Touch Your Heart (2019)

Let Yoo In-Na and Lee Dong Wook Touch Your Heart!!!

What is the price of fame and integrity? Must one be sacrificed to insure the other? In this day and age, many celebrities are in the spotlight more than ever before. With social media being a constant problem, it’s more challenging than ever for celebrities to live their own lives. That’s not to say that it can’t be done. Some of the world’s biggest stars are able to separate their personal lives from stardom. Such people like Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, and others are able to maintain their private lives while doing their job. For the most part, anyway.

If there as a “most common theme” for romantic comedies and dramas, it’s the “opposites attract” dynamic. It’s been done so often that it’s often a surprise when one that works actually manifests. “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” is still one of my all-time favorites because of its genuineness and not falling into the cliches that are so typical and rampant in such series. “Our Beloved Summer” is still my favorite series involving “young” love.

I saw the high ratings of this series, but I kept putting it off because I wasn’t sold on the fact that it wouldn’t be like every other one that’s come down the pike. Boy meets girl, they don’t get along, they magically start liking each other, a conflict arises (usually a third-party boy/girl who’s interested in one of our stars), and they resolve and get back together in the end.

What makes Touch Your Heart so endearing is the performance of Yoo In-Na and also Lee Dong Wook. Things start off in a typical fashion, but the journey is deeper than expected. And what surprised me was that the writer didn’t throw anything into the series to churn things up. They remained true to the characters. Another reviewer posted that this was a binge-worthy series. Frankly, I found myself starting out watching one episode, then two per day, and soon I was up to three. The reviewer wasn’t wrong in that.

A popular actress, Oh Yoon Seo finds her career nearly destroyed by a scandal involving drugs and a stalker. She’s trying hard to make a comeback, but even her agent can’t overlook that she’s also infamously known for her “bad acting.” However, she’s finally given a small window of opportunity to star in a legal drama series. It’s agreed that if she wants the part, she must gain some knowledge of how things work in the field of law. Thus, she’s sent to work for three months at a small, but fairly prestigious law firm.

Oh Yoon Seo is almost childlike in her naivety and immaturity. Never having had to work in a place of business before, she’s a bit like a fish out of water, lacking professionalism and experience. She shows up on the first day in a party dress that’s too low up top and too short at the bottom. She has a tendency to pout and whine as well as rely heavily on others to do things and make decisions for her. She’s someone who looks to be in her late twenties or early thirties but acts very much like someone in their late teens. Now, such characters have been done to death, and frankly, nearly all of them end up coming across as annoying and often unlikable. A seasoned actor knows how to take a character—who can come across as unlikable—and make them likeable despite the flaws. Yoo In-Na is a true master at her craft. She knows Oh Yoon Seo inside and out. She brings charm, elegance, and an almost childlike innocence that makes were so endearing to the viewer. Despite caring too much about being popular, and what everyone thinks about her, by the end of the series, she finally learns how to stand on her own two feet and appreciate what is truly important in life. It’s not fame or popularity. It’s having someone with you who vows to be with you no matter what. There isn’t enough fame in the world to buy a companion like that.

Attorney Kwon Jung Rok is the best lawyer in the firm. He’s also the coldest and stuffiest. He’s so immersed in his job that he has little time for anyone or anything else. And he’s given the unenviable task of taking on Oh Yoon Seo as his secretary. It’s hilarious how put off she becomes when he doesn’t even know who she is. He could care less that she’s a popular actress. And, of course, the two of them do not hit it off well. He chews her out about her attire and lack of professionalism in the workplace. He has a job to do, and he makes her understand that she’s not there to goof around and tinker on the internet. And he has absolutely no qualms about telling her exactly how he feels about her and their situation, which he never asked for, and initially sees as a burden.

One thing I tend to really like about Korean series is how they make their characters change and grow. As Kwon Jung Rok and Oh Yoon Seo grow closer together, we see Kwon Jung Rok begin to lighten up and enjoy himself. He’s like a stiff block of ice that slowly begins to melt. He’s very formal in his speech and how he carries himself. We even begin to see him smile—something he never really does from the outset. Conversely, we also see Oh Yoon Seo begin to appreciate the work ethic and what it means to do something well. Perhaps she was never considered a good actress because she never put in the time and effort. She relied solely on her popularity. But she also begins to realize the strength in being able to stand on one’s own feet. And Kwon Jung Rok is a master at that. He knows he’s not popular at the firm or around most people. He knows the things that are said about him, but he really doesn’t allow those things to affect him. In short, he lives his own life without excuses or apologies. Oh Yoon Seo cannot say that about herself.

Another fascinating dynamic that is handled extremely well is this: exactly how does one date a well-known celebrity and handle all of the things that go with that? It doesn’t take long for Kwon Jung Rok to find himself thrown into the deep end of that world. A world of gossip, criticism, and scandal are popular everyday things that a celebrity must deal with. Thanks to Oh Yoon Seo’s annoying and meddlesome manager, he convinces Kwon Jung Rok to end the relationship. I’ve said it in other interviews: I can’t stand meddlers. Such people are like wolves in sheep’s clothing. They claim that they have the other person’s interests at heart, when in fact, the only person they are thinking about is themselves. Her manager never considers discussing it with Oh Yoon Seo, and the reasons he gives to Kwon Jung Rok are entirely selfish and about him.

Break-up scenes have been done so many times in so many series, that you can easily see them coming. In most cases, the breakups are not handled well. This series was no exception, especially when you summarily discount and dismiss everything that has gone on before. Kwon Jung Rok breaks up with Oh Yoon Seo, and there’s barely even an attempt at discussing things or trying to figure out why. Yes, Kwon Jung Rok gave reasons, but it’s exactly because it was so out-of-the-blue, that Oh Yoon Seo would have realized that something was off. I wish writers would put more thought and intelligence into these moments.

The performances across the board are stellar. This is the third drama I’ve seen with Oh Jung Se, and he’s simply incredible in everything I’ve seen him in. I’ve seen him as an autistic character in “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay,” a hardened criminal in “The Good Detective,” and now as the often-comedic CEO of the law firm.

I truly loved the integrity of Kwon Jung Rok that he never really wavered in his devotion and trust to Oh Yoon Seo. He never saw her as a celebrity but simply as a woman he fell in love with. Isn’t that what everyone—including celebrities—want? Perhaps that is why Oh Yoon Seo fell for him as well.

Yoo In-Na has a way of completely captivating the viewer with her charm. This is the first series I’ve ever seen with her. I was blown away when I read her profile and read that she’s 40! She has a way of conveying emotions with simple expressions that just make you want to cuddle up to someone like that. However, I also loved seeing begin to grow stronger as Oh Yoon Seo finds the courage to deal with things herself, rather than always relying on other people. And, of course, the end—which was the one thing I was hoping for—when she finally announces her relationship to Kwon Jung Rok at the party. Yoo In-Na also has an absolutely captivating smile! Her whole face lights up!

No one should have to apologize or make consolations for anyone in how they live their lives, celebrities included! I’m constantly appalled by the things that agents, studios, and managers ask celebrities to do, all for the sake of money and promotions. Such people are weasels and have no integrity.

This was a wonderful series that is light, often filled with very humorous situations, but also conveys important messages. Live your own life. Don’t live by anyone else’s rules. To do so is to give your power away. Learn to have fun and enjoy yourself. And perhaps above all, never compromise your integrity and self-respect for fame and popularity. Such things are always fleeting and do not last, while integrity and self-respect are assets to carry with you for the rest of your life.

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