I Do, I Do is a 2012 drama about a successful shoe designer (Kim Sun Ah) who has spent her life focusing on work that has a one night stand with a struggling designer (Lee Jang Woo) who ends up working at her company. Things get even more complicated when she finds out their one night stand has resulted in pregnancy.
Kim Sun Ah plays Hwang Ji An. She spent her life focusing on her career as a shoe designer despite pressure from her family to settle down. As she begins to get older though, she does start to question her life…just in time for it to get turned upside down by a one night stand with a younger man named Tae Kang.
Lee Jang Woo is Park Tae Kang. He is full of energy and talent but has struggled to go anywhere with his life. A one night stand with Ji An also sends his life in a completely different direction.
Next, we have Park Gun Hyung is Jo Eun Sung. He is a good-natured man who is a successful doctor. After being set up on a blind date with Ji An, he quickly develops feelings for her. His timing couldn’t be worse though.
Finally, we have Im Soo Hyang as Im Na Ri. She is the Vice President of Ji An’s company. She has a bit of a rivalry with Ji An and has plenty of her own issues to deal with including some budding feelings for Tae Kang.
I Do, I Do is yet another drama that has been on The List for ages. It’s not a drama I hear mentioned much, but what I had heard was positive. So I was eager to take a stroll to a simpler time again.
The drama is fairly straight forward in premise, but there is plenty to explore within that framework, and it does so very well. The characters in I Do, I Do are wonderful. They are well-written and brought to life by a group of wonderful actors. They each have their own struggles as they get caught up in a difficult situation.
We get a really lovely noona romance with the reverse power dynamic of the woman being the more successful in her career. Although this couple starts off with a one night stand, their romance is more of a slow burn. It takes some time for them explore their feelings for each other.
There are also some secrets between them which complicates things, not only for them, but for others too. That makes it even harder for them to figure out they want and ultimately decide how to forward. But the slow progression of Tae Kang and Ji An’s relationship was fun to watch and had some very rewarding moments.
I’ve always liked Lee Jang Woo, but I really loved him in this role. Tae Kang is a bit naive but very fun and lively. Incredibly sweet too! He’s also very kind and supportive which was something that Ji An needed in order to slowly open herself up.
Kim Sun Ah was also a great choice for the other part of this relationship. I’m familiar with her since she’s been around a while, but amazingly, this was my first drama with her. Ji An is quite a prickly character and could easily be unlikable, but Kim Sun Ah gives her a strength while showing a touch of vulnerability underneath.
I was quite happy with the main pairing, but I did have a touch of second lead syndrome for both of Tae Kang and Ji An’s other love interests. Eun Sung was as nice as can be, and I just really liked him. He probably would have had a good shot with Ji An if she hadn’t got pregnant. His timing was just terrible though, and I felt really bad for him.
I felt bad for Na Ri too. She wasn’t always the nicest, but she had a good heart and had to deal with some serious family struggles. So watching her develop feeling for Tae Kang was a bit sad.
We definitely have a solid love square and plenty of relationship complications at play in this one! Despite that, I Do I Do stays solidly in rom-com territory and remains fun throughout with a nice helping of heart.
I Do, I Do is a very underrated drama. In many ways, it was a head of its time with some of its themes. It tackles issues that women face in the workplace, from family, and from society as well as how family decisions greatly impact their career.
Things never get too serious though, and the drama executes some of the more classic tropes involving a noona romance wonderfully. It was fun series that was super easy and enjoyable to watch.
My Rating: 7.5/10
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