Title: Women of The Sun aka Sisters In Love
Episodes: 16
Broadcast network: KBS2
Cast:
Kim Ji Soo as Shin Do Young
Han Jae Suk as Kim Joon Sae
Lee Ha Na as Yoon Sa Weol
Jung Gyu Woon
The characters:
Looks, love, success, Shin Do Young a 33 year old top anchorwoman seems to have it all. But underneath her cheerful exterior lies a lonely and unhappy woman. At the age of four Shin Do Young’s father a factory hand, was accused of theft and was sent to jail. Couldn’t bear to take care of a young child alone, her mother left Do Young at an orphanage. Do Young was later taken and raised by a childless couple, a Professor and his wife. She was loved and raised like a princess. But her happiness was short lived when the couple bore a daughter, Yoon Sa Weol. Afraid of losing the love and affections of her parents, Do Young abandoned her little sister at a train station.
Jun Se is engaged to Do Young. His father was a doctor at the orphanage where Saewol grew up. It was at there that he met Saewol and she has a big crush on Jun Se.
Sa Weol is the biological daughter of Professor Choe. She was abandoned at the train station by her adopted sister Do Young when she was five.
Dong Wu and Sa Weol grew up in the same orphanage. He loves Sa Weol but Sa Weol treats him like a brother. He meets Do Young in Hong Kong when she was drunk and crying on the street. He took pity on her and later became a source of comfort for the lonely Do Young/
Saweol's friend Yeong Ja
Eun Seop used to live in the same orphanage with Do Young. He has just been released from prison.
Eunseop's girlfriend Hyeonju,
The story starts with Do Young accepting an award for her television show ‘Wonder Woman’. Later at dinner with her parents her boyfriend Kim Joon Sae (Han Jae Suk) proposes to her. By the looks of it her mother seems resentful towards Do Young. Do Young then receives a call from a woman who identifies herself as her real mother. The woman sends her a photograph of a woman and a little girl and a photograph of an old dilapidated house. The photograph is that of Do Young and her mother and the house they used to live in. She later goes to Hong Kong to seek out her dying mother. ( It wasn’t made clear at this point why her mother lives in Hong Kong) At her deathbed her mother gives Do Young an account of her life from the day she left her at the orphanage and about the fake letters she wrote to Do Young adoptive parents on kidnapping little Yoon Sa Weol in order to protect her.
Yoon Sa Weol on the other hand is a gutsy and fearless girl. The scene where she runs after a pickpocket, punch and kick him and another scene where she took revenge at a wedding of a friend who betrayed her only proves that she has a strong and powerful character.
My thoughts:
I can recall similar plots like this in another k-drama, remember Fashion 70s. Shin Do Young character is akin to Kang Hee (played by Kim Min Jung) in that drama. Separated from their 'wicked' moms and raised by a rich family in place of their adoptive parents biological child. As much as we like to hate them we can’t help but feel their pain.
Brief recap of episodes seen so far.
There were a couple of flashback scenes in episode 2 to when Do Young was taken from the orphanage by her adoptive parents. It seems the Professor and his wife was to have adopted a little boy but ended up bringing home Do Young instead. There is a scene where the boy was running and crying as the professor and his wife took Do Young home in their car. I think this boy will play a significant part in the coming episodes – ahhh! thrills and spills
Saewol and her friend gets a free ticket to see the recording of the Wonder Woman show at the studio. Before the show Saewol wandered off backstage and landed in Do Young’s dressing room. She was later mistaken for a thief when a necklace that Do Young is to wear on stage went missing. Do Young caught her in the dressing room and they got into an argument, Saewol then hit Do Young in the face and ran. Later Do Young learns that the necklace Saewol wore was the exact duplicate of Do Young’s.
Episode Three – Saewol and Do Young made up after the truth about the necklace was unfold and Saewol apologizes to Do Yong. Much later, Saewol attends an interview to be a personal shopper. During one of her test she meets Junse, a boy she has a major crush on since her days at the orphanage. Junse’s father is a doctor at the orphanage. While she likes Junse a lot, it is Dongwu who really love Saewol.
