Beautiful Gong Shim

for those who don mind their rom coms a bit crazy

This is my favourite comfort drama. I often come back for the romance, for the humor (which may seem a slapstick sometimes but I like it that way) and for the main couple in general. I love them both. They are a bit chaotic and crazy but fun and lovable at the same time.

The plot line concerning the past of the ML is a bit darker but not too much so it does not spoil the comical vibe of the drama.

Good actors, nice & catchy music and an interesting plot. Unfortunately, the last episode is a little bit too dramatic for its own good but apart from that, it is a great drama.

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Overall a great story with cute characters

I'll first start off by saying I unexepectedly,really liked this drama. I have quite strange tastes when it comes to K-dramas.

Right out of the gate I'll say Gong Shim has become my favourite character of any K-drama now. She is funny and cute and awkward. I've never seen Minah in anything else but loved what she did with the character. I'll be checking her other stuff, as well now. I also hadnt seen Namkoong Min in anything else. He was great here, as Ahn Dan-tae. Dan-tae and Shim, had great chemisty and were very cute and funny together. The last main character was Seok Joon-soo, played by On Joo-wan. While, I dont think he necessarily stood out, I think he did a good job witht the character. The rest of the supporting cast was very good and had some funny moments, as well.

The story of the missing Jun-pyo, was decently handled. I do think the mystery was solved a little too quickly, which meant they stretched the story out, a little longer than they had too. But overall it kept your interest. Others have said it was predictable, but I actually felt it was less formulaic than others. Overall very enjoyable.

Now, onto my only complaints. First, I'm not sure Shim's family was handled very well. Her sister, was awful throughout. She may have slightly redeemed herself, in the end, with Joon-soo but she never grew as a character, with her family. The parents, also seemed unevenly written. In the ealry episodes, they didnt seem to care much for Shim (Shim directly says this) and through her living arrangements, we are too think she's not liked or looked after by her family. (her sister uses her room as a wardrobe, nuff said) But by the later episodes, they seem to support her and really appreciate her. Again, I would see that as growth but there were never any scenes resolving their issues. Its a minor nitpick. The second issue I had was, Shim's change in attitude and looks by the end. Dan-tae always described her as cute and made it clear he liked her wig. By his final return in the end, she is dressing in much more mature clothing and has her natural hair again. To me, at least, she had lost the cuteness and looked like everyone else. Im sure the writers did this to show she had matured and moved on a bit. I just think it was too much of a juxtaposition. I half expected to see Shim with her natural hair styled the same way her wig was. But maybe I'm alone in this criticism.

Overall I loved this drama and will put down Gong Shim as one of the best chracters, ever.

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How to keep others from wasting their time

I'm going to sound pretty harsh, but it would've saved me many, many, many hours watching this series if I saw a review that didn't beat around the bush.

5 reasons to avoid this series at all costs:
1.The story does a 180 halfway through. The story goes from a romcom to something unrecognizable after 10 episodes. There where things I liked and things I disliked in the first 10 episodes, then everything I liked was taken away at about episode 11. Why?

2. Mr. Hyde. One of the reasons I watched the show was for the male lead character. He was funny, sweet, protective and delightfully weird. Then he suddenly changed for no understandable reason (yes, you guessed it - at around episode 10). He became distant and uncaring and became someone the viewer can't recognize. To make things worse he never came back to the guy you liked so much.

3. The romantic relationships. The ML chased after the FL for months and then, when he finds out she likes him back, he snubs her. Why? No damn reason. He leaves her twice, once for a month and once for a year without any contact at all - once again for no reason. If your boyfriend goes overseas and doesn't say goodbye and doesn't have any contact with you for a full year without an excuse would you take him back? A year is a bloody long time to ignore someones calls and messages and to then just say "I was busy".

The secondary couple is a man who is so sweet and nice he is like a little puppy. He ends up with the FL's sister, who is the equivalent of Cruella Deville and the wicked step sisters in Cinderella rolled into one.

4. The FL is childish without ever really being charming. She is also that person who can get trampled on again and again and again and just comes back for more without ever needing the other person to truly show remorse. There is no groveling in this story and it is sorely needed.

