In the spellbinding Kdrama, Destined with You, Jo Bo-ah (Tale of the Nine Tailed) is 9th level civil servant, Lee Hong-jo, a woman with a lonely existence. When she meets lawyer, Jang Shin-yu, portrayed by Rowoon of The King’s Affection, her life turns up-side down. Shin-yu is affected by a generations old curse and Hong-jo is the key to breaking it.
At the urging of a modern-day shaman, Shin-yu gives Hong-jo a mysterious box uncovered from land managed by his family. Inside, Hong-jo finds spells written by a shaman hundreds of years earlier and learns that she is the rightful owner of the spells. Eager to see if the spells really work, Hong-jo tries a love spell out on her crush, city hall aid Kwon Jae-kyung (Ha Jun). The results are – unexpected.
Past lives, evil spells and malicious characters thrust Hong-jo and Shin-yu into a roller coaster ride of emotions where their fate is on the line. Will they overcome the odds against them and prove they are destined for each other?
- Series Title: Destined with You (Korean: 이 연애는 불가항력)
- Starring: Jo Bo-ah, Rowoon, Ha Jun and Yura
- Written by: Noh Ji-sul
- Directed by: Nam Ki-hoon
- Network: JTBC
- Where to watch in the US: Netflix
- Year Released: 2023
- # of episodes: 16
- KafeNook Rating: 4.5 sips
Destined With You — !! Spoilers Ahead!!
Destined with You hooked me in from the very first episode. I wanted to know more about beleaguered civil servant Lee Hong-jo and why she seemed so lonely. Or why Jang Shin-yu, a handsome, rich, intelligent lawyer experiences images of a bloody hand caressing his face. I wondered what demons and tragic backstories drive these main characters. Not to mention the fact that sparks fly from the moment they meet. I stayed on for the ride of this captivating, puzzling, messy, crazy, beautiful, gut-wrenching, sizzling, frustrating, heart-warming drama. So many adjectives.
Here’s why. . .
Jo Bo-ah and Roowon are CAPTIVATING Leads
This was my first time watching either Jo Bo-ah and Rowoon in a Kdrama, and they are captivating as the leads. Thankfully, I have many more of their works on my list. (Plus, I finished watching The King’s Affection while waiting for more episodes of Destined with You!)
Jo Bo-ah plays Hong-jo with and intriguing mix of timidity and courage. Hong-jo often seems shy and reserved with fears that can lock her into place – but when the situation calls for it, she displays remarkable guts. It takes courage for her to ask out city hall aid Kwon Jae-kyung; to admit her feeling to Shin-yu; or to use herself as bait to catch the bad guy. It’s easy to see how Shin-yu falls for this complex woman.
As lawyer Jang Shin-yu, Rowoon exudes charisma and intensity – not to mention a large ego. He is a person who believes he knows better than anyone else around him, a conceit that causes him to initially misread Hong-jo. As his attitude toward her changes, new sides of him emerge. With every episode, Shin-yu becomes more and more charming. Sing to his love during karaoke – check. (Can’t beat Rowoon’s amazing voice.) Rescue his love from danger – check. Meet up with his love on a bridge amid fireworks – check. (And give beautiful bracelets from Tiffany’s.) His transformation from arrogant lawyer Jang to heart-on-his-sleeve boyfriend Shin-yu is one of the best parts of this drama. Hong-jo didn’t have a chance.
Destined With You is PUZZLING
Destined with You starts with puzzles. I like puzzles. It’s fun trying to figure them out. In this case, how did Shin-yu become cursed? Why is Hong-jo the rightful owner of the spells? What happened in Hong-jo and Shin-yu’s past lives? Who is the mystery person stalking Hong-jo? All interesting puzzles that helped move the drama along.
What puzzled me, though, is the spell logic. Did the spells that Hong-jo performs work or not? The spell to heal Shin-yu does not work due to Hong-ju writing down the wrong character. Got it. The clear skin spell worked – maybe? Did the love spell work? It seems so – until Shin-yu begins to question if he is truly affected by the love spell or, if something bigger – like destiny – is at work. This is one area that requires a second viewing of the drama to figure out.
Seconds Leads Make Things MESSY
Poor city hall aide Kwon Jae-kyung (Ha Jun) is destined to be the second male lead. Like all second male leads, his goal is to make things messy for the main couple. Because Jae-kyun is kind, smart, and good looking, it’s easy to understand why Hong-jo has a crush on him. He blows his opportunity with her early in the drama when she confesses to him. Once he becomes Hong-jo’s new downstairs neighbor, he begins to realize that he likes her. Try as he might – and he does try – he simply can’t sway her from her destined love, Shin-yu. Maybe Jae-kyung can be the main character in a Destined with You sequel. It would be nice to see him find a true love of his own.
Shin-yu’s girlfriend Yoon Na-yeon (Yura) plays the same function as Jae-kyung. Mess with the main couple. She has a history of being mean to Hong-jo and continues that trend in present day. Unlike Jae-kyung – she is not a nice person. She conspires with evil gardener Na Joong-beom (Ahn Sang-woo) to not only keep Hong-jo and Shin-yu apart but does more bad things to Hong-jo. Sadly, Na-yeon fails to learn the error of her ways despite the numerous chances given to her by Shin-yu and Hong-jo.
Shin-yu Gets A Little CRAZY
The first spell Hong-jo tries is a love spell intended for Jae-kyung. The love spell does not go as she planned and, in a delightful twist, Shin-yu ends up being the unwilling culprit. As a result, his demeanor towards her changes overnight. This leads Shin-yu to experience conflict with himself as he tries to both stay away from Hong-jo and get closer to her. Rowoon’s acting in these scenes are some of his best. I couldn’t stop laughing when he needs to go to the bathroom but physically can’t leave her side.
