Now this is a big surprise for me. I never thought that I would be able to go past 30 minutes of this drama, but Temptation‘s first episode did it for me. The promo materials all scream melo from a distance but I am tempted by the beauty. Just look at the gorgeous leads.

I find the first episode decent and enjoyable but one might have to leave his /her brain outside the door before starting this one. As for me, mine is still asleep when I watch the episode. Lucky me?

Episode 1

The four leads arrive at the airport at the same time, although they’re riding different modes of transport: Cha Suk-hoon (Kwon Sang-woo) and his wife Na Hong-joo (Park Ha-sun) with the airport bus while Yoo Se-young (Choi Ji-woo) and Kang Min-woo (Lee Jung-jin) with their respective expensive cars. They all board the same plane and Se-young isn’t too thrilled to see Min-woo there (I’m not sure if she’s really thinking of stopping the plane or just kidding). The plane is bound for Hong Kong and the quartet have their own reasons. Se-young is traveling for her business but there’s something else weighing on her mind: she might not be able to have children because of a cyst in her uterus. I think it’s worth mentioning that she’s still single.

Suk-hoon and Hong-joo seem happy on their journey there, but the reality isn’t that beautiful: Suk-hoon’s company is dealing with embezzlement thanks to his business partner and they’re on the verge of bankruptcy. They’re going to Kong Kong since the partner suddenly contacts Suk-hoon, asking him to come over and bring Hong-joo along to have fun. Oooo…kay. Oh, and Suk-hoon seems to recognize Se-young too. As for Min-woo, he recently had his third daughter and his mother is bitching complaining about it since his family lacks male heirs. His wife Han Ji-sun (Yoon Ah-jung) tells him that she won’t be able to conceive anymore but his mother insists on getting her to try again one more time (urgh, what a monstrous MIL). He’s going to Hong Kong after receiving a brochure of a bar from someone.

Se-young and Min-woo seems to be rivals in business since she finds out that he’s at Hong Kong not because of the hotel she’s trying to get her hands on. Meanwhile, Suk-hoon’s dearest friend is nowhere to be seen at the airport although the guy promised to pick him up and he heads down to the friend’s house. The neighbour tells Suk-hoon and Hong-joo to go to the police station and they find out why: that friend has committed suicide. He left several things behind for Suk-hoon, including a note apologizing to him because he couldn’t find the money needed to revive their company.

Min-woo goes straight to the bar: Moon River Bar, where he reminisces the time he spent there with his (secret?) girlfriend, Jenny (Miss A’s Fei). She sings at the bar and their rendezvous seem to happen for quite some time already. He asks Jenny’s friend about her but he finds out that the poor girl has passed away due to breast cancer. That friend also thinks that Min-woo should meet someone who stayed beside Jenny during her last moments on Earth: their son, Roy. Well, at least Min-woo’s got a son now. He goes back to the hotel and runs into Se-young, who’s sending off the hotel investors. Spending some time with Min-woo is probably the last thing she has on her mind but Se-young becomes interested when he mentions about a valuable information regarding the hotel owner.

Suk-hoon and Hong-joo are still moping over the sudden turn of events on the beach, sighing that they won’t be able to recover easily from the blow: not just losing money, Suk-hoon might be jailed as a result of the embezzlement. Yikes. He promises that he won’t let Hong-joo’s father loses his house too (since that’s the thing she’s most scared at the moment..oh wait, second thing, since she hates the thought of sending Suk-hoon to jail). Lucky for them, the friend left something in a sock: a money roll of medium thickness, like an early Christmas present! Instead of saving the money, Hong-joo decides to do what the friend suggested: stay at the best hotel, eat the most expensive food, and go shopping. Live the dream before facing the ugly truth back in Korea.

Min-woo is (half-)bragging about the son he recently got but Se-young is not interested in hearing such thing. She suggests that he pays a hefty amount of money to the guardian and stay out of it. Cold response but Min-woo knows that’s the reason why he ran away before, when he was trying to woo her. So, were they an item back then? Ohhhh. She takes her leave and Min-woo gives her one wise advice:

“Life is like a multiplication table. No matter what kind of man or love you have, if you’re a zero, then there will be no product at all.”

Hong-joo calls home but keeps the whole thing a secret from her family: brother Na Hong-kyu (Lee Jung-shin) and father Na Shi-chan (Choi Il-hwa). She sees the list of debts made by Suk-hoon and she makes up her mind about something. The next day, they decide to go sightseeing around the city. Suk-hoon sees Se-young on their way out but he doesn’t tell Hong-joo anything. They look so happy, and the food makes me hungry. Hong-joo keeps staring at a pair of glittery shoes but sadly, the shoes are already reserved by someone. Suk-hoon goes pleading the staff…and he lies that Hong-joo is dying. LOL. The staff tells Hong-joo not to give up, to the clueless woman’s surprise. HAHAHA! Well, he’s technically right since that shoes might be the last pair she can afford to buy.