5. The story is just plain weird and that weirdness never serves a purpose. It was disjointed and the pacing was way off. Halfway through the story was actually over, but there was still 10 hours to fill.

I really wish I didn't waste my time on this show and if I ever invent a time machine the first thing I'll do is go back and warn myself not to watch this train wreck in the first place.

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Well-written until halfway

The story revolves around the female protagonist Gong Shim, who feels inferior in life, especially to her beautiful successful older sister. By chance, Shim attracts the attention of two seemingly very different men: Ahn Dan Tae, an unconventional lawyer with an unpretentious view on life, and the kind hearted chaebol grandson Suk Jon Soo. Suk Jon Soo’s family carries a burden from over 20 years ago, and this resurfaces, intervening with the lives of our main characters.
The synopsis here on MDL feels a bit misleading in regards to “love story of the two sisters” in my opinion. The sister is a rather unlikeable person, but her story feels more like a thin sidetrack.

I thought the script was very well written, but it declined in quality from about halfway. That’s also when the way too obvious product placements appeared, btw.
The ending also felt a bit rushed, or should I say like they took some shortcuts.

As for the cast, I really like Namkoong Min from The Veil and My Dearest, so it was interesting seeing him in this earlier work. His character (Ahn Dan Tae) was a bit exaggerated, but he plays it out very well, and although I won’t say he is as strong in this as in the two before mentioned dramas, it is also a different kind of role.

Bang Min Ah as Gong Shim was convincing, but not brilliant. Her character did disappear a little as the story went on in a different direction, which might be one reason; as I feel she did shine more in the earlier episodes.

I enjoyed Ohn Joo-Wan as Suk Jon Soo; he portrayed emotions well and managed to build a connection with his audience (me, lol).

To sum it up:
It is not a waste of time watching this, but it could have been better. It is not a series I am likely to rewatch, but I might recommend it to others.

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Good start, but got boring real quick.

If you've seen ANY other K-Drama rom-com, you've seen Beautiful Gong Shim. Same cringe worthy tropes; same unrelatable conflicts and misunderstandings that could be cleared up with a simple conversation; same mind-numbingly boring filler episodes that drag the drama out WAAAAAY too long. Not to mention that Ahn Dan Tae has a "super power" that disappears after episode 4/5.

The most interesting part of the series was the kidnapping plot, but even then the audience knew who the little boy was from the first episode. If the same present is going to be wrapped up in a different package, don't torture your audience with 20 episodes of mind-numbingly bad rom-com troupes that we've seen a million times.

I'm giving the series 4 stars instead of 1 since all of the actors are bringing their A-Game and they deserve praise. The production staff and everyone else working behind the camera deserve recognition as well. Good job.

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Were was the attraction, exactly?

I watched this 2016 drama in June 2026. In many ways, it felt like two separate seasons rather than one continuous story. With that in mind, I don’t necessarily agree with reviewers who felt the first half was significantly better than the second. Instead, I saw it as two fairly distinct stories connected by the ADT/GS/SJS love triangle.

We meet Gong Shim at around age twenty-five, and I have to admit that I wasn’t immediately drawn to her character. At the beginning, nothing about her projects confidence. From her wig, which covers a temporary bald spot, to her wardrobe, which feels stuck in her high school years, to her overall physical posture, she comes across as someone who has never truly found her footing. These traits are supposedly the result of a stifling upbringing: parents who failed to nurture either her life skills or her genuine artistic talent. On top of that, she has an older sister who is outwardly beautiful but inwardly insecure, and who dominates and gaslights Gong Shim at every turn. Although Gong Shim wants to become independent, she lacks the guidance and confidence needed to navigate adulthood. She dreams of learning Italian and moving to Italy to pursue art, but as we see, that goal is easily derailed by life’s circumstances.

What disappointed me most was that I saw very little growth in Bong Shim's character throughout the drama. Her arc should have become more noticeable from around Episode 8 onward. Incremental changes to her wardrobe alone could have visually reflected growing confidence and maturity. Even if the wig remained, a different style could have symbolized development. Neither An Dan Tae nor Jun Su contributed much to her personal growth, which made her journey feel frustratingly static.

