Pinocchio (Korean Drama)

Genre: Romance, Drama, Comedy, Family

Episodes: 20

Main Cast:

Lee Jong-Suk as Choi Dal Po/Ki Ha Myung

Park Shin-Hye as Choi In Ha

Kim Young-Kwang as Seo Bum Jo

Lee Yoo-Bi as Yoon Yoo Rae

Synopsis:

It is 2000, and Ki Ha-myung is leading a happy life with his parents and older brother Jae-myung, until his father Ki Ho-sang, the captain of the firefighting squad, dies in a factory explosion during a rescue attempt along with several of his men. When Ho-sang's body is initially missing, the media sensationalizes the case by scapegoating him. In a battle for ratings, cold and calculating MSC reporter Song Cha-ok alleges that Ho-sang survived the blast, and is currently in hiding because he was responsible for the deaths of his men. This causes the Ki family to become outcasts in their neighborhood and objects of national scorn. Ha-myung's mother attempts to kill herself and her younger son by jumping off a cliff, and Jae-myung blames their deaths on the media, particularly Cha-ok.

But Ha-myung is alive, having been rescued from the water by Choi Gong-pil, a kind elderly man who lives on Hyangri Island. Gong-pil, who may either have Alzheimer's disease or trauma-induced memory loss, believes that Ha-myung is his older son Choi Dal-po, a simpleton who had died thirty years ago. Ha-myung, who has no one else in the world, embraces the deception and treats Gong-pil as his father. Gong-pil officially adopts Ha-myung, now named Dal-po, and places him in the family register as his eldest son. So five months later, when Gong-pil's younger son Choi Dal-pyung moves to the island with his daughter Choi In-ha, they are flabbergasted to be told by Gong-pil to address a mere boy as their "older brother" and "uncle," respectively. In-ha has "Pinocchio syndrome," which causes her to hiccupwhenever she tells a lie. She idolizes her mother, and hates living on the island after her parents' divorce. The fledgling friendship between Dal-po and In-ha is dashed, however, when he learns that In-ha's mother is none other than Song Cha-ok.

Five years later, Dal-po and In-ha are high school seniors and classmates at their small-town high school in 2005. Dal-po, who is actually a genius, pretends to be dumb (like the real Dal-po) and gets all zeroes in his test scores. With his last-place class standing and scruffy, country bumpkin hair, Dal-po is friendless at school while In-ha is the most popular girl. Dal-po secretly likes In-ha, and he is forced to join a televised quiz show at first to prevent an admirer from confessing to her on national TV, then later to protect her from losing a bet. At the TV studio, he runs into the show producer Hwang Gyo-dong, who had been a YGN reporter and one of Cha-ok's rivals, but changed careers after what happened to the Ki family. After seeing Dal-po on TV, and despite knowing that her Pinocchio syndrome limits her career choices, In-ha decides to become a journalist.

In 2013, the Choi family has moved back to the city. While In-ha has spent the last three years after college studying to become a reporter after failing her job interviews 35 times, Dal-po works as a taxi driver. Cha-ok, who hasn't seen her daughter in a decade and is now MSC's nightly news anchor and section chief, fails In-ha at her final interview, saying a reporter with Pinocchio syndrome would be useless. Seeing how hurt In-ha is at her mother's rejection, Dal-po becomes determined to help her achieve her dream so he announces that he wants to become a reporter as well. A month later, In-ha and Dal-po apply at YGN's "blind" audition for broadcast news reporters, but only Dal-po gets hired. When confronted by Gyo-dong, now-chief of YGN's news desk, Dal-po confesses his real identity as well as his real motive for taking the job: he wants to find his older brother Jae-myung and clear their father's name. But what he doesn't know is that Jae-myung has taken revenge on the factory workers who lied about their father by killing two of them and framing the third one. Meanwhile, with MSC's credibility rating at an all-time low, Cha-ok hires In-ha, using her Pinocchio syndrome in a publicity stunt. Thus, Dal-po and In-ha become rookies at rival networks, and among their colleagues are Seo Beom-jo, who comes from a rich, sheltered chaebol background and has a connection to In-ha via a wrong cellphone number, and Yoon Yoo-rae, once an idol sasaeng fan who now uses those obsessive and determined traits in her new job.

My Thoughts:

First, sorry for the long synopsis. But this synopsis is better at explaining the story. So I chose it. 

Second, Gotta say this is one of the best or maybe the best drama to be released in 2014. I was recommended to watch it by a friend and the reviews was okay. So, I thought why not... And I was truly and honestly blown away. I was deeply into the story. There are so many great factors about this drama that made me felt like wanting to rewatch this drama once it ends and that already is showing that this drama is the best.

Because, I watch many dramas but there are only a handsome few that I actually want to rewatch. I was almost brought to tears from the sadness and also the comedy in it. And one more thing, I am a person that really relies on recaps when the story proves to be boring at the time but amazingly this story does not require me to search for recaps. It keeps you excited and enjoying every scene and moment. So, I highly recommend those who have not watch this drama to go and watch it.