Oh My Geum Bi tells the story of a conman (Oh Ji Ho) who finds himself caring for the 10 year old daughter (Heo Jung Eun) he didn’t know he had, but she has a rare disease known as childhood Alzheimer’s. He then meets a lonely woman (Park Jin Hee) who helps care for his daughter.
Wow. What a moving and heartfelt drama! When I first read the premise for Oh My Geum Bi, I said there was no way for this drama to not be horribly depressing, and I’m not getting anywhere near it.
Then I saw the first trailer, and something about it just drew me in. But I still wasn’t sold yet. Then the drama premiered, and the reaction to it from fans was quite positive with people saying so many wonderful things about it. So I decided to give it a go. And I’m so glad I did!
The true star of the drama is our little Geum Bi played by the oh so talented child actress Heo Jung Eun. And this girl is ridiculously adorable! She took on this weighty role and completely nailed it. Geum Bi is a sassy girl who is strong, smart, and witty.
She is also mature beyond her years because of the difficult life she has had. Guem Bi really has no one and only has herself to rely on. And she carries the burden of knowing she has a deadly disease all by herself for a very long time.
Heo Jung Eun has the ability to completely draw you in. She conveys different emotions so well, especially with her very expressive eyes. And when she cries, she will break your heart. This girl is unbelievably talented, and she just shines in Oh My Geum Bi.
I thought Oh Ji Ho fit the role of Mo Hwi Chul perfectly. He’s a conman who is very immature, irresponsible, and has a temper. To say he is unhappy at the prospect of having to care for a child is an understatement.
He’s the type of character who can be hard to like in the beginning because of how he treats Geum Bi. But as we peel back the layers of his character, we get a window into his pain and see that below that gruff exterior is someone who wants to be there for his daughter. Oh Ji Ho does well with loud, exaggerated characters like this, but he was also able to convey Hwi Chul’s vulnerability.
We have Park Jin Hee as Go Kang Hee. She is a lonely woman who is in need of healing herself. When Hwi Chul and Geum Bi come into her life, she is able to share her love with them and find hope again. I really enjoyed her sweet and calming presence.
Oh My Geum Bi is a truly beautiful drama. I have to admit, I cried in every single episode. But it’s not always for the reasons you may be thinking. The drama is about much more than a sick little girl.
At it’s core, it depicts the relationship between a father and a daughter. It’s not an easy relationship by far. They bicker like crazy, but they also genuinely love each other, and the two go on such a moving journey of healing together.
And I was completely drawn into this relationship. The drama perfectly built up the conflicts and issues between the two and then delivered completely moving and beautiful moments where the characters experienced growth. These are the times I cried. Watching a conman and a lonely child learn to become father and daughter was so moving.
But Geum Bi doesn’t just change the life of her father. She changes the lives of everyone around her. She warms the heart of Kang Hee who is filled with hurt from her past. Geum Bi gives her the chance to love again.
Geum Bi also makes a difference in the life of her biological mother, Joo Young (Oh Yoon Ah). Joo Young is selfish and irresponsible and only wants Geum Bi for the wrong reasons. But Geum Bi gives her a chance to step up and take responsibility for the first time in her life.
Geum Bi even influences Hwi Chul’s friend turned enemy Chi Soo (Lee Ji Hoon). Chi Soo has spent his life feeling wronged by Hwi Chul and looking for revenge. But a little girl shows him that there is more to life than living in hate.
I think the drama shined the most when it focused on Geum Bi and Hwi Chul’s relationship. Occasionally, it spent more time on some of the other relationships than I would have liked, but this was really a small thing. Everyone that comes into contact with Geum Bi has their lives changed, so I never tired of seeing people grow.
There’s also a very sweet romance between Hwi Chul and Kang Hee. It’s a minor subplot of the drama, but it delivers some very lovely moments between two people growing to love each other through their connection to Geum Bi and eventually becoming a family in the midst of very difficult circumstances.
But yes, Geum Bi’s disease plays a large part of the drama too, and I definitely shed some serious tears over what this girl and her family were facing. There’s no way around the fact that it is truly sad to watch anyone suffer through a disease such as this, but a child suffering through it is just heartbreaking.
For those unsure as to whether you should watch because of the subject matter, hopefully this will help you decide. The bulk of the drama focuses more on the healing and relationships of those around Guem Bi. Her disease is discussed in most episodes, and she does experience minor symptoms in many of them, but it doesn’t feel like the primary part of the story.
Things don’t get too bad until the last few episodes. That is the point where we have to face the reality of Geum Bi’s disease and what it does to her mind and body. And I definitely cried through the bulk of these episodes.
The drama doesn’t shy away from tackling serious subject matters such as how children react to death. It also depicts how hard having to watch and care for a dying loved one is for the family. At times they are drawn together, but at other times, things become too difficult, and they become angry and lash out at each other.
Things aren’t sugar-coated concerning the family or Geum Bi’s reaction to the situation as well as the many difficult decisions they face regarding her treatment. It’s an incredibly difficult process for everyone involved.
Overall, Oh My Geum Bi excelled at hitting the right emotional beats to completely warm my heart while watching the relationship of a father and daughter blossom. And this special little girl transformed the lives of everyone around her.
She brought many smiles to my face, but then her harrowing journey through illness broke my heart. But even in the midst of sadness, there was always hope. This story was told so beautifully, and I’m glad I ended up giving it a chance.
My Rating: 9/10
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