true beauty essay drama

K-Drama Review: “True Beauty” Reflects On Youth Problems While Fondly Navigating The Joys & Pains Of Being Young

Every episode of True Beauty will really push you to be “in the mood for dancing”!

More than its sweet chronicling of young love, It traverses self-esteem battles faced by young people. Its choice of not going overboard with the angst, but focusing on presenting a functioning support system makes it all the more endearing.

Main Cast: Moon Ga Young | Cha Eun Woo | Hwang In Yeop | Park Yoo Na
Network & Episode Count: tvN | 16 Episodes
Streaming Site: Viu

K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: My ID is Gangnam Beauty |

True Beauty Plot Summary

Living as a school outcast and a favorite minion of school bullies in her class, Im Ju-kyung (Moon Ga Young) blames her flawed face for what she thinks to be an inescapable fate.

When her first love confession goes down the drain, she suffers extreme humiliation. Deciding to end her life while standing on a building rooftop ledge, she notices a billboard bearing words of love for a celebrity who passed away.

Waking up from her crazy suicide idea, she halts her plan just as a man who thought she would be jumping rushes to stop her. With her broken eyeglasses, the man gave her a piggyback ride.

At home, she meets a chaotic living room and learns that they will soon move back to their old house. Elated at the news, she plans to start a new life armed with make-up confidence that she recently learned to be an effective mask to hide her facial flaws.

Aside from a new life, a new romance is also on the horizon for Ju-kyung. One that traces back to her childhood. One that sees her true beauty.

True Beauty Series Highlights

Ju-kyung’s self-esteem journey.

True Beauty presented a heroine who steadily embraced her flaws while discovering her worth. Ju-kyung stayed true to her spirited character albeit the many inhibitions she had.

At times, she still doubted herself, and that’s utterly normal. That’s what made her character shine. She was pictured as not winning or losing her self-esteem battle, and she’s okay with it. This a nod to how life should be realized to be something that should not make us feel like we are in an endless competition to please others.

Moon Ga Young owned Ju-kyung’s character with such vibrancy that befits the sentiments and rationality of her age. She reminded us how women are made with emotional strength, but it does not mean that agonizing woes can be sustained alone.

Her emotional outburst that led to her family learning of how she was bullied I hope would teach those in the same predicament to open up to their family. Our families won’t be functional support systems if we don’t let it function.

Likewise, Ju-kyung’s determination to aspire to a career out of her passion is a lesson for youth to be taken strongly. A lot of people lead a career that does not make them satisfied because it is not what they excel at nor what makes them happy.

Endearing Love Pairing

I lost count of how many times I quipped Ju-kyung to be such a lucky girl with two equally amazing men vying for her love and attention while watching True Beauty. Albeit cute and familiar, her love drive with Suho was sweepingly romantic and would be enjoyed by the targeted audience.

The writer really knew what angles to pull in maneuvering the addiction to cheer for the love story. Sprinkled with scattered and effective humor, it’s not baffling why the drama would subconsciously make you crave it.

Its relatively high fan service level endured the risk of being tagged “trite” because of the smart use of saccharine scenes, sometimes poignant and most of the time adorable.

Cha Eun Woo and Moon Ga Young have both delivered ample romance in their love tale. They captured the awkwardness, the highs, the lows, and the reassuring pushes for them to seal the love they both deserve.

Meaningful Messages About Youth Problems

Su-ho and Ju-kyung’s inner problems have been discussed to spread awareness of young people’s mental stress. A lot of drama lines in the series push contemplation on the agonizing peer pressure that some young people can’t take on their own.

That people who might stumble on this drama might be needing at the moment in case they are in the same situation. Additionally, it also highlights the challenges youth face while confronting life realities while growing up as an adult. It also raised awareness among parents about problems their children might be struggling to open up about.

Admittedly, True Beauty takes the usual elements of youth drama like school bullying and family pressure to obtain high grades. But those side stories did not take over the storyline. It was funneled to capitalize on the series-winning spots such as friendship and young love.

Presenting youth problems at a nice pace, the series was able to execute its healing intention by targeting young people. That was specifically achieved in how Soo-jin reconnects back to her friends. It emphasized the usually overlooked virtues youth of today struggle to have – acknowledging mistakes and understanding how forgiveness is two-way.

Entering the stage of creating identity and future, we learned from Ju-kyung, Suho and Seo-jun how to use the right kind of bravery in complicated situations given to them. More than that, we learned how friendship once forged can only be broken mutually.

Notable Scene Stealers

As much as we adore the lead love pairing, there was a point when we hoped for Ju-kyung-Seo-jun love line. Hwang In Yeop suited up convincingly to the role of Seo-jun leaving quite a prolonged imprint. He put up a fight and deserves a badge as a favorite second lead syndrome this season.

Likewise, Im Se Mi was the life of the party with her rendition of Hee-kyung. Her spectacular role reversal was worth 10 K-Drama oppa combined.

That being said teamwork was apparent in how the narrative reached its closure. While the main cast propelled the love narrative, the supporting characters fueled the zesty spirit.

True Beauty Series Musings

Considering my schedule, True Beauty is one of the three dramas I religiously watch weekly because of its upbeat vibe. Conceived with sound perception in avoiding youth romance drama clichés, it can be enjoyed by particularly picky watchers who hate the usual negative and annoying elements of school-set youth series.

Honestly, the engrossingly formulaic rom-com vibe made me feel so bribed when I already got the gist of the story’s message past the halfway mark of the series. It’s not a good thing especially if you easily get distracted. So, consider you’re forewarned.

Thankfully, its bright mood with no cool-down storytelling yielded a point of no return but to root for all the characters’ happy endings.

I remembered the director hoped to gift a consoling series; and with much vigor, it was successfully realized. A perfect blending of fun and emotional – with make-sense commentary on youth’s life and relationships, if you ignore the faint drawbacks, it’s quite a sweet ride.

True Beauty Drama Quotes

“What could be so hard in your life that you want to die? How could you give up on your life like that? You should try to overcome the difficulties instead.”

“Have you ever considered how devastated your loved ones would be? Someone might forever live in guilt for not saving you. There’s nothing you can do for a dead person.”

“Being pretty made a difference regarding how the kids looked at me. All except one person.”

“I know I’m not in the position to say this, but cheer up. The one who died won’t want those left behind to suffer for too long. That’s why you should be happy. You must! Okay?”

“It’s really mean to mess around with someone’s pain.”

“Someone told me that crying is a way to cleanse your heart.”

“The calories are cheering me up. Thank you Go-woon.”

Photos: tvN Drama

Videos: Stone Music Entertainment

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K-Drama Review: “True Beauty” Reflects On Youth Problems While Fondly Navigating The Joys & Pains Of Being Young

Every episode of true beauty will really push you to be “in the mood for dancing”.

More than its sweet chronicling of young love, It traverses on self-esteem battles faced by young people. Its choice of not going overboard with the angst, but focusing on presenting a functioning support system makes it all the more endearing.

Title: True Beauty Network: tvN Themes: School | Youth | Romance | Comedy | Family | Friendship | Length: 16 Episodes Broadcast Date: 9 December 2020 – 4 February 2021 Main Leads: Moon Ga Young | Cha Eun Woo | Hwang In Yeop Highlights: Meaningful life lessons designed for youth | Attractive Love Pairing Overall Rating: Rewatch Value: Related Dramas: My ID is Gangnam Beauty

Streaming Site: Viu

True Beauty Plot Summary

Living as a school outcast and a favorite minion of school bullies in her class, Im Ju-kyung (Moon Ga Young) blames her flawed face for what she thinks to be an inescapable fate.

When her first love confession goes down to the drain, she suffered extreme humiliation. Deciding to end her life while standing on a building rooftop ledge, she notices a billboard bearing words of love for a celebrity who passed away.

Waking up from her crazy suicide idea, she halts her plan just as a man who thought she will be jumping rushes to stop her. With her broken eyeglasses, the man gave her a piggyback ride.

Aside from a new life, a new romance is also in the horizon for Ju-kyung. One that traces back to her childhood. One that sees her true beauty.

True Beauty Peak Points

Ju-kyung’s self-esteem journey.

True Beauty presented a heroine who steadily embraced her flaws while discovering her worth. Ju-kyung stayed true to her spirited character albeit the many inhibitions she had.

At times, she still doubted herself, and that’s utterly normal. That’s what made her character shine. She was pictured to not winning nor losing to her self-esteem battle, and she’s okay with it. A nod to how life should be realized to be something that should not make us feel like we are in an endless competition to please others.

Moon Ga Young owned Ju-kyung’s character with such vibrancy that befits the sentiments and rationality of her age. She reminded us how women are made with an emotional strength, but it does not mean that agonizing woes can be sustained alone.

Her emotional outburst that led to her family learning of how she was bullied I hope would teach those on the same predicament to open up to their family. Our families won’t be a functional support system if we won’t let it function.

Likewise, Ju-kyung’s determination to aspire a career out of her passion is a lesson for youth to be taken strongly. A lot of people leads a career that does not make them satisfied because it was not what they excel at nor what make them happy.

Endearing Love Pairing

I lost count how many times I quipped Ju-kyung to be such a lucky girl with two equally amazing men vying for her love and attention while watching True Beauty. Albeit cute and familiar, her love drive with Suho was sweepingly romantic and would be enjoyed by the targeted audience.

The writing really knew what angles to pull in maneuvering the addiction to cheer for the love story. Sprinkled with scattered and effective humor, it’s not baffling why the drama would subconsciously make you crave for it.

Its relatively high fan service level endured the risk of being tagged “trite” because of smart use of saccharine scenes, sometimes poignant and most of the time adorable.

Cha Eun Woo and Moon Ga Young have both delivered ample romance for their love tale. They captured the awkwardness, the highs, the lows and the reassuring pushes for them to seal the love they both deserve.

Meaningful Messages About Youth Problems

Su-ho and Ju-kyung’s inner problems have been discussed with the intention to spread awareness on young people’s mental stress. A lot of drama lines in the series pushes contemplation on the agonizing peer pressure that some young people can’t take on their own.

