I really don’t get why Man of Honor is the title of this Korean drama starring Park Min Young, Chun Jung Myung and Lee Jang Woo. There’s nothing honorable about any of the characters. On the contrary, it featured two of the most evil characters in a Korean drama in 2011.
Man of Honor started with a baseball scene and I thought that this would be a sports drama. But it turns out to be just another run-of-the-mill drama. Kim Young Kwang (Chun Jung Myung) is a second stringer for the Dragons while Yoon Jae In (Park Min Young) is aspiring to be a nurse.
They used to be friends when they were kids. You know the drill already. One is rich and the other is poor. Jae In’s father was the president of GeoDae Corporation. Young Kwang’s dad (Lee Ki Young) was their family driver. But due to unforeseen circumstances, her father died and her mother (Jang Young Nam) was left comatose. Seo Jae Myung (Son Chang Min), father of In Woo (Lee Jang Woo), took this opportunity to claim the company. He instructed the driver to abandon Jae In but instead he left her in a foster home ran by nuns.
Years later, Young Kwang, In Woo and Jae In met again in a hospital. Both players were injured in separate games at the same time while Jae In was on duty when they were arrived at the hospital. This began the series of events that were predictable at times, save for the inconsistent actions of Seo In Chul (Park Sung Woong), the dastardly nephew of President Seo.
Lee Min Ho is one lucky SOB. He’s the only guy right now who can say that Park Min Young belongs to him. She’s the reason why I watched Man of Honor. Her chemistry with Chun Kung Myung was cute that the most enjoyable part of the series was when they thought they were half-siblings and they tried to convince his mom (Choi Myung Gil) to accept her in the house. This was the fun part of the drama before it got too melodramatic for my liking. At first I was irritated with Young Kwang’s youngest sister Jin Joo (Nam Bo Ra) but she grew on me like a noisy puppy.
I only know Lee Jang Woo as Eun Jung’s hubby in We Got Married and this is the first time I saw him act. And did he act. He gave an impressive performance as a chaebol heir who is mistreated by his father. He had better chemistry with Min Young even though his character is just the third wheel.
And Man of Honor ended with baseball with Young Kwang hitting a grand slam. Not only did he manage to hit the winning homerun, he also got Jae In’s heart. Everything fell into place. The villains got what they deserve and the good guys reaped all the rewards.
Man of Honor might not have the best story found in a Korean drama but it provided some memorable moment. Plus, it starred Park Min Young and that’s reason enough for me to watch it again.
