Fated to Love You (2014)

Different path to Romance

8.5/10 is my rating. A 2014 South Korean television drama spanning 20 episodes ~60 minutes/episode). Kim Mi-Young (Jang Na-Ra) is an unassuming young woman who has a one night stand with a wealthy heir, Lee Gun (Jang Hyuk). She becomes pregnant.

Leading up to their sexual encounter the two leads had several chance encounters with a lot of comedic events surrounding them. They were not the type either would have considered for each other but a mix up lands them in the same room each thinking the other was someone else. It is further complicated by Lee Gun was on the eve of proposal to his long time love.

Spoiler 🚨 I liked this one perhaps more than its average level of review. It was very funny in many parts but you better also have tissues handy if you are one that feels the emotions along with the characters. There is a 2nd guy that is so wonderful to her you almost want to see her with him instead. Some say this was too formulaic for them but I feel like there were enough twists and turns in the story that any formulaic aspects were background. Besides, with love stories, the reason there is a formula is people like it. Same with every other genre there is a general "formula" that people tend to like and watch. I had my doubts but my friend had reassured me it ends well and it did. And it also ended nicely with loose ends tied up. I can deal with sad sandwiches (happy beginning and ending with sad in the middle) or even a sad pie (I made that one up sad at the base - the crust - but the rest is happy). But if it is sad soup (sad the whole way through) or Greek tragedy (it all goes to hell in the end) I am not interested. And even in the middle the sad thing cannot be so devastating that I never recover. And this one dodged all of that and just had some sad parts that didn't kill the story for me. I feel in love with Mi-Young's character for her incredibly sweet and nice nature. I really liked that she underwent a transformation and kept that at her core but grew confidence and the ability to stand up for herself. Very enjoyable and worthwhile watch.

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This was one of the first k-dramas I watched, and oh boy did it get me hooked. I can't really pin point WHY I loved it so much (and why I'm considering re-watching it only a month later (I did already get lured into revisiting specific episodes), but so far it's been my absolute favorite. The story itself isn't all that original and new, but they way it was written, the characters, the cuteness overload, and yes, even the often illogical (and infuriating) choices the characters made... it all added up to a brilliantly flawed piece of TV.

The actors, and the characters they portrayed, were superb. Jang Hyuk... my gosh, how did I live without hearing that laugh (that could have been obnoxious in another actor, but he's just.. it works 100%) Not only that, but his character was endearing in his care for Mi-Young and his more emotional scenes were spot on. I also adored Jang Na-ra as the leading lady, though it seemed at the beginning she would be way too shy and nice for my taste, and even if she was all those things, she was too lovely for me to take it as a fault, which made me really feel for her. Their chemistry was insane.

Anyway, would recommend this to everyone and anyone looking for an equal(ish) balance of heavy feels and cuteness overload.

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I am so grateful to the people who recommended this drama to me. At first, it caused my head to spin, however, with each episode, I began to fall in love with the storyline, the character's the music and the messages this drama was sending. "That if you are meant to be with a person, eventually, you will find your way back to them." and " No matter what is going on in your life, what sickness or disaster you are fighting, you can't hide the truth. Those who truly love and care for you will find out" and lately " Never stop living because the world might end. Live life to its fullest until your very last breath." The relationship between Gun and Mi Young was like riding on a roller coaster and I kind of figured out Se Ra and Daniel before more was revealed. From start to finish, this drama was filled with laughter, sorrow, pain, love and so many emotions that half of the time, I didn't know if I was crying or the tears were coming from laughing so hard. I congratulate the cast for an outstanding performance, one that is also memorable. I kind of want to watch this Drama all over again just to listen to Gun laugh.

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My favorite kdrama, by far (and I've seen a dozen great ones). I laughed and cried more in this drama than any other, and it's not even close. There was a point in the latter half of the series where I was basically crying every episode, which was surprising because the first few episodes were almost entirely comedic. Not saying the drama is sad, not at all. In fact, I laughed like an idiot throughout the series, because story and male lead was incredibly funny.

Jung Na-ra was exceptionally cute and angelic in this series, and I won't ever forget Jang Hyuk is maniacal laugh....mwahahahaha. The supporting cast weren't bad, but it's a story about the main cute couple, whom you'll fall in love with.

The story is awesome (happy overall but with quite a few points where you'll be sobbing). The music is honestly the best in kdrama after maybe Man From the Stars. It's best if you've never watched this story previously (it's adapted). Sometimes a bit cliched, but what kdrama isn't? Overally, highly recommend if you like romance/comedy/melodramas.

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Updated Review 2023:

I just finished my first re-watch of this drama (and I say first, because I will certainly be re-watching Fated to Love You many more times in the future), and oh my goodness. This drama is even better than I remembered.

