The Innocent Man ~ Perfect For Fans of Song Joong Ki
“The Innocent Man” is a 2012 Korean drama series, with 20 episodes, categorized as Crime and Mystery, plus Romance, and Revenge; streaming on Viki and KOCOWA+.
SUMMARY: A young man went to prison for the woman he loved, and it ruined his future as a doctor. He didn’t know she had married a rich old man, and after being released from jail, he waited for her to come back to him. She never came back. They met later during an emergency situation on a plane. He was still angry at the betrayal, and she was still ashamed of what she had done. There wasn’t much chance of him forgiving and forgetting, now that he knew the rest of her story.
♦ You Didn’t Commit the Crime. I Did It!
In “The Innocent Man”, Kang Ma-ru is in his 3rd year as a medical student, and he will make a great doctor when he completes his education because he is brilliant. He was also hopelessly in love with Han Jae-hee, a television reporter. They went to university together, and that is where they fell in love. In addition to becoming a brilliant doctor one day, he had hoped to become her loving husband. Even though he had the opportunity to pick any woman, especially one with wealth and a position in society that could boost his career, he wanted to marry Han Jae-hee. For him, there was no other woman in the world. They were both from poor families, but their love would give them wings to fly. At least, that’s what Kang Ma-ru thought, believed, imagined, and dreamed.
Han Jae-hee said she wanted to marry him. But when given the opportunity to make a choice, she chose money over love. Han Jae-hee called Kang Ma-ru, begging for his help. She said she needed him to come over to a hotel room and treat a man who was injured. But when he got there, the man was dead. Han Jae-hee was in panic, crying hysterically and exclaiming that her life was over. The scandal would ruin her career, etc. Because he loved her so much, Kang Ma-ru told her to leave the room and that he would take the blame for whatever happened. He went to prison for her.
Going to prison ruined his future as a doctor. He became a bartender and a gigolo to support himself and his sister, Kang Cho-ko. His sister was always in poor health, and money was needed for her medical treatment. He did not realize that Han Jae-hee had chosen to marry a wealthy and powerful CEO. The CEO kicked his lawful wife out of the house and married Han Jae-hee. The CEO had a daughter, Seo Eun-gi, from his first wife. SHE HATED Han Jae-hee and made it her mission to destroy the woman who destroyed her mother.
In a strange twist of fate, Kang Ma-ru crosses paths with Han Jae-hee. She and her stepdaughter, Seo Eun-gi, were on the same plane as Kang Ma-ru, heading back to Seoul. Seo Eun-gi suffered a medical emergency, and there was no doctor on the plane. Even though Kang Ma-ru had not completed his education, he knew what to do to save her life. He rendered the necessary emergency services. When the plane landed, he went on his way, seething with anger at the very sight of Han Jae-hee. HE NEVER WANTED TO SEE HER AGAIN!
But of course, Han Jae-hee tried to see him and tried to give him money to pay her “debt”. He was not at home when she came by. Seo Eun-gi had her followed, intending to use whatever she found out about her stepmother as blackmail to get rid of her. She didn’t even know Kang Ma-ru or how he was connected to her stepmother. But if she had to drag him through the mud to get rid of her stepmother, she had no problem doing that. Kang Ma-ru felt the same way. If he had to manipulate Seo Eun-gi, a chaebol heiress, and use her as a pawn to get his revenge, so be it.
Only … once again … his life takes a peculiar turn. Kan Ma-Ru falls in love. But what about getting revenge?
Main Characters:
- Kang Ma-ru (played by Song Joong-ki, “Bogota: City of the Lost”, “Reborn Rich”, “My Name is Loh Kiwan”, “Hopeless”, “Space Sweepers”, “The Battleship Island”, “The Grand Heist”, “Vincenzo”, “Arthdal Chronicles S1”, “Descendants of the Sun”, “Sungkyunkwan Scandal”)
- Seo Eun-gi (played by Moon Chae-won, “Good Doctor”, “The Princess’ Man”)
- Han Jae-hee (played by Park Si-yeon**)
- Kang Cho-ko (Ma-ru’s sister) (played by Lee Yoo-bi, “The Escape of the Seven 1 and 2”, “Pinocchio”, “Yumi’s Cells 1 and 2”, “Scholar Who Walks the Night”)
- Park Jae-Gil (played by Lee Kwang-Soo, “The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure”, “Inseparable Bros”, “The Killer’s Shopping List”)
**Her filmography dates back to 2004, however, none of her Korean movies or series have been reviewed by PopGeeks.
Viewership and Rating:
My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.
“The Innocent Man” was added to my watch list because I came across a YouTube video that summarized the plot. It sounded interesting, plus I like Song Joong Ki. It was not disappointing.
- FUN FACT: Although most people remember him for his role in “Descendants of the Sun”, this was Song Joong Ki’s first lead role in a Korean drama.
LINKS OF INTEREST:
Flash Review: Nice Guy [The Innocent Man] | The Fangirl Verdict
Nice Guy (The Innocent Man) Korean Drama Review | Kdrama Fighting
Drama Review: Innocent Man (Nice Guy) | Confessions of a KDramaholic
Kdrama Review: The Innocent Man (To love was his crime) | The Drama Bone
The Innocent Man – Kdrama Review | Slice Of Life
TRAILER/TEASER:
KBS WORLD TV. “[Trailer] The Innocent Man (세상 어디에도 없는 착한 남자).” YouTube, 8 Oct. 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwT4JyxY5ok.
♦
