allkpop TV Guide: ‘To the Beautiful You’ (Episodes 1-10)

Warning- there are spoilers for the first ten episodes of ‘To the Beautiful You‘ ahead!

Due to what is either poor planning or unfortunate timing, the idol-laden KBS drama ‘To the Beautiful You’ has been struggling to gain viewers, consistently coming last in broadcast ratings for its Wednesday and Thursday night slots. This may be due to premiering during the final episodes of the wildly-popular ‘Bridal Mask‘ (KBS2), and now running at the same time as another popular drama, ‘Arang and the Magistrate‘ (MBC). In addition, this drama runs late at night, even though it is targeted at a younger demographic of viewers and should probably be playing a little earlier in the evening.

That said, the 쇼가 isn't bad, and if you like the whole 여자-disguises-자신-as-a-소년 storyline and can처리 blatant product placement, 큰 gaps in logic (the scene where Daniel conveniently forgets he 말할 수 Korean just baffles me), 몇 massive plot holes (Jae Hee 도보로 away untraumatized from an attempted rape 존재 one 그렇지 않으면 the worst), and an overbearing soundtrack (seriously, the music은 거의 never stops!) you'll probably enjoy this story. The idols are surprisingly 좋은 actors- much better than I expected, and the way 모든 것이 is filmed is very colorful and 멋진 to 좀 봐. Here’s a recap of the처음 10 episodes.

Our main character is Jae Hee, played by f(x)‘s Sulli. Her father died when she was young. When she was five, her mom remarried, and the family relocated to the US. She suffered a lot of bullying in school and came to hate herself, until she saw Korean high-jump gold medalist Kang Tae Joon (SHINee‘sMinho) on TV. He states that, “‘Miracle’ is just another word for hard work.” She attached herself to that advice and worked very hard to become a fast runner, becoming the second-best female runner in the LA region.

When it looked like an ankle injury 걸릴 수 있습니다 Tae Joon out of the game for 좋은 Jae Hee chopped 에서 all 그녀의 머리, and secretly transferred to Genie 고등학교 for 소년, the 같은 학교 Tae Joon attends. Her family believes she's studying at the nearby 여자 school. She ends up as Tae Joon's roommate, despite his protests and attempts to throw her out. Her first 날 of classes starts out poorly, but she manages 이기는 everyone's respect, becoming especially 가까이 to Eun Gyeol (Lee Hyun Woo), the school’s soccer star.

In 두 번째 episode, the school doctor finds out she's a girl 한 후 she 당 badly injured in a soccer game. He threatens to rat her out, but she explains that she이 to help Tae Joon, which 도착 his attention- Tae Joon is one of his patients, and he'll take all the 도움 he can 얻을. Meanwhile, we 알아 that Tae Joon is완전히 healthy, but he has “the yips”, a 종류 of mental block that 만드는 him unable to jump 잘. He’s already considering retirement. However, he overhears Jae Hee pleading with 그녀의 오빠, who has just learned what she's been up to, to 하게 her 체류를 at the school. Tae Joon learns that Jae Hee is 이 여자 and how he helped her. This gives him the motivation to 계속 and gets 그 아이를 his initial dislike of Jae Hee. As 시간이 goes on, we learn that his 엄마가 돌아가신 while he was busy 하는 his gold medal jump, and he's 결코 잊을 수가 it. In 가장 최근 episodes, Tae Joon and Jae Hee 깨닫기 시작 that they aren't just friends who are highly protective of 서로- they've started to develop romantic 감정을. However,생각 the 감정 aren't reciprocated and knowing that 의 뉴스 a relationship between the two would 일으킬a lot of harm for 가 both, they keep it to 스스로.

Now that we’ve got the basic plot covered, here’s a quick take on each of the important characters in the show (other than Jae Hee, who I’ve pretty much covered):

Tae Joon – Aside from what I’ve already said, it’s worth noting that Tae Joon is a hobbyist photographer and is pretty good at it. He also wears a necklace with his mother’s ring on it all the time.

Eun Gyeol – The first person Jae Hee connects with at Genie. Even though he thinks she’s a boy, he starts to develop feelings for her, which freaks him out. He ends up dating a childhood friend, Da Hae(Nam Ji Hyun), for 몇 가지 에피소드, and he ends 일을 with her when he realizes that he still 을 떨쳐 낼 수없는 his 강한 feelings for Jae Hee (as in, he's daydreaming about marrying and raising a 가족을with her). He decides that he'll confess to Jae Hee once he gets 데려 for the national soccer team, but he doesn't 결국 making the 팀, which ruins 그의 계획. He's very jealous of Jae Hee and Tae Joon's friendship, even though he tries to remind 자신을 that they're just roommates and 아마도 aren't 서로. Jae Hee is 완전히 oblivious to Eun Gyeol의 감정, but she values 우정 greatly.

Ha Na (Kim Ji Won)- An Olympic gymnast, considered one of the nation's fairies. She's got a bratty, childish attitude- 항상 turning 늦게까지, throwing 발작을 when she does하지 her 방법- but she 이 her 멋진 순간 as well. She and Tae Joon 어릴 적, and she's close 가족과 함께. She's convinced that Tae Joon is “The One” and is heartbroken that he does감정이 느껴지지 the same, but persistent. She's furious at Tae Joon and Jae Hee's friendship, and her 분노 gets 는 worse when, in episode ten, she realizes that Jae Hee is 이 여자. She tries to confront Tae Joon about it, and gets madder when it turns out he알려진for a while. In 발작 of rage, she agrees that she will 유지 the 비밀을 under one condition- 자기가 will be in 공공 relationship with her. Before he can 대답, and 이전에 he can fill Jae Hee in 상황에, she announces the 관계를 in an interview. It's also worth noting that she and Eun Gyeol have an ongoing hatred of 가 서로.

