Suspicious Partner (2017)

This is a very unique drama in that it is truly a tale of romance but it is embedded deeply within a suspense/thriller story. It is one of the rare dramas that has enough of each (substantially equal) that if you are only interested in the romance part of the story there is enough story content related to the romance to be satisfied with this drama even if you never care for the suspense/solve-the-crime story. If you like crime-solving thrillers and want to ignore the lovey-dovey parts of the two main characters there is enough plot and tension within the crime story that will keep you interested and on the edge of your seat for the entire series. In fact, toward the end of this drama, the love story had to take a back seat to the unnerving and chilling parts of the story when the killer is finally caught and brought to justice.

"Suspicious Partner" is special because it has a balanced blend of humor, comedy, romance, bromance, suspense, anxiety, thrills, mystery, heartache, happiness and contentment to satisfy the various desires of a large audience. This drama sort of has it all.

I am a Ji Chang Wook fan and he did not disappoint in showing his range of acting skills and emotions in "Suspicious Partner" from comedic, to courageous, to loving and tender, to hurt and frustrated, to caring and sensual. He is the rare actor whose eyes and facial expressions say a thousand words without him speaking; however, when given great words to say, combined with his physical gifts of expression, it makes him extremely endearing and a strong protective force on screen. You can see why many women get weak from his heartfelt words and his piercing gaze.

I just want to give final recognition to Nam Ji Hyun for being an equally great female lead actress in this drama. She was not only beautiful but she was also able to display her great acting abilities to demonstrate many emotions on screen---all of them authentic and realistic to the audience. To Lee Deok Hwa who was the CEO/Step-Father to Attorney No. He was the great comedic relief to the show in the many super funny staff meetings that the firm had; but he also showed he could be the loving father, the wise sage, and the attentive and caring businessman---I really loved his character. Finally, hats off to Dong Ha who really played a very sinister, foreboding, mentally disturbing, malevolent, villain/murderer. He played this role so well, that you did not like his character at all, (he was pretty scary most of the times) but you have to give him his props for such a remarkable performance.

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Suspicious Partner is a Korean suspense, law, mystery, romance and comedy drama. The story is about Ji Wook an intelligent stubborn prosecutor turned lawyer and Bong Hee a naive lawyer who team up to work on a mysterious murder case involving a sly serial killer. The story explored corruption in the justice system. The cast played their characters very well, and there was good chemistry between the male and female leads. The music was pretty good and fit the drama well. If you like law dramas with a bit of romance and comedy then I would recommend this drama to you.

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And Justice For All

In order not to appear innocent victims, a law enforcer must uphold justice! That's more or less the message of the drama 'Suspicious Partner'.

Because of the actions of Prosecutor Jang Moo-Young, misfortune befell Eun Bong-Hee. He was bullied as a murderer's son, after Eun Bong-Hee's father was sacrificed as a firefighter.

The second time, Prosecutor Jang Moo-Young almost indicted Eun Bong-Hee by forging a murder weapon. Even though he escapes punishment, it doesn't mean good luck comes to Eun Bong-Hee.

Prosecutor Jang Moo-Young's other act was the rape case against Park So-Young by 7 teenagers. The majority of the perpetrators came from wealthy families, so the case was frozen. As a result, one of the perpetrators felt guilty and killed 6 other perpetrators.

Coherently arranged, the drama 'Suspicious Partner' begins with interesting scenes and tends to be funny, such as Eun Bong-Hee falsely accusing No Ji-Wook. Then No Ji Wook used Eun Bong-Hee out of shame towards his ex-girlfriend and mistress.

The colorful fun scene in the first episode suddenly turns dark, dark in the next episode, when Eun Bong-Hee becomes the accused of the death of her ex-boyfriend.

Overall, the drama 'Suspicious Partner' is recommended, even for re-watching. Although the results would be better, if the director and production team would condense it into 16 episodes or 32 episodes @ 30 minutes.

I like the idea of ​​Eun Bong-Hee, who is confused about finding a place to live, but instead goes to Na Ji-Hae's house, which incidentally is her rival. Na Ji-Hae once snatched Eun Bong-Hee's boyfriend, then became a damning witness. Their feud has even ended in each other. Exciting friendship!

What I like about this drama is the warm, brotherly atmosphere of the lawyer's office. Eun Bong-Hee confides with Ji Eun-Hyuk. It was the cold No Ji-Wook who had to be firm and make a decision. The arbiter of the wise Mr. Bang, and the trouble maker, senior lawyer Byeon Young-Hee, who is also No Ji Wook's adoptive father.

The cases raised are also interesting, such as the case of the death of the perpetrator of domestic violence. The wife thought her son had committed the murder so she wanted to take his place as the accused.

