She Was Pretty

 She Was Pretty is such a cute and fun drama!

This drama I have finished a few times now. Each time, I still love it. 

In this series, Kim Hye-Jin (Hwang Jung-Eum) was a pretty and kind girl who had a best friend, Ji Sung-Jun (Park Seo-Joon). He was an awkward, overweight child with a perm. (In other words, he was adorable). Unfortunately, most of the other kids made fun of him. Hye-Jin saw him for who he was inside, a lonely boy who had recently lost his mother. Early in their friendship, he moves away with his father and they lose touch. The years go by and she inherits her father's physical attributes, meaning she has crazy hair and rosacea. 

She lives with her best friend Min Ha-Ri (Go Joon-Hee). Out of the blue, Hye-Jin gets the opportunity to reconnect with Sung-Jun and she is so happy! That is, until she shows up and sees that he is now drop-dead gorgeous and she is not feeling like her best self. Instead, she gets the (terrible) idea to send Ha-Ri in her place. She figures this will be a one-time thing and they will both part ways with closure. The meeting goes as awkwardly as you would assume, complete with Hye-Jin gesticulating wildly to her friend from across the room anytime she is asked a question. 

Little does Hye-Jin know, but her encounters with Sung-Jun are far from over. She takes a job with the magazine The Most, which he has just become the editor of. Tensions are high, as the magazine is under threat of closing the Korean branch and it is up to him to single-handedly save everyone's careers. That means the Sung-Jun she meets up with again is highly stressed and very rude. He also seems to be especially irritated with her, since she shares the same name as the best friend he idolizes. 

Everyone who works at The Most is crazy is the best ways, including Kim Shin-Hyuk (Choi Si-Won), who is absolutely insane and clearly loves teasing his new coworkers. Over time, it becomes very obvious that he has a crush on Hye-Jin and that he is completely oblivious to that fact. Hye-Jin only has eyes for Sung-Jun, though, but he is secretly going out on dates with Ha-Ri, who he still thinks is HIS Hye-Jin! Like, hey. Buddy. She's right in front of your face. Literally. 

Things escalate until the bubble bursts and the truth is revealed. Feelings are hurt all around while everyone has to reevaluate their own part in this farce. Ha-Ri decides to find herself, rather than rely on the career her father picked for her or the many men she dates but isn't happy with. She learns to value herself through her time with Sung-Jun, which sets her on a path she is proud of. Shin-Hyuk decides to distance himself from Hye-Jin and fold his feelings so as to not burden her. He plays a big role in saving the magazine, and he goes his own way. Hye-Jin and Sung-Jun start dating and it's amazing. 

Though it was a stressful struggle at times, their relationship blooms in a way that is incredibly sweet. It's definitely a drama where you are cheering for them and their love. They are just a wonderful match in so many ways. Plus they're both super dorks in a way that goes well together. 

I really enjoyed all of the extended cast in this (especially Hwang Seok-Jung, who is always amazing). The story was cute and fluffy enough for a distracting waves of feels that won't send you crying. If I had a complaint, it would be that this could have been done in a few less episodes and still had the same impact. 

A great drama I always recommend!

P.S. There are also cameos of Park Hyung-Sik and Seo In-Guk in episode 9!