Episode 4: Saweol lands the job as a personal shopper at the department store. One day, she meets Shin Do young and her mother, Professor Choe who was visiting the store. Later, Do Young, impressed by Saweol cheerful and positive personality, suggests that She finds her parents through her show ‘Searching For Parents’. Meanwhile, Choe meets up with Junse to postpone the wedding until she finds her real daughter Jiyeong. She also told him about Do Young not being her real daughter. One day while tidying Yeon Jae’s shop, Do Young saw the scar on Ji Yong’s and was momentarily shocked until when asked by Do Young explained that she couldn’t remember how she got the scar but heard that she got scalded in a hot bath. Much later, Do Young’s TV crew started to film Ji Yeong’s daily life for the ‘Searching for Parents Show’. The episode ends with another shocker for Do Young. While filming at Saweol’s place. Saweol took out a box where she keeps all her ‘treasures’ like photos and stuff. She then took out the necklace that Do Young gave her before she left her at the train station. Only Saweol doesn’t remembers it.
Episode 5: Do Young suspects that Saweol may be her adopted sister Ji yeong. She then persuade her Staff to cancel the show on searching for Saweol’s parents. She then rush to the department store to prevent Professor from meeting Saweol. Meanwhile Wonder Woman Show Team gets a lead that Saweol’s parents live in the countryside of Gunsan and Do Young is temporarily relieved. At the department store Saweol is elated to meet her first love Junse.
At the end of episode 5, Do Young’s team came back from Gunsan. Eun Bi brought back photographs of missing girls who matches Jiyeong’s description at the time she went missing. It made Do Young nervous. Do Young’s staff suggested they have dinner together. As they were leaving the office Do Young made and excuse to go back to the office saying she had left her script behind. She quickly went back to the office and started looking into Eun Bi’s drawer for the photos of the missing girls. When she saw the picture of Saweol she took it out and put it in her hand bag hurriedly. As she was leaving she encountered Jang Si Eun at the door.
Episode 6: Do Young encountered Si Eun as she was leaving the office. Si Eun was suspicious of what Do Young was doing in the dark. Do Young made some excuse and left hurriedly. She stops at the ladies restroom took out the photo of Saweol tore it up and flush it down the toilet. Meanwhile the woman from Gunsan couldn’t wait for the result of the DNA test and rush with her daughter to see Saweol. She later meets the woman and her daughter they exchange stories. Although Saweol was happy to see the woman, she seems quiet confused. Meanwhile Professor Choe decided to ask the police to reopen Ji Yeong’s case that made Do Young nervous. The DNA test result revealed Saweol/Jiyeong and the Gunsan woman doesn’t match. Later at home Do Young cleverly got hold of Professor Chose hair to do a DNA test.
Episode 7:
Do Young gets a call on the DNA test confirming Ji Yeong is the biological daughter of Professor Choe. She goes through a moment of tense and distress. Later at dinner with Junse, Do Young father calls to tell her they are going to file a formal application to the police to reopen Ji Yeong’s case. The next day as she was about to leave for work she encounters Professor Choe and tell her she will drop off the application form at the police station. Professor Choe hesitated before giving her the form. Do Young then took the form and threw it in the back of her car. Meanwhile at work Ji Yeong/Saweol again encountered the difficult Chairman Jang and his awful mistress. But this time Saweol stood up to him and it made him angry. Saweol is then grounded for 3 days. Junse later cheered her up and they plan a trip to Mopko island. Do Young later gets a call from Eun Soep. He demanded money and reminded her about the time he saw her at the train station. She hangs up the phone and scream at her colleague who passed her the call. The next day Professor Choe finds the application form at the back of Do Young’s car she confronted her and slaps her hard. Dong Wu who came to take his passport that he left in Do Young’s car saw the whole episode.Episode 8 Dong Wu felt sad for Do Young after seeing the slapping incident. He went back without taking his passport. Meanwhile Saweol and Junse has a good time in Mopko. Later Eunseop fed up with Do Young avoiding him pays a visit to the TV station. At dinner in Junse place later, Do Young was about to look at photos that Junse took in Mopko when her father. He tells her to come home quickly as they have found JiYeong
Episode 9 Do Young feels restless and fearful as she heads back home. She was surprised however when she walks in the door to find a girl name Hyeonju disguising as Saweol. Her mother and father seems quite content while the girl talk them into believing she is the real Saweol. Do Young felt a sense of relief but curious as to who this Hyeonju is. Meanwhile Professor Choe is happy at finding Jiyeong (Hyeonju), she brings her to the department stor and buys her expensive clothes and stuff. Later she saw Hyeonju with a guy (Eunseop). The next day Do Young ask Saweol out to lunch. Saweol tells Do Young of her feelings for her firs love (Junse). Later at dinner in Junse’s place Do Young saw the photos of the weekend at Mopko and feels anger building inside her. Do Young then invites Saweol to attend a concert she is hosting at the same time persuades Junse to come. Backstage while Saweol was busy delivering her outfits she shows off Junse.
