Love Creates Conflict But Can Also Heal In ‘When I Was Beautiful’

No build up is necessary to the romance in the new MBC drama When I Was Beautiful. In the first few minutes, Seo-hwan, the high school student played by Ji Soo, sees his student teacher, Oh Ye-ji, played by Lim Soo-hyang, and falls instantly in love. 

She attracts his attention because she shelters from the rain under a large leaf. She holds his attention because they are fundamentally alike. They are both artists, sensitive, caring and a little shy.

The romance might happen so fast in the plot of When I Was Beautiful because the story is not just about romantic love. Yes, the plot features love at first-glance, lost love, dangerous love, and one-sided love, but there’s also the love between brothers, paternal and maternal love or the lack thereof. 

When Seo-hwan’s older brother returns from his mandatory military duty, he also falls for Ye-ji when he finds her in his father’s studio. Seo-jin, played by Ha Suk-jin, is very different from his brother. He races cars at dangerous speeds, is assertive, sometimes aggressive, and is known as a womanizer.

When he asks his brother whether he likes Ye-ji, Seo-hwan finds it hard to vocalize his feelings. So, Seo-jin assumes he can pursue her, creating a situation that potentially threatens the relationship with his brother. 

It’s not unusual to have a love triangle in a romantic k-drama, but this one differs in its composition. Often, the leading man possesses some questionable qualities that may eventually be overcome. The character is often much too cold or has been coddled by rich parents. The leading man may seem dangerous or superficial, while the second lead is usually kind, supportive, and devoted, having qualities that in real life might seem preferable. In the course of such dramas, however, the leading male character becomes worthy. He becomes warmer, gets a reality check or proves not to be so dangerous, so the female leading character can safely fall in love with him.

In When Life Is Beautiful, Ji Soo’s character has all the qualities of a second lead, while Ha’s character seems charismatic, dangerous and careless. So, who is the leading man in this drama and who will prevail in love? 

Ji Soo previously appeared in the dramas My First First Love, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, mostly playing roles in which he lost the girl. To win his love in this drama, he must compete against his brother, whom he also loves and admires. However the triangle plays out, it won’t be achieved without considerable pain, and the first thing most of these characters will have to do is to confront their past.  

They’ve all experienced trauma. None of the main characters has experienced a healthy love between parental role models. Seo-hwan and Seo-jin’s mother does not live with the family and is often cold and indifferent. Ye-ji is desperate to break free of a dark past in which she lost her dysfunctional family and never thereafter had a supportive replacement.

Love often requires sacrifice and the characters’ conflicting entanglements in When I Was Beautiful will require just that. Hopefully, it will be a sacrifice that helps the characters transcend the past without leading to tragedy.