K-Drama: Ensemble Cast with 8 Unique Jeju Love Stories

Our Blues | 우리들의 블루스 (2022) 

A new K-drama has been buzzing around in Korea and it’s continued to rank as top-watched. I was met with high expectations because of the star-studded cast; to name a few, Lee Byung-hun, Cha Seung-won, Shin Min-a, and Kim Woo-bin are featured! Our Blues is shot with an omnibus method which is very unique in a K-drama. It tells eight different stories of each character by focusing on one relationship throughout the episodes. The first episode briefly introduces us to some of the characters and gives you a little bit of background on their lives that is about to play out in the following episodes. It’s not your typical rom-com or action series drama but instead, talks about the hardships of the characters in a very relatable way. Those hardships contrast with the peace and tranquillity that Jeju Island has to offer just like what the colour blue symbolises, hence the name 'Our Blues.' 

TVN | Our Blues 

First, we meet Choi Han-soo (Cha Seung-won), struggling to pay for his daughter’s golfing tuition abroad. The constant struggle of being in debt and the cause of constant arguments with his wife have made him completely dejected. He travels back to Jeju Island, his hometown as part of his job transfer and meets Jeong Eun-hee (Lee Jung-eun) again. 

Han-soo was Eun-hee’s first crush in high school. She owns many businesses on Jeju Island but the majority of the money spent is on her family. What’s interesting about these two characters is how opposing yet similar their struggles are. Han-soo has no money thus, is unable to afford his family's expenses anymore, whereas Eun-hee has a lot of money yet, spends it all on her family’s expenses. As they meet again, we see them recount their youthful times together when they were in high school. Yet, even with these memories,  we’re kept sceptical of if Han-soo is wanting to use Eun-hee only for money gains​​ or if it’s true friendship 😬

TVN | Our Blues 

The next couple we see is Park Jung-joon (Kim Woo-bin) and Lee Young-ok (Han Ji Min). Young-ok is a hanyeo, a female diver by day and runs a bar at night. She has a bubbly and quirky personality that hides her hardship though, it’s ambiguous in the beginning what this is all about. Even with the rumours surrounding Young-ok, it doesn’t stop Jung-joon from immediately having a crush on her, and let’s just say there’s already chemistry between the two in the first episode 😍

TVN | Our Blues 

And of course, we can’t forget about Lee Dong-seok (Lee Byung-hyun). He seems extremely unsatisfied with his living circumstances. He works as a truck driver, driving around for the islanders to purchase anything that they need. Whether that’s fresh seafood or household needs, he's got everything you need! His hot-headed temper plays for a comedic character that brings more forms of entertainment to this k-drama 😂  In the first episode, we see a flashback to him with Min Seon-ah (Shin Min-a) 7 years ago. They seem to be on a date but it all goes array when Dong-seok makes a move and is met with sudden rejection by Seon-ah. He misunderstands their relationship, and we can’t help but think that this is why he is so depressed with his life as his confidence has totally fallen out. 

TVN | Our Blues 

Having no idea what this k-drama was about, I jumped straight into watching it. And to my surprise, I’ve really enjoyed it so far. The first episode gives us a backstory of these characters as we see some of the relationships and how they occasionally overlap with each other through living on Jeju Island together. It’s a relatable series for many which is why I think this k-drama is an interesting watch that is not over-dramatized but instead very realistic. After watching the first episode, I’m looking forward to the other featured stories from all the characters! Click here to start watching and take in the beautiful scenery that is Jeju Island.