Childhood friends Song-joo and Jung-suh share one dream -
to study abroad. But when Jung-suh's dad remarried a famous
actress, Tae Mi-ra, Jung-suh was given no choice but to postpone
her going away. Mi-ra's kids, Tae-hwa and Yoo-ri, also moved
in. Although her stepmother and Yoo-ri maltreats her, she
endured the pain for her dad's happiness. As she grows up,
she gets her patience and strength from Tae-hwa who is secretly
in love with her.
After three years, Song-joo came back to Korea. On her way
to meet him, Jung-suh was accidentally hit by the car Yoo-ri
was driving. Scared to get caught, she asked the help of her
real dad to secretly take care of Jung-suh. When she regained
consciousness, she lost her memories. Tae-hwa decided to keep
the truth about her past to protect her from hurting more.
Instead, they pretended that she died from the accident.
Song-joo was devastated to learn about Jung-suh's death.
Yoo-ri stayed by his side eventhough she knows that Jung-suh's
memories will not be forgotten. But what they didn't know,
Jung-suh has been living with Tae-hwa as Ji-soo for years.
Song-joo and Jung-suh's path crossed when Tae-hwa got hired
to do a mural in the Safe Mall which Song-joo owns. In his
heart, Song-joo knows she is Jung-suh but she kept denying
it. As he searches for the truth, Song-joo fell in love with
Ji-soo for what she really is and not because of what he thought
she was.
When Jung-suh's memory came back, she pretended she hasn't
as a favor to Tae-hwa. Eventually, Tae-hwa realized that Jung-suh
could only be happy with the one she really loves so he gave
up his fight. But fate seemed to have something different
planned for them. Jung-suh's eyesight weakened due to the
accident and worst, she could die from it. Thinking that she
would be a burden to Song-joo, she decided to break up with
him. But despite of all the problems, their love made them
stronger to make it through.
Because of love and guilt, Tae-hwa ended his life to give
his eyesight to Jung-suh. She undergone a transplant and was
able to see initially. But the operation wasn't a complete
success. The tumor has already spread and there is no other
way of saving her. In spite of her condition, Song-joo never
left her side and promised that, in time, they would be together
in the place where there's no pain, sadness or separation
- HEAVEN.
The way the story was presented was nicely done. I should
say, it plays with your emotions. You could feel the pain
of the characters, the joy in being in love, the hatred to
the circumstances and the sadness of fate. As if you are a
part of what they are going through. You can't seem to control
yourself not to get involved.
It's so frustrating to witness what Jung-suh has become after
all that happened to her. Can't she just be happy in the end?
Actually, there's no better ending for this series. It is
just that it is too tragic to bear. I like her character and
her love to Song-joo that's why I wanted her to be happier.
I like Choi Ji-woo's character in Stairway to Heaven better
than in Winter Sonata. Even her performance is more believable
and interesting to watch. She has matured over the years and
this proves it.
As always, Kwon Sang-woo is consistent in his portrayals.
I really appreciate the intensity of his acting. He is one
actor who doesn't overdo it. He smiles and cries so naturally.
I love this series eventhough it made me cry too much. I
like the story as it is. I love everything in and about it.
It's not enough to describe how good this series is. You got
to see it for yourself.
After conducting marketing activities in broadcasting stations
in Latin America to open up a new market, the Support Center
of Arirang TV (the Korea International Broadcasting Foundation)
has decided to export SBS drama, 'Stairway to Heaven' to be
aired in 8 countries, which are El Salvador, Peru, Columbia,
Dominica, Panama, Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica, starting
from October.
According to the Support Center of Arirang TV, since another
drama, All In had been distributed for the first time in Eastern
Europe, they have been concentrating on the Central and South
American market, however, 'Star in My Heart', introduced in
1998 to this region, has been the only Korean drama entered
so far.
To this end, it is regarded as another decisive momentum
for Korean dramas and video contents to make inroads into
Latin America and Eastern Europe beyond the Asian region.
Due to current oversupply of dramas throughout Latin America
and Spain, programming among countries gets competitive, yet,
terrestrial broadcasters of each countries showed great interests
in 'Stairway to Heaven'.
01. Chopin, Piano Concerto No.1 Op.11 E Minor 2nd Mvt : Romanza
02. Chun Kook Eh Gi Uk (Heaven's Memory) - Jang Jung Woo [
lyrics
]
03. Lette - Kang Woo Jin [ lyrics
]
04. Ave Maria - Rebecca Luker
05. Geu Gut Man Eun (Just That) - Jang Jung Woo [ lyrics
]
06. Uhn Je Gga Ji Na
07. Na Man Eh Nuh - Kim Hyun Ah
08. Remember
09. Seul Peun Sarang
10. Ah Reum Da Oon Nuh Eh Ge - Moon Ji Hwan
11. Nuh Reul Ji Kil Gge
12. Bo Go Ship Da (I Miss You) - Kim Bum Soo [ lyrics
]
13. Ggeut Ee Ah Nim Eul
14. Chun Kook Eh Gi Uk (Heaven's Memory) - Park Mook Hwan
[ lyrics
]
15. Se Sang Ggeut Eh Suh It Suh Do
16. Yak Sok
17. Geu Gut Man Eun (Just That) - Park Mook Hwan [ lyrics
]
18. Stairway To Heaven
DIALOGUES AND QUOTES
warning: may contain spoilers
[ SONG-JOO TO YOO-RI ]
Jung-Suh wouldn't say she's hurting even if she was. So if
she said that she's sick, she must've been in a lot of pain.
Though she acts strong, she's fragile inside so take good
care of her. Do me the favor, OK?
JUNG-SUH: What if you still
can't find me?
