I originally planned to write this post on the first day of May. Since it was a holiday, I wanted to start the month by entering one blog post. However, laziness made other plans for me. I spent the day cocooning in my room while I'm armed with my TV and DVD player. And for those who know me well, you can bet how I wasted the entire day.


Source
 I survived another marathon of a Korean Drama series.

Had it not because of my ultimate Korean girl crush, Kim Tae Hee, I wouldn't spend my entire day finishing the 15 episodes. When I discovered that her leading man was Kim Rae Won, the more I was encouraged to waste another day. 

As the title of the series depicts, half of the entire story was filmed at Harvard University. It related the story of Kim Hyun-Woo (Kim Rae Won) and Lee Soo-in (Kim Tae Hee), both students of the prestigious university. Kim Hyun-Woo is a freshman law student while Lee Soo-in is a third year medical student. Lee Soo-in came from an economically struggling family. In order to support her studies, she has to take different jobs and endure all those sacrifices to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. Kim Hyun-Woo on the contrary came from a wealthy family of lawyers in South Korea. He was personified as an immature kid-at-heart, who is highly driven by his ambition to serve his country.

As expected, there were annoying villains in the story which include Alex Hong and Yoo Jin-ah. Alex Hong is Kim Hyun-Woo's classmate and ultimate rival at Law School and to Lee Soo-in's heart. Yoo Jin-ah runs her father's famous law firm in US and is obsessed with Alex Hong.

After holding on to the 15 episodes, here are the things I disliked and can't understand.

1. Even though I love Kim Tae Hee, I disliked some aspects of her character.  At some point, she appeared to me as someone who took advantage of the two men who adored her. (Tagalog Beki Translation: Nakakainis ka 'teh. Ikaw na! Pwede pumili ka lang ng isa? Hindi naman pwedeng jowa mo yung isa, tapos friendship mo yung isa haha)

2. I can't understand why the drama has to continuously emphasize hurting and pushing away the one you love. This happened so many times in the entire series. Seriously, if you lost the one you love the most once.... would you allow to it happen again?

3. I find some events unbelievable. When Lee Soo-in allowed herself to be assigned in other countries, why can't she even communicate to Kim Hyun-Woo? If you can't personally speak to him, why not send an email? In like manner that why didn't Kim Hyun-Woo use the internet to search and communicate with Lee Soo-in? 

4. I can't believe how a Harvard medical student can juggle in studies, hospital internship work, volunteering and taking care of an aging father. In my opinion, it's too much for one person.

5. Lee Soo-in seemed to wear the same wide legged pants in the entire Harvard episodes. Hello, wardrobe department? 

6. Being a medical student, I believed that Lee Soo-in and the entire medical  foundation know the hazards of being exposed to harmful chemical emissions. Whenever they engage in medical missions, they should be the first to know that it was never safe to  render services in affected areas. Can't they relocate the affected residents first and proceed with the medical treatments?

7. The entire series was 90% sadness and tragedy. Surprisingly, it was given a happy ending. Though this favors my cheesy romantic hormones, my limited knowledge in plot development and story writing tell me that the ending is quite inaccurate.

On the positive side, here are the things I love about the series.

1. I was given a view of Harvard University. I always have high respect to this school. We always see the school as an institution for those who have the brains and resources.

2. It convinced me that Law School wasn't and will never be for me. I'm glad that I chose the profession that enables me to teach and write.

3. I was carried away by two scenes. One was when Lee Soo-in has to keep away her things and forget her dream of becoming a doctor. It reminded me of one event in my life. (I guess this deserves another blog post ;)  Another scene that affected me was when Lee Soo-in was seeking forgiveness to the patient she tried to save.  Lee Soo-in didn't beg for the withdrawal of the lawsuit. She simply told the patient to fulfill his dreams despite becoming partially handicapped. Truth is, if someone will tell me that now, I will surely burst out in tears. (Yes, may pinagdadaanan lang din.)

4. Since this is another fairytale, my hopeless romantic hormones were awakened. It made me believe that as always, there might be someone out there. (Emo-mode, paki sampal lang ako haha)

Overall, Love Story in Harvard is another heavy drama series.  If you are in search for a lighter and a more realistic love story, this might not work for you.  On the contrary, those who are seeking for an intense and highly emotional series, you should consider Love Story in Harvard.