That people who might stumble on this drama might be needing at the moment in case they are in the same situation. Additionally, it also highlights the challenges youth faces while confronting life realities amidst growing up as an adult. It also raised awareness to parents about problems their children might be struggling to open up.

Presenting youth problems in a nice pace, the series was able to execute its healing intention targeting the young people. That was specifically achieved in how Soo-jin reconnects back to her friends. It emphasized on the usually overlooked virtues youth of today struggles to have – acknowledging mistakes and understanding how forgiveness is two-way.

Notable Scene Stealers

As much as we adore the lead love pairing, there was a point when we hope for Ju-kyung-Seo-jun love line. Hwang In Yeop suited up convincingly to the role of Seo-jun leaving quite a prolonged imprint. He put up a fight and deserves a badge as a favorite second lead syndrome this season.

Likewise, Im Se Mi was the life of the party with her rendition of Hee-kyung. Her spectacular role reversal was worth 10 K-Drama oppa combined.

That being said teamwork was apparent to how the narrative reached its closure. While the main cast propelled the love narrative, the supporting characters fueled the zesty spirit.

True Beauty Series Afterthoughts

Considering my schedule, True Beauty is one of the three dramas I religiously watched weekly because of its upbeat vibe. Conceived with sound perception in avoiding youth romance drama clichés, it can be enjoyed by particularly picky watchers who hate the usual negative and annoying elements of school-set youth series.

Honestly, the engrossingly formulaic rom-com vibe made me feel so bribed when I already got the gist of the story’s message past halfway mark of the series. It’s not a good thing especially if you easily gets distracted. So, consider you’re forewarned.

Thankfully, its bright mood with no cool down storytelling yielded a point of no return but to root for all the characters’ happy ending.

Photos: tvN

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First Impressions: 5 Reasons Why "True Beauty" Is The Drama You Didn't Know You Needed

Cha Eun Woo , Moon Ga Young , and Hwang In Yeop star in the new tvN rom-com “ True Beauty .” Prior to the premiere of the drama, the visuals in this cast alone were enough to set the expectation bar very high.

They look like a page out of a comic book.

The drama is based on the very popular webtoon series written by Yaongyi. This was Yaongyi’s first webtoon and it turned out to be a huge hit, ranking No. 1 on the webtoon charts for a long time. For this reason, fans were looking very forward to seeing this webtoon come to life. A lot of thought and planning was put into the drama as it has a huge fanbase already, so you can imagine the expectation and anticipation for the premiere. Curious to see what we thought of the first two episodes? Keep reading to find out!

Note: Minor spoilers for the premiere ahead.

1. The production value

The production value was unexpectedly entertaining. From the CG to the set design, it really made what could have been a bland story more lively and exciting. In particular, during the various scenes where Moon Ga Young’s character Lim Ju Gyeong discovers the wonderful world of makeup, the graphics were delightfully engrossing.

The set design incorporated bright and dynamic colors that provided a very exhilarating, warm, and fun-filled atmosphere. Have we ever seen a high school setting in a K-drama with floral wallpaper?

Also, I couldn’t help but love the splashes of goth and metal in the set design:

There are moments throughout the first two episodes that also make it seem like it’s taken straight out of a comic book. With the large captions around their head and a comic book-themed intro, the director did a great job of keeping it true to the webtoon:

All the elements of the production really do a great job of putting viewers in a good mood and keeping the story alive. There really isn’t a dull moment. It almost feels like you’re a part of the experience that the characters are having, and overall, it makes for an easy and enjoyable watch.

2. The storyline

The story involves a girl named Lim Ju Gyeong (Moon Ga Young) who is considered to be less physically attractive in her family. She has always noticed that people around her have commented on her appearance, and she also gets picked on at school as a result of it.

But luck is on her side when her mom tells her that the family has to move back to their old hometown as a result of her dad having lost money in a scam. Ju Gyeong is able to re-invent herself and spends time learning makeup skills to help herself look more physically appealing. She has the chance to start a new life at her new school.

Little does she know that Lee Su Ho (Cha Eun Woo) – a boy she met not too long ago who rescued her from the roof of a building – is also a student at her school. He can’t seem to recognize her because of all the makeup she has and Ju Gyeong is determined to keep it that way.

The guilty pleasures of a girly K-drama stocked with make-overs, fashion, makeup, and cute boys, “True Beauty” does not fail to entertain anyone who likes a good script with all its cheesy moments. Although the drama can come off as being very superficial, there are humorous elements that help to reveal a very serious and sensitive issue that people, especially in South Korea, experience. Despite this, the series does a great job of drawing viewers in to the story of Ju Gyeong and her road to fitting in and finding acceptance within herself.

3. The boys

There are many reasons why people were so eager to tune into this drama. One of these reasons undoubtedly includes the rising mega-star Cha Eun Woo. When it was announced that he would take the main lead, people were ecstatic. There was no doubt in people’s minds that he fit the role perfectly.

The resemblance is uncanny:

Cha Eun Woo plays the cold Lee Su Ho with a huge chip on his shoulder. He can’t be bothered with anyone, and he harbors a lot of baggage. He’s at the top of his class when it comes to grades and is popular with the ladies, but he’s far from being a warm-hearted fellow, which makes him appear very unpleasant and unapproachable. But we all know that this is a ploy to later suck us in when he ends up falling for the main girl without her makeup. I’m already really excited.

Cha Eun Woo has come a long way in acting and although it wasn’t his initial career of choice, there’s no doubt that he’ll continue to be a leading man in many more dramas to come. This particular character does display hints of his previous role in “ My ID Is Gangnam Beauty ,” but he plays “cold and mysterious” very well. Cha Eun Woo’s chemistry with Moon Ga Young is good so far and his character is a good contrast to the goofy and bubbly Ju Gyeong. Looking forward to seeing their blossoming romance!

Hwang In Yeop

Hwang In Yeop didn’t show up at all in the first episode, and I couldn’t help but anticipate his appearance, but let me tell you it was TOTALLY worth the wait.

Hwang In Yeop plays Han Seo Joon, a high school student who couldn’t be bothered with studying or girls. He gets into a lot of trouble, and we discover that he used to be best friends with Lee Su Ho, but had a falling out, resulting in a very tense atmosphere whenever the two are together.

Han Seo Joon is all we could have asked for in a second lead and more. He’s a bad boy who rides a motorcycle, is intrigued with the female lead, and is a total softie for her. Hwang In Yeop has been impressing viewers with his boyish looks and charismatic aura more so this past year. He played a bad boy in the recent drama “ 18 Again ” and undoubtedly made a strong impression. He’s on the path to mega stardom and it’s a gift really to see him in this role.

Yes, please don’t hit his face.

4. The girl

We see a female lead who’s into skulls, metal, goth, and horror comics. She’s far from the conventional female lead, and we’re here for it. She’s a goofball with a heart of gold, just wanting some acceptance and friends. And although it’s just the first two episodes, you can see that her sense of humor and outrageous antics are going to be the heart of the drama. With just Moon Ga Young alone, it’s worth the watch!

Her showing up in a helmet to meet Su Ho was gold:

Her character is so belly-achingly hilarious. Her positive and infectious energy pushes the story along, keeping viewers engaged. Moon Ga Young does comedy so well that I hope she continues to take on more roles like this. There were more than enough times in the first two episodes that had me thinking that she is so perfectly relatable for many.

When you normally wear so much makeup that facial recognition doesn’t recognize you:

When a cute boy is sitting beside you, but you still gotta eat your instant ramyun:

That wretched first time following a makeup tutorial:

5. The humor

“True Beauty” is the perfect drama to watch during these times when things are so uncertain and frustrating. It’s really an easy and very pleasant watch, and especially the humor in the script, characters, and acting really hit it home. There were several moments in the first two episodes where you can’t help but chuckle.

And when Ju Gyeong continuously uses the same methods to get rid of Seo Joon:

By the end of the first two episodes I couldn’t help but smile and feel good about watching it. “True Beauty” is a solid watch for those who need a little bit of fun and humor in your lives. It’s exactly the type of story to get sucked into and de-stress with. Here’s to watching the love triangle, funny antics, and story unfold in the episodes to come!

Start watching “True Beauty”:

Hey Soompiers, how did you like the premiere of “True Beauty”? Let me know in the comments below!

binahearts is a Soompi writer whose ultimate biases are Song Joong Ki and BIGBANG. She is also the author of “ K-POP A To Z: The Definitive K-Pop Encyclopedia .” Make sure you follow binahearts on Instagram as she journeys through her latest Korean crazes!

Currently watching: “ How Do You Play? ” and “ True Beauty ” All-time favorite dramas: “ Secret Garden ,” “ Goblin ,” “ Because This Is My First Life ,” “ Star In My Heart ” Looking forward to: Won Bin ‘s return to the small screen

Kdrama Kisses

True beauty korean drama review.

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True Beauty is a romantic comedy about a high school girl (Moon Ga Young) who goes to great lengths to never be caught without makeup on and the only guy (Cha Eun Woo) who has seen her bare face.

Moon Ga Young plays Lim Joo Gyung. She was made fun of and bullied because of her looks which eventually led her to master the art of make-up in order to hide her true face. She does whatever she can to avoid anyone seeing her bare face, but when a guy from her school does, she worries he will tell and her world will come crumbling down.

Cha Eun Woo is Lee Su Ho. He is handsome but cold to those around him. He also carries deep pain from events in his past. His world brightens a bit though when he meets Joo Gyung and likes her even though he has seen her bare face.

Then we have Hwang in Yeop as Han Seo Joon. He is known as a cool bad boy, but he is actually very kind. He has a history with Su Ho and then gets involved in a love triangle with Joo Gyung.

True Beauty is a drama that is just plain fun! It is breezy and entertaining as it swiftly moves the story along. It honestly doesn’t really do anything revolutionary as you’ll find a simple story with a hefty sprinkling of classic kdrama tropes, but it packages it all in such a fun and engaging way that just made it so easy to watch.

I am definitely a sucker for stories like this as an “unattractive” girl hides her true face which makes everyone think she is beautiful. Luckily, the only guy who has seen her bare face likes her and thinks she’s pretty just the way she is. Aww!!

