My Man is Cupid

Welcome back to *Hallyu Reviews!* We hope you enjoyed Shamra’s review of **“While You Were Sleeping.”** If you missed it, be sure to go back and have a read!

This week, in honor of Valentine’s Day in February, we take a look at “My Man is Cupid.”
**SPOILERS AHEAD!!**

Review by: Sabrina

Synopsis

“My Man is Cupid” (“Cupid”) is a fantasy romance about Oh Baek Ryeon (Im Jin Ah, known as Nana) – a human – and Cheon Sang Hyuk (Jang Dong Yoon) – a fairy. Baek Ryeon is cursed with a life without love. Every man she falls for ends up hurt, so she remains single, longing for a romantic connection. Baek Ryeon falls for Sang Hyuk at first sight, unaware that he is a fairy. Humans and fairies are not supposed to be together, and Sang Hyuk keeps Baek Ryeon at arm’s length. But when Baek Ryeon becomes a witness in a kidnapping/homicide case that bares remarkable resemblance to a 1993 kidnapping/homicide case, things begin to get dangerous for Baek Ryeon as the killer comes after her. Through the investigation, Baek Ryeon discovers Sang Hyuk’s true identity. Though Sang Hyuk tries to keep Baek Ryeon at a distance, the two draw closer. When Beak Ryeon is hospitalized after a run-in with the murderer, she dreams of her past life and realizes that Sang Hyuk is her love from a past life. A story about fated love, Baek Ryeon and Sang Hyuk face many challenges, including the involvement of Samsin (Kim Pub Lae), the god of fate, who has tied the red thread of fate between Baek Ryeon and another man, Prince Lee/Seo Jae Hee (Park Ki Woong).

Lee So Hee/You Jeong Ah/Oh Baek Ryeon

In her many reincarnated lives, Baek Ryeon goes by many names. In her first life, she was known as Lee So Hee (Kwon Ah Reum). A court lady during the Joseon Dynasty, it was in this life that she first encounters Sang Hyuk and Prince Lee/Jae Hee, the ambitious prince who falls in love at first sight with Soo Hee. The hopelessly romantic So Hee prays that she meets her fated love, but despite the red thread of fate tied to Prince Lee/Jae Hee, Sang Hyuk suddenly appears before her. So Hee falls in love with Sang Hyuk, but he is killed saving her life, and So Hee kills herself in order to be reborn and meet him again.

In her second life, Baek Ryeon is Yoo Jeong Ah (Kim Do Ah), a neighbor to Sang Hyuk. Jeong Ah is a high school girl who falls in love with Sang Hyuk. Samsin warns Sang Hyuk that Jeong Ah’s life will (once again) meet a tragic end if he loves her in return. Sang Hyuk makes every effort to keep their relationship platonic, but Jeong Ah is kidnapped and murdered.

In her third life, Baek Ryeon is a veterinarian at Gugi Dong Animal Hospital. Known for her stunning beauty, men refer to her as a goddess. She enchants every man she meets. But Baek Ryeon’s life is full of tragedy, having been abandoned at an orphanage as a baby. Her love life is also cursed, for every man who cares for her ends up hurt, some even experiencing a near death experience. Therefore, Baek Ryeon remains single, afraid to date anyone. She becomes a veterinarian because animals do not get hurt when she loves them. One day, a tarot card reader – who was really a supernatural being in disguise – tells Baek Ryeon that she is being punished for committing a grave sin in her past life. The sin was coveting something/someone she should not have. She has but one destiny, a man who knows her past. To meet him, the tarot card reader tells her she must climb Mt. Inwang a thousand times and pray for forgiveness.

Cupid

Cheon Sang Hyuk is a love fairy. It is the job of the love fairies to help humans make romantic connections with other humans. Love between fairies and humans is forbidden, but he falls in love with So Hee. This angers Samsin, who has tied the red thread of fate between So Hee and Prince Lee/Jae Hee. Sang Hyuk passionately chooses to burn his fairy wings in order to be with So Hee. But their story takes a tragic turn when Sang Hyuk sacrifices his own life to save So Hee. Distraught, So Hee then takes her own life, so that she might be born again and have a second chance at love with Sang Hyuk. After his death, Sang Hyuk undergoes a process called metamorphosis, in which he is reborn as a love fairy. As punishment for ignoring Samsin’s red thread of fate, Sang Hyuk must spend the next 500 years living as part of the human world, atoning for his actions by using his abilities as a love fair to bring together those whom Samsin has connected with his red thread.

