Gangnam Beauty
(Korean: 내 아이디는 강남미인) is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Im Soo-hyang, Cha Eun-woo, Jo Woo-ri and Kwak Dong-yeon. Based on the webtoon of the same name published in 2016 by Naver, it centers on the life of a college student who had cosmetic surgery to evade ongoing derision from her bullies. However, her decision seems to backfire as her peers ridicule her artificial look. The title of the webtoon and of the TV series alludes to the Korean word gangnammiin (Gangnam beauty), a derogatory term in South Korea for people who are attractive but look as if they went through a number of plastic surgeries for a pretty face, a hot body or both.
The series aired on JTBC from July 27 to September 15, 2018, every Friday and Saturday at 23:00 (KST). It garnered praise for its portrayal of issues affecting South Korean society, particularly on its superficial beauty standards and discrimination on the basis of physical appearance.
Contents
Synopsis
Kang Mi-rae decides to get plastic surgery after years of being bullied because of her looks. Her "rebirth" seems successful at first, but as her life at the university unfolds, her plan starts to backfire. The pressure of being a "pretty girl" begins to get to her and, worse, those who can see through her surgery ridicule her and tag her as the "Gangnam plastic surgery monster". Mi-rae tries to recover her self-esteem as she gets to know her former middle school classmate Do Kyung-seok who is quite cold to others but very affectionate towards his sister Do Kyung-hee.
Cast
Main
Im Soo-hyang as Kang Mi-rae
Jeon Min-seo as young Kang Mi-rae
A timid and insecure girl who has low self-esteem due to her "ugly" appearance. She desires to live a "normal" life and does not like standing out. After being bullied throughout her middle school and high school, she finally decides to undergo cosmetic surgery prior to starting college. As she enters the university, she starts to feel the pressure of being "beautiful" and "popular" among her peers. She aspires to be a perfumer. A student of Chemistry Department of Korea University Class of 2018.
Cha Eun-woo as Do Kyung-seok
Shin Jun-seop as young Do Kyung-seok
Moon Woo-jin as child Do Kyung-seok
A handsome college student who possesses both intelligence and wealth, but secretly harbors emotional scars from his unhappy home environment. He is indifferent about what others think, thus appearing cold and distant; however, he does have a caring side within him. In particular, he does not care about beauty or physical appearances despite being praised for his good looks. A student of Chemistry Department of Korea University Class of 2018.
Jo Woo-ri as Hyun Soo-ah
Lee Chae-yun as young Hyun Soo-ah
The most popular girl in the chemistry department for her extraordinary natural beauty. She appears pure and kind, but the underlying motives of her actions eventually prove otherwise. She craves attention and adoration, attempting to attain it (or, at times, steal it) with her gentle and innocent persona as she cannot accept the potential for anyone to love other girls more than they admire her. A student of Chemistry Department of Korea University Class of 2018.
Kwak Dong-yeon as Yeon Woo-young
A chemistry graduate and teaching assistant in the chemistry department. He is also Do Kyung-seok's housemate later on. He is popular among the students for his handsome appearance and also his friendly and polite persona. He falls for Kang Mi-rae for her looks but grows to love her personality as they both share their expertise in perfumes.
Supporting
Jung Myung-hoon as Young-mo
Chief of the National Assembly and Do Sang-won's assistant.
Ji Sang-hyuk as Lee Soo-hyun
Business director of the cosmetics company operated by Nae-seong.
Ha Kyung as Yong Chul
Mi-rae's middle school crush who brutally rejected her, mostly due to her physical appearance.
Yoo In-soo as Park Rae-sun
Cha Bo-sung as Ye Joon, a freshman (Ep. 2-3)
Special appearances
Lee Young-ae
Um Hong-gil
Ahn Sang-tae as Taxi passenger
Junoflo
Jeon Jin-ki as Priest
Yoon Bo-ra
Tiger JK
Bizzy
Han Hyun-min
Abhishek Gupta
Production
The series is written by Choi Soo-young (Cunning Single Lady, 2014).
The first script reading took place on May 30, 2018 at JTBC building in Sangam-dong, Seoul, South Korea.
On December 26, 2024, the show will have a Japanese adaptation titled I'm a Cosmetic Surgery Beauty, with the leads portrayed by Kyoya Honda and Anna Ishii.
Reception
The series garnered much praise for its cryptic portrayal of the main character's childhood. Viewers applauded director Choi for his thoughtful representation of the characters.
The series was a commercial success and garnered critical praise for asking questions about the emphasis that society places on appearances and about the true meaning of happiness and beauty.
The cast and staff of the drama went on a reward vacation to Cebu, Philippines for 4 nights and 5 days on October 19, 2018.