I believe I watched this as it aired (probably on Dramafever), but I can't be sure as MyDramaList had some sort of glitch or something at some point, and a bunch of my completed dramas now show themselves as completed in 2016, this drama included. (I definitely did not watch the number of dramas in 2016 that MyDramaList says I did.) Regardless, I greatly enjoyed Fated to Love You the first time I watched it, although I had some complaints as well.

I remember finding the amnesia and everything around the Gun's illness after his bout with amnesia to be really frustrating. It was the same old noble idiocy trope all over again, and for what felt like no reason. After re-watching, however, I have completely changed my opinion. I think I (and many other Kdrama lovers) had grown over-tired of amnesia and noble idiocy and forced separation tropes in dramas, and that affected at least my feelings about the drama. But Gun's fear of his illness rearing its ugly head and hurting the ones he loves is a very believable, and understandable, fear. Especially as he experienced that exact thing with his own father. The story also addresses, towards the very end, how his choice to run away was actually the wrong one, and he shouldn't live his life afraid of what might happen but rather enjoy his life in the here and now. So after this re-watch, I have a fuller appreciation for what the drama was doing.

Another big complaint that I've completely 360'd on is my thoughts on Mi Young in the second half of the drama. In my first viewing, second half Mi Young and first half Mi Young felt like totally different characters, and I disliked how different they felt. I LOVED first half Mi Young with all of her tenderheartedness (and super cute fashion sense), and second half Mi Young seemed to have lost that. But re-watching has given me a far better understanding of second half Mi Young, and I have to admit that I was completely off-base before. Jang Na Ra did a truly impressive job with Mi Young, showing this timid, shy, easily pushed around woman who goes through real tragedy and comes out the other side a woman who has been through pain and loss but has also grown exponentially as a person and has not lost any of her kindness despite what she's been through. She's merely gained an inner strength. I'm still sad that her wardrobe became somewhat boring and less colorful, but I guess you can't have everything you want in a drama, lol.

Finally, if you read to the bottom, you'll see in my original (very short) review on this site that I was disappointed by the finale. I now think I was completely bonkers for ever feeling that way. The finale made me happy, happy, happy!

There are only two things, TWO, that I found a little frustrating with this drama in my second viewing. When their marriage contract becomes known to the family and the company's board, Gun doesn't stand up and say 'I made a mistake, and I regret it. I don't want to get divorced anymore. I love Mi Young and want to stay together.' I don't know that there would have been a way for the writers to have him say these things and then make the subsequent amnesia and Gun deciding to let her go due to his own fear make sense, so I recognize, from a writing perspective, why they didn't have him speak up. But it was frustrating to watch him not defend their love.

And lastly, grandma's conspiring in the finale (with Gun's Secretary and faux brother) to get Mi Young pregnant on the honeymoon when Gun expressly told her he wanted them to have 6 months together as newlyweds before they think about kids. The resulting pregnancy didn't end up being upsetting for Gun or Mi Young, but I think grandma had it in her to be patient the 6 months.

I 100% think this is the best version of this drama out of all the versions out there. I'm currently watching the Chinese version (ep. 25 as of this review), and I've seen both the Japanese and the Taiwanese original (the Taiwanese was my first drama). This version did something none of the other versions have done. It put meat on the story's bones. It created livable, breathable characters, a romance with legitimate reasons to root for it, and it didn't give us unnecessary drama but instead gave us real tragedy and heartbreak and real joy and happiness. Fated to Love You is a romance, and a story, worth watching and loving. And I hope everyone does. (Future Edit: I forgot there is another version out there of this story, and I have not seen it, but at this point, I think this version will still be my favorite once watch that version.)

Original Review:
SO. MUCH. BETTER. THAN. THE. ORIGINAL! Complaints? Not as addictive, still suffered from mid-quarter shenanigans (like most dramas), finale episode was weak and disappointing. But overall, a much more satisfying story.

Links to my reviews for the other versions:

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/review/22006

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/reviews/75009

https://mydramalist.com/profile/OhSoEnthusiastic/reviews/274737

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Esse provavelmente é o título que mais me levou tempo para terminar. Quando comecei, estava conhecendo alguns dos projetos em que a Jang Nara fez parte, e gostei bastante da ideia proposta nele. O enredo é bem surreal e "de novela", mesmo, e a comédia é uma das coisas que mais me fez ver até o fim. É um drama engraçado, com alguns momentos um tanto tristes, mas que prende a atenção. Parei de ver por um tempo assim que o Gun decide cortar relações com a Mi Young, pois achei extremamente desnecessária a forma como ele a tratou para afastá-la e evitar que sofresse com sua doença. Isso me deixou muito desanimada, pois é uma das coisas que mais me dão preguiça em dramas, mas acabei voltando a ver para entender o desfecho.
A evolução da Mi Young é incrível, e devo dizer que uma das mais realistas e adequadas que vi em uma personagem com características altruístas e auto-estima baixa (pelo que se podia perceber no começo). Ela adquiriu confiança, conseguiu realizar feitos enormes, mas não mudou sua essência. E o mais incrível é que tanto o first como o second lead contribuíram para isso, sem favoritismos. Tanto o Gun como o Daniel têm pontos a se elogiar, e principalmente o Daniel, que poderia ter sido egoísta quanto ao que sentia pela Mi Young, mas preferiu vê-la feliz com quem ela realmente ama. Praticamente tudo nesse triângulo amoroso me fez ficar com o coração quentinho, pois ele não prejudicou ninguém e nem demonizou.
Segundo, e não menos importante, o bebê que Mi Young perdeu é o ponto mais complexo desse drama. O assunto foi abordado de forma bem realista, e consegui sentir a dor dos personagens à medida que eles iam lidando com o luto. Ver um assunto tão difícil como esse ser abordado em um drama é muito gratificante, pois mostra que há espaço para enredos de todos os tipos, basta os autores saberem colocar na história.

