Bok-ku always resorts to violence when things don't go his
way. Despite his temper, Da-jung still adores and loves him
although she knows he treats her good out of guilt and obligation.
Only her and Min-joo, Bok-ku's brother who he hasn't been
with for 10 years, understand where he is coming from.
Eun-suk once had a relationship with Min-joo just before
she became a superstar. To avoid scandal, her mom paid him
to break up with Eun-suk. Thinking that he might be a burden
to her career, he disappeared leaving Eun-suk no explanation.
Eun-suk and Joon-sung got into a bad publicity. To undo the
incident, Joon-sung pretended to be engaged to Eun-suk in
spite of her strong objection. Upon suddenly knowing the news,
Min-joo lost his mind and fell off the building. Bok-ku witnessed
the drastic accident. When he learned that the possible cause
was Eun-suk's engagement, he promised to his comatose brother
that he'd take revenge into his own hands.
Bok-ku posed as Eun-suk's bodyguard to be closer to her.
He relived Min-joo's memories with Eun-suk and did every single
detail his brother used to do with her. Since he already knows
her weaknesses, he made her fall in love with him. But his
scheme backfired when he, too, fell into his own bait and
realized that behind those sweet eyes, there's no way that
she could have toyed with his brother's heart. But Bok-ku
stepped back for his brother's sake.
It could have started as a fixed marriage but eventually,
Joon-sung also fell in love with Eun-suk. On the day of the
engagement, Eun-suk ran away with Bok-ku thinking that his
feelings were true. Such decision has made her loose everything
- fame and credibility. At her lowest, Bok-ku left her to
make her suffer more. He then returned to Da-jung eventhough
he is hurting for what he did to Eun-suk.
When Eun-suk learned what Min-joo has become, she took responsibility
of taking care of him and gave up her family and career. But
Min-joo's health started to deteriorate and soon died. Both
Eun-suk and Bok-ku were affected of his death. Bok-ku lost
his urge of living while Eun-suk tried to endure the pain
alone. She got more depressed seeing Bok-ku waste his life
in front of her own eyes.
Eventually, Bok-ku and Eun-suk realized that what they need
to survive is each other's love. In as much as they like to
be together, fate doesn't seem to allow it. They lived their
lives separately.
Just as Bok-ku thought everything is working out nicely with
Eun-suk, he was told that she is suffering emotional instability.
He tried to help her but was too late. He found her unconscious
in the mountains. Wanting to be together until the end, he
didn't leave her side.
Even if I love Bi very much, I would try my best not to
be biased.
Every episode is full of different emotions. You could cry,
be mad and, at the same time, feel loved. It has a lot to
offer. There are not so many out-of-the topic scenes. Although
there are a lot of characters involved, the challenge is to
make everything be directed to the main story - love and revenge.
Even though I don't see the connection between Bi and Min-ah
on-screen, their performance didn't let me down. I didn't
know Bi could also be rugged and heartless. That definitely
separated him from his boy-next-door image to a more matured
character. His seriousness has even made him tougher and manly.
And him crying effortlessly is a plus to his sex appeal. I
love him even better. As for Min-ah, the loneliness in her
eyes speaks for what is in her heart. She was so consistent
with her good portrayal. Her acting has made me feel that
she really is just the victim of circumstances. I like her
beauty at the latter part of the story. With less make up
and hair down, she looks nicer and natural.
I liked the OST especially "A Love to Kill", "No
More" and "It's Still Love". It plays just
at the right moment to make you feel the pain. What's fascinating
is that music alone made me emotionally sucked in the drama.
Then behind those nice tracks are messages that could make
you understand what the characters are going through.
The first two episodes have made me drawn to this drama because
the sequence of the story made it looked interesting. I thought,
at first, the editing is a little bit complicated but yet
refreshing. But there is one thing, I think, a little bit
over the top. Min-joo falling off the building is kind of
stupid. It may look different but it seems overdone. Although
it's already been used a lot of times, I would rather see
him get hit by a truck or shot in the head than this.
Min-joo's unfortunate ending kind of dragged the story. They
could have focused on the effect to Bok-ku and Eun-suk a little
bit lesser because as they prolong the grief, the mood slowly
drifts away.
It is but understandable that in a Korean drama, something
tragic in the end should happen to have a powerful exit (and
it works for me). But, for some reasons, I didn't buy this
drama's closing scene. There is something missing. No magic,
no appeal. I don't know if it was ended prematurely but it
looks like there should have something more to it.
Despite all these, I think this is one heck of a drama. From
the actors to their performances to the storyline, this drama
was well thought.
