Secret (TV series)

Infobox Korean name


hangul=비밀
hanja=秘密
rr=Bi-mil
mr=Pi-mil

Secret is a South Korean television drama produced by the MBC in 2000. It was first broadcasted in South Korea from September 2000 to November 2000. It has a total of 18 episodes.

Synopsis

Episode 1-10

Ji-eun and Hee-jung lived with their father Jong-man, a truck driver. Their father frequently ordered them out of the house in anger, especially to Ji-eun. Ji-eun had frequently treated her Brother . Ha-Eun is so handsome.

Jun-ho's clothing retail shop along a small street had meanwhile got heavily into debts, and his shop was ransacked by gangsters one day and beaten up. Hee-jung arrived to see him smoking a cigarette.

Jong-man revealed to Ji-eun one night as she was preparing dinner that Myung-ae is not her biological mother and showed her an old photo of her biological mother. Ji-eun cried in disbelief as she shook her father. As he put on his shirt and drove his truck in the heavy rain, Ji-eun cried to her self and put the photo back into the drawer. That night, Ji-eun went out into the rain.

Ji-eun looked for Jun-ho, who was sleeping on his couch. The doorbell rang and he saw a drenched Ji-eun. She pleaded Jun-ho to allow her to stay in her house, and that she won't go back home or she"ll commit suicide. Jun-ho gave her his dry clothes and a hot drink to prevent her from catching a cold. He slept in the sitting room that night, but received a phone call from his worker the next morning to rush to his workplace. Back home that night, Ji-eun burned the photograph whom her father said that he was with her mother and said: "I don't know this woman. Lee Myung-ae is my real mother." She wept and soon got a haircut and undyed her gold-coloured hair to her original black.

Hee-jung approached Young-min and asked him to buy up the cloth from Jun-ho's shop. Young-min agreed only on the condition that Hee-jung worked in his company. Young-min called up Jun-ho one day, and handed over the payment of his stocks in cheque. Jun-ho refused and left. Shortly after, he founded Jun Club clothing retail store.

News came about Jong-man was severey injured in a vehicular accident the previous night to Hee-Jung and Ji-eun. Both of them rushed to see their father, whose head was bandaged and unconsicous. Hee-jung was surprised to see Ji-eun's change of hairstyle. The doctor warned that he might not survive; even if he does, he might not fully recover and thus unable to fully lead the lifestyle of a normal man. Hee-jung expressed her hope that their father would recover to Ji-eun; and Ji-eun left with a sullen look from the hospital. Ji-eun, bent to push her sister out of the company despite Myung-ae's advise, made her expression that she is feeling very tired and wanted to rest.

Ji-eun expressed her desire to transfer Jong-man to another hospital by saying that she had her friend whose father is a radiotherapist. Ji-eun transffered Jong Man to the Gwangju hospital and kept it from Hee-jung, who discovered that he had left without a trace from the former hospital. At this time, Ji-eun launched a scandal that Hee-jung was involved in swapping bills with another company. The news reached the Myung-ae, who felt utterly disappointed and finally the press. Hee-jung decided to leave the company, and pleaded her to take care of their father.

Hee-jung went over to work with Jun-ho at Jun Club. Jun-ho had previously burnt his clothing stocks to vent his displeasure. They set up a shop at a shopping complex. Businesses vastly improved when Hee-jung took over the task of designing the clothes. However, Hee-Jung decided to launch a lawsuit affividt against Ji-eun, despite Young-min's objections. One night, Ji-eun visited Young-min's house, and met his sister Young-ran. Young-min returned home and ordered Ji-eun out of the house, but she was vehement about it. Young-ran left the house and criticised her brother.

Young-ho wanted to resign, but his request was turned down by Myung-ae. She fainted in the office when a phone call informed of a crisis that hit her company. Myung-ae was visited by Hee-jung at the hospital, but she turned her down. Ji-eun took over her role in the company when Myung-ae was in the hospital, and asked her to rest well upon visiting her. When she consulted the doctor, Myung-ae discovered that she had low blood pressure, and needed to stay in the hospital for further observations. Myung-ae pleaded for an early discharge that she had work to do and would regularly exercise and observe her health.

Episode 11-14

At the hospital, Jong Man frequently yearned for Hee-jung, but was unable to express his feelings. A friend of his, Seo Chan-jik, visited him and told him that he would expose the truth of Ji-eun's identity to everybody, and Jong Man should not stop him. When Chan-jik left, he burst into tears. Ji-eun also occasionally cried to her father upon visiting him. The caretaker revealed that Jong Man was not willing to eat for a few days, and kept his lips shut tightly, and seemed to think about Hee-jung.