Then there is the stalker case that Eun Bong-Hee defends. A case of beating by a fortune teller. And certainly the case of serial killers who experience cognitive dissonance.

I give the drama Suspicious Partner a 7/10 because it is full of good acting and makes me smile. It could be 9/10 if this drama was shortened to just 16 episodes.

Oops, impossible wish huh? ️
Furthermore, my review can be read here:
https://www.maria-g-soemitro.com/2022/01/suspicious-partner-huami-park-shin-hye.html

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Definitely was interesting in the beginning with the storyline as well as the eerie feeling that came when Bong Hee arrived in her office at night scene. The new storyline of Ji Wook preventing Bong Hee from going to jail was a fresh start to the drama and the unknown identity of the murderer made it more suspenseful and interesting to watch. It definitely fell short when the murderer Hyun Soo was revealed way too early in the drama which lead to it dragging along in most of the episodes in the middle. I think in the early episodes of when Chan Ho was revealed to have ill intentions and could possibly be the murderer could have been hidden from the audience and revealed later on just like the point I made before. About 1/3 of the drama near the end was just "when will they catch the murderer already?". It was dragging so much in the middle and near the end that I honestly skipped a lot of parts and I was still able to catch on with the premise of the story at the end. Also would've been interesting if somehow Ji wook and Bong hee figured out that their fathers were involved in the same arson case near the middle of the drama which would've added more to the drama. The ending was somewhat not satisfying because we've known who the murderer is for almost the entirety of the drama and I stuck with this drama due to Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun's chemistry. My first time watching Ji Hyun's acting and will definitely watch her other dramas as she's a good actress! Really had potential in the beginning but I think it fell short in generating suspense throughout the middle to end of the drama as mentioned before, I'm not sure why the writer decided to just reveal the killer so early on and prolonged everything and nothing became intriguing quite quickly.
Some concluding points:
- Moo yeong (Hee joon's father) should've been punished more for what he did in the past
- Yoo Jung's character didn't provide much other than the "ex that cheated with my friend" impression and I think her character barely developed
- A lot say they like Ji Hae's character near the end which I agree but I still think she should've been punished in a way for being the "mistress" of Hee joon and I don't see how Bong hee had such a mutual relationship with her
- Choi Tae Joon's acting is okay for me as it felt kinda awkward at times with his facial expressions
- Liked the happy and cute ending but wished it would've shown a bit of their life after

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normalize cheating

as usual, dramas are overhyped with high ratings even though they are just trash. The initial story starts very well and is exciting but as the drama progresses in the middle it starts to feel boring and not exciting. The story of this drama is about ML who finds out his best friend is having an affair with ML's girlfriend and remains friends? is this realistic? and at the end of the story they both like each other and are two-faced. I know why Korean dramas mostly use the romance genre because there are many couples who have affairs and many people get divorced in Korea. I don't know what ML was thinking to stay with his best friend even though he was lied to like that.

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So like everybody is saying the beginning was good there was comedy and that funny romance! As the show went on the romance dragged and it was getting tiring but the reasons why I watched it all the way through

1. JI CHANG WOOK was amazing in this role! He was freaking hilarious and couldn’t stop laughing! His temper was what made me laugh so hard

2. The villain although he is a bad person he was a very good actor. Their was also a backstory to him so it was also interesting to know what happened to him

3. The chemistry between the prosecutor (Ji Chang wook) and the attorney! Their chemistry was great and they were both very funny! I loved them together and it was overall great!

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super interesting with an amazing romance...

Suspicious Partner is a romantic comedy thriller about a talented prosecutor (Ji Chang Wook) who suffered trauma in his past that gets mixed up with a judicial trainee (Nam Ji Hyun) who ends up wrongfully accused of murder.  And if things aren’t complicated enough, they then have to deal with a serial killer coming after them. Suspicious Partner is one of those really solid dramas that has a great story coupled with interesting characters played by a talented group of actors. It’s a nice mixture of genres with romantic comedy, mystery, and legal thriller elements. And I loved it!

Ji Chang Wook plays our prosecutor turned attorney Noh Ji Wook. I loved his character so much! He’s an awkward guy whose personality is a bit off putting. He’s bored with his life and frequently looks quite sad and lonely. But he’s a very honorable man who always seeks the truth and wants to help those around him. Ji Chang Wook really brought Ji Wook to life with the awkward mannerisms and making the character very nuanced and layered. He conveyed what a good heart Ji Wook had and how much pain he was suffering from past trauma. What he was going through greatly affected him throughout the drama, and I really just wanted him to find peace and be happy.
Nam Ji Hyun is Eun Bong Hee, a judicial trainee who finds herself in the horrible position of being accused of murder. It ruins her career and leaves her in a difficult situation. But she is a hard worker with a bright personality and is always ready to give her all. I thought Nam Ji Hyun was perfect as she is just so endearing. Her smile lights up the room plus she can really deliver heartfelt emotions.
Choi Tae Joon plays Ji Eun Hyuk. He’s a long-time friend of Ji Wook’s, but the two have some bad history which creates a strain on their relationship. Choi Tae Joon really delighted me with this character. He’s such a fun and good hearted man.