The romance is fun as we get to see plenty of bickering between Joo Gyung and Su Ho as well as lots of meaningful moments. It takes a while for them to get on the same page with sharing their feelings, but it’s a fun journey to watch. Then we see their relationship blossom quite nicely.

Joo Gyung and Su Ho’s individual stories were good too. Joo Gyung is bullied because of her looks, and it was terrible to see. She is able to pull herself out of the situation by learning to use makeup, but then she is forced to live a life of secrecy so no one finds out what she actually looks like.

She has a personal journey to go on as she learns to accept herself and realize that there are people who care about her. And Moon Ga Young was fantastic here! She was so bright and fun as well as very endearing.

Then we have Su Ho who is a bit of a stick in the mud for a good chunk of the drama, but he has some trauma in his past that really affects who he is in the present. It was nice to get to explore some of his pain and see him have to come to terms with events that happened in his past involving his friends and family.

True Beauty also features a pretty fun love triangle. Our bad boy with a heart of gold gets off on the wrong foot with Joo Gyung, but in true kdrama fashion, it doesn’t take long before he is pining away for her. Combine that with some ongoing issues he has with Su Ho, and we get an entertaining love triangle for sure! And the love/hate bromance was also a great addition to the show, as their relationship has plenty to unpack.

The drama is populated with a plethora of quirky characters that definitely keep things interesting. It’s a big selling point when the supporting characters and their stories are also enjoyable to watch.

This is the kind of drama where there are lots of misunderstandings and the characters don’t always communicate very well. So expect that going in. It’s just part of this type of story though, and everything was well done enough that I don’t consider it a real negative.

I really enjoyed True Beauty as a whole. Its zany brand of humor made it fun with plenty of laughs. There are some very heartfelt elements to the story that deliver emotion and tears. In the midst of the fun are also nice little moments of insight that add some depth to the drama. If you want a classic high school rom-com kdrama that is packaged in just the right way, True Beauty is for you. Laughs, fun, and heart make for a terrific watch.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Check out more Korean Drama Reviews .

Copyright © 2015-2021 by Kdrama Kisses

14 responses to “True Beauty Korean Drama Review”

Hi Kay – love this review. I also loved True Beauty. It was all of the things you said and it was absolutely enjoyable. I loved all of the characters too, the main ones plus the supporting ones. I have to give a shout out to Moon Ga Young and Im Se Mi. I thought these two ladies were absolutely awesome in this drama. I gave it a 9 though. 🙂

Like Liked by 1 person

Thanks D! It’s so great that you enjoyed it so much too 🙂 It really was a lot of fun, and I had such a good time with it. Yes, main characters down to the supporting ones were all great. Moon Ga Young was a perfect fit for the role, and I loved her so much here. Im Se Mi too was hilarious. Haha, I would say 8.5 and 9 are pretty much the same 😉

haha you are right. 8.5 and 9 are pretty much the same. 🙂

I enjoyed this drama as well! This was one of the few times, however that I truly had second male lead syndrome. Still, this was a fun one to watch!

You’re definitely not alone since it looks like a lot of people had second lead syndrome in this one. The fan wars were real, lol. It was a fun love triangle for sure! 🙂

Now this review is the go signal! Have to start watching this drama now. 😊

Yes! It is a lot of fun. Moon Ga Young is especially great here 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!

As you know, this one quickly became one of my faves! Not just the love triangle but the entire supporting cast contributed to the story. Something worthwhile happened in every episode so it was never slow. It was funny and at times serious but never angsty. Totally love! 🙂

I really love that you found a new favorite with True Beauty, Kate 🙂 You’re right, the entire cast was great with interesting stories which is what made the drama so entertaining. The pace was good because of how well they handled the story, and the mix between humor and serious was great. This is a drama I will be recommending a lot because I think it will have wide appeal to fans 🙂

True Beauty was such a fun and cute drama. I really enjoyed your review. I found it sort of funny how Park Yuna (Sujin) and Cha Eunwoo are in another drama together. Also, will you be making a drama review on Mr. Queen? It’s a very fun show. Thank you.

Thank you, Mina! I’m glad that you enjoyed the review 🙂 Agree, this was such a fun and cute drama! I enjoyed it all the way through.

And yes, I am watching Mr. Queen right now and will be doing a review on it too 🙂

[…] I really enjoyed True Beauty as a whole. It’s zany brand of humor provided plenty of laughs. There are some very heartfelt elements to the story that deliver emotion and tears. In the midst of the fun are also nice little moments of insight that add some depth to the drama. Laughs, fun, and heart make for a terrific watch. (True Beauty Review) […]

[…] True Beauty was all kinds of fun! It had a breezy and entertaining storytelling that was so easy to watch. We get romance, bromance, friendship, family, and stories of personal growth. It’s zany brand of humor provided plenty of laughs. There are some very heartfelt elements to the story that deliver emotion and tears. In the midst of the fun are also nice little moments of insight that add some depth to the drama. Laughs, fun, and heart make for a terrific watch. […]

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True Beauty

A high school student who's tormented for her ugly looks learns how to transform herself with makeup. When she transfers to a new school, she becomes known as a goddess. With the constant threat of people recognizing her or seeing her bare face, how long will she be able to hide the truth?

Genre: romantic comedy

True Beauty: Episode 1

tvN’s adaptation of popular webtoon True Beauty is finally here! Living in a world obsessed with beauty, our heroine learns first-hand how harsh people can be when you don’t fit the societal standards. After being humiliated, she decides to change her life by learning a new skill and starting fresh.

Note: This is a first episode recap only. Coverage will continue with weecaps.

EPISODE 1 RECAP

From a young age, our heroine knew she wasn’t pretty based on how others treated her. Her relatives would criticize her for taking after her mother HONG HYUN-SOOK ( Jang Hye-jin ) instead of her handsome father IM JAE-PIL ( Park Ho-san ).

They made snide comments like “She’ll need plastic surgery,” or “She must’ve been adopted.” Amidst the laughter, Mom had whispered that she just needs to do well in school.

While she once dreamed of transforming into a beautiful fairy like the cartoons on TV, the neighborhood kids ridiculed her for it. She then decided that characters from horror manhwas were far more relatable, for she believed that she was born with a cursed face.

Now in high school, our heroine IM JOO-KYUNG ( Moon Ga-young ) is one of two girls in class who don’t spend their free time applying makeup or fixing their hair. Joo-kyung opts to read her manhwa and listen to heavy metal music instead, offering to share with her fellow classmate Hye-min, who declines.

The catty leader of the popular kids, Se-mi, notices Joo-kyung jamming out alone. Joo-kyung doesn’t notice them calling out, “Hey, Dumpling!” until one of Se-mi’s underlings aims a paper ball at her head.

Joo-kyung immediately leaves to buy them dumplings as their Shuttle. She gets indignant when she hears her classmates mocking her for being the errand girl and storms bacak inside. However, all she can do is confirm their orders with a goofy smile.

On her way back from the store, Joo-kyung peers inside the cafeteria to catch a glimpse of the handsome cafeteria oppa, HYUN-BIN (cameo by Lee Tae-ri ). He was out running an errand and stops in front of Joo-kyung to say hello, taking one of her earbuds to pop into his own ear. (Pfft, is that you, Mi-chae ?)

Hyun-bin recognizes the band and tells her that they have the same taste in music. He begins to headbang and dance along while Joo-kyung’s heart threatens to pound out of her chest. Mesmerized by his looks, Joo-kyung tries to calm herself until she shocks Hyun-bin by accidentally yelling out loud, “Calm down, already!”

During lunch, Joo-kyung lines up and gushes about Hyun-bin, receiving unenthusiastic responses from Hye-min. Her excitement while wondering if he reciprocates her feelings catches the attention of other students.

Joo-kyung remains oblivious as others begin to make fun of her, but Hye-min hears them and excuses herself to avoid the attention.

Hyun-bin agrees to meet with Joo-kyung during lunch tomorrow, and Se-mi can’t believe that her errand girl is actually shooting her shot. That night, Joo-kyung works hard in the kitchen baking cookies instead of studying, earning her an earful from her mother.

We get a glimpse into Joo-kyung’s world – her room is decked out with skeletal figurines and the shelves are overflowing with horror books. Joo-kyung prepared a set of metal concert tickets and re-reads her confession letter: “ You’re a fool who doesn’t know how I feel, and I’m a fool who only has eyes for you. ”

She giddily acts out a scenario whereby Hyun-bin accepts her love, and she puckers up for a smooch with her doll. Joo-kyung’s brother IM JOO-YOUNG ( Kim Min-ki ) storms into her room at this moment to complain about her loud music, and leaves after saying he’d rather go blind than to witness that again.

On confession day, Joo-kyung posts about her nervousness on a forum and others comment words of encouragement. She gets on her bus and there’s a stark difference between how she and Se-mi are treated by the crowd of students. Joo-kyung gets pushed around roughly, but everyone clears the way for Se-mi while whispering about her beauty.

At school, Joo-kyung sets her gift on the desk before quickly heading off on a dumpling run. The bullies rummage through the box, callously tossing around the cookies and making fun of her for putting so much effort into the confession.

Mean girl Se-mi decides to speak to Hyun-bin, pouting that she was sooo upset to hear rumors that he was dating Joo-kyung. The smitten cafeteria worker blames himself for making her feel that way, and she lets him believe that he has a chance with her.

Mom runs a salon and is quite close with her customers. When she explains that her husband isn’t around and is busy on the phone these days, they worry that he’s out having an affair. Mom would be okay with that as long as he’s not in trouble financially. As if on cue, two thuggish men enter the salon looking for Im Jae-pil’s wife.

At school, Joo-kyung hands her gift to Hyun-bin, who’s noticeably less kind after talking to Se-mi. Someone films the confession from nearby, catching the rejection. Hyun-bin’s offended that Joo-kyung thinks that he would actually date her.

He crushes her soul and says he was being nice because she was an outcast. “If you don’t have the looks, at least have smarts,” he criticizes, knocking her gift to the ground. Before stalking away, he tells her to look in the mirror with her spare time instead.