Ji-eun proposed to Young-min, who showed his anger towards her at the car park. He drove her, leaving her to vent her anger.

Chan-jik gave a call to Ji-eun one afternoon, and met her at a restaurant. Ji-eun brought him to the car upon arriving at the destination, but was shocked when he heard Chan-jik calling Hee-jung's name. At the restaurant, he commented on the soup's taste. When Ji-eun handed him an enveloped containing money, he scolded her for mistreating Hee-jung, and that he would reveal her true identity. Ji-eun pleaded him to give her a little time, and that she would reveal it herself after her marriage.

Ji-eun stopped her car in the middle of the road and cried shortly after she left her destination after leaving her Myung-ae's house when Chan-jik called in for a visit. Chan-jik later turned down the visit. That night, Hee-jung left the house, and her roommate contacted Jun-ho, who went looking for her. He found her sleeping at a train station and brought her to his mother's grave the following day, presenting hsi company card. Jun-ho then tried to reveal the truth he found out the previous night that nobody knew that Myung-ae's real daughter is Hee-jung.

She visited her father at the hospital, and pleaded that the truth should not be let out or she would lead a miserable life, and that Hee-jung is living comfortably as an orphan. Ji-eun warned that the news would create a negative impact on Myung-ae's health. Chan-jik came in at this time and tried to calm her down.

That night, she made herself drunk, and created a din at Young-min's house. Young-min opened the door after a long time. He brought her home after giving her a glass of wine. Ji-eun confessed that she was the culprit who caused Hee-jung's scandal of changing bills, for the love of Young-min. Myung-ae was astonished to see Young-min still clear and awake. Young-min approached Hee-jung the following day and asked her why she did not tell him the matter earlier and kept it to herself for the sake of Ji-eun. When Young-min left, Hee-jung looked for him and was nearly knocked down by a car, but was saved by him.

Hee-jung travelled to the beach with Young-min, where he confessed his love and kissed her. On the wedding day with Ji-eun, Young-min stayed back with Hee-jung and informed Myung-ae that he would not be returning to Seoul for the wedding. Ji-eun, who had been waiting, suspected that Young-min had dumped her and threw her temper in the room when the phone rang. When Young-min informed that he was with Hee-jung, she fainted away.

Myung-ae was sent to the hospital, and was discovered that she had leukemia. The doctor said that she needed a blood transfusion, and Ji-eun asked the doctor about her mother's blood type. When she discovered that Myung-ae's blood type (Blood-type O) is the same as with Ji-eun, she felt relieved.

That night, Jun-ho spotted Young-min having an affair with Hee-jung. He walked past her and promptly left. Young-min met Ji-eun waiting for him at the staircase as he left, and gave him a tight slap for causing his mother to be hospitalised. Ji-eun brought him to the hospital to apologise in front of an unconscious Myung-ae.

Young-min handed his letter of resignation to his colleague Jeong, who persuaded him to reconsider his resignation, viewing that he had helped to steer the company away from difficult times. Young-min refused, saying that his decision is final. Ji-eun burst in and mistook Young-min for returning the company to work as he shook Jeong's hand.

Ji-eun had lunch with Young-min, and said that she wouldn't mind the wedding scandal caused by him, and that he should remain and help Myung-ae. Young-min expressed that his decision is final and that he would leave the company. Ji-eun wept, and met Jun-ho outside the lobby. He told her that he knew Ji-eun's background.

Episode 15-16

Jun-ho brought Ji-eun to a cafe and told her to treat Hee-jung well. As he held a cigarette, Jun-ho also persuaded her to hook on to Young-min and not be the first one to give up. He visited Jong-man at a hospital, and found out from his caretaker that he could be discharged from the hospital the following day, and praised that he could be such a faithful son-in-law. Jun-ho gave a call to Hee-jung but found out she was on leave. He left a message on their company's update, and hoped to receive a call from her soon. At her hotel, Hee-jung sat alone to herself.

At the company, Ji-eun met with complains from Mira and their team captain that an increasing number of employees are resigning and without Young-min and the boss, the company would collapse.

Jun-ho met Young-min at the carpark, who demanded Hee-jung's whereabouts. Jun-ho denied and left after being shaken by Young-min. At his office, Jun-ho received a call of Hee-jung whereabouts. That night, he rushed to the hotel where Hee-jung was staying. The landlady said that Hee-jung had been hiding in the room for several days and eventually developed a fever and fits. She was given the appropriate medication which enabled her to sleep, but the landlady was unable to obtain contact numbers from her directly, and had to open her suitcase to reach for Jun-ho's number.

