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"A Witch's Romance"

There's a type of Korean drama called "Noona Romance". Noona is Korean for what a younger male would call an older female - it can mean sister but it is also often used with women the men are not related to. Noona Romance refers to a drama featuring a couple in which the woman is noticeably older than the male. There are many hit dramas featuring a Noona romance - "I Hear Your Voice", "Flower Boy Ramyun Shop", "Secret Love Affair" to name a few - and they have all been very successful both in Korea and overseas.

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The latest Noona Romance drama to be a hit in Korea is "A Witch's Romance", starring old-school pop star Uhm Jung-hwa and the newer actor Park Seo-joon. Uhm plays 39 year old Ban Ji Yeon who, after being abandoned by her fiancé a day before her wedding, has spent the last 6 years completely immersed in her job as a reporter for Trouble Maker magazine. Her personality is far from amicable, and she is so demanding, and at times demeaning, with her co-workers that they would do almost anything to break her confidence.

Ji Yeon is in the middle of sneaking around to get catch a breaking scoop when she quite literally runs into Yoon Dong Ha (Park Seo-joon), a 21 year old medical student on a leave of absence, and ruins his part time work with a bunch of orphaned children. Dong Ha, having a heart of gold, pursues her to make things right again but Ji Yeon is completely incapable of seeing the fault in her actions.

Of course, being a Korean drama, this is not the end of their story. Their initial strife unfolds into a series of events that further entwines Dong Ha into Ji Yeon's life, with the younger male acting at times as her bodyguard, then her assistant, and lastly as her fake boyfriend. All the while their age difference hangs over Ji Yeon like a dark cloud and keeps her from seeing Dong Ha as anything but a part-time employee.

This is also the ideal time for Ji Yeon's ex-fiancé (played by Han Jae-suk) to make his grand entrance back into Korea. While his past transgression should have completely ended their love, it turns out that there is more to the story of Ji Yeon's failed wedding. Dong Ha, however, isn't willing to step back out of his noona's life without a fight.

All of the characters in this series are delightfully realistic - Ji Yeon has flaws, but so does Dong Ha - and their personalities clash and compliment each other at all the right times. I gave this one a shot on a whim I'm glad I did, it's a feel-good romance at heart but it never looses its focus on the characters and the main plot by trying to adhere to too many drama cliches.

If this story sounds familiar, the drama is actually a remake of the Taiwanese drama My Queen. While I haven't seem the original, I'm enjoying the Korean version enough to check it out after "A Witch's Romance" is completed.

Episodes 11 and 12 will air next Monday/Tuesday, so check it out this weekend if you haven't see it already - but be aware, you'll probably end up marathoning it to catch up!

 

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