Synopsis

Based on a long-running Webtoon, “The Secret of Angel”, written by Yaongyi, “True Beauty” is about Im Ju Gyeong (Mun Ga Young) and her journey to discover her true beauty.  Stricken with a horrible complexion, Im Ju Gyeong is bullied at school so viciously that she contemplates suicide.  On the edge of a rooftop, Im Ju Gyeong sees a billboard in memory of idol, Seo Yeon, who committed suicide at the age of 18.  The tragedy in his suicide at such a young age leads Im Ju Gyeong to reconsider.  Just as she is about to get down, a handsome young man, Lee Su Ho (Cha Eun Woo), enters the rooftop and yanks her off of the ledge.  Su Ho, a close friend of the late Seo Yeon, is very angry with Im Ju Gyeong for contemplating suicide, but helps her to safety and the two part ways.  Due to a bad business investment by her father, Im Ju Gyeon’s family is forced to move back to the old neighborhood where she lived as a child, requiring her to transfer schools.  Before she begins at her new school, Im Ju Gyeong decides to address her looks by learning how to apply makeup via online tutorials by famous makeup artist, Selena.  The result is that she is finally able to show her face to the world with confidence.  When Im Ju Gyeong starts at her new school, she just wants to quietly blend-in, however, her “new look” stands out and she attracts a lot of positive attention as the new school “goddess.”  Returning to favorite childhood haunt, Prince Comics, Im Ju Gyeong comes (bare)face-to-face with the boy who pulled her from the ledge, Lee Su Ho, the handsome, but cold, top student at her new school.  Su Ho does not recognize Im Ju Gyeong as the goddess from his school, initially, but does remember their interaction on the rooftop.  Eventually, he makes the connection that she is the same “goddess” from his school. The two bond over their love of dark comics, and despite a gut-wrenching love triangle, bullies who seek to make Im Ju Gyeong’s life miserable, and a lengthy separation, the two fall in love.

Childhood Friends

When we first meet Su Ho, he is angry with the world, and mistreats everyone except his childhood friend, Kang Su Jin (Park Yoo Na).  Su Jin is one of my favorite characters in “True Beauty” until she becomes the villain.  Smart (ranked second in class only to Su Ho), beautiful, strong and loyal, Su Jin stands up for her friends.  Su Jin defends Im Ju Gyeong multiple times throughout the drama, never allowing anyone to bully her or make her feel worthless.  And when Su Jin learns about Im Ju Gyeong’s bare face, she keeps her secret. Unfortunately, Su Jin has an abusive father and she suffers from anxiety, obsessively washing her hands to regulate it.  The one bright light in Su Jin’s life is her group of friends, including Su Ho, whom she has passively loved their entire lives.  When Su Jin learns that Im Ju Gyeong is dating Su Ho, everything changes for Su Jin, and the once loyal friend exposes Im Ju Gyeong’s bare face to the world.  Because Su Jin has been Im Ju Gyeong’s biggest champion up until that point, the betrayal cuts very deep.  

Along with everyone else, Su Ho also mistreats Im Ju Gyeong, initially.  When he discovers her dual identity, Im Ju Gyeong promises to do whatever he wants if he will keep her secret.  Su Ho really abuses this, making Im Ju Gyeong do tasks and run errands for him.  Things come to a head when he calls her out one night to meet him at the playground with two comic books.  Exhausted from the day, Im Ju Gyeong runs out without an umbrella and it starts to rain, she slips in the rain and scrapes her knee, and runs into bullies in her bare face.  When she finally meets up with Su Ho, she is drenched, bleeding, and at a breaking point, accusing him of being no different than the bullies from her old school.  This is a turning point in their relationship, because Su Ho, who is “good at being cold and putting up a wall” begins to soften a little and stops thinking only of himself.  It is also an important moment for Im Ju Gyeong, as it is the first time she stands up for herself.

Learning that the Lead Couple actually knew each other during childhood is a common K-drama trope, and we learn that Im Ju Gyeong and Lee Su Ho knew each other as children, before Im Ju Gyeong’s family moved away from the neighborhood eight years ago.  Im Ju Gyeong and Su Ho share a mutual love of horror comics and both frequented the neighborhood comic store, Prince Comics.  It was Im Ju Gyeong who comforted Su Ho when his mother passed away, making him laugh through his tears.  And it would be their love of comics that would lead them to reconnect as young adults.     

Second Lead Syndrome

According to Screen Rant, love triangles are another common K-drama trope.  They “create intense drama that pulls at the heartstrings” and when the Lead Couple in the love triangle admits their feelings, “the third wheel is left heartbroken.”  But sometimes, “love triangles are so intense that they create what has come to be known as ‘second lead syndrome,’ where the second choice is more deserving of the female character's love.”

For me, a good K-drama is centered around an amazing couple.  Generally, that couple is the Lead Couple.  In “True Beauty,” however, the relationship that drew me in was that between Im Ju Gyeong and Han Seo Jun (Hwang In Yeop), the second male lead.  And because of that, “True Beauty” was the first K-drama to give me Second Lead Syndrome (SLS).