Rubbing salt into her wound, the entire bully squad pops out and rejoices at her misery with Hye-min in tow, uncomfortably filming the entire interaction. Se-mi narrates to the audience that they just witnessed the ugliest girl in school asking someone out.

Joo-kyung lightly pushes Se-mi away and asks her to stop, and the sole guy of the group pushes her to the ground for “hitting” the leader. He proceeds to dump the entire box of cookies over her head.

“Why do you guys hate me so much?” Joo-kyung sobs that she never did anything to them. Se-mi jabs her forehead and replies that it’s because she’s ugly. Joo-kyung makes a run for it and on her way home, sees that the video has been uploaded to social media. Her classmates leave comments that she’s ugly and has bad taste.

Heartbroken and humiliated, Joo-kyung sobs openly on the street. She pops into the nearest building to freshen up, then takes a good look at herself in the mirror. Joo-kyung tosses her glasses in frustration, remembering the mean comments about her looks. She cries that she can’t possibly return to school since nobody likes her. Poor girl.

Joo-kyung ends up standing on the roof of the high-rise building, looking out at the cityscape for hours. She’s prepared to jump when suddenly, a billboard in the distance catches her eye. It’s a message to commemorate former idol JUNG SE-YEON (cameo by SF9’s Chani ), as it would’ve been his birthday had he not passed away.

She finds it tragic that he would’ve turned 18 today, then realizes that she doesn’t want to die after all. Just as she comes to this conclusion, a boy runs to her and pulls her off the ledge, causing her glasses to fly off as she tumbles on top of him.

The boy, LEE SOO-HO ( Cha Eun-woo ), is relieved. He lectures her, wondering what she could possibly be going through that led her to wanting to die. He barks that her loved ones would be devastated and it seems personal when he claims that they could live in guilt for not being able to save her. Soo-ho gruffly tells her not to die and heads back inside.

Joo-kyung can’t see anything because she lost her glasses, following him down the stairs blindly because the elevator is out of service. She hangs on to the railings for dear life and wails, “Ajusshi, wait for me!” Pfft, without her vision, she can’t tell that he’s just a teen. He speeds on ahead until he hears her fall, then reluctantly offers to help her up (she accidentally grabs his butt, lol).

Soo-ho ends up piggybacking Joo-kyung down the stairs, and our bumbling heroine attempts to make conversation. She figures that his angry reaction to seeing her on the roof is because he knew someone who had the same thoughts as her and passed away.

He ignores the question and huffs that she’s heavy, which prompts Joo-kyung to give him a shoulder massage to cheer him on. She zips her lips when he warningly says, “Ajumma!” By the time they make it to the ground floor, his legs are quaking and he’s exasperated to learn that the elevator is back in service.

Soo-ho puts Joo-kyung in a taxi and she sincerely tells him that he should cheer up. “The one who died wouldn’t want those they left behind to suffer for too long.” She leaves him with the advice to be happy.

Knowing that Mom will be angry that she lost her new glasses, Joo-kyung suddenly remembers that she left her a voicemail earlier that day. She had thanked Mom for raising her and promised to be born again as a beautiful daughter of hers in their next lives.

Joo-kyung calls Mom urgently, but she doesn’t pick up because she’s busy declaring war at home. Joo-young and his eldest sister IM HEE-KYUNG ( Im Se-mi ) do their best to hold their mother back, but she’s livid that Dad went out and invested in what was clearly a scam. Her legs go flying as she vows to kill him tonight.

By the looks of Soo-ho’s home, he’s well-off and lives alone. He thinks back to when he first spotted Joo-kyung on the roof. In her place, he had imagined the idol Se-yeon smiling back at him. Without hesitation, he’d pulled him to safety, but it was actually Joo-kyung that he saved. After showering, he contemplates Joo-kyung’s parting advice to be happy.

Joo-kyung returns home to see her siblings comforting their mother, who cries, “I’d rather die instead.” Out of context, Joo-kyung dissolves into tears and assumes that this was all her fault. She blubbers that it’s all because she was born ugly, not taking after Dad like Hee-kyung and Joo-young did.

Not reading the room, she cries, “I’m ugly because I take after you!” The Im siblings try to shut her up but she begs for plastic surgery and promises not to die. The siblings drag their sister away before she angers their mom further.

Joo-kyung looks at her short contact list and opens her one-sided conversation with Hye-min, belatedly realizing that she just assumed they were friends. She wishes that she could drop out of school.

Hee-kyung goes out for drinks with Mom and learns that they’re going to have to sell their apartment and move back into their old home to repay the debt Dad incurred. Hee-kyung offers to help out, but Mom insists that she’ll take care of her own husband’s mess.

Joo-kyung updates the forum that she got rejected because she’s ugly. One comment suggests overcoming this with the power of makeup, linking her to a blog post. Joo-kyung lights up and shows up to school the next day turning heads everywhere.

She thinks that it must be because she looks good, but her rosy cheeks, white face, and dark eyeliner causes a ruckus at school for the wrong reasons. The kids snap photos and when she gets home, she nearly gives Mom a heart attack for looking like a ghost.

Joo-kyung begs to transfer schools, ecstatic to hear that it’ll actually happen because they must move back to their old neighborhood. She posts a picture of her makeup on the forum and the users give constructive criticism about what she can improve on.

Using her savings, Joo-kyung goes on a shopping spree and spends her days following makeup tutorials. While there’s a lot of room for improvement (she literally shaves off half an eyebrow, eek!), Joo-kyung works hard day and night until she masters the art of eye makeup.

Soo-ho barges into a manhwa shop and gasps to find that the first page of the book he wanted was ripped out. The shopkeeper figures he can just start on page two, but is quickly pulled in by Soo-ho’s passionate rant. “Do you start with verse two of the national anthem?”

The shopkeeper promises to order a new copy for tomorrow and Soo-ho leaves without another word. The man just grins that the boy hasn’t changed in the past ten years.

The Im family moves back into their old place and on the first day of school, Joo-kyung expertly applies her newly learned techniques, transforming her looks so drastically that her family is stunned silent. She turns heads at her new school and this time, they’re good stares – they gasp that she’s a goddess.

She and Joo-young bicker silently while checking in at the teacher’s office. Her new homeroom teacher HAN JOON-WOO ( Oh Eui-shik ) welcomes her warmly, and they’re interrupted by the loud vice principal who assumes that she’s the student at the top of her class.

One look at her abysmal report card is all it takes for him to turn his attention to Joo-young, but Mr. Han assures Joo-kyung that there’s more to life than good grades. Aw, I like him already. The vice principal’s booming voice announces Soo-ho’s entrance. Looks like they’ll be classmates!

Of course, Joo-kyung doesn’t recognize him but she deems him to be the most handsome person she’s ever seen. Mr. Han tasks a reluctant Soo-ho with escorting Joo-kyung to their classroom.

They’re stopped by another student along the way and Joo-kyung accidentally bumps into Soo-ho, leaving a foundation face print on his jacket. Oops! If it wasn’t obvious before, Soo-ho is quite standoffish and gives the girl three seconds of his time.

The underclassman confesses and gives Soo-ho a gift of macarons imprinted with pictures of him. He smacks the box onto the floor and continues walking to his classroom without another word. He ignores his classmates until they alert him of his dirty jacket. Soo-ho heads back outside to where Joo-kyung is reapplying her foundation, tossing the jacket onto her head.

Mr. Han introduces Joo-kyung to the class, who all accept her with open arms. She realizes that being pretty changes how people treat her. Everyone except Soo-ho, that is. So when she’s assigned the seat next to him, she claims to have poor eyesight and is given the seat behind a bright girl named CHOI SOO-AH ( Kang Min-ah ) instead.

Soo-ah is super outgoing and befriends Joo-kyung immediately after first period, asking for her number. She and another classmate are surprised that Joo-kyung’s not on the app “Stargram,” because they know she’d be popular on it.

KANG SOO-JIN ( Park Yoo-na ) joins them and Soo-ah introduces her as her best friend and the Queen of Saebom High. Soo-jin just smiles when Soo-ah claims that there will be contention for the title with Joo-kyung here now, and apologizes that her chatty friend can be annoying.

During break, Joo-kyung attempts to wash Soo-ho’s jacket but makes it worse. She accidentally flicks water onto him just outside the bathroom and, irritated, he instructs her to toss it out. The other girls witness this and Soo-ah explains that he’s known as the “handsome psychopath.”

Soo-ah links arms with Joo-kyung as they walk down the hall. When dumplings are mentioned, Joo-kyung instinctively offers to buy some but they just wanted her to join them for lunch. Joo-kyung hides her love for horror and heavy metal but shares that she loves spicy food, so they decide to meet for tteokbokki after school to celebrate their friendship.

Joo-kyung learns that Soo-jin is not just a pretty face, but also has the second highest grades in school, after Soo-ho. Soo-ah calls Joo-kyung a pretty girl, but she thinks to herself that it isn’t true.

After sharing tteokbokki, the friends head to an arcade to play games. Aww, they make an effort to pull Joo-kyung into the fun and she really enjoys herself. They end the day with sticker booth photos and Joo-kyung is happy that she now has the one thing she’d always wanted. Friends.

When she gets home, Joo-kyung squeals after being invited to her first ever group chat. She’s touched to see the photos they took today and tells the girls that she made a Stargram account. Joo-young takes some unflattering photos and threatens to show them to their schoolmates.

Joo-kyung successfully gets the phone but can’t unlock it, so she offers to get him a copy of a manhwa and cup ramyun if he deletes it. On her way out, Joo-kyung discovers that she has already racked up a hundred likes on her new Stargram post.

However, a guy reaches for the manhwa before she gets to it and walks away. They fight over the copy of the book and she jumps for it, falling on top of him in the process. She is shocked to see her new classmate Soo-ho, while he recognizes her from the rooftop.

COMMENTS

I feel that the show is well-casted and has managed to build a strong foundation to explain how Joo-kyung turned from Shuttle to Goddess. I’m not sure I love the adaptation based solely on the first episode, but with Moon Ga-young leading, I’m not too worried. I felt frustrated watching her live her life, only to be belittled by everyone else – even her own family. (I love that Dad always looks at her as if she’s the cutest thing in the world, though!)

