Scent of a Woman (2011)

Let me ask you a question.

Are you sure you want to watch this drama? Chongmalyo?

Kure.

Then you need a few things: a mind that understands, a heart that feels and loads upon loads of tissue paper.

As any Korean drama, Scent of a Woman starts of with the cliches: an indifferent chaebol (Kang Ji Wook) falls for a poor spinster (Lee Yeon Jae--who looks like she's in desperate need of a make-over) who turns out to have a terminal illness. The supporting male lead (Dr. Cha Eun Suk) has eyes for the heroine but could not confess his feelings, and there's the secondary female lead (Im Sae Kyung) who is a b*tchy daughter of a rich businessman and is arranged to marry the chaebol.
However what makes this drama special is how it successfully weaved its exceptional story to the growth of the characters episode by episode.

Yeon Jae develops a determined outlook in life to fulfill the things she had only dreamed of as a lowly desk employee of a touring agency and starts a bucket list of 20 things she wants to accomplish before she dies of gall bladder cancer. From her meek and docile character she learns how to appreciate herself and live life in search of her happiness. She develops a romantic relationship with Ji Wook and tries to stay away to prevent him from heartache in the future, but soon realizes that his love runs deep.

Kang Ji Wook, for his part, was painted as a mature and understanding person. From the meaningless and routinary life that he led, Ji Wook learns to appreciate life and to live life diligently. For all his worth, Ji Wook became Yeon Jae's pillar of strength and the most stable source of love she is able to draw from.

Secondary contradictions and side-stories also developed well in the drama--this makes for an air-tight storyline, with each side-story supporting the main one. Best parts are Hee Joo and her mom (this convinces Yeon Jae to confess to her mom), Ji Wook and his dad (he fights for his love and the right to be with Yeon Jae), Dr. Cha Eun Suk's character development (from a cold, detached doctor to a person who feels), Yeon Jae's mom and seongsangnim Kim Dong Min (she says sorry and lets her mom re-marry).

Prepare to cry your eyes out by the latter episodes from heartaches. However these heartaches are necessary to drive at resolutions at the end. I found the heaviest part when Yeon Jae finally confesses to her mom of her condition. Her mother's wail, tears and 'Eottoke' lines delivered like she was going crazy drove ME crazy. Interestingly, I felt this was the climax, not scenes with Ji Wook as their reconciliation was resolved earlier.

I could not have asked for a better ending. Like many others I was cringing at the end because I knew from the start that it was a tragedy and death was inevitable. And yet, Scent of a Woman chose not to end with a tragic note. It provided closure to unresolved relations, uplifts us and leaves us with a strong desire to do the same with life. Fighting and living it to the fullest.

Great writing, great cast, awesome soundtrack although I can't say I'd like to watch and go through this pain all over again.

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