Seo Jun’s love for Im Ju Gyeong builds slowly and naturally, taking him awhile to see it for what it is.  It is also one-sided - Im Ju Gyeong never sees him as more than a friend.  But the one-sidedness does not stop the audience from seeing the connection between them, nor the chemistry between the actors. Nor does it stop the audience from rooting for Im Ju Gyeong to end up with Seo Jun.  “True Beauty” makes many Second Lead Syndrome Lists (including mine!) as many in the K-drama community believe that the man most deserving of Im Ju Gyeong’s love is Seo Jun, the second lead, and not Su Ho. 

One can argue that Su Ho is a better match for Im Ju Gyeong because he loves her as she is naturally - as opposed to the Im Ju Gyeong that she presents to the world protected by her makeup - because he knows her secret and has seen her “bare face.”  But while Seo Jun does not find out Im Ju Gyeong’s secret until later in the series, he still sees her the same as he did before.  The scene where he finds her sleeping in the classroom is very touching.  It is the first time he has seen her bare face and he is still very much smitten.  “You’re similar with or without makeup,” he lovingly tells Im Ju Gyeong when she wakes up and expresses her fears to him.  “What do they mean by they were deceived? I can’t understand.”

Some argue that Su Ho is a better match for Im Ju Gyeong because he protects her, but Seo Jun protects her, too.  When he finds out that the bullies from Im Ju Gyeong’s old school have found her at her new school and - with the help of Su Jin - are making her life miserable once again, Seo Jun hunts them down.  Seo Jun’s zero tolerance for bullying is admirable, and when he comes after the bullies, he threatens that if he finds out that they are bullying Im Ju Gyeong anymore, he will “not let it go.”  Seo Jun protects Im Ju Gyeong in less obvious ways, as well.  Im Ju Gyeong, the consummate klutz, falls in front of Seo Jun multiple times throughout the series, and he always intervenes to prevent her from getting injured.  The first time happens when they first meet as total strangers and she trips over her own feet.  Seo Jun grabs ahold of her bookbag and pulls her back, despite having just met her.  The second time he saves her from falling is in the hallway at school when someone rushes past them, knocking Im Ju Gyeong off-balance.  Seo Jun acts quickly, protecting Im Ju Gyeong’s head from hitting the ground.  Seo Jun also prevents a distracted Im Ju Gyeong from walking headfirst into a tree. 

And when Su Ho leaves with his father, breaking up with Im Ju Gyeong to save her from the pain of a long separation, it is Seo Jun who remains by her side. It is Seo Jun who comforts her when she collapses to the ground at the airport, devastated. It is Seo Jun who sees her home safely and promises to protect her.  And it is Seo Jun who, during Su Ho’s 3-year absence, stands by Im Ju Gyeong as her friend, coming to collect her when she is out drinking with friends and too drunk to walk home alone. The smile on his face when she looks at him, smiles, and says, “you’re here,” melts my heart.  A true friend, Seo Jun understands that Im Ju Gyeong is in pain and does not pressure her to return his feelings. Nor does he take advantage of her and try to kiss her while she is too drunk to give consent.  What a gentleman! 

Friend vs Love Interest

To be clear for all Team Su Ho shippers, fans of Cha Eun Woo, and AORHA, this is not a criticism of actor Cha Eun Woo - he is fantastic.  Instead, this is praise for the character of Seo Jun, the acting of Hwang In Yeop, and the chemistry that he and Mun Ga Young naturally share on screen.  Every scene between Im Ju Gyeong and Seo Jun is perfect.  Whether trying to get him in trouble with his mother over riding his motorcycle, teasing him about seeing him in his animal print underwear, stealing his keys to help him make a good choice, or sharing her feelings with him about Su Ho, Im Ju Gyeong connects very naturally with Seo Jun.  One could argue that Im Ju Gyeong is more comfortable with Seo Jun because she sees him as a good friend and not a romantic love interest.  But while there is zero chemistry between the actors, Mun Ga Young and Cha Eun Woo, the chemistry between Mun Ga Young and Hwang In Yeop sizzles.  The scene where Im Ju Gyeong joins Seo Jun for a photoshoot, in particular, is loaded with sexual tension.  Ironically, Im Ju Gyeong is supposedly oblivious to the tension - or at least, what the tension means.  Her naïveté in that moment borders on absurd, but the tension is clearly there, as Seo Jun says in frustration, “I’m a man, too.” 

Seo Jun may only initially show interest in Im Ju Gyeong to irritate Su Ho, but his interest for Im Ju Gyeong develops genuinely over time from the friendship they share.  For me, it is the numerous mutual teasing scenes between Im Ju Gyeong and Seo Jun that seal the deal.  Those scenes are filled with flirting tension and look very much like a developing relationship.  When Seo Jun takes a picture of Im Ju Gyeong with a clay beauty mask on her face - which resurfaces in subsequent scenes to give him a chuckle - you cannot help but chuckle with him.  When Im Ju Gyeong acts unaffected by Seo Jun in his animal print underwear - only to tease him later with mocking roars - you cannot help but fall in love with her playfulness, just as Seo Jun does.  And when they arrive for their class trip wearing matching shirts, Seo Jun cannot help but tease Im Ju Gyeong about wanting to date him so badly that she wore a matching couple’s shirt, and then teases her about wanting to undress him when she tells him to take it off. A wide shot chasing scene follows - one of many throughout the series as one of them is always doing something to tease the other!     

