One hundred percent, pure love story. That’s what you get with Go Ho’s Starry Night webdrama. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of personalities the writer gave the male characters – five men with vastly different thoughts of what love is. We’re taught a bit about relationships as we watch and there’s a nice moral to the story.
The drama follows the love life of a young woman named Go Ho who has worked at an advertising agency for the past four years. After a little over a year, the poor girl is still nursing a broken heart from when her boyfriend, Hwang Ji-Hoon, broke up with her, refusing to explain why he wanted out of their three year, very happy relationship. Ho’s nasty-tempered boss, Manager Kang Tae-Ho, just removed her from his team and, surprise, her new boss is… yep, you guessed it, Hwang Ji-Hoon. And if that’s not stressful enough, a young, handsome playboy in the office, Oh Jung-Min, isn’t at all shy about going after Ho. There’s also an older, less-classy guy who is interested in her and the big boss as well. Five guys in the office, all looking her way, each vying for her attention. That might seem like every woman’s dream come true but to Go Ho it’s more like a nightmare.
Although Ho lives on her own, she goes home on the weekends to be with her mother, however, their relationship is a bit strained. Ho sees her mother as judgmental and tensions are high because she feels her mother loves her older brother more than she loves her. Ho writes a webzine (internet magazine) article called Starry Night which is about the men she deals with at work.
Manager Kang Tae-Ho is a pro when it comes to his job, making a name for himself and winning advertising awards. He liked Ho the minute the company hired her and she introduced herself but he drug his feet and Ho was in a relationship before he could do anything to win her heart. The poor guy has loved her from afar for four years. He took Ho under his wing and turned her into a fine advertiser, which she appreciates, but his short temper and lack of smiles always keeps her on the defensive.
The new guy in the company is Ho’s ex-boyfriend, Manager Hwang Ji-Hoon. He is well liked by the other people in the office but, of course, things are icy between him and Ho. He does a decent job hiding their past relationship from the other employees- for a while. Ji-Hoon finds it very difficult to be Ho’s manager, especially because he’d rather be her boyfriend again.
Young, playful, energetic, handsome, outgoing, and outspoken – that’s Oh Jung-Min, the junior in the office who wants Ho. He reeks of charm and self-confidence, which Ho finds attractive. But is Jung-Min’s feelings for her sincere or is he a player who just wants another notch on his bedpost with Ho’s name beside it?
Choi Chang-Sub has always treated Ho with kindness, respect, and sincerity. He has one of the higher positions in the company and does his job well. Although he doesn’t look that old he once let it slip that he could have a daughter close to Ho’s age if his first love had worked out. Ho is comfortable around Chang-Sub and comfort is something she definitely needs.
Park Jin-Woo isn’t the type of guy someone would go for at first glance or even second glance. His social manners leave a lot to be desired, too. But hidden behind his uncombed hair, burps, and belly fat, lies a responsible family man with a big heart and that’s definitely a quality Ho admires in a man.
Go Ho is played by Kwon Yuri who joined SM Entertainment in 2001 after winning second place in the SM Youth Best Dancer Competition. She underwent training for six years and then debuted as one of the nine members of the girl group Girl’s Generation. My first time seeing her was earlier this year (2016) as Bae Jung-Yeon in the fantastic action-spy-thriller Neighborhood Hero.
At the age of 19, Kim Young-Kwang, who plays Kang Tae-Ho, got the opportunity to be a model for an advertisement. From there he went on to be a runway model which lead him to debut as an actor in the Kdrama World’s Within. I’ve seen him in a bunch of things – Triple, My Fair Lady, Love Rain, Can We Get Married?, Good Doctor, and Pinocchio. The man is a very good actor. He’s won all but one award he’s been nominated for!
Lee Ji-Hoon, whose character is Hwang Ji-Hoon, is a pretty elusive man. I tried to find some personal information about him and came up empty handed. I do know his debut was in the teen drama School 2013 starring Daniel Choi, Jang Na-Ra, Lee Jong-Suk, and Kim Woo-Bin. It’s a very good show. I really liked it. From there he went on to do a few movies and several other Kdramas. I also saw him in the medical vampire drama Blood.
Playboy Oh Jung-Min is played by Shin Jae-Ha. He seemed new to me so I was very surprised to find I had seen him in six of the eight dramas he’s been in – Page Turner, Remember, and I Remember You being my favorite three.
Choi Chang-Sub is played by Choi Duk-Moon. He began his acting career just before the turn of the century (1999) in the movie Peppermint Candy. Since then he’s been in a host of other films, dramas, and even theater.
Beginning his career in 2012, Kim Ji-Hoon, who plays Park Jin-Woo, started out playing a detective in the movie Love Fiction. I’ve seen him in quite few dramas. Look for him in Missing Noir M and Big Man among others.
I love the fact that there are several well-known actors/actresses who make cameo appearances throughout the story – Park Shin-Hye plays a convenience store cashier in episode eight, Lee Jong-Suk is an actor in episode five, Yoon Kyun-Sang is a cop in episode 18, and Park Joon-Geum plays Madam Joo in episode nine, just to name a few.
I was very impressed with the screenwriter’s ability to give us so many different male character personalities – ways they deal with women. Kang Tae-Ho is the kind of boy that would pull the pigtails of the girl he liked. Hwang Ji-Hoon is the boy that would call her on the phone. Oh Jung-Min would kiss her and tell her she’s hot. Choi Chang-Sub would let her cry on his shoulder. And Park Jin-Woo would give her a candy bar. Five men with very diverse ways of dealing with the woman they like.
There’s a scene I love where all five guys are in a room at the office, with a big whiteboard, giving themselves points – a rating system – to prove to the other four that they are the best guy for Ho and the others should back off. It’s so funny and very clever.
In the Starry Night article she writes, Ho gives things “stars”. She’ll mention something about one of the men in her office (she never uses names) and then puts stars next to it. For instance, maybe something like – “He came to work in a stained shirt, and his breath was horrible * but he brought me a latte’ and said my hair looked pretty*****.” And Ho does the same thing throughout the show, giving stars not just to people but to things and situations. Life is a rating system to her. But don’t we all do that in a way, as well, minus the stars? “My friend surprised me with some new shoes for my birthday but they’re a bit too tight.” ( new shoes = ***) “I got a flat tire on the way to work and my boss yelled at me for being late.” (flat tire = *) “I got a promotion at work.” (new title and position in the office = *****) The difference is that we actually see the stars in Ho’s life. Kind of a clever idea.
The soundtrack = *** There aren’t a lot of songs but the ones it has are quite good. Kim Young-Kwang (Manager Kang Tae-Ho) sings Star Candy which, I think, is the best song on the soundtrack and the show has an upbeat intro song that is quite catchy.
The scenery is fine, especially for a webdrama that only has 20 episodes, around 20 minutes each. That’s not a lot of time for fitting amazing backgrounds into the storyline but Go Ho’s Starry Night manages to come up with a colorful, busy amusement park and a romantic kissing scene by a railroad track surrounded by greenery.
Who would you choose if you were Ho? Do you think she decides to go back to the sincere ex-boyfriend whom she shares history with, choose one of the four new guys who want a chance with her, or walk away from all five men? I’m not telling. You’re going to have to guess and then turn on Go Ho’s Starry Night and see if your prediction was correct.
Score: 7
The Good:
Plot (five guys after one gal – every girl’s dream)
Great diverse characters
Good writing
Nice romance
Good life lessons / moral to the story
Kim Young-Kwang sings one of the songs on the soundtrack
The Bad:
Small Soundtrack
Should have been longer to include more depth of the characters and the relationships
Heart and Seoul 