''Bitter Sweet Life'' () is a 2008

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

n television series that aired on MBC TV. A dark melodrama with a fragmented narrative and

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique used in radio, television, filmmaking, theatre, and other media in which a descriptive or expository voice that is not part of the narrative (i.e., non- ...

s highlighting the characters' state of mind, it was hailed as a daring portrayal of middle-aged romance and adultery with elements of mystery and noir. The drama reunites

Lee Dong-wook Lee Dong-wook (; born 6 November 1981) is a South Korean actor and presenter. He is best known for his leading roles in the television dramas '' My Girl'' (2005), '' Scent of a Woman'' (2011), '' The Fugitive of Joseon'' (2013), ''Hotel King'' ...

and

Park Si-yeon Park Si-yeon (; born March 29, 1979), birth name Park Mi-seon, is a South Korean actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She joined the Miss Korea 2000 and used that as a springboard to an acting career, she made her acting debut in China in 20 ...

after working together in the 2005 hit drama '' My Girl''.

Plot

When a man plunges to his death from a high-rise luxury apartment complex, retired detective Park Byung-shik is called in to investigate. He soon discovers that the man is a fugitive he'd pursued for years before leaving the force. As he begins to investigate what led up to this night, we flashback six months to where it all began... Yoon Hye-jin and Ha Dong-won are unhappily married. When Hye-jin discovers that her husband is having an affair, she flees to Japan, planning to kill herself in

Otaru is a Cities of Japan, city and Seaports of Japan, port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical ...

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

. While there, she soon attracts the attention of handsome, mysterious Lee Joon-soo. Returning to Korea, Hye-jin expects never to see Joon-soo again, but what she doesn't realize is her husband's mistress Hong Da-ae is Joon-soo's ex, and soon the fates of the four individuals are hopelessly entangled...

Cast

Main

*;Yoon Hye-jin (

Oh Yeon-soo Oh Yeon-soo (; born October 27, 1971) is a South Korean actress. Career Oh Yeon-soo made her debut in 1989 among a batch of actors who passed an open audition by broadcaster MBC, and she soon became popular for her innocent image. But since ...

) Age: 38. Forgoing a career as an interpreter, she chose to become a full-time homemaker when she married Dong-won. Although she gave up her career dreams, she made the decision based on what she thought was best for her children and husband. She believes that her choice equates to happiness. So her husband is always the decision maker at home. And so the life of one woman came to a standstill career-wise. But when she begins to become suspicious of her husband, her life moves into a different direction. *;Lee Joon-soo (

) Age: 28. In the beginning, he was introduced in business circles as a friend of Sung-gu. But when Sung-gu withdrew from social circles, Joon-soo inherited the fame that Sung-gu once had. People knew him as Joon-soo from then on. But Joon-soo and Sung-gu were very tight friends. Sung-gu had everything that Joon-soo could never possibly have. But things were changing as Joon-soo started dating Da-ae. Sung-gu wanted to check out Joon-soo's girlfriend. In fact, he wanted to steal her from him. Joon-soo knew what was going on. But Da-ae resisted the idea. *;Ha Dong-won ( Jung Bo-seok) Age: 40. A fund manager who oversees a mid-cap fund and is rated as one of the top ten fund managers in Asia. He's a handsome man and is also said to be one of the best-dressed people at work. He has a lovely wife and two children. With a picture-perfect family, he has a narcissist bent. But it is different with Hong Da-ae. If he could, he would have given her everything he had to win her heart but it was not easy. Even though he was carrying on a long-term affair with her, she never wanted to become his wife or mistress. And Dong-won believed that was why they were able to have such a long relationship. That is until Da-ae told him she wanted to stop seeing him. *;Hong Da-ae (

) Age: 27. Scarlett, a jewelry shop in Apgujeong, is famous for two reasons. One reason was that top celebrities frequented the jewelry store and the other, Da-ae the owner of the jewelry store was strikingly beautiful. Da-ae has pretty looks that fit in with the times. But when she began seeing Dong-won in an indecent arrangement, her dreams were dashed away and replaced with a different desire. Then one day, Joon-soo entered her life. When she met Joon-soo, Da-ae found the man that made her realize that she could no longer continue her relationship with Dong-woon.

Supporting

Jung Gyu-woon Jung Gyu-woon (; born June 28, 1982) is a South Korean actor. Career Jung Gyu-woon made acting his debut in 2004 with the mobile drama ''Five Stars''. He first gained notice in 2008 when he took two contrasting roles — as a crazy young executi ...

as Kang Sung-gu *

Baek Il-seob Baek Il-seob (; born June 10, 1944) is a South Korean film and television actor. In recent years he appeared in the family dramas '' Mom's Dead Upset'', '' My Too Perfect Sons'' and '' Ojakgyo Brothers''. In 2007 Baek landed in the news after h ...

as Park Byung-sik *Jo Kyung-hwan as President Kang, Sung-gu's father *Yoon Hyun-sook as Myung-ja, Da-ae's friend * Moon Ga-young as Ha Na-ri * Kim Ji-min as Ha Na-rae *

Jang Young-nam Jang Young-nam (; born November 25, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She began her career as an acclaimed actress in theater, then transitioned to supporting roles on television and film, notably in works by director Jang Jin. A member of Jang J ...

as Sung-sook, Hye-jin's friend *Seo Dong-won as Hyun-pil * Kim Il-woo as Shin Jung-ho *

Kim Mi-kyung Kim Mi-kyung (; born October 14, 1963) is a South Korean actress. She is most active as a supporting actress in television dramas. Kim has been a member of the Yeonwoo Mudae theater company since 1985. Personal life On December 8, 2023, it ...

as Mrs. Ri *Lee Doo-il as Woo-suk, Hye-jin's colleague *Kim Sung-joon as Detective Lee * Ryu Ui-hyun

Ratings

Source
TNS Media Korea

International broadcast

It aired in Japan on cable channel KNTV from May 3 to July 20, 2008, then on another cable channel BS-Japan.

References

External links

*

at MBC Global * * {{Works by Samhwa Networks MBC TV television dramas 2008 South Korean television series debuts 2008 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows South Korean romance television series South Korean mystery television series