K-Drama Rewind: Master’s Sun

We are currently celebrating the November scare in our blog, so I thought of another memorable drama to feature for a fun Grumpy Flashback edition. And who would say no to Gong Hyo-jin unnie, right? She is very well-known as a versatile actress, not only in romance or melodrama, but also in the horror genre! To be honest, I really felt like this drama was what made me love her. I did not like her dramas before this one, but because Master’s Sun was one hell of a rollercoaster ride, I became a fan. We even have an inside joke in the ahjummamshies squad about Hyo-jin unnie, so I think they will all agree with me when I say she is one our favorites.

Master’s Sun was a horror romcom written by the Hong Sisters, which aired on SBS from August to October 2013 for 17 episodes. Yes, Master’s Sun is already four years old! Seems like it was just yesterday when I laughed and cried with Tae Gong-shil and Joo Joong-won.

I loved this drama so much I even believed that Master’s Sun was the Hong Sister’s “reclaim” to fame! Their projects went downhill since their Gumiho glory days (don’t kill me), but Master’s Sun saved their name from extinction. The acclaimed writing duo went on a hit and miss throughout the years, but I guess what’s important was their gift of unforgettable characters that us fans continue to love even after all these years.

GRUMPY FIX

So to start off this fun throwback, let me share this equally successful OST of Master’s Sun performed by Yoon Mi-rae. Just so you know, this won the Best OST in the 5th MelOn Music Awards and 15th Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), respectively. Quite the feat, right?

Safety Hideout Joo Joong-won and the Unconventional Candy Tae Yang

Master’s Sun centered around the relationship between Kingdom mall CEO Joo Joong-won and weird girl Tae Gong-shil. Gong-shil or Tae Yang was once a bright girl, but after surviving an accident, she gained the ability to see and talk to ghosts. This drastically changed her life and made her gloomy and aloof.

But after meeting Joong-won, things went upside down. Joong-won became her safety hideout. Every time she touches Joong-won, the ghosts magically disappears into thin air. The reason for this was never explained, though.

The drama made use of the episodic approach of storytelling wherein the audience met various ghosts with different backstories, respectively. The show was able to infuse horror with comedy, and I think it pretty much delivered a decent job in making the drama as interesting as it could be.

As the story progressed, we saw how Joong-won, a once stiff and individualistic businessman, was able to break down his personal wall because of Tae Yang. She may be a classic Candy girl, but her determination to shy away from being tagged as a shameless gold digger despite her continuous clinging onto Joong-won was admirable.

The Salary Man and the Goddess: Kang Woo and Tae Ri-yeong

Another unforgettable second couple courtesy of Seo In-guk and Kim Yoo-ri! Sweet Candy Kang and Little Sun Tae Ri-yeong was a breath of fresh air whenever the sequences get too scary. It was fun watching Kang Woo loosening up to Ri-yeong, an unusual set-up of a security guard being wooed by a top star. Their chemistry was so on point that we even wished for them to have their own We Got Married episode!

Top 3 Most Memorable Ghosts

• Pil-seung, the military dog

The only ghost in the story that made me cry! Pil-seung was a military dog who dances to the tune of Wonder Girl’s Nobody.  He follows around his master who was depressed because of his best friend’s death.

• Coffee Ghost Joon-Seok

A harmless student who follows Gong-shil around to ask for a cup of coffee. It was revealed it the later part of the story that he was apparently on a secret mission to look after her, and was still a living soul with his body confined in a hospital.

• Trash Can Ahjussi

This is one hilarious ghost who stays beside the Kingdom Mall’s trash can all throughout the series. He became Joong-won’s unlikely friend. Apparently, he threw his winning lottery ticket into the said trash can and died from depression because of it.

Who would have thought we would be blessed enough to watch So Ji-sub and Seo In-guk sing “Gom Se Mari” in our lifetime? LOL. Here’s my most favorite scene of the drama:

Grumpy trivia: Park Hyung-sik was originally cast to play the young version of Joo Joong-won, but due to his prior commitments (his boyband ZE:A just released their new songs and he was also cast in another drama The Heirs), he dropped out of the series prior to filming. The role which we all know was given to his fellow idol-turned-actor, Infinite’s L.

Another character to look forward to in this drama was Kim Mi-kyung’s Joo Sung-ran! She played the notorious aunt of Joong-won who protects him at all cost. She uttered the unforgettable nickname “Bang Shil” which until today is widely used by your ahjummamshies squad when referring to Hyo-jin unnie. 😂

One important takeaway I had while I was watching Master’s Sun was how the show highlighted the importance of letting go of grudges. Every single soul who got involved with Tae Gong-shil hold onto something that made them stay in the human world even after death. Sometimes, people are unable to move on because they do not want to move forward in the first place.

Gong-shil can only act as a medium for all the personal grudges and unfinished business on earth, but the most important part still goes to the ghost. This also applies to both Joong-won and Gong-shil. Joong-won was unable to read all these years because of a tragic past, while Gong-shil disconnected from her old self because of her special ability. But after accepting their own personal grudges, they were able to fight their own demons. Forgiveness requires us to accept that some things are out of our control, and it is up to us if we can overcome our own struggles.

[All photos and GIFs used in this blog belong to SBS’s Master’s Sun]