It’s therefore hard to blame her for thinking that getting plastic surgery or putting on makeup will change her whole life. It’ll make things more bearable for now, but it’ll definitely become exhausting hiding the fact that she’s just a dork who doesn’t care about idols, rocks out to heavy metal, and enjoys a great horror story. The truth is, she doesn’t need to hide those parts of herself to fit in, but Joo-kyung has never really had any friends and is trying her best to have a fresh start. I love how friendly Soo-ah is and the fact that Joo-kyung finally got to experience what it’s like to hang out with friends. I was grinning during that entire scene!

I know there’s some criticism surrounding Cha Eun-woo as an actor, but I didn’t find him to be distracting here. He’s just a typical cold male lead, and I think his acting serves this role just fine as of right now. I guess the issue I have is how mean/stuck-up Soo-ho is written as a character. It’s 2020 and I think it’s about time that we move on from featuring these male leads who treat people poorly because of a tragic/traumatic past…because something clearly happened between him and Se-yeon.

With everything set up after the first episode, I think that the rest of the series could be a fun and mindless watch especially when Hwang In-yub makes his appearance. With how popular the webtoon is, I hope that the adaptation does it justice and adds additional depth. I can only hope that Joo-kyung finds her self-worth in something more than just looking pretty. People often criticize girls for “hiding behind makeup,” but makeup is a skill and a tool. Joo-kyung has put in her time and effort to master this skill and enhance her natural looks. There’s no shame in doing that, especially if it makes her feel confident!

Premiere Watch: True Beauty, Hush, Mr. Queen
High school romance and mishaps in new True Beauty teaser
Moon Ga-young primps and preens for tvN’s True Beauty
First script reading for tvN’s True Beauty with Moon Ga-young, Cha Eun-woo, Hwang In-yub
Cha Eun-woo, Moon Ga-young youth rom-com drama in the works

Tags: Cha Eun-woo , featured2 , first episodes , Hwang In-yub , Jang Hye-jin , Moon Ga-young , Park Yoo-na , True Beauty

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December 14, 2020 at 5:49 PM

Ouhhh this drama speaks to me! I used to be that girl who hid behind a mask of makeup (and ironically, my makeup wasn't that great and I sure didn't learn overnight like Joo-kyung!) and I refused to be anywhere without my makeup. I wasn't called ugly/my experiences were as extreme as hers, but I kind of get the feeling of fitting in better when you are "pretty". Years (and a fortune on makeup) later, I've finally settled into sort of being comfortable in my own skin. Haven't watched this drama proper yet, but am now interested in starting it. Thanks for the recap!

2 seoul_searcher

December 14, 2020 at 6:41 pm.

i love moon ga young in this and find her extremely adorable as the dorky Ju gyeong who loves punk rock music and horror comics. I'm definitely looking forward to Hwang in yeob's entrance in the next episode as the high school bad boy following 18 again. Hopefully he has a nicer personality than the male lead who i still haven't warmed up to just yet.

3 geminirat

December 14, 2020 at 7:35 pm.

Thank you for the recap, @selena . I haven't watched this show yet. I want to, though, because I liked Cha Eun-woo in My ID is Gangnam Beauty. I think he'll be a good pair with Moon Ga-young.

December 14, 2020 at 9:30 PM

This is my kind of fluff. I love how Su-ho likes the real Ju-gyeong who geeks out on horror manhwas. He caught Pimply Ju-gyeong when she fell off the step stool when he just let Goddess Ju-gyeong fall. I predict Su-ho saved her from the melting cake because he overheard Seo-jun mention his helmet, which is why he stepped over her.

Omg, I freaked out at Ju-gyeong's confidentiality agreement because she wrote her name "Lim Ju-gyeong" on it. I expected her to write "Lim Ju-bal," but Su-ho must not have noticed when he signed? With his "exceptional memory," I'm surprised he doesn't remember why she ignored him. She wasn't pretending not to know him; she told him she couldn't see without glasses.

Moon Ga-young's casting is perfect. I'm willing to suspend disbelief that her bare face is ugly because only someone as gorgeous as her would be believable as a goddess. I wanted to cry over Ju-gyeong making friends and all the kids liking her not only for her looks, since she's not faking her personality. I hope Su-jin stays good in this drama unlike her character in the webtoon. Su-jin seems to have feelings for her childhood friend, so I'm anxious about her jealousy when Su-ho falls for Ju-gyeong. Little brother Ju-young is a ticking time bomb, but I pray her bullies don't recognize her.

Cha Eun-woo still can't act, but he IS Lee Su-ho. Literally as the webtoon artist based his character on him, on top of him being a "true beauty." Su-ho piggybacking Ju-gyeong down the stairs may be tropey, but I loled at him getting back at her calling him "ajusshi" by calling her "ajumma" and him figuring out they must be donggap from her lying about her age. I love how he treasures Friend Ju-gyeong's birthday present.

Thanks lots for the first episode recap, @selena !

5 loveblossom🌸

December 14, 2020 at 9:49 pm.

I loveeee Moon Ga Young in this. I was trying to think of the right word to describe this cute & cheesy rom-com. Dated wasn't quite right. Too negative. Then I read stroopwafel's description " Old school " in their WWW post and thought that was a better fit. There are parts that I knew would be unrealistic. Along with that, the tropes, and light, bright colors all added to the manhwa vibe.

The foundation face print was pretty embarrassing. I haven't had anything remotely similar happen in real life, but ugh, I have had problems with foundations slipping off. Depends on skin type, foundation types, if I was too heavy-handed, etc. Trial and error. I'm thinking Joo Kyung is still learning which products will work and perhaps by the end, she'll have focused on her skincare more and using makeup less. She actually made me want to play with makeup a bit more. I've been keeping it real minimal for my workdays.

Joo Kyung hanging out with her new friends was sweet. Made me think of my old high school days and wish I had been more outgoing.

Cha Eun Woo is truly like a cute manhwa character come to life. I haven't seen him act in a long time, maybe once. I'm neutral towards him right now, but his voice was too soft at times.

Overall, Joo Kyung is adorable and kind and I'm excited for her journey. ^^ Thanks for the recap!

December 14, 2020 at 10:05 PM

I wasn't planning on watching it, but I can see it on legal sites and was bored. I actually was really amused. It may be "old school" to an extent, but I think that it is rather self-aware and makes fun of the old-school-ness. It is not as meta as Extraordinary You, but it did not seem to be playing it straight either. If it keeps half laughing at itself, it will be a fun, breezy watch.

December 14, 2020 at 11:01 PM

I was really hoping Cha Eunwoo wouldn’t take up this series because his character is literally the same as in MIGB. Nevertheless I love him. The first episode didn’t seem that great in particular but I am hoping for more character development in the future episodes. On a lighter note, did anyone notice when Jugyeong bakes cookies, they come out of the oven with icing already on it? :D

December 15, 2020 at 4:55 AM

me too but after episode 2 i love cha eun woo character,it has more dialogue and dimension..i feel like su ho was made just for him n cant picture any1 else...i cant wait for ep3

loveblossom🌸

December 15, 2020 at 6:11 am.

Hahaha, I didn't notice that about the cookies. They were cute. What a waste when they were trashed. D;

December 15, 2020 at 12:06 AM

Moon Ga Young is really great in this role, she's so charming and lovely. The suicide scene didn't bother me, I found it very teenager-ish, you think your life is over and then you realize that it's not the case. She's too much clumsy to be realistic.(I don't see anything without my glasses, but stairs are pretty easy to go down because it's always the same).

For the rest of the characters, they're the typical ones in a teenager romance : the cold male leads, the cheerful friend, the intelligent and competent friend. It's kinda like chinese typical teen dramas. But it doesn't bother me, it's just a fun watch.

Extraordinary You was super pretty and I was hoping for the same kind of cinematography. But it doesn't look as beautiful. Mi-chae was a nice touch, tough!

CEW was kinda disapointing. I don't know but I think his voice didn't sound natural. But he clearly has the look for the role!

December 15, 2020 at 2:13 AM

Before COVID I would have agreed that going down the stairs without glasses is quite ok (at least based on my experience) but now when I wear my face mask I actually have trouble climbing down the stairs because I just do not see properly and cannot find a good rhythm for my steps, it is a nightmare. So for me, the stairs scene is not as unrealistic as it used to be.

December 15, 2020 at 4:00 AM

A cheesy drama is what doctor recommended during covid. I am loving it so far. I think Cha Eunwoo has improved a lot. You can see the pain in his eyes when he stopped LJK from jumping. When I started reading the webtoon, I could only imagine him as Lee Suho. I hope they don't make it trashy Love triangle though

December 15, 2020 at 5:02 AM

honestly i love this drama a lot and its my no1 followed by mr queen...i hesitated before ut decided to make my own opinion and i have no regrets i recommend it and i think people who havent read the webtoon like me or with an open mind will enjoy it more. cha eun woo character is waay better and he deserves some credits..he is not cold all the time has different mood especially when he is with the female lead,,i love that he likes her with no makeup and ignores her when she is all made up,this shows that he isnt shallow and our first lesson that make up isnt everything in-terms of attracting attention looking forward to tomorow ep 3...fighting

11 WishfulToki

December 15, 2020 at 5:28 am.

The first episode had a mix of cringe, comedy and tragedy that was hard to digest. I liked the second episode a lot more... All of the posing and strutting through school with loud music reminds me a lot of EXTRAORDINARY YOU. Not surprising because it's the same PD. The second lead is fun to watch because Moon Ga Young upsets his cool ways, like in this scene at the end of Episode 2: https://youtu.be/cbTa9ziON5c

Fans of GOBLIN would have recognised a parody scene in Episode 2 which had me rolling on the floor. Those little absurd moments are what made me stick with this drama. 🤣🤣

Many have pointed out that that rooftop scene turned them off. I can understand that. The bullying and almost suicide was sad to watch, because it does happen in real life. When Moon Ga-young decided she didn't want to die, I felt proud of her... and then the comedy started. It was jarring.

12 hannaehh

December 15, 2020 at 5:41 am.

