Oh Hae Young Again (also known as Another Oh Hae Young) is a mistaken identity romance drama about two women with the same name, Oh Hae Young, who go to school together and end up working at the same company. A man with the ability to see the future gets tangled up with them when all he really wants to do is get away from them.
Oh Hae Young Again enjoyed great popularity in Korea and among international fans. But this is one of those times that I’m left a little confused by all the hype surrounding this drama. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good drama, and I enjoyed it. But it really didn’t seem like anything particularly special.
The main thing Oh Hae Young Again has going for it is a unique story. I haven’t really seen anything quite like it, so that is a plus. Also, if you don’t like kdrama tropes and clichés, it does break the mold and leaves many of them out. The main couple is also very intense in many ways that I’m sure most fans will enjoy.
Oh Hae Young Again was a bit unusual for me in that I was all over the place in my feelings for it. I was never in love with either of the main characters and many times I was actually really annoyed by them. It is very atypical for me to get annoyed with characters in a drama, especially main ones.
Seo Hyun Jin plays Oh Hae Young 1. She’s sort of an average girl, but with a very quirky personality. In school, she always had to live in the shadow of another girl named Oh Hae Young who was very popular. Sharing a name with her caused her a lot of heartache. And then Oh Hae Young 2 shows back up in her life working at the same company. She just can’t get away from her!
I found that Oh Hae Young 1 came off a bit obnoxious a lot of times. I either found her humorous and pitiful or completely annoying. There’s wasn’t really much middle ground for me.
Eric Mun plays Park Do Kyung. It turns out he was engaged to marry Oh Hae Young 2, but she left him at the alter. Years later looking for a bit of revenge, he gets the man she is supposed to marry in trouble which lands him in jail. But it turns out he got the wrong guy, as he was going marry Oh Hae Young 1. A huge mistake!
And then Do Kyung starts to see snippets of the future of Oh Hae Young 1 and feels horribly guilty for destroying her life. But she becomes more intertwined in his life, and fate just keeps throwing them together no matter what he does.
Do Kyung was complicated as a character for me in that in many ways he’s just like a stereotypical male lead in how he acts cold toward Hae Young 1 while hiding his true feelings, which is something I usually don’t mind.
But I surprisingly found myself annoyed with him most of the time. I was constantly like “Just tell her your feelings!” Many times he would say barely anything to her at all. I understand that was because of his fear to show his feelings which was something that he had to overcome, but in this particular drama, the character really bothered me. Another oddity for me.
But Do Kyung and Hae Young 1 have a very intense and memorable relationship. They seemed to have the same love-hate relationship with each other that I had for them. And in the midst of all the chaos, there are some very sweet and poignant moments between the couple.
We have Jeon Hye Bin as Oh Hae Young 2. She is beautiful, smart, and nice. Everyone loves her. It’s easy to see why Hae Young 1 has been trapped in her shadow. But we learn even she has insecurities that greatly affect her life. I found her to be an appealing character for the most part and was usually more interested in her story than Hae Young 1.
Lee Ji Sang (Kim Ji Suk) is Do Kyung’s closest friend. He’s right there with him from the start of his revenge plot to dealing with the aftermath and his growing feelings for Hae Young 1. Ji Sang is a fun-loving playboy with no intentions of settling down.
Park Soo Kyung (Ye Ji Won) is Do Kyung’s sister and Hae Young 1’s boss. And this lady is so hilarious! She’s completely rigid at work, but at night she is constantly drunk and acting completely crazy. She’s frequently at odds with Ji Sang too which resulted in some pretty funny scenarios. She was so much fun!
These two as a couple actually ended up being quite fun, which was certainly not something I expected at the beginning of the drama. Most of the time, they really don’t get along, and their bickering is quite hilarious. But I loved seeing these two grow as people and as a couple.
Han Tae Jin (Lee Jae Hoon) was Hae Young 1’s finance who ends up in jail thanks to Do Kyung. But he shows back up looking for his own revenge after he gets out which just adds to this already terribly complicated scenario.
And a fun little side couple consisted of Hoon (Heo Jung Min) and Ahn Na (Heo Young Ji). These two basically become a couple after meeting each other one time. He’s thrilled to have a girl, and she’s all in when it comes to dating a guy. They were quite humorous.
Hae Young 1’s parents (Kim Mi Kyung and Lee Han Wi) added in a family layer to the story as well as some additional humor. This is certainly one unique family with each of them coming off a tad bit crazy.
So despite some major issues with the main characters, the actual story of Oh Hae Young Again is what really tied it all together. The premise of Do Kyung seeking revenge on the man his ex was supposed to marry ending up causing another woman with the same name’s life to be ruined is quite unique. And this story was able to create multiple layers of emotions for our characters because of the complexity of the situation.
While I did find the drama a tad slow in the beginning, as the ramifications of this scenario begin to play out, things really heat up as our characters are left to grapple with their unwanted emotions and having to face who they really are inside. So this is a case where the story itself was enough to keep me interested despite my sometimes utter annoyance with the main couple.
SPOILERS BELOW
That final stretch does lose some steam too. Once all of the secrets are revealed and Do Kyung and Hae Young are together, much of that lovely tension disappeared from the drama. But we still had to resolve Do Kyung’s visions of the future as well as wrap up some of the supporting character’s stories.
Both Hae Young’s finally come together to work out their issues. Sharing a name ended up being difficult for both of them and brought them each different struggles. After really being open with each other, the two women are finally able to appreciate each other and themselves.
There are plenty of cute couple moments for Do Kyung and Hae Young 1 with all kinds of fan service. Fans who enjoy “real” kissing will also be pleased with the many passionate kisses between the two lovers.
I actually found the reasons behind Do Kyung’s ability to see the future very interesting. It turns out that at the moment of his death, his regrets towards Hae Young 1 were so deep that it was all he could think about as he lay dying. And the regret was so strong that it transcended time and those moments began to appear in his head before they had even happened. That’s pretty deep.
Luckily, he discovered that his visions could be changed. By admitting his feelings and fully loving Hae Young 1, he was ultimately able to change the course of events that would lead to his death and instead live happily with her.
All in all, Oh Hae Young Again was a really solid drama. Despite a somewhat slow opening and closing and a main couple that sometimes annoyed me, I found the story itself very fresh, well-written, and thought-provoking. Oh Hae Young Again was certainly a fun drama on many levels.
My Rating: 7/10
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