | "Memories of first love" | Various Artists | 2:47 |
| 15. | "My favourite person now" | Various Artists | 2:51 |
| 16. | "My Sister" | Various Artists | 2:14 |
| 17. | "Onion's Love" | Various Artists | 3:05 |
| 18. | "Our Story" | Various Artists | 2:20 |
| 19. | "Restlessness" | Various Artists | 1:46 |
| 20. | "The Most" | Various Artists | 1:49 |
| 21. | "Unknown feelings" | Various Artists | 2:45 |
| 22. | "UnPoco UnPoco" | Various Artists | 1:44 |
| 23. | "Violet Memory" | Various Artists | 1:45 |
| 24. | "Wakeup" | Various Artists | 1:59 |
| 25. | "Who,is it you?" | Various Artists | 2:13 |
| 26. | "You cannot get it" | Various Artists | 2:03 |
| 27. | "You can cry" | Various Artists | 3:12 |
Ratings
- In this table, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
- NR denotes that the drama did not rank in the top 20 daily programs on that date.
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNmS[23] | AGB Nielsen[24] | Highest Internet Ratings | ||||
| Nationwide | Seoul | Nationwide | Seoul | |||
| 1 | September 16, 2015 | 4.9% (NR) | 5.8% (NR) | 4.8% (NR) | 5.0% (NR) | 14.7% (2nd) |
| 2 | September 17, 2015 | 7.1% (NR) | 8.1% (15th) | 7.2% (NR) | 7.8% (17th) | 22.3% (2nd) |
| 3 | September 23, 2015 | 8.0% (18th) | 9.1% (11th) | 8.5% (14th) | 9.4% (11th) | 29.7% (2nd) |
| 4 | September 24, 2015 | 7.8% (19th) | 8.8% (15th) | 9.9% (11th) | 9.9% (11th) | 31.4% (2nd) |
| 5 | September 30, 2015[25] | 9.0% (16th) | 10.8% (8th) | 10.7% (8th) | 11.9% (8th) | 40.0% (1st) |
| 6 | October 1, 2015 | 8.4% (19th) | 10.4% (10th) | 10.2% (17th) | 11.3% (9th) | 39.0% (1st) |
| 7 | October 7, 2015 | 11.8% (8th) | 13.7% (5th) | 13.1% (6th) | 14.2% (3rd) | 46.9% (1st) |
| 8 | October 8, 2015 | 13.2% (6th) | 15.4% (2nd) | 14.5% (3rd) | 16.3% (3rd) | 49.7% (1st) |
| 9 | October 15, 2015[26] | 16.2% (2nd) | 19.1% (2nd) | 16.7% (3rd) | 17.9% (2nd) | 59.4% (1st) |
| 10 | October 21, 2015[27] | 15.3% (4th) | 17.4% (2nd) | 17.3% (2nd) | 19.7% (2nd) | 59.6% (1st) |
| 11 | October 22, 2015 | 17.2% (2nd) | 19.7% (2nd) | 17.7% (2nd) | 19.2% (2nd) | 59.8% (1st) |
| 12 | October 28, 2015 | 15.5% (4th) | 17.8% (2nd) | 16.5% (3rd) | 17.9% (2nd) | 58.6% (1st) |
| 13 | October 29, 2015 | 15.0% (4th) | 17.5% (2nd) | 18.0% (2nd) | 19.8% (2nd) | 56.0% (1st) |
| 14 | November 4, 2015 | 15.3% (3rd) | 17.4% (1st) | 15.9% (3rd) | 17.8% (2nd) | 58.0% (1st) |
| 15 | November 5, 2015 | 15.0% (3rd) | 17.8% (2nd) | 16.9% (2nd) | 18.7% (2nd) | 52.8% (1st) |
| 16 | November 11, 2015 | 15.0% (2nd) | 17.7% (1st) | 15.9% (3rd) | 17.7% (2nd) | —[28] |
| Average | 12.2% | 14.2% | 13.4% | 14.7% | - | |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Park Seo-joon | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Hwang Seok-jeong | Nominated | ||
| Excellence in Drama Award | Lee Jin-seok, Roh Hyeong-sik | Won | ||
| Best Lighting Director Award | Kim Yong-sam | Won | ||
| Grand Prize (Daesang) | Hwang Jung-eum | Nominated | ||
| Drama of the Year | She Was Pretty | Nominated | ||
| PD Choice Award | Hwang Jung-eum | Won | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Won | |||
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Park Seo-joon | Won | ||
| Choi Siwon | Nominated | |||
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Go Joon-hee | Nominated | ||
| Top 10 Stars | Hwang Jung-eum | Won | ||
| Park Seo-joon | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries | Ahn Se-ha | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries | Hwang Seok-jeong | Won | ||
| Shin Dong-mi | Nominated | |||
| Best New Actor in a Miniseries | Park Yu-hwan | Nominated | ||
| Best New Actress in a Miniseries | Shin Hye-sun | Nominated | ||
| Best Young Actor | Yang Han-yeol | Won | ||
| Popularity Award, Actor | Park Seo-joon | Won | ||
| Popularity Award, Actress | Hwang Jung-eum | Won | ||
| Writer of the Year | Jo Sung-hee | Won | ||
| 2016 | Best Drama | She Was Pretty | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Jung Dae-yoon | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Hwang Jung-eum | Nominated | ||
| Best Drama | She Was Pretty | Won | ||
| Best Actress | Hwang Jung-eum | Won |
International broadcast
Philippines - GMA Network (January 30 - March 23, 2017), under the title Pretty Woman and replacing Code Name Yong-pal- USA/Latin America - Pasiones (2016) Spanish Dubbed
Ecuador - TeleAmazonas (2016) Spanish Dubbed
Peru - Willax TV (2017) Spanish Dubbed
Indonesia - GTV (2020)
Remake
- A Turkish remake of the drama, titled "Seviyor Sevmiyor" was aired in 2016 on ATV (Turkey).