This drama wasn’t really on my radar, but I watched it because of MGY. I love both version of Ju Gyeong! One thing I’m a bit pissed is at how toxic her relatives are and her mom is beautiful??? She has good skin. Why are they saying her mom’s genes are bad? 😭 I love that Ju Gyeong is so beautiful with make up, but as someone who is kinda obsessed with skincare, I’m mad that she didn’t invest in skincare to at least clear her pimples and her skin won’t like it the heavy make up she puts on everyday. That is kinda give me a bit of horror when I think of the “realistic” side of this drama. I know I shouldn’t think to much on this. 😅

December 15, 2020 at 7:04 AM

Yeah. She does some stuff (face masks? moisturizer?), but doesn’t seem to have a skincare routine or we aren’t shown it yet. On the other hand, skincare can be expensive and takes time. Time to find the right products, time for her skin to renew and acne to clear. She’s still so young. Her family had to deal with a big blow from the father’s debt. No one is helping her with her acne problems.

Blue (@mayhemf)

December 15, 2020 at 12:02 pm.

Actually, I did not quite understand why she was termed 'ugly'. She was called out even when she was young. So it cant be acne. I assumed it was freckles? And then when she grew up it seems like acne. So, it was freaking me out that she was doing makeup on acne prone skin without addressing the problem. I don't think accuracy is what this show is going for, so I didn't think too much ; )

13 Blue (@mayhemf)

I had a lot of issues with the first episode. I didn’t like the whole suicide thing - it was trivialized and a joke was made of the voicemail to mom. And it was never addressed by her family. I especially was disgusted with the way her own family treats her. I can try and get on board with the teen kids bullying because of looks, but her mom looking down on her because of looks was hard to digest. I wish the show was a bit subtle about her issues and complexes. Anyway, I did give episode 2 a shot (way better).

so far I didn’t have issues with CEW. his characters written as a typical cold ML. But why?

*still an errand boy*

December 15, 2020 at 6:29 AM

Since this is just a 1st ep recap, i'll include the 2nd ep in this comment as well Strengths- 1) solid acting by the cast, surprisingly, eunwoo is not really distracting and he is pretty decent when in a scene with MGY. 2) Family dynamics, a family ignorant to her problems while liking each other is quite realistic and also, they seem like a real family with their antics. 3) The personality of the SL is quite amusing and HIY is quite charming tbh, but that is typical of all SL in dramaland.

Weaknesses- 1) Personality of the FL, the FL is pretty dense. She cries, then something happens and then goes back home happily as if nothing happened after whatever happens. It occurs twice during the introduction of the ML and the SL. Also, she fell down at least 5 times in 2 episodes. 2)Personality of the ML, the guy lost someone to su*cide, shouldn't that give him reason to treat others with respect? instead he goes around slapping things from others hands or stepping over someone when he could have gone around them if he really didn't want to help. So just because he covered her face with his jacket to help her out does not make me forget that. 3) I wish they didn't use things like su*cide as plot devices for comedic purposes. 4) other details: - they really need to tone down the BGM, which seems to go on for about 50 min in an episode. -Not sure how makeup can cover things like big pimples, but i'll go along with it. -since they themselves mention this, but can they actually wear that much makeup to school and not get in trouble and even if yes, how are they allowed to change their uniforms like that and wear whatever they want? Its definitely not a big deal, but it is quite distracting when I start thinking about that instead of following the storyline.

December 17, 2020 at 12:34 PM

A couple of things. Apparently makeup can cover um acne -- there was one of those makeup youtubers who showed her unmade face and it was quite different.

The other thing is about their uniforms is that maybe out in the boonies their school is more lax with uniforms, as I know bout Ju Kyung, Soojin and Soo ah have different neckwear.

December 15, 2020 at 10:01 AM

Quite enjoying this drama so far. Just a typical high school drama. MGY is adorable, CEW is okay and HIY looks cute. They match the webtoon characters well. I'm more interested with Jukyung growth and her girl friends though. Their tteokpokki outings looks really fun and i hope their friendship keep going like this.

16 Miss_elly

December 15, 2020 at 2:06 pm.

I’m torn in regards to this drama. The casting was very well done and I feel the actors really portray the characters well. Its a mix of cringe, humour and fun. A fluffy drama to watch on dark winter nights. And in that respect I am enjoying it. That said, I’m an avid fan of the WEBTOON. And so far the adaption is extremely different ( which is not in its self bad) I’m trying to keep an open mind, but I think some people who have read the comic, like my self, may have trouble reconciling what we know happens and what is happening in the drama. I do hope they will do it justice but depending on how it ends, there will be angry fans on both ends. We can only wait and see

December 15, 2020 at 2:33 PM

As someone who is usually an avid fan of the "original" and more cautious about adaptations, I totally understand your concerns. So far, though, I feel like every change has been for the better when it comes to characterization or relationship foundations - but we'll have to see how things shake out.

Mad_Missile

December 16, 2020 at 1:22 pm.

I have to agree with you. I didn’t think the drama could be better than the webtoon, but with the additional narratives and scenes it’s been amazing so far. Having said that, when some of the webtoon scenes come on screen I literally have goosebumps because it’s the exact depiction. They couldn’t have cast a more perfect group of people to bring this webtoon to life.

December 17, 2020 at 5:32 PM

I'm torn too. I have been reading the webtoon since it started, and I didn't like any of the changes made here. It's as if the writers cranked up every plot point, making it pretty slap-sticky. The bullying was so much more intense! The family so much crazier. And suicide attempt as meet-cute? Their original meeting in the comic book store was so sweet and real. And I have no words for Seojun's first appearance on the scene, except, perhaps, for "too much."

That said, when I put the original out of my mind and just watched the first 2 episodes on their own merit rather than an adaptation of a story and characters I know and love, I actually really enjoyed it. Your description above was perfect: "a mix of cringe, humor and fun." I'm looking forward to episode 3. And I'm hoping the show stays cute and succeeds.

17 kangminjae

December 15, 2020 at 2:26 pm.

I am really happy with the change to Suho and Jugyeong's first meeting, becaue I think it gives him a strong reason to feel connected to Jugyeong and feel compassion for her, which helps lower his very high iron walls. Moon Gayoung is always a gem, and I thought she brought a lovely pathos to Jugyeong's dilemma even as she was hilarious. Her family is also great background - they're not cruel, but they don't get what she's going through either. Eunwoo has definitely improved since MIIGB, and I think he channeled Suho's barely repressed anger and pain very well this episode. Finally, ever since I read the webtoon, I just knew Chani would be the perfect Seyeon. But seeing him up on that roof, hearing his OST, and watching Suho relive it... PAIN. Anyway, I'm excited to have recaps of the series!

December 15, 2020 at 4:29 PM

I like it so far. It's a typical manga/webtoon type drama with tsundere male lead but I find Moon Ga Young so adorable in this so I'm sticking around for sure. Cha Eun Woo isn't bad...he's just playing the exact same character from My ID is Gangnam Beauty...so it shouldn't be too challenging for him to play.

December 16, 2020 at 10:09 AM

A kind of! my kind of KD is finally here after a very long time. I already fall for all of them :) Her parents , her siblings , the classmates , the main leads they are all adorable. Just what I need that looong Christmas -Corona holiday season :)

20 Katarzyna

December 16, 2020 at 4:22 pm.

I am so inlove in this drama. It is my stress reliever since I don't wanna watch heavy and problematic drama. True Beauty is such fresh air to breathe each ep so far were so funny and heart warming. And Cha Eunwoo just looking at him can't help but made me smile all the time.

December 17, 2020 at 12:28 PM

I watched episode 3 yesterday. Some of the elements remind me of previous rom/coms, where the FL is a slave to the ML. But this show seems to execute things in a more funny way. I think that somehow this show is related to Extraordinary You, which was both funny and incredibly sarcastic, which I loved. I look forward to watching episode 4 tonight :)

22 Hyeri Lee

December 17, 2020 at 5:59 pm.

I swear every. single. wednesday. morning. i'll wake up and watch the trailer and download the eps and watch it right away. I am seriously addicted to Cha Eun Woo and Hwang In Yub, and after watching Welcome to Waikiki 2 I am seriously love Moong Ga Young. No more words except to say that this drama is *mwah* amazing

December 18, 2020 at 6:17 AM

I like this drama because high school was a mess for me trying to fit in. By some cruel twist of fate i was in a popular group in early highschool because all the transferees from my middle school were popular. I hated it. They were all rich, beautiful and super mean.

I got out of it early on. Learning to find my way into a group who liked me the way i am. Of course as we grow older we only keep few of those, but i was able to find my tribe. Its hard to make friends in highschool. Kids are mean. Well so are adults but at least i got a fighting chance by then.

December 20, 2020 at 11:31 AM

Thanks for the recap! Very happy to see her finally make friends at her new school. I was hoping that the mother would listen to that voicemail later on and figure out what her daughter was going through. It's so sad to think she is bullied at home and school for her looks. I'm interested to see how this drama would end, part of the reason I dropped the webtoon was because of the love triangle.

25 Seoul_kai

January 12, 2021 at 1:12 pm.

Drama so cool i love drama so beautiful🥰

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Loved True Beauty? Here Are 10 KDramas You Will Also Like

In a world where appearances often dictate first impressions, ‘True Beauty’ unveils a captivating journey transcending the surface. Adapted from Yaongyi’s acclaimed Line Webtoon, ‘True Beauty’ revolves around a teenage girl navigating the trials of high school. Written by Lee Si-eun and directed by Kim Sang-hyeop, nestled within the bustling streets of Seoul, this Korean drama series unfolds with a delicate blend of humor, heartache, and self-discovery. The focal point of this series is Lim Ju-kyung, a high school student who has grappled with insecurities about her looks from an early age. She adopts an intricate makeup routine to mask her natural face, ultimately transforming her appearance.

Ju-kyung’s remarkable makeup expertise not only accentuates her beauty but also convinces others that her meticulously crafted facade is her unaltered visage. Among her acquaintances are Lee Su-ho, a reserved yet affluent fellow student, and Han Seo-jun, a spirited and talented individual with an assertive demeanor. The narrative unfurls through Ju-kyung’s daily pursuits and aspirations of realizing her dream of becoming a cosmetologist. If you enjoyed watching ‘True Beauty’ and your hunger for similar stories remains unquenched, there’s a treasure trove of other similar KDramas waiting for your attention.

