The Art of Sarah

OMG what a gem!!!!

I love this drama!!! it is so well done!!! All episodes!!! what ppl call "too much talking after ep 5" is super interesting, as those two talk phylosphy of conning etc.

"IT WAS FAKE, BUT iT WAS NOT A LIE.
SARAH REALLY LOVED BUDOAR "

How did I miss it back then when it was airing?? BC THE MDL SYNOPSIS WAS SOOOO BAD. It looked like a really boring drama.

But this is about a female con artist who really figured out rich women and really went after them - created what they wanted and then stole from them. Wow great job

THat Budoar store and bags and the whole experience were really good, actually! Creating an EXPERIENCE for the rich... SHE DID A GREAT JOB!!!!!

This drama is SO FUN!!!!! It is "girls story" as well as class story.... about women trying to be someone... about "low girls" and "rich girls" and everyone trying to be pretty and have pretty things and higher status... FASCINATING

I started watching it ONLY BC I LEARNED HOW GOD IT WAS ON THIS BLOG https://byrei.ink/

It is so nice to have a drama about women too.

ML was ML in Love Scout. He is good at this role actualy

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Snow, smoke, reflections and mirrors - truth blinds, lies mesmerise

"The truth is like light - it blinds us. Conversely, lies are like a beautiful sunset that makes everything look incredible."

As snow falls on a party celebrating jewel-frosted handbags, Sarah Kim’s opening line is completed as she ascends the staircase to shield her displayed handbag with an umbrella. A low-angle shot widens, revealing her surrounded by heavenly Renaissance imagery. She is framed by a magnificent white angelic statue, crowned with her own Boudoir logo as its head.
The next scene juxtaposes this skimply dressed artist with heavily rugged-up buyers. They camp overnight in the cold, lining the street in hopeful desperation. We follow the queue until we meet Yang Da Hye. Her dialogue starkly contrasts Sarah Kim’s elegance as she rages over the phone about being screwed over because of her name. She cannot even light a cigarette without stumbling upon greater misery, a dead body in a dank underground sewer.

'The world can be kind, but it can also be indifferent. Over here, there's a lavish party going on, while over there, someone freezes to death.'

'The Art of Sarah' is a thrilling mystery that works as a cohesive work of art. It bores down into the vulnerabilities, desperation and desires of humans, and reveals our limitations in acknowledging truth, crime and justice. This is consistently achieved through impeccable acting, complemented by lighting, camera work, scripting, plot construction, sound design, motifs, contrasts, red herrings, oxymorons, and clever sequencing that keeps viewers riveted as the plot unravels.

It recognises the walls that exist where doors are present for others. Do people get what they deserve? Can they deserve what they get? One of the show’s most compelling sophistications is how it plays with truth: “People think that what they want to believe is the truth.”

So, who is Sarah Kim? A name does not define her. If you want her to be a con artist, she is. If you want her to be an entrepreneur, she is. If you want her to be kind and generous, she is. If you want her to be a murderer, she will be.

But what happens when you see her simply as a person?

She is someone willing to sink into the depths in order to be reborn. In doing so, she becomes a mirror, reflecting what others project onto her while revealing who they truly are. Those bold enough to change will see her change too.

The insatiable breadcrumbing in 'The Art of Sarah' leaves viewers devouring the series, hungry for the truth. It rewards rewatching, each layer enlightens another. In a world of fire and snow, smoke and mirrors, the truth is never handed to you. You have to be desperate enough to see it.

Or perhaps desperation is what stops you from ever truly seeing at all.

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The Identity?

Simply a masterpiece of creation, fake to real 👌🏻. Boudoir.
After each end episode, you want to know what will happen next, even after ep 8 only 35mins 😒, you still ends up questioning, The Identity!!! And ends up being perplexed.
She's a mastermind, got lots of idea start from bottom to creation, I still think she has another plans /scenario in her bag even though she end up 'there '.
Yeah all for her brand!
But the real thing, like who is really her? Her birth name, parents, where did she come from. Addicted to luxury, wants to survive and be vvip....
Personally I think this story don't end here after ep8, it continues. But however, point at the title of the drama, it is understandable and good interpretation of the name. Like we discover the art and the sacrifices for it!
In other dramas, a detective/police/specially A profiler will want to go at the root and giving the original identity.
Nine puzzles was 👌🏻🔥.

Splendid melancholy

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A gripping tale of Shin Hye Sun's luxurious life and masterfully crafted lies

If there's a game women will always excel at, it's the lying game.

I always expect nothing but the best from K-dramas where Shin Hye Sun stars in. She always prefers to play multilayered and memorable characters. So, when I heard she is teaming up with the very sexy Lee Jun Hyuk in a mystery thriller, I know I’m in for a treat regardless of if the story ends up with a weak ending.

