ENA’s K-Drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo was a bonafide international sensation among K-Drama fans. But it wasn’t without its fair share of controversies — The biggest being the love line between Choi Soo Yeon and Kwon Min Woo.
Throughout much of the drama, the two characters played polar opposites and often clashed over the other’s treatment of Woo Young Woo. As the drama’s popularity grew, the character’s duality was eventually championed by Korean viewers who were on the opposite end of the political spectrum.
Choi Soo Yeon was seen as a champion of progressive politics, whereas Kwon Min Woo was seen as a staunch representation of Korea’s establishment and those reaping the benefits from the country’s current status quo.
With such vitriol between the factions of fans, many viewers were dismayed to find the drama’s two characters doing the unthinkable and falling in love.
Viewers voiced their opposition to the love line, saying it felt forced. Many viewers couldn’t understand why Choi Soo Yeon, a smart, beautiful daughter of one of Korea’s most elite families, would fall for Kwon Min Woo. Kwon Min Woo, until then, was portrayed in a light more fitting of a toddler than a lawyer working in Korea’s second most powerful law firm.
- “Yesterday’s episode made me wonder if the same writer wrote it. I paid for Netflix to watch the show, don’t ruin the story like this.”
- “Kwon-Technician seems he is about to hit to lotto. Soo Yeon is like sunshine on a spring day, who is both beautiful, kind, and comes from a good family. I guess she doesn’t have an eye for men, though.”
- “What is the writer doing all of a sudden? Breaking up Woo Young Woo, then setting up Kwon-Technician, and then giving Jung Myung Suk an illness?
- “Please don’t disappoint me today. I will be watching the live episode.”
- “Young Woo has Lee Jun Ho, but why is Soo Yeon with Kwon Min Woo? What is wrong with our Soo Yeon!!!”
- “Seriously, the writer is making this story out to be quite disappointing.”
- “You barely imitate a law drama, and now you’re forcing it to be a romance drama? I have nothing to say.”
Well, the writer of the drama, Moon Ji Won, has finally let down her veil of silence to explain why it was inevitable that the two would fall in love.
In an interview with film magazine Cine 21, the writer states that the two were always meant for one another and blamed herself for not making that come across to viewers.
If you look around, there are people who seem perfect but fall for someone that makes you scratch your head. Because Soo Yeon’s positives were highlighted so well, I wrote in her faults when it comes to dating. Because of my shortcomings, I couldn’t make their love as convincing to the viewers. I should have been much more careful when making changes to the subplot, but because of my inexperience, I think viewers thought the plot was making a sudden curve and felt their romance wasn’t as natural.
— Moon Ji Won
The writer also explained that she didn’t want Kwon Min Woo to be the only one left out of the happy ending and that rather than make him a villain until the end, she used romance as a chance to redeem the character.
I was hesitant to give everyone a happy ending but him. So, rather than make him the lone villain, I chose an ending where he makes a practical choice. To be honest, the character doesn’t change 180 degrees. Rather than change, he makes a choice. When in love, people often want to become better people, so I had him fall in love to redeem his character. I received so much criticism for this choice.
— Moon Ji Won
What are your thoughts after hearing the writer’s explanation? Have you come around to blessing their relationship? Or have you been team Min-Soo from the beginning?
