KDrama Club: The Beauty Inside
Welcome to our weekly KDrama Club Meeting! It’s a KDrama-style whisper the password, give the secret handshake, fangirling club. Just like a book club, everyone is encouraged to freely join in with their thoughts and ideas. This week we are discussing Lee Min Ki and Seo Hyun Jin’s recent KDrama “The Beauty Inside.”
If this is your first time to DramaCurrent’s KDrama Club, welcome! Just like a book club, in the KDrama Club everyone is encouraged to freely join in with their thoughts and ideas. If you love talking about Lee Min Ki, Seo Hyun Jin, Lee Da Hee, Ahn Jae Hyun, The Beauty Inside, or our favorite topic…Korean Dramas! then you are right at home.
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How to participate in the “The Beauty Inside” Club:
Step 1. Take a look at the list of questions below. If one, some, or all spark your interest then…
Step 2: Pop down to the comments section and leave your response. (Please include the question number so we know which question you are answering.)
Step 3 (optional): We’d love it if you’d choose to respond to other fans’ comments. This is the perfect place to have meaningful KDrama conversations…or just fangirl like crazy. Either way, please remember to “choose kind” when you respond.
Bonus: If you have a comment about “The Beauty Inside” that isn’t an answer to one of our questions, please feel free to say it anyway. Think of our questions as conversation starters, not limiters.
Let the commenting games begin!
Warning: Spoilers are not only rampant, but they are encouraged. We want this to be a free, open chat where you can feel safe talking about any part of the drama.
Discussion Questions for “The Beauty Inside”
Click to jump to my response or the comments section
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- How did you like “The Beauty Inside?”
- How did “The Beauty Inside” surpass your expectations? How did it disappoint them?
- Which scene(s) stood out as your favorite(s)?
- What do you think attracted our two couples to each other?
- Do you think Han Se Gye’s illness was a superpower or a curse?
- What did you think of how Han Se Gye responded to the discovery that she caused Jo Da Sae’s accident?
1. How did you like “The Beauty Inside?”
DramaCurrent Unni’s Comment:
Since I am a fan of the original “The Beauty Inside” movie, I was very nervous that I would hate this drama — especially when I heard they were changing so much of it from the original. But I was happily surprised by the drama. Although I think it lost the message of the original movie (that we as humans change every day of our lives, not physically, but emotionally and mentally, and that we must love each other enough to accept every version of each other. Gasp! Out of breath.) But it did preserve the unique story device of using her appearance changes as a way to deliver thoughtful, subtle messages.
Also, it was just a lot of fun. Which really is the most important point.
2. How did “The Beauty Inside” surpass your expectations? How did it disappoint them?
DramaCurrent Unni’s Comment:
As I said in Q1, I was delighted that “The Beauty Inside” kept the heart of the original movie by using Han Se Kye’s “illness” as a way to deliver important messages like: “we are not our appearance.” I was really concerned they would muddy the story to the point it became just another rom-com, so the fact it kept its purpose clear was a delightful surprise.
I was really disappointed by the ending though. It felt like the drama was really endearing and clever up until the last few eps. and then the writer ran out of material. That, and I raged for days at the way Han Se Kye handled the whole “I caused his disability” situation. (Seriously, the guy already suffered so much and she thought the way to improve the situation was to dump him and run away? Dang you drama trope!)
3. Which scene(s) stood out as your favorite(s)?
DramaCurrent Unni’s Comment:
Without a doubt, my favorite scenes were when Han Se Gye used her ability to help other people. I loved the scenes where she portrayed the boy with a heart transplant to give closure to the grieving mother. It was beautifully acted by Moon Woo Jin, the child actor and had me snot sobbing.
Also, all the scenes with Kim Min Suk were spectacular. The chemistry between him and Lee Min Ki was no doubt helped by the fact that they starred together in “Because This is My First Life” last year (one of my favs, btw,) because it was seriously intense. Too, the storyline about Kim Min Suk helping the girl who was bullied was really heartwarming. It was the first time I felt like Han Se Kye’s illness might really be more of a gift.
Also, every moment with Kingkang the scene-stealer. Because, this face…
4. What do you think attracted our two couples to each other?
DramaCurrent Unni’s Comment:
For Han Se Gye and Seo Do Jae I think it was a mixture of curiosity and relatability. At first, Seo Do Jae was intrigued by the puzzle of Han Se Gye. She was feisty and willful, taking it upon herself to defend others to her own harm, and she had this strange mystery surrounding her as well. But once her body-swapping trick and his face blindness were revealed, it became more about their shared understanding. They both felt like freaks constantly forced to hide their true selves from the world. It was the first moment of honesty they gave to an outsider and it bonded them on a very deep level.
