Highlights: Flower Boy Ramyun Shop Episode 1

 Just found a new drama I think I’m gonna have fun watching. Saw that the recap is up at dramabeans and thought that hey, this is just what I need…something fluffy and cute. Viva cable dramas!

Since there’s already an ongoing recap, I’m experimenting with a new format – highlights. Basically I’m gonna gush on the stuffs I like about the episode instead of a whole recap. So it’s still gonna be a spoiler of sorts yeah.

This is to be a 16 episode rom-com which is (yay!) only about 45 minutes each episode. I don’t know about you but I lurrvve dramas with shorter duration…even if the number of episodes is way more than the usual 16-20 episodes. Guess I just have a shorter attention span.

The main characters:

Jung Il Woo is oozing with charm as the playboy-ish chaebol high school student, Cha Chi Soo. His character feels like an upgraded version of his Scheduler (49 days) role – minus the hair and the special powers. He’s lousy in English, pretty and he knows it, turns on the charm when he needs it, wheedles his daddy to get his way (totally adorable), hates girls who cry but totally loyal to his friends. Love him already.

I’ve never seen Lee Cheong-ah in anything but I think she’s endearing as the strong, plucky woman with a romanticized view on love, Yang Eun Bi. I like that she’s not the Candy-type heroine, she’s determined when she wants something and not afraid to go for it. She’s pretty strong physically too, so not your usual damsel in distress. She’s also a little superstitious and loyal to a fault.

This drama has been touted for the eye-candies, so how can I forget to mention the boys. These are Chi Soo’s three rich friends, all of whom are hopeless flirts, all of whom I don’t find pretty at all to be honest. Well, to each his own opinion.

And this is Woo Hyeon-woo, Chi Soo’s other friend who’s fallen on hard times, working part-time to settle debts left to him by his runaway father.

My favourite scenes:

Chi Soo vs Eun Bi round #1

I’ve included a short video (chinese subs not by me, eng subs by me) on their first meeting which is hilarious!!!

Chi Soo vs Daddy Cha

OMG. Cuteness overload. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a male lead doing this to his father before. Initially, when Daddy Cha wants to bundle him back to US, Chi Soo tries to be firm and adult-like. 

When that doesn’t work, Chi Soo tries begging and cajoling while back-hugging his daddy!! LOL. That is genius. He’s both childish and adorable and daddy is softening already…

For the final blow, he fakes a stomachache and now daddy is reeeeeeeeeeeaally worried. Through all that, daddy has been looking to Mr.Secretary for opinion / approval, and so when Mr.Secretary finally gives him the greenlight, Chi Soo is forgiven. Aww…how cute is that the daddy is taking lessons on how to be strict with his son from his secretary. My heart totally melted. :)

Eun Bi vs Chi Soo round #3

They meet for the third time and she, still mistaken that he’s 6 years older from their previous conversation, surreptitiously assesses his eligibility and rates him 100%. She eagerly offers to address him “oppa” which confuses Chi Soo and before he’s able to correct her, she is accidentally knocked over by a motorcyclist and he grabs onto her in this position LOL.

EB: Would you go out with me, oppa?

CS: What?

EB: ...or not, it’s ok…

CS: You can call me oppa, I’m fine with that…as for dating me, that may be a little difficult…

Chi Soo smiles devilishly and rights her up before slipping on his high school uniform jacket as EB looks on slack-jawed. As a parting repartee, he comments that she looks pretty today and winks. LOL. I died laughing.

Thoughts:

I’m not addicted yet, but I love what I’ve seen so far. It feels so different from the normal Korean rom-coms, with no convoluted family histories and none of the main leads seems to be suffering from excess emotional baggage. After the traumatizing experience of watching my first Korean cable drama (Re: Manny – SO.BORING.), I’m glad this turns out to be such a pleasant watch. Maybe I’d feel buoyed enough to tackle the last few episodes of SOAW….