Director Jang (Lee Ah Hyun)- Tae Joon and Ha 오세영’s manager. She's 열심히 and takes excellent관리 of the two , 그들 중 doing 최선 to shield 에서 그들을 reporters and handling 자신의 moodiness expertly. Since 의 죽음 Tae Joon의 어머니, she's 이 될 a 강한 motherly 모습 in his life.

Mr. Kang (Seon Woo Jae Deok)- Tae Joon의 아버지. Tae Joon isn't on 좋은 terms with him, and 처음it seems like it's just 있기 때문에 his 아버지가 pushes 그를 세게 to be 좋은 athlete, 하지만 우리는 find out later that Tae Joon 정렬 of blames 그의 아버지를 for 그의 어머니's death. While that's not at all fair, he feels this 방법을 because 그의 아버지가 kept 그의 어머니's death 의 비밀을 from him 때까지 they돌아 왔을 to Korea, 알고 that Tae Joon would없었을 able to compete if he had known.

Jong Min (ZE:A‘s Kwanghee)- Eun Gyeol’s 아주 possessive 친구. He's incredibly jealous of 얼마나attention Eun Gyeol pays to Jae Hee, to the point where he's intentionally pranked her, tripped her, and이라도 her injured 겁 주려고 her off. He's whiny, entitled, and rarely 볼 수 without his lip balm.

Dr. Jang (Ki Tae Young)- The school doctor. He discovers Jae Hee’s secret early on, but lets her stick around because he thinks she can actually help Jae Hee. He harbors a secret obsession with fashion.

Coach Byeon (Sometimes Coach Baek, depending on the translation) (Kang Kyung Joon)- The gym teacher and track team coach. He’s very strict with his students, but ultimately wants what’s best for them. He was once a silver medalist in the high jump, but retired after an injury. He has a massive crush on Teacher Lee (Lee Young Eun).

Hyeonjae (Kang Ha Neul)- Eun Gyeol’s roommate. A high jumper who falls just 짧은 of Tae Joon's 기술 수준. In an effort 적용하려면 Tae Joon 을, he leaks a photo of Tae Joon drunkenly kissing Jae Hee (this was 오래 전부터 anyone의 감정 were involved), as well as the contents of Tae Joon's medical records, which include the information that he있어 the yips. Coach Byeon eventually forces 그들을 to become 훈련 buddies.

Daniel Dawson (Julien Kang) – Jae Hee’s older 단계--brother. An ivy league grad and a world-renowned neuropsychiatrist- in 사실, he's the 세계 최고의 expert on the yips. After 에서 만나기로 a conference, Dr. Jang brings him in to 이야기 Tae Joon, asking Jae Hee if she'll serve as a translator. When Daniel sees her, the jig is up and he 거의 sends 그녀 to the US, but once he realizes how 중요한this is to her, he tells her she 투숙 할 수 있습니다.

Coach Holten– The world’s foremost 높은 jump 코치. Tae Joon된 dreaming of 작업 with him 영원히, but blows his chances when he fails a jump that Holten witnessed. Jae Hee, not one to 하게 Tae Joon포기, makes a slideshow of reasons why Holten 을 취 Tae Joon on, 어떤 is 있는 곳 we learn 그녀의 이야기를, and Holten eventually agrees. Tae Joon initially accepts the 제안을 (which requires him to 로 이동 Canada), but then rejects it when he realizes he가야 겠어요 without Jae Hee. This upsets Jae Hee greatly- she doesn't 이해하고 thinks he's 포기 his dream 이유없이. At the end of episode ten, he had still decided he wasn't 갈, but that decision is still up in the air.

Reporter Yang (Ahn Hye Kyung)- 주요 reporter constantly 의 부정을 찾고있는 Tae Joon. She gets Hyeonjae 도움을 her for 잠시 동안 (she's the one he leaked 정보를), but he 을 꺼리는 눈치 it after a 동안- she's 항상 curious about Tae Joon, and 결코 about Hyeonjae, and he's 에 싫증 that 게임.

John Kim/Johnny (Kim Woo Bin)- Jae Hee’s “좋아하는 oppa” 미국에서. He helps her transfer to Genie, which 만들어 him one of 두 people who were in on her secret from 시작 (the 다른 하나는 being her 가장 female 친구 who isn't named and doesn't have a lot of screen time). Johnny comes to visit Jae Hee in Korea, 곳 he confesses that he's fallen for her. She’s not so thrilled about this. He realizes he is하지 않을 win Jae Hee의 마음 with Tae Joon 사진의 and gives up.

Seung Ri (Seo Joon Young)- The head of the dorm that Jae Hee, Tae Joon, Hyeongjae, and Eun Gyeol live in.

Obviously, we couldn't cover ten episodes of material in one article, but if you're jumping in 후반, this will get you up to speed 할 수있을만큼 start watching. For 분들 have been 관찰, what are your 좋아하는parts of the drama 지금까지? Let us know in the comments!