In K-drama True Beauty, Moon Ga-young’s sparkling turn carries breezy teen romance
- Romantic entanglements revolve around Moon’s ugly duckling character, who discovers the world of make-up and is transformed into a stunning beauty
- The series is tailor-made for young girls, who will easily recognise this world of K-beauty, karaoke and Korean snack foods
Korean culture has long been fascinated by beauty, so much so that it has, over time, become a world leader in beauty products and plastic surgery. Good looks are seen as a way to stand out from the crowd and those who do not have them, particularly women, can be made to feel inadequate.
A case in point is Im Ju-kyoung, the 18-year-old protagonist of the new tvN series True Beauty, adapted from a hugely popular webtoon of the same name by Yaongyi. Ju-kyoung, played by young star Moon Ga-young, has an inferiority complex because of her looks. She is teased by her brother at home, and mercilessly bullied at school, where she is considered unspeakably ugly by her cruel classmates.
After a particularly mortifying episode, one night she finds herself on the roof of a tall building, peering over the edge. Lee Su-ho, played by Cha Eun-woo, mistakes her intentions and “saves” her from falling to her death. Ju-kyoung falls into Su-ho’s arms (something that henceforth will accidentally happen about once an episode), but her glasses break so she cannot see him.
Dreaming of a fresh start, Ju-kyoung discovers make-up, but her first amateur attempt at applying it brings her even more ridicule at school, so she dives into video tutorials as she explores the world of make-up through a candy-coloured montage.
At the same time her father has just lost all the family’s savings, to his wife’s horror, but as it turns out, to Ju-kyoung’s gain, as they move to a new house and she gets to enrol in a new school with a brand new face.