Lucky Romance is about a quirky, superstitious girl (Hwang Jung Eum) who is obsessed with making sure she is lucky in life. Then a fortune teller tells her she needs to sleep with a man with the tiger zodiac sign in order to ward off death. That man ends up being her boss (Ryu Jun Yeol) who is her complete opposite. He’s uptight, scientific, and awkward. The two end up going on a moving journey of self-discovery as they battle some inner demons and fall in love.
Lucky Romance was a cute watch that I really enjoyed. I loved the crazy opposites attract scenario. Hwang Jung Eum was perfect as our cheerful and superstitious heroine, and Ryu Jun Yeol was great as the sort of dorky and socially awkward male lead.
The drama looked at how our beliefs can really shape our lives. There are some lovely heartwarming moments with a nice dose of comedy as we go on quite the journey of self-discovery and growth.
Hwang Jang Eum is made for roles like these. She has such wonderful comic timing as well as being completely endearing. I love her facial expressions and how all out she goes for the character of Shim Bo Nui.
Bo Nui seems like a very happy and cheerful person, but she’s dealing with extreme sadness. She also harbors deep fear. She has come to believe that she is unlucky and is responsible for the accidental deaths of her parents as well as the accident that put her sister in a coma.
This fear is what drives her to do everything she can to ward off bad luck. At times, even she doesn’t completely believe in her superstitions, but she is so afraid of someone getting hurt because of her that she will not take any chances.
I found it so heartbreaking to see just how much fear she was living with. It made her put herself in very dangerous situations as well as affecting the quality of her life and relationships. And the road to overcoming her fears is not an easy one. Anytime she takes a step forward, something causes her to take two steps back. It’s a difficult journey.
I loved the character of Je Su Ho played by Ryu Jun Yeol. This guy is completely awkward. And he harbors some traumas that have caused him to have a phobia of being the center of attention when having to speak or being interviewed as well as having a strained relationship with his parents.
Watching him fall in love was pretty adorable. It was so cute watching how confused he was by Bo Nui. She is so opposite of him, and he initially has a hard time grasping the crazy things she does. But at the same time, he finds himself caring for her and fascinated by her.
I really loved the fact that despite thinking she is completely misguided in her superstitious beliefs, his scientific mind eventually allows him to understand her, and he longs to help her be free of what’s causing her so much pain and fear.
Soo Ho and Bo Nui were a sweet couple. I never really found them to be swoon-worthy, but they had such a sweetness to them. He becomes a sort of protector for her as she works to overcome her fears.
And it’s super adorable watching Soo Ho fall in love for the first time. He falls hard and doesn’t back down. I loved just how dorky and awkward he is because it made it all so endearing.
I definitely had some Second Lead Syndrome in the beginning for Lee Soo Hyuk as Gary Choi. He’s full of charm and charisma as a star tennis player who knew Bo Nui when they were children. He was very protective of her, and my heart broke a little watching him pine for her.
Lee Chung Ah was great as our second female lead Amy. She is Gary’s manager and has a history with Soo Ho. Soo Ho once had a crush on her, but she disappeared from his life. Now that she’s back, Amy is the one who has feelings for him, but the timing is just not right for these two.
I enjoyed Dal Nim (Lee Cho Hee) and Ryang Ha (Jung Sang Hoon) as supporting characters. As friends of Soo Ho and Bo Nui, they help them in many ways. But mostly they served as a fun side couple who find themselves reluctantly playing out their own little love story.
SPOILERS BELOW
While the story of Lucky Romance seems very simple, the issues Soo Ho and Bo Nui have to deal with are really profound. We see firsthand just how our beliefs shape who we are and our interactions with those around us.
When Bo Nui sought help after her parents death, she found it in a fortune teller. Although I don’t think the fortune teller was simply out to get Bo Nui, I found him to be a true villainous character. His words to her when she was hurt and vulnerable started her journey of fear. Then he constantly tells her she has an evil spirit attached her and that she has to make sacrifices to balance it out. This leaves poor Bo Nui forever afraid and saddled with the belief that everything is her fault.
Of course, Soo Ho doesn’t believe this for a second. At first he thinks Bo Nui is a bit crazy, but as his feelings develop for her, he begins to slowly and carefully lead her out of her faulty superstitious beliefs. He loves her fully with an open heart and becomes someone she can have trust in rather that her superstitions.
But we all knew there would come a time that really tested her. After Soo Ho’s game company falls apart, Bo Nui learns the terrible truth that after Soo Ho gave her friend a job at the company, that friend accidentally caused the company’s downfall. She then blames herself and only sees it as her fault for it all happening.
Everything she had worked so hard to overcome suddenly began to overtake her. As she began to panic that everything was her fault, she still clung onto one last hope that everything wasn’t really her fault. She pleaded with Soo Ho to come to her and tell her it was okay. She tried fighting it until the end.
But tragedy strikes when he comes to tell her it’s alright. He ends up having to save her by pushing her out of the way of a speeding car which results in him getting hit instead. As he lay injured on the ground, that was the final straw for Bo Nui. All she had worked for completly crumbled. All she could see was that she was to blame. And that left her right back where she started. In order to protect him, she goes into hiding.
It was so heartbreaking seeing her so fearful and blaming herself. And watching Soo Ho desperately try his best to reassure her and find her was very moving. He just saw how broken and afraid she was. It was so wonderful that he remained so understanding.
Although it took some time for Bo Nui to truly overcome her fears, luckily, she was finally able to grow and move forward. She and Soo Ho are reunited, and they are able to live their lives together with Bo Nui’s sister and their friends.
Overall, Lucky Romance ended up being a very enjoyable watch. It starts out as a pretty standard romantic comedy, but it really fleshes out the development of the characters of Soo Ho and Bo Nui. I was surprised by just how moving I found their journey to be.
Their well done story is what made a simple premise so much more. I came to really enjoy this couple, and I’m so glad that Bo Nui finally found the strength to face her fears with the help of Soo Ho. And they did finally get their happy ending.
My Rating: 8/10
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