10. Love Alarm (2019-2021)

Adapted from Chon Kye-young’s eponymous Daum webtoon and brought to life by the creative mind of Jiyoung Park, ‘ Love Alarm ‘ delves into the complex existence of a high school girl. The narrative orbits a technological innovation that unlocks the door to love. Through a specialized app, users are alerted when another individual harboring romantic sentiments comes within a 10-meter radius, ushering them into newfound connections and emotions. Both ‘True Beauty’ and ‘Love Alarm’ explore the complexities of modern teenage relationships in a technologically-driven world, unveiling the intricate dance between self-perception and romantic connections.

9. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’ is a South Korean TV series scripted by Jo Yong and directed by Park Shin-woo. The storyline follows Ko Moon-young, an introverted author of children’s books, as she returns to her birthplace in pursuit of her affection for Moon Gang-tae. He is a caregiver at a psychiatric ward devoted to his older brother Moon Sang-tae who has autism. Within the realm of romance on South Korean Netflix, it stands as one of the most beloved shows. In both ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay’ and ‘True Beauty,’ the central theme of self-acceptance shines through as characters navigate personal journeys of embracing authenticity amidst societal pressures.

8. Extraordinary You (2019)

‘Extraordinary You’ is a 2019 South Korean TV series developed by Kim Dae-jin. It draws inspiration from the webtoon ‘July Found by Chance’ and follows Eun Dan-oh (Kim Hye-yoon), a high school student in an esteemed academy. She stumbles upon the revelation that her reality is a comic fantasy, where everyone, including herself, is a character controlled by the all-knowing Writer.

Trapped as an extra character, Dan-oh is tied to a less-than-ideal script: engaged to her uninterested crush and facing a heart ailment destined to end her life soon. ‘Extraordinary You’ and ‘True Beauty’ share a common theme of characters challenging societal norms and striving to define their identities uniquely, making it ideal to watch next.

7. Shadow Beauty (2021)

Directed by Bang Soo-In, ‘Shadow Beauty’ is a South Korean series adapted from Ahum’s acclaimed webtoon of the same name. Due to her appearance, Goo Ae Jin faces bullying at school and scorn from strangers. Beyond the struggles, she leads a secret life where she is a social media sensation with 770k followers, achieved through meticulous makeup and extensive photo editing. Like ‘True Beauty,’ ‘Shadow Beauty’ explores the transformative power of appearance, delving into the complexities of identity, self-acceptance, and the dichotomy between public image and personal reality.

6. Boys Over Flowers (2009)

‘Boys Over Flowers’ is a South Korean TV series adapted from the Japanese Manga series of the same name under the direction of Jeon Ki-sang. The show revolves around a working-class girl whose path becomes entwined with a clique of affluent boys in her prestigious high school. Often hailed as a trailblazer in Korean high school dramas, the series has played a pivotal role in expanding the reach of the Korean Wave. Similar to ‘True Beauty,’ ‘Boys Over Flowers’ dives into the intricacies of high school life, unveiling the complexities of relationships, class divides, and individual maturation within the context of youthful adventures.

5. She Was Pretty (2015)

Directed by Jung Dae-yoon, ‘She Was Pretty’ is a romantic comedy series inspired by actual events. The narrative follows two former acquaintances who reunite amidst a whirlwind of role reversals and transformations, all unfolding within the bustling confines of a fashion magazine’s editorial office. Bearing striking similarities to ‘True Beauty,’ both dramas showcase protagonists experiencing remarkable physical changes while delving into themes of self-perception, love, and individual growth within the intricate landscape of romantic relationships. In a manner closely mirroring one another, both dramas depict the main characters experiencing profound physical and internal transformations.

4. Hi! School: Love On (2014)

Helmed by Sung Joon-hae and Lee Eun-mi, ‘Hi! School: Love On’ presents a teen fantasy romance following an angel’s transition to human life after a chance rescue of a male student. As a mortal, the angel embarks on interactions with high school peers, uncovering the intricacies of love, camaraderie, and the human journey. Set against a high school backdrop, much like ‘True Beauty,’ ‘Hi! School: Love On’ depicts extraordinary characters navigating mundane high school lives, exploring love, friendship, and the essence of humanity amidst transformative journeys.

3. Cheese in the Trap (2016)

‘Cheese in the Trap’ is a South Korean TV series helmed by Lee Yoon-jung, adapted from the eponymous webtoon. The narrative spotlights a cluster of university students, centralizing around the intricate dynamic between diligent scholarship student Hong Seol (Kim Go-eun) and the deceitful senior Yoo Jung (Park Hae-jin). Both ‘Cheese in the Trap’ and ‘True Beauty’ intricately dissect the intertwined relationships and self-discovery within academic realms, diving into the labyrinth of youthful love and personal identity.

2. Oh My Venus (2015)

Directed by Kim Hyung-suk, ‘Oh My Venus’ is a South Korean TV series starring So Ji-sub and Shin Min-a. It follows Kang Joo Eun (Shin Min Ah), a former high school beauty turned lawyer seeking transformation with the help of personal trainer Kim Yeong Ho (So Ji Sub), aiming to regain her physical shape and self-assurance. Set against the backdrop of romance and growth, both ‘Oh My Venus’ and ‘True Beauty’ focus on personal transformations, with characters seeking self-improvement and rediscovery of confidence.

1. Gangnam Beauty (2018)

Topping this list is ‘Gangnam Beauty,’ which finds its origins in the webtoon ‘My ID Is Gangnam Beauty’ by Gi Maeng-gi. The plot follows Kang Mi-rae, who opts for plastic surgery after years of bullying. Her initial rebirth turns sour in university as the pressure of attractiveness takes a toll, leading her to confront self-esteem issues. Amidst this, Mi-rae reconnects with middle school classmate Do Kyung-seok, revealing his complex personality, which includes coldness to others and warmth towards his sister Do Kyung-hee.

‘Gangnam Beauty’ and ‘True Beauty’ are K-dramas that intricately explore protagonists who undergo visual transformations to align with societal beauty norms. These shows highlight the emotional turmoil and societal pressures entwined in such changes, earning acclaim for addressing pertinent South Korean societal concerns, notably the pervasive beauty standards and biases tied to physical appearance.

True Beauty (2020) Episode 1 English sub on Myasiantv

List episode.

True Beauty (2020) Episode 16

True beauty (2020) episode 15, true beauty (2020) episode 14, true beauty (2020) episode 13, true beauty (2020) episode 12, true beauty (2020) episode 11, true beauty (2020) episode 10, true beauty (2020) episode 9, true beauty (2020) episode 8, true beauty (2020) episode 7, true beauty (2020) episode 6, true beauty (2020) episode 5, true beauty (2020) episode 4, true beauty (2020) episode 3, true beauty (2020) episode 2, true beauty (2020) episode 1.

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Beauty and Mr. Romantic (2024) Episode 18

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Best Bromances in K-Dramas: Ahn Hyo-Seop & Kim Min-Gue in Business Proposal, Cha Eun-Woo & Hwang In-Youp in True Beauty & More

By Ankita Mukherjee

Every K-drama shows different characters and their different relationship dynamics. Be it a mother-son, brother-sister, sisterhood, or teacher-student bond. However, amid these, a bromance makes the actors flaunt a beautiful friendship wrapped in brotherhood.

Not always, but often, the audience enjoys a bromance between two male lead actors in the K-dramas. While they bicker most of the time, they never leave each other in a problem and always have each other’s backs.

From Business Proposal to True Beauty and now in the recently launched drama Lovely Runner, we see bromances. Here’s a list of actors who exude bromance in K-dramas. Read on.

Business Proposal: Ahn Hyo-Seop and Kim Min-Gue

In Business Proposal , Ahn Hyo-Seop plays Kang Tae-Moo, the chaebol heir and the CEO of their company. His secretary-cum-brother, Cha Sung-Hoon’s (Kim Min-Gue) relationship dynamic is something to look forward to. While they disagree and bicker on many things, they never leave each other in the dirt. The funny scenes and their bromance in the K-drama are worth watching.

Stream it on Netflix.

True Beauty: Cha Eun-Woo and Hwang In-Youp

In True Beauty , Cha Eun-Woo plays Lee Su-Ho, and Hwang In-Youp portrays Han Seo-Jun. Once best friends, they drift apart because of some issues. But they get into a love triangle situation after a new girl, Lim Ju-Geong (Moon Ga-Young), enters their school.

Both show interest in the girl, while she only looks out for Su-Ho. However, in the drama, the two male lead actors exude the perfect bromance, along with some fighting.

Watch the drama on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Lovely Runner: Byeon Woo-Seok and Lee Seung-Hyub

The recently released drama Lovely Runner features a cute bromance between Byeon Woo-Seok, who plays Ryu Sun-Jae, and Lee Seung-Hyub, who portrays Baek In-Hyuk. The time-slip drama shows their friendship in their school and college lives and expands decades later in 2023 as well.

From helping Sun-Jae express his feelings for Im Sol (Kim Hye-Yoon) to living in his apartment years later, the series shows how much comfort they share. The cute bromance is very endearing to watch.

Enjoy Lovely Runner every Monday and Tuesday on tvN and Viki.

Goblin: Gong Yoo and Lee Dong-Wook

The title of the best bromance in K-dramas should go to Gong Yoo and Lee Dong-Wook for their outstanding performances as Goblin and Grim Reaper. They showed the true meaning of bromance.

Not being able to stand together to help each other in need and feeling the loss of their disappearance will tug at your heartstrings. Their scenes are way too funny to make you laugh and too emotional to make you cry.

Watch Guardian: The Lonely and Great God on Netflix.

Descendants of the Sun: Song Joong-Ki and Jin Goo

Song Joong-Ki plays Yoo Shi-Jin, and Jin Goo plays Seo Dae-Young in Descendants of the Sun. The drama shows their strong bond throughout, from being best friends to each other’s confidants. When they are not on missions, their scenes often lead to pranking or poking fun at each other. The two lead actors exude the perfect chemistry and bromance onscreen.

