Ongoing Drama Review: MINE

MINE is a 2021 television series directed by Lee Na-jung and starring Lee Bo-young, Kim Seo-hyung, Lee Hyun-wook and Ok Jayeon. It revolves around strong women who free themselves from the prejudice of the society and find their real ‘Mine’.

The series premiered on tvN on May 8, 2021, and airs every Saturday and Sunday.

It has 16 episodes and it is also available on Netflix. It is a Drama, Mystery Thriller about the lives of wealthy people.

A story of women who try to find their true selves, freeing themselves from prejudices in the world.

Seo Hi-Soo (Lee Bo-Young) was a star actress, but she gave up her career to marry the second son of a chaebol family. The chaebol family runs the Hyowon Group. She does her best to fit in as a daughter-in-law of that family. She acts confidently all the time to not to lose her true self.

Jung Seo-Hyun (Kim Seo-Hyung) is married to the first son of the same chaebol family. She is also the daughter of a chaebol family. She is elegant and intelligent. She is also very rational.

The drama starts off with a nun rushing through the rain to the police station claiming to have seen a murder, the scene then goes back 60 days before the murder happened where two women moved in the Hyowon Mansion giving us a hint that the victim or the culprit might be one of them.  Hyowon Mansion consists of Cadenza, the sprawling main house of Hyowon Mansion where Jeong Seo-hyeon (Kim Seo-hyung), the first daughter-in-law of Han, lives with her husband, the oldest son Han Jin-ho (Park Hyuk-kwon). The mansion also has the annex named as Rubato, where the second daughter-in-law Seo Hee-soo (Lee Bo-young), lives with her husband Han Ji-yong (Lee Hyun-wook) and her young stepson Ha-joon (Jung Hyun-joon).

The older son Han Jin-ho (Park Hyuk-kwon) is a habitual gambler and not really cares about the company.

The younger son Han Ji-yong (Lee Hyun-wook) is an ambitious and honest guy who’s going to be the next chairman and a sweet and loving husband to Hi-soo.

Seo Hi-Soo (Lee Bo-Young) the second daughter in law, the only selfless character,  is always looked down upon in the Hyowon family but our girl knows how to shut their mouth by her savage replies. She lives by her own rules instead of trying to fit in and that makes her more lovable.

Jung Seo-Hyun (Kim Seo-Hyung) the first daughter in law, comes from a wealthy family herself and also has some secrets that she doesn’t want anyone to know, her marriage to Han Jin Ho was for business, she only gets along with Hisoo in this family.

The other main leads Kim Yoo-yeon (Jung Yi-Seo), an orphan and  Kang Ja-kyung (Ok Ja-yeon) both of them are selected for tutoring but eventually Ja Kyung gets selected and Yoo Yeon is given the job of maid in Cadenza.

Han Soo-Hyeok (Cha Hak-Yeon), Seo hyun’s stepson who has returned from abroad.

The other characters are Nun Emma, Chairman Han, his wife and their daughter Han Jin-hee, Han Hajoon (Hi-soo’s stepson)

Casting:  Every actor has done its role perfectly. I don’t see any flaws in acting! Lee Bo Young and Kim Seo Hyung are definitely the highlight of the show but Ok Ja Yeong had my attention throughout the drama. She played her role so well.

Storyline: The plot that was given as an introduction doesn’t do any justice to the drama. The plot tells you that it is the story of two daughter in laws of a chaebol family but it’s actually far more than that. I was definitely not expecting a murder mystery here when I started it. When I first saw the trailer, I thought it’s going to be like “The World of Married” drama, but it ended up being like “The Penthouse”. We are getting a lot of Makjang* dramas from last year and to be honest I am not a big fan of Makjangs but “Mine” has kept the storyline sane for now. I definitely did not expected a loveline of Han Soo-Hyeok and Kim Yoo Yeon and to be honest I don’t think its gonna end good. Him being the young master of Hyowon group and she being the maid of their house but somehow they did capture my attention and now I’m looking forward to their story.

*Makjang Dramas is most commonly used for referring to a storyline or a plot in a K-Drama that is extremely dramatized and exaggerated to make things intense and exciting usually to bring in high TV ratings.

The Visuals: Other than Lee Bo Young’s beauty, the main visual of this drama has to be the Hyowon Mansion. No wonder the maids don’t want to leave the job until they are fired. The dresses, jewelry, The interior,  everything just screams “HIGH BUDGET”.

Flaws:  There are just too many characters that it is difficult to remember each and every character’s name. This chaebol family is the typical rich messed up family that we see in almost every K-Drama and hence there is a lack of creativity there as the family set up is way too common.

The story does keep you engaged, as when I first watched this drama, I did not expect it to be a ‘Murder Mystery’ but it started to become kind of predictable at times. You’ll find yourself telling what’s gonna happen next in some scenes and then, there’s no thrill to watch it further besides seeing how the characters might develop. However, every week, there is something new, so I am really hoping that this drama proves me wrong in the upcoming episodes.

Verdict:
Overall the drama doesn’t disappoint that much. With every episode, it does begin to build on you and you end up finding lesser flaws and more mystery. Those who are looking for something to watch, can definitely check out “Mine”.

Are you watching this drama? What do you think about it? Do let us know.

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Written by: Tina Shejwal