Born Again ~ 3 People Reincarnated. Love Triangle Recreated

“Born Again” is Korean drama series released in 2020, has 32 episodes, and can be categorized as Legal drama, Romance, Crime and Mystery, and Supernatural or Fantasy.

♦ Our Hearts are Joined and We Will Meet Again.

In “Born Again”, we are introduced to the three (3) main characters who are first connected through the classic Emily Brontë novel “Wuthering Heights”. In that novel a character named Heathcliff loved a woman who always remained “inaccessible” to him, in this life. After their deaths, they were finally together walking on the moors surrounding Wuthering Heights, which is a place where they shared innocent times as children and became lovers when they grew up. The tangled and mangled story of Gong Ji-chul, Jung Ha-eun, and Cha Hyung-bin begins in the 1980s.

Gong Ji-chul was a victim of child abuse. Worse than that, he kept his father’s dark secret. His father was a serial killer who picked female victims that carried a yellow umbrella. His father was never caught as he fled the country. However, the police believed Gong Ji-chul was the serial killer and there was no need to look any further.

♦ Why did law enforcement connect him to the murders?

• A witness said she saw him burning yellow umbrellas.
• A witness saw him at the scene of a murder. Although the witness did not see him commit the murder and the victim was not killed in the same manner as the other victims, the police were certain they had the criminal.

Jung Ha-eun was the witness who first assumed Gong Ji-chul had killed the woman she saw lying in a pool of blood had reservations. She did not want to believe he was a murderer because she first met him at a group who had gathered at a church and she was reading “Wuthering Heights”. She had a brief conversation with him and told him that even if his body died, his soul would be born again.

Jung Ha-eun does not realize that Gong Ji-chul has developed an obsessive love for her, much like Heathcliff does in the novel. He was stalking her by visiting the bookstore she managed and following her home.  But she did know it.  She was unwilling to testify unless she was certain that he had committed the murder. She visited him in prison and asked him specific questions. When he told her that the reason he murdered the woman was for her sake, she was shocked. She told him he could not justify taking someone’s life to save someone else’s life. But he said the woman was a bad person. Jung Ha-eun told him that did not matter. He had committed a brutal crime.

Cha Hyung-bin was investigating the serial murders and was responsible for arresting Gong Ji-chul for the serial murders. Cha Hyung-bin was also engaged to Jung Ha-eun and they had plans to get married. Putting pieces of evidence together, Cha Hyung-bin concluded that Gong Ji-chul planned to kill Jung Ha-eun. He warned Gong Ji-chul to stay away from her, adding that he’s not the only one who knows how to kill.

♦ The three dead bodies were all lying in the snow.

Gong Ji-chul could not control his obsession for Jung Ha-eun and managed to escape from police custody. There was a manhunt to recapture him but sadly, on the day of the wedding, Gong Ji-chul, Jung Ha-eun, and Cha Hyung-bin ended up together in a snowy open field. The confrontation turned deadly. Cha Hyung-bin was killed by Gong Ji-chul.

• The groom, Cha Hyung-bin, died clutching the wedding ring he planned to put on his bride’s finger that day.
• The bride, Jung Ha-eun had a weak heart and the sight of his blood on the white snow was too much for her to bear. She died with her hand reaching out for Cha Hyung-bin and cursing Gong Ji-chul, telling him that he would never be resurrected.
• Since Cha Hyung-bin was a detective, he carried a gun. Gong Ji-chul used his gun to commit suicide, firing a bullet to the head.

♦ 30 years later, Gong Ji-chul, Jung Ha-eun, and Cha Hyung-bin were reincarnated.

Gong Ji-chul is now Cheon Jong-Beom; he comes from a well-to-do family and women swoon when they see him.  But there are also rumors that he is a psychopath who murdered his victim when he was 15 years old. He is one of Jung Sa-Bin’s medical students and he clearly has a fascination with dead bodies.

Jung Ha-eun is now Jung Sa-Bin; she works at the National Forensic Service performing autopsies and also teaches classes on the subject. She performs very thorough examinations of human remains and tries to piece together their stories.