- A Chinese remake of the drama, titled Pretty Li Hui Zhen started airing on Hunan TV in 2017.[29]
- A Tamil remake of the drama, titled Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithal started airing on Vasantham TV.
- A Vietnamese remake of the drama, titled Mối Tình Đầu Của Tôi (My First Love) started airing on VTV3 in 2019.
References
- ^ "Hwang Jung-eum, Park Seo-joon to star in She Was Pretty". The Korea Times. July 30, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ^ "Hwang Jung Eum, Park Seo Joon, Choi Siwon, and Go Joon Hee Confirmed for New Drama!". Soompi. July 30, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ^ Lee, Yousun (October 5, 2015). "She Was Pretty reveals behind cuts of Hwang Jung-eum and Park Seo-joon". Asia Today. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
- ^ Lee, Ji-young (August 26, 2015). "She Was Pretty Releases First Teaser of Hwang Jung Eum and Park Seo Joon". enewsWorld. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
- ^ Doo, Rumy (September 14, 2015). "She Was Pretty boasts 'perfect casting,' says director". K-Pop Herald. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "Viewers find 'She Was Pretty' attractive". The Korea Times. October 2015.
- ^ "She Was Pretty gains popularity in China". The Korea Times. September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
- ^ "She Was Pretty Stars Relish Success as Show Ends". The Chosun Ilbo. November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
- ^ "Hwang Jeong-eum's star soars in China". The Korea Times. October 13, 2015.
- ^ "Choi Si-won' star soars on Twitter". The Korea Times. October 27, 2015.
- ^ "Hwang confirmed for new MBC drama". Korea JoongAng Daily. July 31, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
- ^ "Rambunctious Hwang Jung Eum Steals Spotlight in New She Was Pretty Poster". Soompi. September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
- ^ "Hwang Jung-eum Wows Audiences in Dowdy Role". The Chosun Ilbo. October 24, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- ^ Lee, Ji Young (November 12, 2015). "Hwang Jung Eum Shares Final Thoughts on She Was Pretty". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
- ^ Park, Sojung (November 12, 2015). "Actress Hwang Jeong-eum solidifies reign with Pretty Woman". Yonhap. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
- ^ "Super Junior star to lead new drama". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ "Singer leaves the idol image behind in latest TV role". Korea JoongAng Daily.
- ^ "Choi Si-won shines in 'She was Pretty'". Kpop Herald.
- ^ Ahn, Woorim (July 30, 2015). "Park Yuhwan To Appear In She Was Pretty". BNTNews. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ^ "Hwang Jung Eum, Choi Siwon, Park Seo Joon, and Go Joon Hee Participate in First Script Reading for New Drama". Soompi. August 10, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
- ^ Ahn, Woorim (December 5, 2014). "Leading Roles Of Drama Kill Me, Heal Me Are Confirmed". BNTNews. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
- ^ "Did you know that Ko Joon Hee and Hwang Jung Eum are best friends?". Korea.com. January 18, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "TNMS Daily Ratings". TNMS Ratings (in Korean). Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ^ "Nielsen Korea". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ^ Jeon, Su-mi (October 1, 2015). "She Was Pretty Surpasses 10 Percent in Viewer Ratings with Episode 5". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ^ "Angry drama fans complain as She Was Pretty skips Wednesday this week". Hancinema. October 14, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ^ Kwon, Ji-youn (October 21, 2015). "It's K-drama over playoff baseball in South Korea". The Korea Times. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- ^ Tving is permanently not to release the internet ratings of the programs from three main TV channels of South Korea since November 10, 2015.
- ^ "'She Was Pretty' remade in China". Kpop Herald.
External links
- She Was Pretty official MBC website (in Korean)
- She Was Pretty at MBC Global Media
- She Was Pretty at IMDb
- She Was Pretty at HanCinema