Overall, I just loved how the drama felt. It had this atmosphere that made me feel completely comfortable. It’s interesting because I’ve seen plenty of legal dramas and they are definitely not a genre I gravitate towards.
But as mentioned, this one had just that right combination of elements with a solid overarching story. I thoroughly enjoyed just going on the journey with the characters as they tried to overcome obstacles and find happiness.

I loved Ji Chang Wook and Nam Ji Hyun’s interactions. They had such a great rapport between them. Their bickering was spot on as well as their awkward encounters. Then the romance gave me plenty of feels. It was quite fun first getting to watch Bong Hee obsess over Ji Wook. I just felt for her so much. Of course, the timing is off between them, so we eventually get to see the reverse and watch Ji Wook awkwardly try to win her affections. And that was way too adorable!

The relationship dynamics between all of the characters was also very well done. We had the relationship between Ji Wook and Eun Hyuk that was strained but had some touching moments. Eun Hyuk and Bong Hee developed a nice supportive friendship. And Yoo Jung had complicated relationships with everyone in the group. It was all done so well.


Suspicious Partner was so enjoyable. The serial killer mystery was simple but well executed. It even included a few twists and explored some interesting psychological issues. The characters were so well done and really brought the drama to life. It was satisfying on so many levels, and I’m very sad to see it end.

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Lost count of the number of times I have rewatched this ( 4-5 would be my guess so far)

It's not perfect, there are certain things about the plot that have you raising eyes but the leads make up for whatever is wrong with the story. They have a such a blazing chemistry! This is the show that made me like Ji Chang Wook even before I knew his name. His pairing with Nam Ji Hyun is best to date. I'm sad that they haven't worked together again in any other dramas. Especially, Nam Ji Hyun, I really would like to her in more romcoms, but she prefers more serious roles. The entire cast is also great.

What I like about both the characters is that they have enough spine to leave to their cheating exes. They didn't beg for them to take them back but made it clear that they wouldn't want them back under any condition. Jang Hee Joo, Bong Hee's ex was such a pain in the ass, not only did he show no remorse for cheating, he went out of his way to make it so that she was the one who cheated. The women in the hotel, Na Hi Jae, wasn't any better either, she contributed to this plan knowing that they both messed up but still behaved all high and mighty. These are the kind of people that scare me, the ones who don't understand the difference between right & wrong. What makes it even more scary is that they get away with it. Even by the end of the drama, Na Hi Jae didn't face any repercussion for damaging Bong Hee's reputation, and irony is she is the one who becomes a prosecutor, who's supposed to uphold justice, whereas Bong Hee who was framed continues to struggle.

One thing that bothers me the most about the ML is he thinks that not submitting the second knife would have let him be continue to fulfill his father's dream of him being a prosecutor, but he doesn't even consider what his father would have thought of him being a dishonest one by hiding the other knife. Instead, he blames it on the FL. And everyone around agrees that he gave up his career not for the truth but because of the FL. I don't think this thinking was ever addressed.

While they end up arresting one Stalker, they glorify the FL's stalking of the ML. Between the two of them, the ML didn't really notice that she was stalking him, but once he found out, I don't think he minded it that much.

The best part about Bong Hee & Ji Wook's relationship is that there was always a nascent attractions between them, neither of them aware when they started to have feelings for each other. One day, they just knew that they did. Ji Wook did his best to deny those feelings but ultimately decided to stop resisting. Bong Hee surely had a tough time of it, since she was the one who recognized those feelings first and had to deal with it being one-sided for long, then came the rejection. It is beautiful to watch them be together, even when they fight about silly things.

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Exciting murders and hot prosecutors

This was my first Ji Chang Wook Drama, and I really understand now exactly why this guy has soooo many fans. No only is he really pleasant to look at, but his acting skills are really dang good! There wasn't as much romance as I would have liked in this drama, but the main action plot with the killer that drives the story was, even though a bit predictable, really interesting and kept me entertained through all 40 episodes. The dynamic between the two leads was just wonderful, and there was plenty of comedy relief sprinkled throughout the drama, to my great relief. They also really killed it with that soundtrack. This was, overall, a wonderful drama, despite it lacking in the romance department for me.

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Suspicious Drama was my first KDrama and to be honest, I was quite disappointed from the way series ended even though I very liked it very much throughout the journey of 20/40 episodes. This is the first piece of entertainment I'm writing a review for so I might suck! Anyways here goes!