Watch the drama on Netflix.

These are a few among a huge list of actors who portrayed perfect bromance in their K-dramas.

An absolute movie buff and K-drama fanatic who dreams to interview big stars and review elite fashion shows!

IMAGES

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COMMENTS

All the Important Lessons We Learned from "True Beauty"
With that said, here are a few things about self-love that we took away from True Beauty: 1. At the end of the day, inner beauty is what really matters. While True Beauty may have peddled your stereotypical Ugly Duckling story, it reminded us of why Ju-gyeong was so beloved by her friends and family in the first place: it was her kindness ...
K-Drama Review: "True Beauty" Reflects On Youth Problems While Fondly
True Beauty Series Musings. Considering my schedule, True Beauty is one of the three dramas I religiously watch weekly because of its upbeat vibe. Conceived with sound perception in avoiding youth romance drama clichés, it can be enjoyed by particularly picky watchers who hate the usual negative and annoying elements of school-set youth series.
K-Drama Review: "True Beauty" Reflects On Youth Problems ...
True Beauty Plot Summary. Living as a school outcast and a favorite minion of school bullies in her class, Im Ju-kyung (Moon Ga Young) blames her flawed face for what she thinks to be an ...
First Impressions: 5 Reasons Why "True Beauty" Is The Drama ...
Despite this, the series does a great job of drawing viewers in to the story of Ju Gyeong and her road to fitting in and finding acceptance within herself. 3. The boys. There are many reasons why ...
True Beauty Korean Drama Review
True Beauty Korean Drama Review. True Beauty is a romantic comedy about a high school girl (Moon Ga Young) who goes to great lengths to never be caught without makeup on and the only guy (Cha Eun Woo) who has seen her bare face. Moon Ga Young plays Lim Joo Gyung. She was made fun of and bullied because of her looks which eventually led her to ...
An Honest Review Of 'True Beauty'
1. The pure light-hearted fun. This drama is perfect for destressing. Each character has their own quirks and funny moments without taking away the personal burdens they also carry. The humor is very manhwa-style (usually in Ju Kyung's perspective) with visual effects adding to the hilarity of the scene.
True Beauty (2020)
Reviews: 406 users. "True Beauty" is a romantic comedy about a high school girl, Lim Ju Gyeong, who rises to pretty girl fame after she masters the art of make-up from YouTube. She turns into a goddess because of her makeup skills, but would rather die than reveal her bare face to anyone. It tells her love story with the only boy that saw her ...
True Beauty (2020)
True Beauty: Episodes 15-16 Open Thread (Final) by missvictrix. In its final week, True Beauty throws us a few curveballs along the lines of noble idiocy, fan service, and some manufactured drama. But, since the real substance of our... Tags: Cha Eun-woo, Hwang In-yub, Jang Hye-jin, Moon Ga-young, Park Yoo-na, True Beauty
True Beauty
Verdict - 7.5/10. 7.5/10. It does pale in comparison to Extraordinary You, season 1 of True Beauty is an extraordinarily sweet Korean drama that should appease fans looking for a light romcom.
True Beauty
The True Beauty drama is based on a long-running Webtoon that goes by the name "The Secret of Angel (True Beauty)", penned by Yaongyi. Now adapted into a full-fledged Korean Drama that stars a stellar cast that includes K-pop Idol Cha Eun Woo amongst other popular celebrities, fans of the Webtoon The Secret of Angel have something to look ...
First script reading for tvN's True Beauty with Moon Ga ...
New stills have been released featuring the cast of tvN's new rom-com True Beauty, who recently gathered for the drama's first script reading. Based on a popular webtoon by the same title, the drama stars Moon Ga-young (Find Me in Your Memory) as a high school student named Im Joo-kyung. She has a bright and affectionate … Continue reading "First script reading for tvN's True Beauty ...
True Beauty
FA May 18 2021 2:45 pm Like this drama ( True Beauty ) i watch this drama because of hwang in yeop ( Seo-Joon ) He is the best Actor . in the morning i was wake up and i saw my sister was watching true beauty first episode and then when my sister watched True beauty ep 2 she was going crazy beacuse she saw hwang in yeop ( seo- joon ) in True ...
True Beauty: Episode 1 » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps
tvN's adaptation of popular webtoon True Beauty is finally here! Living in a world obsessed with beauty, our heroine learns first-hand how harsh people can be when you don't fit the societal standards. After being humiliated, she decides to change her life by learning a new skill and starting fresh. Note: This is a first episode recap only.
True Beauty
The Happy Ending. Episode 16 of True Beauty begins with Ju-Kyung pulling away from her hug with Seo-Joon and apologizing. As Seo-Joon walks away, he bumps into Soo-Ho and the two head out drinking together. They discuss Seo-Joon's date before the two boys stumble home drunk. The next day Seo-Joon breaks the news to Ju-Kyung that Soo-Ho is ...
True Beauty
Dumpling. We begin episode 1 of True Beauty with a look at Ju-Kyung through the years as her parents comment on how ugly she is after adopting her Mother's genes. As a child, Ju-Kyung watches cartoons and longs to transform herself into a fairy. Sadly, the other kids just squirt water pistols at her and bully her about her looks.
Everything You Need to Know About "True Beauty," the New K-Drama
Here's everything you need to know about the highly anticipated K-drama "True Beauty": 1. It has pretty impressive leads. This romantic comedy stars Moon Ga Young, best known for her work on Tempted, Welcome to Waikiki 2, and Find Me in Your Memory. Opposite the actress is Astro 's Cha Eun Woo who shot to fame for his main role on the 2018 ...
True Beauty (South Korean TV series)
True Beauty (Korean: 여신강림) is a South Korean television series starring Moon Ga-young, Cha Eun-woo, Hwang In-youp, and Park Yoo-na.Based on the Line Webtoon of the same name by Yaongyi, it centers on a high school girl who, after being bullied and discriminated against because of being perceived as ugly, masters the art of makeup to transform herself into a gorgeous "goddess".
True Beauty
We begin episode 7 of True Beauty with Han Joon-Woo arriving at work glowing after his kiss with Hee-Kyung. As he enters the teacher's office, he finds all the karaoke kids being punished for the brawl that happened the previous night. That is, until Seo-Joon and Ju-Kyung arrive and tell him they're also to blame… along with Soo-Ho and ...
Loved True Beauty? Here Are 10 KDramas You Will Also Like
If you enjoyed watching 'True Beauty' and your hunger for similar stories remains unquenched, there's a treasure trove of other similar KDramas waiting for your attention. 10. Love Alarm (2019-2021) Adapted from Chon Kye-young's eponymous Daum webtoon and brought to life by the creative mind of Jiyoung Park, ' Love Alarm ' delves ...
Watch True Beauty
Formerly bullied, a teen masters the art of makeup and becomes a knockout at her new school — but keeping up appearances is harder than it seems. Watch trailers & learn more.
True Beauty (2020) Episode 1 English sub on Myasiantv
Watch True Beauty (2020) Episode 1 English Subbed on Myasiantv, <p>Im Joo Kyung is a high schooler who is upbeat and positive about most things - except for her appearance! She hates the idea of being seen in public without makeup, but fortunately has become a self-taught makeup expert, with a little help from a plethora of internet video tutorials. What she has learned online has ...
True Beauty
The Love Triangle Returns. Episode 15 of True Beauty begins with Soo-Ho arriving to see his Father, who's currently in a critical condition in hospital. He apologizes to Soo-Ho, doing his best to breathlessly say the words he's been meaning to say for a while. He admits he wasn't sure he'd get another chance, as Soo-Ho does his best to ...
Business Proposal: Ahn Hyo-Seop and Kim Min-Gue
In True Beauty, Cha Eun-Woo plays Lee Su-Ho, and Hwang In-Youp portrays Han Seo-Jun. Once best friends, they drift apart because of some issues. But they get into a love triangle situation after a ...
True Beauty
Green With Envy. Jealous Soo-Jin begins episode 12 of True Beauty determined to win Soo-Ho over. As she leaves, Soo-Jin heads back home and is immediately slapped in the face by her Father for being late. Hurrying into her room, she shuts the door and holds it as her Father pounds on the other side.

K-Drama Review: “True Beauty” Reflects On Youth Problems While Fondly Navigating The Joys & Pains Of Being Young

Every episode of True Beauty will really push you to be “in the mood for dancing”!

True Beauty Plot Summary

True Beauty Series Highlights

Endearing Love Pairing

Meaningful Messages About Youth Problems

Notable Scene Stealers

True Beauty Series Musings

True Beauty Drama Quotes

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K-Drama Review: “True Beauty” Reflects On Youth Problems While Fondly Navigating The Joys & Pains Of Being Young

True Beauty Plot Summary

True Beauty Peak Points

Endearing Love Pairing

Meaningful Messages About Youth Problems

Notable Scene Stealers

True Beauty Series Afterthoughts

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First Impressions: 5 Reasons Why "True Beauty" Is The Drama You Didn't Know You Needed

1. The production value

2. The storyline

3. The boys

4. The girl

5. The humor

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True Beauty

True Beauty: Episode 1

December 14, 2020 at 5:49 PM

2 seoul_searcher

3 geminirat

December 14, 2020 at 9:30 PM

5 loveblossom🌸

December 14, 2020 at 10:05 PM

December 14, 2020 at 11:01 PM

December 15, 2020 at 4:55 AM

loveblossom🌸

December 15, 2020 at 12:06 AM

December 15, 2020 at 2:13 AM

December 15, 2020 at 4:00 AM

December 15, 2020 at 5:02 AM

11 WishfulToki

12 hannaehh

December 15, 2020 at 7:04 AM

Blue (@mayhemf)

13 Blue (@mayhemf)

December 15, 2020 at 6:29 AM

December 17, 2020 at 12:34 PM

December 15, 2020 at 10:01 AM

16 Miss_elly

December 15, 2020 at 2:33 PM

Mad_Missile

December 17, 2020 at 5:32 PM

17 kangminjae

December 15, 2020 at 4:29 PM

December 16, 2020 at 10:09 AM

20 Katarzyna

December 17, 2020 at 12:28 PM

22 Hyeri Lee