Baek Seung Jo and Oh Ha Ni might be the typical Korean drama characters that you can see now but ten years ago, it was the first drama that hooked me up to Kdramas. The drama ‘Playful Kiss’ might not be the first Kdrama that I watched but it is definitely the reason why I am writing this fan account and is currently looking back to a decade of fun fangirling memories I had through the years.
What’s with Playful Kiss?
Playful Kiss is a Korean adaptation of the Japanese anime ‘Itazura na Kiss’ starring Kim Hyun Joong as Baek Seung Jo and Jung So Min as Oh Ha Ni. The drama circulates in the cute young love story of Baek Seung Jo and Oh Ha Ni back in high school until they lived under one roof due to natural phenomenal circumstances that caused Oh Ha Ni and his father to move out of their house.
Baek Seung Jo and Oh Ha Ni also study at the same school but Baek Seung Jo is always on top of the school rank while Oh Ha Ni belongs to the bottom. The differences in their personality are something that they need to work on from time to time given the fact that despite her shy and happy go lucky personality Ha Ni is extremely vocal about Baek Seung Jo as her ultimate crush.
The main characters
Kim Hyun Joong as Baek Seung JoEverything is perfect about Baek Seung Jo except for his narcissistic personality. He’s smart, good looking and does anything so well. The only problem is that he’s not the type who will get along with not so smart people like Oh Ha Ni. Since he knows that Oh Ha Ni is quite slow-witted, he normally fools her around but as the usual knight in shining armor, he’s there when Ha Ni needs help.
Jung So Min as Oh Ha NiDespite the slow-witted character of Oh Ha Ni, she’s always been sincere with her feelings for Baek Seung Jo and her loyalty to her friends. We just love how her small efforts paid off and made Seung Jo fall for her too. Her goals in life might be based on the path that Seung Jo plans to take but she makes sure that the path she’ll be taking in life will make her happy like what her grandmother said.
Impact
As a student during the time this show aired, I had quite a number of fond memories while watching it. You know that indescribable feeling when you see your crush at the campus? It seems like there’s an actual Oh Ha Ni in us. Also, the biggest impact for me is when Ha Ni told Seung Jo to find a career that will make him happy.
“Have fun living. Have fun and make others happy too.” – Oh Ha Ni’s grandmother.
Also, during their graduation, Seung Jo also shared this idea with his batchmates through his speech. I can still remember the time he talked about choosing the path someone will be taking in the future and regardless of how smart he is. he is still unsure of which path to take.
It felt like his speech was addressed to me as I am about to choose a university and a major to sign up for during the time that I watched ‘Playful Kiss.’ This is something that a high school student like me back then was undergoing.To be honest, I never thought that re-watching this drama every year felt different. From a high school student to becoming a university student and eventually when I joined the workforce. Every time I watch it, it feels so light. Especially the YT special (season 2) when Baek Seung Jo and Oh Ha Ni are both working already.
A decade of fun memories
Meeting Kim Hyun Joong twice in a decade still feels surreal. My first Kpop event was his ‘Breakdown’ Hi-Touch event in Trinoma back in 2011. A year after ‘Playful Kiss’ was released. Back then, the popularity of Boys Over Flowers ignited the fangirl feels of Filipino fans so I missed the chance of having a hi-touch but I am still glad to see him live on stage.
Days go by and we meet more oppas, more dramas and new challenges in life but Playful Kiss is like my go-to drama whenever I feel the need to motivate myself. I guess we all have that drama that makes us happy no matter what.Nine years after Filipino Henecians got to see him once again through a concert called ‘Bio-Rhythm’ and you know that feeling when you first saw your crush and you thought that you are done with that ‘kilig’ moment but when you see him once again, it’s still the same Kim Hyun Joong that we loved since then.
The harder it is to achieve a dream, the more meaningful it is to go for it. – Baek Seung Jo
It’s been a decade and I know that through the years, this drama will still be my go-to drama whenever I feel the need to laugh or just inspire myself. How about you? What drama inspires you?