I liked the amazing acting by the cast and the most amazing I felt was by the main couple and the amazing chemistry they developed (except the ending). I liked the OST and the moments where the OST's were used. Big thump's up from me on that! I was drawn in the story by the main villian and ML and I definitely liked that. I cannot say I completely agree with the way story developed, which in it's entirety felt dragged out upto certain extent, but it wasn't bad at all, except the fricking ending which annoys me to no end.

Even after seeing amazing performances from the cast, even after experiencing cute moments powered by OST's, things were left out and the ending was frustrating. I feel this heavy need to express how much of joy the series was for me for it's entirety and that I fuckin loved this series until the last few eps. I found it very annoying that nearing it's end, the series decided to trample on the cute and forward-going relationship it built itself on. I agree that during the series there were many up's-and-down's but they had their lovely moments wherein they became closer each step. But when everything gets sorted in the end, the series decides to reset the relationship or move tons of steps backwards. They had lived with each other, they had their cute moments, they respected each other, they loved each other, they wanted each other. But it looked as if nothing of these mattered in the end and it irritated and frustrated me to a large extent that the series tend to act like all those cute lovely moments between couple in-between the series didn't happened. Like oh my god, the way FML acted towards each other makes me rethink whether those moments actually happened in the series or not and it just makes me so much fricking sad man, it's just unbearable, it just gives me headache ughh!! I understand what Prosecutor Na said to FML in her living room regarding same thing, increase of fights and then breakup and what the f that really felt like happening. Why the f they changed FML's character nearing the end huh, she's so much nitpicking bruh! And I don't even know how the f ML is handling that bruh! I just felt that they were way more close before than they were after they resolved their things and it's very sad for me. Everything was reduced to a shitty relationship!!!! Ughh this gives me headache man!
Only reason I'm giving this series anything beyond a 6.0/10 (which would have ben 9/10 thanks if not for the ending) is thanks to amazing acting and the entire journey of drama except the last few eps! I just hate them so f much!

*PS: Ik there were many cliches anol that shii but this was my first KDrama so I'll give them a pass!

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Romantic comedy with a serious side

This drama started off brilliantly, it got me hooked straight away. It was really funny & cute but has a serious side with some quite dark moments but the overall feeling it leaves you with is hope & happiness.
I really was going to give this a rating of 9 but just a few things were nagging at me. The main reason for not wanting to give it a 10 originally is that it can drag a bit, not enough so that it's unenjoyable but enough so that it's not perfect. My next reason is to do with the plot, while I loved it in general, specifically there were some plot holes, the main one being that we never find out exactly why Go Chan-ho was "helping" Jung Hyeon-su, I really wanted that to be explained.
Nonetheless this is a super drama with a great cast ?‍?

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Enjoyable but fairly forgettable rom com with a side of murder

Suspicious Partner was fun. It combined a murder plot and legal drama with a classic rom com and still maintained a light tone. It clipped along at a good pace and had likeable characters. But a week after watching it I've already forgotten a lot about it, so for me this is an enjoyable but largely forgettable show. Good for when you want to switch your brain off and just have fun with an entertaining plot.

The writing was generally good, though this drama did manage to include practically every trope in existence. The writer did a great job of weaving an ongoing serial killer storyline, weekly legal cases, romance, and side plots together and creating engaging characters. I did get frustrated with some of the writing choices every now and again, especially when they lost some of the momentum in the murder sub plot near the end, but this was a generally well written show. I liked the romance to begin with, but by the time the show neared its conclusion there had been so many obstacles placed in their way that I'd slightly lost interest. The secondary romance didn't really work, largely because they wrote the second female lead to be pretty unlikeable and attempted to remedy it too late.

The performances were great, especially that of Dong Ha and Nam Ji Hyun who played the female lead. I thought Ji Hyun was charming and was really impressed by her, and Dong Ha was so good he stole the show at times. I also really enjoyed a lot of the supporting characters; Choi Tae Joon was very engaging as the second male lead, and I particularly liked the character of Ji Hae. It was a minor part, but I wanted to see more of her, which is a credit to the performance by Kim Ye Won. I know Ji Chang Wook is incredibly popular, but his performance was one of the weaker ones for me. He's good when he's doing action scenes or serious scenes, but I found him less convincing when required to act happily with someone he loved. There was a scene with his mother where he grinned inanely at her in a seeming display of affection and I found it pretty jarring, and I felt the same in some of his scenes with the female lead. He's better at playing darker emotions than happier ones and I'd have preferred his performance if it was more restrained in those lighter moments.

Overall this is an enjoyable show and I'd recommend it, just don't set your expectations too high.

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