Dal-ja's Spring
Dal-ja's Spring | |
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![]() Promotional poster | |
Genre | |
Written by | Kang Eun-kyung |
Directed by | Lee Jae-sang |
Starring |
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Composer | Ji Kyung-won |
Country of origin | South Korea |
Original language | Korean |
No. of episodes | 22 |
Production | |
Producers |
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Running time | 60 minutes |
Production company | Kim Jong-hak Production |
Original release | |
Network | Korean Broadcasting System |
Release | January 3 March 15, 2007 | –
Dal-ja's Spring (Korean: 달자의 봄; RR: Dalja-ui Bom) is a 2007 South Korean romantic comedy television series starring Chae Rim, Lee Min-ki, Lee Hyun-woo, Lee Hye-young and Gong Hyung-jin. It aired on KBS2 from January 3 to March 15, 2007 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 22 episodes.[1][2]
Chae Rim won a Top Excellence Award in Acting at the 2007 KBS Drama Awards.
Plot
Oh Dal-ja is a managing director at a home shopping network. 33 years old and single, marriage is heavy on her mind, mostly due to societal and familial pressure. Although she has everything - a successful career, supportive friends, a loving family - she still dreams of the perfect romance and marriage. She falls for her flirty colleague Shin Se-do, but after he dumps her for Wee Seon-joo, the stylish host of the home shopping TV show, Dal-ja decides to seek revenge. Enter Kang Tae-bong, a guy 6 years younger with a mysterious past. For ₩3 million (approximately US$3,200), Tae-bong signs a dating contract with Dal-ja to pretend to be her boyfriend for three months. But then Dal-ja meets Uhm Ki-joong, seemingly the perfect man: rich, good-looking, intelligent, and courteous, but recently separated from his wife. For the first time in her life, Dal-ja finds herself in a love triangle.[3]
Dal-ja's Spring comically and candidly deals with issues in Korean society, such as women dating younger men,[4] the everyday social pressures encountered by single women over 30, and mothers juggling work and family.
Cast
Main characters
- Chae Rim as Oh Dal-ja
- 33-year-old home shopping channel managing director. She's extremely good at her job, but is a disaster at her love life. Even though she's in her thirties and considered an "old maid," she's naive and inexperienced with men and still has girlish dreams of a grand romance. She initially hires a boyfriend by contract, Kang Tae-bong, to seek revenge on a cheating ex, but finds that she enjoys having him around.
- Lee Min-ki as Kang Tae-bong
- 27-year-old freelancer for a proxy dating agency. Dal-ja hires him as her pretend boyfriend, but he soon develops genuine feelings for her. He has a frank and outspoken personality, but beneath is a warm and nurturing nature. Seemingly a debt-ridden slacker, Tae-bong actually comes from a rich family, but he gave up his career as a lawyer, and dreams of becoming a chef.
- Lee Hyun-woo as Uhm Ki-joong[5]
- 36-year-old successful businessman who heads an importing firm of foreign brand goods. He's the perfect catch on paper: smart, rich, polite, and cultured. But he hides a secret obsession with cleaning, and is recently separated from his wife. The more he encounters Dal-ja, the more he grows attracted to her.
- Lee Hye-young as Wee Seon-joo
- 33-year-old home shopping network show host. A former top model, she disappeared from the public eye when she married at 29, then returned three years later as a divorcee. Seon-joo is something of a diva, and constantly gets on Dal-ja's nerves. She is a master at the dating game, and with her charms and wiles, she can bring any man to heel, including Shin Se-do. But more importantly, Seon-joo always knows her self worth, which earns Dal-ja's grudging admiration. After a small glimpse into Seon-joo's vulnerability, the two women later form an unlikely friendship.
- Gong Hyung-jin as Shin Se-do
- Home shopping network TV director. He and Dal-ja get along as colleagues, and thinking he's a nice guy, she develops a crush on him and begins dating him. But belying his average looks, Se-do is actually the office playboy, and he quickly dumps her when she tells him she's not quite ready for a sexual relationship. But Se-do gets his comeuppance when he falls in love for real with the equally commitment phobic Seon-joo.