Episode 10: To hurt Saweol and make her jealous, Do Young kisses Junse. Meanwhile Hyeonju lies to Professor Choe that she has a debt to settle and Professor Choe willingly gives in. In the meantime Saweol confesses her love to Junse. Later Do Young realize that Heyonju is conspiring with Eunseop to deceive Professor Choe. She ask Hyeonju out to dinner and tells Heyongju she know who she really is and showed her result of a DNA test. She persuade Hyeonju to leave Eunseop and stay as Jiyeong. Later to Eunseop finds a news article with a photo of the train station taken during the time Jiyeong went missing. Among the people in the photo is the young Do Young and her little sister Jiyeong. Eunseop schemes to extort money from Do Young with his new finding. He then sent a copy of the news article to Junse’s office. At the end of the episode Saweol walks in to Junse’s office to deliver some shoes and found the news article on Junse’s desk immediately feels a sense of familiarity coming to her!
Episode 11: Eunseop calls Junse about the news cutting he had sent. When Junse ask Do Young about it later she was shocked but showed her calm. Meanwhile Saweol has lunch with Chairman Jang. The TV station celebrates Do Young’s appointment as
Episode 12: As Saweol enters Professor’s Choes house she finds the surrounding familiar and she began to regain her memory. Professor Choe’s then finds Saewol in Jiyeong’s room scolds her and told her to leave. In the meantime Eunseop goes to Junse’s office and threatens to go to the police if his demand is not met. Saweol feeling ill from the confusion of getting her memory back fainted outside Junse’s office. When Do Young came to see Junse she finds Saweol sleeping on the couch in his office. Do Young then became angry with Junse. Later Saweol meet Do Young to tell Do Young of her experience at Professor Choe’s house and that she is regaining her memory. Instead , Do Young tells Saweol not to disturb Professor Choe again. Do Young feeling pressured by turns of events goes out clubbing with Dong Wu. The next day Saweol goes to see Professor Choe but Professor Choe refuse to listen to Saweol and told her to leave. As Saweol was picking up the gift she brought for Professor Choe, the Professor the scar on Saweols hip and was shocked. At home later Professor Choe gets a visit from Eunseop who demanded money for information on Jiyeong and showed her the news cutting. When Do Young comes home Professor Choe confronted Do Young and ask her if Saweol is Jiyeong. Do Young was stunned but denied everything and starts to run upstairs to her room but Professor Choe was adamant, there was tugging and pulling the Professor lost her balance at the stairs and fell.
Episode 13: Professor Choe is taken to the hospital. At the hospital Do Young ask Saweol to leave and put guards outside Professor Choe’s room. Saweol is sad and confused by Do Young actions. Meanwhile Eunseop goes to see Junse again and this time convince him to seek the truth about the photo. Later Professor wakes up from coma but forgets the incident that happened before she fell. Do Young is relief and delighted. Saweol is upset that Professor Choe does not remember her. She later goes to find Eunseop. Eunseop then tells Saweol everything he knows about the news cutting and the photo. At the end of the episode. Do Young goes to the department store to try on a dress. She heard someone singing in the fitting room and goes in to check. Do Young finds Saweol all made up and wearing her red dress. Do Young tells Saweol to take the dress off. Saweol turns to Do Young and says “ Sis have you enjoyed yourself?”
