Edited by Seo Hae Lan
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
The romance between an anchorman of a news show with the highest ratings and ‘disliked’ celebrity seemed pretty obvious. The only refreshing setting is that the anchorman suffers from hyperthymesia, a condition that gives the person the ability to remember an abnormally vast amount of their life experiences in vivid detail. But to be honest, the first thought that came to my mind was, “He should be good at his jobs.” Find Me In Your Memory, which was expected to be nothing more than a love story between a pretty man and a woman, shows more than what was expected in characters, development, and the use of actors.
The drama begins as Lee Jung Hoon, a professional man who is incapable of tolerating anything that is Janus-faced, interviews Yeo Ha Jin, a celeb who overly enjoys the attention. It’s just another interview he had done hundreds of times before, but on this day, Jung Hoon makes an unprecedented news blooper as something about her shakes him up violently. The next day, Ha Jin starts a rumor that she and Ha Joon have feelings for each other, and Jung Hoon unavoidably goes along with her lies. However, what simply started as an act to help each other’s plight, transforms into something else as the boundaries between fake and real are blurred after going through a series of incidents.
Find Me In Your Memory lead the play with various attractions of the characters and story, slowly breaking the mold of obvious settings. Jung Hoon, who seems grumpy and rude, lives with more scars than one can imagine since he never forgets anything. Ha Jin, who seems immature and thoughtless, is actually sweet and kind, and appreciates those who remember her. The relationship between the two whose trace and philosophy of life are entirely different, was formed with “memory.” Jung Hoon’s girlfriend, Seo Yun, who lost her life in a stalking crime, was also the best friend of Ha Jin. Jung Hoon can never forget the memory of Seo Yun, and Ha Jin erased her memory of Seo Yun, failing to accept the death of her friend.
Jung Hoon learns about Ha Jin’s condition from his friend Tae Eun, who is also a doctor in charge of Ha Jin’s treatment. Later, Jung Hoon tries to protect her from memory and pain, but Ha Jin wants to know why he is acting so kind but always keeping her at arm’s length. But, the drama adds the setting of Ha Jin being stalked just like Seo Yun to the ‘truth or dare’ game between the two, once again giving Jung Hoon the task to protect someone close whereas providing Ha Jin an opportunity to regain her memory little by little.
The script that combines romance and mystery is even added with a taste of thriller, enlivening the story. As time goes by, the overall setting, which seemed a bit shallow at first, gets deepened, and raises more exciting questions by solving the previously asked questions. The production also harmonizes various genres, highlighting the theme of “memory” that dominates the past of both characters. However, what increases the level of immersion is none other than the impressive acting of Kim Dong Wook and Moon Ga Young.
In the beginning, Moon Ga Young mostly caught the eye. Portraying a character who seems colorful and light but is kind and harmless, she actually looked as if she were real Ha Jin. As the story goes on, she skillfully expresses the professional side at work, boldness when it comes to love, and fear about the truth and her past memory. Jung Hoon, played by Kim Dong Wook, on the other hand, was not very liked in the beginning for his sensitive attitudes. However, after learning how hyperthymesia was actually a curse for him, the scene where he suffers from his memory of Seo Yun and tries to protect Ha Jin, a precious friend of Seo Yun, comes very different. Kim Dong Wook meticulously expresses the details of subtle emotional changes that Jung Hoon undergoes. The fact that he won the Grand Prize with Special Labor Inspector Jo last year already proves what a wonderful actor he is, but with Find Me In Your Memory, Kim Dong Wook showed how great he is even in romance.
Find Me In Your Memory has unraveled half of the story. From now on, Jung Hoon and Ha Jin’s past will be revealed more, and the identity of the stalker who bullies Ha Jin will also be revealed (the viewers already started their predictions). As Jung Hoon and Ha Jin start their “real love,” it will be interesting to see the process of Jung Hoon, who never forgets anything, diving into his new love. Expectations are rising for the rest of the drama, which will get even more exciting.
Verdict: Don’t judge a book by its cover. The more you get into it, the more you will get impressed. (6.5/10)
