I normally dislike these ridiculous "Hallyu" (Korean Wave) dramas because of their over-the-top melodramatic nature, but I just finished viewing the final installment of "Summer Scent" starring Son Ye-jin in the female lead and I'd be lying if I said that I was not completely captured by the sight of Miss Son's impossibly lovely facade. One look at those soft, ideally feminine Asian facial features and one moment of listening to her alluring female voice was all it took to melt me. I'm glad that one of the local Korean-language cable TV channels here in my part of the Eastern United States decided to broadcast this series, for I may never have discovered her otherwise. The drama itself is probably average or somewhat above average -- it revolves around a love triangle involving Shim Hye-won (Miss Son), a young woman who received a heart transplant and who struggles to emerge out of a sickly childhood to live a normal life and experience the normal range of human experiences and emotions, such as true love. Someone get the tissue boxes ready, 'cause tears are gonna be a-flowin' on both sides of the screen.
What may set this drama apart is the beautiful rustic South Korean scenery in which some key scenes are set and the wide range of stunning appearances that Son Ye-jin adopts throughout this drama. She's a pretty and energetic schoolgirl one minute, a sweet young maiden in conservative dress wandering in the woods the next, and a darling bride-to-be at yet another instance. The combination of breathtaking natural scenery and youthful smashing girl can indeed be a potent and poignant one from a cinematographic point of view. The musical score of the series is somewhat impressive, I must say, and merges harmoniously with the theme of the drama and the scenes in which the music is played. Even when the action in the series becomes dull, redundant, and excessively emotional, the mere chance to gaze at Miss Son washes away all other concerns about the drama. If you want to see what a comely and pleasant goddess from the Orient should look like, check out "Summer Scent" and fixate on the uber-attractive Son Ye-jin as Shim Hye-won for all 20 episodes. You won't regret it -- she's the "purdiest" li'l thing this humble Southern boy has ever seen.