A LOVE TO KILL GAINING HIGH RATINGS
DURING THE PILOT EPISODES
KBS GLOBAL [11.01.05]
According to viewership research firm TNS Media Korea on
Nov. 1, the pilot episode of "A Love To Kill" recorded
viewer ratings of 16.4 percent on Oct. 31, beating out two
other series that aired in the same time slot on two other
major channels. The viewership of "A Love To Kill"
was 1.2 percentage points higher than that of the SBS series
"Seodongyo", which has topped the Monday-Tuesday
viewer ratings so far.
The series drew the spotlight even before it premiered on
national television for starring the popular singer/actor
Rain, who portrays a delinquent K-1 fighter. The pilot episode
seems to have lived up to viewers' high expectations.
"A Love To Kill" is expected to continue that tradition
by depicting an extreme love that is too hard to endure.
"A LOVE TO KILL" STARRING
RAIN AND SHIN MIN-AH WAS EXPORTED BEFOREHAND
KOREA CONTENT [11.23.2005]
Despite of the early stage of airing, KBS2 drama was sold
to 8 Asian countries such as China, Taiwan and South East
Asia at the fifth Broadcast Worldwide 2005 to be held from
Nov. 19 to 22 for four days in COEX, Seoul.
Furthermore, "Wedding" to be aired prior to "A
Love to Kill" was exported to seven Asian countries.
Hallyu, or a Korean wave, fever will go on.
The results of sales at this fair, which had main broadcasting
and video companies from 32 nationalities, were US$15 million
to be increased US$2 million comparing with the preceding
year. Three public broadcasting companies bore fruit of US$
9 million reached 60% among them.
A global major distributor Buena Vista International Television
joined the show for the first time and some 1,000 buyers from
internal and external big broadcasting companies such as Star
TV, Discovery, Nippon TV and Fuji TV as well as the total
3,500 visited this event.
KBS Media Inc. said, "The biggest gain at BCWW 2005 would
be that the foreign countries showed big interest in documentaries
like KBS "The Secret of Health" contrary to placing
too much emphasis on TV series in the export of program so
far and it opened us a possibility for export of new content,
which is the documentary."
"We are going to open up a new market actively with documentary
and animation genre beside drama and focus on developing the
secondary character content, then settle it as a representative
cultural code of Asia," added KBS Media.
DIALOGUES AND QUOTES
warning: may contain spoilers
JOON-SUNG: Don't think that
you are the only one who is a victim. I lost 20 years of hard
work and effort in a blink of an eye. I, too, have someone
special in my heart. And I know what love is. But...
EUN-SUK: You understand what
love is? You really understand what love is? No. You don't.
If you really understood what love is all about, you wouldn't
have done this. To do this to a woman who loves another man
just to reclaim your pride and status, to do such horrid thing,
even if you were to be reincarnated 8 times over, you still
would have no understanding of love.
[ JOON-SUNG ON LOVE ]
In this world, do you know what is the one thing that we must
never do? To allow the one we love to pity us. Not to be loved,
but to be pitied.
[ JOON-SUNG TO EUN-SUK ]
Don't act so cocky. As a girl, you shouldn't force me to take
a chance and risk all. It will hurt my pride. You broke up
with that worker from the tire factory yet you disdain a Kim
Joon-sung who would go down on his knees at the crook of your
finger and admire a bodyguard. I love you. I meant what I
said. I am not pretending. I love you, Miss Cha Eun-suk. Until
now, I have yet to meet a girl as enchanting, as lovable as
you. A slap on the ear by a woman. You are the first to do
so and the very last. You must marry me. If I give you up,
I might regret for the rest of my life.
[ EUN-SUK TO BOK-KU ]
Your back feels like a warm electric blanket. Are you a person
who is warmer than I expected? A kinder person that I thought
you would be? It's so much like my mother. In the past when
my mother hugged me, it felt just as warm. Why are you so
cold and indifferent? In the beginning, I thought I did something
really wrong. And you were sent to kill me. It's so tiring.
I feel like sleeping again.
EUN-SUK: Once I had a boyfriend
who I dated for 5 years. If I were upset, he would be the
first to cry. If I got hurt, he would feel even more pain,
a thousand times more pain. Don't the lyrics of pop songs
always say this: A person who loves me more than I love myself.
And if such a person appears again, I thought that without
him, I wouldn't be able to breathe or eat. I thought I would
die. Until Eun-suk's heart stops beating, she will only love
Oppa alone. But I didn't keep that promise, as you can see.
Why did I say that sentence at that point in time? Did I really
say that sentence? The memory of it is so hazy. I can breathe,and
even eat. Can smile, can sleep. I can even marry another man.
And even love another man. I am a girl who cannot keep the
promises I have made. I am getting engaged tomorrow.