Episode 14: Do Young was stunned after the scene in the fitting room. Anxious with Saweol actions, she calls and meets Eunseop who confirms telling Saweol everything about the photos. At home Do Young’s only consolation is that Professor Choe’s thinks she is Jiyeong and treats her kindly. Meanwhile Saweol teams up with Do Young’s script writer Eun Bi to set up a play called “Two Sisters”. Saweol seem enthusiastic about the play and stop bothering Do Young’s. This makes Do Young anxious. Later Eunseop meets Saweol and ask about her course of action. She tells Eunseop to stop bothering her and that she will handle Do Young her way. As she was leaving, she saw Dong Wu who witnessed the meeting between her and Eunseop. Saweol then explained to Dong Wu about Eunseop. Dong Wu then tells Saweol to forgive Do Young. Saweol starts to prepare for her audition for the play. Her friend Chairman Jang has agreed to finance the production. Saweol invited Junse to the opening of the play. While Eun Bi invited Do Young and the Wonder Woman’s team. Junse was surprise to see Do Young and sat next to her. The opening scene of the play was a replica of the scene at the train station. With a background picture of a newspaper cutting of the train station. Junse turned to Do Young and saw her visibly shaken.
Episode 15 : Shaken, Do Young leaves the theater to get some air. Dong Wu who came late and did not see the opening saw Do Young and comforts her. At that moment Junse walks by and saw the two of them. The show became a big success. Do Young then pays Hyeonju to buy all the tickets to the week’s show. This caused Saweol to perform to an almost empty theater. Later, thanks to the help of Chairman Jang who attended the show with his staff the show receives renewed interest and reviews. But deep down Junse knows the truth. He then calls and meets Do Young, during their quiet chat, Junse tells Do Young that he will stand by her no matter what happens, while DY ask Junse why he keeps on telling her this. In one scene Junse ask Saweol if she is Jiyeong and Saweol denies it repeatedly. But deep down Junse knows the truth and know that Saweol is hurting. Meanwhile, Do Young goes out shopping for a wedding dress with Professor Choe. As the “Two Sisters” play became popular Do Young’s Wonder Woman Team wants to do an interview of the main cast on the show. Do Young objects to it but at her boss last say, the show is put on schedule. At home, Professor Choe begins to have headaches, Do Young’s father Mr Shin returns from his trip overseas. The end of the episodes shows the live interview of between Do Young and the main cast of the ‘Two Sisters’ play on the set of Wonder Woman. During the show both DY and SW went off the script and both women kept voicing their true feelings. This upsets DY’s editor. The audience including Eun Bi the ‘Two Sisters’ writer was stunned.
Episode 16 continued with the play acting by the two sisters, except both were rendering their own.
This part of script where the DY and Saweol went off the original script.
DY :I'm going to tell you a regrettable story. For about a year after you disappeared, our house was in tragedy. Everything was a mess. However, like you said, human beings are tough and persevering. We forgot the pain of losing and things returned to normal bit by bit. Because I always got first place and grew up to be a good and praise-worthy daughter, mom and dad forgot you. Our family did not search anxiously for you as much as you yearned for us.
SW: Ah... that's what happened. I didn't know that.
DY: That's alright, it possible that you didn't know.
SW: But then how come... there no hints that you received love? The bright light that shines from people who grew up loved doesn't shine from you. Why is that? (DY looks upset at this point) Why did you work so hard get to get first place? Is it because if you didn't, mom wouldn't look kindly on you? (DY is trembling) People who grew up being loved have bright facial expressions and presence of mind. But your facial expression is always cold and anxious. Just like a child who's afraid to be cutoff from her adoptive family.
DY: Shut up, before I break you neck.
After the show, DY and Saweol came to a confrontation in the make-up room ending with Do Young slapping Saweol. Do Young’s colleague, Sanggu and Si Eun walks in and happened to record the incident on tape. Later with Dong Wu, DY revealed all that happened the day she left Saweol at the train station. Dong Wu was surprised at DY admittance and felt sorry for Saweol. Meanwhile the video on the slapping incident had leaked to the internet and place DY in a bad light. Junse tells Mr Shin that Saweol is Jiyeong. It was a touching moment when father and daughter reunite. Eunseop, guessing that DY must be desperate, meets her and tells her he can make Saweol disappear for a sum of money. Professor Choe meanwhile gets her memory back. DY in despair finds comfort with Dong Wu. Junse went to find DY after Mr Shin calls him to say DY did not return home. As Junse goes to the house he finds DY and Dong Wu at the friend door kissing.
