Secret Garden: The K-Drama Version of Freaky Friday
“Gil Ra-im, a stuntwoman who dreams of becoming a martial arts director, and Kim Juwon, a rich CEO of a department store, have their souls switched and a unique romance blossoms.”
Secret Garden (Viki)
If you are expecting a Korean version of the novel set in England, you’re in the wrong place. I found this one because of Hyun Bin but I really liked the female lead, Ha Ji-Won. From the opening scene with the kickass stunt woman—I knew I was going to like Secret Garden. I appreciate the fact many K-dramas feature a strong woman and that’s what I found here. What’s impressive about Ha Ji-Won is she performs all her own stunts.
Turns out this is another K-drama by screenwriter Kim Eun-Sook and I’ve yet to not like anything she’s done. I don’t know how many screenwriters in Korea are women but I’m glad to see Kim Eun-Sook has been around for a while.
There are many laugh-out-loud moments in Secret Garden—Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-Won were so on-point when they switch bodies. This must’ve been a fun set to be on during filming. And that blue sequin tracksuit that‘s become a meme? I would proudly wear it just because of Secret Garden.
Secret Garden has one of the best finales. Best in that it provides a fairly satisfying closure to all the storylines and doesn’t feel like it’s rushed or just abruptly ends. It also allows us to see the characters for the majority of the episode as opposed to only the last few minutes. I find that very frustrating when K-dramas don’t do that.
It would be interesting to have a sit-down with Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-Won to see what their memories are of making Secret Garden.
Which Secret Garden actor turns 42 in 2021—43 if going by Korean age?
What later Kim Eun-Sook K-drama does Gil Ra-Im’s roommate have a major role in?
That Man is featured throughout the series but in episode 16 we hear a male version instead of female. Do you know who that is?
Released: November 2010, Episodes: 20
Cast: Hyun-Bin (Kim Joo-Won), Ha Ji-Won (Gil Ra-Im), Yoon Sang-Hyun (Oska), Kim Sa-Rang (Yeun-Sul), Phillip Lee (Im Jong-Soo), Lee Jong-Suk (Han Tae-Sun), Yoo In-Na (Min Ah Young), FULL CAST
[UPDATE 3/18/21] I just finished re-watching Secret Garden and it remains a favorite despite the fact this K-drama is ten years old. I’ve yet to see a drama where the leads are not considered to be good-looking but I was reminded that Hyun Bin is particularly attractive in this one—he would’ve been 29 years old when Secret Garden originally aired. His style from head to toe is really on-point—he even makes that tracksuit look good.
I was also reminded how much I like Ha Ji-Won. Chocolate was one of the early dramas I watched—maybe even before Secret Garden. I didn’t realize Ha Ji-Won was the lead in both but she’s definitely one reason both are favorites. I liked the chemistry between Hyun Bin and Ji-Won—they were good at being feisty, playful, and romantic with each other. The Christmas party is one of my favorite scenes.
