I Hear Your Voice aka I Can Hear Your Voice / 너의 목소리가 들려
Starring:
Lee Bo Young as Jang Hye Sung
Kim So Hyun as the young Hye Sung
Lee Jong Suk as Park Soo Ha
Goo Seung Hyun as the young Soo Ha
Yoon Sang Hyun as Cha Kwan Soo
Lee Da Hee as Seo Do Yeon
Jung Min Ah as the young Do Yeon
Jung Woong In as Min Joon Gook
Yoon Joo Sang as Shin Sang Duk
Choi Sung Joon as Choi Yoo Chang
Jung Dong Hwan as Seo Dae Suk
Kim Kwang Gyu as Kim Gong Sook
Kim Hae Sook as Eo Choon Shim
Kim Byung Ok as Hwang Dal Joong
Kim Ga Eun as Go Sung Bin
Park Doo Shik as Kim Choong Ki
Year: 2013
Episodes: 18
Network: SBS
Genre: Supernatural, Comedy, Mystery, Crime, Thriller
Synopsis:
In a story spanning eleven years, murderer Min Joon Gook
(Jung Woong In) relentlessly tries to harm Jang Hye Sung (Lee Bo Young) for
testifying against him in court over the murder of Park Soo Ha’s (Lee Jong
Suk’s) father. In turn, Soo Ha vows to protect Hye Sung for the rest of his
life as he grows from an adolescent to a man. After Joon Gook is released from
jail, he realizes that Hye Sung had become a public defense lawyer continues
his revenge on her with Soo Ha blocking Joon Gook at every step. Meanwhile Jang
Hye Sung struggles with the true meaning of being a public defense lawyer.
Reasons to watch it:
All the comedic moments alone are enough reason to watch
this show. I even learned new Korean vocabulary like “Byung Byung” for the fart
sound and the old fashioned way of saying, hello, “Hi-ru.” Of all the
characters, Attorney Cha Kwan Woo (Yoon Sang Hyun) has the widest range of
comedic emotions. I also enjoy every scene with Head Attorney Shin Sang Duk
(Yoon Joo Sang).
Cameos are featured in almost every episode. Certainly,
my favorite cameo has to be with Uhm Ki Joon, who plays the new, overachieving
lawyer who replaces Attorney Cha in the story line. There are a lot of cameos,
but my other favorites are cameos from Jun Soo Kyung as a dental post-it promoter, So
Yi Hyun as Min Joon Gook’s lawyer for his first court case, Lee Byung Joon as
the owner of a newspaper company, Ahn Moon Sook as an orphanage representative,
Kim Min Jong reprising his Lawyer Choi Yoon character, Kang Nam (a member of
the singing group, M.I.B. Honestly, I thought he looked familiar, but I found
out later it was him) as a thief, and Jung Man Shik as a job interviewer.
The overall cast is worth it. I think the entire cast did
an excellent job portraying their roles. I am especially impressed with Lee
Jong Suk’s acting range, showing emotions such as happiness, goofiness, anger,
impulsiveness, helplessness, amnesia “blank” self, panicked self, and Hulky Jong
Suk. He wasn’t really able to show all that in dramas, Secret Garden and School
2013. The entire cast was perfectly in character. I am, in a way, sad to see
such an awesome collaboration end.
Reasons not to watch it:
If you’re looking for a romantic love story, this drama
will not fit the conventional love story line. I watched how Hye Sung slowly
fell in love with Kwan Woo, but all of a sudden, her love for him disappeared
like the wind. It is not immediately apparent that she has feelings for Soo Ha,
but their love has always been implied throughout the show. I always thought
Hye Sung treated Soo Ha like a brother so I had a hard time believing in their
love relationship. In the end, the man who has Hye Sung’s heart is not
important at all even though I was very focused on the love aspect of the show.
While our main heroine is worth cheering for, our main
character, Hye Sung, isn’t exactly loveable. Hye Sung has her moments when
she’s smug, dismissive, conceited, and childish. I’m so used to the main
protagonist having loveable qualities that this type of heroine character is
new for me. Sometimes, I wonder if she is worth all the affection from Soo Ha
and Kwan Woo. All these negative qualities make Hye Sung look like an everyday,
realistic character that may be worth the appreciation. Most of the times, we
see her struggle through life with few stellar accomplishments. Her
disappointing qualities might turn viewers off.