For Kang Sa Ra and Ryu Eun Ho, the attraction was very different. For her, I think it was more about meeting an attractive, kind man who was willing to listen to her and take care of her. On the other side, Ryu Eun Ho craved someone to take care of, someone to give him purpose. She wanted a savior; he wanted someone to save. It was a salvation symbiosis.
5. Do you think Han Se Gye’s illness was a superpower or a curse?
DramaCurrent Unni’s Comment:
Han Se Gye’s “illness” was the best superpower ever! Combined with her fierce acting chops, she could make a real difference in people’s lives and then disappear back into her real life without a trace. It’s the superhero life with zero long-term commitment.
Although, her world should be really grateful that she was a good person because she could also make the slickest serial killer ever. Perhaps that could be the next remake: “The Hideous Inside.”
6. What did you think of how Han Se Gye responded to the discovery that she caused Jo Da Sae’s accident?
DramaCurrent Unni’s Comment:
It annoyed me no end how the discovery of their accident was handled. Since when does a character as strong, determined, and willful as Han Se Kye suddenly devolve into a limp noodle of self-absorbed angst? Her reaction was intensely selfish. I so badly wanted her bestie to slap her upside the head and yell at her for this.
So she discovered she caused his accident; then she should have taken responsibility and done everything in her power to help him. Not dump the poor guy and make him suffer through his illness alone! She knew her love had helped make him feel safe and supported for the first time since he was hurt, and her solution to the situation was to rip that away from him? What the heck?!? Girl, go get your eyes out of your belly button and look at what you are doing to your man!!
Please leave your comments about “The Beauty Inside” below. Don’t forget to add the question number to your answer, so we know which one you are answering. Happy Commenting! ~Unni
We hope you can also join us for our next KDrama Club Meeting: Seo In Guk and Jung So Min’s “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes” on Saturday, December 8, 2018. Can’t wait to chat more with you then!
Bonus: Next Saturday (December 1) at 7pm CST DramaCurrent will be partnering with Dramamilk and TheKThree for a live watch party for the premiere of “Memories of the Alhambra” starring Park Shin Hye and Hyun Bin. You can join the party on YouTube through this link. We look forward to chatting with you then!
Recent KDrama Club Meetings:
Drama Unni
Drama Unni is a Korean Entertainment Journalist and blogger based out of the US. She enjoys late night kdrama binges with her two dogs. Email: unni@dramacurrent.com
9 Comments
AR Mcbone
(Q1) Love this drama a lot! My level of loving this is like Secretary Kim level, like i dont want it to end or hopinh for 2nd season w/c is i know it only happens once in a blue moon for kdramas. I love how this drama is not heavy but at the same time it has essence. There are some (maybe a couple) heavy situation but its understandable. And i love it that they dont drag the dilema for a very….very…very long time. 🙂
(Q2) the first time i heard about this, i didnt know there was a movie already. I only found out about it when i already watched maybe a couple or 3 episodes. This series didnt disappoint me at all. Just like Secretary Kim, i always looking forward everyweek to watch this. And for some reason the sound effects nowadays for kdrama are a thing isnt? But it did sure helped a lot to make the scene more funny.
(Q3) there are a lot of scene that stood out for me. But i think, for a romcom, my most favorite was the heaviest episode (for me), it was when Se Gye’s mom was sick and died….i cant believe i really cried watching that. I was frustrated at her and sad at the same time. Frustrated coz…for cryin out loud! Your mothere is dying and you’re worried that she might not understand that you have a different face if you show up to her looking like an ahjjuma….sad because she cant go take care of her mom for a week with her real face, and i can understand why on the last mins of her moms life, she wanted her face as the one the her mom sees before she dies. It was really heavy episodes (i think they covered it in 2 episodes, correct me if im wrong)
(Q4) i think its their curiousity with each other and the ways they are different from everyone else was what attracted them to each other. I mean their first impression with each other wasnt good, they dont like each other to br exact. But along the way, they got to know each other more and made them realize that they cant judge someone by just the looks and what they hear from other people, and the more they knew each other, the more they realize they like each others personality.
(Q5) im not sure what to make up for Se Gye’s illness…thats why halfway to this series i finally decided to watch the movie hoping that they have an answer to that question, and i guess not. Even in the movie they didnt explain what exactly that was. But for some reason i am not disappointed of not having an answer to that coz it only shows thats not everything can be explained. I would like to think that its more of a superpower than a curse coz it may not be a typical superpower that we know, but if you use it right, you can help a lot of people. If Seg Ye was a really bad person, she can use it to kill people (like what she said to threaten that annoying actress, that was funny btw) or rob a bank, and no one can catch her coz that face will be gone after a week……BUT (theres a big BUT 😅) on the last episode, they mentioned that she changed face not once a month but once every 2 months, w/c made me think that its a curse to her family. Maybe someone cursed them to torture them and if you finally accept your illness, then the changing of faces slowly disappears because if it meant as a torture and you dont feel tortured anymore, whats the use of that being a curse to begin with? Thats is just my theory though.
