Secrets and Lies (2018)

The ending wasn't abrupt in my opinion, but a rather good cliffhanger. Some may say that the whole series was a let down because of how the story ends, but as Jae Bin runs towards the sea, there are only two possibilities: Hwa Kyung either drowns to her death or is saved by Jae Bin and leads a decent life. However, after watching 122 episodes of how the scheming and sly smart Hwa Kyung has evaded death, again and again, I think we can all agree that we would rather her go back to her old ways. Also, I was pretty satisfied with how the story added up all together, i.e how the chairman ended up with nothing after building his own company with so much effort but even his real grandson Do Bin didn't want it and the Jae Bin that loved him genuinely didn't bother about going back to the Misung family as well. Yeon Hee left him to study eventually and Myung Joon turned down the offer to take over the company as well. Overall, although Hwa Kyung as the villain didn't get her "supposed" punishment, I think the effort put into the scams and lies the crew has put together for Hwa Kyung, to begin with, was amazing. To start with, Hwa Kyung had to save herself by kicking her false dad out of the company as she didn't want her identity as the adopted daughter to be discovered. The secret of her identity, after being exposed didn't just stop there but instead got worse. Hwa Kyung began to fall for Do Bin who was the real grandson but was already taken by Woo Jung, someone who she had betrayed in the beginning. As an ambitious woman filled with greed for the Misung company, she decides to switch the identities of Jae Bin who comes from a poor family where Do Bin grew up as well. As Jae Bin is deeply in love with Hwa Kyung and was blinded by her lies, he agreed to be the fake grandson. Knowing the chairman would pass the company on to Jae Bin, Hwa Kyung knew she could easily take it from Jae Bin. After the switch, his real parentage slowly got discovered while his greed got larger and bigger. It was to the extent where even Hwa Kyung was shocked at how the once innocent and cheerful Jae Bin had evolved into such a scheming and solemn guy. The lies put into this drama, although weren't really true to current lives, were as I could tell, were very well developed to the upcoming ones. It seemed like Hwa Kyung's lies were weaved together seamlessly. However, nearing the end, with the bit of humanity Jae Bin has left, he decides to tell the chairman his real identity when Hwa Kyung unsuccessfully stops him. In uncertainty, the chairman personally checks up on him and alas, finds out everything. Determined to kill Hwa Kyung, he finds all sorts of way to do so and comes home one day to find Hwa Kyung who he has already kicked out taking something from his room. As he moves to kill her, he has a sudden heart attack, causing him to go into a coma. Things develop and Hwa Kyung is at the inauguration ceremony of being the next president. At this instant, the chairman enters and stops both of them. Both of them were arrested but Do Bin as the older brother decides to bail him out of jail as he thought that Hwa Kyung had dragged him into her series of lies. However, Hwa Kyung escapes from the detention center on the way to jail with help from Yeon Hee, her mother, who came to realize that although she was her fake daughter, she had loved the fake daughter for 30 years, not the original one. Determined to help her, she sets up a show to help Hwa Kyung get away from the country. At the airport, news of her and her clever schemes have been exposed onto national television, causing everyone to recognize her under the wig and sunglasses. Fleeing from the airport and leaving everything behind, she went on the streets for days. She attempted to fill her stomach at Jae Bin's original family who operated a fish soup store, whose mother after realizing her incorrigible actions has rejected her. In the end, she finally comes to her senses and asks her former friend Woo Jung and Do Bin who both are in the journalism industry to stream her apology on television. Jae Bin, who has been searching for her nervously over these few days, rushes down to the location to where she streams the video. Bumping into his brother, he hears that Hwa Kyung has gone to the police station to turn herself in. However, after checking, he realizes that his wife isn't there. The sudden realization of knowing that Hwa Kyung doesn't want to live a life full of lies and covering up after it drives him to the beach where Hwa Kyung solemnly thinks about what she has done. The drama ends off as Jae Bin and Hwa Kyung's love is revealed to be genuine and real and her thanking for the short period of joy that only he has given her. I had to admit that I wasn't happy with how it ended as it seemed incomplete, but taking into account how the actors portrayed their roles so well especially this couple makes me grateful that such a drama employed such capable actors. Despite the ending, it was still rather touching to see Hwa Kyung finally repenting. Overall, this really would be a good series to rewatch and relive as the scenes were just so empowering and fierce, bursting with emotions. To sum up, this drama, with the perfect but not well-known cast that I look forward to their works in the future, is definitely a 10/10 show for me. A well put together one.

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First this drama started out okay but it went down hill fast. The ending was horrible you didn't get see the bad girl go to jail and become reformed. They made it seem her being on the streets suffering for a couple of days was enough of a punishment for what she did.. ugh is all I can say.. The main couple got married but was never really accepted by his parents. It would have been better to see that justice was held against the bad and then to see the main couple have a happy moment and maybe after she was done with jail her and her man have a happy marriage. We did not get any of that just a lump of her walking in the sea and her love following ugh... and that Do Bin was moving out but not showing the happy ending with his wife. So in all just a big let down...

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