The Art of Sarah revolves around Sarah Kim (Shin Hye Sun), the regional head of a luxurious bag. When a dead body was found in the sewage and was identified as Sarah Kim, detective Park Mu Gyeong (Lee Jun Hyuk) was unconvinced and deeply skeptical about the case. He dives into the investigation and is determined to uncover the web of lies and mysterious identity of Sarah Kim.

Shin Hye Sun is as dynamic as a chameleon. She changes form and demeanor depending on the situation and the person she is with. It is fascinating watching her breathe into life the different identities of Sarah Kim. The desperation in her eyes wanting to escape her miserable life pierces through the screen. At the same time, there is this unmistakable glimmer in her eyes when she sets her eyes upon a fancy item or a gullible person. She perfectly embodies our absurd obsession with luxury bags and how crazy we can be in achieving it.

Once again, she plays a saleslady trampled by the rich but this time she rises to crush them. Her lean physique, laid-back demeanor and impeccable taste in clothing make it easy for her to exude quiet luxury, even if it is only a trick. Like what Sarah Kim always says, anything is possible even scamming the rich 😈

Lee Jun Hyuk is a tenacious detective with sharp eyes and oozing sexiness. He’s so sexy you can practically hear Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home) playing in the background whenever he walks into the room. Did I already mention he’s sexy? He is very immersed in the murder case that even with lack of substantial evidence, he is convinced Sarah Kim is not truly what she appears to be. He is ready to put his job on the line just to prove his point and get a lead in the case. His expertise makes him think he is not gullible like others and can break open the truth, but it seems he is no match to Sarah Kim’s sly tricks and schemes. A criminal without identity is much like a powerful demon you can never defeat unless you figure out his name and origin. How I wish we had a glimpse of Jun Hyuk’s backstory. I would like to know more why his chief is no longer fond of him and how he became so passionate about his job.

Honestly, I thought the rich colluded to kill her after finding out all her lies. The story did not take the usual route of a poor pretending to be rich and living a dual life. Sarah Kim is fully committed to her ploy and building her own brand. She made her way to the top, and she is never going back to the depths of despair again.

With the amount of plot twists coming one after another, it is generally hard to create a satisfying resolution. This show cleverly uses the tricks a con artist would use–distorting the truth and making the fake look real. Unfortunately, this certainly downplayed Jun Hyuk’s effort in search of the truth. I appreciate how the show emphasizes that wealth is a toxic dream. It is a poison that will seep into you slowly and turn you into someone you never were–a person consumed by greed. The Art of Sarah is a meticulously planned scam and a rollercoaster ride full of twists. It is thrilling and intriguing as it can be but do not be fooled by the underbaked ending. This is inspired by the saying “fake it ‘til you make it” but a very extreme and dedicated version.

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Koreas failed attempt at Inventing Anna

It's a nice decent story in my opinion just nothing special. It remonds me so much of the inventing Anna tv show similar concepts someone pretending to be a different person to appeal to high society, i really liked that show and i was happy because i thought this was going to be similar since it was also made by Netflix but this show failed horrendously at that attempt. For one they made everything so overcomplicated if we get rid of all the uncessary fillars this could have beesn a quick short movie not an 8 episode show. Everything is made to seem like it's this big incredible secret but any person with media knowledge can guess the plot from start to finish.
It's not a bad drama by any means but just a little disappointing because the actress is so good irl given a script like this just makes it seem unworthy of her talents.
This is just a quick little binge that no one remembers after it's done that's all.

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So...

... I guess I expected a little more from it? I can't say that I was disappointed by it or that I was bored by it, otherwise I wouldn't have given it four stars, but it wasn't anything to sit on my ass about for me. Maybe it's because I was practically just disoriented at the beginning and I didn't really understand what the individual characters were trying to tell me and what it was actually about. The third episode was better, I can honestly say that I enjoyed it because I felt like I finally started to understand Sarah. For me, it was a necessary backstory to be able to understand why she does what she does. The positive thing is that I can't say that the series was predictable. The cast is also very good, there really wasn't anyone I didn't trust in the role. I really like Shin Hye-seon, I also watched it because of her, and I liked her in the role of Sarah. It was something different from her, I've never seen her in a role like that before. And I thought she did a good job. It only has eight episodes, which is not much for k-dramas, but I think it could have been even shorter, maybe six? I think that would have been more ideal and the plot would have been even more compelling. But I'm very satisfied with the last two episodes, they were good for me, everything was explained and the individual characters mostly got what they wanted all along.

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A different take on swindlers and identity theft

This one is tricky... It started as a murder mystery and in the second half, became more of a psychological crime drama. It was different from my expectations of how a drama featuring a con artist would be. The identity theft was also a smaller part of the show than I expected. There were definitely both strengths and flaws, but as a whole, I enjoyed it and was invested throughout.

