REVIEW: Young Lady and Gentleman
Young Lady and Gentleman Storyline
Young Lady and Gentleman is a family drama that revolves around the love story of a forty-year-old widower with three children and a younger woman who is fourteen years his junior. As expected, their relationship is bound to be questioned and judged by the people around them. Most especially their families.
| Drama Title | Young Lady and Gentleman |
| Male Lead | Ji Hyun-Woo |
| Female Lead | Lee Se-Hee |
| Writer | Kim Sa-Kyung |
| Episodes | 52 Episodes | 70 to 80 Minutes per Episode |
| Release | September 25, 2021, to March 27, 2022 |
| Genre | Family Drama, Romance |
| Language | Korean |
| Country of Origin | South Korea |
The Widower CEO
The male lead, Lee Young-Guk played by Ji Hyun-Woo is the chairman and CEO of a large corporation. His wife died because of an incurable sickness. He has been widowed for two years but is still grieving the loss of his wife.
Young-Guk has three children, the eldest is Lee Jae-ni. She is fourteen years old and is already approaching her teenage years. The two younger sons are Se-Chan and Se-Jong. They are ten and six years old respectively. Young-Guk needed a live-in tutor for the kids so he asked his friend to find someone for him.
Dan-Dan the Hardworking Daughter
Meanwhile, the female lead, Park Dan-Dan, played by Lee Se-Hee, is in her early to mid-twenties. She lives with her father, stepmother, and extended family under one roof. Dan-Dan works several part-time jobs to help with the family’s living expenses.
Her stepbrother Dae-beom and uncle Cha Gun are wannabe businessmen. They have tried many times to set up a business but it seems that they are always down on their luck. Their failures have caused the family financial hardships and this has made Dan-Dan very frustrated with her family.
Wrong Assumptions
Tired of her family’s situation, Dan-Dan escapes to the mountains to drink alcohol and while away her frustrations. By chance, she meets Young-Guk. They get involved in a mini accident as a result of a misunderstanding. Young-Guk is hiking in his business suit while Dan-Dan is a bit intoxicated with alcohol. When Dan-Dan saw Young-Guk going toward her, she immediately thought he was a psychopath who wanted to kill her.
For his part, Young-Guk was trying to warn Dan-Dan not to veer away from the trail and go into a restricted area that is a dangerous cliff. Dan-Dan hits Young-Guk with her water container and he loses consciousness. They end up settling their altercation at the precinct.
The next day, Dan-Dan shows up at Young-Guk’s house as the applicant his friend sent him for the live-in tutor application. Young-Guk was adamant to accept Dan-Dan but because she seems qualified and his friend has vouched that she is the right candidate for the job, he gave her a chance to prove herself. Dan-Dan becomes the live-in tutor of Young-Guk’s kids. As the two spend more time together, they get to know each other and begin to develop feelings.
Initial Reaction
If you have read a couple of my blog posts, you would know that I tend to stick to light romantic comedy dramas that do not require too many emotions when you watch them. It was by chance that I happened to not have anything on my watchlist and was looking for something that I could watch when my sister recommended that I try watching a family drama. It was the long holiday break and I had nothing else I wanted to watch so, I tried watching one series.
Was I in for a rollercoaster ride! Family dramas usually have at least fifty episodes of about an hour each. Family dramas have more time to develop plots and characters that you will be more deeply invested in what will be happening next week. It will take you to highs and drag you to lows and make you laugh at some obscure absurdity in just one episode.
Young Lady and Gentleman will certainly make you feel all that and more. Young-Guk, Dan-Dan, Se-Chan, Se-Jong, Se-Ryeon, Dae-beom, Sa-Ra, and the rest of the cast have definitely taken me on a ride that I enjoyed for the most part.
These are the things that I liked about this drama:
- The main actors are commendable. Ji Hyun-Woo as Lee Young-Guk and Lee Se-Hee as Park Dan-Dan surprisingly have good on-screen chemistry.
- Hyun-Woo played the cautious older guy with three children falling for a younger girl fourteen years his junior rather well. He had his headset in the right place but his heart had other plans. He had the wisdom to know that a relationship with Dan-Dan would just mean nothing but trouble for both of them.
- Lee Se-Hee for her part might look mild-mannered and demure on the outside, but she is not afraid to go after what she wants. She has a strong character and has often times given her father a headache. Despite that, she also knows when she should stop. It is very typical of any Asian culture to be considerate of their family’s feelings. Sometimes even give up their own wishes in deference to what their parents or families want or need. Dan-Dan is a wilful daughter who is also willing to sacrifice for the sake of her family.
![[left] Seo Woo-Jin as Lee Se-Jong, [middle] Choi Myung-Bin as Lee Jae-Ni, [left] Yu Jun-Seo as Lee Se-Chan](https://kdramabinge.com//wp-content/uploads/2022/03/KDB-Young-Lady-Gentleman-09-1024x430.jpg)
Special Relationships
- Se-Jeong and Se-Chan’s vote of confidence for their father’s and Dan-Dan’s relationship. I think the premise itself is unrealistic. But at the same time endearing to see the two brothers playing cupid and plotting ways to get the lovebirds to spend time together.
