I Hear Your Voice K-Drama Review

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I Hear Your Voice  turned out to be one of those Korean dramas that just never dragged. Something interesting was always happening and although people were always complaining about the repetitiveness of the plot, I never got tired of it. 

The drama stars Lee Jong Suk (School 2013) as Park Su Ha, a mind reading high schooler who witnessed his father's murder when he was a young boy. Lee Bo Young plays the character Jang Hye Sung, a sassy lawyer who is in the beginning just looking for a paycheck, but who slowly starts to fight for her clients with the help of Su Ha. Oh and also, she and prosecutor Seo Do Yeon (Lee Da Hee)  witnessed Su Ha's father get his head bashed in by murderer Min Joong Gook (Jung Woong In).  

The drama explores how monsters are made. This drama makes the case that no one is born a monster, but that it is something all humans are capable of becoming and Park Su Ha and Min Joong Gook represent the two sides of that coin. They both could have become monsters, but only one of them chose to live a different way. Maybe I have mentioned this before, but I love this theme. I love it because it's so realistic. It's like that moment in school when you are being bullied and you finally snap and you feel like you would kill that person if the dean didn't hold you back. THAT'S the monster in all of us and it is capable of great violence. 

In Joong Gook's defense, he, like all of us snapped once and then regretted it. The question then becomes how does one stop being a monster? The drama argues that one decides to not "live like a beast" when one has something to stay human for. In Su Ha's case that is Hye Sung. A young girl who once had the courage to unmask a murderer and get justice for his father and who is now, ten years later, still believing in him and protecting him.  

Yet, it's not only Su Ha struggling with his inner demons, but Hye Sung as well.  Ten years ago she and Do Yeon were both supposed to enter the court room and testify, yet Hye Sung was the only one that opened the door. Ironically, Do Yeon regrets not opening the door and having a moment of weakness while Hye Sung regrets opening the door and putting her life in danger. I don't blame her because she paid a very high price for what she did

but sometimes doing the right thing takes precedence over our desires. 

I have to take a moment and just say that Joong Gook was a great villain. He was scary every time he came on screen and when we finally learned his motivation, it was heart breaking and I hated the writers for making me sympathize with him. Now for the happy things....

THE CHEMISTRY

As you may have noticed Yoon Sang Hyun (Secret Garden) is in this drama and his character is dorky and adorable, but also very intelligent and when in cop mode, actually very sexy. However, I don't know why he was here other than to do some awesome lawyering. His character had no chance with Hye Sung, who had such a deep connection with Su Ha. Plus let's face it, Su Ha is prettier and younger. 

Su Ha was also more aggressive than the lawyer and literally swept her off her feet. Hye Sung was a little scared of dating him, given that he is so young, but then she just embraced it because the heart wants what it wants. I wouldn't say their chemistry was off the charts because we were painfully aware of how young Su Ha is, but by the end it felt like he was a man and she was a woman.  Plus Su Ha's scorching kisses were very hot and made up for his age tremendously. 

THE END

I loved the ending. It was the most satisfying ending I have ever seen in a Korean drama. As I said it left me feeling like Su Ha was a man and after seeing him in his high school uniform and his big head phones, it was a welcome change.  I also felt that for the first time and after all the things they've been through, they would be okay and the future was actually looking pretty damn bright...and handsome. 

                                        There's something to be said for a man in uniform....

Even after all of these words that I have spouted about monsters and self discovery, I still haven't expressed how amazing this drama is. Maybe for some people Min Joong Gook was not evil enough, but he was evil enough for my sensibilities. He was also a villain with layers, motivation and desperation. And on the other side is Su Ha, a boy who has a brilliant future but can mess it all up with one wrong decision. When this kid gets serious, he gets really scary. 

So watch it because you don't want to live in a world where you haven't watched this drama. Think of the long sigh of satisfaction you will make after watching until the very last second. The joy is palpable.