Hong-jo and Shin-yu are a BEAUTIFUL Combo
Hong-jo and Shin-yu make a beautiful combo together. Watching sunsets on the beach. Cherry blossoms blooming around them as they walk through a park on a lovely spring day. Sharing cotton candy. Stolen kisses in Shin-yu’s office. Even past live counterpart’s shaman Aeng Cho and warrior Jang Mu-jin are a beautiful pairing as they kiss on the hilltop.
How Many GUT-WRENCHING Stabbings Can One Drama Have?
Destined with You has not one, but two gut-wrenching scenes where a main character is stabbed – in the gut. In the first, Hong-jo’s past life persona, shaman Aeng Cho, stands on a snowy hilltop dressed in white. Shin-yu’s ancestor, red-eyed Mu-jin approaches her, knife in hand. Once he reaches her, Aeng Cho looks down in disbelief where Mu-jin’s dagger protrudes from her side. In one of the most cinematic scenes of the drama, blood covers her dress and pools on the white snow. Mu-jin has come to the painful decision to take his love’s life in order to spare her from being tortured and killed by the King’s men. Aeng Cho reaches a bloody hand to Mu-jin’s face (so that’s the deal with the bloody hand!) while Mu-jin promises they will find each other in another life.
In present day, Hong-jo hides out in Shin-yu’s apartment after being threatened by gardener Joong-beom. Shin-yu leaves on an errand but sees Joong-beom enter his building and races up the stairs to stop him. The doorbell rings and Hong-jo, leary of answering, waits. When she does open the door, there is no one there. She tries to call Shin-yu and hears a phone ringing beyond the stairway door. Opening the door, she sees Shin-yu on the ground and, in an echo of the other gut-wrenching scene, realizes he is covered in blood from a knife wound to the gut. Thankfully, there are no more knife to the gut scenes in the drama. I don’t think I would survive the anguish of another.
There is something good that comes out of Shin-yu getting stabbed. At one point in Destined with You, Hong-jo realizes she is the cause of Shin-yu’s curse and decides it would be best if she stayed away from him. The curse will only end when one of them dies. As luck would have it, Shin-yu dies for a short period of time after being stabbed and the curse is broken. Hooray! Their destiny together is looking good.
When the Main Couple is SIZZLING Hot
Once Hong-jo finally admits her feelings for Shin-yu, things get sizzling hot. This brings up two scenes which use the song, It’s You – representing the destined connection between them. A very drunk Hong-jo makes an advance on Shin-yu at his place. Pushing him back into the couch, she goes in for a kiss – the song, It’s You, swelling. Suddenly, she falls to his side asleep and the song comes to an abrupt end. I laughed harder than Shin-yu at this scene. But– I must admit to some disappointment. It’s okay, though, because patience is rewarded. Later, nothing stops the beautiful strain of It’s You when everyone’s favorite couple is in Shin-yu’s closet – other than maybe a shirt that seems to be in the way. But not for long. Oh my.
Plot Holes are FRUSTRATING
There is so much to like about Destined with You – the acting, the fantasy elements, the visuals. The songs! As much as I love this drama, even I have to admit that the editing and story have some problems. It’s like studying the weave of a beautiful tapestry only to notice a thread has been dropped. Or that somewhere along the way, a different color entered the weave that doesn’t quite go.
The historical scenes with shaman Aeng Cho and warrior Jang Mu-jin are lovely to watch but I wished they were spread a little more evenly throughout the drama. A little better pacing and editing could have solved this problem. Plus, as mentioned earlier, the spell logic could be clearer. I also never really understood why evil Joong-beom is after Hong-ju or why he singled her out to be his bride in a future life. More reasons to watch again!
Destined With You is Destined for a HEART-WARMING Ending
To keep Shin-yu safe, Hong-jo hides out while Shin-yu recovers in the hospital from the knife wound. He understands why she is hiding, even if his parents don’t. Eventually, Hong-jo allows herself to fall into Joong-beom’s trap to catch him causing a frustrated Shin-yu to search for her. Joong-beom is captured and Hong-jo saved from being poisoned. (Just like Cheong Song-yi in My Love from the Star! Guess what I also watched while waiting for the final Destined with You episode?) Hong-jo and Shin-yu finally spend their first night together. Then, Shin-yu wakes up to a phone call from the current day shaman and learns of her conception dream. The child will be a girl. Shin-yu is a bit shocked. However – it turns out the girl will actually be his little sister since his squabbling parents have reconciled.
At the wedding of Hong-jo’s bosses, Gong Seo-gu (Hun Bong-sik) and Ma Eun-young (Lee Bong-ryun), Shin-yu catches the bouquet for Hong-jo, but still no proposal. Finally, he takes Hong-jo to the beach where she first told him about the death of her father. He turns to the water to ask her father for his permission to marry Hong-jo. (Me wiping copious tears.) They exchange rings (from Tiffany’s again) and have a final kiss. Their beautiful new destiny awaits.
Destined With You Soundtrack
I usually find a few songs from Kdrama OSTs that I like, but I rarely love a song the way I fell in love with It’s You, in the very first episode. Sung by Park Won (who happens to sing one of my favorite songs from Crash Landing on You – My Tale), It’s You is stirringly beautiful, especially when Park Won’s voice lifts in the chorus. This song is definitely in my top 10 Kdrama songs for the year.
The rest of the soundtrack includes many other great songs: Hoon Jeong Yang singing Permeating on Me, the beautiful Can I be Me?, sung by Jeon Hyo Bean, Seogi’s Destiny and We Love Each Other by Lyn.