Cha Hyung-bin is now Kim Soo-Hyeok; he is a prosecutor investigating a serial killer. Kim Soo-Hyeok believes that people have a “criminal gene” and that’s how he approaches his cases. While investigating one case, another murder occurs. A yellow umbrella is found at the scene of the crime. Cheon Jong-Beom is the prime suspect. When he looks into the background of Cheon Jong-Beom, he learns that Cheon Jong-Beom’s mother was not impregnated by her husband. Instead, she used a sperm donor. Kim Soo-Hyeok believes there is a possibility Cheon Jong-Beom inherited the genes of a serial killer.

Even though it’s been 30 years, the lives of these three reincarnated individuals become entangled again. Police are at what they believe is a crime scene, looking for the bodies of murdered female victims. The man under arrest for murder was brought to the scene. He was supposed to point to where he had buried his victims. Instead, he tripped over a body part that was protruding from the ground.

At first, the police thought they had found one of the victims. But it turned out to be the body of a man. The discovery of that body is what connected Cheon Jong-Beom, Jung Sa-Bin, and Kim Soo-Hyeok. The corpse that was found had been tied up with a red rope, his hand clutching a wedding ring, and his arms wrapped around, as if embracing an old and faded book. The book was “Wuthering Heights”.

Interesting. In 1980, Jung Ha-eun made a promise that she and Cha Hyung-bin would find each other again.  30 years later when Jung Sa-Bin was examining the corpse, she spoke as if the person was still alive.  She promised that if his bride was still alive, she would find her and give her the ring.

Main Characters:

• Gong Ji-chul / Cheon Jong-Beom (played by Jang Ki-yong, “The Atypical Family”, “Search: WWW”)
• Jung Ha-eun / Jung Sa-Bin (played by Jin Se-yeon, “Queen: Love and War”, “Grand Prince”, “The Flower in Prison”)
• Cha Hyung-bin / Kim Soo-Hyeok (Lee Soo-hyuk, “Doom at Your Service”, “Sweet Stranger and Me”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 6.8 out of 10 stars
• MyDramaList: 7.3 out of 10 stars
• Amazon customers rated this series 2.7 out of 5 stars
• Viki viewers rated this series 8.9 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is 9.8 out of 10 stars.

First, I will acknowledge that several reviewers were not impressed with “Born Again”. On the other hand, some reviewers had their reasons for being very pleased. You could say my rating is not objective because I am a loyal fan of one of the male leads. I won’t deny it.

I have been head over heels for Lee Soo Hyuk ever since he played the evil vampire in “The Scholar Who Walks the Night”. When he played a grim reaper in “Tomorrow”, I was smitten again! What can I say? I like the way he walks, the way he talks, and the way he acts. It doesn’t matter if he’s a main character or part of the supporting cast.

But my rating is not just because this South Korean actor is one of my favorite actors. The storyline was very intriguing. It’s a kind of twisted love triangle. You get wrapped up in the love story and are saddened because the couple did not have a chance to be together. Even though you know the murderer suffered from child abuse, you don’t have any sympathy for him. (At least, I didn’t!) Also, I liked some of the episode titles. For example:  the title for Episodes 7 and 8 was very thought-provoking: “Eternal Evidence”. The soundtrack was fantastic, and that scene in the snow (before all of the blood got spilled) was gorgeous! Finally, bookstores and libraries are my favorite places on planet earth.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Watch: Lee Soo Hyuk, Jin Se Yeon, And Jang Ki Yong Wrap Up Filming With Smiles And Share Final Thoughts On “Born Again” | Soompi

Born Again K-Drama Ending Explained: What Happens to Jang Ki-Yong, Jin Se-Yeon & Lee Soo-Hyuk? | Yahoo! Entertainment

Born Again Ends with Low Ratings and Complete and Utter Narrative Crap as Jang Ki Yong and Lee Soo Hyuk Swan Through the Crazy | A Koala’s Playground

6 Reasons Why “Born Again” Is The Most Underrated Drama Of The First Half Of 2020 – TRENDS | KpopMap

Good Ol’ Review: Interesting, but Unfocused KBS drama “Born Again” Carried by Excellent Performances from Jang Ki Yong, Jin Se Yeon and Lee Soo Hyuk | DryedMangoez.com

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

KBS WORLD TV. “Born Again | 본어게인 [Teaser-Ver2].” YouTube Video. YouTube, April 3, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzqjzVK3av4.‌