What was undeniably good is Shin Hye Sun's performance. The effortless charisma and persuasiveness doesn't make me surprised that people around her fell for her tricks. It's to the point that you wonder if she was really faking it, and you can't help but like her character. Sarah Kim is also a compelling protagonist to me. She isn't a ruthless villain or a cliche genius con artist, she was intelligent but very human despite what she ended up doing in the show.

I also liked the wealthy victim characters. They weren't obnoxious caricatures nor evil chaebols. They were rather realistic portrayals of how the rich would behave and get swayed -- which is, imo, very rare in kdramas. In that sense, I think the biggest contributor to my enjoyment was the complexities in the relationships between Sarah Kim and her victims.

Onto the flaws, I definitely thought the show lost a bit of steam in the middle parts. The interrogations clearly were slow-paced compared to the beginning, and often unnecessarily confusing. While it gained its footing at the end, the show wasn't exactly consistent.

I also thought it was a shame that Sarah's employee identity arc only lasted one episode. It was intense and emotional, and I actually thought it would be intriguing to explore how she shifted from her original personality to Sarah's persona. The show missed out on this potential.

Overall, I think this would be a show that divides viewers. What is undeniable is that it is different, and thus an interesting watch.

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A Short but Intriguing Con Story

The Art of Sarah is a short, fast-paced drama that manages to stay engaging throughout its run. What stood out the most was watching Shin Hye-sun take on a completely different kind of role. Her performance brings energy and charisma to the character, making the journey even more entertaining.
The premise itself feels fresh, centered around a cleverly planned con that unfolds in interesting ways. The story moves quickly, which keeps the tension and curiosity alive. However, the short format also becomes one of its weaknesses. Certain plot points feel rushed or slightly confusing, and not every question is clearly answered.
The ending, in particular, leaves some ambiguity. It’s unclear whether Sarah truly managed to reclaim her position or what her future looks like afterward. While that uncertainty may be intentional, it can feel a bit incomplete.
Even with those flaws, the drama remains a fun and engaging watch. Its unique concept and strong central performance make it worthwhile, and it certainly leaves room for a potential second season to explore what happens next

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A Gold Thriller, but Actually Dung!

Now I understand why people gave bad ratings to this show. This show is a gold and sh*t at the same time. The story tells about a girl who took a fake identity of Sarah Kim. She used such identity to build a luxury brand by conning a lot of people, including a loan shark, an investor, a hostess, a sick-wealthy man, a luxury department store owner, her own store sales agent, and a lot of VIP customers because her luxury brand was not luxury. She conned everyone meticulously by using another fake identities, and threatened them with their own secrets. She made them unable to report her (and it was pointless to report either since her identity was fake), and even unable to let the world know that she had conned them. How come a series of con became so much success? Because all of the victims fall into the same pit: DESPERATION. The name of her brand spread quickly and successfully made other people jealous, putting her into a point where a con tried to become her fake. So now there is a fake of a fake person. And after that you'll begin to question: among all those frauds, which one was done by the fake and which one was by the "fake of the fake"? I also began to question: if these all are cons, then maybe they weren't cons but business? Then all of her confessions, were they all a con too? What if actually Kim Mi Jeong who made the confessions? What if it was actually Mok Seol Hui? What if Kim Mi Jeong was actually never exist, and she made it all so Sarah Kim could die and Mi Jeong could take all the blame?

While all of the story above are really convincing materials for a thriller, this type of story needs to be written very very meticulously. They tried to pull a mindblowing plot, but unfortunately the number of plot holes are too much here. Park Mu Gyeong found out her suicide was fake through some phrases referring to luxury brand taglines in her suicide note, why the hell she had to left hint? Also the remains of a man that found in the suicide scene, who's that? The polaroid of a couple; I think it was her and Seong Sin, why Ji Hwon name was written in the back? Then about Sarah Kim in a crutches at the police station front, in what part of timeline was that and what was that? When she said she is Kim Mi Jeong, why didn't they check the surgery scar? More importantly, throughout the show I think the police were all too one dimensional and frustrating. They were too certain of something unclear, and later trusted her confession too much. How could they trust a con after she said she was actually Kim Mi Jeong? It feels like the police let Sarah dictate the investigation. In the end, they tried to make us pity Sarah, but failed to do so.

Shin Hye Sun is a bit overkill for this show. I thought they were going to explore the fragile side of Sarah Kim, why she did all the con, etc but they didn't. She played excellently as a jerk villain, but I feel she isn't jerk enough. Lee Jun Hyuk and other talents are a bit wasted here as the story focused too much on Sarah Kim.

