I am a Chun Woo-hee fan, period. That is honestly the main reason I started watching Delightfully Deceitful on Netflix. I have been following her ever since I saw her in Be Melodramatic (I have watched it thrice already!). She was so authentic that I kept forgetting where the character ended and she began. Then I tried The Atypical Family (wasn’t sure at first, but ended up really liking it), and then The 8 Show, which is actually one of my favorite shows on Netflix besides others. She has slayed in every role!
Right now, I am only halfway through Delightfully Deceitful. This time, I thought I would write about the show while I am still watching it, just to see how my thoughts change later. And oh, I am writing this with a bowl of Buldak Cheese instant “spicy” ramen in front of me, seriously wondering why do I buy it! It calls out to me every time I am at the supermarket and it is definitely not for the fiery taste. If you haven’t tried yet, you would never know.
This show is a mix of dark humor and revenge, which is my kind of thing next to romance and action and fantasy and period drama (you get it, right? ;)). Korean writers and directors are so good at adding funny moments and dialogues to serious stories, so you don’t end up in a black pit of despair. For me, that humour makes it all feel more real—yes, life is complicated and serious, but it is also oddly funny.
The k-drama is about Lee Ro-eum (played by Chun Woo-hee), a child prodigy with a photographic memory, and Han Moo-young (played by Kim Dong-wook), a lawyer with a strange illness. Their lives get tangled up when Moo-young becomes her lawyer.
Now the banter between Ro-eum and Moo-young is actually fun. He is a really serious guy always dressed up in suits and is desperate to help her, while she is a genius con artist who just wants him to leave her alone so she can do her own thing, in her own way.
Chun Woo-hee as a con artist is the real treat here. Her mannerisms change drastically with her outfit—she can go from being a nurse you wouldn’t give a second glance to, to a gorgeous, rich brat. I think she is a brilliant actress because she knows exactly how to use everything from a movement of her eyes to a twitch of her lips to make her character feel real and believable. I always find her to have a slight smirk that makes me smirk ;). Here, she has that dark, almost demonic gleam in her eyes that can scare people, but she can also show a kind of naivety and innocence that makes people want to help her. She switches between the two so effortlessly, pulling and pushing the other characters to her will.
Her friends in the show are okay, to be honest. The story loosens a bit when these characters show up. But I do like Go Yo-han (played by Yoon Park), who is Ro-eum’s probation officer. His laid-back, “whatever” attitude and casual language is a fun cover for how much he actually cares about his ex-convicts.
Right now, the plot is thickening around Ro-eum and her past, and I am waiting to see how she cons her way out and takes revenge on those who made her a convict in the first place.
More updates coming soon… and probably no more ramen the next time!
Life post-Delightfully Deceitful is… well, exactly the same as before. Maybe, I might become more cautious in choosing my next k-drama. Honestly, this show could have been wrapped up in 11 episodes, but looks like, the writers had to push it to 16. The slow-burn was so slow, that there were moments I was burning to quit, but then I remembered I have to finish my blog ;).
The Chairman? His character development was so thin, I was left still thinking what his rationale was. Maybe that was the entire point to make us think after the drama ended. It felt as if Ro-eum was the only one I could watch this series for, or maybe not.
Would it have been better if it were just Ro-eum and The Chairman as the leads, in the main plot? Only the ones who have watched will know.
One of the key moments for me in the series was when we as a society realise that people trying to rehabilitate from their past criminal behaviour are always looked at with mistrust. Then the question is how can they rehabilitate completely. It is something to think about deeply and I am happy they focussed on this.
Alas, Delightfully Deceitful failed to delight me completely, but I still remain Chun Woo-hee’s fan.
Your’s truly.
The Lured One.
4 responses to ““Delightfully Deceitful: My Chun Woo-hee Obsession””
Rach surely you can write a K-drama script since you have a flair of writing and I’m certain Netflix would be happy to produce the same:-)
Thank you, Zola. Readers like you make it worthwhile. I hope it brought a smile to your face :).
Next on my list!!! I did like watching Atypical family. It was different I would say. And looking at her filmography sh seems to be well established actress in the movie world as well.
Will surely watch this one as this one I think surely falls in my kinda genre 😄
I am glad it made on your list :). Maybe our thoughts align that even she picks up scripts that don’t always deliver. The Atypical family was so unexpected and cool. I love her choices usually 😉