An Dan Tae, in his early thirties, is a happy-go-lucky, street-smart lawyer by day and driver-for-hire by night. Despite enduring his share of hardship, he has risen above it and dedicated himself to helping marginalized people, often for little or no compensation. He isn’t concerned with what others think of him—at least not until later in the story. He possesses a unique gift that allows him to perceive certain events in slow motion, enabling him to react to threats with remarkable precision. Regardless of his difficult past, he has made a conscious decision to embrace life and treat people with kindness—unless circumstances force his hand otherwise. I truly loved this character. This was my first time watching Namkoong Min, and I immediately found myself looking for more of his dramas and films.

Jun Su, twenty-seven, is the presumptive heir to Star Group, a large conglomerate chaired by his aging grandmother. He is a kind and introspective soul whose life path was determined for him from birth. Although he is loved by his parents, he was never given the freedom to explore his own interests or define his own future. Even though he constantly strives to earn his grandmother’s approval, he never truly receives her affection. Through no fault of his own, he recognizes the writing on the wall: he may never become Star Group’s successor. I appreciated that he sought independence by pursuing the possibility of building something of his own. I liked his character very much.

Fun fact: Ohn Joo-wan (Jun Su) and the adorable Bang Min-ah (Gong Shim) married in 2025.

As I watched the drama unfold, however, I began to view Gong Shim as something of a red flag. Comparing her to An Dan Tae, I simply didn’t see them as equals. We learn that they are only four years apart in age, yet their levels of maturity, emotional intelligence, and overall competence seem worlds apart. I honestly never understood the romantic attraction between them. Where exactly was it?

Their dynamic often felt like the classic “knight in shining armor rescues the pitiful damsel in distress” trope. They shared a wonderful friendship, but I never sensed strong romantic chemistry. Likewise, I didn’t detect much physical attraction from Jun Su toward Gong Shim either. In other words, the writer and director never convinced me why either An Dan Tae or Jun Su would become romantically interested in someone portrayed as almost juvenile in comparison. Nevertheless, if I had to choose, I actually thought Gong Shim and Jun Su were the better match.

Beyond my affection for An Dan Tae, the real reason I stayed invested in this drama was the relationship between Dan Tae and Jun Su. I loved watching their friendship develop. It felt natural and sincere. They respected one another, got along easily, and remained honest with each other until the Jun Pyo mystery took center stage. Even then, neither man truly wanted to oppose the other. Once Dan Tae’s true identity was revealed, I found it genuinely heartwarming when he expressed his desire for their relationship to return to what it had originally been. I ultimately became invested in Dan Tae’s efforts to uncover the truth behind Jun Pyo’s abduction and the revelation that he was, in fact, Seok Jun Pyo. I enjoy a good mystery, but if I’m being critical, the drama revealed too much too early to sustain genuine suspense.

The ending, unfortunately, was a major disappointment.

Sending Jun Pyo to the United States almost immediately after his identity was revealed felt abrupt and emotionally unsatisfying. If I were Grandmother, I would have wanted him nearby for quite some time. Surely there could have been a way for this highly resourceful lawyer-grandson to study business management in Seoul while reconnecting with his family.

Then came the final fifteen minutes and the “one year later” time jump. For me, it undermined much of the emotional investment I had built over the course of the series. In real life, there is simply no excuse for An Dan Tae and Gong Shim to have had absolutely no communication for an entire year. None. Likewise, there is no believable reason for Dan Tae and Jun Su to have had zero contact. Unless Dan Tae had been in a coma or had died, it made no sense.

Hiding an engagement ring inside a plant and never checking to see whether she found it—or how she felt about it—was just absurd. It’s late as I write this review, and I’ve run out of descriptors. I also couldn’t take Gong Mi’s last-minute confession to Jun Su seriously. Sorry.

The music, however, was quite good. I’ll definitely be revisiting the OST to add a few favorites to my playlist.
Overall, I don’t think I would rewatch this drama, nor would I recommend it.