Min-woo goes to meet his son Roy for the first time and the boy (hey, it’s Seo Eun-gi’s brother in Nice Guy!) turns out to be decent in Korean. Min-woo is glad to see Roy (he has me in stitches at “I am your father.”) and apologizes that he comes a little too late. He brings Roy together with him. As for Suk-hoon and Hong-joo, they go to a lavish restaurant, where Se-young is dealing with the hotel owner who turns out to be someone doing shady investments behind the hotel business. The owner drops down in shock when Se-young is about to leave. Hong-joo and Suk-hoon approach the crowd witnessing the incident and Hong-joo offers her help since she’s a nurse. Suk-hoon assists her (Hehe, Kwon Sang-woo was a doctor in his last drama) and Se-young finally gets a proper glimpse of his face. He actually went for an interview at her company before and she recognizes him. The situation is resolved and Se-young takes her leave. She goes to the store and finds out that the shoes she reserved had been bought by someone else. Se-young remarks that it is indeed a strange day for her.

Roy is brought to the hotel and Min-woo buys so many things for him, but the boy prefers the crayon and the drawing block over the video games. The boy’s tummy starts grumbling and Min-woo chuckles, happy to give his son a spaghetti treat. Roy begins to loosen up a bit, smiling at him but Min-woo receives a call from his wife. He lies to her (I think this is a common occurrence), saying that he’s meeting with clients. His little daughters Yoon-ah and Song-ah ask for presents while Ji-sun wants him to explain her situation to his mother. Even with the complicated issue in his life, Min-woo is still capable of being distracted by Hong-joo when she’s entering the restaurant. I don’t blame him since Park Ha-sun is one gorgeous woman, but he might have a penchant for beauties although his wife is nagging at him. Well, even Suk-hoon can’t take his eyes off his wife! Hong-joo sees Roy in his urge to go to the toilet and she points out the direction when the boy turns down her offer to bring him there.

Se-young is back in her room and her attorney, Choi Suk-gi (Joo Jin-mo, Ji-yeon’s boss in Witch’s Romance) reports to her about the hotel owner’s condition. She decides to play tug of war to raise the price of the deal and plans to keep the dirty money in an account overseas. Attorney Choi advises her to get some rest during her four-day vacation and takes his leave, as Se-young starts to think about her health problem again. She decides that it’s not worth brooding about and goes out of her room. Meanwhile, Hong-joo is the one brooding about her family’s problems while drinking in the night view of Hong Kong. Suk-hoon tries to cheer her up but she doesn’t want to think about the problem yet. At that moment, she just want to enjoy their time there…cue sexy moments

Roy wakes up from his sleep in sweat, calling or his mother. Min-woo is sleeping soundly and the boy puts on his clothes while looking at his father. Hong-joo is still awake, caressing Suk-hoon’s face before leaving the room. She stumbles on her way out, crying by herself and suddenly, Roy approaches her, asking where he should go to take a bus. Luckily, Min-woo realizes that his son is missing and finds him together with Hong-joo. Aww, the poor boy is planning to go to his aunt since he’s so scared after having a bad dream. Hong-joo teaches him a way to wake up from his nightmare before walking away. Min-woo sings him a lullaby and Roy notices that it’s also the same song his mother used to sing for him (It’s her very own lullaby?).

Hong-joo is walking towards the sea and it’s now clear that she intends to commit suicide. She left a note for Suk-hoon, telling him that her insurance policy will be able to save him. Run run run to save your wife! Se-young happens to walk along the shore and finds Hong-joo’s shoes she left behind. She looks around and sees Hong-joo in the sea, going deeper and deeper. Se-young manages to drag the suicidal woman onshore and slaps Hong-joo to knock some sense into her. They retreat to Se-young’s room and Se-young can figure out why she tries to kill herself. Suk-hoon arrives and picks his wife up while thanking Se-young again and again for saving his wife. Se-young is left alone…and that smirk plastered on her face is scary. Is she getting funny ideas because of those two?

Hong-joo feels guilty for her action but Suk-hoon doesn’t blame her; he just want her to think their time in Hong Kong as a dream. As for Se-young, she’s digging up about Suk-hoon’s business and his problems when she realizes that Hong-joo left behind her shoes. She tries the shoes on..and they fit her perfectly. Suk-hoon then receives a call from Se-young, asking for him to fetch Hong-joo’s shoes but actually, she wants to tell him an offer: she will pay him one million for four days of his life.

*

Crazy deal? This might be one of the craziest I’ve ever heard. It’s too early to stay anything but for now, I’m staying for the pretty and the adorable kids. Choi Ji-woo is fabulous and I’m glad to see her prettied up like a doll in here compared to her stoic character in The Suspicious Housekeeper. Kwon Sang-woo is okay so far and the last time I saw him in a drama was for Cinderella Man (I couldn’t get past 30 minutes of Yawang). Park Ha-sun is gorgeous and Lee Jung-jin is smoldering hot (I’m melting when he smiles!!). Visually, the drama is good enough but the story might not be everyone’s cup of tea. As for me, I’m enjoying the show more that what I thought and I might be a happy camper for the long run.