Meet-Cute

After So Hee and Jeong Ah’s lives both end in tragedy, Sang Hyuk avoids forming bonds with people. He believes that he does not deserve to be in love. But one day, he meets Baek Ryeon at a Cupid-themed art exhibition. Baek Ryeon curses Cupid for failing to connect her to the one she is meant to love. More than anything, Baek Ryeon wants a shot at finding love, and she believes that no one – not even the infamous Cupid – has the right to tell you whether you are deserving of love. Using his love fairy ability to see the one you are destined to be with, Sang Hyuk realizes that Baek Ryeon is not connected to anyone by the red thread of fate, a first for him. Baek Ryeon is stunned by his fairy-like, youthful beauty. Then, one night, Sang Hyuk protects Baek Ryeon from an attacker. But unlike the other men in her life, Sang Hyuk is left with nothing but a tiny scratch. Baek Ryeon is flabbergasted and dubs Sang Hyuk “Superman,” as he is the first man to get close to her without being seriously harmed.

Love Triangle Then and Now

“Cupid” utilizes a couple of common Korean tropes in its storytelling. One is the existence of a previous relationship. For Baek Ryeon and Sang Hyuk, their past relationship started in a past life. But “Cupid” also employs the Korean trope of a love triangle. The third person in their love triangle, Seo Jae Hee, is the homicide detective in charge of the kidnapping/homicide case that Baek Ryeon becomes involved with as a witness. Jae Hee also reopens the “Missing Polka Dot High School Girls Case” – the 1993 case involving Jeong Ah’s kidnapping and murder. In her present life, Jae Hee and Baek Ryeon first meet when Jae Hee adopts the injured dog of a coworker who passes away in an automobile accident. Baek Ryeon is the vet who saves the dog’s life, and Jae Hee becomes the dog’s guardian. But Jae Hee was also present in Baek Ryeon/So Hee’s past life during the Joseon Dynasty. Known then as Prince Lee Seon, he was the fated love connected to So Hee by the red thread of fate by Samsin.

Cupid’s Roommates

Sang Hyuk lives with three other love fairies – Cheon Dong Pal (Eom Se Ung), Cheon Dong Koo (Park Myeong Hoon), and Cheon Dong Chil (Moon Ji Hoo). Dong Pal, Dong Koo, and Dong Chil are Sang Hyuk’s closest friends and are all trapped in the human world for attempting to assist him when he fell in love with So Hee 500 years ago.

Dong Pal is the unofficial leader of the group of fairies. The others, particularly Dong Gu and Dong Chil, frequently turn to him for his knowledge and experience. He is the only one of the four fairies that knows the secret behind breaking metamorphosis, the state of rejuvenation that all love fairies must periodically undergo to restore their infamous baby faces. For Sang Hyuk to live permanently as a human with Baek Ryeon, Sang Hyuk must break his cycle of metamorphosis. In order to do that, someone must shoot an arrow through Sang Hyuk’s chrysalis – with Sang Hyuk unconscious inside – and pierce the vital spot, severing the connection. The shooter must not miss, however. To do so, Dong Pal warns, would result in catastrophe.

Unlike the other love fairies, Dong Gu is not handsome and smooth with women. He is baffled by human women and wishes to understand love. He joins a dating class to better understand how to connect with women and it is there he meets and falls in love with Baek Ryeon’s roommate, An Do Ra (Gong Min-Jung).

