KMUSE and I have been looking for a new drama to co recap and I’m excited to say we’ve finally found one with Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.  I’m doubly excited it’s a rom-com. I’ve only done thriller dramas so far, so this should be fun. Though be warned. This drama is on JTBC which is known for its crime dramas and there is a serial killer to be found among the cast. So buckled up, prepare your swoony hearts, and join me for a hysterically chilling ride.

As with all our recaps on Side of Kimchi, we do not do a step by step recount of the episode. There are other wonderful blogs for that, so if you need that much detail, check those out and come back for our highlights.

The first episode was mostly setup and introduction to our characters. And what a cast we have. For my recap I’ll do the same, while filling in a bit of the story.

First up we have Do Bong Soon.

Do Bong Soon is from a long line of strong women. Her mother found out the hard way that if she uses her powers for anything but good, she loses them, or worse, suffers horrible physical repercussions like boils on her skin. Because of that curse, Bong Soon has chosen to hide her abilities. Though we see very soon that maybe the word hide isn’t completely accurate. She’s currently unemployed but dreams of creating a game, where a girl like her, is the hero.

She has a twin brother who is in med school and seems to be a really nice guy. (Note: Every male in this drama will probably be a suspect at one point or another since we have a faceless killer.)

Park Bo Young is firmly in my all time favorites category now. I LOVED her in Oh My Ghostess, but hadn’t seen her in enough to give her that honor. Her portrayal of Bong Soon is hilarious. She’s harsh, spunky, and doesn’t appear to be afraid of anything. Her one weakness is a certain police officer. (Come on, who wouldn’t have Ji Soo as a weakness.)

Next up we have An Min Hyuk.

On paper he’s your typical male lead. A chaebol who didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps so he started his own company. Is so good at his job, he only has to come in a few times a week (riding a hover board, as playboy chaebols tend to do). He’s being followed by some unknown man and decides he needs a bodyguard.

Enter Do Bong Soon.

He witnesses her beating up a bunch of thugs. And the play by play is too good not to include.

It pretty much goes – Bong Soon beating someone up with superhuman strength.

Min Hyuk flabbergasted.

It’s hilarious that Bong Soon doesn’t really want to fight, but they keep coming at her and she ends up beating the crap out of them. Looking pretty apologetic at her larger than life strength.

Not that she doesn’t have a temper. Seriously with this girl. Usually, it’s the guys I have a hard time not including tons and tons of shots, but I have a feeling you guys are going to see a lot of Bo Young.

Min Hyuk might not be able to believe what he’s seeing, but by the end, he’s totally swooning over our Do Bong Soon.

He gets roped into being a witness at the police station. Thankfully for Bong Soon, he doesn’t trust cops, so he lies and says there is no way a tiny girl like her could beat up all those men. The bad guys, plus a bus full of hero worshiping kids, counter his claim. The police believe Min Hyuk since it gives them the least amount of headache.

Once he meets Bong Soon he can’t stop thinking of her, and comes to the conclusion that she needs to be his bodyguard.

What I love about Park Hyung Sik’s portrayal of this character is his facial expressions. They are non-stop and convey so much. So far he hasn’t been too serious but if any of you watched Hwarang (you deserve a prize) you know that Hyung Sik can convey angst and tons of depth with his face. But for now,  we get to see him awe struck by Bong Soon’s strength. And a little, okay A LOT, turned on by it. His “that’s sexy” to his secretary after she chewed him out was so funny.

To round out our ridiculously beautiful trio is In Gook Doo.

Gook Doo is a straight-laced brooding rookie police officer. (Perfect character for Ji Soo’s skill set)

He’s all business with Bong Soon, and is totally oblivious to her long running crush on him. Which is probably good because he has a girlfriend. Gook Doo also doesn’t know about Bong Soon’s strength. He seems to genuinely care for her as someone he’s grown up with, and is also a very dedicated police officer.

So dedicated, in fact, he’s willing to put on this little red number to catch the bad guy. I’m still not convinced it was him the whole time.

He ends up in the violent crimes unit after arresting a congressman using that red dress, and making a few people mad. Which is why he investigates a murder that happens in Bong Soon’s neighborhood. This will be our central mystery and will also instigate possible cohabitation. YAY for serial killers… Oh wait. No, we don’t want creepy guys messing up our fun. But if it brings about a reason for shower shenanigans, then I guess I’ll have to live with a little murder.

The rest of the setup.

Min Hyuk has his secretary offer Do Bong Soon a job and at first she’s reluctant. But then hears that Min Hyuk is the CEO of a company she really wants to work for so she can develop the strong woman game staring a girl just like her. She jumps at the chance and ends up in an interview with Min Hyuk which just turns into a display of her strength.

Arm wrestling.

Chicken fights.

Poor Secretary Kong. He broke his tailbone in three places.

It all ends with Bong Soon working for Min Hyuk and when she shows up to work the first day, she finds out why he needed a bodyguard. Min Hyuk gets a menacing call and apparently he has been getting them for a while. Dun, dun, dun.

My Thoughts:

I honestly laughed the entire episode. I tried really hard not to get my hopes up for this drama, but was pleasantly surprised that within the first five minutes I knew there was nothing to worry about. Bo Young gives us the perfect balance of spunk and strength. She’s the hero of this show, and it makes me so happy. I’m super excited that this is Hyung Sik’s first leading role. His character is adorable. He isn’t afraid to admit he’s attracted to someone. I think he actually said he was attracted to both of the other two leads during the first episode. (Okay,  he was being cheeky about cute police officers when referring to Gook Doo, but he still made the comment.) Gook Doo’s character was perfectly broody this first episode, but I can’t wait for him to be around Min Hyuk more. The two boys have an amazing onscreen chemistry that almost makes you wish they were the OTP. It should be funny seeing serious Gook Doo play off of Min Hyuk’s silliness.

If you’re looking for a good belly laugh that will have JTBC’s signature crime twist involved, this is your show. Add in two beautiful boys and one superwoman and you have the perfect weekend show for this drama geek.

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