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I'm new in the whole K-drama world. I mean: this is the first Drama I've seen. But I have to say: I'm glad this is my first Drama. It was so beautiful and moving!

Some might say that the storyline is cheesy. (Which kind of is, that's why I love it) But that doesn't mean that the Drama is boring to watch.
The chemestry between the actors is perfect and that makes it believable. On top of that, the cast is just great. I can't wait to watch more Dramas and Movies of Jang Hyuk! (and of course Jang Na Ra)

The music is beautiful, too. The only thing about it is that they play it over and over. Even at moments where they don't really match the story. (By that I mean that the lyrics of the songs don't match with some situations of the drama) Other than that I think that the songs are beautiful.

Over all I really loved to watch it and I'm sure I will watch it again, some other time. This drama is really romantic. It made me laugh, and it made me cry.

I really recommend it!

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If you compare to the original Taiwanese version the plot is actually better. They retain the gist of the story, improve things that work and omit what didnt. It is also shorter in episodes which is a good thing.
The characters are on the extreme end. A rich successful and prideful Lee Gun and poor normal office worker with big heart but pushover Kim Mi young. Lee Gun character is supoose to push the limits of theatrical and over the top n hence the trademark laugh which you either love or hate. What really works is casting Jang Hyuk and Jang Na ra. I almost couldnt imagine anyone else. They reunite and showcased brilliant chemistry and ooze feelings both spoken and unspoken. In fact Jang Hyuk said his character was hard to potray and it wouldnt have worked if he didnt stare opposite to Na Ra.
Back to the story the middle parts meander into melodrama territory. Again i never really like the noble high roads male otps take to spare their heroine and ended up giving more heartache and noone is happy. Ep 17 to 20 picks back up and gives me all the good feels.
I really love the press conference scene. It is my favorite. It also showcased how much growth Mi young have to be brave and speak in front of the world. If you watch it you will know what i mean.
Again i pity the second male lead. But i also love when they are not selfish. I dont care about the second female lead and am thankful her scenes arebt too much like the Taiwanese version.
Song wise the ost of the taiwanese one is actually better. Here the korean one is ok. But not as addictive or emotional.
When i have time i may rewatch the good bits but not high on my list.

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Perfect (for me)

I can't say that this drama was perfect, and maybe if I had watched it at a different time I wouldn't have enjoyed it this much, but it had me seated for all 20 episodes and made me go through all sorts of emotions. I already loved Jang Nara from other works, but it was my first time seeing Jang Hyuk... and what a discovery! The chemistry between the leads was flawless, but he's the backbone of this drama.
Like I said, it's not flawless by any means: there's the surprise pregnancy, arranged marriage, doormat fl and eccentric chaebol ml, too good to be true sml, sfl who can't give up his ex and pretty much every cliché in the book. Still, Jang Hyuk is ridiculously charismatic (and hot, with all three hairstyles imo), Jang Nara's character is so! adorable!, there was comedy, but also drama... ugh!!! It's become my favorite kdrama and I'll cherish it forever.

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Rich Man/Poor girl story with hilarious moments

Likes: Jang Hyuk's eccentric portrayal of the character that made me burst into laughter. Jang Nara's natural acting. One specific prenatal class that had me ROFL.

Dislikes: Jang Hyuk's middle hair part about midway through the drama. It drove me CRAZY. I just wanted to push his hair to the side.

So this story will feel familiar as it's been remade in so many countries and is similar to a lot of marriage contract rich man/poor girl dramas with the exception of 1 thing...Jang Hyuk's weirdness. hahaha. His eccentric take on this character was so interesting and funny that I would burst into laughter at his weird laughter. He's so weird and a bit awkward..but I liked it. It made me laugh and brought interesting layers to his character.

Jang Nara brought the heart to the story. She plays meek and kind very well. When she cried, I cried. The odd pairing works and the roller coaster that these two go through will bring laughter and tears. I have to confess though, I did speed through some of the side stories to get back to the OTP.

Oh and Ailee's OST is awesome!

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