The Man of the Vineyard

I was introduced to Eun Hye Yoon thru "Goong" (aka "Princess Hours") (2006), which I've always felt is a severely overrated series that gets pretty darn boring at times. Yoon's performance was the main reason why I was moderately satisfied after finishing it. Afterward I moved on to "Coffee Prince" (2007), which was more entertaining but not quite as great as many claimed it to be. Nevertheless, I became a fan of Yoon's and decided to seek out everything in her portfolio. This lead me to "The Man of the Vineyard" (2006), which is fantastic and one of the best K-dramas I've seen so far.

After a series of unfortunate incidents, an aspiring fashion designer is coerced into working on her grandfather's vineyard for one year. Along the way she bonds with a surly farmer. On paper this series (16 episodes, 70 minutes each) is one of the more simplistic K-dramas, but it's surprisingly one of the most entertaining because it creates a fun environment from start to finish. The high dose of charming humor helps a lot, as does the strong chemistry between the actors. Unlike many K-dramas, there's very little melodrama and the pacing never seems to drag. The characters are nicely developed and the romantic conflicts are strong, especially when the two other love interests start to claw their way into the mix. Fun stuff that's worth seeking out.

FYI, Yoon's recent series entitled "My Fair Lady" (2009) is also a lot of fun and very fast paced. I highly recommend that one as well.