(Q6) i kinde have a mix reaction to that one. Mixed because she has a strong personlity and finding out that she caused Do Jaes accident, she could have dealt with it more rationally. Running away is not a reaction by a person who has a strong personality like her. But at the same time, she has this thing about feeling guilty when something bad happens to someone close to her or someone she loves because of her illness, she takes it seriously, and every logic gets thrown out of the window coz for her she should only be the one gets affected by her illness, not the people around her that she loves.
Anyways, i just wanted to add the 2nd lead couple are so darn cute! Seriously….this drama was like it has two main love story. I love how their story evolved. I loved how the writer didnt madenit so complicated about her asking permission to his parents to marry him….thats was freakin awesome! No dramas about “oh you’re rich im poor, blah, blah, blah”, or “you’re stepping on my pride coz im the man blah, blah, blah…”, or “im a woman older than you blah, blah, blah….” this is the 21st century, and i think the writer wants to capture that idea that WE ARE LIVING IN A 21st CENTURY so stop with too much drama 😅 (and that bell sound…epic! 😅)
I just wish there is a season 2 so they can explain whats the reason behind Se Gyes illness and what happens to the 2nd leads relationship…and who the hell did the manager married, coz they never really showed who he was (i was hoping Do Jaes assistant, but i guess i was wrong 😅)
Thats all, i hope this isnt too long 😂.
Drama Unni
AR, I love your comment about how Se Kye was always trying to prevent other people from being hurt by her sickness. It does explain a little bit why she reacted the way she did…not enough to forgive her, but you have given me more peace about it.
The scenes about her mothers death were heart-rending. It really frustrated me that she didn’t tell her mother earlier about her changes (kind of similar to how her mother didn’t tell her she was sick; So, like mother like daughter?) I kept waiting for the big reveal that her Dad had suffered from the same disorder (like they had in the movie), but because her mom didn’t know, we will never know if it was genetic. Part of me thinks it was. It is just too strange that they never touched on the topic of her dad. But as Marissa from TheKThree likes to say, this is one of those dramas where “if you don’t ask, you don’t have to know the answer.”
Tess
It was a good. Relationship journey
Tess
When she started to learn to use her disability as a blessing to others
Tess
q3-There was quite a few of them but but the most one was when she found out she was the cause of his Disability
Tess
Q-4 agree They had an attraction chemistry something pull them together
Tess
Q5-A superpower she just had to figure it out
Tess
Q6- That she was chosen the right person for the job she had compassion she thought of others she’s always thinking of others but I don’t think she realize that
Oumaima rass
I am oumaima rass i am 16 years . I am a moroccan fan of “the beauty inside”. Today, i saw the last episod of the serie on MBC4 , of course after being a faithful and loyal fan and following episod by episod .All i can say is, that this film is a perfection , it really surpassed my expectations especially during this rough period due to the corona virus ,the e-learning stress and the endless boredom ,the serie came at the right time to cheer us up ,that’s first of all .Then i’ll move to the story wich was unforgettable and heartfelt. As far as i am concerned ,i am someone who’s addicted to korean series and i think i watch them more than anybody else , and i confess that i’ve nener seen such a wonderfull idea that has touched my heart and has made me cry . A story about sacrifice of dreams and life ,true love , friendship and the heart beauty so i would like to thank Mr Song Hyeon Wook for this legendary story and all the crew from the main roles to the make up responsibles and the cameramen….THANK YOU SO MUCH.Miss Seo Hyun Jin is so beautifull, talented
professional , and she deserved the role and really made me cry and fall apart so many times and btought back emotions to my heart again . Mr Lee Min Ki is so charming ,and i was going bananas for him , he killed his role wich was very special, i mean the cold ,young and handsome businessman then the crazy lover who sacrifices and understood Han See Gye ‘ mystery and supported as her true love and changed her live after she was alone and afraid he’s gonna love hetr no matter who she becomes . Also the story of Lee Da Hee and Lee Tae Ri. She ‘s gorgeous and he’s just so good looking and innocent ,and Moon Jin In the loyal and trustworthy friend .So again , i am gratefull to the director of this serie who gave theese precious roles to the right persons and for the hardwork and the efforts they did we know it’s a tiring job this is why we love theese actors, they’re our heroes.All in all, this work is a huge accomplishment , the love story is legendary and it will always be .The beauty inside: It’s perfect , cute, funny ,breathtaking ,beautifull , pure and unselfish.thank you song hyeon wook , lee min ki and the one and only seo hyun jin