This show highlighted a harsh reality about a luxurious culture, the fake and superficial live. Everyone tries to pay at any price for a prestige. It doesn't matter if it's a fake, as long as it can amaze others. And when it comes someone who steal more eyes from them, they will always try to win it back, no matter how. This theme is very comparable to a show from the same production 3 years ago: Celebrity. It has same elements: fake luxurious life, con,, and murder. That's why people will compare it directly to it.

The ending lets us decide which part of the story is true and which part isn't, and which identity of Sarah Kim survived. The pace of this show is extremely fast. Very intriguing and quick, but maybe not enough for a rewatch.

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8/10

Deducing 1 star for the loose ending (most good dramas don't know how to end these days)

1 star for that shitty jk rowling-in-shit reference

I don't understand what plotholes people are talking about. The story was interesting and pretty easy to follow. No plotholes. Though they didn't explain the skeleton found in the pond. They didn't have to.

The police going along with her final con was unrealistic in the drama world. In the real world, it makes sense. Innocent people get convicted with fabricated evidence all the time.

My only people with the drama is the fact that Sarah really did disfigure and attempted to murder Mi-jeong (not full murder because she froze to death, ig)

I think it went against the character of a woman who took off her own gloves and scarf for a stranger, paid off almost all her debts, and even donated her kidney when she didn't have to.

I agree with the theory that Sarah's husband might've aided her in the murder. She didn't even finch seeing the corpse's photo, I don't think it was her doing. Or maybe it was. No one really knows Sarah, not even the viewers.

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What I absolutely loved about the drama is the art.

Hae-sun's acting is perfect as usual. The cinematography is gorgeous!

The social commentary is spot on. There are so many scenes that show how you pay for the brand, not for the product. It applied to people and their skills too.

I liked how Boudoir bags were not minimalist. They were flashy af, not trying too hard and still sought after.

I could somewhat relate to Sarah in her struggles, even rooted for her despite her cons.

I disagree that being rich is just a mindset thing. But you do have to be psychopathic to become ultra-weathly.

I loved that men got picked up for a change lol.

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Branding is everything!

A guide on how to leave a legacy; when legend becomes myth.

I quite enjoyed the chapter-like episodes, and how the story unfolded slowly. This was a very intriguing show, and I especially liked Shin Hae Sun’s acting, which can never be faulted to be honest. She just plays every character with nuance, and is a pure delight on my screen. The detective’s character was very shallow, and I think that Lee Jun Hyuk was let down by lack of characterization. The scriptwriter really wasted his talents as an actor in my opinion.

While I enjoyed the cinematography and acting, the show as a whole is just okay. Sarah can “read” people so well, and yet it took her half a year to realize that Mi Jeong conned her? Hm, I’m not sure about that, considering how protective Sarah is of her brand (both Boudoir and her persona). There is just something about the show that didn’t fully click; it was good for a one-time watch, but I wouldn’t watch it again, and I kind of hope the leads reunite (again) for a better drama (and maybe a romance?😁)!

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A great psychological mystery series

As a psychological series, this series takes the cake. This is my first time writing a review and usually, I don't like watching K dramas but I think this has a really good story and pacing. Watching others rate it so low is quite sad.

"If you can't tell the fake from the real, then is it really fake?"
This goes beyond the bags and the brand. Sarah Kim, or the person going by the name, established Budior as a high brand luxury coming from the West, which didn't even exist. She had started as an honest worker but eventually got betrayed by the rich's system, penalizing her millions of dollar. This forced her do various works and put on multiple faces to achieve her goal/revenge.

Her backstory is solid, slowly being unravelled in multiple narrrations. The telling by narrations were executed really well! While they are confusing to some, but I think that is the point as this is a psychological series. It is meant to mess with your brain. And while there are multiple narrations, I don't them clashing with each other (except for the detective's theory at the end). The narrations are different as the narrator changes. Memories as subjective after all.

In the end, the detective having to choose to arrest her as Kim Mijeong or release her as Sarah Kim, will be unsatisfying either way. I don't think we even know her actual name as all were taken from or give by someone.

As for the plotholes, from how was she not even registered in the system or even why those detective didn't even freeze her account when raising Budior, I do wonder if they really are plotholes or are they unanswered but defined points. Because considering how a lot of the small details were crafted really nicely, for them to overlook these "plotholes" would be very disappointing, especially as a series that defines itself as a mystery.

The actresses were really good, but I have to say the detective is such a disappointment. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it's his character or whatever but I do dread everytime he appears on screen.

This series a GREAT psychological mystery series. However, for people coming for a mystery case that's leaves you satisfied at the end, then this is absolutely NOT for you. This will make you think, theorise, and leave you with hanging with open questions. And those questions you are left with are what I think makes a psychological mystery worth it. To discuss them even further with other people and to give answers to those questions. These discussions bring the community to life and add more fun to it.

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