Graceful Friends

Assalamualaikum, good day dearest! I still feels like I'm in a holiday still and it's nott good. Anyway, let's get to the review.

not mine; credited to the rightful owner

Title : Graceful Friends / Elegant Friends

Episodes : 17

Genre : Drama, Mystery, Friendship

Director : Song Hyun Wook

Writer : Park Hyo Yeon, Kim Kyung Sun

Network : JTBC

Cast : Yoo Jun Sang, Song Yoon A, Bae Soo Bin, Kim Sung Oh, Kim Hye Eun, Jung Suk Yong, Lee In Hye,  Kim Eun Hae, Han Da Gam, Kim Ji Young

Plot : 

For the past 20 years, a group of five friends; Ahn Goong Chul, Jung Jae Hoon, Jo Hyung Woo, Park Chon Bok, and Cheon Man Sik had form a strong bond. At their 40s, they lived in the same neighborhood with their own family. One evening, their dear friend, Man Sik died because of heart attack on a bus. From that day on, their lives meet a mess. When their first love, Baek Hae Sook suddenly came into the picture, the relationship of Ahn Goong Chul and his wife, Nam Jeong Hae begin to shake. Just like 20 years ago, the four friends discover a dead body of a man that somehow relate to each of them in one way.

SPOILER ALERT

First of all, I'm sorry for the bad plot because this drama had so many casts and the plot is like really crazy. This drama kicks off with how the four of them, Goong Chul, Jae Hoon, Hyung Woo, Chun Book discover a dead body of their professor in his room. And that of course grab my attention immediately.

The story then starts off from the beginning, how the five of them being friends and what they do for a living and also their married life (or lack of because Jae Hoon is divorced). At first, the plot focused more on Goong Chul and Jeong Hae's life as Goong Chul being the center of the friend and also the main focused on this story. As the plot developed, the story of every couple in this drama were told slowly. 

When the murder happened, Goong Chul is suspected to be the killer because of his relation to the dead man. There was so much question about the death man. Especially when he is a scammer and he knew three of five friends. I found it crazy how the writer relate each person to that man. It became more tense when Baek Hae Sook, the beauty and everyone first love came back in their life. Unlike the other couple, Goong Chul and Jeong Hae's relationship became shakier with her present due to the fact that Jeong Hae knew her from middle school.

I love how they keep relating the present scene to the past scene where they're still in collage and in the 20s. The past scene were made with the quality of 20 years ago which is really smart. The color scheme, the screen ratio, it really was like the drama from 20 years ago (quality of Korean drama from 20 years ago I mean.) 

The last few episodes were made to make me cry, I guess. I think there was one episode where I cried like from the start to the end. Especially when their friendship of 20 years are on verge to crumble down. The ending, at first had me questioned the whole drama but then it makes sense of everything that happened. This drama is great but it is a heavy watch. There still some funny scenes to laugh to but the overall plot was heavy with the betrayal, the secrets, the emotions. It seriously almost drained me out. Plus point, the whole OST is a great listen!

OST Part 1-5

<Raindrops> cover by Han Da Gam

Original by Shim Eun Kyung

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-thes