Hey guys! It's been a while since I found a K-drama that I enjoyed watching and I decided to share a review! Family by Choice is a 16-episodes JTBC drama starring Hwang In Yeop, Jung Chae Yeon and Bae Hyeong Sung! This drama is a remake of a Chinese drama 'Go Ahead', I have not watched the Chinese version yet, but I definitely enjoyed watching this Korean remake!
This story is about three individuals, Kim San Ha (portrayed by Hwang In Yeop), Yoon Joo Won (portrayed by Jung Chae Yeon) and Hae Jun (portrayed by Bae Hyeong Sung) who come from different family and how they ended up living together. Joo Won is the only child and she lives with her single father who runs a kalguksu noodle shop. One day, San Ha moves into the same apartment complex as Joo Won with his family and they became friends after Joo Won's father invited him over to their house. San Ha and his family decided to move here after his younger sister tragically died in an incident when only two of them were in the house alone. Since then, San Ha's mother blames him for the death of his sister and this has left him traumatised. Hae Jun is the only child and he lives with his single mother. One day, his mother suddenly disappeared and he ended up living with Joo Won and her father. Although Joo Won didn't like the idea at first, she ended up getting along well with the two oppas - San Ha and Hae Jun. However, after graduating high school, both San Ha and Hae Jun decided to leave the town to go and live with their own respective families. They then reunite again 10 years later. Will they be able to live together as a family again?
**spoilers alert**
Thoughts on the drama...
I just finished watching the last two episodes of this drama and I have to say the writer concluded the drama really well and this drama definitely tops one of my favourite K-drama this year! First of all, I'm so happy that Hae Jun finally has both a mother and father, and how he has an actual family now. One of the main reasons why I really enjoyed watching this drama is how the writer touches on various family issues such as domestic violence, abandonment by parent, as well as the estranged relationship between parent and child. Starting with San Ha, it was heartbreaking to watch how his mother had placed the blame for his sister's death on him since he was a child, and how she left both San Ha and his father for a better life, only to come back again when things didn't work out with another child. I felt bad for San Ha when he decided to go to Seoul to take care of his mother and sister, and how he could not return back to see his father and Joo Won due to his burden and pain. It was also heartbreaking to see how Hae Jun started believing that his mother had abandoned him after she did not come back for him after so many years. It was even more heartbreaking when Hae Jun had to hide the fact that he had returned to Korea and suffered an ankle injury after he decided to follow his birth father to the US to pursue basketball. As for Joo Won, it was definitely sad to see how both her brothers left at the same time and she had to live alone for 10 years with her father and San Ha's father. I also really liked how the writer contrasted between Hae Jun's mother, who sacrificed herself due to her love for her son, and San Ha's mother, who is the opposite and always takes out her frustration on her son. The chemistry between the cast was amazing, especially the trio and the two appas! The love story between San Ha and Joo Won also developed naturally without any awkward transitions. I also liked how the writer made it pretty clear from the outset that San Ha had feelings for Joo Won since high school. As for Park Dal and Hae Jun, they definitely stole the scene as my favourite couple in this drama! Their love story was very endearing and heartwarming, and I was really happy when Hae Jun finally realised his own feelings for Dal after so many years of being oblivious! Lastly, I really like how the main message of this drama is that 'blood is not thicker than water' because you could end up hurting your own family just like San Ha's mother even though you are related by blood. In contrast, Joo Won's father took care of and accepted both San Ha and Hae Jun as his real sons, although they are not blood-related.
xoxo
Kdramayeowang
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