A Gentleman’s Dignity Episode 1: Quick Glance

It’s very nice to watch Jang Dong Gun on small screen again through Gentleman’s Dignity after more than 10 years of waiting! Can’t believe it the last time I saw him on drama was on “All About Eve” with Chae Rim. And it’s good that finally a romantic comedy drama for the weekend after all the tiring heavy weekday dramas T-T . I’m just going to make a short highlight instead of recap/summary because I want to enjoy watching it more.

The four leading men are long time best friends with all their own issues: Jang Dong Gun as Kim Do Jin. This serious, cold, straight forward and awkward man has everything, but a girl. Kim Soo Ro as Im Tae San. He works as a contractor with the architect Do Jin. He’s been struggling to get a hold on his sexy “bitchy” woman, Hong Se Ra. Kim Min Jong as Choi Yoon, who has also a problem with his woman. And the last man was Lee Jong Hyeok as Lee Jong Nyeok who like the rest of his buddies, also has a problem with his older wife. And all these men are somehow related to the pretty but clumsy and very comical high school teacher, Seo Yi Soo played by Kim Ha Neul.

Kim Do Jin’s big issue is his personality. This man doesn’t know how to be a little loose. He’s also very straight forward and doesn’t know how to treat a woman. He could leave his date on the street by saying, “I have to go back to that cafe. There’s a girl I want to ask her phone number.” Duhhh!

Do Jin’s first encounter with Yi Soo was at Jong Nyeok’s cafe. It was around late summer and it’s raining and Yi Soo was taking a shelter in front of the cafe. She’s standing right in front of the glass window where Do Jin was sittinh. Do Jin noticed her and then found out that the girl also came inside the cafe. He didn’t approach her and when later he left his date to go back to the cafe to ask for Yi Soo’s number, he was late.

Yi Soo has been actually having a crush on Im Tae San for a long time. But that guy liked his Hong Se Ra more. Se Ra and Yi Soo live together.

Early Spring was Do Jin and Yi Soo’s second encounter. But this time was a not a pleasant one, more an embarrassment  for Yi Soo. She was wearing a knitted red dress that day and was stopping by a vendor to buy some cups. Do jin walked pass her but in the same time, Yi Soo had to bow down and the thread from her knitted dress stuck on Do jin’s bag. When Do Jin noticed the situation, he was already quite far and Yi Soo’s under shirt was already revealed.

Instead of putting off his suit to cover up the panic Yi Soo, he guided her to walk right in front of him. In this way he’d be her cover from behind while he himself wouldn’t look at her either. This scene was actually very funny. And then they stopped in front of a jewelry vendor. Do Jin bought the table cover and with his touch-of-art-hands he made her an emergency cute skirt!

These couple third encounter was when Do Jin, Tae San and Yoon were playing baseball. Yoon and Yi Soo were actually knew each other very well and quite close. On that baseball game, Do Jin was pushed by his friends to play along and he has his reason to be so reluctant: his clumsy at baseball. And Yi Soo who stood as the umpire quite pissed him off with her way saying Do Jin’s out several times.

When Do Jin found out that she was “that” girl, he had to take the ugly truth that Yi Soo didn’t even pay any attention to him and she didn’t remember him from their last two encounters. The latter one was actually a lie. Yi Soo lied she didn’t remember him at all because she was too embarrass from that memory.

Their last encounter was related to Yi Soo’s job as a teacher. Do Jin and Yoon had to end up in the police office after getting into a fight with 4 thugs teenagers, who are Yi Soo’s students. Do Jin and Yi Soo didn’t meet at the police office that night because he was leaving when Yi Soo came. However, Yoon actually saw Yi Soo and he was too embarrass to meet her because these two adult men were actually beaten by those teenagers. But Do Jin didn’t let the kids go and it made Yi Soo had to persuade him to take his charge upon her students.

Do jin was talking to Yoon on the car about “that” girl and how he really wanted to get her number but always failed. Meanwhile in the same time he kept rejecting Yi Soo’s texts and phone call because he didn’t intend to take his charge for those students. But finally Yoon told him that Yi Soo was actually the teacher.

It was always Do Jin who notice Yi Soo while the woman always seems to skip him from her eyesight. Like that night when Yi Soo was frustrated after Yoon told her that the architect man who was beaten up by her students was actually Do Jin. Yi Soo didn’t notice at all that Do Jin was following her and even sat not far from her in the convenient store. They even text each other while they’re actually less than a meter away. Do Jin finally told her to come by his office the next day and to bring a rose.

When Yi Soo came, Do Jin played cool. She put her on a wait because he pretended to be very busy. While Yi  Soo was waiting, Do Jin was actually enjoy watching her. On the other hand, Yi Soo noticed Tae San’s desk right behind her and saw his gloves on the table. She held it tight, just like Tae San’s hand was actually holding her. At that time, Do Jin’s lovely imagination was washed away and he was leaving his office. Yi Soo tried to caught up with him but Do Jin kept acting cold, until he finally stop his steps and turned back to her. He asked if he she liked Tae San.

—

[1, 2, 3]

Seeing those ajeossi-deul like the adult version of F4 is a fresh scene. And I like Kim Ha Neul’s very comical character. Although the story is so far very light, it’s still a very good option for a TV show when you spend weekend nights at home.