About a young father who becomes a gigolo to pay for his daughter's medical bills, then goes back to finish high school with his first love as his teacher, it marked the successful acting debut of singer Rain.
Featuring So Ji-sub in his star-making performance,[1] opposite rising actress Im Soo-jung, the plot involved overseas adoption, secrets of birth, terminal illness and a love triangle, but because of its focus on the pain and emotional conflicts of the characters, they were made realistic despite the over-the-top storyline.
Lee paired with director Kim Jin-man in the segment Outing, which starred Bae Jong-ok as a forty-something woman having marital problems who meets the twenty-something doppelgänger of her college boyfriend (Ji Sung).
[7] Because of Jang's draft-dodging scandal, the drama received little hype, but the heartwarming story and well-drawn characters, as well as the cast's strong performances guided by director Lee Jae-dong (previously of Sweet Buns), led to solid ratings and it ranked number one in its timeslot.
Directed by Choi Moon-suk (previously of What Happened in Bali) and starring Go Soo and Han Ye-seul, the tale of rekindled childhood love lost the ratings battle against blockbuster spy series Iris.
[13] Titled in Korean "A Nice Guy the Likes of Which You Would Never Find Anywhere in the World," it tells the story of a man who goes to prison for the woman he loves (Park Si-yeon), but is betrayed by her when she marries a business mogul for money.
[14][15] Lee used the dualism of good and evil, love and revenge, to make her most cohesive, thematically strong drama yet, aided by director Kim Jin-won's unobtrusive yet unerring eye for detail.