Supporting characters
- Seo Young-hee as Jang Soo-jin, Tae-bong's ex-girlfriend
- Lee Kyung-jin as Jung Jung-ae, Dal-ja's mother
- Kim Young-ok as Lee Kkeut-soon, Dal-ja's grandmother
- Kil Yong-woo as Kang Soon-hong, Tae-bong's father
- Kwon Ki-sun as Son Young-shim, Tae-bong's mother
- Kim Na-woon as Go Soon-ae, Dal-ja's pregnant best friend and colleague
- Jang Young-nam as Ki-joong's ex-wife
- Yang Hee-kyung as Team leader Kang
- Kim Sung-kyum as Tae-bong's grandfather
- Oh Kyung-soo as Nam Dae-soo, department director
- Kim Jae-wook as Choon-ha, Tae-bong's friend working at Dongdaemun Market
- Seo Young as Hong Ji-hee
- Kim In-tae as Se-do's father
- Choi Eun-seo as Hee-yeon
- Lee Mi-so as Ki-joong's secretary
Ratings
Episode # | Title | Nationwide | Seoul Area |
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1 | Things That Drive Her Crazy | 14.9% (6th) | 14.6% (6th) |
2 | Can Love be Hired? | 14.9% (9th) | 15.4% (7th) |
3 | A Romantic Inquiry Through a Powerful, Fated Encounter | 11.6% (12th) | 11.6% (13th) |
4 | There Was a Prince, Indeed, However... | 12.6% (11th) | 13.1% (12th) |
5 | Her Stance on Handling an Unsuitable Relationship | 16.7% (4th) | 17.2% (4th) |
6 | The Show Must Go On! | 16.7% (5th) | 16.5% (6th) |
7 | We Need 2% Moisture in Our Hearts | 18.3% (3rd) | 18.0% (4th) |
8 | The Adverse Effect of Lack of Love on an Old Maid | 18.1% (6th) | 17.5% (6th) |
9 | The Weight of One Brick... | 18.3% (5th) | 17.9% (5th) |
10 | Sometimes... Remember That We Are Right Next to You! | 19.0% (6th) | 18.3% (4th) |
11 | The Rules for Action and Reaction in Dating | 18.8% (4th) | 18.7% (4th) |
12 | The Reason Why Our Romance Is Beautiful | 19.8% (6th) | 19.3% (6th) |
13 | Happy Valentine's Day to You! | 17.3% (7th) | 17.6% (6th) |
14 | It's O.K. Even If You're Not Superwoman! | 19.1% (6th) | 18.6% (8th) |
15 | Love Saturates My Heart Like a Spring Shower! | 18.6% (5th) | 18.4% (5th) |
16 | There Needs to be Loyalty in Love! | 18.3% (7th) | 17.7% (7th) |
17 | The Earnest Things That Need to be Thrown Away While in Love Part 1 | 16.9% (6th) | 16.8% (6th) |
18 | The Earnest Things That Need to be Thrown Away While in Love Part 2 | 18.2% (7th) | 18.1% (7th) |
19 | Living As A Man... That's the Way It Is | 17.5% (7th) | 17.5% (6th) |
20 | Living As A Woman... That's the Way It Is | 16.5% (9th) | 16.1% (10th) |
21 | People That Are Hopeless With Love | 16.8% (8th) | 16.8% (8th) |
22 | Spring Comes (Around) Again, Flowers Bloom Again | 18.4% (6th) | 17.9% (6th) |
Average | 17.1% | 17.0% |
Source: TNS Media Korea
Soundtrack
- 기적 같은 사랑 - Lee Kyung-hwa
- Sweet Lover - Park Hye-kyung
- To You Mine - Pearl's Day
- 추억을 열다 - Soyeon
- 내 손을 잡아줘 - K-Jun
- 나쁜 사랑 - M.R.J (Kang Jae-hyuk)
- 심장 - Eun-young
- Impression
- Ya-Ya-Ya
- 추억을 열다 (Inst.)
- Lively Breeze
- Surprise
- To You Mine (Funky Ver.)
- Miracle (Orchestra Ver.)
- 너에 기억
- 기적 같은 사랑 (Original Ver.)
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
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2007 | 21st KBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Won | |
Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actress | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Chae Lim to Return to TV". KBS Global. 24 November 2006. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
- ^ "Modern Love". The Dong-a Ilbo. 21 December 2006. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
- ^ "Dalja's Spring Off to Good Start". KBS Global. 4 January 2007. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
- ^ Chun, Su-jin (23 January 2007). "TV loves younger men with older women". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
- ^ "Acting as a Means to an End: Lee Hyun-woo". The Chosun Ilbo. 30 March 2007. Retrieved 2013-07-11.