I found a few flaws with the story line, especially with
the early court cases with the Min Joon Gook case and the Go Sung Bin (Kim Ga
Eun) case. Then, there’s an inconsistent age gap between Hye Sung and Soo Ha,
which I don’t bother pursuing since it’s not that important anyway.
Favorite Couple and Chemistry Factor:
My favorite couple is definitely Hye Sung and Kwan Woo. I
love to watch how love progresses. The mini-steps Hye Sung took to realize that
she has feelings for Kwan Woo was exciting for me. I didn’t need to know how
Kwan Woo fell in love with Hye Sung, but I enjoyed their courtship very much.
Even though Hye Sung was picky about Kwan Woo’s appearance, I think she loved
who he was, with or without glasses. I wish I knew how their date would have
went if there were no interruptions along the way. I would have loved to receive
Kwan Woo’s box of chocolates. Kwan Woo would have swept me off my feet.
Favorite Scenes:
When Soo Ha was in denial about loving Hye Sung after he
saw her morning-after look. Fueled by his teacher’s words, Soo Ha was so
furious, he pounded the table and proclaimed that he did not like “her,”
forcing the whole class to look at him along with Choong Ki, who was startled
from his nap.
Hye Sung and Kwan Woo’s date scene, or what was the start
of it, was cute. I loved how Hye Sung directed Kwan Woo’s look and then
contemplated about showing a little more “skin” just before they were about to
meet. Kwan Woo was also sweet to buy some chocolate in an ice bag.
It’s a painful scene, but I loved how conflicted Seo Do
Yeon (Lee Da Hee) was while prosecuting her father in the courtroom. I also
enjoyed Do Yeon’s sweet scenes with her father as they reconciled.
Least Favorite Scenes:
As I mentioned in my Dramafever review, some events
simply didn’t make sense to me like Min Joong Gook spending 17 seconds to drag
a pipe and his 26-second warning speech afterwards, all while police sirens were going off, indicating the police would arrive soon.
When Hye Sung went to look for Soo Ha rather than Kwan
Woo in the rain as Kwan Woo stared at her from afar. That scene marks the major
shift in Hye Sung’s love interest.
Min Joon Gook’s final demise was very pathetic. In the
beginning of the drama, Min Joon Gook wouldn’t blink an eye to kill someone,
but towards the end, he kept playing too many psychological games, allowing Soo
Ha, Kwan Woo, and the police to locate him.
The Lesson: Justice is always open to interpretation.
Theme songs:
Two songs stand out for me in this drama.
Every Single Day (에브리 싱글 데이)
- 에코 (Echo) – The opening theme song
Why did you come now ( I hear your voice OST ) - Jung Yup
– The romantic theme song between Jang Hye Sung and Park Soo Ha
Watch it on Dramafever
for free!
Wehaiyo’s Dramafever Recommendations:
If you liked this drama, then consider watching these
Korean dramas:
Good Doctor: Like Park Soo Ha, Park Shi On (Joo Won) is
an autistic doctor with a savant syndrome. Not only that, he also possesses the
power to view internal body organs in “3-D.” With the odds against him, Shi On
must endure hospital politics, angry
mothers, and disrespect from his peers in order to continue his path to become
a pediatric surgeon. Meanwhile, senior resident doctor, Cha Yoon Seo (Moon Chae
Won) struggles with loving Professor Kim Do Han (Joo Sang Wook) and Shi On.
The Master’s Sun: I haven’t seen this drama yet, though
it does fall somewhere in the lines of having supernatural power. Similar to
how Park Soo Ha got his supernatural power, Gong Hyo Jin plays a woman who can
see ghosts after a car accident. Together with a stingy and greedy CEO played
by So Ji Sub, they solve ghost mysteries together.
Who Are You: I also have not seen this drama yet. Actress
So Yi Hyun also plays a woman who is able to see spirits after a six-year-long
coma. Together with a skeptical detective played by Ok Taecyeon, they try to
help spirits rest in peace at the lost-and-found center.
