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Dream High (2011)


Dream High
드림하이
(Jan – Feb 2011)

who’s in it
Kim SooHyun (Giant, Father’s House)
Taecyeon (Cinderella’s Sister, 2PM-member)
Suzy (Miss A-member)
Ham EunJung (T-ara-member)
IU
Wooyoung (2PM-member)
Uhm KiJoon (Hero)
Lee YoonJi (Goong)

what’s it about
The entire drama is actually a flashback about an artist called K who rises to international fame—WORLD STAR fame (oh, Rain, you better watch yo back!). Right away, we know K is a [money-making] big deal because our first introduction to K is at a Grammy awards ceremony, and we all know only the best of the best [who sell lots of albums] get to go to the Grammys [don’t mind my raging cynicism =)].

But K’s real identity is kept secret from us because...

Alright, let’s travel back in time and get to the facts. The director of Kirin Art School gets the story rolling, and he is played by Bae YongJoon, aka Mr. Winter Sonata (that’s what I call him, the show calls him Ghost…I like my nickname better). Real kpop idol-con Kim HyunJoong makes a quick cameo and gets named-dropped as a former student of Kirin, so we know two things right off the bat: 1) Kirin is a well-known performing arts academy in Seoul, and 2) this is not a violin and ballet kind of education, they totally do the kpop at this school.

Back to Mr. Winter Sonata, who is a man who wants to encourage aspiring young talent—which is…not too far from real life, actually. He handpicks three “special” students, letting them bypass the school’s traditional selection process, which sets off sparks between the jealous incoming freshman and these leapfroggers. There is also some mythology and wonder about some kind of pendant that supposedly gives good mojo to its owner…it is symbolic of dreams, I believe, but these kids take it more literally. It is the shape of a K. Dun-dun-dun.

The drama is about these Kirin students and their struggles to overcome their personal and professional growing pains. During Kirin’s open auditions, Mr. Winter Sonata tells all the hopefuls, “The contest has now begun. Don’t fear it, enjoy it.” It’s like he’s talking to us, the viewership.

Not unlike a sitcom, this one is an ensemble cast with multiple story threads intersecting a million different ways. Here are your main idols characters:

Relatively new, and real female kpop act Miss A donates Suzy (who plays Go HyeMi), a richly voiced girl with a richly bitchy attitude to match. When her comfortable world comes crashing down around her due to her father’s business failures and loan shark debts, she is forced to give up her dreams of Juilliard and head for Kirin instead. Her main motivating factor to attend a school she considers crappy is her fear that the loan sharks will focus their terrorizing intent on her little sister if she doesn’t somehow get rich and pay them back their money. Yet again, a kdrama Dad has run away all by hisself and left children to deal with the bag of horse pile.

Suzy
Of Bo Peep Bo Peep fame, cutesy female kpop act T-ara donates to the drama cause Ham EunJung (Yoon BaekHee), the most veteran idol-actor of the gathered crop. She plays Suzy’s meek ex-friend, a girl who has been contently living in her friend’s over-talented shadow...until she suspects her deep feelings of sisterhood may have been one-sided. When opportunity gives her the chance to shine alone, she gets a taste of glory and public validation…and realizes it is something worth a fight.

Ham EunJung
Popular male act 2PM gives up Taecyeon (JinGuk) for a while. In his second effort at acting, Taecyeon finds himself playing another character with some rough edges. Like every kid collected in this special group, he also suffers from father issues. It may (or may not) be of interest to you to know that he rides a motorcycle and has awesomely spiked highlighted hair. He’s gonna do just fine. Also, it’s obvious he has a thing for our lead gal Suzy.


Taecyeon
 2PM is feeling generous (or maybe it’s just cuz this show is one-half produced by Park JinYoung, their boss…), but not only do 2PM fans get Taecyeon’s ab-licious presence, they get a cool and charming Wooyoung (Jason) in the deal, too. He plays a foreign-Korean freshman, a kind-hearted dude who thinks life is just chill and, turns out, this seemingly unambitious starlet is the #1 ranked talent in the frosh Kirin class.

Wooyoung
Real life ingénue singer IU (Kim PilSook) makes her tv debut as herself (kind of). She is a musically gifted girl who has trouble managing her weight (I’ll let you figure out which part of that sentence is the departure from real life). She is, in a nutshell, completely lovable. She almost instantly falls head over heels for her foreign classmate Jason (above), who has charmed her with the usual classy Casanova trick: not being a douchebag. He notices her despite the fact that she tries to stay unnoticed, and wins her over completely with his common decency, a personality trait none of her other peers have learned from their parents.

IU
The best thing about having IU on the show? We kpop fans get little gems like the clip below. IU doing a cover of 2AM’s tearful crooner 죽어도 못 보내 (Can’t Let You Go Even if I Die):



Alrighty now, I’ve saved the best for last. Our lead-lead is played by the only actor-actor among the main cast (thank you drama gods), the natural talent-overflowing Kim SooHyun (Song SamDong). He plays a musical genius trapped in the package of a “country bumpkin,” but the sage Mr. Winter Sonata recognizes his musical talents and recruits him as one of his special project kids. Our country boy immediately falls for Suzy, the tough-talking city girl, and follows her to Seoul to join Kirin. Oh right, he also goes there to pursue his dreams of becoming a big star so he can make lots of money and take care of his mother.

Kim SooHyun

(what’s it about initially posted Feb 4, 2011)
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