Jun-ho sat beside her until the following day. Hee-jung was shocked to meet him, and prompted him to return home first before her. Jun-ho insisted that she return home with him and grabbed her suitcase and told her to follow him.

Back home, Hee-jung was overjoyed to see her father back home. After greeting her father, Hee-jung dragged Jun-ho to a quiet room and expressed her displeasure of using his own money to buy the house, citing that she wanted to prove to her father that she is an independent girl. Jun-ho then explained that she had already contributed greatly to the company financially, and he was using her shares to buy the house. Jun-ho then left the room.

At the hospital, the doctor strongly suspected that Ji-eun was not Myung-ae's biological daughter and revealed the fact to Myung-ae.

Ji-eun later visited her father, whose response did not turn out to be as warm as Hee-jung's. That night, Ji-eun brought Hee-jung into her room, and pleaded her to help Myung-ae, who had leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant from her. Ji-eun continued that even if the chances are slim, she must try hard to help Myung-ae. The message was overheard by their sleeping father, who felt rather upset. Ji-eun tried to bring herself to reveal that Hee-jung is the real daughter of Myung-ae, but failed to do so.

The next day, Hee-jung visited Myung-ae at her home. Myung-ae said that old people would die sooner or later, only that she was about to die earlier. Myung-ae then voiced her displeasure at Hee-jung of breaking up Young-min with Ji-eun, and that Ji-eun being her sister should not have landed into such state. Myung-ae then asked Hee-jung to leave, before sobbing to herself that she had spent too little time with Ji-eun, knowing her own daughter for a short while. When Hee-jung left the room, Ji-eun tried to bring herself to reveal Hee-jung's true identity, but failed to do so and asked her to leave the house.

That night, at the rooftop of their house, Ji-eun apologised to Jun-ho and all the others for the misery she had brought upon all of the people around her. Jun-ho then told Hee-jung that she need not apologise, for she was Myung-ae's biological daughter. Hee-jung told Jun-ho to stop harping that she is Myung-ae's daughter and is a n orphan all along. Jun-ho then revealed that he heard this fact by his own ears. Hee-jung then looked in disbelief.

Hee-jung rushed inside the house, and asked her father about the truth. He told Hee-jung that she is the biological daughter of Myung-ae, not Ji-eun. He continued that he hated Myung-ae for dumping all responsibilities to care for her, and decided to seek revenge by swapping Ji-eun from Hee-jung's place. Hee-jung cried in disbelief, but Jong Man insisted that she is the biological daughter of Myung-ae. She ran out of the house, ignoring her father's cries.

She sat on a nearby platform, and thought to herself about Ji-eun. Hee-jung later revealed a feelings to Jun-ho, and called upon Ji-eun the following day to meet at the bistro.

Episode 17-18

Hee-jung greeted Ji-eun at the bistro, and asked about her. Ji-eun felt a little scared as she communicated with Hee-jung, and then asked if she had anything else to add on after Ji-eun had finished. As she hesitated, she received a phone call from the company, who asked her to rush to the hospital. At the workplace, she discovered that her mother had suddenly fainted and was sent to the hospital.

Hee-jung donated her bone marrow to Myung-ae after reprimanding Ji-eun, and warned her not to reveal their true identities for the time being. The transplant failed, and she notified Ji-eun in the hospital's premises that night. Myung-ae was transffered to the communicable disease centre where she was cut off from the outside world. Shortly before she died, Myung-ae reached out to Hee-jung's hand and died. An upset Hee-jung ran out of the room, and Young-min tried to console her.

Hee-jung was accompanied by Ji-eun (and a boatman) to scatter Myung-ae's ashes into the river. As Hee-jung sobbed while scattering Myung-ae's ashes, Young-min looked from afar as he leaned against his car. That night, Ji-eun decided to leave the household.

A few years later, Hee-jung received a letter from Jun-ho that he was studying in the United States and was doing well. One day, as Hee-jung walked out of a shop, she was confronted by Young-min who grabbed her arm. (The story ends here).

Cast

* Kim Ha-neul as Lee Hee-Jung
* Ha Ji-won as Lee Ji-eun
* Ryu Shi-won as Kim Jun-ho
* Kim Min-Jong as Cho Young-min
* Park Geun-hyung as Lee Jong Man
* Lee Ah Hyun as Team Captain Ha Mi-ra
* Kim Hyo Jin as Cho Young-ran (Young-min's sister)
* Lee Hwi-hyang as Yun Myung-ae
* Han Mi as Hyun-ju

External links

* [http://www.imbc.com/tv/drama/secret/ Official website]
* [http://www.cineseoul.com/movies/cinedata.html?cinemaID=23839 Cineseoul profile]