| Genre | Romance Comedy |
|---|---|
| Writer | Lee Hee-myung |
| Director | Jang Ki-hong |
| Starring | Jang Na-ra Jang Hyuk Han Eun-jung Yoon Tae-young Choo Ja-hyun Ryu Soo-young |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Num episodes | 16 |
| Producer | Song Byung-joon |
| Location | Korea |
| Channel | Seoul Broadcasting System |
| First aired | 13 March 2002 |
| Last aired | 2 May 2002 |
| Related | Sunny Girl |
Successful Story of a Bright Girl () is a 2002 South Korean television series starring Jang Na-ra, Jang Hyuk, Han Eun-jung and Ryu Soo-young. It aired on SBS from March 13 to May 2, 2002, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes.[1][2] The romantic comedy series recorded a peak viewership rating of 42.6%.[3]
Plot
Cha Yang-soon (Jang Na-ra) is a simple girl living in the countryside with her grandmother. She spends most of her time dreaming of someday meeting her Prince Charming; in her fantasy, she saves him from harm with her martial arts skills, and they live happily ever after. Han Gi-tae (Jang Hyuk) is the spoiled and arrogant president of a successful makeup company, Snowy Cosmetics. While in the country on business, Gi-tae goes parachuting and accidentally falls straight into Yang-soon's outdoor bathtub while she is taking a bath, and it's hate at first sight for the two.
Soon, dire circumstances impel Yang-soon to move to the city in search of a job that will allow her to settle her parents' massive financial debts. To earn and save all the money she can, she becomes a maid for a wealthy family and moves into their house. At her new job, she comes face-to-face with Gi-tae, who happens to be one of her employers. At first Yang-soon has trouble adjusting to city life; she gets bullied at school and does not get along with Gi-tae's girlfriend Yoon Na-hee (Han Eun-jung). But she soon makes friends with siblings Song Seok-gu (Yoon Tae-young) and Song Bo-bae (Choo Ja-hyun); Bo-bae becomes her best friend, and Seok-gu seems attracted to her. Also, the short-tempered Gi-tae slowly warms up to her as Yang-soon teaches him a thing or two about manners with her folksy, down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach to life.
But things take a serious turn when Gi-tae, the heir of the family business, finds himself betrayed by a pair of duplicitous family members: his rival and cousin Oh Joon-tae (Ryu Soo-young), and Joon-tae's father. Their behind-the-scenes intrigues lead to Gi-tae's professional downfall. Distraught by the situation and suddenly penniless, Gi-tae has no one to turn to except Yang-soon. She teaches him to stand on his own two feet, and with hard work and creativity, gain back everything he has lost.
Cast
Main
- Jang Na-ra as Cha Yang-soon[4]
- Jang Hyuk as Han Gi-tae
Supporting
- Han Eun-jung as Yoon Na-hee
- Ryu Soo-young as Oh Joon-tae
- Yoon Tae-young as Song Seok-gu
- Choo Ja-hyun as Song Bo-bae
- Jung Min as Young-chan, Gi-tae's friend
- Oh Seung-eun as Jin-joo, Na-hee's friend
- Lee Hye-sook as Moon Jung-im, Na-hee's mother
- Hong Yo-seob as Director Oh, Joon-tae's father
- Kwon Hae-hyo as Chief Joo, product development chief
- Choi Yong-min as Chief of public relations
- Lee Seung-hyung as Assistant chief of public relations
- Kim Young-ok as Yang-soon's grandmother
- Park Soon-chun as Yang-soon's mother
- Jo Hyung-ki as Yang-soon's father
Accolades
2002 SBS Drama Awards
- Top Excellence Award, Actor: Jang Hyuk
- Top 10 Stars: Jang Na-ra, Jang Hyuk
- New Star Award: Ryu Soo-young, Han Eun-jung
2003 Baeksang Arts Awards
- Best New Actress (TV): Jang Na-ra
Remake
A 2011 Taiwanese remake titled Sunny Girl (陽光天使; lit. "Sunshine Angel") starred Rainie Yang and Wu Chun in the lead roles.
An Indonesian remake was titled I Love You, Boss!.
References
- ^ "Joyful Girl's Success Story". KoreanWiz. Archived from the original on 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
- ^ "Success Story of a Bright Girl (2002, SBS drama special)". Koreanfilm.org. Archived 2019-10-11 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
- ^ Choi, Shin-ae (3 April 2014). "Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara to Reunite in Drama Fated to Love You". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
- ^ Hong, Lucia (30 March 2011). "Jang Nara to celebrate ten years in entertainment industry". Asiae. Archived 31 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 August 2013.