Ultimately, however, Im Ju Gyeong chooses Su Ho.  And to his credit, it is Seo Jun who encourages Im Ju Gyeong to go to Su Ho when he returns.  A true friend to both Su Ho and Im Ju Gyeong, Seo Jun does not stand in the way of their relationship.  When he collapses in tears, alone in the stairwell, however, my heart shatters with his. 

Bromance

In addition to the Su Ho/Im Ju Gyeong/Seo Jun love triangle, “True Beauty” has a bromance between the two gods of Saebom High, “the chic, cold beauty God Lee Su Ho, and the rough, wild horse, God Seo Jun.”  Su Ho and Seo Jun were once both idol trainees, but have a falling out when their fellow idol trainee and good friend commits suicide.  Both men struggle with inner demons.  Su Ho’s mother dies when he is a young boy, and he learns that his father was having an affair while his mother was ill.  Su Ho’s relationship with his father is thus already strained the night of Seo Yeon’s suicide when he learns that his father may once again be caught in a scandal, subsequently ignoring the call from his friend, unaware that Seo Yeon is suicidal.  Su Ho blames himself for not answering his phone that night, and struggles from the psychological trauma and physiological consequences of silently baring the guilt over the years. Su Ho does not want to be associated with his father and lives alone, frequently suffering from nightmares, insomnia, and a heart condition, as well as PTSD triggers. 

Seo Jun blames Su Ho for their friend’s suicide.  Unaware of how much Su Ho is suffering alone, Seo Jun explodes on So Hu, openly accusing him of killing their friend and telling him that he does not deserve to smile.  In addition, Seo Jun’s mother only recently recovered from a kidney transplant and was unwell for a long time.  He has anxiety whenever anyone is unwell.  When Seo Jun finds Im Ju Gyeong alone on the school bus with a fever, for example, he immediately panics.  “Don’t be sick,” he orders her after giving her a fever reducer.  “I hate it when someone is sick.”   

But despite their anger, the two men continue to look out for one another, growing closer as the series progresses and the truths of their inner demons are revealed.  Seo Jun learns that it was So Hu who found the doctor for Seo Jun’s mother when she was sick.  When thugs kidnap Im Ju Gyeong in an attempt to threaten Seo Jun, Su Ho goes with Seo Jun to rescue her.  When Su Ho finds out that his father could have been involved in the death of their friend, he walks blindly into the street and directly into the path of an oncoming vehicle.  Seo Jun rushes to save his friend’s life, jeopardizing his own life in the process.  They both end up in the hospital with multiple fractures, but neither is killed.  It is in the hospital where their bromance starts to rekindle, as they learn the truth about each other’s demons, and begin to rely on each once again (often with hilarious results).  And even when they both fall in love with the same woman, they still care for one another; Su Ho encourages Seo Jun to return to his love of singing, and Seo Jun tells Su Ho’s father about Su Ho’s passion for writing and producing music.

True Beauty

One criticism I have about K-dramas as a whole is that there is an unnecessary emphasis on the element of physical feminine beauty. According to Crystal Tai of The South China Morning Post, “The global perception that South Korean women have perfect skin underlies a nation where women are objectified and judged on their appearance.”  K-dramas centered around the looks of the female lead abound - “She is Pretty” and “Oh My Venus” immediately come to mind, but there are multiple others. Sadly, it is physical beauty - clear skin and body shape - that qualifies female leads as deserving of praise. Even in “Descendants of the Sun,” my favorite K-drama, the female lead is known just as much for her beauty as her medical skills. 

Im Ju Gyeong laments “I knew from a very young age that I was not beautiful,” as she is told her entire life that she takes after her modest-looking mother, rather than her handsome father.  It is not until she covers up her “cursed mask” (bare face) with makeup that she is able to make friends and receive “Likes” on her social media.  Even the boyfriend of one of Im Ju Gyeong’s friends comments about how his girlfriend in real life is different from his photoshopped girlfriend on social media.  The sentiment is quite relatable in a society where young women know that their future success is largely based on their outer beauty. 

American movies and television fixate on beauty, as well, but in the U.S., there has been a recent counterculture rebellion against conventional beauty.  There is nothing wrong with looking and feeling your best, but movements like Big is Beautiful and Body Positivity celebrate diversity in body shapes and acknowledge that beauty comes in all packages.  This is not something that is frequently celebrated in K-dramas, so I applaud “True Beauty” and its emphasis on the importance of having confidence in your own true beauty.

Final verdict: WATCH  

Whether you are Team SuHo or Team SeoJun, “True Beauty” is a K-drama worthy of watching!  The acting and the cast is great, the story has the perfect balance between dramatic scenes and lighthearted teasing, and the messages of finding your true beauty and having zero tolerance for bullying are ones that society needs to hear. 

So there it is, our review of “True Beauty.”  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 next week!

Up next, “Nevertheless”