Ep 17: Professor Choe who has regain her memory chases DY out of the house after finding out that she lied about Saweol being Jiyeong. DY than finds comfort in Dong Wu. Junse comes to take DY home but was stopped by DW and both got into a fight. Later Saweol /Jiyeong reunites with her parents and moves into the house. In the meantime DY spent the night in a hotel. Mr Shin pleaded for DY to return home. At home DY is treated unkindly by Professor Choe. Frustrated, she tells Junse to hasten the wedding knowing Jiyeong would be jealous and upset. Saweol confronts DY about the hurried wedding plans and ask DY if she really loves Junse. Saweol than threatens to revealed everything to everybody.
Episode 18: The pisode continues with the confrontation between Saweol/Jiyeong and DY. Saweol ask DY why she is in a hurry to marry Junse when its Dong Wu that she loves. In the meantime Professor Choe who happens to be outside the room overheard everything. DY’s team comes up with an idea to do ‘24hr of Shin Do Young for the Wonder Woman Show, but DY knowing the situation at home tells her team that it is not a good time to do it. At that moment Si Eun came in to say she receive a call saying Saweol has found her parents. Later Junse and DY goes to check out the place where their wedding is to take place but they ended up in an argument about Dong Wu. Later at home while DY was having dinner with Professor Choe, Mr Shin and SW/JY, the Wonder Woman’s team shows up, taking DY by surprise. Professor Choe was more than happy to let them in. The team goes about filming while SW/JY hides in her room. When the team was about to leave Eun Bi says she left her script in the house and went inside to find it. Inside she was stunned when she saw SW/JY there. Later SW/JY meets Junse and tells him she is ready to let him go. But the scene ended with Junse kissing SW. Eunseop is more desperate after Hyonje abscond with money he got from Professor Choe, calls DY and tells her he will get rid of SW and its up to her to safe SW. The episode ends after Eunseop calls SW telling her he has proof that DY wants to kill her.
Ep 19: Eunseop calls DY nd tells her he will hurt Saweol if DY doesn’t turn-up with the money. DY who is recording a show, leaves everything and rush to find Eunseop. On reaching the scene, DY finds that Saweol was hurt. DY throws the money at Eunseop. Both DY and Saweol than got into an emotional confrontation. Saweol refuse to believe any of DY explanation and will not forgive DY. Later back at home Saweol writes an e-mail to members of the press telling the truth about DY. Meanwhile Chairman Jang meets DY and tells DY her father was his chauffer who had taken the blame on his behalf for killing a man and gone to jail. At the end of this episode DY already depress over Saweol’s e-mail got into her car tells Dong Wu she loves him, she then lift her hand off the steering wheel and press hard on the accelerator.
Final episode. I’m only going to write the recap for this final in point form for the important scene only! BEWARE OF SPOILER.
- The first scene shows DY meeting her dead mom somewhere in a nice place. They have dinner and quiet conversation.
- The news reports on DY accident.
- DY is lying in a coma in the hospital.
- Scenes keeps floating back to DY and her dead mom. They walk on a long empty road and her mother tells her she can go back or walk on. If she goes back someone will save her.
- Professor Choe reads DY’s diary.
- Saweol brings her guitar and sings to DY
- DY wakes up and goes home. The next day she holds a PC and explains about how she left Jiyeong at the train station and that she was a bad girl. She tells them she will not be an announcer anymore.
- Junse accepts a Job in
- Later there was a lot of forgiveness scene. Professor decides to take a photo of the family.
- Mr Shin then tells his wife Professor Choe that doctors are worried about DY and that DY might collapse at anytime.
- The last scene was an emotional one. DY ask Saweol to take her to the seaside. They went and watch the sunrise. DY plays her guitar and sing as DY lay asleep on her shoulder.
Did DY die? Well one has to make ones own deduction. For me, she dies..period.
The ending was happy and sad at the same time. I don’t know why K-Dramas nowadays have this open ending. I’ve seen it in Formidable Rivals, Single Daddy in Love, Three Daddies and One Mom.