Dong Chil is my personal favorite of Sang Hyuk’s roommates. He oscillates between human and dog, punished for missing Sang Hyuk with the lead arrow which would have made him fall out of love with So Hee. But true to the expression, “dogs are a man’s best friend,” Dong Chil is Sang Hyuk’s best friend of the group. Dong Chil, in dog form, witnesses Sang Hyuk and Baek Ryeon’s first kiss, but keeps it a secret from the other roommates, covering for him when Sang Hyuk blushes during a discussion about kissing. And it is Dong Chil whom Sang Hyuk asks to shoot the arrow and break his metamorphosis.

An Do Ra

Baek Ryeon tells Sang Hyuk that she was not allowed to form bonds with people, but she connects with many people throughout the K-drama, including the director and children at the orphanage where she spent her childhood, the women she works with at the animal hospital, and her roommate and best friend, Do Ra. Do Ra serves as the narrator, walking the viewer through the K-drama’s message about relationships via her vlog. For example, she explains to her viewers that some types of jealousy can be good for a relationship as it can help you get interested in again (or for the first time), but it can also be bad. Jealousy can lead to obsession, and obsession can lead to destruction. Do Ra acts as Cupid for the students in her class, giving them confidence and guiding them. In the end, love is all about sincerity.

Fate vs. Passion vs. Courage

In “Cupid,” the storyline contrasts fate, passion, and courage to determine which is most important for love. Fate is represented by Samsin, the god of fate, who connects humans with his red threat of fate. While the love fairies’ arrows have a temporary effect, Samsin’s red string of fate cannot be cut. Sang Hyuk realizes, however, that fate can be broken by a strong will, and he believes that a heart filled with passion is more important than fate.

But while Samsin believes fate is the most important factor in love, and Sang Hyuk believes it is passion, God – represented by a little boy who sits outside of the fairies’ apartment building – states that the most important thing in love is courage. He believes that the only thing that can adjust fate is courage. And while Sang Hyuk believes that he fell in love with Baek Ryeon/So Hee when he accidentally shot himself with one of his own arrows, we learn that it was actually God interfering with the arrow. God creates a framework of fate, but humans can change their fate with one action.

Final verdict: SKIP

While I was really excited to watch “My Man is Cupid,” it is, unfortunately, a SKIP. Simply put, this series has too much going on and delivers very little in terms of story, relationships, or cast. It is certainly enjoyable at times, but its multiple timelines and constant misdirection makes it a bit confusing. As main characters, neither Baek Ryeon nor Sang Hyuk is particularly likeable, nor do they share much chemistry. Both are frequently outshined by supporting characters, particularly Do Ra and Dong Chil. As a female lead, Baek Ryeon’s character is a bit juvenile. While it might be a deliberate choice to reflect Baek Ryeon’s lack of human relationships, her lack of maturity often borders on obnoxious. And Sang Hyuk’s “will he or won’t he” allow himself to love Baek Ryeon back and forth feels very drawn out. “Cupid” also leaves you with many unanswered questions. Why is the ultimate culprit such an inconsequential character? The culprit in both sets of kidnapping/murder cases is Song Yeong Cheol (Lee Kyu Bok), the husband of the first kidnapping victim in Baek Ryeon’s current life. We do not learn the truth until episode 13 (of a 16-episode series), and it is a bit of a letdown. Why doesn’t Baek Ryeon tell anyone when Yeong Cheol threatens her at the animal hospital? She’s good friends with a police detective and being protected as a witness in a serial murder case. Did she really feel that this incident was not connected? And Samsin says that it is Beak Ryeon’s fate to love the prince, but also says it is her fate to die for him. Which is it? And finally, “Cupid” has many similarities to several well-known K-dramas, most notably “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” and “Doom at Your Service,” two amazing K-dramas about supernatural beings who sacrifice themselves to save the human woman they came to love. But while these K-dramas boast solid storylines that balance drama, suspense, and humor; strong Lead Couples with lots of chemistry; and amazing supporting casts; “Cupid” does not. Therefore, “My Man is Cupid” is a disappointing SKIP.

So there it is, our review of “My Man is Cupid.” What did you think?! Thank you for joining us on this journey.

Have a favorite K-drama you think we should review? Comment down below!! We look forward to seeing you back again soon!

Up next, “King the Land”

King the Land

While You Were Sleeping

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