SONG-JOO: I'll search until I
find you. I'll meet you. People who like each other end up
meeting each other. No matter how far apart they are, they
return in the end. Love is something that returns! You'll
be OK even if I'm not here, right? You can smile even if I'm
not here, right? Jung-Suh, when I return, I'm going to draw
a picture here and give it to you as a gift. A world with
no sadness, no separation, and no pain… Heaven.
[ YOO-RI TO SONG-JOO ]
What am I like? Getting scarred inside but smiling as though
nothing's wrong on the outside? Or feeling that you're not
as good as a dead person?! I don't like myself, either. I
want to get out of this, too! Song-Joo, do you know how much
you hurt me? What day is today? I endured everything and waited
for 5 years. Thinking you would probably forget her today,
thinking you would probably forget her tomorrow. I'm going
to die now! If I die like Jung-Suh, then you'll remember me.
That's the only way I can get into your heart!
SONG-JOO: A world without pain,
sadness, or separation. A long time ago, I promised to give
Heaven as a present to someone. Now, to keep that promise,
I'm standing here. I dedicate this mural to that person who
is forever alive within my heart. I introduce you to the man
who helped me to keep that promise, Han Chul-Soo.
TAE-HWA: Heaven is a land I cannot
go to. In front of this mural all the love in the world even
the love that can't be forgiven. I hope that it can all come
true.
SONG-JOO: Today, I sent Jung-Suh
away. I was asking Jung-Suh for forgiveness. She must've been
very angry that I put someone else in my heart. I thought
you were Han Jung-Suh because I missed her so much. Because
I wanted to see her so much. I thought that instead of Han
Jung-Suh, I could like Kim Ji-Soo. You're such a different
person than Jung-Suh but I came to like everything about you.
A good scent comes from you, Jung-Suh's scent.
JUNG-SUH: That person called
Cha Song-Joo is very rude and always has to have his way.
But I felt his true heart and tears within him. And a very
old feeling as though I knew you from before. If that girl
you were looking for… If I were Han Jung-Suh... More
and more I grew jealous of that girl and became curious. And
now I want to be Han Jung-Suh. Then we both like each other.
[ SONG-JOO TO JUNG-SUH ]
Friendship is better than love. Love can part ways but friends
are forever. You can become my best friend in the world, right?
If we're friends then I can call you up and see you whenever
I want to, right? If we're friends then, when I'm struggling,
you can be at my side, right? If we're friends, when you're
struggling, I can help you, right? If we're friends, we can
do everything we can't do now, right?
[ SONG-JOO TO JUNG-SUH ]
What is the difference between a friend and a lover? You hold
you friend's shoulders, but hold your lover's hand. When you
hold hands with your friend, you don't tremble. But when you
hold hands with your lover, you do. An appointment with a
fiancée is more important than one with a friend. You
can't take back a present given to a friend. But a gift to
a lover can be returned after breaking up.
[ SONG-JOO TO JUNG-SUH ]
Give me the empty gift box I gave you. I said I'd
fill it with one gift at a time, right? I'll give you one
today. Open it. Can you see it? Faith. If you say left, then
I believe it without a doubt. And if you say right, then I
believe it without a doubt. What's important isn't which side.
What's important is faith. Faith that our feelings will never
change. Didn't that sound cool?
[ SONG-JOO TO JUNG-SUH ]
Do you know what my childhood dream was? One was to make our
company number one. The second is the amusement park. I want
to collect all the dreams of the people and make a small heaven.
The last one was to create someone that I love more than myself.
For the last one, I don't care if I gave up the first two.
I've got nothing besides you now.
JUNG-SUH: I'm trying to remember
your face. I'm practicing so that I can see you in my mind
whenever I missed you. Strangely, I keep missing you. I'm
looking at you like this, but I still miss you. When I close
my eyes, I can't remember your face at all. What about you?
You can picture my face with your eyes closed?
SONG-JOO: I practiced a lot in
the five years you were gone. I can control your smiling face
and your angry face.
JUNG-SUH: Close your eyes. I
can't remember with my eyes so I want to remember with my
hands.
MRS. CHA: Love's not the answer
to everything in life.
SONG-JOO: Isn't life worth living
because there's love? When Jung-suh dies, I wanted to die
too. It was hell. Every day, I regretted not dying with her.
But if I had died then, I would've been sorry. Because Jung-suh
came back to life. Mother, you understand me, don't you? No,
you have to understand. Please give us your blessing.
[ SONG-JOO TO JUNG-SUH ]
Losing one eye won't affect my life. I want to give one of
my eyes to Jung-suh. That's the least I can do as her husband.
I want her to see what I see. I want her to feel what I feel.
I want us to share our lives seeing and feeling together.
Rather than seeing the world by myself, it'll be more beautiful
if we can see it together.
[ TAE-HWA'S MESSAGE TO SONG-JOO
]
By the time you receive this letter, I'll probably be on my
way to heaven, where there's no pain or separation. Born a
devil's child into this hellish world, I met Jung-suh and
set foot on the path to heaven. And for that I'm very happy
right now. I bet you didn't know that Jung-suh was the first
to make me smile. And that she was the first to make me seaweed
soup for my birthday. And how delicious it was. And this scarf
she gave me, it's the first present I ever got. She was the
only person who loved me. And that's why I dared to love her,
the woman you love. Jung-suh will now see the world through
my eyes and I through her heart. The thought of being a part
of her makes me happy. Now it's you and Jung-suh's turn to
be happy. Please don't tell her I'm gone.
JUNG-SUH: If I go to heaven,
I'll truly be able to love you. Because there's only love
there. So this is the beginning of our beautiful love affair.
SONG-JOO: Then that means our
love begins now.
Perhaps that person may have loved that girl more than I
did. But though I say that, I'm not saying that I loved that
girl any less.