Rating: 7/10

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More than a good laugh

Honestly, this drama was on my PTW for a while, but once I saw that it was coming off of Netflix, I decided to start it, and oh boy, it was not what I expected.
From what I thought was going to be a rom-com with two love interests, it was actually a lot deeper than that. There were even moments where I literally screamed at the TV, whether it was how annoying a certain character was being or when I got second-hand-embarrasment. But of course, there were a lot of moments that made me smile and laugh.
I really liked Gong Shim and Ahn Dantae's relationship. Although it took a while for them to get to the point of being able to call it dating, every minute of it was worth it.
There were some relationships that I wasn't a big fan of, like Gong Mi and Gong Shim's relationship, for example. Gong Mi chose her job over her own sister, and when things weren't going her way, she blamed Gong Shim. She also didn't want people to know they were sisters for the sake of her job, once again.
Another relationship I wasn't a big fan of was Junsu and his grandmother. Like Gong Mi, Junsu's grandmother blamed him for something that wasn't his fault. For 26 years. I hated it when she said that Junpyo was her one and only grandson. Like, what the heck?
Anyway, Beautiful Gong Shim is a must-watch. I really enjoyed it, and I hope to see more shows that give me that weird nostalgic feeling I got while watching this.

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This drama is not one of those TV series that will capture your interest from the very first episode. Actually, the story is quite predictable. So why watch it? Well, I guess the performances are really good, and that's a reason by itself. The actors are quite refreshing and funny, giving a youthful vibe to the drama. But what about the story? Well, the drama is about a girl who is being compared to her beautiful and successful sister, even by her parents. That's the main idea, but, the second half of the drama focuses on her neighbour, who tries to find a boy who was kidnapped twenty years ago, and his rich grandmother never stopped searching for him. The good part is that there are some funny moments, and some scenes are cute and entertaining. Though the romance is so-so, the love triangle isn't boring, which is a relief. In addition, the ending held a twist, and that gave a nice note to it, as most of the final episodes of the K dramas are usually boring, due to the fact that the story has ended in the previous episode. So, 6 out of 10.

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Slow paced but worth a watch!

In the first half, it was like a cliche story and the FL was so much in her own dreamland that it made me cringe. She was so immature in a lot of ways, which could easily be annoying more than once. But the latter half was better, with all the loose ends tying up, and the relationships getting a clearer view. Though there wasn't any development in ML other than him getting another degree, the FL had a lot of developments, especially her maturity. She started being practical which made her more appealing than annoying, towards the very end.

There's a lot of crying scenes in the entire series but it was in no way tear-jerking. The plot seemed to go at a very slow pace, and if it were to be at a normal pace, it would have taken 12-16 episodes, so feel free to fast forward some scenes.

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A good show with cute characters - for the most part.

(Possible spoiler at the end of review, clearly marked.)
I really enjoyed the majority of this series, but the ending was so terrible that it pretty much ruined it all for me.

The show starts out as a wierd cinderella style story with a lot of toxic family behaviours, and then takes a turn into mystery/intrigue/crime with dark secrets from the past etc etc.

The romance and "mystery" are all laid out for the audience by episode 10, but who's in alliance with each other keeps you guessing til the last episodes.

I did wonder how they could possibly stretch it out for another 10 episodes after the audience already knew everything. Surprisingly it kept my interest til the end.

I'm sad to say that I really really hated the ending.


*SPOILER AHEAD*
Spoiler for the ending: I thought the last episode was going to be a feel-good episode where you get to see all your favourite characters get their happily ever afters, but this one just really let me down in that department. I know there's a trend in k-dramas for the couple to be separated for a year or more, and then reunite, but there's no frigging way this particular relationship problem could be forgiven THAT easily.

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Idol-turned actress, Bang Min-ah has honestly surprised me with how well she acts. In my opinion, her acting was better than Nam-goong. The plot was intense with a bit of mystery and not as much romance as I would have thought. Min-ah has honestly ditched her idol looks and opted for a bowl cut to fit into her role which I thought was really cute. Her character was relatable to many younger siblings in the sense that she was the shadow to her beautiful sister. Jobless and without much looks but quipped with kindness that melted the two male's hearts, in my pessimistic opinion a bit unrealistic but you know, kdrama magic. I did cry a few times at places where I empathised with Min-ah's character and felt sorry for her.

If you're looking for a typical kdrama with a predictable plot then watch this drama. However, I can recommend you a bunch more drama with a better romantic plot? Overall, the drama left me with a mind that I should be a better person to others like how every heartwarming-happy-ending (does this count as spoiler?) kdramas always do to me.

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