- Dan-Dan’s special relationship that she built with Jae-ni, Se-Chan, and Se-Jeong. It is understandable that they would form a special bond spending so much time together. Dan-Dan’s never-ending patience and love that she showered the kids with just goes to show that you do not have to be related by blood to form deep and meaningful relationships.
- Se-Ryeon and Dae-Beom started out as a hook-up that turned out to be the real deal. Again, it is a bit unrealistic given that Se-Reon is a chaebol heiress and Dae-beom is an ordinary guy with dreams but nothing more than that. But despite their differences, it is nice to see how they both fought for each other, then tried to stay away from each other but much later on still ended up together.
Things That I Did Not Like So Much:
SPOILER ALERT!!!
- The way Young-Guk so easily believes Sa-Ra’s lies. It is kind of hard to believe that the chairman and CEO of a big corporation can be so gullible and fall for the antics of one crazy woman. On more than one occasion, it would have saved him all the heartache and trouble if he had only once believed his instinct and called Sa-Ra’s bluff.
- Wang Dae-Ran’s single-minded desire to get her hands on Se-Reon’s company shares. While I sympathize with her situation that after spending many years as the mistress/companion of Young-Guk’s father, she was still not included to inherit anything from his fortune. It does not justify the way she harassed her daughter just so she could get her hands on the money she felt was rightfully hers. Just because she felt that way.
Flawed Characters
- Cha Yeon-Sil’s character was also a flawed one in my opinion. She can be very easily swayed by money. She likes to keep important details to herself if she thinks it will serve her purpose. Even though she seems to be a dutiful wife and mother, she has a side to her that is a little bit manipulative. Despite those things, it is easy to see that she loves her family very much. She will do what she can for them.
- How Lee Ki-Ja took all the gold bars and money from Dae-Ran’s safe and still has not been caught after so many episodes is beyond me. You don’t just forget about a small fortune like that if you lose it. Especially when it was taken right in your own bedroom at your own home. That just violates so many privacies for me to just let it go like that. For way too long.
- Sa-Ra’s delusions. This lady is just wicked. At first, I thought she would choose to live a normal happy life with Cha Gun. Forget about mistakes she made in the past. Forget her delusions of marrying Young-Guk so she can happily live with her most valuable secret and still keep her piece. After watching Episode 46, I don’t think there is any way she can redeem herself. I sure as hell do not want her and Gun to end up together. The guy is good-looking and decent. He can do so much better than trying to fix a lunatic like Sa-Ra. It will be better if he just forgets her and finds somebody else who is a better person. Someone who would love him honestly.
Wrapping Up the Story’s Loose Ends
As of this writing, I have finished watching all of the episodes. Though it was a bumpy ride, it is safe to say that I enjoyed it. I liked the leads a lot. I am rooting for them. And I would like them to get it together so they can finally have their happy ending. It was a typical family drama with fifty-plus episodes. In my opinion, they could have done well too with a bit fewer episodes to fill up.
The latter part of the drama felt like they were just trying to drag on the story. There were some developments that just did not sit well with me. I felt like some characters were given too much hold over some characters that were just playing too dumb. And it goes against the persona they painstakingly built. These flaws though, I think were well compensated by the actors. It was an unexpected love story but a happy one.
A Young Lady and Gentleman have a rather complicated storyline with a few forgivable flaws. In the end, it is a very enjoyable watch.
Binge Star Rating – 8.5 Stars
The drama, Young Lady and Gentleman, is flawed. It dragged on for quite a few more episodes than it should have but it was still quite an enjoyable watch for me. I like the chemistry of the main leads. It was surprising given the premise they were in but they are able to pull it off quite well. I also liked the secondary leads’ push-and-pull relationship. Trying to not be together because of their differences and opposition from their families but pulling through just the same. With just each other as support. I know I have mentioned that some storylines were just impossible in real life but hey, it’s a story! We can always hope for impossible things, so why not!
I watched it while it was still ongoing and I could not wait for the next episodes to be released. I even bought a subscription just so I can watch it as soon as it is available in my country. And I think it was well worth the money I paid for the premium service.
Watch A Young Lady and Gentleman on Netflix
Have you watched A Young Lady and Gentleman yet? Watch the complete series on Netflix complete with subtitles on demand.
Young Lady and Gentleman Character Chart
If you’re a fan of heartwarming family dramas, then you won’t want to miss “Young Lady and Gentleman.” This Korean drama follows the love story between a widowed CEO named Lee Young-Guk and a younger woman named Park Dan-Dan, who becomes his live-in tutor for his three children.
Looking for more dramas to watch? Check out What to Watch Next for your next bingeing session.
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