BOK-KU: I will keep the promise
I have made, Miss Cha Eun-suk. If I die, only then will I
stop loving you. If I die, at that point in time, only then
will I stop loving you. Do you want to run away? Runaway with
me. I will fetch you. All you have to do is to wait for a
short while. Once I have washed my face, brushed my teeth,
I will fetch you. Wait for me. I will be there for sure!
[ DA-JUNG TO EUN-SUK ]
I don't know the reasons why Bok-ku did what he did to you
but I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive him this once.
As for Bok-ku, his hyung is his father and his mother. His
God, his heaven. He doesn't bear grudges against those who
do him harm. But if they were to harm his hyung, to even scratch
his brother, his eyes would roll and show the whites in anger,
and fight to the death.
[ DA-JUNG TO BOK-KU ]
I thought you would be euphoric. Aren't you? Thought that
all the anger from the past 10 years would disappear? Now
the obstacle seems even worse, right? That's revenge for you.
Wanting to drive a stake through your foe's chest, only to
drive the metal stake through your own chest. Wanting to leave
sludge on the chest of the foe, only to dirty yourself. On
the surface you seem like dog Bok-ku, but I know that you
are a caring person underneath. How will you cope with this?
What were you thinking of when you did that, you crazy man?
[ BOK-KU ON
MIN-JOO ]
As time passes, he was only a hyung after all. I thought that
was the end of the world. But I am sleeping well and eating
well too. I have been doing quite well. Isn't life like that?
Forget him. Use all your energy and erase him from your memory.
Don't think about it anymore. Once there was such a person,
once there was this kind of love, forget all that. Your brain
isn't that good anyway, Miss Cha Eun-suk.
[ DA-JUNG
TO BOK-KU ]
You only have to love me a little bit. It's all right for
me to love you more. That way, I will be satisfied. Actually
I had wanted to let you go. I had really put my mind to it,
determined to let you go. But you missed the best opportunity.
You really don't have luck on your side. You're so unlucky,
Kang Bok-ku.
[ EUN-SUK TO BOK-KU ]
The moment Kang Bok-ku's name was engraved onto Cha Eun-suk's
heart, although it was for revenge, although it seemed at
that point in time the 100% adoration, that it was all calculated,
but I won't complain. Won't hate. Just curious if you have
ever wavered. The time when you were beaten up by the gangsters,
in order to protect me, you nearly lost your life. If it was
a girl you really abhorred, you didn't have to bother. Since
you came for revenge, should have concentrated on vengeance.
Because of me, you nearly died. What were you thinking of
then?
[ BOK-KU TO EUN-SUK ]
Just for one day, let's go crazy on this very day. Don't hope
for anything more. Don't wash our face, and don't brush our
teeth. And don't sleep. Don't think of anything. Don't think
of anything else at all. Don't feel sorry. Don't feel guilty.
Don't cry. Just go crazy on this day. After this crazy day,
you will go your way. I will go my way. Don't have any feelings
of self-pity or regret and not to have any more feelings of
infatuation and not to have any memories. Once we return,
live life fully.
EUN-SUK: Until now What were
your happiest moments?
BOK-KU: The time when hyung returned.
The hyung who abandoned me and returned 10 years later.
EUN-SUK: And up till now, the
most fortunate moment?
BOK-KU: When hyung regained consciousness.
Until now, the time your heart ached the most? Knowing the
reason why my hyung left me for 10 years. In order to shoulder
my blame, he went to the correctional institute so he couldn't
stay by my side. Realized all this after seeing my hyung again.
EUN-SUK: Until now, the most
painful moment?
BOK-KU: When hyung abandoned
me once again. To a place where I cannot find him. When he
abandoned me and left.
EUN-SUK: For Kang Bok-ku, what
does Kang Min-joo represent? Your hyung, is he by your side
now? Without Kang Min-joo, will Kang Bok-ku still exist? That's
why it can't be me right? Any other girl would be okay, only
it can't be Cha Eun-suk? Really pitiful, Cha Eun-suk.
BOK-KU: How unlucky, Kang Bok-ku.
[ DA-JUNG ON LOVE ]
Thought that the most shameful behavior was to be pitied by
the person you love. Today I found out, that there's a more
despicable behavior. Forcing oneself to love another. Forcing
oneself to love another who is not in one's heart. Seeing
it in this light, our Bok-ku is really amazing. 10 years and
he didn't spend a single cent on me, Idiot. Really didn't
know such a person still exists! Sorry, Bok-ku, for not leaving
your side earlier. When you wanted to go to that captivating
girl's side. If only I had let you go then. If I had let you
go, then I wouldn't have to look at your painful expression
now. Existing, but you don't seem to be alive.
